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31_days2008-05-31 11:59 pm
issen4.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2008-05-31 11:59 pm
[May 31] [Hikaru no Go] Stones on Narrow Spaces 30/30
Title: Stones in Narrow Spaces 30/30
Day/Theme: May 31 - Wasn't that a time we had, and bless you for it
Series: Hikaru no Go
Character/Pairing: none
Rating: General
---------------------
Ogata looked so shocked that Shindou inwardly mourned the fact that it was not appropriate to take photographs for posterity.
"Is this all right, Ogata-san?" Touya was asking, his head inclined at a respectful angle as he looked at Ogata.
Shindou thought that his boyfriend was the only person who could order Ogata to do what he wanted, and make it sound like a request at the same time. Well, not order per se, but to state very firmly that he, Touya Akira, was rearranging matters for your comfort and for the 'convenience' of others and that was what all parties had in mind, right?
Yes, he was aware that Touya was a scary person when he chose to stop concentrating on Go for all of ten minutes. That little fact usually put a bit of spice into Shindou's fantasies about his boyfriend, so it didn't bother him that much.
"Ogata-san?" Touya prompted.
Ogata continued to look shocked. His white suit had not been properly pressed, it seemed, for it hung on him, unbuttoned, so that the sides flapped against his sides. Behind his glasses were eyes that seemed almost too wide and glassy, while his mouth was slightly open and moved slightly, as though he was trying to make a response but had not succeeded in forming words.
Shindou found himself liking Ogata at that moment. It reminded him of the time he--no, Sai--played with him.
Finally, Ogata said, "Y-yes."
Touya Kouyo exhaled; the sound was explosive in the tatami room, and Shindou jumped. Only Touya looked unruffled. "Father?" he asked.
"Well, if it truly can be done this way without blame to anyone, I am agreeable," Touya Kouyo said, looking around the room.
Iijima, holding up the wall, straightened with his arms still crossed as he looked at each of them. "This goes against everything I'm supposed to uphold, just so you know."
"You don't have to do it," Shindou said, serious. To report that Ogata-san had Touya-sensei's permission to take the Shuusaku goban all along, and to blame everything else on a breakdown of communication--that was an indictment of Iijima's detective skills and an insult to his profession.
"It's for the best," Iijima said. But there was resentment in his voice.
Shindou wondered if it was truly for the best, or if they were taking the first step down a slippery slope, but said, to assuage his troubled mind. "You're allowed to use subterfuge until the last hand, you know."
Touya raised his eyebrows at that, as though to say, 'Knew you'd be comparing everything to Go' but to Iijima, he said, "I realise this puts you in an untenable position, Iijima-san."
"Damn right," Iijima said, then softened his voice. "I wouldn't be here unless I wanted to, Touya." He glanced at Shindou, as though expecting his imput.
Shindou shrugged; he was not a detective and it was not his task to do Iijima's work for him. "I'll only say that I would have understood the temptation," he said. Once, in the past, it would have seemed so reasonable. "Come to think of it, I wanted to steal the Shuusaku goban the very first time too." He left out the fact that he was twelve years old at the time and the only thought in his mind had been monetary profit.
Iijima turned to Touya again. "If Touya-sensei agrees to it, then the police would be willing to drop their charges, and I can close the case before they start to ask difficult questions."
"I agree," Touya Kouyo said. He did not look at Ogata; he had not looked at Ogata since he entered the room.
"In the interests of avoiding scandal?" Iijima asked, real curiosity in his voice.
Touya Kouyo hesitated, then shook his head. "There is that, but the truth is that I simply do not wish to see a talented player like Ogata stop playing Go."
Ogata started, "I would not stop playing Go, not even if-"
Both Touya men looked at him at that point, and he was silenced.
***
"He told Iijima where the Heian goban was?" Shindou said, his voice rising on the last word.
"You're repeating yourself," Touya said.
They were walking towards the train station from the Touya Go salon, where Touya Kouyo had finally showed off the Shuusaku goban to customers. Shindou felt an odd pain inside him as he watched so many people peering at Shuusaku's signature on the underside of the goban, but a part of him was grimly satisfied that this was one goban he'd managed to keep out of the museum's grasp. And one day he would find the courage to play a game with Touya Kouyo on it.
"It's just-" Shindou shook his head to clear his head of memories. "He knew all along that Ito-san had been planning to sell the Heian goban a second time? How?"
"Because he was the one Ito-san approached."
It came to him like a flash and Shindou's jaw dropped in realisation. The meanings had to be unpacked slowly, however. "The Heian goban was already sold, but Ito-san hit upon the idea of selling it a second time. He faked the buglary to make it look as though someone was stealing gobans with er, reputations."
"Iijima rightly deduced that it was a copycat crime."
"Yeah... because they recovered my goban so quickly. Even if they thought Tsutsui-san was the culprit at first. But this means Ogata knew all along, and said nothing. Maybe it's good that you arranged what you did. I can think of a few more enemies Ogata hasn't yet made. You know, I wonder-" Shindou paused outside the entrance to the train station as another thought struck him.
"Wonder what?" Touya asked, guiding him gently to the side so as not to block the path.
"Is your father ever going to forgive Ogata-san?"
Touya went quiet at that. "I don't know," he said. "I notice that you haven't forgiven him either."
Shindou crossed his arms. "You know what's strange? I can forgive him for taking the goban, but I can't forgive him for implicating Ichikawa-san." That had struck him as the greatest offense: sending Ichikawa a message supposedly from Touya-sensei so that she could deliver the goban to the Go salon for his convenience.
"It's not that strange. It's the same with my father."
"And the fact that he pretended that the message from your father, I'll bet."
"Aah."
"And yet," Shindou said, blinking as the wind blew his hair into his eyes. "I wonder what it would have been like, if he had been really able to hear Sai's voice."
"What do you think?" Touya asked.
"If he had heard... something? Maybe he'd have been thrilled." Maybe all he would have found out is that it was only when one was in the narrow spaces on the goban that one's choices truly defined what you were. Sai chose Go. So did Shindou, despite the heartbreak it had brought him. So did Shuusaku. The game of Go still resonated within him, and with Touya at his side, he knew he could not have chosen anything else.
Ogata chose to take the goban.
(END)
Day/Theme: May 31 - Wasn't that a time we had, and bless you for it
Series: Hikaru no Go
Character/Pairing: none
Rating: General
---------------------
Ogata looked so shocked that Shindou inwardly mourned the fact that it was not appropriate to take photographs for posterity.
"Is this all right, Ogata-san?" Touya was asking, his head inclined at a respectful angle as he looked at Ogata.
Shindou thought that his boyfriend was the only person who could order Ogata to do what he wanted, and make it sound like a request at the same time. Well, not order per se, but to state very firmly that he, Touya Akira, was rearranging matters for your comfort and for the 'convenience' of others and that was what all parties had in mind, right?
Yes, he was aware that Touya was a scary person when he chose to stop concentrating on Go for all of ten minutes. That little fact usually put a bit of spice into Shindou's fantasies about his boyfriend, so it didn't bother him that much.
"Ogata-san?" Touya prompted.
Ogata continued to look shocked. His white suit had not been properly pressed, it seemed, for it hung on him, unbuttoned, so that the sides flapped against his sides. Behind his glasses were eyes that seemed almost too wide and glassy, while his mouth was slightly open and moved slightly, as though he was trying to make a response but had not succeeded in forming words.
Shindou found himself liking Ogata at that moment. It reminded him of the time he--no, Sai--played with him.
Finally, Ogata said, "Y-yes."
Touya Kouyo exhaled; the sound was explosive in the tatami room, and Shindou jumped. Only Touya looked unruffled. "Father?" he asked.
"Well, if it truly can be done this way without blame to anyone, I am agreeable," Touya Kouyo said, looking around the room.
Iijima, holding up the wall, straightened with his arms still crossed as he looked at each of them. "This goes against everything I'm supposed to uphold, just so you know."
"You don't have to do it," Shindou said, serious. To report that Ogata-san had Touya-sensei's permission to take the Shuusaku goban all along, and to blame everything else on a breakdown of communication--that was an indictment of Iijima's detective skills and an insult to his profession.
"It's for the best," Iijima said. But there was resentment in his voice.
Shindou wondered if it was truly for the best, or if they were taking the first step down a slippery slope, but said, to assuage his troubled mind. "You're allowed to use subterfuge until the last hand, you know."
Touya raised his eyebrows at that, as though to say, 'Knew you'd be comparing everything to Go' but to Iijima, he said, "I realise this puts you in an untenable position, Iijima-san."
"Damn right," Iijima said, then softened his voice. "I wouldn't be here unless I wanted to, Touya." He glanced at Shindou, as though expecting his imput.
Shindou shrugged; he was not a detective and it was not his task to do Iijima's work for him. "I'll only say that I would have understood the temptation," he said. Once, in the past, it would have seemed so reasonable. "Come to think of it, I wanted to steal the Shuusaku goban the very first time too." He left out the fact that he was twelve years old at the time and the only thought in his mind had been monetary profit.
Iijima turned to Touya again. "If Touya-sensei agrees to it, then the police would be willing to drop their charges, and I can close the case before they start to ask difficult questions."
"I agree," Touya Kouyo said. He did not look at Ogata; he had not looked at Ogata since he entered the room.
"In the interests of avoiding scandal?" Iijima asked, real curiosity in his voice.
Touya Kouyo hesitated, then shook his head. "There is that, but the truth is that I simply do not wish to see a talented player like Ogata stop playing Go."
Ogata started, "I would not stop playing Go, not even if-"
Both Touya men looked at him at that point, and he was silenced.
***
"He told Iijima where the Heian goban was?" Shindou said, his voice rising on the last word.
"You're repeating yourself," Touya said.
They were walking towards the train station from the Touya Go salon, where Touya Kouyo had finally showed off the Shuusaku goban to customers. Shindou felt an odd pain inside him as he watched so many people peering at Shuusaku's signature on the underside of the goban, but a part of him was grimly satisfied that this was one goban he'd managed to keep out of the museum's grasp. And one day he would find the courage to play a game with Touya Kouyo on it.
"It's just-" Shindou shook his head to clear his head of memories. "He knew all along that Ito-san had been planning to sell the Heian goban a second time? How?"
"Because he was the one Ito-san approached."
It came to him like a flash and Shindou's jaw dropped in realisation. The meanings had to be unpacked slowly, however. "The Heian goban was already sold, but Ito-san hit upon the idea of selling it a second time. He faked the buglary to make it look as though someone was stealing gobans with er, reputations."
"Iijima rightly deduced that it was a copycat crime."
"Yeah... because they recovered my goban so quickly. Even if they thought Tsutsui-san was the culprit at first. But this means Ogata knew all along, and said nothing. Maybe it's good that you arranged what you did. I can think of a few more enemies Ogata hasn't yet made. You know, I wonder-" Shindou paused outside the entrance to the train station as another thought struck him.
"Wonder what?" Touya asked, guiding him gently to the side so as not to block the path.
"Is your father ever going to forgive Ogata-san?"
Touya went quiet at that. "I don't know," he said. "I notice that you haven't forgiven him either."
Shindou crossed his arms. "You know what's strange? I can forgive him for taking the goban, but I can't forgive him for implicating Ichikawa-san." That had struck him as the greatest offense: sending Ichikawa a message supposedly from Touya-sensei so that she could deliver the goban to the Go salon for his convenience.
"It's not that strange. It's the same with my father."
"And the fact that he pretended that the message from your father, I'll bet."
"Aah."
"And yet," Shindou said, blinking as the wind blew his hair into his eyes. "I wonder what it would have been like, if he had been really able to hear Sai's voice."
"What do you think?" Touya asked.
"If he had heard... something? Maybe he'd have been thrilled." Maybe all he would have found out is that it was only when one was in the narrow spaces on the goban that one's choices truly defined what you were. Sai chose Go. So did Shindou, despite the heartbreak it had brought him. So did Shuusaku. The game of Go still resonated within him, and with Touya at his side, he knew he could not have chosen anything else.
Ogata chose to take the goban.
(END)