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31_days2008-05-15 12:50 am
issen4.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2008-05-15 12:50 am
[May 15] [Hikaru no Go] Stones in Narrow Spaces 15/?
Title: Stones in Narrow Spaces 15/?
Day/Theme: His dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
Series: Hikaru no Go
Character/Pairing: Akira/Hikaru
Rating: General
------------------
"I thought your parents would ask more questions," Shindou said on the train to Kyoto. He looked so relieved that Touya almost felt insulted.
Touya's parents had finally returned to Tokyo the day before, and he and Shindou had gone to talk to them about the missing Shuusaku goban--and the other missing gobans. "They are mystified, just like us."
"But they didn't even blink when I told them about Tsutsui-san being found with my goban. And Ochi with Nase's!"
"It's a lot to take in." And it was an exaggeration that his parents hadn't even blinked. Both of them had expressed concern upon hearing that there was still no improvement in Tsutsui's condition--he was under the care of his family--and when Ochi was mentioned, his father had been visibly disturbed. Especially since they had learnt that Ochi continued to insist, even under police questioning, that he did not know that the goban delivered to him actually belonged to Nase.
Shindou started to protest, but paused. "Yeah. I guess I have to thank Touya-sensei for agreeing to do this for us."
Touya raised his eyebrows at his reluctant tone. "Do you feel uncomfortable about relying on Father's help to make an appointment with people?"
"I know some people too," Shindou said sturdily. "Just not Aikawa Masahiro." He sighed, no doubt thinking of the reclusive habits of the head of the Aikawa Company, which specialised in manufacturing gobans. Aikawa Shoji, with whom Ochi had contacted, was his younger brother. "It'd be tough to get to talk to him otherwise." He shook his head in resignation, then rubbed his eyes.
Although it was only morning, Shindou still looked tired. The long meeting with Touya's parents aside, there was also the game he had played with Ogata last week. It was still affecting him, Touya knew. "Take a nap," he said. "It'll be a while before we reach Kyoto."
"Yeah," Shindou said, sleepiness slurring his reply and without a trace of consciousness, he dropped his head on Touya's shoulder before falling asleep.
***
Yashirou was there to meet them when they reached Kyoto.
Over the years, Yashirou's reputation as a Go pro had only grown. Kyoto was proud of its Go champion, and it showed in the way Yashirou stood, his back ramrod straight rather than the comfortable slouch he had sported at fifteen. His dedication to Go, an issue of unceasing friction between him and his parents, was vindicated by his title as Ouza, by his popularity and by his ability to support himself without a university degree or the comfortable salaryman job his father had envisioned for him.
"Shindou, Touya," Yashirou said in greeting after they had stumbled out of the shinkansen--Touya had dozed off too.
"Thank you for coming to pick us up," Touya said with a bow.
"Yeah, thanks," Shindou said. "And for agreeing to let us crash at your place." He frowned. "You agreed so quickly when I phoned. Did your parents mellow out all of a sudden, or something?"
"Shindou," Touya said in an undertone. Yashirou's relationship with his parents was a minefield. They were suspicious of Go as a career and even more supicious of his Go friends, such as Shindou or Touya.
"What is it?" Shindou asked, leaning forward as though to study Yashirou more closely. "Something's happened. You know, actually we could stay at a hotel-"
"I said, 'You can stay in my apartment'," Yashirou said, trying to hide the fact that he sounded houseproud and failing.
Shindou exclaimed. "Wow. You moved out of your parents' place?"
The note of incredulous surprise seemed to irritate Yashirou. "What's so amazing about that? You did so too."
Shindou spluttered. "Er, well. That was because my dad got a transfer to China, and I wanted to stay closer to Touya." The Shindou house was currently rented out.
Touya thought it was tactful of Shindou not to point out Yashirou's umbilical ties to his parent's home.
"...Touya still lives at home, anyway." Shindou was elaborating on his own move and had decided to drag Touya into the discussion. "Haven't you ever wanted to move out of your parent's home?"
Touya decided not to mention he never did, but he was beginning to move into Shindou's apartment anyway. "Congratulations on getting your own place, Yashirou," he said.
"Yeah, congrats," Shindou said, beaming.
Touya watched Yashirou's expression and knew that somehow, congratulating him had been a mistake. Yashirou didn't enjoy living on his own, because it meant that his parents would no longer have to face the proof of his success in a profession that they disliked so much. Yashirou had once confessed, years ago in the middle of a marathon practice session for the Hokuto Cup, that his greatest ambition was to prove his parents wrong. It seemed that he hadn't been able to achieve that.
"Thanks," Yashirou said, his eyes shuttered.
(TBC)
Day/Theme: His dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
Series: Hikaru no Go
Character/Pairing: Akira/Hikaru
Rating: General
------------------
"I thought your parents would ask more questions," Shindou said on the train to Kyoto. He looked so relieved that Touya almost felt insulted.
Touya's parents had finally returned to Tokyo the day before, and he and Shindou had gone to talk to them about the missing Shuusaku goban--and the other missing gobans. "They are mystified, just like us."
"But they didn't even blink when I told them about Tsutsui-san being found with my goban. And Ochi with Nase's!"
"It's a lot to take in." And it was an exaggeration that his parents hadn't even blinked. Both of them had expressed concern upon hearing that there was still no improvement in Tsutsui's condition--he was under the care of his family--and when Ochi was mentioned, his father had been visibly disturbed. Especially since they had learnt that Ochi continued to insist, even under police questioning, that he did not know that the goban delivered to him actually belonged to Nase.
Shindou started to protest, but paused. "Yeah. I guess I have to thank Touya-sensei for agreeing to do this for us."
Touya raised his eyebrows at his reluctant tone. "Do you feel uncomfortable about relying on Father's help to make an appointment with people?"
"I know some people too," Shindou said sturdily. "Just not Aikawa Masahiro." He sighed, no doubt thinking of the reclusive habits of the head of the Aikawa Company, which specialised in manufacturing gobans. Aikawa Shoji, with whom Ochi had contacted, was his younger brother. "It'd be tough to get to talk to him otherwise." He shook his head in resignation, then rubbed his eyes.
Although it was only morning, Shindou still looked tired. The long meeting with Touya's parents aside, there was also the game he had played with Ogata last week. It was still affecting him, Touya knew. "Take a nap," he said. "It'll be a while before we reach Kyoto."
"Yeah," Shindou said, sleepiness slurring his reply and without a trace of consciousness, he dropped his head on Touya's shoulder before falling asleep.
***
Yashirou was there to meet them when they reached Kyoto.
Over the years, Yashirou's reputation as a Go pro had only grown. Kyoto was proud of its Go champion, and it showed in the way Yashirou stood, his back ramrod straight rather than the comfortable slouch he had sported at fifteen. His dedication to Go, an issue of unceasing friction between him and his parents, was vindicated by his title as Ouza, by his popularity and by his ability to support himself without a university degree or the comfortable salaryman job his father had envisioned for him.
"Shindou, Touya," Yashirou said in greeting after they had stumbled out of the shinkansen--Touya had dozed off too.
"Thank you for coming to pick us up," Touya said with a bow.
"Yeah, thanks," Shindou said. "And for agreeing to let us crash at your place." He frowned. "You agreed so quickly when I phoned. Did your parents mellow out all of a sudden, or something?"
"Shindou," Touya said in an undertone. Yashirou's relationship with his parents was a minefield. They were suspicious of Go as a career and even more supicious of his Go friends, such as Shindou or Touya.
"What is it?" Shindou asked, leaning forward as though to study Yashirou more closely. "Something's happened. You know, actually we could stay at a hotel-"
"I said, 'You can stay in my apartment'," Yashirou said, trying to hide the fact that he sounded houseproud and failing.
Shindou exclaimed. "Wow. You moved out of your parents' place?"
The note of incredulous surprise seemed to irritate Yashirou. "What's so amazing about that? You did so too."
Shindou spluttered. "Er, well. That was because my dad got a transfer to China, and I wanted to stay closer to Touya." The Shindou house was currently rented out.
Touya thought it was tactful of Shindou not to point out Yashirou's umbilical ties to his parent's home.
"...Touya still lives at home, anyway." Shindou was elaborating on his own move and had decided to drag Touya into the discussion. "Haven't you ever wanted to move out of your parent's home?"
Touya decided not to mention he never did, but he was beginning to move into Shindou's apartment anyway. "Congratulations on getting your own place, Yashirou," he said.
"Yeah, congrats," Shindou said, beaming.
Touya watched Yashirou's expression and knew that somehow, congratulating him had been a mistake. Yashirou didn't enjoy living on his own, because it meant that his parents would no longer have to face the proof of his success in a profession that they disliked so much. Yashirou had once confessed, years ago in the middle of a marathon practice session for the Hokuto Cup, that his greatest ambition was to prove his parents wrong. It seemed that he hadn't been able to achieve that.
"Thanks," Yashirou said, his eyes shuttered.
(TBC)