#akihika

NSFW | Part of Akihika Reboot [6] | Set to year 2016 (13 years post-anime) | Please check out the amazing art on this by @xhellybeanx (Thank you dear!)

A week passes quickly for those who are always busy. Akira’s schedule was packed up with numerous league matches, and he hardly had time to rest, but still he insisted to be there when Hikaru was to be dispatched from the hospital on Saturday. ­Ichikawa was kind enough to offer them a ride home. On the way back, Akira was so exhausted that he fell asleep in the car, his head slumping onto Hikaru’s shoulder. Hikaru, on the other hand, was well-rested and energized, having gotten more rest at the hospital than he normally did.

He pushes himself so hard… Hikaru couldn’t help but feel for Akira. He knew Akira was doing it for him. He always tries so hard to stay ahead, so that Hikaru would continue to chase after him. But sometimes, Hikaru wished Akira would look back and understand that no matter what, Hikaru would always be chasing him, so there was no need to rush (he’s not saying this just ‘cause he’s still behind Akira). No matter if Akira was going fast or slow, Hikaru would always be looking at him. And if and when Hikaru does surpass Akira, then it would be his turn to wait for Akira to chase and surpass him again. It was a game for two, like a tug-of-war, back and forth, back and forth. It wasn’t like he would just leave Akira once he’s passed him (not that Akira would let him, he was sure of that) or chase after someone else. They always had each other’s back; that was the one thing they could count on.

“Here we are.” Ichikawa said as she pulled up to the front gate of the Touya residence. Together they woke Akira up so that they could help Hikaru inside with his stuff.

“You okay?” Hikaru asked once they’ve settled down. Akira still looked groggy and sleepy. “Why don’t you go get some sleep? We can order dinner.”

Akira nodded slowly before dragging himself towards their bedroom, where he pulled out his futon and laid it out onto the tatami. Hikaru let him sleep through the whole afternoon until it was time for dinner. They ordered soba, even though Hikaru wasn’t a fan of it, and ate in an odd silence. There was an unsettling atmosphere in the house, and it originated from Akira’s quietness. Was he still tired? He doesn’t look it. Hikaru couldn’t figure out what was wrong; he himself was feeling much better, having had rest and food after a mellow afternoon.

“Wanna play a game?” He asked. Akira nodded, but only after a moment of distracted hesitation.

The distraction lingered. Akira wasn’t playing at his best game. It felt like he had his mind on something else, and wasn’t trying his best at reading the Go board. What was he thinking? It was so unusual of Akira to not concentrate on a game with Hikaru.

“I’m gonna beat you if you keep playing like this.” Hikaru tried. Akira didn’t even respond; his eyes were glued to the Go board but they weren’t reading the game at all. Hikaru didn’t understand that Akira was doing it so that he didn’t have to look Hikaru in the eyes. If he did that now… Akira wasn’t sure he could keep his composure or sanity in check. Even as Hikaru set down a final move on a trap that Akira would normally have easily detected and blocked, all Akira could concentrate on was that ring on Hikaru’s left hand (his temporary playing hand). The board was now largely in Hikaru’s favor, and there was no point in continuing because Akira’s mind was on something else entirely different from Go.

“I resign.” Akira said. Hikaru expected it, just as Akira did too. Hikaru sensed frustration in Akira, though it is well-veiled and dressed to look like exhaustion or boredom. Could he…? “I’ll clean up.” Akira said as he piled the stones by color.

Hikaru reached out and stopped Akira’s hands. He moved smoothly towards Akira’s face and easily stole his lips. He only needed to initiate a few kisses before Akira kissed back with full force hungrily and passionately. It surprised Hikaru a little. When they parted for air, Hikaru saw the most intensely lustful eyes on Akira he has seen to date. That’s right… it was their first night to share as spouses (informality notwithstanding). How could he have forgotten? That explains Akira’s frustration: as the quieter of the two, he was always reluctant to express his desires, especially carnal ones.

That alone would be enough to drive Hikaru crazy. Those eyes that he had spent the good half of his life chasing are now looking at nothing but himself, and with such pure want. “Touya…” He whispered just before they continued their kiss, and he pushed Akira down onto the futon Akira had laid out earlier, Go stones all but forgotten on the board. Akira’s arms have him in the tightest hug as they shared kiss after kiss after kiss.

“Sorry, I don’t know how well I can do it with one arm…” Hikaru said as he straddled Akira. He’s pretty useless when he can’t even take off his own clothes.

“It’s ok…” Akira said softly and he guided Hikaru to switch positions, tugging him by the cast on his right arm, now doodled with the children’s signatures and graffiti. He mounted on top of Hikaru instead, reaching up to turn off the lights with two pulls of the switch. “I’ll do it.”

So Hikaru watched under the faint moonlight, from his “lowly” position, as Akira stripped them both of clothing. Akira’s long black hair made a veil around his face as he looked down, and Hikaru thought that he would be content to die then and there, if this was the last thing he saw.

Clearly Akira wouldn’t let that be the case. His head bobbed out of Hikaru’s sight, and before Hikaru’s eyes could follow they squeezed shut at the sudden stab of pleasure coming from between his legs. Akira’s mouth was warm and wet, and Hikaru couldn’t stop the string of moans escaping his throat. He let his left hand rest comfortably on Akira’s head, fingers interweaving with soft strands of hair as Akira’s head moved up and down steadily. When he could pull himself together, Hikaru stole a glance down at the incredibly erotic sight. Here and there Akira would sometimes shoot a glance back at him, his face flushed and his expression still shy but a little bolder than before. It was all Hikaru could do not to buck his hips.

“Touya… I’m almost…” Hikaru’s hand slid down to cup Akira’s cheek, moments before his orgasm hit, as the only warning. This time his hips did buck a little, and Akira held them down. The ring on Akira’s hand that once felt icy against Hikaru’s skin had now warmed up to the radiating heat of the body beneath it. Akira swallowed it all.

It seems that Akira’s shyness had all but faded away, and is instead replaced by the bravery and audacity he often shows when playing Go. He swiped the corner of his mouth as he knelt up, reaching over to the bottom drawer of his desk up ahead from which he pulled out a condom and a tube of lubricant. Without even having to say anything, they each took to the opposite task for each other (because of Hikaru’s disabled arm): Akira put the condom on Hikaru, while Hikaru worked the lube into Akira. Akira’s breath hitched at Hikaru’s two digits into him, so Hikaru watched closely for signs of real discomfort. Once he was satisfied that Akira was ready, he pulled his fingers out and let Akira decide when to go. Tonight was mostly going at Akira’s pace after all, since he had to take the lead from the injured Shindou.

If anything good came out of his crash, it was that tonight Hikaru got the best view of Akira from below, lying on his back. Both his healthy and injured arm rested comfortably on Akira’s thighs as Akira slowly sat onto him, with Hikaru watching every second, every change of expression, every lick of the lips, every parting breath. He rarely ever got such a clear view of Akira being candidly unafraid of his own nudity. Often times Akira is shy, tells him not to look, tries to distract him or forces him into a kiss so he can’t see. But tonight was different. Akira does nothing to hide himself. He is focused on what he had to do because Hikaru was unable to move as rigorously as he normally would. They start at a slow and steady pace, one that Akira was comfortable with. Once a rhythm was established, Hikaru allowed his functional hand to roam along Akira’s torso, past the lean abdomen, up to his chest. He caressed a perked nipple, earning a moan, and the pace fastened.

The air in the room grew thick as they continued moving, in sync with each other. When the pace was no longer fast enough, Hikaru pressed his hand against Akira’s lower back, coaxing him to bend down, so that he could go faster against a braced Akira. Akira complied, easily lowering his body to reach for a kiss, while Hikaru’s hand on Akira’s back held him firm and steady. Akira let out a loud cry when Hikaru went for it, practically drilling into Akira, that then turned into a series of unrestrained moans. Hikaru grunted, his breathing labored as he pressed harder, trying to get closer, deeper in.

“Shindou…” Akira’s face was etched with painful pleasure. His voice is all but cracked, his mind hardly coherent. He grabbed onto Hikaru’s shoulders, knowing that the climax is almost there, just over the edge. All it took was Hikaru hugging Akira a little closer, the fingers of his injured right hand caressing Akira’s own fingers on his shoulder, and Akira realizing how much he fit right into the nook of this man’s neck and shoulder, to push Akira over the limit. His body shook from the intensity of his first orgasm of the night.

Hikaru let off his speed when he realized Akira was orgasming. He moved gently, as if to help Akira draw out the climax as long as he could. When Akira could breathe properly again like a normal human being, he opened his eyes to a most loving look in Hikaru’s eyes.

“Was it good?” Hikaru asked kindly.

“Y-Yeah…” Akira mumbled, planting a small kiss by the corner of Hikaru’s lips. “But you…” He glanced down. “You haven’t…”

“It’s alright.” Hikaru said, giving Akira’s waist a light squeeze with his able hand.

“…” Akira eyed Hikaru, scrutinizing his face. “…I can keep going.”

“Huh?” Hikaru was a little surprised to hear that. He looked at Akira, his other half, and was met with those serious, genuine eyes. Akira meant it. “O-Okay…”

So Akira propped himself up, reaching again for another condom. He helped Hikaru switch it out, then turned around to lie down on his left side. Accordingly, Hikaru drew up from behind, spooning Akira comfortably. His left arm just barely fit in the gap between Akira’s waist and the futon so he could reach to the front and hug Akira back into his embrace. If he had a working right arm he would pull back some of Akira’s long hair to expose the nape of his neck to nibble on, but for now he must settle for Akira’s ear instead.

Akira’s right hand reached behind to guide him in. It was only moments ago that he’d been inside Akira, but Hikaru sighed when he felt that warmth surrounding him again as though it was a nostalgic feeling. The second time going in was easier, and he started moving fairly quickly. The combined attack of his nibbling and hot breaths had Akira’s ear turning a bright warm red. If Hikaru still had the composure to keep his eyes open, he would’ve seen the rekindling pleasure on Akira’s face, but he was too preoccupied with his own rising second orgasm to have noticed.

“Touya…!” The name was said in a muted scream. He rode it out in waves, his chest rising and falling heavily. They are both covered in a sheen of sweat now; it reminded Hikaru a little bit of their reunion match back when they were 14. Weird.

Hikaru’s left hand reached down in between Akira’s legs to find that Akira’s desires had been revived in the process. Akira jerked at the contact. “This is endless…” Hikaru chuckled, a tone of challenge in his voice. Akira’s eyes were glancing back at him, some of his hair getting soaked from the sweat and sticking to the side of his face.

“You’re one to talk.” Akira replied with an equally challenging tone, referring to Hikaru’s own erection that hadn’t quite settled down despite his coming a second time.

“Come here.” Hikaru sat up and pulled Akira up by his right arm, turning him around. He then guided Akira’s legs toward him, pulling them up to his left side. This way he could settle his head sideways nicely onto Akira’s thighs, and reach in between to suck him.

But Hikaru didn’t realize that two can play this game. Enduring the growing pleasure from Hikaru’s administrations, Akira pulled the used condom off Hikaru and began to do the same for him. So there they were, legs cradling each other’s heads as they both strove to pleasure each other. They could even look each other in the eyes by glancing down, and in that connection a familiar, unspoken tension electrified both of them. The game was on.

Akira was disadvantaged from the outset; Hikaru had only just had his second orgasm, and was in no hurry to reach another climax. Him, on the other hand, had his want aroused for a second time while being forced to wait as Hikaru rode out his second orgasm. Could he make up the difference? He did know all of Hikaru’s weak spots. And he had both his hands working.

While Akira started becoming analytical, Hikaru pressed a finger along his perineal raphe, eliciting a squeaky yelp. The sound was so unexpectedly cute that Hikaru chuckled, sending vibrations to Akira and further unsettling him. Akira’s first instinct was to glare at Hikaru, but then an idea came to him at just the right moment. He stopped using his mouth, opting instead to use his tongue. He intentionally looked Hikaru straight in the eyes, mischief glinting off his irises as his tongue danced all over.

That nearly pushed Hikaru over the edge. He stopped for a moment, teeth gritted and eyes shut tight. That was when Akira decided to put both his hands to work, drawing a loud cry from Hikaru. He’d lose if he kept letting Akira advance like this…

But you know what? Losing to Akira didn’t sound so bad. In fact, it’d never felt this good before. This dawned on Hikaru fairly late in the game, but still he gazed down to Akira, settling somewhere in his heart the conclusion that if it was Touya, he’d be willing to lose to him anytime. It was funny and didn’t seem to make sense, since he had been talking big about “beating Touya” for so long. Yet somehow, it made perfect sense.

The next time Akira glanced up at Hikaru, he stopped everything he was doing. There it was again - that loving look in his eyes. It’s as if Hikaru’s eyes were smiling. And then Akira couldn’t control the tears coming out of his own eyes. He was completely dismantled, while Hikaru resumed his task with some sort of new focus, humming lowly to send pleasurable pulses up Akira’s spine. And that was the way Touya Akira orgasmed the second time that night: beloved and in tears.

Afterwards, they laid panting, heads still in each other’s laps and forming a circle with their bodies. Their hands, carrying each of their rings, caressed each other finger by finger. They stayed like this for a while, just enjoying the company. Eventually Hikaru got up, wiped the tear marks from Akira’s face, and kissed him many more times. They settled into the futon, holding each other, falling fast asleep soundly.

Base arc of Akihika Reboot[5]

Thirteen years it has been since Hikaru became a professional Go player. Countless things have changed in that time.

For example, this morning he woke up in the Touya house next to Akira, because he had moved in and had been living here since Akira’s parents went on extended leave in China and other parts of Asia. Akira invited him to start a private Go school in the house, where they teach some very talented children in the evenings. It was a step-up for their relationship, one they kept secret and unspoken, the same way it has always been in between them.

And Akira had went and grown his hair out. It is long and black and beautiful, but sometimes it unnerves Hikaru because it reminds him of Sai. He had told Akira everything now, and wondered if that was why he grew it out, but couldn’t bring himself to ask the question. He had a feeling that even if he did, Akira wouldn’t answer. Perhaps Hikaru would never find out, but he didn’t mind; Akira is still Akira, and Hikaru can’t deny how beautiful he looks in the long hair. His favorite moment in the morning is watching Akira tie it back. He could never stop staring.

They’ve both won titles. Akira has a few, Hikaru has one. That’s why when he asked Akira this morning about his schedule for the day, the answer was a study session and a lecture seminar in the morning, and playing against a 2-dan in the afternoon. Busy, busy. Akira didn’t have to ask Hikaru where he’d be though; it’s May 5th. He knows where Hikaru would be. Despite the pool of prize money saved from his win of the title (and defense of it every year since), Hikaru only spent it once, to buy his motorcycle (he learned from Tsubaki and got his license after turning 18; it was a few weeks of missing Go practice and having fights with Akira… there was a lot of shouting involved).

So he set out this morning, on his Ducati, to the Shuusaku gravestone in Sugamo. It’s not particularly like that was Sai’s resting place, but without even a grave, there was nowhere else Hikaru could go to pay tribute to his old friend. He rinsed the tombstone, laid down the flowers, and added a Go stone among the tributes. Then he spent the morning standing there, his sensu in hand, talking about all the recent developments in his Go career, in the Go world, about how Akira was doing, sorry he couldn’t come today. It was funny; he used to have so much to say, so much to talk about, he’d be there ‘til sundown. But today, he was done well before noon. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to spend time remembering his friend, but he just felt like going home and sleeping the day off, or doing something else like watching Waya’s or Isumi’s matches.

He was heading in the direction of the Go Institute, speeding despite being alongside slow traffic, when he passed by that familiar head of silky, smooth black hair blown back by the wind. Touya! Hikaru’s heart jumped, though Akira didn’t notice him. Akira had a dreamy look on his face, like he was staring into the distance, spacing out. That’s dangerous when you’re standing by the roadside! Hikaru was too fast to stop, so he doubled back around the block, and finally came to a stop in front of Akira.

“Touya!” He flipped up his helmet’s visor. His unexpected voice finally snapped Akira out of his daze.

“Shindou!” Akira said, surprised. He was wearing a khaki business jacket over the usual suit and tie, his suitcase in hand. “What are you doing here?”

“That’s what I want to ask you.” Hikaru said. “Didn’t you say you have a seminar?”

“I did. It just ended.” Akira answered. “…You’re back early.”

“Oh… yeah.” Hikaru shrugged a little. He didn’t really want to talk about it. “…Did you have lunch yet?”

“Not yet.”

“…” Hikaru thought for a moment, then took off his helmet. He fixed his hair while stuffing the helmet into Akira’s arms. “Hop on. Let’s go eat.”

“Eh?” Akira was surprised. “But…”

“Come on, I’ll give you a ride to your afternoon match.” Hikaru jabbed his thumb at the backseat.

“Don’t be stupid, we only have one helmet!” Akira said. They do have two, but his was left at home.

“Don’t worry, I won’t crash.” Hikaru said. “Not with you on it.”

“Shindou!”

And then Hikaru laughed, which was rare for this particular day. “Come on! I’m starving!”

Exasperated, and knowing it was a stupid idea, but unable to counter as he most often found to be the case with Shindou Hikaru, Akira was disgusted with himself when he put on the helmet. He hopped onto the backseat, circled his arms around Hikaru’s waist, and then they took off.

Akira never really liked riding the motorcycle; it was scary and felt dangerous (probably was). Come to think of it, that was very much the same way he felt about Hikaru too. Unpredictable, unfamiliar, and dangerous. But he only had himself to blame for refusing to back down from Shindou, for letting his pride and courage get the better of him, for being continuously tempted to face and conquer every challenge that appeared before him. But when he truly gets scared, when the back wheel runs over a rough pothole and the whole bike jerks, he finds himself holding that same Shindou Hikaru closer, tighter. His eyes found themselves wandering down the sleeve of Hikaru’s leather jacket and fixed upon the gloved right hand. This hand is everything. It controls the throttle to keep them safe; it plays brilliant games of Go, and it drives him crazy at night.

“Touya, you’re hugging me too tight.” Hikaru yelled over the noisy wind, but Akira didn’t seem to have heard him. All Hikaru saw in his side mirror was a flushed face and eyes hidden behind squarely cropped bangs within the helmet. Immediately he slowed down; he knew Akira didn’t like being on the motorcycle. Is he sick? Hikaru worried. “Touya you okay?” He let his left hand off the handle to pat Akira’s hands, trying to get some response from the other man. He felt the head resting on his back shift, and then the next time he looked into the side mirror he saw Akira’s eyes looking back at his, full of trust and gentle emotions, as though they were smiling. It was so sudden and unexpected and cute that Hikaru’s heart skipped a beat and he nearly missed turning the corner.

Nevertheless they made it safely to Hikaru’s favorite ramen place. They got the usual choices, and as always Hikaru gave Akira his soft-boiled egg, because he knew Akira liked them and he needs to eat more for his afternoon match anyway. Then as promised Hikaru gave Akira a lift to the Go Institute for his match. So they parted ways there, with Hikaru remarking “don’t go too hard on the newbie,” to which Akira replied with an irritated “I won’t.”

Thirteen years is a long time, but some things never change. Hikaru can’t imagine life without Akira, and he had been thinking about proposing for some time, but never found the resolve to do it. Today, when he saw the way Akira was looking at him through that side mirror, he suddenly found his resolve. Those same eyes that had captivated him since the very beginning, the same eyes that often shone with powerful will, so sharp and strong, had held him in such a warm, loving gaze. The only other person he ever remembered being looked at with such eyes was… Sai.

He braved his embarrassment and drove to Ginza, where he stumbled around for a good 20 minutes just trying to find the jeweler (he never visits this part of town or stores like these). Then he spent another good hour looking at different designs, before finally finding this pair that was simply perfect for them. Rings are expensive, so he had to spend the prize money a second time, but it would probably be the last time. He never liked using any of it. There was a time when his mouth would’ve watered over the money, but it no longer felt right after all that he had to go through to become a pro and actually win the title. Sai never liked the idea anyway. 

He was planning to go home after that, but never quite made it. It was damn stupid when it happened; he never should have been speeding. He didn’t see the truck coming out of the truck court to his left, at least not early enough. He braked sharply and swerved to the right, getting very close to the ground. At some point the bike slid away from under him and totaled itself against an electric pole some five meters away. He landed on his right arm and slid until he hit against a CMU wall. If he didn’t have his helmet on he was sure he would’ve cracked his head open.

So for the second time in his life, Shindou Hikaru takes an ambulance. This time he remembered it a little better: there were the paramedics cutting open his clothes, securing a splint around his arm, patching him up, checking for internal bleeding. It was a big fuss, and when asked who to contact Hikaru nearly said Akira’s name, before remembering that he must still be in the middle of his match, and instead gave Isumi’s contact (as though Isumi didn’t have his own dan promotion match).

When the Go Institute received the news, Akira was still playing, so they decided to tell him after the match was over. And it was the right decision, because he bolted out as soon as he heard where Hikaru’s hospital was.

“SHINDOU!!!” Akira’s voice was loud enough to shake the whole room. Everyone in the room was sure the doors would break with the way he slammed them open (Hikaru didn’t want a private room; he was already making friends with his roommates).

“Touya, you’re too loud!” Hikaru said, complaining. He turned to Waya and Isumi, who came visiting after they heard the news. “Sorry, can you guys…”

Waya was about to complain of Touya’s presence, but not before Isumi said, “Well, we’ll be going, actually. If you need anything else, you can call us.” Hikaru thanked them and promised to buy them sushi when he gets out. At the turn of their heels Hikaru was bombarded with questions from Akira. What happened? What did he do? Why didn’t he go straight home?

“Well… I had somewhere I needed to go…”

“How bad is your arm? Can you still play?”

“Not for a couple of months, but it’s ok; the doctor said I’ll make a full recovery.” Hikaru tries to put on his positive side despite his right arm being in a cast. He could sense the Akira volcano about to implode. “Aw, come on. Don’t worry. It’s not like I can’t play in my head. Someone else can place the stones for me. Or I can place them with my left hand if I need to.”

“‘It’s ok’?” Akira’s tone was dangerously low. “I wish you would take this situation a little more seriously, Shindou! Do you know how much progress is set back by two months?!”

“Stop yelling!” Hikaru said, raising his voice himself. “And what do you want me to do about it? It already happened! I can’t un-break my arm overnight. Geez, I’m sitting here in a hospital bed with my head hurting from a concussion and all you can care about is whether I can keep playing. I wish you’d be a little more worried for me.” Man, where is that cute Touya he saw earlier today?

“I AM worried for you!” Akira jolted up from the chair, sending it tipping over its back. It’s like they’re back in middle school, fighting and shouting at each other, only this time Akira has tears in his eyes.

“Touya…”

“I’m going home.” Akira said darkly, and picked up his jacket.

“Wait!” Hikaru said, trying to get up off the bed and wincing heavily from the sharp pain. His roommates (mostly old guys and ladies) were all telling him to stop, to sit back down, but he refused. He shot a look at a box on top of the counter next to his bed. Somehow the rings managed to escape from the accident unscathed, being mostly protected in his backpack and cushioned inside the boxes, and the medics salvaged them for him. “I can’t let him go home like that… Not in that state of mind!”

Luckily he didn’t have to go very far; Akira was just outside, standing by the vending machine with his right hand balled up and arm up against the side of the machine, facing the wall in front of him, head slumped and all. His long ponytail was caught here and there in the creases of his jacket.

“Oh no…” Hikaru knew this well, and limped forward just in time to grab Akira’s hand as Akira drew his right arm back again, about to smash it into the machine one more time. “Stop! What do you think you’re doing?”

“It’s none of your business, Shindou!”

“It is if it has to do with your Go! What good is it gonna do if both of us break our arms?!” Hikaru scolds, his face getting serious, showing his more mature, masculine side. “Your hand is precious; treat it with care.”

“And yours…? It’s not?” Akira asked in return, his eyes piercing and inquisitive, as always.

“Touya…” Hikaru sighed. This man really knows how to give him a headache sometimes.

“Does it hurt?” Akira’s voice had turned soft.

“No, not really…” Hikaru answered, leaning back against the vending machine as his legs began to get tired. Not as much as my head does right now anyway…

“Would you let go?” Akira asked, referring to Hikaru’s left hand still grabbing onto his right.

“No.” Hikaru holds onto it possessively. “No, I’m not letting you go. I’m never letting you go.” His face was serious. Not after what happened, not after I thought I was going to die and leave you alone forever. Even without speaking them out loud the words were communicated to Akira through the intensity of Hikaru’s gaze. After a moment, Akira gritted his teeth, casting his eyes down on the floor, hidden behind the shadows of his hair. “Touya…?”

“I thought you were dead.” Akira’s voice was shaking slightly. “I thought… you… maybe you wanted to… I thought… because today is Sai’s…”

“Oh God…” Now the picture finally came together for Hikaru, why Akira was so edgy, why he was dazed earlier when he ran into him. He pulled Akira into his embrace, and felt warm tears wetting the front of his hospital gown. “I’m so sorry… Touya, I’d never…”

“And then I thought you could never play Go again…”

“Aw, come on, it’s just a broken arm!” Hikaru said, not sure whether he ought to be angry or laugh at Akira. “How did it become so exaggerated?”

It has been a long time since Akira last felt someone’s laugh from within their embrace, rumbling through their chest. “But… I’m glad.” He said, and Hikaru could feel his smile. “I’m glad you’re here…”

“Me too.” Hikaru rubbed Akira’s tense shoulders with his left hand and planted a kiss on his head. “So, have I totally unhinged you and messed up your game now?”

“Yeah right, Shindou, you wish.” Akira pinches Hikaru’s side, sending him yelping.

“Um… excuse us while you’re in the middle of something private…” The group of voices coming suddenly from the direction of Hikaru’s room sent them jumping. They pushed each other away, hoping the elderly didn’t see what they were doing earlier. “Oh, it’s ok, don’t worry. We’re very open-minded. It’s 2016, after all. But as we were saying, Hikaru-kun, we think you may have forgotten something…” One of the old geezers, the nosiest one out of them all, had brought the box he left on the counter out.

“You bloody…!” Hikaru was about to scream before remembering this was a hospital. It sent everyone into a fit of giggles, while Akira was flushed a face full of red. The elderly man grinned impishly as he walked over to where the two youngsters stood in order to hand the box back to Hikaru. Hikaru heaved a loud sigh, and said, “Man, I was hoping to do this at a more proper time in a more proper place.”

“Shindou…”

“About what you said earlier… There’s no way I would do that. I’m not gonna leave you alone, not by choice anyway.” Hikaru said while opening the box, revealing two rings inside. “I know what that feels like… I lost Sai.”

“I know…”

“So, if you were wondering what I was doing…” Hikaru continued as he took one out of the box, held Akira’s left hand up, and slipped it onto his ring finger. “I went to go get these.” The ring was made of satin platinum, molded such that the round ring gradually grows into a rectangular centerpiece, each with an accent stone embedded off-center. The one on Akira’s ring was a white diamond, the other a black one. Just like Go.

Hikaru held the box with the remaining ring out to Akira. “Will you…?”

And then Akira had that look in his eyes, that incisive gaze that seemed to always cut Hikaru open, threatening him to reveal his most inner secrets, and it sent Hikaru into a cold sweat. But he endured, and held the intense gaze, returning it with almost just as much intensity of his own. It was now or never.

Then Akira’s eyes dropped down as he nodded. He took the remaining ring, and slipped it onto Hikaru’s left ring finger. Their “witnesses” broke into cheers (“I’m gonna have a proper wedding once I get out of here, you know!” so Shindou said), which Akira quickly shushed to remind them that this was, after all, a hospital.

“I need to go home…” Akira checked his watch as he helped Hikaru limp his way back into the room after everyone else. It was late and all but dark outside. “You need some change of clothes, and we’ll have to cancel the class tomorrow; I can’t teach tomorrow night.”

“Nah, why don’t you have the kids come over here? I can teach them from right here.” Hikaru shrugged while getting back onto the bed.

“Are you sure?” Akira eyed him dubiously. “It’s not a bother to everyone?”

“Oh, no, you have kids coming over?” One of the old ladies exclaimed. “We’ll love it, if they don’t mind coming!”

“Yeah, as long as they’re not too loud and don’t get kicked out.” Hikaru said, as though he knew the rules of the place already (he’s only been here for a few hours). “I can teach them while I’m here! That way you can focus on your own matches.”

“Shindou, don’t forget you have your own matches too. You still have to play those; they‘ll have someone help you place the stones.”

“I know, I know. I’m only here for a week anyway.” Hikaru threw up his other hand in concession. “So, whaddya say?”

“…I guess so.” Akira finally agreed. “Should I bring some Go boards and stones?”

“Nah, the kids all have their own tablets and smartphones and laptops or what-have-you these days. You’ll just need to tell them to bring it and we can play on those tiny things on a screen…” Hikaru said, stalling.

“…You mean an app?” Akira helped.

“Yeah, that.” Hikaru smiled. Akira sighed; all these years and he’s still an idiot when it comes to computers. “Oh, but can you buy me a new magnetic travel Go board? Mine was totally destroyed.”

“You have a smartphone yourself, mister.” Akira said. “Why don’t you learn how to use it for once?”

“I don’t like it! My fingers are too big anyway so I keep playing into the wrong places because of it!” Hikaru whined. “Besides, nothing beats the feel of having real Go stones in between your fingers.”

“You sound like my father.” Akira chuckled as he picked up his suitcase, getting ready to go.

“Well, he’s right.” Hikaru said, then suddenly he yanked the curtain around his bed (he had the one on the far end, thank goodness) so his nosy roommates wouldn’t see him reaching up for Akira’s face and planting a soft kiss over his lips. “Goodnight, Akira. Be careful on your way home.”

If Hikaru wasn’t covered in injuries and bandage, Akira might have actually hit him for that, but he let the patient off tonight. He nodded with a gentle smile, excused himself from the kind (if nosy) roommates, and headed home.

Thirteen years is a long time, yet it also isn’t, in the grand scheme of things, over thousands of years. A lot can change, a lot must change, but a lot more will remain the same. Hikaru gazed up at the moon through the blinds of the window by his bed, knowing that without a doubt, Akira would be looking at the same moon tonight at home, ring in hand, unchanging through time and tide.

akihika:

There are but a few works where homosexual feelings can be stated as canon (aside the BL genre). Instead, we often have to make do with subtext and ambiguous sentences, situations, or facial expressions.

The height of frustration, that is.

Not being able to ship two male characters without receiving the fatal “That’s just your yaoist imagination” argument is considerably irritating, and comes from the fact that you just have the subtext on your side, whereas the text will rather be on the side of your adversary.

(Note that your adversary may have already eaten his/her hat on Killua’s case in Hunter X Hunter, where the amount of subtext may have exceeded the amount of text.)

Let’s take the example of Hikaru no Go. The two main reasons that are opposed when shipping Akira and Hikaru to people who can’t even consider the idea are the following :

        1. Hikaru is interested in Akari.

        2. There are not romantic feelings between Akira and Hikaru; they merely see each other as Go rivals.

The first reason is not even worth lingering over. When does Hikaru ever think of Akari, except when he randomly bumps into her at school ?

The second reason is more interesting, and it may concern many other works than Hikaru no Go: that so-called lack of romantic feelings between true rivals.

(Who are so much rivals that they think of each other each hour of the day.)

But what are we exactly saying when waving that “romantic feelings” argument ? Are we speaking about some shojoish sentimental effusion ? Or about unexpressed, bubbling feelings ?

For those who may not know, romanticism is not exactly what the word means to most people nowadays – some insipid, mushy romance that movies, books, animes, and bad shôjo are filled with.

Romanticism, basically, is an artistic movement that aimed at revolting against classicism and rationalization by letting intense emotions run wild out of aristocratic norms. These emotions being multifarious and (fortunately) not limited to love. Romanticism, hence, may be expressed through violence, desperation, morbidity, passion, obsession.

(That is not to say that the romantic movement was free from insipid and mushy romances.)

If we were to take musical exemples : Thais’ Meditation, which everyone of you has at least heard once (and which may have, hence, led you to think that classical music is fundamentally insipid, mushy, and boring) could easily fit in the failures of romanticism, which explains quite well why it now invades the worst tear-jerker works of our time.

WhereasLiszt’s Sonata could, in return, give a perfect example of the masterpieces that romanticism is able to create.

Let’s go back to Akira and Hikaru, now. We all agree there is no confession whatsoever. Actually, their interaction is extremely limited all through the manga, whereas we all have the impression that it constitutes the majority of the book.

That is precisely because both Akira and Hikaru share the same obsessional passion towards each other. They are constantly worried about their own progress in Go, but not only.

Can you remember Akira, panicking as Hikaru, depressed from what happened to Sai, thought of stopping Go ?

Can you remember how easily both of them, and especially the well-mannered Akira, lose their temper when interacting with each other ?

Can you remember the intensity of their long awaited match, for which Akira counted the exact amount of time they had to wait ?

Can you remember how Akira guesses right about Sai, saying he is the one that “understands Hikaru the most”, and how Hikaru reacted as if these were words of confession ?

(That was, actually, more than a confession. That was the irrefutable proof that Akira has cracked the most intimate, and rationally unbelievable, secret of Hikaru.)

Advancing individually on a common path to an upcoming and awaited reunion, yet worrying about the other and thinking obsessively about him to the point of fully understanding him without almost any direct communication ?

Could there really be a more fundamentally romantic background between two characters ?

Might I add, though gay-ship-deniers may have missed it, that the entire character of Akari is an afterthought. She was probably thrown in there because someone in the editing department or somewhere higher up in the publisher wasn’t comfortable with putting out a series aimed at the Shonen Jump audience without the token girl love-interest (remember, this was back in the 2000s, when being gay was still a pretty big sin and executives thought people cared about fake Twilight-type “romance”). I will ignore for now the wholly sexist and misogynistic implication of that decision, but it is clear to me that she was malicious compliance on the part of the writer, who was only kind enough to give her some form of redemption towards the end of the story, and not write her into a total bitch. It’s more than evident that the entire story of Hikago could stand on its own without her altogether, however.

I like to think that the primary concern of the storyline, the relationship between Hikaru and Akira, is subtly reminiscent of the practice in ancient Greece of using soldiers engaged in homosexual/homoerotic comradeship for an elite force (the modern form of such comradeship among soldiers in the two World Wars is further explored by J. Glenn Gray in this book). The army is strong because of the romantic bond the soldiers share with each other. Though Hikaru and Akira’s relationship is presented as rival in nature throughout most of the story, the last abovesaid scene is the pivot point that pushes their relationship beyond that of purely hostile rivalry into entrusted comradeship.

One only has to consider: if only homosexuality isn’t such a taboo in the 21st century (and people like to think we’re more open-minded than our ancestors, LOL bitch please), this ship would’ve been sailing far sooner, Akari wouldn’t even exist and we won’t be here having this argument at all. I love Japan, but man do I sometimes really hate the homophobia and heteronormativity that pervades their society (which is not even homegrown but brought in by Westerners).

(Which is not to say that romantic heterosexual relationships are less valid, but only if the characters themselves are just as solid with an equally solid storyline to back up their relationship. At the very least there is no fucking way someone can hope to convince me that the writer meant for Hikaru to be with Akari as if that wasn’t already damn obvious with them going their separate ways in canon.)