Alphabet drabbles: Hikaru no Go

[tarigwaemir]

DeWolfe Apts., on the Feast of St. Stephen I

No, I haven't forgotten about these requests. I think I still have five left to go. >_>

I interpreted the word "allowance" rather liberally. I think I should have stuck with the mild humor to the end but I couldn't come up with a really good punchline for the ending.

How to Ask For Money
Written for sub_divided, on the word "allowance"

"Hey Akari, can I borrow some money?" At her exasperated look, he quickly added, "I'll pay it back in a month, I swear."

"I knew something was up. You never call me first unless you want something out of me."

"Sorry, sorry," he said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "I'm kind of broke at the moment, and there haven't been any tutoring jobs in a while."

"Why am I not surprised?" She rolled her eyes.

"Does that mean a yes?"

"No, I'm saving up for Mitani-kun's birthday present. I have no money to spare for you."

"So cruel! Think of our childhood friendship--"

"It's for your own good, Hikaru. I can't have you relying on me to bail you out of these situations." She stood up with great dignity. "Besides, one incompetent boy is all I can handle at the moment."

---

"Waya! Just who I was looking for! Can you lend me some money?"

Waya raised an eyebrow. "What do you need my money for? You're making more than me, aren't you?"

"I, uh, overestimated my budget," Hikaru said with a forced laugh. "Oh come on, help your best buddy out, won't you?"

"Best buddy? If I'm your 'best buddy' how come I only ever see you at Morishita-sensei's? You spend all your time with that Touya Akira."

"That's...not /entirely/ true--"

"Oh yes it is," Waya retorted and turned away. "Besides I never lend money to my friends."

---

"Long time no see, senpai."

"Why, it's Shindou-kun, isn't it? I saw your latest match in Go Weekly. Congratulations on your win."

He grinned. "Heh, thanks."

"How've you been? It really has been a while."

"Fine, fine...say, Tsutsui-senpai, I'm kind of in a bind right now. Do you think maybe you, uh, lend me a little--"

"If you're asking him for money, no can do. Tsutsui's wallet is reserved for me," Kaga said, as he draped one arm around Tsutsui's shoulders. He gave a shark's smile. Tsutsui immediately blushed.

"Sorry, Shindou, we've just moved into a new apartment," as he blushed harder, "and we're short on spare cash at the moment."

"Oh," Shindou said despondently.

"Cheer up, kid. If you're really desperate, I can always see about a part-time job for you," Kaga said, with a sly wink.

"Uh, I don't think I want to know," Hikaru said and hastily left the table.

---

"Grandpa, give me--"

"Don't even think about it."

---

"Oi Touya. How about placing a bet on this next game?"

"Oh? What are the stakes?"

"If I win, you give me money." Seeing Touya's disapproving expression, he added, "As a /loan/. I'll pay you back, I promise. I wouldn't even be asking if my rent wasn't due before my next paycheck."

"And what do I get if I win?"

"Anything you want from me. Uh, within reason. Equivalent value, I mean."

"What about, if I win, you'll tell me the truth about Sai?"

"Not this again," Hikaru groaned. "I said equivalent value!"

"Fine. If I win, you give up on /ramen/ for a month."

"/Ramen/...money...food...having money to buy food...why must you drive such hard bargains, anyway?!"

Touya simply shrugged. "Deal or no deal?"

"...Deal."

---

After the game, Touya asked, "Why do you need money anyway? Are you broke?"

"Yeah, I, uh, kind of splurged last month."

"When you left on that trip?"

Hikaru nodded and pointed at a shelf. "I bought that in Hiroshima."

"A flower vase?" Touya picked up the ceramic and carefully turned it over. "This is an antique."

"Yeah, it dates back to the Edo era. Not a Keichou by any means, but it still cost a lot." Hikaru sighed. "It reminded me of someone."

"I see," Touya said softly and placed the vase back on the shelf. "Shindou?"

"Yeah?"

"I can lend you whatever you need, but I'm still holding you to your word. No /ramen/ for a month."

"Aw, Touya, you're so mean."

Touya just smiled and began to clear the board.

"But thanks."

END

As for the second drabble, I think it essentially translates to: "Tari needs to go on vacation."

A Change of Pace
Written for shinra_lackey, on the word "variance"

As their schedules grew busier, it became more difficult to meet, outside of matches and the occasional run-in at the Kiin. They took to arranging their private games in odd places. "Sunday, 11 AM," Touya would write on a note before slipping it into Shindou's hand as they passed each other in the hallway. There would be a hastily drawn map beneath, and Shindou would take the train that weekend to some sleepy town (invariably getting off at the wrong stop along the way). After some frantic, futile calls to Touya's handphone (it figured that Touya would choose places with bad reception), he would find himself at the right place, an hour late. Touya, waiting expectantly, would have the /goban/ ready for a game.

Sometimes they visited a shrine, discreetly setting out their board in a dusty corner, surrounded by a calm, ancient silence. They both found it soothing for different reasons and did not interrupt it with conversation. Other times they met outdoors and hiked to a picnicking spot on a local mountain or settled themselves down by a tranquil lake. Touya's mother packed ham and cucumber sandwiches, which they ate absently while poring over the black-and-white patterns of their game. Once, they tried to go to a beach, where they had to shade their eyes against the merciless sun and pour the sand out of their shoes. By tacit agreement, they never went back.

On occasion, Shindou would be the one to suggest the location. He chose prosaic settings but devious routes: sneaking into the old clubroom at Haze through an unlocked window, finding a shady-looking /go/ salon hidden away in the middle of Tokyo's fashion districts, occupying the corner of a stairwell in the middle of a busy subway station with no regard for the people stepping impatiently around them. "Why do you always choose places that will get us into trouble?" Touya asked once, as they were being escorted out of a department store by a security guard (they had broken out into a loud argument and drawn the attention of a small crowd). "Don't bother to answer," he added as Shindou pulled him into a nearby arcade.

"Meet me at this park. Across the street from my house," came a text message to Touya's phone, on a Friday afternoon after his tutoring session for the day was canceled. He took the train to Shindou's home--it was a familiar route now, so familiar that he could almost close his eyes as he walked--and found himself at a children's playground by evening. Shindou was crouched on the pavement, drawing something on the ground with chalk.

"There you are," he said, catching sight of Touya. He stood up and brushed off his hands. "I forgot the magnetic board at home, so I thought of this."

There was a nineteen by nineteen grid on the ground, marked in unsteady lines. Touya gave Shindou a skeptical look.

Shindou just smiled. "Here, have the chalk. You can be white, and I'll be black." He pointed at a pile of small gray stones heaped up next to one corner of the grid.

"You're insane."

"And you're weird."

A glare, a grudging smile, and without another word, they settled down to begin the game.

END

Comments and suggestions always welcome.

Yours &c.

Comments

[lucathia]

Ooo, I want to draw on the pavement with chalk! Hm, so white's drawn flat on the ground while black gets stones? Must look so weird! But, I like the idea of choosing places to play.

[troisroyaumes]

I agree, it must look weird. But then I figured it was unlikely to find enough pebbles of two different colors in your average playground. ^_^ Thanks for commenting! XD (Am still working on your alphabet drabble request, by the way...hopefully it shouldn't take too much longer. >_<)

[svz-insanity.livejournal.com]

These are wonderful! I'm afraid I fail at articulating but I really like how your characterization and how fluid and natural everything is.

[troisroyaumes]

Thanks Stacy! XD

[pinkpuruu.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh. Hikaru, you are such a big sweetie ♥
Loved this fic, though I can only vaguely remember some of the characters from HikaGo. :X

[troisroyaumes]

Hikaru is adorable, isn't he? ^_^ Akira's my favorite character but I really like writing Hikaru. I'm glad you liked the fic!

[daisy-chan.livejournal.com]

bwa! I've always loved fics with Hikaru and Akira playing Go in strange places and thinking of them playing in a park with chalk is hilarious. ::imagines Go Weekly cover with a candid of Akira concentrating on the game with chalk all over his hands and bits on his face. XD::

[troisroyaumes]

Aw, that would be a cute image. Poor Akira, only for Hikaru would he suffer such insults to his dignity. XD

[emblem.livejournal.com]

Ohhhh, both are so sweet. *hearts*

[troisroyaumes]

Thanks Kara~ XD

[issen4.livejournal.com]

Can't draw straight lines to save my life, so I'm impressed by Hikaru's ability to draw what, 38 straight lines in the sand. Very nice! I can just imagine the two of them sneaking around and playing Go in weird places.

[troisroyaumes]

I can't draw straight lines without a ruler either. XD I imagine Hikaru's grid would be kind of wobbly, but who knows? Akira, on the other hand, would definitely draw a perfect goban.

[tekalynn.livejournal.com]

These are wonderful--funny, well-written, and with the feel of the series.

[troisroyaumes]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed them. ^_^

[sub-divided.livejournal.com]

Eeee, thank you! "Allowance" is great even without a punchline, because there's something comfortably inevitable about it. I liked Waya's section the best though.

"variance" is so cute. ^_^

[troisroyaumes]

You're welcome! ^_^ I've been attempting to write the rest of the cast more often, and Waya's become one of my favorites. For some reason I find it difficult to bring in Isumi though...I guess it's because his relationship to Shindou is less defined? Anyway, I'm very glad you liked. XD

[twelve.livejournal.com]

I like them both, but I think I've fallen in love with the second. *__* It's so soft and thought provoking, and I like how Akira draws dubious maps and how Hikaru leads him into a world of their own. *love*

[troisroyaumes]

Thank you! It's so nice getting such lovely feedback from you (although I sometimes feel I don't quite deserve the praise). <3

[tryogeru.livejournal.com]

SSAAAAAAIIIIII~~

Wahh.

And I distinctly remember a time when I think it was you and I wanted to play go but didn't have a board so we were tearing up little bits of paper until we got bored of doing that and realized a light breeze would have rendered everything moot anyway.

[troisroyaumes]

...Eh? That was you and me? I distinctly remember bringing my go board when we did play face-to-face. O_O;; Actually I think what happened was that we ended up playing five-in-a-row instead because I didn't know how to play. XD

[(Anonymous)]

Maybe it was before you got your board? ::shrug:: I can't think of who else I would play go with, so....

[troisroyaumes]

...I've had my board since third grade though. :/ (Forgot to say, glad you liked the fic.)

[(Anonymous)]

::giggles:: Playing go with chalk on the pavement. That is just so neat!!

The money problems were... while funny, actually touching. :)

-AKung