Fifthmus Fic: True Shot (for lanerose, from aithine)

[mmmdraco]

TITLE: True Shot
AUTHOR: Aithine (aithine)
RECIPIENT: lanerose, requests
PAIRING: None. (Ish. It is Hikaru and Akira, after all. *g*)
REQUEST: "Akira's hobby (other than go, which is a way of life and therefore does not count) and Shindou's reaction to it."
WARNINGS: None.
SUMMARY: Akira Touya has a hobby that isn't Go--who knew? Certainly not Hikaru Shindou.

"A

Comments

[sleepingfingers]

I really, really like this -- how the story of "Hikaru tells Akira" isn't the central topic of the story, except it kind of is as everything leads to it without being overly telling. I love the interactions between Shindou and Touya. Very lovely. :)

[aithine]

Thank you! I'm really glad it worked for you; thanks for taking the time to tell me! :)

Unsurprisingly enough, this didn't start out being a "Hikaru tells Akira" story, it just kind of happened. Go figure. *vbg* (I was flying without a beta who was familiar with this universe, so I'm glad their interactions worked and didn't feel like they were coming from completely out of left field. *vbg*)

[issen4]

The philosophy behind the 'true shot' is really cool, and I loved how you worked it into the way Sai brought Hikaru into Go. And overall it's really nice to read about the way Hikaru and Akira interact: they're so comfortable with each other. ^^

[aithine]

(Whoops, accidentally hit enter before I'd finished replying!)

Thank you! And thanks for taking the time to tell me you enjoyed the story. :)

I just can't see Hikaru without Sai in his life somehow, even after Sai's been gone for a while. He had such a profound impact on Hikaru's life in such a short time that it makes sense he'd think about Sai often. I'm happy it worked for you in the context of this story.

I was really struck by the end of the Hokuto Cup arc (which I adored) at how easy Hikaru and Akira were with each other--how it seemed that they'd finally found the balance with each other they'd been working toward for the whole manga. I'm glad that came across. :)

[therhoda]

I liked this. THe flow and the way they are friends as well as rivals

[aithine]

Thank you! And thanks for taking the time to tell me you enjoyed it. :)

[lanerose]

♥!!!

First of all, thank you!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!! This was exactly what I was hoping for~! Hikaru's reaction was really believable, and the choice of hobby was superb. (Not that you had anyway of knowing this, but I used to teach archery, so in addition to everything else, I got just this fabulous little touch of sentimentality that killed me dead.) I particularly liked the line about having a Playstation. Come to think of it, the conversation flowed really naturally, wandering easily towards the reveal. Also, I really like your writing style! *makes note to track down more of your fics later*

So yes~~ ♥!! Thank you!!

[aithine]

LOL You're most welcome. *vbg* I'm so glad you liked it--and how funny about the archery thing! I agonized forever trying to come up with something that made sense to me in the context of what we know and learn about Akira over the course of the manga, and once I discovered some of the philosophies and practices of kyudo, it just fit perfectly, because it was something he could do on his own or with others, depending on his mood, but the whole point of the activity isn't to win. Given how much of Akira's life is subsumed by Go and the related competitions, I couldn't imagine him wanting to do something that applied even more pressure. *vbg*

Thank you for your very kind comments on my writing! I so rarely seem to manage to finish anything, it's always a treat when someone enjoys the stories I do get to tell. *vbg* I adore Hikaru and Akira, and the way they're finally comfortable around each other by the end of the manga just makes me want to know what happened next in their relationship--no matter that I really liked the ending--so it

[mowglimoonshado]

I really liked how you weaved together Akira's hobby with Sai and Hikaru and Akira's relationship. Of course Akira would have a traditional hobby(for the longest time, I've been imagining him doin taichi or maybe even yoga, I can just picture him strong and sure and breathing into the motions). The characterizations were spot on. Lovely piece.

[aithine]

Thank you! And thanks for taking the time to tell me you enjoyed the story. :)

I struggled forever (at least it felt like it *vbg*) trying to come up with a hobby for Akira that made sense to me in the context of what we know and learn about him over the course of the manga--I'm happy archery made sense to you, too. *vbg*

I was flying without a beta who was familiar with this universe, so I'm thrilled you think they sounded like themselves. It's been a while since I've written in a fandom none of my regular editors know!