Chapter Seventeen:

The scream was followed by silence.

A silence that did little to ease the chill that still ran down their spines.

Hikaru held onto Waya’s arms as tightly as he could, forgetting to breathe as a million scenarios of what could have happened to his fellow teammate, filled his racing mind.

He’s dead! He has to be! With that scream?? Who could survive whatever torture he must have gone through?

“Shindo...we have to go in,” Waya finally muttered huskily. He was just as terrified, but he knew that one of them would have to keep their wits about him, or all hell could break loose. As for Hikaru, he was already shaking his head before the redhead was done speaking.

“No way!” came the harsh whisper, green eyes widened with fear. “I am not going in there, Waya! What if something happens to us as well?”

The red head gave a snort and eyed his companion with a smirk that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Hello? Weren’t you the one who wanted to find out what was wrong with him? You made us come here and now you want to leave without finding out what happened to...” He stopped and sniffed the air. “What’s that smell?”

Shindo repeated his actions, only to gasp as he began to point towards the door. “It’s smoke! It’s smoke, Waya!”

“Kuso! Let go of me, Shindo! We have to go in now!” And releasing the death grip on his arm, he tried to pull on the steel doorknob, only to curse even louder as the door refused to budge. “Damn it! It’s stuck!”

“Let me help.”

With twin grunts of exertion, both boys tugged as hard as they could on the immovable object. The smell of the smoke was getting worse with each passing second and by this time, tendrils of it had begun to escape the top and bottom parts of the steel entry. Coughing and wheezing for air, it was becoming hard to continue their attempts. Waya staggered back weakly, trying hard to speak through his smoke-filled lungs.

“We...we have to get...help, Shindo.”

Hikaru nodded and slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes getting teary as the smoke continued to grow. “Go...I’ll stay here for a while...just in case...” He coughed again and had to release the doorknob. He could only imagine what Ochi was going through in there right now. “Hurry up, Waya! We don’t have too much time!”

Giving a quick nod of understanding, the red head gave a thumbs up sign and began to make his way back to the auditorium as fast as his legs could take him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Akira continued to stare blindly at the board before him. Although he had come to a decision on how to handle the situation with Ochi, the worries did not cease as he stole another glance towards the exits. Shindo and Waya had been gone for some time now and his gut instinct had told him to go after them. But, he also had the feeling that neither boy would wish to talk to him at this time, thanks to the way he had spoken to them earlier.

Rubbing a hand wearily over his eyes, he sighed softly and closed them. He could still hear Kurata and Amano-san arguing over his game and to be honest, it was becoming a bit aggravating to listen to. He knew he would have a lot of explaining to do over the way he had been playing so far, but knowing that he had nothing to lose, he was determined to dig himself out of the hole he had created and to pull off a win somehow.

And speaking of winners...where in the world were Waya and Shindo?

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hikaru wondered why no one had come by to help out with the smoke yet. Sure they weren’t exactly in a place where the public frequented, but still...someone ought to have noticed the rising, black telltale sign of trouble.

He leaned against the wall and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. He was beginning to cough badly and the air around him was thinning rapidly as well. But he couldn’t leave Ochi alone in there. His teammate could very well be dead by now.

~ Kami...please...help me. ~

“Hey! Kid! What the hell is going on in there?!”

Running footsteps had the blond spinning around in gratitude as he noticed the burly man making his way towards him. Knowing that his grasp of the English language was limited, Hikaru tried to get his message across as quick as possible.

“Friend...my...friend...in there!” He pointed desperately, as the man gaped at him in confusion.

“You’ve got someone in there?!” He asked and seeing the quick nod from the young boy, he cursed and began to bang on the door with a booted foot. “Shit! This damn place hasn’t been used in years! No one knows where the key is! How the hell did he get in there in the first place?!”

Shindo could only shake his head, wishing that he could have paid more attention in English class. This communication barrier was becoming very annoying.

He watched the man continue to bang on the door with his foot. And after a few more tries, the sound of the steel door giving way was like sweet music to his ears. He gave a cry of ‘Yatta!’ as the door fell in, only to quickly cover his mouth again as the smoke billowed out of the room. Coughing and ignoring the cries of the man to get out of there, Shindo ran inside, eyes squinting against the clouds of black as he struggled to find the elusive boy.

He didn’t dare call out Ochi’s name, for he knew that he would inhale a lot more of the polluted air. He could barely see a thing. The smoke had filled the entire room and his vision was getting worse by the second. He could vaguely hear the sounds of sirens approaching the building but that was the least of his worries. He had to find Ochi and fast.

~ Can’t...hold on.... ~

Lack of oxygen...the huge intake of carbon monoxide...his blurred vision...his heart feeling as if it was going to burst into two – the blond could barely think at this point. The room seemed like it was expanding and he realized dully that he was beginning to feel faint. Falling to his knees, he began to crawl on all fours, noticing again that there were no obstacles in the room. Deducing that this place was just an empty space used for nothing, he was pleasantly surprised to find his hands gripping onto something that felt like a shoe.

Only a shoe.

~ Oh, no! Ochi! Where are you?! ~

With panicked movements, ignoring the waves of dizziness that washed over him, Shindo continued to search blindly. He no longer had his nose or mouth covered and it was now taking only sheer strength and determination to keep him going at this point. His fingers brushed against pieces of paper...that felt eerily like photographs and as he continued to move, the source of the fire became obvious as he felt the sweat begin to trickle down his face.

Knowing that he had little or no time at all to think now, Shindo made another desperate lunge to find a body. He was rewarded with the feel of something warm and solid beneath his palms and holding onto, what he now knew to be a leg, he muttered out a soft prayer of thanks, before giving up the fight and passing out into blissful oblivion.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“HELP!” Came the loud bellow from the wild looking redhead as he dashed into the auditorium.

Amano and Kurata had the decency to stop their arguments, along with many others, who gasped at the frazzled looking youth before them. Akira leapt to his feet and walked briskly towards Waya, green eyes filled with panic as he put two and two together to make ten.

“What is it, Waya? Where is Shindo?!” Came the panicked questions, as he placed his hands on the other’s shoulders and shook him roughly. “What happened to him?!”

Waya growled and shoved the hands away from him angrily. “Leave me alone, Touya,” he spat out coldly as he narrowed his eyes to pin the icy depths on the dark-haired boy. “Like you care.”

And turning away from the hurt and stunned look on Akira’s visage, he made his way towards the officials. “Please! My teammates have been caught in a fire!”

This got everyone talking at once as the officials began to motion for all the guests to calm down and not panic. “Where is this fire?” someone asked, but Waya had already began to make his way out of the room again and he was soon followed by several others who wanted to know what the commotion was all about.

Akira felt as if a dagger had been pierced through his heart at the way Waya had spoken to him.

/Like you care./

Of course, he cared. He had cared so much that he had been willing to sacrifice their chances to win the tournament, so that their reputations could still be in tact. Or didn’t that mean anything?

“Touya-sensei? Aren’t you going to find out what’s going on?”

He stared blankly at the orange-haired man for a moment before giving a curt nod. “Hai! I’m on my way! Please let Ogata-sensei know about this!” And not waiting to see his response, Akira ran after the throng of people towards the hubbub.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

How dare he? How dare he ask me about Shindo when he treated us like that?! Screw you, Touya Akira! Who needs you?! ~

He made the turn and blinked in surprise at the amount of fire trucks and men that had begun to put out the flames. His eyes scanned the crowd quickly, but he could see no sign of the familiar bleached locks. Growing increasingly worried, he pushed his way through the people that had now lined up to watch the events, only to find himself almost shoved to the floor as a policeman shook his head.

“Sorry, kid. You can’t cross the yellow line.”

“But my friend is in there!” he replied quickly, groaning at the look he received as he realized that he had spoken in Japanese. This was not good at all. How was he to know about Shindo and Ochi’s conditions when he couldn’t even communicate with the authorities?

A familiar voice spoke up beside him, causing Waya to gape at the arrival of Kim. Thanking the gods for his good fortune, he listened idly to their conversation, his eyes still pinned on the firemen’s activities before him.

Please be alright, Shindo. And even you too, Ochi....much as I hate to wish anything good for you.

Kim tapped his shoulder lightly. “He says that they still can’t allow anyone to go in there, but that they brought out three bodies from the room.”

Waya suddenly felt as if the world had gone still. His heartbeat sounded way too loud to his ears as he began to shake his head slowly. Bodies? Had Kim just said…bodies?! “No...no...it can’t be...” He gripped Kim’s shoulders and shook them roughly. “Ask him if they are dead! Were they dead?!”

“Oow...you are hurting me, Waya,” Kim whined in protest as he turned back to ask the policeman again. He managed to gasp out weakly. “He says he is not sure. They just brought them out and took them straight to the hospital.”

“What hospital?”

The trio spun around to face the stoic visage of Ogata. Flanking his sides were Akira and Amano-san. Kurata could be seen speaking to some members of the press and Waya had no doubt in his mind that the situation was bound to become headline news. What would become of the tournament now? He shook his head quickly. How could he be thinking of such a thing when his friends were probably dead by now?

Luckily, Ogata had spoken directly to the policeman and so there was no need for Kim to continue with his translations. The officer tipped his hat and replied. “Beth Israel Medical Center. You guys related to the victims?”

“Two of the victims,” Ogata said quietly, as he motioned for Waya and Akira to follow him. “Thank you, officer...”

“You could take a ride in the patrol car over there,” the man offered with a light nod. “Much faster...I mean since you guys are foreigners and all.”

The boys gave a pleading look to their mentor and seeing the desperation in their gaze, the blond gave a curt nod. “Fine. Please lead the way, sir.” He stopped to give a final word to Amano-san. “The press will no doubt wish to speak to us about this, but please under no circumstances are the boys to be interviewed, do you understand? I want them out of the spotlight as much as possible.”

The Go reporter nodded in understanding. “Hai, you can count on me, Ogata-san. Take care now.”

He watched as the officer ushered the three men into the vehicle and giving a soft sigh of distress, he brought out his cell-phone and began to long process of getting this breaking news to the viewers and readers back home.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The ride to the hospital was a pensive one as all three remained lost in their own thoughts.

A trip that was supposed to be a way to promote the wonderful game of Go, had somehow ended up becoming a nightmare for the young players. Never in their wildest dreams, would they have imagined that things would turn out this way. The past two weeks had seemed like a lifetime. They had learned so much from each other in the past few days than the entire five years they had been together.

Waya tore his gaze from the window to glance at his long time rival and now...lover. A word that he would never have thought would be used for the dark-haired boy. He could see that Akira was trying hard to put up the tough act, for Waya could tell from the clenched fists on his lap, that the 6-Dan was far from calm.

But, it still did not excuse his reason for acting so cold towards them at the auditorium.

You probably regret it, Touya. I wouldn’t put it past you to feel that way. But, please...for Shindo’s sake, try to act like you really care for him, even if you do not care for me in that way at all.

And swallowing the stubborn lump that had risen to his throat again, Waya turned away. And in so doing, he failed to noticed the single tear that slid down his silent companion’s cheek.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“This is Brenda Garrisson with some breaking news. Earlier this evening, at the main auditorium where the semi-final matches were to be held at the International Go Competitions, the news of a fire breaking out in an abandoned part of the complex was reported. Police and firefighters are yet to discover the source for the fire, but they did find three bodies in there, two of which belong to the young Japanese players. The first identified person goes by the name of Shindo Hikaru, the other Ochi Yousuke. The third person is yet to be identified, but speculation so far, seems to place the young man as a suspect for setting the fire. What motives were behind this? No one knows as of yet. Police are still trying to get some answers to these questions. Eyewitnesses are needed to give accounts of any possible suspicious movements. And as you can well imagine, family members of the victims have been contacted and told the awful news. As for tournament, the officials say that the games will continue tomorrow, but since the Japanese team will be unable to compete, the automatic win goes to the Koreans, thereby eliminating any hopes for Japan to win the coveted cup this year…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Unfortunate tragedy really,” the doctor remarked softly as he eyed the three men sitting in the main lobby of his hospital. “I mean, about your country not being in the tournament any more.” He reiterated quickly, as he noticed the soft gasps and panicked looks on the young boys’ faces.

He held out his hand and smiled warmly. “My name is Dr. Hirokawa. It’s a pleasure to meet my fellow country men.”

Ogata received the handshake with a dull smile. He looked as if he had aged in the space of a few hours. “The pleasure is all mine, doctor. But…how are the boys?”

“Ah, yes…the boys. They will live. The one named Shindo inhaled a lot of carbon monoxide, so his lungs took quite a hit from it. As for the other one…Ochi…” The doctor frowned lightly and shook his head. “He must have gotten involved in some sort of scuffle, for we found that he had several broken ribs and quite a blow to his face. Does he wear glasses?”

Waya and Akira nodded slowly, both unable to believe that such a thing could have happened to the obnoxious teenager. Touya was more concerned as he tried to fit the puzzled pieces in his mind. Who could have done such a thing…and why? Did it have something to do with the damning pictures?

“Hai…he wears glasses,” he replied softly. “Is…do you think he will be alright?”

Hirokawa smiled and nodded. “No worries. Just a few stitches here and there and he should be ready to speak to you all tomorrow. The same with Shindo, of course. Unfortunately, his glasses were not recovered so we have decided that we may have to give him contacts or if he still prefers to wear glasses, we can provide that for him as well. So…I am assuming that you are Waya?” He asked nodding towards the pallid redhead.

“Yes, I am…”

“I hope you do not mind, but you are needed by the police for some questioning.” At Ogata’s frown and Waya’s worried look, the doctor chuckled lightly. “No, no, no. You are not going to be put in prison or anything. They just need to find out some things from you about what happened, hmm? The officer is right this way, if you will follow me.”

Waya gave a small nod and was just about to get to his feet, when he felt the hand reach for his gently. He stiffened at the touch, barely able to mask his surprise at the warm and almost pleading look that Akira gave him. Swallowing tightly - fighting the sudden insane urge to break down again - he gave a small smile and returned the pressure on the warm flesh. Mouthing a soft ‘Arigato’ he released his hand gently and warily followed the waiting doctor and policeman into another room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ogata hung up the phone and ran his fingers through his hair wearily. Pacing up and down the nearly empty hallway, he stopped in front of the sleeping duo on the rather uncomfortable looking couches before him. Not really conscious of what he was doing, he tucked the pale blue blankets around their forms, before stepping away quickly as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t have. He walked up to the large glass windows and stood with hands in his pockets, staring blindly at the scene of New York’s nightlife below him.

He had just gotten off the phone with Touya Kouyo and even though the Meijin had sounded assured and confident on the other end, Ogata had a feeling that he was just as concerned if not downright worried about the situation. According to Amano-san, Shindo’s mother had wanted to come down to visit her son and Ochi’s grandfather had insisted that he would pay for the trip.

Just what we need. more and more of this goddamn circus.

Several things that had happened today did not sit too well with the bespectacled man. From Akira’s erratic play this morning, to Ochi being found in a room that was rarely used and almost beaten to death…the fire…something had gone horribly wrong along the way and he hated this feeling of helplessness at not being able to do a thing about it. Several policemen had now been stationed as bodyguards for the boys and several were patrolling the building at this very moment.

Just what we all need.

Deciding to take another peek into Shindo and Ochi’s room, he opened the door carefully and eyed the silent room with an unexplained tug of emotion in his heart. The two boys lay on twin beds side-by-side, with IVs attached to their right arms. While, Shindo looked relatively okay, Ochi’s head had been wrapped with several bandages including his torso and an arm. The small boy looked even smaller within the pristine sheets. The normal scowl on his features had been reduced to a smooth view of a boy that looked much younger than his seventeen years.

Bouquets of flowers from well-wishers and fans alike filled a corner of the room. Not surprisingly, the news had spread like wild fire and it had taken a lot of persuasion from Amano-san and himself to get the press to allow the boys some time to recuperate from all the excitement.

So, they weren’t going to win the cup this year after all, came the stray thought from the older man as he stepped out of the room and made his way back to his chair to settle in for the long night ahead.

But, surprisingly he came to find that it didn’t really matter much to him any more.

For four young men had suddenly become so much more than just Go players to him.