A Portrait of Touya Akira as a Young Man (Hikago, oneshot)
A Portrait of Touya Akira as a Young Man
by aishuu
Fandom: Hikaru no Go
Summary: Touya Akira experiences his first crush. Ogata is a highly amused observer and Akira flirts with an older woman using the only thing he understands.
Notes: For 31_days_exchnge theme 24, "it's called the waiting game." This theme set is called 31 Paths to Happily Ever After. Thanks to macey_muse for editing.
"W-would you like to play a game?"
Ogata took a slow drag on his cigarette, trying to keep from jerking his head around at the tentative sound of young Akira's voice. Rubbernecking would not earn him any points with his mentor, who was likely to be watching his son out of the corner of his eye.
"Sure thing, Akira-kun," said a throaty female voice, and Ogata felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up with awareness. Sakurano was the most beautiful female professional currently in the Go scene, and like many others, he'd toyed with the idea of asking her out. That notion was one he hadn't seriously entertained, since his romantic entanglements never ended in a pleasant way, and she was a colleague. There would be nothing worse than a perpetual "bad morning after."
He could hear the sound of a chair scraping as Akira sat down. It was late afternoon at the Go parlor, but it was a Saturday and plenty of people had gathered to discuss Touya Kouyo's securing of the Jyudan title. There were almost more professionals here than at the Institute on match days.
"How many stones would you like?" Sakurano asked politely. This was her first time at the salon, and she wasn't familiar with Touya Akira's level of skill.
"I don't need any, Sakurano-3-dan," the boy replied. "I would like to play you in an even match."
"If that's the way you want it," Sakurano said dubiously.
"I do," Akira stated.
Ogata knew he was smirking slightly, and tried to hide the faint smile behind his cigarette. It seemed like Touya Akira, all of eleven years old, was starting to notice that there were differences between boy-people and girl-people. Thankfully, the rest of the salon's current customers were familiar with him and his customary shyness to pretend not to pay attention. Though after Akira left, there would be much in the way of discussion about how the Meijin's son was growing up.
Because he was listening, Ogata was able to differentiate the sound of the stones being laid down for nigiri. A moment later, and Sakurano announced she was quite happy to play white.
"Please," Akira murmured, and Sakurano responded in turn.
He was curious how the game would progress. Sakurano was a good player, but in his estimation, Touya Akira was better. That was no slight to Sakurano; it was merely an honest observation. Akira was a prodigy, one who instinctively understood the game. Sakurano was a more common road professional, one who worked hard to rise as far as she could.
He didn't linger too closely, knowing that having a nine dan leaning over them might intimidate Sakurano inadvertently. Akira was used to his presence; he would have the boy recreate the game for him later.
So instead he walked across the room, to where Touya-Meijin was sitting by himself, studying a game he'd set out. The Meijin's attention seemed entirely focused on the goban before him, and the patrons were polite enough to leave him to his study. He was in the middle of defending his Gosei title, and interupting him would be a major faux pas.
Ogata, though, knew that as much as Touya-Meijin loved the game, he would always be a father first. Touya-Meijin kept sneaking glances to where his son was sitting across from the beautiful young woman, a slight smile of amusement curving his lips.
"Your son's keeping interesting company today, isn't he?" Ogata asked.
"He's always had good taste," the Meijin replied in a seemingly-serene fashion. "Pretty and a Go player... a man couldn't ask for more."
Ogata couldn't help but smirk. "She's a little old for him, don't you think? Or are you that eager to gain a daughter-in-law?"
The Meijin raised an eyebrow. "A man always has to experience failure before he finds success. But the games he plays until then will help him shape his final endgame."
His words were deep, they were philosophical, they were Touya Meijin to the core.
And Ogata couldn't help but think they were a crock of shit. "Your son is growing up on you," he said.
"All children do," the Meijin said softly, stealing another glance.
Ogata decided to go sneak a peek at the game, under the pretense of "passing by" while getting a refill on his coffee.
Ichikawa kept two pots simmering behind the counter; one for coffee, and the other full of water for tea. Ichikawa didn't bother to pretend to serve him; Ogata was one of the Meijin's prize students, and had the run of the salon. He filled the white cup up nearly to the brim, not worrying about trivial matters like offering payment.
Like usual, the countergirl kept her eyes on the clientèle, waiting to see if anyone needed her. She always paid special attention to young Akira, mother-henning him something fierce. Ogata, though, noticed that she wasn't the only one fascinated - and pretending not to be - by the Touya-Sakurano match.
Ogata wondered if his birthday had come early; he was having entirely too much fun with this situation. He couldn't resisted teasing the counter girl. "You're pouting, Ichikawa-san," he said.
"What are you talking about, Ogata-san?" she asked, blinking and giving him a big, pasted-on smile.
He shook his head, making a few "tut-tut-tut" noises. "Lying's not attractive," he chided her. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."
Unbidden, her eyes drifted over Akira's way, and Ogata saw the softening of her expression. "I think I'm a little bit jealous," she admitted. "I always thought I'd be his first crush."
It took all of Ogata's self-control (and that was a lot), not to burst into laughter. He could have taken the conversation to some very, very bad places with that admission, but decided to take it in the spirit Ichikawa had meant it. "You're jealous of an eleven-year-old's affections?"
She glared at him, and Ogata wisely took a step out of her arm's reach. "I just don't like seeing him grow up so soon."
Despite the temptation to ruthlessly continue to tease her, Ogata decided to let the subject drop. Ogata understood women more than he was willing to admit. It wasn't like Ichikawa wanted him to be interested in her, but Akira had always been hers, in a peculiar sort of way. Since Akira was socially awkward, she was one of his closest friends. She'd known him since he was three, and had listened to his problems sympathetically many times. Ichikawa was cute - but Sakurano was the kind of woman that made heads turn whenever she entered a room. A bit of feminine rivalry was definitely in play.
He took another look over at the game, and wasn't surprised to see it over. Ogata took the opportunity to saunter over to take a peek at the final board. The results were decidedly one sided; Akira hadn't played anywhere near his usual level.
Ogata sighed, knowing Akira would have to get over his weakness for a pretty face if he was going to get anywhere.
"Do you want to discuss the game?" Sakurano asked.
Akira shook his head, blushing furiously. “I'd like a rematch sometime,” he said instead. "You play in a fashion that I haven't had much practise with."
A sneaking suspicion started to prey on Ogata's mind. Sakurano wasn't that unique a player.
"That would be nice, Touya-kun," said Sakurano, before she glanced at her watch. She rose to her feet, picking up her folded jacket and sliding it over her slim shoulders. "I need to get going to a tutoring session, but I'll look for you the next time I stop by, alright?"
Touya nodded, his face hid behind the curtain of his long hair. "I'll look forward to it."
"How about next week, same time?"
"Sure!" Akira agreed, showing her an incredibly sweet smile.
Ogata watched as Sakurano melted into a figurative puddle of goo. "It's a date!" she said playfully, waving as she made her exit.
Ogata wasn't sure what to think - seeing how Akira had flawlessly manipulated the situation to his own ends was kind of shocking. He was now convinced Akira had intentionally thrown the game, something Ogata wouldn't have thought him capable of.
As Akira cleaned off the board, wearing a slightly smug smile, Ogata felt a chill creep down his spine.
Touya Akira, future ladies' man. The women would never know what hit them.
by aishuu
Fandom: Hikaru no Go
Summary: Touya Akira experiences his first crush. Ogata is a highly amused observer and Akira flirts with an older woman using the only thing he understands.
Notes: For 31_days_exchnge theme 24, "it's called the waiting game." This theme set is called 31 Paths to Happily Ever After. Thanks to macey_muse for editing.
"W-would you like to play a game?"
Ogata took a slow drag on his cigarette, trying to keep from jerking his head around at the tentative sound of young Akira's voice. Rubbernecking would not earn him any points with his mentor, who was likely to be watching his son out of the corner of his eye.
"Sure thing, Akira-kun," said a throaty female voice, and Ogata felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up with awareness. Sakurano was the most beautiful female professional currently in the Go scene, and like many others, he'd toyed with the idea of asking her out. That notion was one he hadn't seriously entertained, since his romantic entanglements never ended in a pleasant way, and she was a colleague. There would be nothing worse than a perpetual "bad morning after."
He could hear the sound of a chair scraping as Akira sat down. It was late afternoon at the Go parlor, but it was a Saturday and plenty of people had gathered to discuss Touya Kouyo's securing of the Jyudan title. There were almost more professionals here than at the Institute on match days.
"How many stones would you like?" Sakurano asked politely. This was her first time at the salon, and she wasn't familiar with Touya Akira's level of skill.
"I don't need any, Sakurano-3-dan," the boy replied. "I would like to play you in an even match."
"If that's the way you want it," Sakurano said dubiously.
"I do," Akira stated.
Ogata knew he was smirking slightly, and tried to hide the faint smile behind his cigarette. It seemed like Touya Akira, all of eleven years old, was starting to notice that there were differences between boy-people and girl-people. Thankfully, the rest of the salon's current customers were familiar with him and his customary shyness to pretend not to pay attention. Though after Akira left, there would be much in the way of discussion about how the Meijin's son was growing up.
Because he was listening, Ogata was able to differentiate the sound of the stones being laid down for nigiri. A moment later, and Sakurano announced she was quite happy to play white.
"Please," Akira murmured, and Sakurano responded in turn.
He was curious how the game would progress. Sakurano was a good player, but in his estimation, Touya Akira was better. That was no slight to Sakurano; it was merely an honest observation. Akira was a prodigy, one who instinctively understood the game. Sakurano was a more common road professional, one who worked hard to rise as far as she could.
He didn't linger too closely, knowing that having a nine dan leaning over them might intimidate Sakurano inadvertently. Akira was used to his presence; he would have the boy recreate the game for him later.
So instead he walked across the room, to where Touya-Meijin was sitting by himself, studying a game he'd set out. The Meijin's attention seemed entirely focused on the goban before him, and the patrons were polite enough to leave him to his study. He was in the middle of defending his Gosei title, and interupting him would be a major faux pas.
Ogata, though, knew that as much as Touya-Meijin loved the game, he would always be a father first. Touya-Meijin kept sneaking glances to where his son was sitting across from the beautiful young woman, a slight smile of amusement curving his lips.
"Your son's keeping interesting company today, isn't he?" Ogata asked.
"He's always had good taste," the Meijin replied in a seemingly-serene fashion. "Pretty and a Go player... a man couldn't ask for more."
Ogata couldn't help but smirk. "She's a little old for him, don't you think? Or are you that eager to gain a daughter-in-law?"
The Meijin raised an eyebrow. "A man always has to experience failure before he finds success. But the games he plays until then will help him shape his final endgame."
His words were deep, they were philosophical, they were Touya Meijin to the core.
And Ogata couldn't help but think they were a crock of shit. "Your son is growing up on you," he said.
"All children do," the Meijin said softly, stealing another glance.
Ogata decided to go sneak a peek at the game, under the pretense of "passing by" while getting a refill on his coffee.
Ichikawa kept two pots simmering behind the counter; one for coffee, and the other full of water for tea. Ichikawa didn't bother to pretend to serve him; Ogata was one of the Meijin's prize students, and had the run of the salon. He filled the white cup up nearly to the brim, not worrying about trivial matters like offering payment.
Like usual, the countergirl kept her eyes on the clientèle, waiting to see if anyone needed her. She always paid special attention to young Akira, mother-henning him something fierce. Ogata, though, noticed that she wasn't the only one fascinated - and pretending not to be - by the Touya-Sakurano match.
Ogata wondered if his birthday had come early; he was having entirely too much fun with this situation. He couldn't resisted teasing the counter girl. "You're pouting, Ichikawa-san," he said.
"What are you talking about, Ogata-san?" she asked, blinking and giving him a big, pasted-on smile.
He shook his head, making a few "tut-tut-tut" noises. "Lying's not attractive," he chided her. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."
Unbidden, her eyes drifted over Akira's way, and Ogata saw the softening of her expression. "I think I'm a little bit jealous," she admitted. "I always thought I'd be his first crush."
It took all of Ogata's self-control (and that was a lot), not to burst into laughter. He could have taken the conversation to some very, very bad places with that admission, but decided to take it in the spirit Ichikawa had meant it. "You're jealous of an eleven-year-old's affections?"
She glared at him, and Ogata wisely took a step out of her arm's reach. "I just don't like seeing him grow up so soon."
Despite the temptation to ruthlessly continue to tease her, Ogata decided to let the subject drop. Ogata understood women more than he was willing to admit. It wasn't like Ichikawa wanted him to be interested in her, but Akira had always been hers, in a peculiar sort of way. Since Akira was socially awkward, she was one of his closest friends. She'd known him since he was three, and had listened to his problems sympathetically many times. Ichikawa was cute - but Sakurano was the kind of woman that made heads turn whenever she entered a room. A bit of feminine rivalry was definitely in play.
He took another look over at the game, and wasn't surprised to see it over. Ogata took the opportunity to saunter over to take a peek at the final board. The results were decidedly one sided; Akira hadn't played anywhere near his usual level.
Ogata sighed, knowing Akira would have to get over his weakness for a pretty face if he was going to get anywhere.
"Do you want to discuss the game?" Sakurano asked.
Akira shook his head, blushing furiously. “I'd like a rematch sometime,” he said instead. "You play in a fashion that I haven't had much practise with."
A sneaking suspicion started to prey on Ogata's mind. Sakurano wasn't that unique a player.
"That would be nice, Touya-kun," said Sakurano, before she glanced at her watch. She rose to her feet, picking up her folded jacket and sliding it over her slim shoulders. "I need to get going to a tutoring session, but I'll look for you the next time I stop by, alright?"
Touya nodded, his face hid behind the curtain of his long hair. "I'll look forward to it."
"How about next week, same time?"
"Sure!" Akira agreed, showing her an incredibly sweet smile.
Ogata watched as Sakurano melted into a figurative puddle of goo. "It's a date!" she said playfully, waving as she made her exit.
Ogata wasn't sure what to think - seeing how Akira had flawlessly manipulated the situation to his own ends was kind of shocking. He was now convinced Akira had intentionally thrown the game, something Ogata wouldn't have thought him capable of.
As Akira cleaned off the board, wearing a slightly smug smile, Ogata felt a chill creep down his spine.
Touya Akira, future ladies' man. The women would never know what hit them.