[Mekong]
by leilia
Choosing the Walker
"He's finally asleep," Shindo Mitsuko whispered to herself in relief, peeking into her son's room. Hikaru was slumped on his bed, a little puddle of drool forming a stain on his pillow. His hand was outstretched toward the goban set just out of reach as if he were still trying to play the game while in his sleep. She knew that Hikaru hadn't been sleeping as much as a growing thirteen year old should. Instead of sleep, the boy had been throwing himself into his new hobby, Go. She supposed she should be happy that his new love was a respected game and not something like drugs or gangs. But still she worried, especially since he had become an insei.
Padding into the room, she carefully sidestepped the open newspapers and scattered books of Go strategy to make her way to Hikaru's bed. She pulled the covers up around him, tucking him in with a small kiss to his forehead. Reaching up, she pulled the curtains closed, blocking out the coming dawn. Satisfied that for now, that nothing would disturb her son's sleep, she exited the room and went downstairs to prepare breakfast, after all her husband would be up soon to catch his train into the city and she wanted to make sure that he got at least one decent meal a day.
It was hard being a good wife and mother, but Mitsuko was determined to do her best even if that meant that she had to get up early in the morning to do so. With that thought in mind, she opened the refrigerator and started pulling out the ingredients she needed.
"Whatcha makin', Mom?" a sleepy voice asked from behind her.
Mitsuko started, banging her head on the underside of the fridge. "Itai!" she swore and turned to see her son blinking at her from the doorway. "I was planning on making miso soup, rice and pickles. But I can make something else if you want it."
Hikaru shook his head. "Nah, that's fine. I'd rather have ramen, but I can get that at lunch."
"Ramen isn't very good for you," Mitsuko warned. "Do you want me to make you a bento?"
Again, Hikaru shook his head. "None of the other insei bring a lunch with them. I don't wanna be the odd one out. 'Sides, if I bring a lunch, I won't be able to eat with the others when they go out. It's just one meal a day, what harm could it do?"
The woman frowned, but decided not to say anything. Although she did pull a few eggs out of the fridge to make an omelet. Her baby was going to get something healthy whether he wanted it or not. Not bothering to turn around, she asked, "So tell me about these insei you hang out with. What are they like?"
"They're insei," Hikaru answered as if that explained everything.
"And?" she prompted, starting the rice cooker.
"I dunno. They're really dedicated and really good. I mean Fukui plays the fastest out of anyone I've ever seen, he's a monster at speed go. It really messes Waya up. But Waya's way strong, he plays net go all the time so he's pretty unpredictable. Then there's Isumi, he's just so normal I guess. He's good but he's been an insei a long time. I don't know, they're just insei it's who they are."
"And what does being an insei mean?"
She could almost hear Hikaru shrug behind her. "It means you want to be a pro. That you love the game and want to make it better. Want to be a part of its future. It means a lot of hard work and studying."
Mitsuko turned around and gave her son a stern look. "Is that why your room is always a mess lately."
Smiling sheepishly, Hikaru rubbed the back of his head and glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah. I guess it is. Sorry, Mom."
"Don't let it be a habit," she said with a smile, turning back to the stove. "So why do you want to be a pro?"
"Aw, we've talked about it already, Mom," Hikaru protested.
"I know, but tell me again."
"I just want to. I love Go and I can't see myself doing anything else. And if I can get paid for it, that's great but to be able to do something I love for the rest of my life. To never have to be a salaryman like Dad who never sees his family because he has to work all the time. No way! That life isn't for me at all."
Mitsuko cocked her head back over her shoulder. "You didn't tell me all of this before."
Hikaru flushed and looked down at his hands. "I didn't want you to know how much I hated Dad's job."
The woman nodded. "It's okay. I don't like that he's gone so much myself, but what can you do?" she asked philosophically. "So do you think you'll be able to become a pro?"
Hikaru nodded emphatically. "Of course I will! And I'll be one of the best, just you wait and see!"
"What about all of these other insei? Your friends?"
"I'm gonna be the best out of all of them. Just you wait and see, Mom. I'm going to be the rising star of the go world!"
Mitsuko smiled softly. "That's nice. But even stars need to eat right and get a good night's sleep!"
"Mo-om!"
"What? Don't tell me that insei don't sleep or eat healthily, I don't think I'd believe that."
Hikaru grunted but didn't say anything.
Mitsuko cooked in silence for several minutes, carefully timing everything so that all of the components would be done at the same time. As she was scooping the rice into a bowl, Hikaru cleared his throat.
"Mom, do you really mind me being an insei?" he asked, timidly.
She turned off the burner under the soup before answering. "That's a complicated question, Hikaru. I wish that you put more effort into your schoolwork-"
"But it's boring!"
"I know," she said holding up a hand. "But it's what I wish. I am glad that you've found something you love to do and have an opportunity to pursue it, not everyone does, you know. And I am glad that your father and I can afford to make it happen for you. Because more than anything, your father and I want you to be happy and healthy. And if being an insei and trying to become a pro are what will make you happy we will support you through it. Does that answer your question?"
"It does. Thanks, Mom."
"You're welcome," she responded, setting down his breakfast in front of him. "Are you sure you don't want me to make you a bento? I have the time," she asked with a gleam in her eye.
"Mo-om!"
Choosing the Walker
"He's finally asleep," Shindo Mitsuko whispered to herself in relief, peeking into her son's room. Hikaru was slumped on his bed, a little puddle of drool forming a stain on his pillow. His hand was outstretched toward the goban set just out of reach as if he were still trying to play the game while in his sleep. She knew that Hikaru hadn't been sleeping as much as a growing thirteen year old should. Instead of sleep, the boy had been throwing himself into his new hobby, Go. She supposed she should be happy that his new love was a respected game and not something like drugs or gangs. But still she worried, especially since he had become an insei.
Padding into the room, she carefully sidestepped the open newspapers and scattered books of Go strategy to make her way to Hikaru's bed. She pulled the covers up around him, tucking him in with a small kiss to his forehead. Reaching up, she pulled the curtains closed, blocking out the coming dawn. Satisfied that for now, that nothing would disturb her son's sleep, she exited the room and went downstairs to prepare breakfast, after all her husband would be up soon to catch his train into the city and she wanted to make sure that he got at least one decent meal a day.
It was hard being a good wife and mother, but Mitsuko was determined to do her best even if that meant that she had to get up early in the morning to do so. With that thought in mind, she opened the refrigerator and started pulling out the ingredients she needed.
"Whatcha makin', Mom?" a sleepy voice asked from behind her.
Mitsuko started, banging her head on the underside of the fridge. "Itai!" she swore and turned to see her son blinking at her from the doorway. "I was planning on making miso soup, rice and pickles. But I can make something else if you want it."
Hikaru shook his head. "Nah, that's fine. I'd rather have ramen, but I can get that at lunch."
"Ramen isn't very good for you," Mitsuko warned. "Do you want me to make you a bento?"
Again, Hikaru shook his head. "None of the other insei bring a lunch with them. I don't wanna be the odd one out. 'Sides, if I bring a lunch, I won't be able to eat with the others when they go out. It's just one meal a day, what harm could it do?"
The woman frowned, but decided not to say anything. Although she did pull a few eggs out of the fridge to make an omelet. Her baby was going to get something healthy whether he wanted it or not. Not bothering to turn around, she asked, "So tell me about these insei you hang out with. What are they like?"
"They're insei," Hikaru answered as if that explained everything.
"And?" she prompted, starting the rice cooker.
"I dunno. They're really dedicated and really good. I mean Fukui plays the fastest out of anyone I've ever seen, he's a monster at speed go. It really messes Waya up. But Waya's way strong, he plays net go all the time so he's pretty unpredictable. Then there's Isumi, he's just so normal I guess. He's good but he's been an insei a long time. I don't know, they're just insei it's who they are."
"And what does being an insei mean?"
She could almost hear Hikaru shrug behind her. "It means you want to be a pro. That you love the game and want to make it better. Want to be a part of its future. It means a lot of hard work and studying."
Mitsuko turned around and gave her son a stern look. "Is that why your room is always a mess lately."
Smiling sheepishly, Hikaru rubbed the back of his head and glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah. I guess it is. Sorry, Mom."
"Don't let it be a habit," she said with a smile, turning back to the stove. "So why do you want to be a pro?"
"Aw, we've talked about it already, Mom," Hikaru protested.
"I know, but tell me again."
"I just want to. I love Go and I can't see myself doing anything else. And if I can get paid for it, that's great but to be able to do something I love for the rest of my life. To never have to be a salaryman like Dad who never sees his family because he has to work all the time. No way! That life isn't for me at all."
Mitsuko cocked her head back over her shoulder. "You didn't tell me all of this before."
Hikaru flushed and looked down at his hands. "I didn't want you to know how much I hated Dad's job."
The woman nodded. "It's okay. I don't like that he's gone so much myself, but what can you do?" she asked philosophically. "So do you think you'll be able to become a pro?"
Hikaru nodded emphatically. "Of course I will! And I'll be one of the best, just you wait and see!"
"What about all of these other insei? Your friends?"
"I'm gonna be the best out of all of them. Just you wait and see, Mom. I'm going to be the rising star of the go world!"
Mitsuko smiled softly. "That's nice. But even stars need to eat right and get a good night's sleep!"
"Mo-om!"
"What? Don't tell me that insei don't sleep or eat healthily, I don't think I'd believe that."
Hikaru grunted but didn't say anything.
Mitsuko cooked in silence for several minutes, carefully timing everything so that all of the components would be done at the same time. As she was scooping the rice into a bowl, Hikaru cleared his throat.
"Mom, do you really mind me being an insei?" he asked, timidly.
She turned off the burner under the soup before answering. "That's a complicated question, Hikaru. I wish that you put more effort into your schoolwork-"
"But it's boring!"
"I know," she said holding up a hand. "But it's what I wish. I am glad that you've found something you love to do and have an opportunity to pursue it, not everyone does, you know. And I am glad that your father and I can afford to make it happen for you. Because more than anything, your father and I want you to be happy and healthy. And if being an insei and trying to become a pro are what will make you happy we will support you through it. Does that answer your question?"
"It does. Thanks, Mom."
"You're welcome," she responded, setting down his breakfast in front of him. "Are you sure you don't want me to make you a bento? I have the time," she asked with a gleam in her eye.
"Mo-om!"