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31_days2008-05-23 11:59 pm
issen4.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2008-05-23 11:59 pm
[May 23] [Hikaru no Go] Stones in Narrow Spaces 23/?
Title: Stones in Narrow Spaces 23/?
Day/Theme: May 23 - Who can love you and still be standing?
Series: Hikaru no Go
Character/Pairing: Akira/Hikaru
Rating: General
----------------
Shindou looked injured as only a grown man who wrote regular fan letters to the mangaka of Shonen Jump could. "You mean you've already thought of this?" he asked.
There was an expression on Iijima that made one think that he was trying to imagine the best way of strangling Shindou without actually accidentally murdering him. "Why, yes, Shindou."
Suppressing a snort, which would certainly draw unwanted attention since he wanted to remain an unobtrusive observer, Touya mentally filled in the rebuke that Iijima was no doubt trying not to make: unlike you, Shindou-san, I am actually a police detective and capable of doing my work, thank you very much.
"Oh." Shindou's single-syllable reply was replete with astonishment. "Really?"
There was no denying that there were times when Shindou was not only tactless but had also been known to exhibit an almost mind-boggling inability to understand the workings of certain parts of society. No, in some ways he understood the darker aspects of life very well--death, loss, pain and self-destruction--but other than that the real world, to Shindou, often passed by without notice when Go beckoned. It was Go or nothing. The word 'naïve' did not stretch far enough to encompass Shindou; a chimeric amalgamation containing the concept 'idiot' was probably more fitting.
Touya hoped that Iijima was aware of the latter and would refrain from trying to kill Shindou with his brain. The death glare was bad enough.
"... er, I mean, of course. I mean, not 'of course' but that it's natural that you thought of it, because it's..." Shindou's voice trailed away and he started to look panicked.
Ah, comprehension at last, Touya thought.
"...sorry?" Shindou ventured.
Iijima continued to glare at him.
Tsutsui sat down beside Touya. "Shindou really ought to start thinking before he speaks," he said in a low voice.
Touya agreed with him, but it felt disloyal to say so. He only jerked his head in a way that could either be seen as a nod, or a way of shaking hair from his eyes.
Iijima started to stride through the room, putting on a lecturing tone. "Touya-sensei's goban was taken on the first day of this month. The Heian goban was reported missing on the eighth, but according to Tsutsui-san, he had already found it missing on the seventh, the same day yours was taken. That means that the thief took and abandoned Shindou's goban on the same day.
Given the reputations of the missing gobans--that they were all rumoured to present some sort of supernatural capability--it seems strange that Shindou's goban was abandoned."
"Maybe the thief wasn't affected by Shindou's goban," Touya said, thinking that it was a pleasure to challenge Iijima. Instead of the rather diffident, discouraged insei Touya had noticed on rare occasions years ago, Iijima looked authoritative and confident. Competitive, professional Go was perhaps not suited to him but this work was. Iijima was in his element.
"Maybe," Iijima said. "However, the next two gobans to be stolen were Aikawa gobans, and compared to earlier cases, there is a distinct difference in the way they were taken." He glare at Shindou, as though expecting him to interrupt. "The first three were stolen neatly: in the case of Shuusaku and Shindou's goban, the thief did not take anything else."
Shindou raised a hand. "And Ito-san's goban?"
"That was taken at the event venue, and the thief did not take anything else either."
Touya asked, "But it was different with Nase and Aikawa Tetsuo's gobans?"
Iijima turned to him. "Yes. Some of Nase's jewellery was taken, and Tetsuo's wallet was stolen as well."
"That's why you think that the theft of the Aikawa gobans are copycat crimes," Touya said.
"Yes," Ijima said, triumphant.
"But then Nase's goban turned up in Ochi's home," Shindou said. "Weird copycat thief, if you ask me. He was..." he frowned. "And that's the other difference. The person who stole the Aikawa gobans believed in the supernatural, but the one who stole my goban didn't. That's why he abandoned my goban. Stealing my goban was also a copycat crime!"
The repetition of 'my goban' was starting to get to Touya. He had nearly forgotten how protective Shindou was, where it was concerned.
Instead of scoffing, Iijima raised his eyebrows. "Aren't you making things more complicated?" he asked. "Now you're talking about two copycat thieves."
Arms crossed, Shindou eyed him for a long second before he suddenly smiled. "You play Go too, Iijima," he stated.
Iijima gave a start. Slowly, the irritation melted from his face.
"You saw it straight off, didn't you?" Shindou said, uncrossing his arms as he stood straighter. "There are more than two players here, and they're messing up the trajectory of the game." At Iijima's nod, Shindou blew out his breath in a rueful sigh. "I underestimated you just now. I should have trusted you to do your job. I'm sorry." Then he bowed, low enough that his hair flopped forward and a few tufts remained standing when he straightened.
"Shindou-" Tsutsui did not say anything more; he only pushed up his glasses as though he didn't believe what he was seeing.
Iijima's mouth had fallen open.
Unable to help himself, Touya only smiled at his boyfriend, overcome with a sudden welling of something that was not merely love but something more, at the ways in which Shindou could still surprise him.
(TBC)
Day/Theme: May 23 - Who can love you and still be standing?
Series: Hikaru no Go
Character/Pairing: Akira/Hikaru
Rating: General
----------------
Shindou looked injured as only a grown man who wrote regular fan letters to the mangaka of Shonen Jump could. "You mean you've already thought of this?" he asked.
There was an expression on Iijima that made one think that he was trying to imagine the best way of strangling Shindou without actually accidentally murdering him. "Why, yes, Shindou."
Suppressing a snort, which would certainly draw unwanted attention since he wanted to remain an unobtrusive observer, Touya mentally filled in the rebuke that Iijima was no doubt trying not to make: unlike you, Shindou-san, I am actually a police detective and capable of doing my work, thank you very much.
"Oh." Shindou's single-syllable reply was replete with astonishment. "Really?"
There was no denying that there were times when Shindou was not only tactless but had also been known to exhibit an almost mind-boggling inability to understand the workings of certain parts of society. No, in some ways he understood the darker aspects of life very well--death, loss, pain and self-destruction--but other than that the real world, to Shindou, often passed by without notice when Go beckoned. It was Go or nothing. The word 'naïve' did not stretch far enough to encompass Shindou; a chimeric amalgamation containing the concept 'idiot' was probably more fitting.
Touya hoped that Iijima was aware of the latter and would refrain from trying to kill Shindou with his brain. The death glare was bad enough.
"... er, I mean, of course. I mean, not 'of course' but that it's natural that you thought of it, because it's..." Shindou's voice trailed away and he started to look panicked.
Ah, comprehension at last, Touya thought.
"...sorry?" Shindou ventured.
Iijima continued to glare at him.
Tsutsui sat down beside Touya. "Shindou really ought to start thinking before he speaks," he said in a low voice.
Touya agreed with him, but it felt disloyal to say so. He only jerked his head in a way that could either be seen as a nod, or a way of shaking hair from his eyes.
Iijima started to stride through the room, putting on a lecturing tone. "Touya-sensei's goban was taken on the first day of this month. The Heian goban was reported missing on the eighth, but according to Tsutsui-san, he had already found it missing on the seventh, the same day yours was taken. That means that the thief took and abandoned Shindou's goban on the same day.
Given the reputations of the missing gobans--that they were all rumoured to present some sort of supernatural capability--it seems strange that Shindou's goban was abandoned."
"Maybe the thief wasn't affected by Shindou's goban," Touya said, thinking that it was a pleasure to challenge Iijima. Instead of the rather diffident, discouraged insei Touya had noticed on rare occasions years ago, Iijima looked authoritative and confident. Competitive, professional Go was perhaps not suited to him but this work was. Iijima was in his element.
"Maybe," Iijima said. "However, the next two gobans to be stolen were Aikawa gobans, and compared to earlier cases, there is a distinct difference in the way they were taken." He glare at Shindou, as though expecting him to interrupt. "The first three were stolen neatly: in the case of Shuusaku and Shindou's goban, the thief did not take anything else."
Shindou raised a hand. "And Ito-san's goban?"
"That was taken at the event venue, and the thief did not take anything else either."
Touya asked, "But it was different with Nase and Aikawa Tetsuo's gobans?"
Iijima turned to him. "Yes. Some of Nase's jewellery was taken, and Tetsuo's wallet was stolen as well."
"That's why you think that the theft of the Aikawa gobans are copycat crimes," Touya said.
"Yes," Ijima said, triumphant.
"But then Nase's goban turned up in Ochi's home," Shindou said. "Weird copycat thief, if you ask me. He was..." he frowned. "And that's the other difference. The person who stole the Aikawa gobans believed in the supernatural, but the one who stole my goban didn't. That's why he abandoned my goban. Stealing my goban was also a copycat crime!"
The repetition of 'my goban' was starting to get to Touya. He had nearly forgotten how protective Shindou was, where it was concerned.
Instead of scoffing, Iijima raised his eyebrows. "Aren't you making things more complicated?" he asked. "Now you're talking about two copycat thieves."
Arms crossed, Shindou eyed him for a long second before he suddenly smiled. "You play Go too, Iijima," he stated.
Iijima gave a start. Slowly, the irritation melted from his face.
"You saw it straight off, didn't you?" Shindou said, uncrossing his arms as he stood straighter. "There are more than two players here, and they're messing up the trajectory of the game." At Iijima's nod, Shindou blew out his breath in a rueful sigh. "I underestimated you just now. I should have trusted you to do your job. I'm sorry." Then he bowed, low enough that his hair flopped forward and a few tufts remained standing when he straightened.
"Shindou-" Tsutsui did not say anything more; he only pushed up his glasses as though he didn't believe what he was seeing.
Iijima's mouth had fallen open.
Unable to help himself, Touya only smiled at his boyfriend, overcome with a sudden welling of something that was not merely love but something more, at the ways in which Shindou could still surprise him.
(TBC)