Part Five:
Long shadows cast their gloom
over the furniture as the sun began its descent towards the horizon. A soft
breeze sent the lacy curtains fluttering quietly, giving one a sense of peace
and serenity, which was only broken by the sounds of glass against wood.
“Kuso!” Hissed Ochi as he
clenched his hands tightly on his lap. How could he be losing again? And from
the distracted look on his opponent’s face, he could tell that the boy wasn’t
really playing at his best. That thought alone was enough to aggravate the
young player even further.
“I…I resign,” he finally
muttered as he bowed his head lightly. When no reply was forthcoming, Ochi
raised his head to announce his loss again, only to notice his opponent’s gaze
on the other two boys sitting beside them.
Is he so concerned with Shindo and Waya that he has
forgotten about me? Damn him!
“I said…I resign!”
Akira started and blushed
lightly, before bowing quickly as he noticed the other boys blink at them in
confusion. “Ah…th...thank you very much. Would you like to discuss…?”
Ochi shook his head with a
frown. “I don’t think we should. It’s clear that your mind was not on this
match at all. It’s rather sickening to think that I lost to you when you were not
concentrating. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to use the bathroom.”
As the door closed behind Ochi,
Waya snickered and placed another stone on the goban. “I think he is off to
bang his head against the bathroom cabinet again. Geez, that kid is a bit too
uptight, don’t you think, Shindo?”
The bleached blond did not
answer, for his gaze was firmly fixed on the stones before him.
If I continue like this…I will lose for sure. I need
to focus on the task at hand and Waya isn’t exactly helping my cause by yapping
so much.
Reaching for his black stone,
he placed it on the board, his mind already racing towards Waya’s next move and
what he could do to counter it. Waya’s brows knitted into a light frown and he
folded his arms across his chest in deep thought. He could have sworn that he
had been winning, but with Shindo’s new move…things didn’t look so easy after
all.
Akira quietly packed up the
stones and goban away. Since the ‘incident’ in the limo last night, it had
seemed like an even greater rift had risen between the three of them. He almost
dropped the small pot in his agitation, his eyes misting over with pain for a
moment, before he took a deep breath to calm down. He kept telling himself that
he had done it for the best. He could live with their dislike for him…after all
he had been doing so for almost five years now.
He sat quietly and watched
the game from his position. Ogata had made them practice from the moment they
had woken up that morning. They had each studied several kifu from past matches
and had recreated them on their own and then they had been paired up with one
another, having to play consecutive games in a row. He would have loved to play
with Waya or Shindo, but neither boy had finished their second game, while he
and Ochi had gone through three rounds already. Akira glanced, with longing, at
his teammates, wishing and hoping that they would at least say something to
him, even if it were a reprimand.
Anything but your animosity…
A light knock on the door
interrupted them and Ogata-sensei walked into the room with a large yellow
envelope in his hand. He eyed the game currently being played and raised an
eyebrow in Akira’s direction.
“Ochi went to the bathroom,”
he replied quietly. “They are still playing their second game.”
Ogata nodded and sat down on
a chair opposite Shindo. For several minutes, he watched them quietly, before
interrupting with a light cough. “I hate to break your game up, but there are
several things that we have to go through concerning your first match
tomorrow.”
Ochi walked out from the
bathroom and joined the others on the floor as they listened attentively to the
older man’s words.
Ogata opened the envelope and
pulled out several sheets of paper. He gave each boy a few of them as he began
to speak again. “These are kifu from the boys you will be playing against
tomorrow morning. Matt Williamson, captain of the team…your opponent Akira.” He
did not fail to notice the icy look that had come into Touya’s eyes and,
inwardly, he felt smug. Little did he know the real reason for it. “The second
belongs to Chris Smith…your opponent, Shindo.” Shindo nodded mutely, as he
tried hard to stop the flood of color that came to his cheeks at the memory of
the stolen kiss. “Third opponent could be either James Campbell or Mike
Schneider…they are yet to decide. And since we have both morning and afternoon
matches…”
“Who is our afternoon
opponent?” Ochi asked quietly.
“
Shindo shook his head,
glancing at Touya to see his reaction. As predicted, Akira was not willing to
back down either and with this decision, Ogata nodded curtly. “Fine. It is
settled then. Touya, Shindo and Waya, morning match. Ochi, you get the
afternoon. I expect you all to get a good night’s rest. We have a long day
ahead of us tomorrow.”
And giving them a wan smile,
he left the boys to their own devices as each began to study the papers in
their hands thoughtfully.
~*~*~*~*~
Hikaru rubbed his eyes
wearily as he shuffled to the bed, now clad in his pajamas. Waya had fallen
asleep amidst the kifu spread on his bed and arranging them neatly, Shindo
placed them on the small bedside table. He eyed the goban that still had their
unfinished game on it and deciding to finish it up, he motioned for Sai to join
him.
You really should be getting some rest, Hikaru.
Remember that you have to wake up early.
I know, Sai. But I just need to finish this one thing
up and I will go to bed, I promise.
The spirit didn’t look too
happy, but he knew arguing with the blond was going to be a waste of time. As you wish, Hikaru….
And don’t try beating me too fast, either, came the knowing warning. If you do that, then I won’t let you play for a loooong time.
Sai blushed faintly and
nodded. I promise. 17-3 komoku…
An hour later….
You really should concede defeat now, Hikaru. There
are no more moves for you to make.
Shindo was rather irritated
at this point. Damn Sai for being this good! He rose to his feet and stretched.
“I need to go get me some water to drink.”
He hummed softly to himself
as he walked towards the kitchen. Fixing a cold cup of milk instead, he tried
to focus his mind on the games tomorrow, but somehow he knew that it would be
extremely difficult to do. He had deliberately tried hard to ignore Akira
today. He still couldn’t shake off the dull feeling of guilt at he and Waya’s
antics yesterday and with the way the redhead had insulted him in the limo --
it was a miracle that Akira hadn’t killed them yet.
“Shindo.”
The cup he had been ready to
raise to his lips, dropped to the floor as he gasped in shock. Spinning around
quickly, he found himself staring into Akira’s emotionless but breathtaking
visage. Shindo placed a hand upon his now rapid beating heart and tried to form
some sort of coherent sentence.
“To…Tou…Touya! What the hell
did you do that for? Stop sneaking around like a criminal or something!”
Something flickered behind
the cool green eyes, before Akira lowered his gaze and began to walk towards
the counter, which Shindo was still leaning against. For a moment, the blond
found breathing becoming quite hard to do as he watched Touya lean closer to
him.
Oh, God…he is going to kiss me. Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh,
God! What am I going to do?! Please don’t do this…I…I…am not ready yet…but I don’t
want you to stop either!
In his distress, he failed to
notice the light blush on Akira’s cheeks and completely on impulse, Shindo
squeezed his eyes shut and pushed the other boy away sending Touya sprawling to
the floor with a light sound of surprise.
Akira blinked from his
position on the floor and tried hard to regain his dignity. Kami! Did Shindo
dislike him that much? “What did you do that for?” he asked, surprised at how
calm his voice sounded, even though his heart seemed to break into a million
pieces.
Shindo opened his eyes and
stared at his hands as if they had grown an extra head. The blush did not fade
from his cheeks and he stuttered shakily. “I…I…You were…why did you have to
come so close to me?”
Akira scowled and held up the
roll of paper napkin he had managed to hold on to. “I was trying to get this
behind you, bakayaro! You spilled milk all over the floor, remember?”
Shindo blinked and stared at
his feet, noticing for the first time the rather large mess that he had
created. “Oh.”
Akira snorted and got up to
his hands and knees. “You should be careful next time, Shindo. Lucky the cup is
unbreakable.”
Shindo, not wanting to seem
useless, (or perhaps having to do this since he was beginning to feel faint),
fell to his knees and began to clean up as well. “It’s not my fault. You came
sneaking up behind me… as usual.”
“I was not sneaking. If you
had been paying attention, you would have noticed me!”
“Well, you could have tapped
my shoulder or something!”
They were both whispering
harshly now, since they didn’t want to wake the others up. They stopped talking
and glared at each other, stopping their wiping motions as the silent battle of
wills continued. Finally, with a light snort and a light blush dusting his
cheeks, Akira turned his gaze away and got to his feet, albeit shakily.
“I just came to get a glass
of water,” he said quietly, as he tossed the dirty rag into the trashcan and
reached for a cup. “I am sorry for startling you, but I was a bit surprised to
find you still awake.”
Shindo rose to his feet as
well and tossed his used rag away. He shuffled from one foot to another, idly
wondering why his heart beat wasn’t slowing down in the slightest. Maybe it was
the intimate setting, for the kitchen was relatively dark. It was only the
light from the lamp in the living room that gave it some illumination and in
the shadows, Touya looked even more handsome and those brilliant green eyes
seemed to flash even brighter.
He swallowed tightly and
struggled to form a coherent sentence. “Uh…so…you couldn’t sleep?”
Akira didn’t give an answer
for a moment, but he finally gave a small shrug. “I was just looking over my
opponent’s kifu again. I was going to go to sleep.”
Shindo raised an eyebrow and
snickered. “It’s almost
Akira’s eyes widened before
he scowled and tried to hide his embarrassment at having been caught. “That’s a
lie,” he muttered while placing the cup in the sink. “I always try to get a
good rest before any match. Why should this be any different?”
Shindo smiled. “Because it’s
our first match and we are playing in such a large arena. I even heard that it’s
going to be televised to over a billion people! Just think, Touya…everyone in
the world will be watching our every move!” He clenched his hands into fists,
eyes sparkling with excitement. “I get so excited just thinking about it! I
worked hard to get here and hell will freeze over before I lose to anyone
easily! I intend to bring the Cup back to
Akira could only watch
Shindo’s animated movements with a pang of envy in his heart. He drank in every
feature on the bleached blond’s visage, his hands gripping the edge of the
counter top as the overwhelming urge to grab the other boy in a fierce hug,
consumed him. He couldn’t help smiling softly at the last bit of Shindo’s words
and nodding, he replied quietly.
“Hai…we are going to be
unstoppable…Shindo-kun.”
Hikaru stopped long enough to
slap a hand over his mouth as he realized that he had been talking too much. He
blushed and found himself unable to stare into the dark-haired boy’s face. There
was an intense look in Akira’s eyes that sent Hikaru’s nerves even more jumpy
than usual. He tried hard to control the shiver that coursed down his spine and
with a low whimper, he stuttered weakly.
“I…I…sh…sh…should be going to
bed n…now…” He spun around quickly and began to walk out of the kitchen, when
Akira’s desperate cry froze him in his tracks.
“Shindo!”
Hikaru glanced back with a
puzzled look on his features. “Wha…what is it, Touya?”
Akira faltered and lowered
his lashes, feeling his face heat up again. Why exactly had he called
Hikaru? “Are…are…you nervous about the
match tomorrow?” he finally asked softly, still not looking at the blond. He
didn’t want to be left alone just yet and he figured getting Shindo to talk
with him a little longer wouldn’t hurt.
Hikaru couldn’t believe that
Akira was actually trying to make a decent conversation and for a moment, he
wasn’t really sure on how to answer. “I…guess I am in a way,” he replied
quietly. “I know the Hokuta Cup competitions are intense…but this is kinda
different in a way. I can’t really explain it.” He cocked his head to the side
and eyed his longtime rival. “What about you, Touya? You can’t tell me that you
don’t get nervous before a match especially one this big?”
Akira sighed softly and
folded his arms across his chest. “Of course I get nervous. I am human after
all.”
Somehow that little sentence
seemed to mean so much more and both boys fell silent as the tension began to
grow thick again.
Hikaru stole an almost shy
glance towards Touya and dared to ask. “Uuum…about what happened at the arcade
earlier…”
Akira stiffened. “I said we
should forget that, remember?”
“Yes, but…I just wanted you
to know that…that what happened was purely on accident,” Shindo finished in a
rush. “You shouldn’t go thinking that anything happened between Chris and I
and…”
“How was it?”
“Huh??”
Akira lifted his gaze and
pinned that familiar gaze filled with intensity on the now blushing blond.
“Tell me, Shindo…how did it feel to be kissed?”
Hikaru blinked, opening and
shutting his mouth like a fish for several seconds unable to say anything. He
finally squeaked out a weak ‘Touya’, only to gasp as Akira stepped even closer
to him. With his heart racing a mile a minute, Shindo’s gaze reluctantly flew
to the lips before him.
How did it feel, Touya? I…why…I guess, I will only
have to show you…
Taking a deep breath, he shut
his eyes and closed the distance between them. He barely heard Akira’s shocked
gasp as he pressed his lips against the warm ones before him. With his heart
now pounding so loudly, Hikaru raised his hands to place them lightly on
Akira’s shoulders, trying to deepen the kiss.
Akira remained frozen and he
could only remain like a statue within Shindo’s delicious assault.
He’s kissing me! Sweet, Kami-sama…he tastes like…
He moaned softly as his
lashes fluttered shut. He had never felt anything this…sweet. This wonderful. This amazing and he wanted this moment to
never end. Daring to go even further, he parted his lips allowing Shindo’s
tongue to slip into his mouth. His legs almost buckled as he felt the warm
length caress his and whimpering in need, his body flaring with an awakened
desire, Akira clutched a fistful of Shindo’s shirt, holding on to it to steady
himself.
Shindo’s mind reeled with
sensation and Akira’s willingness to continue only made him bolder. This seemed
too surreal. At the back of his mind, he wondered if it wasn’t just another
dream. Then if so, he never wanted this dream to end any time soon.
He, reluctantly, pulled away
gently, his eyes glazed with need as he leaned his forehead against Akira’s.
They were both panting harshly, their cheeks flushed with heat as they realized
what they had both been doing.
“To…Touya…”
“Shindo-kun…”
“Shindo? Are you out here?”
Waya?!
Shindo withdrew from Akira’s
light embrace quickly, his face flaming as he noticed the redhead searching for
him in the living room. Akira’s face was burning as well, and he stepped away
from the blond, already feeling cold at the loss of contact.
Waya frowned lightly and
turned on the lights in the room. He gasped softly as he noticed the two boys
in the kitchen, but quickly regained his composure. “Ah…so that’s where you
were, Shindo. I woke up and didn’t see you in bed and I was pretty worried.
What…what are you two doing in the kitchen at this time?” he asked with a
puzzled look, although from the guilty looks on their faces, he could take a
wild guess.
They didn’t…No! It can’t be!
“Shindo?” he called out
softly. “Shindo…what happened?”
“We were just discussing some
moves that could be played out tomorrow, ne, Shindo-kun?” Akira replied
smoothly. He began to walk out of the kitchen and towards his bedroom, with a
curt nod directed towards Waya. “I suggest you two go back to bed. The earlier
we wake up, the better. Goodnight.”
The bedroom door closed
softly behind him and Waya was left gaping in disbelief. Clenching his hands
into tight fists, he walked into the kitchen and fixed himself a cold drink.
Hikaru licked his swollen
lips and called out weakly, “Wa…Waya…I…”
“Goodnight, Shindo,” came the
cold reply. “You heard what the captain said.” And not giving the blond
another glance, Waya finished his drink and stalked back to their room, barely
controlling the urge to slam the door shut.
Shindo stood miserably in the
empty kitchen, feeling cold and yet warm. He caressed his lips…the lips that
had finally tasted Touya Akira’s for the first time. A moment that would
forever be etched in his memory, but Waya had known…had probably seen
what had happened and Shindo suddenly felt an intense guilt flow through him.
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!
And sinking to the floor,
Shindo held his head in his hands and sobbed silently.