Part Two:
“Wooow! Toooooo cool!”
“I hear you!”
“The Statue of
“I think we’ve already seen
that Ochi-kun. You don’t have to keep yelling!”
“I think it’s safe to say
that this is the first time that Ochi has ever had such an expression on his
face.”
“Shut up, both of you!”
“Make us!”
“I despise you two!”
“We hate you too, so there!”
The young Japanese-American
girl, who had the unfortunate job of being their tour guide, gave a shaky laugh
and tried to stop the three boys from pouncing on each other. She wondered why
they couldn’t be as well mannered as the boy with the shoulder length hair. He
was nice, polite and not bad to look at either.
“Ah…uum…oh dear…and if you
would look to the right, you will notice that we are now passing
“Cool! Lemme see! Get out of
the way, Waya!”
“You get out! You’ve been
hogging the window all by yourself for the past few…”
“Boys!”
Ogata’s sharp tone sent
Hikaru and Waya silent and both promptly sat down quietly on their seats but
not before jabbing each other, with their elbows, for being the spoilsport.
Ogata glared at them in warning before turning to face the young woman. He
motioned for her to continue, which she did with a small sigh of relief.
They had arrived at La
Guardia airport about an hour or so ago, to a flurry of flashbulbs and
questions from the inquisitive press. It was the first time that the
Ogata had been to the States
before, so all of this wasn’t new to him. He couldn’t help smiling softly at
the awed looks on the young men’s faces, even more so at Akira, who despite
himself, was sent gawking at some of the impressive sights.
All too soon, the tour guide
and ride was over and they were forced to disembark in front of the large
hotel.
“Gosh…never been in any place
this huge before,” Waya mumbled as they were ushered into the lobby.
Ogata motioned for them to
wait there for him, while he went ahead to secure their rooms at the front
desk. A group of boys wearing blue blazers with a British insignia on their
arms waved at them cheerfully. The Japanese contingent waved back with winning
grins, only to stop as they noticed the smirking look on the Chinese team’s
visage. They, too, were waiting in line to be assigned their room numbers.
“Grr...those bastards. They
are practically laughing at us.”
Hikaru nodded at Waya’s
observations, noticing that the familiar faces of
“They are sure going to be
tough to beat,” Hikaru said lightly.
“They are not unbeatable,”
Ochi retorted coldly. “We just have to stick to our game plan and crush them.”
Waya laughed and slapped
Ochi’s back only to withdraw it quickly at the icy look that was thrown his
way. “Well, you’ve got a point there…huh? What the hell are they laughing at?”
The Chinese team were
currently whispering amongst themselves and chuckling and the Japanese boys
couldn’t help feeling like they were being made fun of.
“Kuso! Can’t any of you make
out what they are saying?” Waya spat in frustration.
For several minutes, no one
said anything until Akira finally spoke up. “I think they are saying that we
are going to be pushovers,” he said quietly.
The other three boys blinked
at the highest ranked Pro with mixtures of surprise on their faces. “Sheesh…you
speak Chinese too?” Hikaru grumbled.
Akira nodded curtly, his eyes
still pinned on the laughing team. “Only a little.”
Hikaru took another glance at
his long-time rival, noticing that the hard edge had come back into Akira’s
tone. That intense look was now in those amazing green eyes and the
bleached-blond could feel his body tingling with adrenaline. It was the look
that he always had before they played a game. That look of deadly quietness
that sent many of his opponents trembling in fear. He didn’t fail to notice
that Waya was staring intently at Akira as well, and for a moment, Hikaru could
have sworn that the red head was actually blushing.
Hn…probably my imagination.
It couldn’t be denied that
Akira had a powerful presence and aura about him. Quiet and reserved, he exuded
an air of self-confidence that had the tendency to make everyone else around
him pale in comparison. He had the height, the looks and quite frankly many
thought he was a bit too good to be true. As passionate for Go as he was quiet
in other aspects of his life, Akira Touya was a force to be reckoned with.
And this, Waya and Hikaru
knew only too well.
The 4-Dan snorted and shook
his head. “Well, tell them that we are going to wipe the floor with
their faces. Those little...”
“OH, MY GOSH! IS THAT AKIRA TOUYA?”
All four spun around at the
loud squeal, not really understanding what the person had said except that
Akira’s name had been called out. They came face-to-face with four other boys
each wearing small American flag pins on their black blazers. The squeal had
come from a dark-haired one, who looked about seventeen and was just as tall as
Touya. The boy was slack-jawed and he seemed frozen in place.
Akira’s face flushed with
embarrassment as the Chinese team behind him burst out laughing. It wasn’t that
he disliked the fact that he was famous in the Go world; it was just the extra
attention that bothered him.
The American broke out of his
mini-trance and grinned widely. “It is you, isn’t it? You are Touya Akira,
right? I see your picture everyday in....HIKARU SHINDO? Holy Crow...and WAYA
and....and...OCHI? Oh man...you can count us out this year, guys! These guys
are awesome!”
“Christ, Matt. Keep kissing
their asses and make us look like idiots.”
“But...Chris...these guys are
the best...well, second only to those other guys.” He pointed to the Chinese
team, before sighing softly. “Man...we are toast this year. If we make it to
the prelims, that would be a blessing.”
The one named Chris cuffed
Matt. “Jesus! And you are our captain? Have a little faith in us, will ya?”
He walked up to the stumped
Japanese team and held out his hand to Touya with a small smile. “Hi! I know
you guys probably don’t hear much of what I say but...I just want to wish you
guys good luck in the competition.”
Akira managed a small smile
and accepted the handshake. He had managed to grasp Chris’s words and he
quickly translated it to the others.
“Oh.” Waya gave a small sigh
of relief. “At least they are much better than those bastards.”
Hikaru grinned and stepped closer
to the Americans. “Ohayo!” He greeted and bowed, hoping that the boys would
take the cue. It would be nice to make some friends here, especially friends
that lived in the country.
Matt laughed out loud and
motioning for his other teammates to do the same, he bowed and greeted Hikaru
amiably. “Ohayo to you too! And welcome to our home!”
~*~*~*~*~
Hikaru tried to stifle a yawn
as they all stepped out of the elevator that had taken them to their designated
floor. A combination of jet lag and having to deal with the loud American boys
had caused his sudden weariness. He leaned heavily against Waya, resting his
head upon the other boy’s shoulder.
“Mmmm....carry me, darling.
You are sooooooo warm,” he joked lightly, wondering if Waya would take that just
as playfully or push him away in disgust. He was pleasantly surprised at the
actions that happened next. Waya wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him
closer to his lean body, causing Hikaru’s eyes to widen and his face to flush
with heat.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart,”
came the husky whisper from the redhead, as he placed a soft kiss on the blond
locks. “I’m here to take care of you.”
Hikaru lifted his gaze to
Waya’s with a question in them, only to see the teasing glint in the other’s
golden depths.
Oh...he was just teasing me, Hikaru thought morosely. I really thought that he was serious...
Then why hasn’t he let you go, Hikaru? Sai asked with a knowing grin.
Sure enough, Waya’s grip
hadn’t slackened and Hikaru’s heart skipped another beat. With a happy sigh, he
wrapped his arms around Waya’s waist, only to gasp softly as his skin prickled
with awareness. He spun his head around, sucking in a harsh breath as he locked
gazes with Touya. Shindo’s heart pounded with confusion and something else he
couldn’t define as those intense green eyes stared at him impassively.
Touya...would I ever be able to hold you like this,
without making you hate me even more? If only you knew how much I wish to be in
your arms.
His cause for dismay
heightened as Akira snorted lightly and turned his face away. The dark-haired
boy quickened his stride and caught up to Ogata, deliberately ignoring the two
boys that were still hugging each other. If one had looked closely, he or she
would have noticed the clenched fists at Akira’s sides, or even the look of
pain that had now filled his eyes.
Sai noticed, but the gentle
spirit could do nothing but only sigh in sorrow.
/ Open your eyes, Hikaru and Waya. Touya needs you
both just as much. /
“Here we are,” the concierge
announced with a flourish as he opened the semi-lavish suite for them. “It is
a two bedroom suite, each with double
beds and one main bathroom, that connects both rooms. We have the spacious
dining area and a mini-kitchen with a well-stocked fridge for whatever you
desire. Over here, is the living room where, as you can see, we have a rather
large flat-screen TV for your viewing pleasure. Video games and cable and
laptop outlets are available too. This glass door leads to the patio that gives
you a wonderful view of
“We get first dibs on that
room!” Waya interrupted with a loud yell as he pulled a protesting Hikaru into
one of the large bedrooms. With its Victorian theme, the soft creamy pastel
colors gave the room a sense of romance and intrigue. The beds were large enough
for two people to sleep in and it had been draped with matching cream-colored
silky sheets. There was a small glass door that led to yet another patio and
Waya was quick to explore the area.
“Wow…this is so awesome,
Hikaru! Come look!”
“Mmmmm….leave me alone. I’m
beat,” came the muffled reply, as Hikaru buried his face into the fluffy
pillows. He didn’t even bother to take off his shoes and in mere moments, he
was out like a light.
“You can almost see the
entire city from here, Hikaru! I wonder what it would look like at night…”
Waya’s gaze softened at the thought as leaned his head against the cool metal
railings. To spend the night looking at the stars with Hikaru and To…
Gah! What the hell am I thinking? We came here to have
a competition and nothing else!
But he still couldn’t get the
moment of feeling Hikaru touch him, rather intimately, or Touya’s intense gaze
out of his mind. Feeling his body tingle with warmth, he wrapped his arms
around his waist and cursed softly. No use worrying about things that were
never going to happen. He might as well learn how to fly with wings at this
rate. With a heavy sigh, he walked back into the room, idly noticing that a
goban and stones had been placed in a corner. Their luggage had been brought in
as well and Waya, feeling exhausted, fell back on his bed and stared at the
baroque ceiling.
It’s been five years. Five long years of trying to
hide my true feelings from the two of you.
He lay on his side and stared
at the sleeping figure of Hikaru, knowing that he wasn’t awake and so couldn’t
hear his whispered thoughts.
“I thought it would be a
passing thing, Shindo. I would see you as only a brother and that was it,
right? But no…as I watched you and Touya, I came to realize that this need to
protect and be with you two…has nothing brotherly involved. At least I can talk
to you and you don’t suspect a thing…but as for him…I might as well try
talking to a brick wall.”
He slid off his bed and
walked over to Hikaru’s bed, carefully taking off the blond’s shoes. He
silently debated within himself on whether or not to take off Shindo’s clothes,
but deciding that the blond might kick his butt later on for doing so, Waya
settled for pulling back the sheets and carefully tucking them around his now
snoring teammate.
A warm light filled his eyes
as Waya gradually stilled his movements. Hikaru looked…
“So beautiful…” he whispered
achingly and unable to stop himself, he leaned closer to the slightly parted
moist lips.
Just a taste…you wouldn’t even feel it…
Mere inches separated them
now and Waya could feel Hikaru’s warm breath mingle with his. With a tiny groan
of need, he closed his eyes and was just about to press his lips gently against
Shindo’s, when the sound of a light cough sent him reeling back in shock and
embarrassment.
“To…To…Touya!”
The dark-haired boy’s visage
gave nothing away, for it remained painfully devoid of emotion. But it was his
voice that gave his obvious state away, for it trembled slightly.
“Ogata asked me to see if you
had a goban in your room.”
Waya could only nod mutely,
his face flaming red now. Hikaru shifted restlessly in his bed and both boys’
gaze flew to him, only to turn away quickly as they realized what they were
doing.
Touya gripped the doorknob
even tighter and gave a curt nod. “I am sorry for interrupting. Perhaps you
should lock the door next time.”
And with that, he walked out
of the room, leaving Waya staring blindly at the floor in dismay.