Title: Trouble
Rating: PG
Genre: crossover
Characters: Shikamaru, Kawai, Hikaru
Summary: Shikamaru is on a job. He however has some free time to get into some troublesome matters.
WordCount: 815
Authors note: ;.; I'm sorry about the ending.
Ever since Waya, Isumi and that Shindou had stumbled in years ago, Insei tended to come to visit the salon... Some came to train, usually in groups of three hearing rumours of playing for free if they won their matches.
Kawai was proud to say that the go salon had the cleanest stones in all of Tokyo.
Others came to challenge - usually coming in with a shifty manner, furtively sticking to the shadows, in an attempt to be ninja and dive-bombing Shindou if he happened to be in, sulking if he was not. So it was no longer unusual to see kids crop in at the Salon.
It was generally agreed that it was entertaining having young folk around, and encouraging for the future of the game.
This new guy, though Kawai couldn't quite sum him up - he came in by himself lurking around the edge of the room, but instead of sighing loudly and audibly and leaving straight away, he quietly paid for his entry and approached one of the older patrons of the salon who had just finished packing up a game, to ask if he was interested in playing another.
Kawai kept a careful eye on him in the background as he moved around chatting with the regulars.
Still it was when the boy yawned but agreed to play another game and started setting up that Kawai really decided to check him out, after all Tachibana-san never asked for rematches unless he lost, approaching the new game.
The boy was good, further confirming Kawai's initial impression of an insei, showing a firm grasp of the basics and a good sense of strategy. His game however lacked the subtle touch that experience brought and his handling of the stones was still a little rough.
Kawai was interested in playing - it was fun going up against the new wave of punks and seeing either the new hope for the game, or putting them back in their place.
However after this game finished, the boy packed up, nodded his head politely and left, saying he had to go to work.
The next day Kawai saw the boy, and stopped him for a chat.
That punk - Shikamaru, was definitely no insei, with his slack attitude revealed through the conversation infuriating Kawai enough to challenge the boy to a match, refusing to take the boys protests of having no money into account.
A girl of around the same age smirked and backed Kawai up, telling the punk that could go use his free time... And with that the boy sighed and muttered something about their being no grass to sunbath around on anyway.
The match was close, however Kawai had taken a lead and looked likely to win, when suddenly Shikamaru hunched closer to the board, pressing the tips of his fingers together and looking engrossed in the game.
What happened next was a series of brilliant moves, that Kawai was wondering if this was some sort of pro, come in for a tournament, since he had revealed in conversation that he was only here temporarily as part of work.
Kawai lost the game. The most infuriating thing was the way that, that PUNK, didn't even seem to care. Kawai was being restrained by two of the salon residents and....
That's when Shindou Hikaru entered.
Shindou looked bemused. Shikamaru looked depressed and muttered something about "why must everything be so troublesome".
They both agreed to a match. Shindou rolling his eyes at Kawai about having to keep his head together and winning this match.
The match started off slowly, but soon the shapes were beginning to build - it looked even, possibly even Shikamaru winning, but then Shindou's games often looked like that and then a tricky stone would flip the game around.
Shikamaru pressed his finger tips together, Kawai watched intensely that had been when Shikamaru had started his crafty scheme - three moves later Hikaru had reached for his fan, a sure sign he was taking the game seriously.
The game furiously continued through, with sharp pachi sounds from Hikaru's hands, being met by slower more plodding sounds from Shikamaru's... Until with a sigh, Shikamaru gave his resignation.
"Troublesome, so troublesome."
'That would show the punk to treat go lightly!' Kawai thought vindictively.
"Your actually pretty good, ever thought of going pro?" Hikaru asked curiously as they began their end game discussion.
"I'm actually a shogi player" Shikamaru admitted, "and I already have a job, just got another promotion, which is why I'm here for now."
"Ah, I know a guy who plays shogi, he's pretty good, if you like I can introduce him?" Hikaru asked, more polite than normal, still studying the game.
"Nah, I'm going back home soon."
BOOM.
There was the sound of an explosion some distance away.
"Ah, yare yare... Some way to spend my leisure time." Shikamaru sighed before leaping out the window.
"Um. Do people you invite to play normally do that?" Asked Hikaru in a befuzzled tone.
Kawai took one long hard stare at Hikaru before storming off yelling about "KIDS THESE DAYS!"