[Tanigawa]
by lanerose
Every Beginning
The empty seat in the game room stared at Akira no matter how he tried to ignore it. He had known that his father's retirement would come while he was still a player. But… couldn't they have fought for a title first? Just a few more years…
Shindou, though - where had Shindou gone? Did their rivalry mean so little that he could just walk away from it? Were they not just beginning this path?
How had joseki become yosei?
Akira's left hand clenched into a fist as he played the next stone with a pa-chi that resounded only with defeat.
Spring Memories
Akari walked home instead of taking the subway because the cherry blossoms had just bloomed. Her heels clicked along the sidewalk, her briefcase swinging jauntily at her side as she wandered the familiar streets, engrossed in the flower viewing. How long had it been since she last had time for this?
"Hey, sister, look out!" someone shouted, but the warning came too late as something collided with her head at full velocity. She dropped to the ground, clutching at her ear and taking deep breaths.
"Are you all right, miss?" Someone knelt beside her, pulled her hand away. "Geez, you need to be more careful, Sho!"
She looked up to a girl, twelve, with red pigtails on either side of her head, and a boy behind her, clutching a soccer ball. Blond bangs…? Akari blinked, and they were gone.
"You're not dizzy, are you?" the girl asked. "I'm sorry, he's an idiot."
"HEY!" the boy shouted angrily.
"Well, you are!" she replied. "Look what you did now!"
Akari gathered her briefcase and shook her head as she got to her feet.
"Ah!" The girl said, turning back to her. "Are you sure it's all right for you to do that? You don't have a concussion, do you?"
"No," Akari smiled. "It's fine."
As she walked away, Akari could hear the girl scolding her friend once more. She giggled, hoping they wouldn't hear, and carefully extracted her cell phone from her bag. He answered on the third ring.
"Hello?"
"Hello… Hikaru."
Sympathy
For Nase, he was a pity fuck. Not that she'd ever tell him that - not that she'd ever admit that she slept with him - but she couldn't help herself. He just looked so bereft, tears blinked away behind his glasses as the Honinbo title again slipped through his fingers, like so many other titles.
"Feeling better now?" she asked when he rolled off her, face still flushed from his climax and leaving her own needs completely unfulfilled. In response, he started tapping his fingers on her abdomen, marking points like it was a goban.
Nase sighed.
Ochi was Ochi.
Every Beginning
The empty seat in the game room stared at Akira no matter how he tried to ignore it. He had known that his father's retirement would come while he was still a player. But… couldn't they have fought for a title first? Just a few more years…
Shindou, though - where had Shindou gone? Did their rivalry mean so little that he could just walk away from it? Were they not just beginning this path?
How had joseki become yosei?
Akira's left hand clenched into a fist as he played the next stone with a pa-chi that resounded only with defeat.
Spring Memories
Akari walked home instead of taking the subway because the cherry blossoms had just bloomed. Her heels clicked along the sidewalk, her briefcase swinging jauntily at her side as she wandered the familiar streets, engrossed in the flower viewing. How long had it been since she last had time for this?
"Hey, sister, look out!" someone shouted, but the warning came too late as something collided with her head at full velocity. She dropped to the ground, clutching at her ear and taking deep breaths.
"Are you all right, miss?" Someone knelt beside her, pulled her hand away. "Geez, you need to be more careful, Sho!"
She looked up to a girl, twelve, with red pigtails on either side of her head, and a boy behind her, clutching a soccer ball. Blond bangs…? Akari blinked, and they were gone.
"You're not dizzy, are you?" the girl asked. "I'm sorry, he's an idiot."
"HEY!" the boy shouted angrily.
"Well, you are!" she replied. "Look what you did now!"
Akari gathered her briefcase and shook her head as she got to her feet.
"Ah!" The girl said, turning back to her. "Are you sure it's all right for you to do that? You don't have a concussion, do you?"
"No," Akari smiled. "It's fine."
As she walked away, Akari could hear the girl scolding her friend once more. She giggled, hoping they wouldn't hear, and carefully extracted her cell phone from her bag. He answered on the third ring.
"Hello?"
"Hello… Hikaru."
Sympathy
For Nase, he was a pity fuck. Not that she'd ever tell him that - not that she'd ever admit that she slept with him - but she couldn't help herself. He just looked so bereft, tears blinked away behind his glasses as the Honinbo title again slipped through his fingers, like so many other titles.
"Feeling better now?" she asked when he rolled off her, face still flushed from his climax and leaving her own needs completely unfulfilled. In response, he started tapping his fingers on her abdomen, marking points like it was a goban.
Nase sighed.
Ochi was Ochi.