Aishuu Offers:
Lessons in How to Make a Bishounen Snap
A Hikaru no Go fanfiction
Disclaimer: Hotta and Obata, as always.
Notes: Thanks to Sailor Mac for looking this over. Proof that I can
too finish something.
If you have formatting issues, it's on ff.net at:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1337221/5/
Part Five: Fan Club Pins, Unwanted Commentators and Shindou Hikaru�s
End Game
My mother has a favorite saying: just take things one day at a time.
It�s advice which I had been fervently trying to apply to the
situation, but unfortunately for me, I was a Go player. Go players
are not of the mind set to take things �one at a time� since we tend
to plan at least fifteen moves ahead.
Maybe that was why I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. All I
could see was the fact that even if I managed to survive the
festival, I would not be in a position to solve any of my problems.
My high school life looked like it was going to be a perpetual cycle
of me being hit on by people of both genders, conned into playing
games by a psycho sensei, and being completely socially inept when it
came to everything else.
It was going to be a long three years. Dropping out was starting to
look like a viable option, but I had an amazing stubborn streak.
There was no way that they were going to make me run away.
Though I seriously reconsidered when I arrived at school for the
festival.
Since I had already been assigned a role, the class didn't ask me to
arrive early to help with the set up. All that I needed to do was
arrive half an hour before the festival started to give a final
look-over of the arrangements. I'm sure that they realized they were
pushing their luck as it was. I seriously considered checking with
the Institute and seeing if there were any tournaments that needed
help that day, but my sense of responsibility kept me from chickening
out like that.
That morning, I made my way through the hallway of school, which was
filled with students dressed in fantastic costumes and bright
decorations. I felt a bit drab in my plain uniform, but after seeing
someone dressed as a lobster race by, I considered myself fortunate.
It wasn't like tutoring wasn't something I hadn't done before, right?
The classroom was hardly recognizable. The desks had been stowed
somewhere, and tables had been brought in and lined up, and spread
with neat cloths. Coffee was brewing in a corner, and a small counter
had been set up by the doorway. Girls fluttered around in glittery
costumes with short skirts that looked more like cosplay costumes
than anything Ichikawa would be caught dead in.
Maaya spotted me immediately, of course, and Emi materialized by my
side, intent on performing her duties as my bodyguard. I was getting
used to her presence, really, since she was quiet and unobtrusive
usually.
Maaya, though, was wearing a bright green outfit with a full skirt -
and cat ears. It was very hard not to laugh. She looked absolutely
ridiculous. The thing about her, though, is that she had no sense of
modesty, for she plowed through three of our classmates in her
determination to meet me.
I tried to keep my eyes on her face, because her skirt was riding
dangerously high as she spun past Fujita, who was locked in a deep
conversation with two other classmates of ours, Kiriji Daisuke and
Hanagawa Hiroshi.
�Touya-sama!� she said happily as she settled in front of me. �I have
something to show you!� She shoved her hand in her pocket and
produced a pin that looked like a white Go stone with my last name
emblazoned in gold on it. �Isn�t it cute?� she squealed.
Cute was not the word I was thinking. Horribly tacky and terribly
embarrassing were more along the proper lines, but I didn�t have the
heart to shoot her down. �What... what is it?� I asked in
trepidation, though I had a feeling I already knew.
She was oblivious to my less than enthusiastic attitude. �Fan club
pins! They finally arrived - we�ve had them on order for weeks, but
since we�re using real Go stones, it took a while to get them custom
made.�
I stared at the Go stone, thinking of how they were profaning my
beloved game. �You... made pins out of Go stones,� I said a tad
flatly.
�A whole set worth! And we're almost out!� she announced happily.
There were 361 Go stones in the average set. I felt myself go pale. I
didn�t realize that my fan club was that large and that reality
scared me. I was being stalked by over half the female student
body....
...and then Fujita walked over with a gentle smile that was just a
tad too intimate, and I amended the thought. Half the female body,
plus a few extra.
Transfer, I thought. Or a private tutor.
Fujita, though, was on business. He ignored Maaya, who sniffed at him
disdainfully. �Touya-kun, there�s been a change of plans,� he said,
and he seemed to be a bit apologetic. �Last night-�
�Is this Touya Akira�s classroom?� I heard an irritable voice ask
from the door - a voice that I would recognize anywhere.
I actually pinched myself physically, ignoring the confused looks
Fujita and Maaya gave me. This could not be happening. He could not
be here.
Life wasn�t that kind, though. Shindou Hikaru was at the door,
talking to Chieko, who looked bowled over by him.
Oh, crap.
The idea of the damage his careless mouth could do made my
imagination - limited though it was - kick into overdrive.
�Excuse me,� I murmured to Fujita, and then darted for Shindou,
rudely grabbing him by the elbow and dragging him back into the hall
before he even had a chance to register my presence. The chaos of the
festival swirled around us, but it was better than letting my fan
club officers have unlimited access to our conversation.
�What are you doing here?� I asked icily. Had Ogata or Ashiwara
informed him of the festival, and sent him to keep me company? It
seemed like the kind of thing they would come up with, and I would
kill them both.
Shindou, though, seemed confused. �Aren�t you expecting me?� he asked
cluelessly.
�No,� I bit out.
Shindou looked down at the sheet of paper he was holding in his hand.
�Um, I�m supposed to be here. The Institute assigned me to give a
demonstration with you today,� he said, holding out a piece of paper.
He waved it in my face. �I thought it was a bit weird, since it only
arrived yesterday, but it�s official. I was hoping you�d be able to
explain it a bit better.�
I snatched it out of his hands, and sure enough, Shindou Hikaru and
Touya Akira were scheduled for a demonstration match at Toriyama High
School at 10 a.m. on Friday with - Waya Yoshitaka and Ochi Kousuke
commentating?
Oh, hell.
�Ogata-sensei has a nasty sense of humor,� I said, realizing who had
to be the one who set this up. I was never, ever talking to the man
again. He seemed determined to push me completely over the edge.
�Huh?� Shindou asked. �Is he around here?� He looked a little bit
panicky.
I quirked an eyebrow. �Don�t you like Ogata-jyudan?� I teased. I knew
Shindou had a tendency to get a bit nervous around him, and it was
fun to watch Shindou get uncomfortable, since he was so used to
disconcerting the rest of us. Misery loves company after all, and if
I was going to be embarrassed, I was at least going to get some of my
own back first.
�He�s still obsessed with Sai,� Shindou groaned. �No matter how many
times I tell him I am not Sai, I do not know Sai, I cannot arrange a
match between him and Sai, he keeps pressing.�
I smirked. I knew Shindou was lying, but pressing Shindou was a
sure-fire way to send the bleach straight to his brain and see him go
completely air-headed. �Uh-huh. Do you want to go to the classroom?
We can set up, since apparently it�s an assigned match. I wonder why
I didn�t get one-�
�Because they knew you�d be here?� Shindou suggested, starting off at
my side. �This is your school?� He craned his head around curiously.
�You always choose nice places.�
�I have the grades for it,� I told him, trying to bait him. It was
quite well known that Shindou was less than stellar when it came to
academic pursuits.
He smiled a bit. �I�m glad to be out. I get to play Go all day long,
make money for doing it, and I�m gonna catch up to you while you
waste your time in school,� he threatened.
That was a concern of mine, but I wasn�t about to let him know it. �I
highly doubt it. I�ve been studying all my life, and while you may
have some talent, that can never be a substitute for practice. And
I�m still practicing.�
�Who won our last match?� Shindou taunted.
I refrained from reaching over and throttling him through years of
exposure to his attitude. Instead I leveled a cool look at him, which
I knew he found more infuriating, anyway. �That�s one out of how
many?�
He grumbled and I pushed the door open, and we walked in.
Dead silence.
Oh, not again, I thought.
�Shindou, we�ll perform the game in the front of the room, I guess?�
I suggested, looking around. �Do you know if Waya or Ochi is bringing
a display board?�
My voice fell into the silence, and then Maaya came up to us. �Do you
play Go?� she asked Shindou. Her eyes were scanning him avidly, and I
realized suddenly that half my fan club might be persuaded that
Shindou Hikaru was really a better person to adore. I pursed my lips
as I considered Shindou, realizing for the first time that Shindou
might be attractive to females.
YES! THIS MIGHT BE A GOOD THING! my thoughts screamed.
I put a hand on Shindou�s shoulder and propelled him at Maaya before
he could answer. �Yes, he does,� I said. �He�s actually not half bad.
How about you show him around and introduce him while I see to
setting up?� I suggested wickedly.
Shindou looked like a puppy I had just kicked. �Um, Touya-�
�I need to do some stuff,� I said and waved them off. Unlike me,
Shindou was good at meeting strangers and would have them eating out
of his hand without even trying. I was liking this plan more and
more.
I heard Hiroshi�s laughter and smiled a bit to myself as I moved
forward to check out the goban and chairs. Ochi and Waya would be
coming as well... I immediately discounted the possibility of Ochi,
but maybe I could pawn some more off on Waya-
�You look thoughtful, Touya,� Fujita said to me.
I smiled. �Just thinking of a couple of moves,� I said. �I wasn�t
expecting to have to play a serious game today.�
�What do you mean?� Fujita asked, coming closer. I tried very hard
not to pull away, since he wasn�t actually invading my personal
space, but only watching as I polished the goban, and checking the go
kes for the stones. It would be rude, and Fujita hadn�t really made
any overt advances.
�No one told me Shindou was assigned to show up,� I said. I glanced
over at him, not at all surprised to see him surrounded by a few of
my more devoted fan club members. I grabbed a go ke full of stones
off the table to keep my hands busy and to use as a subtle shield
against him.
�Isn�t it just a practice game?� Fujita asked curiously.
�Not between me and Shindou,� I said.
True enough. The chance to play Shindou was making the day look a bit
brighter. Maybe the festival would turn out okay-
�What are THOSE?� I heard Shindou say, and suddenly my good idea
didn�t seem so good anymore. I glanced over at Maaya, who was
pointing out her Touya Fan Club pin, explaining, and I saw Shindou�s
hand rising to his mouth, obviously trying not to laugh too hard.
I glared across the room at him, trying to decide if intervening was
a good idea. He merely winked at me mischievously, and I resolved to
punish him by thoroughly humiliating him by beating him by ten moku.
Daisuke noticed my glare and shivered. �I wouldn�t want to be Shindou
right now,� he said to Hiroshi, but it was loud enough to be
overheard.
�It�s a bad idea to get between the two of them when they start on
one of their matches,� a voice chimed in. �Bystanders get hurt.�
�You make it sound like they�re obsessed with each other - wait! They
are!� another voice said melodramatically.
I turned, ready to snap out something downright nasty. It had to be
Ochi and Waya, and while I knew Ochi had a right to be a bit bitter
after I had used him as Shindou bait, Waya had hated me for the
longest time and I had no clue why. It didn�t hurt my feelings, but
it was irritating.
The look on my face must have been downright hysterical, for Waya
cracked up laughing and Ochi smirked. Daisuke and Hiroshi merely
looked curious and a bit nervous. I didn�t know either of them well -
they tended to be quiet and fade into the background, having the kind
of student life that I had always imagined would be mine.
Ochi looked as bland as ever, his hands folded across his chest as he
stood next to the taller Waya, but Waya�s eyes were darting around
the room curiously. A slight smile danced over his lips, and I knew
that my hell was now complete. He was going to have a blast at my
expense.
�Yo, Touya,� Waya said, coming over to stand next to us. He was
dressed in a tie and suit and looking uncomfortable, but his eyes
were sparkling as he surveyed the scene. �Want to let us in on what
the deal is?�
No, not really, I thought.
It was one thing to tell Shindou I�d been set up by Ogata - Shindou
knew the man. It would be quite another to tell a player who despised
me for breathing that I�d been hung out to dry by my mentor as a
practical joke.
�Shindou and I are giving a Go demonstration,� I said flatly. �You�re
commentating.�
Waya looked pained. �That�s obvious. But why are we doing this at
your school? Are you that special that-�
Oh, here it comes, I thought. The long lecture on why Touya Akira
gets special treatment and how the Go Institute spoils him.
�Leave him alone, Waya,� Shindou said, coming up to us. �I don�t
think this was his idea.� He gave Waya one of those looks he used
whenever he wanted people to take him seriously.
I was thankful for his support for all of five seconds before I heard
a few of the girls start giggling. It took a few moments of confusion
before I overheard snatches of what was going on. My attention
drifted over to the rather unwelcome - though not unexpected - sight.
Kaidou-sensei had just arrived with a bunch of older men who looked
like they were probably friends of his that were regulars at whatever
Go salon he favored. There were about twelve of them, and they seemed
a bit out of place at a school festival, but they way they were
looking back and forth between Shindou and myself made my stomach
knot.
The girls, though were staring in rapt fascination as their sensei
did a wonderful impression of a fanboy, leading a group of old men in
a giddy display of glee.
"I can't believe it!" Kaidou was saying. "The Go Institute has set up
a special match between Touya-sensei and Shindou-sensei! This is
going to be wonderful!" He clapped the most withered looking man on
the shoulders. "Told you it'd be worth coming!"
The man gave a slight scowl. "It'll be fun watching your pupil get
trounced."
Kaidou and about three-fourths of the group gasped in shock. Finally
Kaidou found his voice. "Touya-sensei isn't going to lose, Murasaki!"
"Shindou's better than he is. Shindou's hitting his stride, and Touya
isn't going to be able to ride the family name anymore!" Murasaki
said smugly.
Ouch. That was one of the things I hated most. While I was very proud
of my father, my achievements were my own.
Kaidou was extremely offended on my behalf. "Listen, you thirty-kyu!
You wouldn't know talent if it stared you in the face!"
"You're so stuck on tradition that you can't see that a new age is
here for the world of Go!" Murasaki spat back. The two men were
nose-to-nose, and looked like they were about to come to blows.
"Wanna bet on it?"
"5,000 yen says Shindou wins!"
The men started to place wagers, goading each other nastily and
teasing each other horribly. They started to compare Shindou and my
recent records, talking about our styles and personalities, and I
felt like a horse in some kind of race. I was tempted to ask if they
wanted to inspect my teeth.
The sour look on my face must have been quite telling, because Ochi
looked at me in a manner that could have been taken to be almost
sympathetic. "Are they like this all the time?"
"Usually there's only Kaidou-sensei."
Waya was trying hard to muzzle his laughter under a hand, and failing
miserably. "You have one of your biggest fans as your teacher? I bet
you're getting all A's!"
It was not my fault that I managed to drop the go ke I was holding on
Waya's foot. Really!
"I'm sorry, Waya. It slipped," I apologized as the dark stones
bounced all over his feet, but he was too busy hopping around over
getting his foot smushed. The go ke wasn't that heavy, so I thought
he was overdoing it a bit. Then again, he was wearing sandals instead
of proper shoes... "Could someone help Waya clean this up?" I asked,
raising my voice so it broke cleanly through the room, and then there
was about ten girls in ridiculous costumes practically crawling all
over Waya in an attempt to find those pesky little stones.
"Gloating is rude, Touya," Shindou whispered to me as we headed to
the game board.
"He had it coming." I couldn't wipe the slight smirk off my face.
"He's commenting today, and you just pissed him off. Real bright."
I shrugged. It wasn't like Waya didn't already detest me.
The appointed hour was inching closer, and Shindou and I took our
seats. Space had been clear so people could attempt to watch us, but
the game would truly be displayed using the velcro Go board that Waya
and Ochi had brought.
I could feel that sensation of calm that I only knew when playing Go
start to wash through me, relieving me of the stress of class and
peers and teachers. All that mattered was the game, and I was playing
Shindou. Shindou, too, seemed to be going into what I thought of as
he "Go mood." He was irritating as hell away from a goban, but when
he got serious, he was probably my best friend. His face lost that
smile which I was always tempted to smack off of him, and the set of
his shoulders firmed up.
Of course, the momentary piece that I knew had to be disrupted by the
crowd which was gathering. Usually it would take an atomic bomb to
distract me from a game, but when Waya opened his mouth, I knew that
this battle would be a match about who could keep his concentration.
"Welcome to the first Toriyama High Go Tournament! I'm Waya
Yoshitaka, and this is Ochi Kousuke, and we're going to explain
what's going on." Ochi sniffed a bit at how casual his introduction
was. "In the blue, we have fan favorite Touya Akira, who is going to
play my best friend, Shindou Hikaru! Who happens to be the one with
bleached bangs and the Go! Go! Go! Shirt."
The girls laughed at Waya's lighthearted style, but I again
considered the possibility of homicide. I wondered if they would let
me have a goban in prison...
Shindou sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "Can we start now?"
he asked in an irritated voice.
"Yes, yes! What the players are going to do now is nigiri to decide
who has what color stones. In Go, black gets to go first, which gives
that player the advantage. To even things out, a komi of 5.5 stones
is set. That means black has to win by six stones to win the game."
When we drew our stones, I wasn't surprised to end up with white. I
played white more often than not in our matches - as it should be.
White was still a bit harder to win with.
I tuned it out as Waya rambled about the goal of the game,
considering what moves to play. Was Shindou going to go for a
conventional opening, or try to throw me off using one of his
stranger plans? I really wanted him to play the Tengen opening just
once, because I'd like to see-
"Don't they look cute?" I heard a girl say in a voice that was a bit
too loud to be polite. "It's like seeing light and dark angels
together!"
I blinked, trying to regain my focus, but another voice spoke from
the other side, one which made my back stiffen in reflex. "That 5,000
yen is going to be mine!" I heard Kaidou say to one of his cohorts.
"His skills are heavenly! Did I tell you he's been playing me?"
"Only a hundred times," Murasaki replied. "I don't think it's all
that special, though. Go pros will play anyone if you give them
enough cash." The way he said it made me sound like a prostitute, and
it was very, very hard not to start twitching.
Deep breath, breathe, Akira, I told myself.
Shindou waited with amazing patience for Waya to finally turn to us
and proclaim the match beginning. His lips curved just a bit as he
fearlessly took the tengen.
Dammit, I hated when he did that. It was going to be one of those
games.
I heard Waya sigh, and mutter something under his breath about how
Shindou was being difficult. "Ah... yes. What Shindou just did is
take the tengen, which is the center space of the board - it's not a
common move, because it cuts off a lot of potential moves for
territory."
"Shindou's moves are now going to have to either gain influence or
connect later on - which Touya isn't going to let him do easily."
"Touya never lets Shindou do anything easily," Waya said.
Could they just shut up? I wondered as I finally decided to counter
by taking 3-4... to which Shindou quite quickly replied, mirroring my
move across the board. Our hands started to come faster and faster,
and I felt something start to unwind inside of me. This was Go; this
was something I could understand and...
"Slow down!" Waya ordered abruptly, piercing through my focus. "This
is a demonstration match, not speed Go!"
I jerked my eyes away from the board, wondering if I could get away
with strangling him. I wouldn't kill him... no, but maiming sounded
good.
Shindou was undeterred, not even pausing as he made the next move. I
heard, more than saw the move, and my fingers responded
instinctively, still going at the whizzing pace.
"Well, it looks like we're being treated to a demonstration in speed
Go. While pros often play with timed hands, this is a version which
stressing reaction over thought-"
"I wonder if they're replaying a game they've done before?" Ochi
chimed in.
"Why would we do that?" Shindou asked, puzzlement in his voice, and
played a hane.
"Because you want to look cool?" Ochi said dryly to what should have
been a rhetorical question.
Normally Ochi's rancor would have rolled right over me, but I was
already irritated and jumpy. I opened my mouth to deliver a stinging
retort, but Maaya beat me to it.
"He already is cool, you horrible, ugly, little gnome!" she shot from
her place in the front row, punctuating her words by stomping her
foot. Behind her, Emi started to crack her knuckles threateningly,
apparently deciding that I was about to need her.
Ochi turned bright red, and I watched in macabre fascination. It
really looked like he was about to have a heart-attack. The older
crew that Kaidou had brought began muttering disapprovingly about
"kids these days."
"Wh-you-" Ochi stuttered, too incensed to think clearly. He took a
deep breath, and straightened his glasses. "At least I don't win
because of my last name," he said clearly.
Utter silence met his statement. The stone I was holding slipped from
my fingers and fell on the board, ringing ominously against the kaya.
Not surprisingly, it landed in the worst possible position, and I
stared at it numbly. I had always heard insults about being too proud
of my father, but no one ever accused me of not having the skill
myself. It was one of the worst insults that had ever been flung my
way.
Shindou looked at the board nervously. "Um, you can redo it," he
offered.
The idea was anathema. No Go player worthy of his dan ever "redid" a
move, forced mistake or not. "I'll play it."
"But-"
"I said I'll play it," I growled, even though I knew I was committing
to losing the game. My hair brushed against my cheeks as I leaned
forward to study the board, hoping to find a way to keep from
suffering a brutal loss. I just needed to treat this like a
handicap....
Shindou shook his head, but attacked the right. "Your loss. It's not
going to be fun to beat you like this."
Over our conversation, I heard Kaidou-sensei start to yell at Ochi,
and Waya inserting some choice comments that just inflamed them. I
heard the rustle of fabric as my fan club advanced, only to be
stopped by half of Kaidou's friends, the ones who had been rooting
for Shindou. Voices started to rise, and a tension headache began to
throb across my forehead.
"Just because you don't have half the talent of Touya-sensei-"
"-what you're wearing is positively immodest! In my day-"
"You still haven't beaten him, have you?"
"Shindou has ten times the talent, and you don't see him hanging off
of Daddy!"
The board in front of me grew distant, and I knew then that all I
wanted was to leave. I wasn't sure where I wanted to go, but Belgium
was starting to sound good. For the first time in my life, I didn't
want to finish a game.
"Touya?" Shindou asked in concern. "Are you okay?"
"They're too damn loud for me to hear the voices in my head," I
muttered. I had no clue where it came from, but it sounded good.
Shindou froze. "Touya?" He looked genuinely shaken, and it struck me
as hilariously funny.
I started to giggle, which I hated doing since I sounded like a girl.
"The voices in my head that tell me where to play," I said, unable to
let it drop.
Shindou set the stone he was holding back in his go ke. His face was
ashen, probably because it was painful to watch his number one rival
lose his tenuous grasp on reality. "Touya..."
I smiled at him. "What? The voices know a lot about Go. Maybe the
spirits of my ancestors want to have another chance at finding the
hand of god..." I actually cackled. "It works, doesn't it?"
Somewhere in the middle of my ramble, the classroom had fallen into
one of those lulls that seemed designed to let everyone hear you
embarrass yourself. I smiled serenely as I placed my next stone,
knowing I had just completely shot my reputation. The sick look on
Shindou's face made it almost worth it.
Maaya wailed, before rudely grabbing me from behind and spinning me
around. "Poor Touya!" she cried, pressing my face into her chest.
"It's been too much stress, being the best, hasn't it? Don't worry,
we'll take care of you!"
My face started to turn purple as she rubbed her chest against my
head in what was supposed to be a comforting manner. Waya started to
snicker, and I shoved her away, accidently touching her breasts.
I stared at my hands in shock. I'd never touched a girl there before.
Maaya shrieked, forgetting about wanting to mother me, wrapping her
arms around herself protectively. "Pervert!" she shrieked, completely
ignoring the fact that she'd been pushing herself off on me.
Chieko and the others weren't as loyal to Maaya as they should have
been.
"You slut! He'll have to marry you!" one who I didn't recognize
wailed, clenching her fists angrily. "How dare you take Touya-sama
for yourself!"
"I did not! You saw him touch me!" Maaya was affronted at the
implication she would betray her sisterhood of stalkers.
"Only because you made him!" Chieko said angrily.
"I did no such thing! Just because I'm closer to Touya-sama then all
of you-"
"Hey, I'm closer than any of you!" Fujita said loudly.
Kaidou's friends apparently decided to just ignore the catfight
(which looked on the verge of descending into hair-pulling and
scratching) and turned on each other, with Waya and Ochi in the thick
of it.
"Just because you never made it out of the insei, don't think-"
"It's my job to tutor idiots."
"Didn't Touya tutor you?"
"He's tutoring me now, and-"
My head was threatening to explode. Shindou still looked like he was
about to faint. "Shindou? Are you okay?" echoing his words of a
moment earlier.
He shook his head. "I- well, no one is paying attention... I have to
go!" He was on his feet and racing for the door.
Oh, no... he wasn't doing this again! I thought angrily. There was no
way in hell I was letting him leave when I knew I couldn't. Without
even thinking, I grabbed the nearest object and threw it at him.
I knocked Shindou Hikaru out with a go ke.
I watched in morbid fascination as the container struck Shindou on
the back of the head, spilling out small shell chips all over the
floor. Shindou teetered precariously for a second, before toppling
forward onto his face. The sound of his body hitting the floor was
the only noise as everyone, attracted by the crackle of spilled
stones as they scattered to the floor, watched in horror.
Now I'd really done it.
Everyone's eyes turned to me as I blinked slowly, trying to think up
some reasonable excuse for my actions, but failing miserable. I took
a deep breath, then wiped my face clean of all expression.
"He didn't resign properly," I said primly, before beginning to clear
the board. Since white's go ke was on the floor, I merely set the
shell stones aside even as I neatly slid the slate ones into the go
ke Shindou had been using.
It was Daisuke who managed to find his voice first. "He's scary," he
whispered to his sidekick, Hiroshi.
Scary I could live with. "Waya, would you be so kind as to drag
Shindou out? I believe he was on his way somewhere," I said coolly,
using the voice that intimidated so many of my opponents.
Waya swallowed and nodded, grabbing Ochi by the arm. "Let's get while
the going's good," he whispered in a sotto voce which I still managed
to hear. "Touya's snapped..."
I watched them leave with narrowed eyes. "Would anyone like a shidago
game?" I asked innocently, blinking at the crowd.
For some reason, no one volunteered.
THE END
=====
If I could change anything
Then I would change everything
These bitter days shall remain
Fanfiction: http://www.midnightrevolution.org/quicksilver
Mailing List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quicksilver
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