Hikaru No Go Fan Fiction ❯ Journey of Illumination ❯ A Friendly Challenge ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Hikaru no Go was created by Hotta and Obata. All characters and plots belong to them, including any I create. This is a piece of fanfiction written by fans for the enjoyment of other fans. No money was made by the creation of this work.

 

Journey of Illumination

By Lady Lark

 

Chapter Two: A Friendly Challenge

 

oOo

 

Kaneko and Kuniko left her under the gingko tree to think about what they had said. She hadn't really thought about how much she had improved, always comparing herself to Hikaru and his skill. Additionally, she had taken Hikaru's assessment of her lack of skill at face value without considering the source.

 

Shirakawa-sensei had complimented her on her improvement. Even more telling, was that he had placed her against stronger and stronger students in the class until she was playing some of the better players. She wasn't winning all the time, but she was improving.

 

Akari decided that she needed to talk to Shirakawa-sensei and find out about getting even better. She rose to her feet brushing off the accumulated dust and grass, determined to make to the afternoon class. She took a few moments to orient herself, before setting off at a brisk pace.

 

She made it to the entrance of the school without being stopped by anyone, when an accusatory voice stopped her.

 

“I thought I asked you to wait for me,” the red-headed teen said pushing off of the wall by the front gate.

 

Akari jumped slightly at his tone. “Mitani-kun, you startled me!”

 

“Sorry,” he muttered half petulantly and half contritely. “So where are you going?”

 

“Go Class, I wanted to try to make the afternoon session,” she answered.

 

“Oh.”

 

“Yeah.” An awkward silence fell between the two and Akari stifled the urge to glance at her wristwatch. She really wanted to go but she felt that Mitani had more that he needed to say.

 

After a few more uncomfortable seconds, her hunch was proved correct. “I don't want to keep you long, but I want to ask you something,” he said slowly, twisting his fingers together.

 

“Go ahead,” she soothed.

 

“What high school are you going to?” The words tumbled out in a rush.

 

She heaved a mental sigh of relief that he hadn't asked her to be his girlfriend. “Mitaka, the same one you're going to.”

 

A huge grin made its way onto Mitani's face. “You are?”

 

Akari nodded. “Um-hmm, I am.”

 

“Why?” His voice held curiosity and a hint of something else.

 

“Because it has a Go Club already, it`s close to my house, and the tuition isn't too expensive,” she explained, knowing it wasn't going to be for the reasons he wanted it to be.

 

“Oh . . .“ he said a bit dejectedly looking down at his feet.

 

She felt a little guilty at his crestfallen expression. “Why did you decide to go there, Mitani-kun?” she asked gently.

 

He looked up at her as he thought about her question for a second. “I decided to go there because theirs was the only entrance exam I was able to pass. And I only passed it because Kaneko was helping with their practice exam. I'm not that good of a student. But if I can go to high school I will. . .” His voice trailed off like he wanted to add something but didn't have the courage.

 

“I guess getting Kaneko's help was a good thing. My parents tell me it's really hard to get a good job if you don't have at least a high school education.”

 

Mitani looked uncomfortable for a moment. “Yeah, I know. But I always figured I could be delivery truck driver or construction worker.” He shook his head. “But that's not important. You mentioned that Mitaka has a Go team, do you know if they are any good?”

 

“I have no idea,” she said with a laugh. “It didn't matter to me since I know that I will be playing strong people and getting better all the time. Even if it's only in preparation for the tournaments.”

 

The red-head frowned. “You sound like Shindou, always wanting to play strong players.”

 

“It's the only way I can get better,” Akari protested. “Don't worry though; Mitani-kun is still much stronger than me!”

 

“I wonder . . .“ he trailed off, looking thoughtful.

 

“Hmmm . . .”

 

His stance straightened from its usual slouch and the tone of his voice became much more formal. “Akari-san, would you like to play a game?”

 

“What?” she asked surprised.

 

“I would be honored to challenge you to a even game of Go.”

 

She was stunned. She'd never played the boy before in a non-handicapped game. Akari didn't know what to think. “Mitani-kun . . .“

 

“What was that too formal?” he asked with a little frown.

 

She shook her head. “You want to challenge me to game? Why?”

 

“I haven't played you much recently. Instead, I've been concentrating on Natsume and Koike.”

 

She wasn't sure if she believed him, but she decided to play along. “Don't forget Kaneko.”

 

“Ugh, how can I?” he groaned. “She's constantly challenging me saying she when she beats me that I will have to take her for ice cream or pizza.”

 

Akari winced at the harshness of his words. It was an open secret of the Go club that Kaneko had a crush on Mitani. Akari wasn't sure that Mitani knew that Kaneko was trying to get him to date her, since most of the time he seemed oblivious to her remarks.

 

“So you want to challenge me because we haven't played in a long time?” she asked.

 

He nodded slowly in agreement.

 

She thought about it. She really wanted to ask Shirakawa-sensei about how much she had improved. However, playing Mitani might give her the same answers. When she first started playing against Mitani, he had to give her a six-stone handicap. After a few months, she had graduated to a five stone handicap against him. But then he had quit along with Hikaru, and when he had returned he had immediately concentrated on improving the boys' team. She hadn't really played him in almost a year, she realized with a start.

 

She glanced down at her wristwatch and made her decision. “I'd be happy to play a game with you.”

Mitani gave her a small smile. “What about your class?” he asked, curiously.

 

She didn't want him to feel guilty about keeping her, but at the same time she didn't want to lie. “There is one tomorrow. I'd rather spend my time with a good friend who is kind enough to challenge me to an equal game despite my unworthiness of such an offer.”

 

“Um, who are you? And what did you do with my Akari-san?” he asked pseudo-suspiciously.

 

Her eyes widened at the possessive pronoun, but she decided to ignore it. “I didn't do anything, Mitani-kun. I thought if you could talk to me so formally, I could do the same. Was I wrong to think that?”

 

He waved her concerns away. “No, no. I just didn't expect you to react like that. You sounded like a lady out of a samurai movie.”

 

“Oh. Well, I was one of the top ten students in Japanese class. I've never had a chance to use the old formal language in a real life situation. It requires a shift in thinking,” she explained. “Where did you want to go play?” she asked.

 

The red-head thought about it for a moment. “How about the science lab?”

 

She shook her head. “The room is locked today because of graduation so that little kids couldn't get into things if they ran off. Sensei told me that, in case I needed to get anything out of the room before graduation.”

 

“Oh. So that's why we couldn't get in earlier,” he said snapping his fingers.

 

She nodded. “I don't have a Go board at home, either.” She blushed a little thinking about that. Here she was thinking about becoming a professional Go player and she didn't even have a Go board at home to practice with.

 

“Neither do I,” Mitani said, seemingly oblivious to her embarrassment.

 

Deciding that she could see about getting a go board later, she pushed that thought out of her head. Instead. she racked her brain looking for a solution. “So where does that leave us?”

 

“We could go to a go salon,” Mitani said softly.

 

Again, she mentally castigated herself for forgetting about the various Go salons that could be found all over Tokyo. She was going to have to start thinking like a Go player instead of a child. She pasted a false smile on her face. “Okay let's do that!”

 

Mitani winced. “I haven't been to a salon in a long time.” His voice and posture betrayed his reluctance.

 

“We don't have to go to that one,” she said softly, understanding his reluctance. He'd been cheating at Go and had been disciplined by a professional who had been called in by the owner of the salon he frequented. Since that time, Mitani hadn't set foot in a salon as far as she knew.

 

“You know about that?” he asked in a startled tone, his eyes wide.

 

“Of course I do, I was there for part of it, remember. And Hikaru told me the rest afterward.” She paused, thinking back to those early days of the Go club. “He really wanted you for the team,” she said nostalgically.

 

The red-headed teen snorted incredulously. “He wanted a cheater like me.”

 

“You aren't one now. You haven't been one in years. It was just a phase you went through,” she said confidently. She then gave him an encouraging smile. “You respect the game too much now to dishonor it again.”

 

“You sound like Tsutsui,” he accused.

 

“Hikaru said the same thing earlier,” she laughed. “I take that as a compliment. He was a great senpai and a good friend. He taught me a lot.”

 

Mitani seemed to pause at that. “Yeah, he did,” he admitted after a beat. “So, do you know where a Go salon is around here?”

 

“No, I've never been in one before,” she replied with a rueful shake of her head.

 

“How do you handle cigarette smoke?”

 

She gave him a confused look at the seeming non sequitur, but decided to answer his question honestly. “My father smokes, my mother hates it though so makes him smoke outside.”

 

He shook his head. “That's not what I meant. A lot of these places have a perpetual fog of cigarette smoke in them. It's a bit overwhelming if you aren't used to it.”

 

“Oh. I think I can handle it,” she said confidently.

 

Mitani gave her a look that spoke volumes. “Try to breathe through your mouth if possible. It helps.”

 

She nodded. “Okay. So where are we going?”

 

“I only know of one near here.”

 

“Well, let's go!”

He gave her a stricken look. “I'd rather go someplace else. I have bad memories of that salon.”

 

“Oh, you mean it's the place where . . .”

 

“Yeah, it is,” he snapped, cutting her off.

 

“Do you know of any other places?” she asked soothingly.

 

He shook his head. “I do. But they aren't places I would take a girl.”

 

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

 

“Just that a lot of the men in these places have really negative feelings toward girl Go players. I don't really get it myself.” He sighed in resignation. “I guess I really don't have a choice. It's my old salon or nothing.”

 

“We can wait until tomorrow,” the auburn-haired girl offered. “I can ask my sensei if he knows of any places we can go.”

 

He shook his head. “No, I need to do this now.”

 

She gave him a sharp look and said slowly, “Okay.”

 

He pointed toward the train station. “It is one stop down.”

 

They walked in silence for which Akari was deeply grateful. She wasn't sure what to make of Mitani's actions. He was acting very strangely. First with the worry, and then with referring to her as `his Akari.' It was just too weird.

 

She didn't know why it was so important that he play her in an even game right now. But if she was going to become a pro, she knew that she was going to have to beat Mitani. She wasn't looking forward to that day even though in her heart she knew it had to happen.

 

She stopped walking at the realization. Without really thinking it through, she had made a decision about what she wanted to do with her life. She was going to try to become a professional player. With that thought in her head, she jogged to catch up to Mitani who was waiting for her.

 

She gave him a small smile, but didn't speak. She didn't trust herself not to reveal her thoughts. Based on Mitani's volcanic reaction when Hikaru said he wanted to be a professional player, she didn't think it would be a good idea. She knew that she would have to tell him sometime, just not right now.

 

After boarding the train, they found a place to stand next to the doors since they didn't have far to travel on the loop. She looked around the car and wasn't surprised to see a lot of kids her own age. Graduation was a universal occurrence in Japan, with the new school year starting up at the same time prefecture wide. She wondered how many of the students were trying to stay in touch with the friends they made in junior high for just a little bit longer.

 

She was going to miss seeing Kuniko, Natsume, and Hikaru every day since they had decided to go separate ways. Kuniko was attending an all-girls school at her parents' insistence. Natsume had elected to not go to high school, like Hikaru. Instead, his parents had obtained an apprenticeship under a well regarded sushi chef for him. She was happy for Natsume since he had always dreamed of becoming a chef, but he didn't feel comfortable in the all girl Home Ec Club. Now, he could pursue his dream.

 

She felt sorry for Kuniko, though, since the shy girl had a hard time talking to boys as it was. Akari hoped that Kuniko managed to make some good friends who wouldn't let her hide behind her shell all the time.

 

The pleasant male voice announced that the station was approaching, and her hand gripped the pole a little tighter. The train slowed then jerked to a stop. When the doors opened, Mitani grabbed her wrist so as not to lose her in the mass of people entering and exiting the train. They crossed the platform and past the turnstiles before he dropped her hand.

 

“We go that way,” he said pointing toward one of the subway exits. “It's not too far.”

 

She nodded. “Okay.”

 

Once again they walked in silence for a bit. However, Akari was worried about Mitani. While he wasn't a talkative boy in general, it was rare for him to be this quiet.

 

“Are you okay, Mitani-kun?” she asked, concerned.

 

“Huh? Um, yeah,” he stammered. “We make a right here,” he said motioning with his hand.

 

She frowned at his brush off, but decided not to pry any further. He was obviously upset over something. She suspected that it had to do with his upcoming confrontation with the Go Salon owner.

 

He paused beside a Ramen restaurant and breathed deeply for a few moments as if trying to collect himself. “It's just ahead, down those stairs.”

 

She looked at the dark entrance and had a small sense of foreboding. She didn't like dark places ever since she was a small child. After her experience in Hikaru's Grandfather's shed, where Hikaru had claimed to see a phantom blood stain and hear disembodied voices her fear of ghosts and demons had intensified.

 

She clutched her arms closer to her body. “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked tremulously, eyeing the opening suspiciously.

 

He looked at her sharply, taking in her frightened features and jumping to the wrong conclusion. “It'll be okay. Doc'll make sure that you are left alone.”

 

“Doc?” she asked, attempting to find her courage.

 

“The guy who runs the counter,” Mitani answered.

 

“Oh.”

 

“Come on,” he said starting down the steps.

 

Unwilling to be left behind, she followed him closely. She kept casting her eyes about willing the shadows to remain shadows. Mitani reached the bottom and opened the door. Anxious to get out of the stairwell, she darted into room then stopped abruptly as a wave of stale cigarette smoke assaulted her.

 

Mitani came up behind her and whispered, “Breathe through your mouth until you get used to the smell.”

 

She nodded at him gratefully and started inhaling and exhaling through her mouth.

 

“Irasshai!” the old man at the counter greeted. “Oi! Mitani-kun, I haven't seen you in a while.”

 

“Whatever, Doc. Do you have an open board?” he asked, assuming his tough-guy veneer.

 

Doc raised his bushy eyebrows at the red-head's words. “What you aren't going to challenge the customers?”

 

“No, I want to play a friend and since neither of us have boards at home we came here,” Mitani explained, jerking his thumb in Akari's direction.

 

“My, my. You've changed, boy. I'm glad,” he cackled rubbing his hands together.

 

Mitani shrugged. “How much?”

 

“Five hundred yen for each of you,” Doc replied.

 

Handing him a 1000 yen bill, Mitani said, “We'll take the table right here by the door. My friend isn't used to the cigarette smoke so we'll take all of the fresh air that we can.”

 

Doc laughed. “Go ahead,” he said before turning on the television behind the counter and changing the channel until he found a baseball game.

 

“Come on Akari, let's play.”

 

Finally recovered enough to hazard speaking, Akari fixed Mitani with an annoyed glare. “You didn't have to pay for me, Mitani-kun. I have money,” she protested.

 

“Yeah but I'm the one that challenged you, consider it my treat,” he countered.

 

She gave him a piercing look, which he returned blandly. “If you insist.”

 

“I do.”

 

“Then, thanks,” she said pulling a chair out from the long table and sitting down at it. She scooted forward and reached for the go ke in front of her. She opened the lid and noticed it was black. “You nigiri.”

 

He nodded and opened the one before him and reached in and pulled out a handful of white stones. She placed black stone in front of her signaling that she thought the number of white stones would be odd.

 

“Two . . . four . . . six . . . seven,” Mitani counted out. “It's odd. You're black.”

 

She smiled and placed the go ke next to the board with the lid ready to hold captured stones. When she noticed that he was ready, she nodded at him.

 

As one, they both leaned forward in a bow. “Onegaishimasu,” they said in unison.

 

The two looked up at each other and smiled ready to begin the game.

 

She slipped her hand into the go ke, reveling in the slippery feel of the shale under her fingers. Selecting a piece, she positioned it between her index and middle fingers. She thought about her opening move for a little bit and placed the stone on the 5-5 corner star.

 

Mitani smiled and placed his stone on the opposite star.

 

The game had begun!

 

For several minutes, the only sound heard was the clack of go stones against the go board and the low drone of Doc's television.

 

Then, Akari let out a small groan. “Mou! I was hoping you wouldn't do that,” she said referring to a spot in the upper left corner where he had cut off several of her stones.

 

“They aren't dead yet, there are still a few ways you can save them,” Mitani counseled.

 

She looked at the goban, studying the arrangement of stones. The lower right corner was hers, while the upper right corner Mitani won early on. Currently, he was ahead of her by fifteen and a half moku counting komi. While the lower left corner was still unclaimed, if she didn't manage to save the upper left, she didn't have a chance at winning. As her eyes followed the placement of the stones, a path began to emerge. Mitani was right; she could save those stones.

 

Grabbing a stone out of the ke, she placed on the board. She lifted her eyes to meet eyes and noted the look of approval in them. She had chosen the correct path.

 

He countered, placing an obstacle in her way. But that didn't deter her. She knew she could salvage the corner. She may not win the game, but this battle was hers. Carefully setting each stone so as retain a liberty, she slowly, inexorably extended her wall to save the stones.

 

Several moves later, Mitani looked up from the board with a smile. “You did well there. You could have made a few eyes and saved them that way, but this way you earned more territory.”

 

“Thanks. I wasn't sure I was going to make it,” she admitted.

 

“But you did,” he said encouragingly. “Well done.”

 

The two lapsed back into silence for several minutes. Akari tried hard to win the other corner, knowing that to do so would put Mitani in a very bad position, but was unable to do so. The battle continued to the sides and eventually into the middle, where Akari realized that her shape wasn't strong enough to win.

 

Sighing, she bowed before Mitani. “I resign.”

 

“Thank you very much for the game,” he said formally with a small bow of his own.

 

“Thank you for the game,” she echoed completing the ritual. Then she started indicating certain spots on the board. “I didn't have a chance, when you took the top and the right side. I knew that it would take a miracle to save me.”

 

Nodding in agreement, he pointed to a spot on the board. “You were too cautious here. That allowed me to take more territory later. You could have easily extended your territory by a few moku without any problem.”

 

“I see that now,” she admitted, ruefully. “But I was afraid you would jump in and try to take over.”

 

He shook his head. “It would have been more trouble than it was worth and I wouldn't have made any gain by doing that. You also got a little desperate here, I think,” he said indicating another patch of stones near the upper middle star.

 

“I was. I kept counting moku in my head and you kept coming out 10 ahead. I needed to do something to counter that.”

 

He moved a few stones and said, “Playing here would have been better. It extended your wall and set you up nicely for taking over the middle.”

 

“So aside from all of those mistakes, how did I do?” she asked semi-facetiously.

 

Mitani regarded her seriously for a long time. “You've gotten better. A lot better. I think that next time we play that a two or three stone handicap would be challenging for you but still be winnable.”

 

“Really?” she asked, pleased that he thought that she had improves so much.

 

“Um-hmm, I think that Kaneko has a rival for her first captain position.”

 

She smiled at his assessment, but deep inside her she knew that her goal was much greater than that. Soon, she decided, she needed to talk with Shirakawa-sensei and find out more about becoming a professional Go player.

 

oOo

Author's Note:

 

This is the rewritten part of my original first chapter. If you read the original version you will notice a distinct lack of fangirl Japanese. That is because I decided I didn't need it. I kept a few things, but in general they are all gone now.

 

Betareaders, Editors, and Contributors: Panasonic Princess, Bakabokken, Lady Macbeth, Troy Thomas, Broken Visage and My Mom.

 

Vocabulary/Terminology:

Moku - Liberty or opening - it is what is counted at the end of a game of Go to determine the winner

Mou - Light swear word/exclamation. Can be translated as “My!” “Darn!” or “Shoot!” It is typically only used by women.

Irasshai - the greeting called by Japanese shopkeepers to incoming customers

Go Ke - the box that hold the go stones - the stones themselves are traditionally made of shale for black and shell for white. Thicker stones are considered a sign of wealth and quality. Nowadays a lot of them are made from glass but a lot of older places still prefer the traditional materials.

Nigiri - literally rice - in this case it relates to way to determine who goes first in a game of Go.

Onegaishimasu - literally “Please,” it is the traditional way to begin a game.

Goban - the board that go is played on

Komi - this term refers to the handicap that is given to black because they play first. At the time that Hikaru no Go was written and takes place komi is 5.5 moku. Today it is 6.5 moku. And there is talk of them going to 7.5. Going first is that much of an advantage in Go.

 

 

FAQ:

Q: How long is this chapter?

A: The body of the chapter is 3,898 words.

 

Q: How long was chapter one before you redid it?

A: The body was 6,407words

 

Q: So if you had combined the two - how long would it be now?

A: It would be 7,334 words long now. Which is just too long to read easily.

 

Q: What is this about tuition?

A: School in Japan is very different than it is the U.S. Schooling is mandatory for all children through grade nine and is provided for through the local prefectures. High school is elective and costs money. Even for Public/Prefectural schools.

 

Q: Why do you have this fic set in 2002?

A: Because that is when this part of Hikaru no Go takes place. If I were to set it today, I would have to change the Komi rules

 

Q: Why is Akari graduating High School in March? Doesn't that happen in May or June?

A: You are thinking of American schools. In Japan they end the school year in Mid to late March (it depends when by prefecture/city/school). Students then have two weeks off and then start the next school year in Early April. If you look at the Manga or OAV of Hikaru no Go that shows Akari & Hikaru's graduation you will see cherry blossoms. Those only flower in March or April (depending on the weather.)

 

Q: What are these entrance exams that you mention?

A: High Schools (and colleges for that matter) in Japan have higher standards for their students. Students study for and take entrance exams to get into various schools and there is no guarantee that if you take the exam that you will get in. If you fail to pass any entrance exam you can either wait to retake it or get a job and forget about it. A good example of this in anime can be seen in the anime Golden Boy or Maison Ikkou. A lot of jobs in Japan do not require a High School degree, but they are more menial and low paying.

 

Q: What is this Loop you mention in the Train scene?

A: The loop refers to the subway lines that run throughout Tokyo. There is an inner loop that circles the interior of the city and there is an outer loop that runs along the edge. Then there are lines of trains that run like spokes of a wheel through the loops. The reason why it is called a loop is because each train only goes one way and makes a giant circuit. It is best illustrated in the anime Evangelion in the episode where Shinji runs away and sits on the Train brooding.

 

Q: Is the smoke really as bad as you describe in story?

A: Yes. And sometimes it is worse. There are places in Japan - small restaurants, bars, pachinko parlors - where the smoke so bad that it literally hangs in the air like a cloud. It is that visible.

 

Q: How do you know all this?

A: I have several sources. I have several good friends who live and work in Japan. One of whom who works for a small town outside of Tokyo's board of education. Several who have been ALTs. And several more who work in the Animation industry. In addition, I use the internet, books, and television to research things. And I look at my source material.

 

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