Hikaru no Go :: Hikaru/Akira :: The Hokkaido Storm
Title: The Hokkaido Storm
Author: Shan aka aoyagi
Fandom: Hikaru no Go :: Hikaru/Akira
Warnings: PG-13 (minor nakedness, kissing)
Disclaimer: Hikago is not mine. If it were mine, I'd make it end a NORMAL way *glare*
The rock that Akira had picked as his shelter from the freezing wind had long since stopped giving enough protection from the cold and snow. Huddled in the deepest niche he could find, he stared bitterly at his right leg, stretched out at an odd angle. When he had run out of the hotel a few hours earlier, the weather had been cold but sunny and the thin layer of snow on the ground looked as innocent as a newborn baby. He had been deceived, though, when he had suddenly slipped on an invisible layer of ice and gone flying towards a rocky bottom of a dried river bed. Once the sky had turned pitch black with the approaching blizzard, Akira came to a conclusion that he might not survive to see another day.
Resigned to his fate, he closed his eyes as his thoughts drifted towards the hotel and Shindou Hikaru, who he had left there. Regret tasted bitter on his tongue as he recalled how he had pushed the affectionate Shindou away and had told him to get lost. In the perspective of distance - and a lot of alone time to think things through - Akira realized he had been stupid to stubbornly cling to his foolish denial. It didn't matter that both of them were boys as long as they could still play together as rivals. Nobody would have cared if they had decided to become more than friends. If he only had the chance to turn back time and truly say how he felt about Shindou...
For a brief moment the wind died down a notch and through its howling, Akira heard something peculiar. He opened his eyes and looked around, even if he could not see anything beyond the river bank. The sound reached his ears and this time he recognized the words.
"Touyaaaaaaaaa! Toooooouyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Even in the depths of hell Akira would have recognized Shindou's voice, and his heart lifted with joy. He tried to jump up, but the moment he put weight on his right leg, his twisted ankle reminded him of the injury and he fell down. Growing restless, he tried to stand up while leaning against the wall.
"Over heeeereee!" he cried out as loud as he could. Even then, his voice sounded scratchy and barely there.
"Tooooouyaaaaaaaaa!" Shindou's voice called, this time much, much closer. "I'm coming!"
The next few minutes blurred together as Akira frantically screamed himself hoarse while calling for Shindou, willing the other to find him quicker. When he finally saw his rival, all bundled up and snow-covered, his voice gave out. He grabbed Shindou in a death-grip, not caring what the other would think, and burst out crying.
"I almost died because of you, idiot!" he exclaimed roughly between the sobs.
The large, gloved hands pushed him away a little and Akira looked into Shindou's eyes; the same ones he thought he'd never see again.
"How come it's my fault?" Shindou asked, confused. "I didn't make you run out like that when there was a blizzard in the forecast."
"It doesn't matter anymore," Akira mumbled and pulled the surprised Shindou for an extremely sloppy kiss.
The snowstorm continued to rage while they stood huddled against the rock. Once they realized that standing still and kissing in the freezing weather could get them snowed in, they reluctantly broke apart and decided to move. Akira tried to walk on his own, but his throbbing ankle made it nearly impossible. Instead, he leaned against Shindou, who didn't seem to mind at all.
"Just a little bit more," Shindou said and Akira nodded in agreement. "I saw a cave opening that could give us shelter."
With all of his clothes too thin to ward off cold and his shoes wet, Akira could feel his body slowly growing numb. He knew exactly what it meant; after all, he had attended the short instruction class on how to recognize the first signs of hypothermia. "I'm cold," he whined quietly.
Shindou also must have had attended the class, because he gave Akira a sharp glance and tried to speed up the pace.
"I think we're almost there," he said. "Hold on a little longer, will you?"
Thankfully, the blizzard eased its intensity and Hikaru soon found the rock formation with a big cave. Once inside, he took a flashlight out of his pocket and went on a search for any wild animals that could reside in the darkness. Akira stayed behind, his breath short and shallow, while his already strained muscles tried their best to keep his body upright.
"It's clear, we can stay here," Shindou proclaimed happily.
Akira sat down. He wanted to fall asleep, but he knew it would only make things worse and he could never wake up again. His eyelids half-closed, he watched Shindou quickly move around the cave, gathering scattered twigs into a pile. Soon enough a small fire danced merrily over the wood, giving both warmth and light in the pitch-black cavern. Only then did Akira notice a rather large bag sitting next to the entrance. "What's that?" he asked blearily.
Shindou glanced at the backpack. "You were gone so long that the rescuing crew was sure you got stranded in the mountains," he said with a shrug. "I took a few necessities in case I found you first."
Akira narrowed his eyebrows. "Rescuing crew?" he asked.
His eyes grew wider despite the fatigue as he watched Shindou's face turn expressionless.
"They said the blizzard was too fierce to go looking for you," Shindou said with force. "They said it would be suicide to venture into the mountains and unless you found shelter, you would be dead anyway. They said a whole bunch of other stuff that really pissed me off, so I went to look for you by myself."
Dumbfounded, Akira stared at this new, caring Shindou and could not believe his eyes. The passion and dedication that shone in his eyes reminded Akira of their games, the rivalry that had always been present in their professional lives. He never thought he would see a completely different reason for them.
"You need to take your wet clothes off," Shindou stated, pulling Akira from his thoughts with a sharp tug at the zippers.
Akira jumped up and slapped Shindou's hands away as if burned. Only a moment later he realized his friend didn't mean anything perverse and yanked away the clasps himself, knowing his face had to be beet red.
"Sorry," he apologized. "Force of habit."
Shindou smiled indulgently and turned to the bag. "It's all right," he said. "Make sure you take off as much as you can, too. The snow at the entrance will block the cold wind and the fire will warm up the cave. Once you wrap yourself in this thermal blanket," he said and held up a large sheet of silvery fabric, "you'll be able to prevent hypothermia and get some sleep."
Akira nodded gratefully and continued to peel off the cold, wet garments. He felt shy around Shindou - who gave him space and pretended not to look - but the overwhelming sleepiness won over modesty. The moment he dressed down to his underwear, he grabbed the blanket, wrapped it around his shaking body and used his sweater as a pillow. The material, though cold at first, quickly helped him generate some heat.
"Are you feeling better now?" Shindou asked and moved closer to tuck the edges in. "I know it isn't comfortable, but at least it will keep the warmth inside."
"Yeah, thanks," Akira replied with a smile. "Where are you going to sleep, though?"
The guilty shift of Shindou's body told Akira everything before the other replied: "I'll just lay down by the fire and nap like that."
With one, swift move, Akira reached from under the blanket and pulled at Shindou's arm, making him trip and fall forward. The thermal blanket rustled as Shindou tried to move, but Akira's firm grip held him in place.
"This blanket is big enough to fit both of us," Akira whispered and lifted his head to kiss Shindou. "I'd be happier - and much warmer - if you stopped being so obtuse about things, Hikaru."
Shindou blinked a couple of times. "You just called me by my given name," he stated.
"Can I?" Akira purred.
"Errrrr... Yes!" Shindou exclaimed, his eyes glazed and unfocused.
"So. Now that we're on the first-name basis," Akira continued and tugged at the blanket, "how about you take off some of those layers and help me stay warm?"
It seemed that Hikaru didn't have to be told twice when asked in such a sultry way.
Somewhere deep within his rational and composed mind, Akira knew he could be making the biggest mistake of his life, but once Hikaru's cold, yet gentle hands wrapped around his waist, he thought of nothing else. He inhaled deeply, cherishing the sharp, yet pleasing scent he learned to associate with Hikaru and a smile bloomed on his face. As a wet, eager mouth found his, Akira wondered why he hadn't done this sooner.
Author: Shan aka aoyagi
Fandom: Hikaru no Go :: Hikaru/Akira
Warnings: PG-13 (minor nakedness, kissing)
Disclaimer: Hikago is not mine. If it were mine, I'd make it end a NORMAL way *glare*
The rock that Akira had picked as his shelter from the freezing wind had long since stopped giving enough protection from the cold and snow. Huddled in the deepest niche he could find, he stared bitterly at his right leg, stretched out at an odd angle. When he had run out of the hotel a few hours earlier, the weather had been cold but sunny and the thin layer of snow on the ground looked as innocent as a newborn baby. He had been deceived, though, when he had suddenly slipped on an invisible layer of ice and gone flying towards a rocky bottom of a dried river bed. Once the sky had turned pitch black with the approaching blizzard, Akira came to a conclusion that he might not survive to see another day.
Resigned to his fate, he closed his eyes as his thoughts drifted towards the hotel and Shindou Hikaru, who he had left there. Regret tasted bitter on his tongue as he recalled how he had pushed the affectionate Shindou away and had told him to get lost. In the perspective of distance - and a lot of alone time to think things through - Akira realized he had been stupid to stubbornly cling to his foolish denial. It didn't matter that both of them were boys as long as they could still play together as rivals. Nobody would have cared if they had decided to become more than friends. If he only had the chance to turn back time and truly say how he felt about Shindou...
For a brief moment the wind died down a notch and through its howling, Akira heard something peculiar. He opened his eyes and looked around, even if he could not see anything beyond the river bank. The sound reached his ears and this time he recognized the words.
"Touyaaaaaaaaa! Toooooouyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Even in the depths of hell Akira would have recognized Shindou's voice, and his heart lifted with joy. He tried to jump up, but the moment he put weight on his right leg, his twisted ankle reminded him of the injury and he fell down. Growing restless, he tried to stand up while leaning against the wall.
"Over heeeereee!" he cried out as loud as he could. Even then, his voice sounded scratchy and barely there.
"Tooooouyaaaaaaaaa!" Shindou's voice called, this time much, much closer. "I'm coming!"
The next few minutes blurred together as Akira frantically screamed himself hoarse while calling for Shindou, willing the other to find him quicker. When he finally saw his rival, all bundled up and snow-covered, his voice gave out. He grabbed Shindou in a death-grip, not caring what the other would think, and burst out crying.
"I almost died because of you, idiot!" he exclaimed roughly between the sobs.
The large, gloved hands pushed him away a little and Akira looked into Shindou's eyes; the same ones he thought he'd never see again.
"How come it's my fault?" Shindou asked, confused. "I didn't make you run out like that when there was a blizzard in the forecast."
"It doesn't matter anymore," Akira mumbled and pulled the surprised Shindou for an extremely sloppy kiss.
The snowstorm continued to rage while they stood huddled against the rock. Once they realized that standing still and kissing in the freezing weather could get them snowed in, they reluctantly broke apart and decided to move. Akira tried to walk on his own, but his throbbing ankle made it nearly impossible. Instead, he leaned against Shindou, who didn't seem to mind at all.
"Just a little bit more," Shindou said and Akira nodded in agreement. "I saw a cave opening that could give us shelter."
With all of his clothes too thin to ward off cold and his shoes wet, Akira could feel his body slowly growing numb. He knew exactly what it meant; after all, he had attended the short instruction class on how to recognize the first signs of hypothermia. "I'm cold," he whined quietly.
Shindou also must have had attended the class, because he gave Akira a sharp glance and tried to speed up the pace.
"I think we're almost there," he said. "Hold on a little longer, will you?"
Thankfully, the blizzard eased its intensity and Hikaru soon found the rock formation with a big cave. Once inside, he took a flashlight out of his pocket and went on a search for any wild animals that could reside in the darkness. Akira stayed behind, his breath short and shallow, while his already strained muscles tried their best to keep his body upright.
"It's clear, we can stay here," Shindou proclaimed happily.
Akira sat down. He wanted to fall asleep, but he knew it would only make things worse and he could never wake up again. His eyelids half-closed, he watched Shindou quickly move around the cave, gathering scattered twigs into a pile. Soon enough a small fire danced merrily over the wood, giving both warmth and light in the pitch-black cavern. Only then did Akira notice a rather large bag sitting next to the entrance. "What's that?" he asked blearily.
Shindou glanced at the backpack. "You were gone so long that the rescuing crew was sure you got stranded in the mountains," he said with a shrug. "I took a few necessities in case I found you first."
Akira narrowed his eyebrows. "Rescuing crew?" he asked.
His eyes grew wider despite the fatigue as he watched Shindou's face turn expressionless.
"They said the blizzard was too fierce to go looking for you," Shindou said with force. "They said it would be suicide to venture into the mountains and unless you found shelter, you would be dead anyway. They said a whole bunch of other stuff that really pissed me off, so I went to look for you by myself."
Dumbfounded, Akira stared at this new, caring Shindou and could not believe his eyes. The passion and dedication that shone in his eyes reminded Akira of their games, the rivalry that had always been present in their professional lives. He never thought he would see a completely different reason for them.
"You need to take your wet clothes off," Shindou stated, pulling Akira from his thoughts with a sharp tug at the zippers.
Akira jumped up and slapped Shindou's hands away as if burned. Only a moment later he realized his friend didn't mean anything perverse and yanked away the clasps himself, knowing his face had to be beet red.
"Sorry," he apologized. "Force of habit."
Shindou smiled indulgently and turned to the bag. "It's all right," he said. "Make sure you take off as much as you can, too. The snow at the entrance will block the cold wind and the fire will warm up the cave. Once you wrap yourself in this thermal blanket," he said and held up a large sheet of silvery fabric, "you'll be able to prevent hypothermia and get some sleep."
Akira nodded gratefully and continued to peel off the cold, wet garments. He felt shy around Shindou - who gave him space and pretended not to look - but the overwhelming sleepiness won over modesty. The moment he dressed down to his underwear, he grabbed the blanket, wrapped it around his shaking body and used his sweater as a pillow. The material, though cold at first, quickly helped him generate some heat.
"Are you feeling better now?" Shindou asked and moved closer to tuck the edges in. "I know it isn't comfortable, but at least it will keep the warmth inside."
"Yeah, thanks," Akira replied with a smile. "Where are you going to sleep, though?"
The guilty shift of Shindou's body told Akira everything before the other replied: "I'll just lay down by the fire and nap like that."
With one, swift move, Akira reached from under the blanket and pulled at Shindou's arm, making him trip and fall forward. The thermal blanket rustled as Shindou tried to move, but Akira's firm grip held him in place.
"This blanket is big enough to fit both of us," Akira whispered and lifted his head to kiss Shindou. "I'd be happier - and much warmer - if you stopped being so obtuse about things, Hikaru."
Shindou blinked a couple of times. "You just called me by my given name," he stated.
"Can I?" Akira purred.
"Errrrr... Yes!" Shindou exclaimed, his eyes glazed and unfocused.
"So. Now that we're on the first-name basis," Akira continued and tugged at the blanket, "how about you take off some of those layers and help me stay warm?"
It seemed that Hikaru didn't have to be told twice when asked in such a sultry way.
Somewhere deep within his rational and composed mind, Akira knew he could be making the biggest mistake of his life, but once Hikaru's cold, yet gentle hands wrapped around his waist, he thought of nothing else. He inhaled deeply, cherishing the sharp, yet pleasing scent he learned to associate with Hikaru and a smile bloomed on his face. As a wet, eager mouth found his, Akira wondered why he hadn't done this sooner.