ext_9800 (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
issen4.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
31_days2006-11-26 10:32 pm
issen4.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2006-11-26 10:32 pm
[26 Nov] [Hikaru no Go] The Shape of the Stones 8/10
Title: The Shape of the Stones 8/10
Day/Theme: 26 Nov/ a thinking woman sleeps with monsters
Series: Hikaru no go
Character/Pairing: Isumi/Waya, future Isumi/Le Ping
Rating: General
------------------
Waya's suit was missing.
For some reason, that stuck in his mind on the way to the restaurant. He had not expected that Waya would accompany him to this dinner--and Waya had gone out since that afternoon--but before he left the apartment earlier, he had gone to Waya's room.
It looked normal. Or as normal as he remembered, but as he left he saw the crumpled dry cleaning bill in the wastepaper bin. Like most Go professionals, Waya had a number of suits, but only his best one required dry-cleaning. And Waya never wore his best suit except on special occasions.
He gave his name to the waitress and immediately was shown into a private banquet room.
"-but see, if you jump here, you can take the centre-" someone said, most likely Shindou, from the sound of it.
"That's ridiculous! What have you been drinking-"
"Isumi-san, good evening. It's good to see you."
He bowed in greeting. "Good evening, Touya-sensei," he said, and smiled at the others.
"Oi, Isumi, come over and be the judge," Shindou waved him over without ceremony.
With an apologetic smile at Touya Kouyo and Touya Akiko, he made his way towards Shindou and Touya Akira, who were seated together. He saw with a sense of inevitability that Shindou was pointing to a game on a magnetic Go board. Of course; when had Shindou ever gone without Go for more than twenty minutes, especially when he had an opponent like Touya? He was sure that Shindou dreamed of Go too, just like him.
"Good evening, Isumi-san," Touya said as Isumi sat down. "You look well."
Shindou gave his lover a gimlet-eyed glare. "Don't be taken in by that... that politeness!" he admonished Isumi. "He just wants you to take his side. You look like shit. Haven't you been sleeping?"
"I'm fine," he said, not answering Shindou's question. It was difficult to rest when it felt like he no longer knew the person who had been sharing his bed for so long.
"Okay," Shindou allowed, though he raised his eyebrows once, before turning his attention to the game. "See, here? Now, I say if you play jump here, you can take the centre with ten hands."
"And I say that it's ridiculous," Akira said.
Isumi studied the game and pointed out that it was actually more advantageous to take the left territory, since the centre was much too vulnerable to further attack from below. He then had the dubious pleasure of watching both Touya and Shindou agree, and go on to argue the next point of attack, going as far as to shout at each other. Long used to this, he leant back to avoid hearing damage via Shindou, and glanced at his watch.
"They'll be slightly late," Touya Kouyo said in a lowered tone. "Yang-san called me just now and said they decided to try taking the subway and exited at the wrong stop."
"Oh," he said, and felt himself blushing for no reason.
There was a knock at the door at that moment, and a waitress showed two people in. "Isumi!" Le Ping exclaimed, before he noticed the others in the room, and looked uncertainly at Yang Hai beside him.
"Not so cocky now that you're meeting your idol, are you?" Yang Hai said in Japanese, while Le Ping's cheeks turned red. He ushered Le Ping towards the table. "Touya-san, you might remember Le Ping. He's the same age as Zhao Shi."
"And he's going to sign up as one of Japan's pros, I've heard," Touya-sensei said. "Good evening, Le-san, Yang-san."
"G-good evening!" Le Ping seemed to get over his embarrassment after a few seconds, and beamed at both Touya-sensei and his wife. "Thank you for the invitation."
"Oh my goodness, you looks just like Hikaru's friend!" Touya Akiko said, before she turned to Shindou. "That young man, called Waya..."
Isumi managed not to react by concentrating on the pattern of autumn leaves on the china plate.
Shindou nodded. "Yes. Amazing, isn't it?" he said. "Yang-san, Le-san, there're seats over here," he motioned to the ones beside Isumi.
Both elder Touyas exchanged glances, while Touya Akira made a whispered comment to Shindou.
Le Ping sank into the seat next to Isumi, and beamed at him. "We got lost on the subway!" he said in careful-sounding Japanese.
Isumi said, "I'm glad you're here."
***
"By the way, I think the room next to ours is being used for a matchmaking session," Yang Hai said when they were nearly finished with the excellent Chinese dinner, and were waiting for dessert.
"Really?" Touya Akiko said. "How do you know?"
"Looked like it, when Le Ping and I came in just now."
"Huh?" Le Ping looked up from the sound of his name, where he had been playing a casual game with Touya Akira using Shindou's Go set. That, Isumi privately thought, was something he never really expected to see. Seeing Waya's double talking to Touya was disconcerting--he belatedly remembered that Touya knew some Chinese, and it made him want to learn it too--and Isumi had the feeling that the scene would stick in his mind.
Yang Hai said something rapidly in Chinese to Le Ping, who nodded, and snickered.
Then dessert was served--almond jelly--and the waitress left, inadvertently leaving the door open.
"...please let me introduce Waya Yoshitaka,the Go pro I was telling you about."
Isumi tried to make sense of what he was hearing. The cheerful, matronly voice had come from the next room. He barely noticed that the Touyas, too, were suddenly too quiet.
The female voice continued. "...and Waya-sensei, this is Kamiya Machiko. She has just graduated from Tohda Girls' Finishing College."
"What the-" Shindou stood up.
"... Waya-sensei is one of the rising young professionals of the Japanese Go world..."
"Hikaru!"
Touya Akira grabbed Shindou's arm, but Shindou shook it off.
"I've got to see this for myself," he said.
Without knowing how, Isumi found himself following closely behind, even as the female voice was saying, "Oh, let me close the door-"
"Excuse me," Shindou stuck his foot into the gap before the door could close, and pushed it open all the way.
Isumi's first thought was, so that's where his best suit is.
---------tbc---------
Day/Theme: 26 Nov/ a thinking woman sleeps with monsters
Series: Hikaru no go
Character/Pairing: Isumi/Waya, future Isumi/Le Ping
Rating: General
------------------
Waya's suit was missing.
For some reason, that stuck in his mind on the way to the restaurant. He had not expected that Waya would accompany him to this dinner--and Waya had gone out since that afternoon--but before he left the apartment earlier, he had gone to Waya's room.
It looked normal. Or as normal as he remembered, but as he left he saw the crumpled dry cleaning bill in the wastepaper bin. Like most Go professionals, Waya had a number of suits, but only his best one required dry-cleaning. And Waya never wore his best suit except on special occasions.
He gave his name to the waitress and immediately was shown into a private banquet room.
"-but see, if you jump here, you can take the centre-" someone said, most likely Shindou, from the sound of it.
"That's ridiculous! What have you been drinking-"
"Isumi-san, good evening. It's good to see you."
He bowed in greeting. "Good evening, Touya-sensei," he said, and smiled at the others.
"Oi, Isumi, come over and be the judge," Shindou waved him over without ceremony.
With an apologetic smile at Touya Kouyo and Touya Akiko, he made his way towards Shindou and Touya Akira, who were seated together. He saw with a sense of inevitability that Shindou was pointing to a game on a magnetic Go board. Of course; when had Shindou ever gone without Go for more than twenty minutes, especially when he had an opponent like Touya? He was sure that Shindou dreamed of Go too, just like him.
"Good evening, Isumi-san," Touya said as Isumi sat down. "You look well."
Shindou gave his lover a gimlet-eyed glare. "Don't be taken in by that... that politeness!" he admonished Isumi. "He just wants you to take his side. You look like shit. Haven't you been sleeping?"
"I'm fine," he said, not answering Shindou's question. It was difficult to rest when it felt like he no longer knew the person who had been sharing his bed for so long.
"Okay," Shindou allowed, though he raised his eyebrows once, before turning his attention to the game. "See, here? Now, I say if you play jump here, you can take the centre with ten hands."
"And I say that it's ridiculous," Akira said.
Isumi studied the game and pointed out that it was actually more advantageous to take the left territory, since the centre was much too vulnerable to further attack from below. He then had the dubious pleasure of watching both Touya and Shindou agree, and go on to argue the next point of attack, going as far as to shout at each other. Long used to this, he leant back to avoid hearing damage via Shindou, and glanced at his watch.
"They'll be slightly late," Touya Kouyo said in a lowered tone. "Yang-san called me just now and said they decided to try taking the subway and exited at the wrong stop."
"Oh," he said, and felt himself blushing for no reason.
There was a knock at the door at that moment, and a waitress showed two people in. "Isumi!" Le Ping exclaimed, before he noticed the others in the room, and looked uncertainly at Yang Hai beside him.
"Not so cocky now that you're meeting your idol, are you?" Yang Hai said in Japanese, while Le Ping's cheeks turned red. He ushered Le Ping towards the table. "Touya-san, you might remember Le Ping. He's the same age as Zhao Shi."
"And he's going to sign up as one of Japan's pros, I've heard," Touya-sensei said. "Good evening, Le-san, Yang-san."
"G-good evening!" Le Ping seemed to get over his embarrassment after a few seconds, and beamed at both Touya-sensei and his wife. "Thank you for the invitation."
"Oh my goodness, you looks just like Hikaru's friend!" Touya Akiko said, before she turned to Shindou. "That young man, called Waya..."
Isumi managed not to react by concentrating on the pattern of autumn leaves on the china plate.
Shindou nodded. "Yes. Amazing, isn't it?" he said. "Yang-san, Le-san, there're seats over here," he motioned to the ones beside Isumi.
Both elder Touyas exchanged glances, while Touya Akira made a whispered comment to Shindou.
Le Ping sank into the seat next to Isumi, and beamed at him. "We got lost on the subway!" he said in careful-sounding Japanese.
Isumi said, "I'm glad you're here."
***
"By the way, I think the room next to ours is being used for a matchmaking session," Yang Hai said when they were nearly finished with the excellent Chinese dinner, and were waiting for dessert.
"Really?" Touya Akiko said. "How do you know?"
"Looked like it, when Le Ping and I came in just now."
"Huh?" Le Ping looked up from the sound of his name, where he had been playing a casual game with Touya Akira using Shindou's Go set. That, Isumi privately thought, was something he never really expected to see. Seeing Waya's double talking to Touya was disconcerting--he belatedly remembered that Touya knew some Chinese, and it made him want to learn it too--and Isumi had the feeling that the scene would stick in his mind.
Yang Hai said something rapidly in Chinese to Le Ping, who nodded, and snickered.
Then dessert was served--almond jelly--and the waitress left, inadvertently leaving the door open.
"...please let me introduce Waya Yoshitaka,the Go pro I was telling you about."
Isumi tried to make sense of what he was hearing. The cheerful, matronly voice had come from the next room. He barely noticed that the Touyas, too, were suddenly too quiet.
The female voice continued. "...and Waya-sensei, this is Kamiya Machiko. She has just graduated from Tohda Girls' Finishing College."
"What the-" Shindou stood up.
"... Waya-sensei is one of the rising young professionals of the Japanese Go world..."
"Hikaru!"
Touya Akira grabbed Shindou's arm, but Shindou shook it off.
"I've got to see this for myself," he said.
Without knowing how, Isumi found himself following closely behind, even as the female voice was saying, "Oh, let me close the door-"
"Excuse me," Shindou stuck his foot into the gap before the door could close, and pushed it open all the way.
Isumi's first thought was, so that's where his best suit is.
---------tbc---------