HikaGo fic
Jul. 27th, 2005 08:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sakon76Early posting tonight, but I feel like watching some anime. Maybe HikaGo wackysubs. IIRC, I left off watching just before he takes the insei test....
Life managed to remain relatively normal for Hikaru. Of course, after having spent three years hanging around with the ghost of a Heian courtier, he was not quite sure his definition of "normal" was the same as most people's.
He made his apologies, some sincerely and some more casually, for his collapse, blaming it on his recent flu. He was carefully nonchalant as he told Waya that Touya had made sure he'd eaten something. Touya was within earshot at the time, and Hikaru could see his mouth curving up at that one.
"You have an amazing ability to tell a lie while still speaking the absolute truth, Shindou," Touya told him later at his father's Go salon. Hikaru just smiled and placed his move.
It remained a shock, not seeing his reflection in mirrors. It was washing his face in the mornings that was the worst. After that it pretty much subliminated for the rest of the day. At least with his students, Hikaru didn't need to worry about seeming different. The most they noticed was that "Shindou-sensei's got a new pair of shades." Game days were harder--he spent time with his friends at lunch and he couldn't always be ducking out on them. He was currently settling for skipping half the time, sometimes taking walks or reading, sometimes sitting in the game room and studying his opponent's moves. Touya usually did the same thing. The days he did go to lunch with his other friends, he nursed a soda, claiming a big breakfast, or took small sips from a bottle of water while they all laughed and talked.
"The beach!" Waya insisted. "This Thursday. C'mon, Shindou, you have to come."
Hikaru shook his head. "Can't, sorry." He did want to go, but the thought of how bright it would be and how much a /real/ sunburn would hurt deterred him.
Nase, finally a pro and so eating lunch with their group again, made a "mou" of disappointment at him.
"Maybe next time," Hikaru said. "Hey, we could go to an amusement park! Rollercoasters!"
"You're on," Waya agreed, a daredevil grin on his face. Isumi just dropped his head in one hand and groaned.
*
Math and biology ran through the background of Akira's mind these days whenever he thought about Shindou in terms of anything other than his gameplay.
The human body contains approximately five liters of blood. The usual amount for a blood donation is half a liter. How much did Shindou drink? Unknown. The human body can replace the fluid lost within twenty-four hours, but replacing the red blood cells may take up to two months. Donation is not recommended more than once every fifty-six days....
Akira pictured half a liter of water, replaced it with his blood. Was that how much Shindou had taken? It seemed like a lot. The rate of the pressurized blood flow through the two bite marks, multiplied by the time spent drinking.... He wanted to hit something in frustration. He didn't know any of the variables. He couldn't figure out how safe or unsafe this might be. He altered his diet in the meantime, trying to eat all the things that were said to be good for building up the blood.
If a train left Osaka at 10:44am, he thought darkly, heading for Tokyo, a distance of 523 kilometers away, travelling at an average speed of 262 kilometers per hour, and another train left Tokyo at 11:05am, heading for Osaka and travelling at an average speed of 234 kilometers per hour, how many survivors would there be when they collide?
*
"Fine!" Akira yelled, slamming his hands down on either side of the Go board. "Be that way!"
"I will!" Shindou yelled back, face flushed with anger. "I'm going home!" He stalked out, snatching his backpack from a bemused Ichikawa, and slammed the door behind himself.
Akira threw himself back into his chair. Why couldn't Shindou see-- He glowered at the board.
Eventually, though, like a stormy sea, his anger calmed and he was able to regard the game with clearer eyes. It hadn't been a bad game, but it hadn't been particularly close either. Akira had long since stopped keeping track of how many games they'd each lost to one another, realizing just how childish doing so was, but he thought he was slightly in the lead. Of course, Shindou probably thought the same thing. But the numbers, in the end, weren't what mattered as much as not letting Shindou get ahead of him.
Akira straightened and looked at the board, unfolding his arms. He touched a stone with one finger. If he'd played /there/ instead of /here/, could he have saved himself from being cut? But Shindou would surely have responded....
Contemplatively, Touya Akira studied his lost game.
*
It was a week and a half before Hikaru needed blood again. He groaned and flung his arm over his eyes when he woke that morning to his stomach's gnawing. He knew his vague daydreams of not having to do this again had been totally unbased, but still, /having/ them had been nice. Now he had to ask Touya. /How/ to ask Touya? And when and where would be private enough to ensure not getting caught? He huffed, annoyed, and got up.
Luck wasn't with him, though--he didn't have a chance to talk to Touya before their games started, was dragooned into lunch with Waya, and then Touya finished his game and left before Hikaru did.
He was splashing water on his face in the men's room after the game--it had been close, and Hikaru definitely needed to figure out what he could have done better--when Waya came in, loudly sighing.
"Did you lose?" Hikaru asked.
"Yes, damnit," Waya replied. "Pisses me off--" His voice broke off and he stopped moving, looking at a point beyond Hikaru.
Hikaru blinked and turned to see what Waya was staring at.
He didn't see anything, though, but the men's room mirror.
/The mirror/.
He turned slowly back to Waya in growing horror, knowing what his friend was seeing... or, rather, not seeing.
"Sh-Shindou?" Waya asked uncertainly, growing paler.
Hikaru bolted.
*
At least, if Hikaru had to chase after him, Touya was in the expected location: his father's Go salon.
Hikaru came in quietly, handing his bag to Ichikawa-san with barely a murmur. She looked at him in surprise; he smiled wanly, knowing he wasn't his usual self at the moment.
He settled into his usual seat across from Touya and waited.
Touya frowned. "Is something wrong, Shindou?" he asked, beginning to clear away the game he'd lad laid out.
Hikaru debated with himself for just a moment, then let his chin drop, regarding his hands where they crossed on his lap. "Waya found out," he murmured, barely above a whisper.
Touya's hands stilled.
"Mirror. In the restroom," Hikaru continued. "I was so stupid. I wasn't /thinking/...."
"Like that's new," Touya said, but his tone was anything but cutting. "What did you do?"
"Ran," Hikaru answered. "I couldn't face him, couldn't think of what to tell him." He sighed. "I'll have to at some point, I know, but... this is not a good day."
"Hmm." Touya let the stones waterfall from his hands into their bowls. "Do you want to play?"
"Always." Hikaru straightened and reached for the black stones, pulling out one. "If you win, I'll take you out to dinner."
Touya paused before setting down his stones. "If you win, I take you out to dinner?" he asked quietly, beginning to count them.
Hikaru nodded, looking away.
He played white.
Life managed to remain relatively normal for Hikaru. Of course, after having spent three years hanging around with the ghost of a Heian courtier, he was not quite sure his definition of "normal" was the same as most people's.
He made his apologies, some sincerely and some more casually, for his collapse, blaming it on his recent flu. He was carefully nonchalant as he told Waya that Touya had made sure he'd eaten something. Touya was within earshot at the time, and Hikaru could see his mouth curving up at that one.
"You have an amazing ability to tell a lie while still speaking the absolute truth, Shindou," Touya told him later at his father's Go salon. Hikaru just smiled and placed his move.
It remained a shock, not seeing his reflection in mirrors. It was washing his face in the mornings that was the worst. After that it pretty much subliminated for the rest of the day. At least with his students, Hikaru didn't need to worry about seeming different. The most they noticed was that "Shindou-sensei's got a new pair of shades." Game days were harder--he spent time with his friends at lunch and he couldn't always be ducking out on them. He was currently settling for skipping half the time, sometimes taking walks or reading, sometimes sitting in the game room and studying his opponent's moves. Touya usually did the same thing. The days he did go to lunch with his other friends, he nursed a soda, claiming a big breakfast, or took small sips from a bottle of water while they all laughed and talked.
"The beach!" Waya insisted. "This Thursday. C'mon, Shindou, you have to come."
Hikaru shook his head. "Can't, sorry." He did want to go, but the thought of how bright it would be and how much a /real/ sunburn would hurt deterred him.
Nase, finally a pro and so eating lunch with their group again, made a "mou" of disappointment at him.
"Maybe next time," Hikaru said. "Hey, we could go to an amusement park! Rollercoasters!"
"You're on," Waya agreed, a daredevil grin on his face. Isumi just dropped his head in one hand and groaned.
Math and biology ran through the background of Akira's mind these days whenever he thought about Shindou in terms of anything other than his gameplay.
The human body contains approximately five liters of blood. The usual amount for a blood donation is half a liter. How much did Shindou drink? Unknown. The human body can replace the fluid lost within twenty-four hours, but replacing the red blood cells may take up to two months. Donation is not recommended more than once every fifty-six days....
Akira pictured half a liter of water, replaced it with his blood. Was that how much Shindou had taken? It seemed like a lot. The rate of the pressurized blood flow through the two bite marks, multiplied by the time spent drinking.... He wanted to hit something in frustration. He didn't know any of the variables. He couldn't figure out how safe or unsafe this might be. He altered his diet in the meantime, trying to eat all the things that were said to be good for building up the blood.
If a train left Osaka at 10:44am, he thought darkly, heading for Tokyo, a distance of 523 kilometers away, travelling at an average speed of 262 kilometers per hour, and another train left Tokyo at 11:05am, heading for Osaka and travelling at an average speed of 234 kilometers per hour, how many survivors would there be when they collide?
"Fine!" Akira yelled, slamming his hands down on either side of the Go board. "Be that way!"
"I will!" Shindou yelled back, face flushed with anger. "I'm going home!" He stalked out, snatching his backpack from a bemused Ichikawa, and slammed the door behind himself.
Akira threw himself back into his chair. Why couldn't Shindou see-- He glowered at the board.
Eventually, though, like a stormy sea, his anger calmed and he was able to regard the game with clearer eyes. It hadn't been a bad game, but it hadn't been particularly close either. Akira had long since stopped keeping track of how many games they'd each lost to one another, realizing just how childish doing so was, but he thought he was slightly in the lead. Of course, Shindou probably thought the same thing. But the numbers, in the end, weren't what mattered as much as not letting Shindou get ahead of him.
Akira straightened and looked at the board, unfolding his arms. He touched a stone with one finger. If he'd played /there/ instead of /here/, could he have saved himself from being cut? But Shindou would surely have responded....
Contemplatively, Touya Akira studied his lost game.
It was a week and a half before Hikaru needed blood again. He groaned and flung his arm over his eyes when he woke that morning to his stomach's gnawing. He knew his vague daydreams of not having to do this again had been totally unbased, but still, /having/ them had been nice. Now he had to ask Touya. /How/ to ask Touya? And when and where would be private enough to ensure not getting caught? He huffed, annoyed, and got up.
Luck wasn't with him, though--he didn't have a chance to talk to Touya before their games started, was dragooned into lunch with Waya, and then Touya finished his game and left before Hikaru did.
He was splashing water on his face in the men's room after the game--it had been close, and Hikaru definitely needed to figure out what he could have done better--when Waya came in, loudly sighing.
"Did you lose?" Hikaru asked.
"Yes, damnit," Waya replied. "Pisses me off--" His voice broke off and he stopped moving, looking at a point beyond Hikaru.
Hikaru blinked and turned to see what Waya was staring at.
He didn't see anything, though, but the men's room mirror.
/The mirror/.
He turned slowly back to Waya in growing horror, knowing what his friend was seeing... or, rather, not seeing.
"Sh-Shindou?" Waya asked uncertainly, growing paler.
Hikaru bolted.
At least, if Hikaru had to chase after him, Touya was in the expected location: his father's Go salon.
Hikaru came in quietly, handing his bag to Ichikawa-san with barely a murmur. She looked at him in surprise; he smiled wanly, knowing he wasn't his usual self at the moment.
He settled into his usual seat across from Touya and waited.
Touya frowned. "Is something wrong, Shindou?" he asked, beginning to clear away the game he'd lad laid out.
Hikaru debated with himself for just a moment, then let his chin drop, regarding his hands where they crossed on his lap. "Waya found out," he murmured, barely above a whisper.
Touya's hands stilled.
"Mirror. In the restroom," Hikaru continued. "I was so stupid. I wasn't /thinking/...."
"Like that's new," Touya said, but his tone was anything but cutting. "What did you do?"
"Ran," Hikaru answered. "I couldn't face him, couldn't think of what to tell him." He sighed. "I'll have to at some point, I know, but... this is not a good day."
"Hmm." Touya let the stones waterfall from his hands into their bowls. "Do you want to play?"
"Always." Hikaru straightened and reached for the black stones, pulling out one. "If you win, I'll take you out to dinner."
Touya paused before setting down his stones. "If you win, I take you out to dinner?" he asked quietly, beginning to count them.
Hikaru nodded, looking away.
He played white.
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no subject
Date: 2005-07-28 02:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-29 12:32 am (UTC)I loved Akira and the word problems. I kept having Monty Python running through my head, even though his humor was blacker than that.
The last bits played out perfectly, with Hikaru running from Waya, and talking to Akira at the Go salon. It's so perfectly them how they communicate by what they do and don't say.
I'm being babbling and incoherent, so I'll stop, but yay fic!