[FFML] [Hikaru no Go][AU]Same Destination, Different Path

For those keeping an eye on this story, it is important to know I've seperated the previous first
chapter into five seperate chapters, which are posted on my web site and at FanFiction.Net

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My Web Site: http://ca.geocities.com/troythomas1/

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Same Destination, Different Path
By Troy Thomas - troythomas1@yahoo.ca

http://ca.geocities.com/troythomas1/

Hikaru no Go and its characters are the creation of Yumi
Hotta and property of Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata.

***

Chapter Six

Michio Shirakawa looked surprised but also delighted to
see him and Akari, felt Hikaru, looking up at the man.
"Uh, we're here cause we wanna learn how to play Go,"
said Hikaru. "My gramps should'a signed us up...."

"Hmm, how impressive," said the teacher, gently smiling.
He looked to Akari. "It's rare for the children around
here to actually get involved in studying Go outside of
a small circle of family or friends...."

"Such seems to be the case," said Sai to Shirakawa,
despite the teacher not being able to hear him. "I have
not seen many children playing the game in their free
time. In my time, there was not a home without at least
one goban.... Is it not a tragedy?"

"Did your grandfather come as well?" asked Shirakawa,
interrupting Sai, but not purposely.

"He went to a Go parlour," said Hikaru. "Said he's too
good to teach even though it's probably just because
he's a geezer...."

"Hikaru!" said Akari, admonishingly. She blushed, and
bowed to the teacher. "I'm really sorry about his
rudeness. He can't help it, actually."

"Whatever," said Hikaru. He was doing his best trying to
not act interested. He wondered if he was doing a good
job?

The teacher seemed like he was going to laugh but was
seriously trying to restrain himself. "Anyway, how did
you find my lecture, earlier? While I'm hoping you
understood some of it, but I'm probably correct in
assuming it was a little over your heads...."

"Yeah, we're just beginners," said Hikaru. "Didn't
understand anything!" He looked at Sai. 'You get any of
what he said?'

"I was surprised concerning the five and a half moku
rule, but it makes a certain sense," said Sai, seriously
- Hikaru noted Sai only ever took any subject relating
to Go sincerely, whereas everything else was approached
with a kind of naivety.

"How familiar are you with Go? Have you played any games
before?" asked Shirakawa.

"We've played at a Go salon nearby, but it was just
capturing stones," said Akari. "We were tutored there a
little too."

"Ah, so you do have a little experience, and some
understanding of how the game is played," said
Shirakawa. He handed to Akari a book. "Now, there are
examples of games played by pros in here, so perhaps if
you two played one out, you might gain some
understanding of what the players had been trying to
accomplish." He looked to another table, as he his name
been called. "I'll be back in a bit to see how you're
both doing." He walked away.

Hikaru had grabbed the book away from Akari, and started
flipping through the pages. Diagrams and pictures of
gobans with numbers on the intersecting lines confronted
him, but he had some vague idea of what they meant. "So,
we just follow the numbers," he said, picking up a
stone, and placing it on the goban.

Akari also began to try her hand at following the book's
diagram. After more movements, she looked at Hikaru,
pointing at a stone. "This one could've captured a stone
if it was put here...." She moved it. "But why put it
here?" She returned the stone to its original space.

"Um...." Hikaru looked at the spot Akari had pointed
out. He had noticed it too - the way the players in the
diagrams had played on the board was much different than
the way he'd been playing Akari. "Weren't we told that
Go isn't about capturing stones? It's about territory,
right? Whatever that means...."

"Oh yeah!" Akari looked at the goban. Stones littered
the surface. "What's the territory though?"

Hikaru studied the board carefully. He looked at the
lines, and the way they intersected. "You put the stones
on the lines, so maybe that's what you're go after. The
intersections."

"They're called moku," said Shirakawa, suddenly,
surprising both Hikaru and Akari. "But you're right. Go
is about having more ji. Ji is territory. So Go is about
having more ji at the game's end than your opponent." He
pointed at the captured stones. "Capturing your
opponent's stones counts towards moku." He cleared the
board off. "Would you two like to try a game of your
own?"

Hikaru grinned, plunging his hand into the goke beside
him. He then brought it over the goban, where Akari had
just placed down two stones. Counting the stones in his
hand, Hikaru found he had five stones. "Heh! Prepare to
lose!" he said, grabbing the goke containing the black
stones.

It was halfway through the game, which Hikaru was
winning, when Heihachi entered the classroom. He looked
a bit disappointed, but cheered right up seeing Hikaru
and Akari. "Ah, there just aren't too many people in the
salons right now. Maybe they're all here, learning!" he
said, sitting down to view Hikaru and Akari's game. He
looked around the class, and saw the teacher. "That's
Michio Shirakawa!" He couldn't help but grin. "My
favourite player is Morishita-nine-dan, so if Shirakawa
is your teacher, then it'll be all right!"

"Hmm? Why is that?" asked Hikaru. "They related or
something?"

"Morishita-nine-dan is Shirakawa's teacher!" said
Heihachi.

"Is the teacher strong?" asked Sai, nudging Hikaru,
constantly.

Hikaru quickly grew tired of Sai trying to get him to
answer, so he asked his grandfather, "Is Mister
Shirakawa strong then?"

"Ah, I think he's seven-dan currently," said Heihachi.
"I don't really follow professional Go, but I do know of
Morishita, and a bit about his students." He grinned.
"But if he's a seven-dan, then he's very strong."

"I must play him," said Sai, standing, determinedly
looking to Shirakawa.

Hikaru watched the ghost - he felt he could almost read
the thoughts passing through.... 'He wants to play, but
he can't even pick up a Go stone....'

"I used to be challenged by the strongest players from
the whole of Japan when I had been Honinbo Shusaku,"
said Sai, quietly. He seemed to be thinking of the past,
and then he gently smiled. "The past is over. I am
grateful to you, Hikaru. I am glad to see this new world
Japan has become in the past century."

While Hikaru knew Sai was sincere, he also detected some
strain in the ghost's voice.

"Hikaru, I have a small request," said Sai, the words
cautiously and carefully aimed. "I wish for a student to
pass on my knowledge. I can not play, but I can teach. I
hope for you to become my student."

Hikaru had a stone in his hand, and he almost dropped
it, trying to place it on the goban - he was still
playing Akari (and winning). 'Yeah right...!' he thought
to Sai. 'I can't even hold a stupid stone right! Become
your student? You see me in school! I'm bad at
studying!'

Sai didn't respond except with a gentle and slightly
hurt smile. "Of course. It is your choice. It was merely
a passing fancy, from the depths of nowhere. Please, I
ask for you to pay it no mind."

"Hmm...." Hikaru looked to his grandfather, who seemed
to become agitated. "That fellow down the table...."

Hikaru heard the 'fellow' his grandfather was looking at
- a large and old man wearing a strange and just plain
awful wig.

The 'fellow' was loud, felt Hikaru - louder than
himself, even! And the man was also very, very annoying,
with his taunts reaching across the table.

"My god you're good a' makin' stupid moves, ain't 'cha?"
said the man to his opponent. "Look a' the move I can
make here - all jus' 'cause you like me takin' your
stones, I beh'!" He placed down a stone, and then took
another but of the opposite colour from the goban.
"Isn't it 'bout time ya' resigned, huh?"

Heihachi stood, and then began walking over to the
match.

"Gramps?" Hikaru curiously stared at his grandfather.
"What'cha doin'...?" he asked, but Heihachi was too
intent to hear him.

Heihachi put his hand on the loud man's opponent's
shoulder. "You don't mind if I play this man?"

"Eh?" Hikaru looked at Akari, who was staring at the
goban in front of her.

"I just don't get this!" said Akari, as though she
hadn't even registered what was happening, being too
absorbed in her own game with Hikaru.

Hikaru looked at goban, and saw for the first time that
he wasn't really certain he was winning or not, but that
he had just been assuming that he was. "Um, I think
we're making it so we're trying to... um," he said, but
his self-confidence concerning everything gave out.

The game had at some point just turned into another
capture game, and Hikaru was pretty certain he had more
of Akari's stones than she did his, which was good, of
course. But the original point of playing the game was
gone. "Wanna go watch Gramps?" he asked.

After clearing the mess, the two walked over to the
match that had just started between Heihachi and the
loud man.

"Whoa! I think Gramps is mad or something!" said Hikaru,
pointing at Heihachi, whose face was radiating
intensity. However, his opponent seemed to have on his
face an arrogant smirk.

"There is all ready a noticeable difference in
strength," said Sai. "Hikaru, your grandfather was not
boasting when he said he was a strong player." He looked
to the other player. "This man is also strong, but when
compared against his opponent, he is lacking. He doesn't
yet realise this, but should soon."

Hikaru watched the stones fall - he'd played against
Akira and Ashiwara at the Go salon, and neither Heihachi
nor the loud man were comparable to the way those two
placed the stones. They were still cool though. He
wanted to play like that too.

"This would be your grandfather?" Shirakawa quietly
asked, approaching Hikaru.

"Oh, yes," said Hikaru, his concentration broken. He'd
been drawn into the game, and felt he understood some of
the movements. Deep down, he knew he wanted to know even
more.

"Is this okay?" Akari asked, worried.

"It's fine," said Shirakawa. "Actually, I've been
meaning to speak with Mister Akoda lately, but perhaps
this is what he needs." He happily smiled. "He's
stronger than everybody else in the class, so
naturally...."

Hikaru watched the man's face -Akoda's face- change from
arrogant to surprised to furious to frightened.
Eventually, he leaned forward, lowering his face to the
board, obviously upset. "I... I give up!"

'Is winning so important?' Hikaru wondered. He watched
Akoda quickly stand up, and then quietly leave the room.
'It's just Go, right?'

Shirakawa approached Heihachi. "Hello, Sir," he said.
"You're very experienced, I see."

Heihachi grinned. "Ah.... You watched, did you?"

"I did too," said Sai, to Hikaru's annoyance. "It was
well-played. Your opponent had no idea what he was
facing, and perhaps learned of the weight of the Go
stones. Go brings both joy and misery, so it is a
burden. I only hope he takes with him from this game the
stress of his loss, and realises pressing his opponents
with callous taunts and cruel play is unnecessary."

'That might actually mean something if they could hear
you, eh?' asked Hikaru.

"That... that is too cruel, Hikaru!" said Sai.

"What are they doing?" Akari asked Hikaru, pointing at
the goban. Shirakawa had begun moving the stones.

"Akari and Hikaru. I'll explain a bit more concerning
fi," said Shirakawa. "The actual goal of Go is to
capture territory. This is the territory as it looks at
the end of the game, when the stones are adjusted. It is
called seichi when we organise the stones so we can
count a bit more easily." He pointed to the spaces
between Heihachi's stones, and his opponents. "Can you
count how much moku each player has?"

Hikaru and Akari each counted, and found Heihachi had
seven more moku than Akoda.

"Akoda made the right decision. He had no chance of
making a comeback," said Shirakawa. "The game had
entered jose, which is the endgame. And Heihachi seems
too strong to make a mistake at this point."

Hikaru had to sigh, looking at the smug expression on
his grandfather's face.

After, having left the class, walking Akari home (his
grandfather had left for home alone), Hikaru was
surprised when Akari said, "Hikaru, my sister's school
is having a festival this Sunday." He had to look away,
as a blush came to his cheeks (but not because she was
asking him out or anything). "I was hoping you'd go with
me, cause I got some tickets from her for some free
takoyaki." Before Hikaru could decline, Akari said, "I'm
going to ask Akira too!"

Hikaru snatched away the ticket Akari was handing to
him. "What time?"

"Two!" said Akari, happily smiling. "Let's meet in front
of the school, okay?"

When she had gone, Hikaru looked at Sai, who seemed to
be hiding a knowing smile behind his fan. "What?"

"I believe I may have to chaperone you both, this
Sunday," said Sai.

"What are you talking 'bout?" said Hikaru, growling.

"Do you feel she likes you, Hikaru?" asked Sai.

"Do you wanna die?" said Hikaru. "'Sides, she's asking
Akira too!" But that last statement didn't sit well with
him, for some reason.

"She only had two tickets," said Sai.

"Whatever!" Hikaru began to walk, leaving Sai behind.

The next day, Hikaru was standing out in front of Haze
junior high with Akari. They were waiting for Akira.

"I told him to be here at two," said Akari, sounding
disappointed. "But he said he might not make it." She
looked at her watch. "So we should probably go get our
food. Maybe he'll turn up later...."

Hikaru's stomach growled, agreeing with Akari. "I wonder
what he's up to, then?" he said, slightly annoyed and
yet relieved. "Probably something to do with Go. As
usual."

"You remembered your ticket, right?" asked Akari.

Hikaru brandished his ticket. "Heh! Like I'd forget!"

Sai said to Akari, interrupting, "I had to remind him,
twice!"

'Shut up! And she can't even hear you, anyway!' Hikaru
thought. He really had to restrain himself from shouting
it out.

"Hikaru! It is only the truth! I am certain she would
understand, as she does seem to like you...." said Sai.

Hikaru covered his mouth, as he almost shouted out what
he next thought, 'Shut up, Sai! Or you're dead meat!'

"Humph! You are so worked up, today, Hikaru," said Sai.
"Besides, as you have all ready mentioned, she can not
hear me, whatever truths I may unintentionally reveal."

"Are you okay, Hikaru?" Akari asked, as Hikaru was
wildly swinging at air, shouting incoherently.

Having obtained their takoyaki, Hikaru and Akari were
walking along, looking at the stalls the middle school
students had set up. "Humph, Akira sure ain't missin'
much," said Hikaru.

Akari hadn't heard him, as she had seen some of her
friends. "So this is who you wanted to come with!" said
one of them, her voice filled with insinuation, causing
Akari to stammer back an excuse.

"Stupid girls," said Hikaru, under his breath. He was
looking away, a blush on his face.

Sai then shook him, saying, "Oh my. There is a booth for
Go. I also see Akira."

"Eh? That jerk turned up?" asked Hikaru, loudly.

"Hikaru?" Akari looked at him, curiously.

"Oh.... Um, Akira's here. I think he's over at the Go
booth," Hikaru said. He saw the confused expressions on
Akari's friends' faces. "Friend of ours. From some Go
parlour."

"You play Go?" one of Akari's friends asked.

"Just a little," replied Akari. "It's kind of a hobby
now...."

Whatever else she had to say, Hikaru didn't hear as he
had started for the Go booth.

He saw Akira sitting at the table, despite there being a
good number of people gathered around watching the game
he was playing. When he was closer, he noticed a bruise
under the boy's eye.

"A fight?" Hikaru asked. He knew that kind of bruise,
having all ready worn one or two in his life.

"No, a battle," said Sai, gesturing to the Go board.

Hikaru looked to Akira's opponent. He was a scary
looking high school student, wearing weird robes.

"He is wearing robes for shoji," said Sai. "However, he
should not be underestimated, for he is very strong." He
considered the game. "He is losing though. There is a
clear difference of strength." He looked at Akira,
impressed. "I am always impressed upon seeing this young
cub play. How will he grow?"

'Maybe if you had met him instead of me, huh...?' Hikaru
asked Sai.

Sai sadly smiled. "I do not question our meeting,
Hikaru. We are together, as friends. I would not ask for
anything more, even if given the chance."

'Sai....' Hikaru stared at the ghost, feeling touched.

"Damn!" The older boy leaned forward, and slammed his
palms into the Go board. "Damn you, Toya!"

"Kaga! Calm down!" said a bespectacled boy, who was also
older than Hikaru. "Please don't ruin that board. It's
the only one the club has!"

The boy named Kaga started laughing. His voice sounded
pathetic yet annoyed. "Damn you're so stupid!" He looked
at Akira. "All that strength.... And you lost to me
once. You weren't even trying then. I felt so pissed
when I saw you today that I had to smack you one.
Couldn't help it, really." He leaned back, and it seemed
he was in a better mood, as he was now laughing without
a care. "Sorry 'bout that but I guess you got your
revenge. Tore me apart on the board."

"You lost badly, and you're laughing?" asked Hikaru.

Kaga looked him up and down. "What would you know,
twerp? I gave it all I got. Some people are just
strong." He looked at the bespectacled boy. "Tetsuo, I'm
playing in the tournament. First board, of course."

"I never...." said Tetsuo, stammering.

"And I'm pretty sure I can find a third board, somehow,"
said Kaga, cracking his knuckles.

"I don't want anybody forced...."

Hikaru turned to Akira. "Toya? Thought you didn't come."
The boy was radiating an icy intensity.

"Oh, Shindo," said Akira, looking shocked. "I ran into
somebody. We... decided to try and work out our
differences." The icy feelings around him seemed to melt
away.

Hikaru looked at Akira's black, and then at Kaga. "You
okay, then?" he asked Akira. "Your eye okay?"

"It's fine. It's all better," said Akira. "Everything."

"You sure?" Hikaru couldn't help but feel something was
wrong. Akira seemed to be... upset in some way.

"You breathe stinks like takoyaki, Shindo," said Akira,
standing.

"Ah, had one, and then Akari bought me a few more too!"
said Hikaru.

"Anyway, I think I'll go home," said Akira. "I'm tired.
It was good to see you though. Please have fun, today.
And say hi to Akari for me."

Hikaru watched Akira leave, and then watched Akari
approach.

Akari asked, "Hikaru! Is Akira okay? He had a
bruise...."

Hikaru nodded.

"Oh! Are you two interested in Go?" asked the boy named
Tetsuo, interrupting.

Sai nodded, happily. "We all are!"

Hikaru couldn't help but groan.

***