Disconnect (2/4) [Yeong-ha/Yashiro, Shindou/Touya, Hong Su-yeong ; NC-17]
Title: Disconnect (2/4)
Author: stillskies
Fandom: Hikaru no Go
Rating: NC-17 because of Part 1
Genre: Dark, twisted Romance
Characters/Pairing: Yeong-ha/Yashiro, Shindou/Touya, Hong Su-yeong
Wordcount: 2,673
Disclaimer: Not mine. Obata-sensei and Hotta-sensei own all. I'm just playing with them. ♥
A/N: This was originally supposed to be a short one-shot. Once I reached 10,000 words, the idea of a one-shot kind of got thrown out the window. It is now a four-shot which is all being posted at once because my writing doesn't have a chaptered feel to it. There is porn within, so be warned.
In this section, Yashiro joins the Tokyo Ki-in and goes back to Korea to watch. Touya and Shindou fight. Ogata Jyuudan is amused. Yashiro decides that maybe he really is just going insane. Then he goes back to Korea for non-Go related things. Su-yeong knows.
His first week in Tokyo is busy. He hardly sees Touya or Shindou - both of them have match-heavy schedules, and Touya tutors three nights a week - so he's mostly left to his own devices, which suits him just fine.
It's odd to walk into the Tokyo Ki-in without Shindou next to him. The layout is different from the Kansai Ki-in, and it takes him no time at all to get lost.
He's about to turn around and go back the way he came when he runs into Ochi. Ochi stares at him inscrutably and Kiyoharu stares back.
It would figure that the first person he runs into is Ochi. He stifles a sigh and nods. Ochi continues to stare.
"Look," Kiyoharu says, running a hand through his hair. "I think I'm lost."
Ochi blinks. "What are you doing here?"
This time Kiyoharu sighs. "I'm transferring to the Tokyo Ki-in," he explains. "I'm supposed to meet with Tsuzuki-sensei."
"Ah." Ochi nods, as though coming to a conclusion. "I will bring you to Tsuzuki-sensei in exchange for a game."
•
Kiyoharu wins by 1.5 moku. Ochi has gotten better, he has to admit. Ochi looks like he wants to talk about the game, but Kiyoharu mentions Tsuzuki-sensei and Ochi clams up.
Ochi takes him to Tsuzuki-sensei and disappears. He has a brief moment where he wonders if Ochi is going to the bathroom before he dismisses the thought.
"I have to admit," Tsuzuki-sensei is saying as Kiyoharu takes a seat. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to make it in today."
Kiyoharu bows. "I apologize," he says.
Tsuzuki-sensei waves away the apology. "I see Ochi-kun brought you here."
"Yes," Kiyoharu replies. "I ran into him in the hall."
"He's an odd one," Tsuzuki-sensei says conversationally. He's pulling out papers and laying them neatly on his desk. "But then, I suppose people would say that Go pros are all a bit odd."
Kiyoharu laughs politely.
"But enough about that. I understand that you wish to transfer to this Ki-in, yes?"
•
It takes an hour and a half to fill out the necessary paperwork.
Once he is done, Tsuzuki-sensei offers to give him a tour of the Ki-in.
By the time they reach the game hall, the oteai matches of the day have begun wrapping up. He spots Saeki 7-dan leaning against a wall, sipping a can of juice.
Tsuzuki-sensei finishes his speech and tells Kiyoharu he may continue to walk around at his leisure. Kiyoharu thanks him and waits until Tsuzuki-sensei turns around before he makes his way to Saeki 7-dan.
"Shindou-kun said that you were moving here," Saeki 7-dan says in greeting.
Kiyoharu nods. "How did your game go?"
Saeki 7-dan makes a face. "I lost."
Shindou comes around the corner with a huge grin. "Don't worry too much Saeki-san," Shindou says cheerfully. "At least you didn't lose to Ashiwara-san."
Somehow, Kiyoharu doesn't think that Saeki 7-dan is comforted.
Shindou turns his attention to Kiyoharu. "All done?"
"Yup," Kiyoharu says with a smile. "I'm officially a member of the Tokyo Ki-in."
"When's your first game?" Shindou asks as he toes on his shoes and shoves his indoor slippers into his cubby.
"Two weeks," Kiyoharu replies. "I wanted a little bit of time to get settled into the new place and start school."
It's Shindou's turn to make a face. "I don't see how you do it."
Saeki 7-dan ruffles Shindou's hair. "Some people can," he says. Kiyoharu watches as Saeki 7-dan's attention is drawn across the room. Ashiwara 7-dan is chatting with Waya 5-dan. Waya 5-dan looks like he's waiting for someone to appear from the shadows and kill him. "Sorry guys," Saeki 7-dan says. "I'll catch up with you later."
Shindou rolls his eyes and they both watch as Saeki 7-dan makes his way towards Ashiwara 7-dan. "They're so obvious," Shindou says with a sigh.
Kiyoharu doesn't say anything, but silently agrees.
•
He's settled into his new life by the time the next international tournament comes around.
Kiyoharu falls out in the first round of the qualifiers against Morishita 9-dan. Shindou does a little better and doesn't lose until the third round, but he still falls out.
Against Ogata Jyuudan. Somehow, this only makes it worse, and Shindou is at Kiyoharu's that night getting plastered. Kiyoharu finds it hard to keep up with Shindou when he drinks, so he doesn't try. By the time Shindou is on his fifth beer, Kiyoharu is still on his first.
"It's not that he's not a good player," Shindou is ranting, waving his beer around and making Kiyoharu wonder if beer stains will come out of the upholstery, "but he was smirking. And if Touya makes it, then they're probably going to end up sharing a room."
Kiyoharu doesn't understand why this is so upsetting and tells Shindou so.
Shindou looks at him incredulously. "Have you seen the way Ogata looks at Touya? It's like… like… like something creepy."
Kiyoharu rolls his eyes. "I'm sure it will be fine, Shindou."
•
The Japanese representatives for the Nongshim Cup are Touya Akira 8-dan, Morishita Shigeo 9-dan, Ogata Seiji Jyuudan, Kurata Atsushi Ouza, and Shirakawa Michio 8-dan.
He isn't sure why, but Kiyoharu books a plane ticket to South Korea to watch. Shindou also decides to go, though Kiyoharu is sure that it has more to do with supervising Touya and Ogata than watching the actual matches.
Hong e-mails him the night before Kiyoharu's flight to say that he's part of the delegation meeting the Japanese players. Kiyoharu replies that he'll see him tomorrow, then.
•
Hong Su-yeong has grown. He's as tall as Kiyoharu now, much to Shindou's annoyance. Hong is smiling down at Shindou, who actually has to look up.
Touya greets Hong politely and ignores Shindou entirely. Something is different between Shindou and Touya now, but Kiyoharu can't put his finger on it.
"Are they sleeping together?" Ko Yeong-ha asks, and, for some reason, Kiyoharu is startled by the fact that he can understand what Ko is saying.
"I am not knowing," Kiyoharu replies carefully, and is satisfied to see surprise cross Ko's face. It's replaced by a knowing smile which Kiyoharu does his best to ignore. He turns back to Hong. "I am saying correct?"
Hong nods. "It's not bad. We have to work on your grammar, though."
Kiyoharu nods and ignores the interested look that Ko is giving him and Hong.
"When did you start speaking Korean?" Shindou is looking back and forth between Kiyoharu and Hong, utterly confused.
"He began learning a year or so ago," Touya replies icily. Kiyoharu watches as Shindou tenses.
"It's a shame you won't be playing," Ko says to Shindou and waits for Hong to translate. "I was so looking forward to it."
Shindou glares. "Yeah, well I could take you on right now. Why wait for an official match?"
Hong translates and Kiyoharu is starting to get a bad feeling. Ko's eyes are traveling up and down Shindou's body and Shindou seems entirely oblivious. Touya, however, is not.
"There is a practice room in the hotel," Ko says with a slow smile, "Or, perhaps, we'd be more comfortable in my room?"
Kiyoharu rolls his eyes while Hong translates for Shindou. He keeps Touya in his sight and watches as Touya's entire body stiffens. The innuendo is lost on Shindou, mostly because Hong paraphrases.
"You're on," Shindou says.
Touya turns on his heel and leaves.
•
He's sharing a room with Shindou. Shindou is pacing back and forth while Kiyoharu unpacks his suitcase.
"Can you believe that bastard?" Shindou says. Kiyoharu isn't sure if he's talking about Ko or Ogata - he's been ranting about both for the last hour.
Personally, he can see why Shindou has reservations about Ogata Jyuudan now. Ogata was quick to lead Touya away with a hand around his waist and a quick look back to Shindou. He's not sure if Shindou noticed the way that Touya relaxed or not, and he figures it's better to just not bring it up.
"I mean, does he really have to do that? In public?"
Ogata Jyuudan, Kiyoharu decides. After all, Ko only offered to play a game, which is what set Touya off in the first place.
Kiyoharu just doesn't understand, and he's not sure if he wants to.
•
Shirakawa 8-dan falls out in the first round.
The next day, Shindou loses to Ko in an unofficial match.
•
The banquets are beginning to get on Kiyoharu's nerves.
He spends the majority of his time between Shindou and Touya, who are watching each other like hawks and pretending that the other doesn't exist at the same time.
Ko is spending most of his time eyeing Shindou, which irks not only Touya but Kiyoharu as well, though he's not sure why. Ko hasn't spoken to him since they day they arrived, and he doesn't expect him to.
Ogata alternates between staring at Touya and sending Shindou knowing smirks, which only serves to irritate both Shindou and Touya. This, in turn, pisses Kiyoharu off because Shindou won't stop talking about it.
By the end of the third round's banquet, Kiyoharu decides enough is enough and stops going.
•
Ko sits next to him at the bar and orders a glass of red wine. Kiyoharu doesn't bother looking up.
"They won't be missing you?" Kiyoharu asks as he sips his beer.
Ko doesn't say anything.
Kiyoharu sighs and finishes his beer.
•
He's careful to keep the marks below his collarbone this time. Ko gives him an infuriating smirk which has Kiyoharu slamming Ko against the wall and sliding his hands under Ko's shirt.
Ko laughs.
•
Shindou is waiting up for him when he gets back to the room.
"Where did you go?" Shindou asks.
"To the bar," Kiyoharu replies. It's not a lie - not entirely. Shindou doesn't need to know that Kiyoharu just spent the last hour begging Ko to fuck him.
•
It becomes a habit. After each round, Kiyoharu goes to the bar.
Ko always meets him there.
During the day, they ignore each other, and Ko continues to watch Shindou. Touya watches Ko, and Shindou watches Touya. Ogata Jyuudan watches all three of them, and Kiyoharu shakes his head and tries to stay out of it, except Kiyoharu is watching Ko now, too.
•
Ko falls out against Ogata Jyuudan during the fifth round.
When Kiyoharu goes to the bar that night, he knows that Ko won't show up.
•
There is a bruise on Ogata Jyuudan's neck the next day. Kiyoharu is careful not to stare and keeps his attention on Hong, who is doing his best to correct Kiyoharu's horrible grammar.
"Wrong tense," Hong says for the fifteenth time.
Ogata Jyuudan is standing against the wall and Ko is standing nonchalantly next to him. Kiyoharu knows he's staring, but he can't stop.
Hong follows his gaze and sighs. "Yeong-ha has the worst taste."
Kiyoharu pulls his attention back to Hong, cheeks burning. "I was thinking Ogata Jyuudan has worse taste."
Hong laughs.
•
The final round of the Nongshim Cup is between An Taeson and Kurata Atsushi Ouza.
"If he wins," Shindou says quietly, "Kurata-san is going to be insufferable."
"I'm surprised you know what insufferable means, Shindou," Touya replies acerbically.
Shindou scowls.
"One hundred yen on Kurata," Kiyoharu says.
"One hundred on An," Hong and Shindou say simultaneously.
Touya surprises them all by putting one hundred yen on Kurata Ouza.
•
"I told you," Shindou grouses as Kurata Ouza offers yet another passerby his autograph. "Insufferable."
Touya smiles.
•
There is a knock on the hotel door and Kiyoharu rolls out of bed to get it. Shindou had left earlier that morning, saying something about needing to talk to Touya. That suits Kiyoharu just fine - if he has to listen to one more screaming match between the two of them, he'll probably throttle them both.
He runs a hand through his hair and grabs the doorknob.
Ko is standing on the other side.
"I must say, I prefer your hair like this," Ko says as he walks into the hotel room.
Kiyoharu shuts the door and leans against it, crossing his arms over his chest. "What you doing here?"
Ko smiles. "I heard you were waiting at the bar the other night."
Kiyoharu shrugs. "Not waiting. Drinking."
He can feel Ko's eyes lingering on Kiyoharu's chest, taking in the fading bruises one by one. "Not waiting?"
"Not waiting."
There is a predatory gleam in Ko's eyes and Kiyoharu feels his body reacting. He stays against the door and Ko moves toward him. They're almost touching when the door moves and Kiyoharu hears Shindou mutter, "What the hell?"
Ko leans forward and whispers against Kiyoharu's ear. "You know what room I'm in."
Kiyoharu moves out of the way and the door opens. Ko nods at Shindou who stares wide-eyed as Ko leaves the room.
"What the hell was he doing here?" Shindou asks.
"Who knows?" Kiyoharu replies.
•
Kiyoharu has enough pride to not go to Ko's room that night. After all, he doesn't want to appear desperate. It's just sex, he tells himself. It doesn't mean anything.
He spends his last night in Korea staring at the ceiling and trying not to think.
•
The flight back to Japan is loud. Kiyoharu takes the window seat and forces Shindou and Touya to sit next to each other. Shindou protests and Kiyoharu glares.
"I'm not sitting in the middle of your your fight," he tells him. "Whatever the hell it is, it's got nothing to do with me."
Touya places a hand on Shindou's arm and Shindou stops arguing.
Kiyoharu shakes his head and looks out the window. He spends the next two hours wondering what Ko Yeong-ha is doing.
•
Kiyoharu is on a winning streak after he gets back from Korea. He's pretty sure it has to do with what seems to be an endless well of frustration, but what matters is that he's winning.
Shindou is sitting on the other side of the goban and Kiyoharu grins.
"Sorry, Yashiro," Shindou says, and he doesn't sound the least bit apologetic. "Your streak ends here."
"Not a chance, Shindou," Kiyoharu says confidently.
•
Sushi, Kiyoharu decides, tastes much better when you're not the one paying for it. Shindou is grousing about how he'd rather have ramen and Kiyoharu grins.
"You're the one who made the bet, Shindou," Touya tells him, primly taking another piece of sushi off the plate and dipping it into the soy sauce.
"It wasn't my fault!" Shindou laments, shoving a tuna roll into his mouth. "How was I supposed to know he'd pull that stupid move at the end?"
"How, indeed," Touya murmurs, dabbing the corners of his mouth with a napkin.
Shindou levels a glare at Touya. "Hey, my moves aren't that unpredictable."
Kiyoharu rolls his eyes and steals a piece of Shindou's sushi.
•
He’s really not sure how much Hong knows, but he clearly knows something and that’s a problem. Not that he cares whether or not Hong knows that Kiyoharu has a life outside of go - in fact, Hong probably knows about as much of Kiyoharu’s life as Shindou and Touya do - but he does have a problem with him knowing that there is a possible connection to Ko outside of go.
Hong brings it up one day when Kiyoharu is visiting.
“Have you seen Yeong-ha since you’ve been here?”
Kiyoharu nearly chokes on his soda. “No. Why I would?”
“Wrong word order,” Hong informs him before continuing the conversation. “It just seems like you guys would get along.”
He doesn’t point out that the two of them don’t ever interact in public aside from a polite greeting. “I have not been seeing him,” he tells Hong and hopes that’s that.
Apparently, it’s not. “Do you want to?”
Kiyoharu doesn't have an answer to that, so he doesn't say anything.
Hong doesn't mention Ko the rest of the trip.
Part 1 │ Part 3
Author: stillskies
Fandom: Hikaru no Go
Rating: NC-17 because of Part 1
Genre: Dark, twisted Romance
Characters/Pairing: Yeong-ha/Yashiro, Shindou/Touya, Hong Su-yeong
Wordcount: 2,673
Disclaimer: Not mine. Obata-sensei and Hotta-sensei own all. I'm just playing with them. ♥
A/N: This was originally supposed to be a short one-shot. Once I reached 10,000 words, the idea of a one-shot kind of got thrown out the window. It is now a four-shot which is all being posted at once because my writing doesn't have a chaptered feel to it. There is porn within, so be warned.
In this section, Yashiro joins the Tokyo Ki-in and goes back to Korea to watch. Touya and Shindou fight. Ogata Jyuudan is amused. Yashiro decides that maybe he really is just going insane. Then he goes back to Korea for non-Go related things. Su-yeong knows.
His first week in Tokyo is busy. He hardly sees Touya or Shindou - both of them have match-heavy schedules, and Touya tutors three nights a week - so he's mostly left to his own devices, which suits him just fine.
It's odd to walk into the Tokyo Ki-in without Shindou next to him. The layout is different from the Kansai Ki-in, and it takes him no time at all to get lost.
He's about to turn around and go back the way he came when he runs into Ochi. Ochi stares at him inscrutably and Kiyoharu stares back.
It would figure that the first person he runs into is Ochi. He stifles a sigh and nods. Ochi continues to stare.
"Look," Kiyoharu says, running a hand through his hair. "I think I'm lost."
Ochi blinks. "What are you doing here?"
This time Kiyoharu sighs. "I'm transferring to the Tokyo Ki-in," he explains. "I'm supposed to meet with Tsuzuki-sensei."
"Ah." Ochi nods, as though coming to a conclusion. "I will bring you to Tsuzuki-sensei in exchange for a game."
•
Kiyoharu wins by 1.5 moku. Ochi has gotten better, he has to admit. Ochi looks like he wants to talk about the game, but Kiyoharu mentions Tsuzuki-sensei and Ochi clams up.
Ochi takes him to Tsuzuki-sensei and disappears. He has a brief moment where he wonders if Ochi is going to the bathroom before he dismisses the thought.
"I have to admit," Tsuzuki-sensei is saying as Kiyoharu takes a seat. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to make it in today."
Kiyoharu bows. "I apologize," he says.
Tsuzuki-sensei waves away the apology. "I see Ochi-kun brought you here."
"Yes," Kiyoharu replies. "I ran into him in the hall."
"He's an odd one," Tsuzuki-sensei says conversationally. He's pulling out papers and laying them neatly on his desk. "But then, I suppose people would say that Go pros are all a bit odd."
Kiyoharu laughs politely.
"But enough about that. I understand that you wish to transfer to this Ki-in, yes?"
•
It takes an hour and a half to fill out the necessary paperwork.
Once he is done, Tsuzuki-sensei offers to give him a tour of the Ki-in.
By the time they reach the game hall, the oteai matches of the day have begun wrapping up. He spots Saeki 7-dan leaning against a wall, sipping a can of juice.
Tsuzuki-sensei finishes his speech and tells Kiyoharu he may continue to walk around at his leisure. Kiyoharu thanks him and waits until Tsuzuki-sensei turns around before he makes his way to Saeki 7-dan.
"Shindou-kun said that you were moving here," Saeki 7-dan says in greeting.
Kiyoharu nods. "How did your game go?"
Saeki 7-dan makes a face. "I lost."
Shindou comes around the corner with a huge grin. "Don't worry too much Saeki-san," Shindou says cheerfully. "At least you didn't lose to Ashiwara-san."
Somehow, Kiyoharu doesn't think that Saeki 7-dan is comforted.
Shindou turns his attention to Kiyoharu. "All done?"
"Yup," Kiyoharu says with a smile. "I'm officially a member of the Tokyo Ki-in."
"When's your first game?" Shindou asks as he toes on his shoes and shoves his indoor slippers into his cubby.
"Two weeks," Kiyoharu replies. "I wanted a little bit of time to get settled into the new place and start school."
It's Shindou's turn to make a face. "I don't see how you do it."
Saeki 7-dan ruffles Shindou's hair. "Some people can," he says. Kiyoharu watches as Saeki 7-dan's attention is drawn across the room. Ashiwara 7-dan is chatting with Waya 5-dan. Waya 5-dan looks like he's waiting for someone to appear from the shadows and kill him. "Sorry guys," Saeki 7-dan says. "I'll catch up with you later."
Shindou rolls his eyes and they both watch as Saeki 7-dan makes his way towards Ashiwara 7-dan. "They're so obvious," Shindou says with a sigh.
Kiyoharu doesn't say anything, but silently agrees.
•
He's settled into his new life by the time the next international tournament comes around.
Kiyoharu falls out in the first round of the qualifiers against Morishita 9-dan. Shindou does a little better and doesn't lose until the third round, but he still falls out.
Against Ogata Jyuudan. Somehow, this only makes it worse, and Shindou is at Kiyoharu's that night getting plastered. Kiyoharu finds it hard to keep up with Shindou when he drinks, so he doesn't try. By the time Shindou is on his fifth beer, Kiyoharu is still on his first.
"It's not that he's not a good player," Shindou is ranting, waving his beer around and making Kiyoharu wonder if beer stains will come out of the upholstery, "but he was smirking. And if Touya makes it, then they're probably going to end up sharing a room."
Kiyoharu doesn't understand why this is so upsetting and tells Shindou so.
Shindou looks at him incredulously. "Have you seen the way Ogata looks at Touya? It's like… like… like something creepy."
Kiyoharu rolls his eyes. "I'm sure it will be fine, Shindou."
•
The Japanese representatives for the Nongshim Cup are Touya Akira 8-dan, Morishita Shigeo 9-dan, Ogata Seiji Jyuudan, Kurata Atsushi Ouza, and Shirakawa Michio 8-dan.
He isn't sure why, but Kiyoharu books a plane ticket to South Korea to watch. Shindou also decides to go, though Kiyoharu is sure that it has more to do with supervising Touya and Ogata than watching the actual matches.
Hong e-mails him the night before Kiyoharu's flight to say that he's part of the delegation meeting the Japanese players. Kiyoharu replies that he'll see him tomorrow, then.
•
Hong Su-yeong has grown. He's as tall as Kiyoharu now, much to Shindou's annoyance. Hong is smiling down at Shindou, who actually has to look up.
Touya greets Hong politely and ignores Shindou entirely. Something is different between Shindou and Touya now, but Kiyoharu can't put his finger on it.
"Are they sleeping together?" Ko Yeong-ha asks, and, for some reason, Kiyoharu is startled by the fact that he can understand what Ko is saying.
"I am not knowing," Kiyoharu replies carefully, and is satisfied to see surprise cross Ko's face. It's replaced by a knowing smile which Kiyoharu does his best to ignore. He turns back to Hong. "I am saying correct?"
Hong nods. "It's not bad. We have to work on your grammar, though."
Kiyoharu nods and ignores the interested look that Ko is giving him and Hong.
"When did you start speaking Korean?" Shindou is looking back and forth between Kiyoharu and Hong, utterly confused.
"He began learning a year or so ago," Touya replies icily. Kiyoharu watches as Shindou tenses.
"It's a shame you won't be playing," Ko says to Shindou and waits for Hong to translate. "I was so looking forward to it."
Shindou glares. "Yeah, well I could take you on right now. Why wait for an official match?"
Hong translates and Kiyoharu is starting to get a bad feeling. Ko's eyes are traveling up and down Shindou's body and Shindou seems entirely oblivious. Touya, however, is not.
"There is a practice room in the hotel," Ko says with a slow smile, "Or, perhaps, we'd be more comfortable in my room?"
Kiyoharu rolls his eyes while Hong translates for Shindou. He keeps Touya in his sight and watches as Touya's entire body stiffens. The innuendo is lost on Shindou, mostly because Hong paraphrases.
"You're on," Shindou says.
Touya turns on his heel and leaves.
•
He's sharing a room with Shindou. Shindou is pacing back and forth while Kiyoharu unpacks his suitcase.
"Can you believe that bastard?" Shindou says. Kiyoharu isn't sure if he's talking about Ko or Ogata - he's been ranting about both for the last hour.
Personally, he can see why Shindou has reservations about Ogata Jyuudan now. Ogata was quick to lead Touya away with a hand around his waist and a quick look back to Shindou. He's not sure if Shindou noticed the way that Touya relaxed or not, and he figures it's better to just not bring it up.
"I mean, does he really have to do that? In public?"
Ogata Jyuudan, Kiyoharu decides. After all, Ko only offered to play a game, which is what set Touya off in the first place.
Kiyoharu just doesn't understand, and he's not sure if he wants to.
•
Shirakawa 8-dan falls out in the first round.
The next day, Shindou loses to Ko in an unofficial match.
•
The banquets are beginning to get on Kiyoharu's nerves.
He spends the majority of his time between Shindou and Touya, who are watching each other like hawks and pretending that the other doesn't exist at the same time.
Ko is spending most of his time eyeing Shindou, which irks not only Touya but Kiyoharu as well, though he's not sure why. Ko hasn't spoken to him since they day they arrived, and he doesn't expect him to.
Ogata alternates between staring at Touya and sending Shindou knowing smirks, which only serves to irritate both Shindou and Touya. This, in turn, pisses Kiyoharu off because Shindou won't stop talking about it.
By the end of the third round's banquet, Kiyoharu decides enough is enough and stops going.
•
Ko sits next to him at the bar and orders a glass of red wine. Kiyoharu doesn't bother looking up.
"They won't be missing you?" Kiyoharu asks as he sips his beer.
Ko doesn't say anything.
Kiyoharu sighs and finishes his beer.
•
He's careful to keep the marks below his collarbone this time. Ko gives him an infuriating smirk which has Kiyoharu slamming Ko against the wall and sliding his hands under Ko's shirt.
Ko laughs.
•
Shindou is waiting up for him when he gets back to the room.
"Where did you go?" Shindou asks.
"To the bar," Kiyoharu replies. It's not a lie - not entirely. Shindou doesn't need to know that Kiyoharu just spent the last hour begging Ko to fuck him.
•
It becomes a habit. After each round, Kiyoharu goes to the bar.
Ko always meets him there.
During the day, they ignore each other, and Ko continues to watch Shindou. Touya watches Ko, and Shindou watches Touya. Ogata Jyuudan watches all three of them, and Kiyoharu shakes his head and tries to stay out of it, except Kiyoharu is watching Ko now, too.
•
Ko falls out against Ogata Jyuudan during the fifth round.
When Kiyoharu goes to the bar that night, he knows that Ko won't show up.
•
There is a bruise on Ogata Jyuudan's neck the next day. Kiyoharu is careful not to stare and keeps his attention on Hong, who is doing his best to correct Kiyoharu's horrible grammar.
"Wrong tense," Hong says for the fifteenth time.
Ogata Jyuudan is standing against the wall and Ko is standing nonchalantly next to him. Kiyoharu knows he's staring, but he can't stop.
Hong follows his gaze and sighs. "Yeong-ha has the worst taste."
Kiyoharu pulls his attention back to Hong, cheeks burning. "I was thinking Ogata Jyuudan has worse taste."
Hong laughs.
•
The final round of the Nongshim Cup is between An Taeson and Kurata Atsushi Ouza.
"If he wins," Shindou says quietly, "Kurata-san is going to be insufferable."
"I'm surprised you know what insufferable means, Shindou," Touya replies acerbically.
Shindou scowls.
"One hundred yen on Kurata," Kiyoharu says.
"One hundred on An," Hong and Shindou say simultaneously.
Touya surprises them all by putting one hundred yen on Kurata Ouza.
•
"I told you," Shindou grouses as Kurata Ouza offers yet another passerby his autograph. "Insufferable."
Touya smiles.
•
There is a knock on the hotel door and Kiyoharu rolls out of bed to get it. Shindou had left earlier that morning, saying something about needing to talk to Touya. That suits Kiyoharu just fine - if he has to listen to one more screaming match between the two of them, he'll probably throttle them both.
He runs a hand through his hair and grabs the doorknob.
Ko is standing on the other side.
"I must say, I prefer your hair like this," Ko says as he walks into the hotel room.
Kiyoharu shuts the door and leans against it, crossing his arms over his chest. "What you doing here?"
Ko smiles. "I heard you were waiting at the bar the other night."
Kiyoharu shrugs. "Not waiting. Drinking."
He can feel Ko's eyes lingering on Kiyoharu's chest, taking in the fading bruises one by one. "Not waiting?"
"Not waiting."
There is a predatory gleam in Ko's eyes and Kiyoharu feels his body reacting. He stays against the door and Ko moves toward him. They're almost touching when the door moves and Kiyoharu hears Shindou mutter, "What the hell?"
Ko leans forward and whispers against Kiyoharu's ear. "You know what room I'm in."
Kiyoharu moves out of the way and the door opens. Ko nods at Shindou who stares wide-eyed as Ko leaves the room.
"What the hell was he doing here?" Shindou asks.
"Who knows?" Kiyoharu replies.
•
Kiyoharu has enough pride to not go to Ko's room that night. After all, he doesn't want to appear desperate. It's just sex, he tells himself. It doesn't mean anything.
He spends his last night in Korea staring at the ceiling and trying not to think.
•
The flight back to Japan is loud. Kiyoharu takes the window seat and forces Shindou and Touya to sit next to each other. Shindou protests and Kiyoharu glares.
"I'm not sitting in the middle of your your fight," he tells him. "Whatever the hell it is, it's got nothing to do with me."
Touya places a hand on Shindou's arm and Shindou stops arguing.
Kiyoharu shakes his head and looks out the window. He spends the next two hours wondering what Ko Yeong-ha is doing.
•
Kiyoharu is on a winning streak after he gets back from Korea. He's pretty sure it has to do with what seems to be an endless well of frustration, but what matters is that he's winning.
Shindou is sitting on the other side of the goban and Kiyoharu grins.
"Sorry, Yashiro," Shindou says, and he doesn't sound the least bit apologetic. "Your streak ends here."
"Not a chance, Shindou," Kiyoharu says confidently.
•
Sushi, Kiyoharu decides, tastes much better when you're not the one paying for it. Shindou is grousing about how he'd rather have ramen and Kiyoharu grins.
"You're the one who made the bet, Shindou," Touya tells him, primly taking another piece of sushi off the plate and dipping it into the soy sauce.
"It wasn't my fault!" Shindou laments, shoving a tuna roll into his mouth. "How was I supposed to know he'd pull that stupid move at the end?"
"How, indeed," Touya murmurs, dabbing the corners of his mouth with a napkin.
Shindou levels a glare at Touya. "Hey, my moves aren't that unpredictable."
Kiyoharu rolls his eyes and steals a piece of Shindou's sushi.
•
He’s really not sure how much Hong knows, but he clearly knows something and that’s a problem. Not that he cares whether or not Hong knows that Kiyoharu has a life outside of go - in fact, Hong probably knows about as much of Kiyoharu’s life as Shindou and Touya do - but he does have a problem with him knowing that there is a possible connection to Ko outside of go.
Hong brings it up one day when Kiyoharu is visiting.
“Have you seen Yeong-ha since you’ve been here?”
Kiyoharu nearly chokes on his soda. “No. Why I would?”
“Wrong word order,” Hong informs him before continuing the conversation. “It just seems like you guys would get along.”
He doesn’t point out that the two of them don’t ever interact in public aside from a polite greeting. “I have not been seeing him,” he tells Hong and hopes that’s that.
Apparently, it’s not. “Do you want to?”
Kiyoharu doesn't have an answer to that, so he doesn't say anything.
Hong doesn't mention Ko the rest of the trip.
Part 1 │ Part 3