HikaGo ficbit

[sakon76]

This is aishuu's fault. She encouraged me to write it out. Part one, very very rough.

Hikaru came home much later that night than he usually did. Kasumi was sitting up on the sofa waiting for him, worried and debating whether or not a mobile phone might be a good idea to buy for her son.

"Hikaru!" she said, standing as he opened the door and closed it. He bent over, taking his shoes off.

"I'm home," he said in a lackluster voice.

"I was worried--you should call if you're going to be late."

Setting his shoes down, he straightened and she saw for the first time the scuffs on his face and tears in his shirt. "I was mugged on the way," he said.

Her hands flew to her face. "Are you hurt? What happened? Should I call the police? Let me get the bandaids--"

"Mom," he cut her off, "I'm fine. I'm just tired. I just want to go to bed, okay?"

She looked at him, at this son she sometimes felt she knew less than most mothers knew their sons. He was a man now, had somehow turned into one a long time ago without her noticing. She had to respect that. "You're sure you're alright? They didn't do anything to you, did they?"

"I'm fine," he said, but his smile was pained. "I just want this night to be over with." He started up the stairs.

"Call me if you need anything," she said.

He stopped halfway up and turned to look at her. There was something deep and mature in his eyes, and also something vulnerable, which frightened her. She wasn't used to Hikaru needing anything. "Thank you, Mom. Good night. I love you."

And with that, gentle words she hadn't heard from her son in years, he vanished. Kasumi stood still as she heard the door to his room open and close. "Hikaru...?" she asked wonderingly.

*

Hikaru sat in his dark room, back against the closed door, and listened as his mother came up the stairs herself and went to bed. His hands were knotted tightly together to keep them from the throbbing pain in his neck. The high collar of his red plaid shirt had hidden the marks from her view. He doubted she'd've understood what they were anyway.

He'd been stupid. He'd spent three years haunted by a ghost and never, ever considered that Sai's existence meant that other things were possible too. Never considered that there might be big bad things out there like in a manga. Never considered that he might run into one of them--or they might run into him. Never considered....

Hot tears ran down his cheeks and dripped onto his ruined shirt. He tried to keep his rough breathing quiet, so that his mother wouldn't come and check on him. Hikaru silently shook. "Sai," he whispered to someone who was no longer there, "I'm scared."

*

Since his infamous forfeiture run shortly after becoming a pro, Shindou Hikaru hadn't missed a single game. Most Go players missed one or two occasionally due to the flu or a bad cold, but in all the time Touya Akira had known him, Shindou had never had a sniffle or even a toothache. He was ridiculously healthy.

So when his sudden absence was announced and explained, Akira was surprised. Shindou was sick? He'd been just fine the night before when they'd parted ways. They were supposed to have another match at the salon today, and while Shindou could be irresponsible, he was never flaky about Go these days. He would have called Akira....

With sudden irrational fury at Shindou's lack of thinking, Akira slaughtered his
opponent. He was going to go see Shindou as soon as he was free, and find out how sick he really was.

*

When his mother knocked on his door and announced he had a visitor, Hikaru was sitting in his bed listlessly paging through a volume of Shuusaku's kifu. On a good day, any one of the games would have entranced him for hours.

Today was not a good day.

He expected Isumi or Waya to be his visitor. He did not expect Touya. For some reason he hadn't even thought Touya knew where he lived. The converse was not true, of course--he knew perfectly well where his rival lived. He'd just never been there. He'd never needed to be. He and Touya regarded one another as Hikaru's mother withdrew, murmuring an offer of tea and snacks to be brought up shortly.

Piercing green eyes glared at him. "You don't look sick." Touya draped the jacket he carried on a chair and crossed the room in three strides, laying the back of his hand on Hikaru's forehead. The glare intensified. "You don't feel sick."

Any other day, Hikaru would have responded to Touya. Today, he just turned to look out the window, letting the book slip from his hands.

"You threw a match, Shindou," Touya stated angrily, and, yes, that knowledge did hurt, but the gaping despair that swallowed Hikaru made it almost nothing. And Touya must have sensed that, because his tone suddenly softened. "What's wrong?"

Hikaru turned to look at Touya, who sat on the edge of his bed and looked at him, green eyes now compassionate and confused.

None of the solutions that had been running around in Hikaru's head worked. He needed to let someone in--he couldn't stand this on his own. He knew his strength, and he was not that strong.

He hadn't even told Touya about Sai yet.

He didn't know if Touya could believe him. He didn't know if their friendship and rivalry was strong enough to stand what he wanted--needed--to say.

"We'll always play together, won't we?" he asked. He needed the promise.

"Of course." Touya looked puzzled.

"No matter what?" Hikaru pressed.

"Shindou, what's going on?"

Hikaru took a breath and let it out. He unbuttoned the high collar of his shirt and turned so that the angry red marks, half-healed puncture scars prominent, faced Touya. "I got... assaulted last night. On the way to the station."

Touya's eyes were wide, his hand halfway to the marks. "What?"

"Guy came out of nowhere, *bit* me...." Hikaru took a deep breath, shoved down his feeling of nausea. "I couldn't move." /And it felt good./ The nausea bounced back up.

"Have you reported him to the police?"

"Touya, he had fangs," Hikaru said snarkily, upset and not trying to hide it. "He sucked my blood. As far as I'm aware the Tokyo police don't deal in vampires."

"Deal in... what?"

"Vampires." Touya continued to look blank. "Don't you *read*?"

"Apparently not the same things that you do."

Hikaru stared, then abruptly got out of bed and went to his bookcase. He thrust several manga at the other Go player. "Here. Enjoy."

Touya took the volumes, eyeing them like they were snakes. "Thank you. What are they?"

"They're about vampires, moron. Consider it research material."

"Research for what?"

Hikaru sat down on the floor, forehead on his knees. "Everything I've ever read about vampires agrees on this: if they make you drink their blood, you become one of them."

Touya looked slightly paler than usual. "The guy who assaulted you made you drink his blood?"

Hikaru looked back down at the floor. The feeling of mist and moonlight, the memory of hot, thick, metal-salty liquid that presented itself on his tongue.... "Yes."

"That's... sick. You need to report him and get tested--"

"Touya," Hikaru cut him off, miserable and upset. Now he half-wished it have been Waya or Isumi. Either of them would have at least known what a vampire *was*. "Read the damn manga."