Part Eleven:
The
rains had finally stopped overnight and the early morning sunlight filtering
through the windows, gave the sign that it was bound to be a gorgeous day. The
bustling sounds of
Dutifully,
the boys sat at their designated table and paid attention to the speaker on the
podium...well, at least two of them tried to pay as much as attention as
possible. Ochi was attuned to every word as usual, while Waya was trying very
hard not to fall asleep. On the other side of the coin, unlike his usual nature
to focus on matters of such importance, Akira Touya found himself stealing
almost shy glances at the boy he had to be with for the rest of the day. He
clenched his hands into tight fists on his lap, and flushed at the small smile
Shindo threw his way. He kicked himself inwardly for acting like such a fool.
He couldn’t keep blushing at every look that was given to him! Kami! He had
known Shindo for...forever and yet here he was acting as if they were
meeting for the first time.
His
body ached and trembled in anticipation. He was going to prove to Shindo that
he was not boring. He wanted to show the blond that there was more to him than
facing a Go board.
I
want you to see the real me, Shindo. How can I make you... nani?
He bit
hard on his lower lip to stifle the small yelp of surprise as he felt something
brush against his inner thigh. For a second, his eyes remained trained on the
speaker as he breathing began to quicken. He didn’t dare look; for fear that
the entire incident would prove to be just another figment of his imagination.
Concentrate...concentrate....aah!
He
closed his eyes as he felt the light touch against his thigh again. No, he
wasn’t hallucinating. Someone was gently rubbing his foot against his and he
didn’t need to look to know who it was.
What…what
is he doing to me? Shin…Shindo…
Stealing
another glance, he was surprised to find the boy he suspected staring at the
speaker as if nothing was happening. If it weren’t for the small smile tugging
at the sides of the blond’s face, Akira would have sworn that perhaps Ogata had
decided to get frisky with him.
He
shuddered at the image.
Thankfully,
the speaker wrapped up his speech and everyone began to talk amongst themselves,
with the breakfast buffet now open to the guests to begin eating. Waya got to
his feet quickly and began to make his way towards the table.
“Come
on, Shindo. Let’s go grab a bite to eat!”
Shindo grinned and stretched. “Yooshii!
I’m starving! I think I’m going to get me some…”
“No!”
Everyone
at the table, including Waya blinked at the vehement cry. Akira felt the color
flood to his cheeks and he made a mental note to be less noisy when trying to
get Shindo’s attention. The boy seemed to have the knack of bringing out his
much louder side.
“I
mean…we…we have to be somewhere soon, Shindo-kun,” he muttered softly, giving a
quick look to their sensei for approval. At Ogata’s small nod, Akira got to his
feet and placed a hand on Shindo’s arm. And with a determination that was
reminiscent of a younger Hikaru, the dark-haired boy tugged the surprised blond
out of the hall and into the lobby.
“To…Touya?
What the hell…?”
Akira
stopped and pinned intense green eyes on the boy, even as his heart seemed to
beat a mile-a-minute. “Today belongs to us, ne?”
Shindo
blinked. “Yea…yeah…but don’t we get to eat fir…?”
“Forget
about the food. I’ll treat you to something better than that thing they feed us
in there.”
Hikaru
could only gawk in surprise at how adamant Akira sounded. He knew the 6-Dan was
a forceful person when it came to anything concerning Go, but over something as
trivial as breakfast…? He smiled and nodded in acceptance, before relaxing in Touya’s
firm hold.
“Alright.
Let’s go to this fantastic place you’ve found. And it had better be good, Touya
or I swear I’m going to come back here and forget about the whole thing!”
~*~*~*~*~
For
how long they were planning to walk, Shindo had no idea. His stomach was
growling, his head was beginning to pound and it seemed like they had been
walking around the entire city. The smells of fresh bread and coffee from the
shops they passed only did more to aggravate the starving boy. And it wasn’t as
if they had spoken much to each other since they left the hotel. All in all,
Shindo was gradually beginning to get irritated and the day hadn’t even begun
yet.
“Are
we lost?!” he finally spat out coldly as they stopped at yet another ‘Stop’
sign. People were crowding around them and Shindo had to raise his voice to
make himself heard.
Akira
scowled and shook his head. “No, we are not! Just a little bit more and we’ll
be there. Be patient!” He too, was beginning to lose his patience. He hated to
admit that he had lost his way a few miles back, but after noticing various
landmarks that would lead him to his destination; he was finally on track.
Hikaru
muttered something along the lines of ‘Should have eaten back at the hotel’ and
only ended up getting a light cuff from his companion in response. He glared
balefully at Akira’s back, idly noticing the smooth curve of his rear end that
looked so damn…
“Are
you coming or not?!” Touya asked sharply from across the street.
Kiiisama! “I’m coming!!!”
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Welcome
to Ellen’s Stardust Diner! And what can I get for you guys today?”
Akira
rattled off his simple meal of waffles and cream with some coffee and then
turned to look at Shindo, who was still ogling at the large toy train that was
currently chugging around the diner’s wall.
It
looked as if they had been transported back in time and were now living in the
fifties. Televisions scattered around the place showed classic black and white
American comedies and even though it was just eight in the morning, the diner
was already packed full with customers. Shindo would never have guessed that
Akira would love to come to a place such as this.
You
are just full of surprises, aren’t you, Touya? And that is why I lo…
“You
should order something now, Shindo,” Touya said softly as he leaned across the
table to get the other boy’s attention. They had gotten a seat next to the
window and they had a good view of the bustling activities outside.
Shindo
started and blushed faintly before nodding. “Eh…I will have…eh…”
“Just
get anything you want, Shindo,” Touya said with a small, almost shy smile.
“It’s the least I can do for making you walk all this way with me.”
Hikaru
felt his heart skip a beat at the look and he blushed before pointing out the
things he wanted. “It’s…it’s no problem really…”
Kami
knows I would gladly walk to the ends of the earth with you….just not before
breakfast.
~*~*~*~*~
“Whoo
hooo! That was awesome, Touya!” Shindo gushed as they made their way out of the
diner and back into the streets. Feeling very good now that he had some food in
his stomach, he pounced on Akira and grinned like a maniac into the shocked face.
“So, what are we doing next?”
“Ano…I
thought we would…”
“I
know what we could do!” Shindo interrupted loudly. “We should get you out of
those clothes!”
Suddenly
thankful that Shindo hadn’t said that in English, Akira blushed furiously and
slapped a hand over Hikaru’s mouth. “Urusai! What the hell are you talking
about?” he whispered harshly.
Shindo
pulled the hand away and smirked wickedly. “Don’t worry, Touya. I don’t plan to
strip you in the middle of the street. I just feel that you need to get out of
those…stuffy clothes.” He pointed at the buttoned blue oxford shirt and dark
slacks. Although Akira looked good enough to eat, he still looked as if he were
going for a business meeting instead of a day out on town. Compared to the
sports jersey and dark loose jeans that Shindo had on…someone might have
thought that Akira was a mature adult. (Which wouldn’t be too far from the
truth.)
Touya
scoffed and began to walk away. “My clothes are fine, Shindo. If anything you
are the one that needs a…”
“There
is this guy that owns this great clothing place and salon-like thing and he
could outfit you, no problem! He was the one who gave me the clothes I’m
wearing now!” Seeing that the other boy had no plans to listen to him, Shindo
growled and ran in front to block his path.
“You
said today was supposed to be for us, ne, Touya?” he asked with a light frown
on his features.
“Yes,
I did. And I have planned to take us to several…”
Shindo
was already shaking his head. “No! No! No, Touya! When people go out together,
they try to do things…together. Get it? You can’t just dictate the
entire day and follow it like you are keeping a damn timetable. Let’s just try
to have some fun, okay? Sooo…will you
follow me to go see him? I promise you won’t regret it.”
Touya
was about to say ‘no’, when he saw the pleading look on his companion’s visage.
Feeling his face (and somewhere else) heat up, he muttered out hastily,
“Alright, alright. But this had better be good…”
Anything
to make you happy...
And
trying hard not to show his inner worry, Akira allowed himself to be led to
Kami knows where.
~*~*~*~*~
At
least Shindo had remembered the name of the store or they would have spent the
better part of the morning searching the entire city for a Mr. Hansom. And as
luck would have it, the kind-hearted owner had remembered Shindo and welcomed
he and his friend with open arms…literally.
They
were still trying to get over the exuberant hug.
Akira
had to sit through lots of stares and blushes and downright open invitations
from both women and men alike. It seemed like the gay community in
But
the older man made no passes at them. He was kind and willing to help them out
with any problems they might have. And the big problem seemed to be getting
Akira to try on any of the clothes that was brought out for him. For a quiet,
unassuming boy, he could be quite stubborn.
Another
long hour went by and Shindo felt like he was going to die of extreme boredom in
the waiting room. He was just about to flip to another channel on the large TV
screen, when the dressing room door creaked opened and a black boot was seen.
Shindo held his breath and got to his feet.
“Touya?”
he called out softly.
For
a moment, no reply was heard before a muffled ‘Shindo’ filled the silence.
Hikaru
blinked. Had they put him in a gas mask?
“Touya!
Are you alrig…?” He gasped in shocked surprise as the longhaired boy stepped
out completely from the room. Gone was the stuffy looking blue shirt he had on
earlier, instead a white t-shirt covered with a black leather jacket, over dark
blue jeans that fitted snugly to lean hips, outfitted the boy, whose gaze was
hidden behind dark sunglasses. If it weren’t for the telltale spots of color on
his cheeks, Hikaru could have sworn that Touya was…
“You
look…great!” he finally managed to blurt out as he began a slow and thorough
look-over of his rival.
Akira’s
blush deepened and he shifted from one foot to the other. “St...stop doing
that, Shindo.” He had meant for that to come out as a command, but it had only
managed to sound like a breathless whisper as his heart thudded painfully
against his chest. There was a predatory glint in Shindo’s eyes and Akira felt
his insides melt with the look. His aggravation grew as Shindo suddenly wrapped
strong arms around his waist and whispered against his ear.
“Ready
to go now, Touya?”
Oh
God...what are you doing to me, Shindo?
He closed
his eyes and groaned weakly as he felt Shindo’s lips caress his neck, leaving
him shivering and having to press his back against the solid chest as if to
steady himself from falling to the floor from weakened knees.
“Hmm...you
smell great, Akira...”
“Hi...Hikaru...”
“Hmm?”
“We...we
should be...”
A
light cough sent both boys spinning out of each other’s arms with guilty looks
on their faces. Mr. Hansom chuckled and stepped into the room with several bags
and a small red envelope. “Sorry to interrupt you boys, but I am guessing that
you are pleased with the results, Shindo.”
The
blond nodded and grinned. “You did a great job as usual, sir. How much do we
owe...?”
The
man raised his hand and shook his head quickly. “No, no, please. You boys do
not have to pay me anything. But...it would give me great pleasure if you could
make it to my birthday party this weekend.” He held out the envelope. “I am
guessing that the competitions would have ended by Saturday evening, which
should give you ample time to make it over to my place. Give it some thought
and call the number on the envelope if you decide to come. A limousine will be
ready to come pick you and your other friends up.”
Akira
frowned lightly and was about to decline the offer when Shindo piped up
quickly. “Thank you so much, Mr. Hansom! We’ll be there!”
“Wonderful!
I look forward to seeing the champions on the big day. And now...you two run
along and have some fun. I’ll have a driver take your clothes to your hotel.”
~*~*~*~*~
“I
don’t like him.”
Shindo
snorted and licked his chocolate and vanilla ice cream. “What’s your problem,
Touya? You saw how nice he was. Why the hell do you suspect him of everything?”
Akira
shifted in his seat as he watched the pigeons fly down to the ground before
him. It was turning out to be a beautiful day after all and the two boys were
now sitting in the middle of the famous
“Shindo...he
is...too old...”
Done
with his treat, Hikaru threw the empty cone into a nearby trashcan and pouted.
“He also gave us free stuff and was extremely nice to us. The least you can do
is show up and if you don’t want to stay then you can always go back to the
hotel.”
Why
did it always seem as if they were arguing every other minute? One minute they
were ready to fall into each other’s arms, the next – some trivial thing would
bring about another fallout. Akira lowered his lashes in dismay. He was
beginning to think that the day was going to turn out to be like this. He was
already failing miserably at making Shindo enjoy their date, but he
still felt like he had to get his point across somehow.
“Shindo
he is...” He stopped as he saw the small frown on the blond’s face. And shaking
his head, he got to his feet and began to walk away. “Let’s go. We’re going to
miss the show.”
Shindo
watched the lowered head and the shuffling feet and he suddenly felt like a
complete heel. Touya was really trying his best to make the day fun for him and
here he was ruining it with his behavior. Jumping to his feet, he ran up to
catch the other boy and with a winning smile, he wrapped his arm around Akira’s
and leaned his head upon the strong shoulder. Trying hard not to laugh at the
surprised look that was thrown his way, he asked softly.
“So,
what show are we going to see anyway?”
~*~*~*~*~
They
ended up watching the Broadway production of the Lion King, which had both boys
‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ at the sheer splendor of the colorful costumes and stage
props. Each scene seemed to come to life and before long they were humming
along with the audience as if they had been to the show all their life.
As
they walked down the streets of Broadway, Shindo began to mimic some of the
moves he had seen ‘Simba the lion’ do and Akira had to laugh as he watched the
blond growl and shake his head around wildly.
“Grrrr!
Watch out Akira Touya! I’m coming to eat you for lunch! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”
He
made a move as if to pounce on the other boy and he found himself clutching air
as Akira had stepped out of the way nimbly. Akira grinned and stuck out his
tongue, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders as he let go
of his inhibitions. It felt good to laugh this way and as he began to run down
the street away from the chasing blond, he gave a small ‘whoop’ and picked up
his speed.
“Do
you want to ride the subway, Shindo??” he asked loudly as he stopped in front
of the stairs that led to the underground stations. “We can get to the Fair
much faster that...ooofff!”
“Gotcha!”
Hikaru screamed as he wrapped his arms tightly around Akira’s waist. “You can’t
escape me this time!”
Akira
giggled and tried to struggle his way out of the embrace. “Look, Shindo! Isn’t
that the famous basketball player you like so much?”
“What?
Who? Where?” The blond released him quickly, craning his neck around to see who
the famous athlete could be, but only ended up cursing softly as he noticed
Akira running down the stairs. “Touya! Kisama!”
The
dark-haired boy managed to find the time to ask someone where the next train
was going to and as soon as it came by, he dashed through the doors grinning
widely as Shindo followed seconds later. The train was soon filled to capacity
and so they had no other option but to stand side-by-side.
Both
flushed and panting with their exertion, they gave each other silly grins as
the little bumps and jolts the train sent them even closer to one another.
Another small jolt had Akira resting his forehead against Shindo’s and he could
feel his heart pound faster as he stared into green eyes that were so much like
his but yet so different. He felt as if he could drown in them and never wish
to be rescued. As for Shindo, he let go of the overhead rung to wrap his arms
around Akira’s waist, giving a small sigh of content.
It
would take a major jolt to get him to release his hold on the boy he
loved.
~*~*~*~*~
If
the Japanese boys had thought that their annual festivals were loud and noisy,
then this fair would have to be the grand daddy of all festivals. Not only was
it loud and noisy, but it seemed as if the entire world had migrated to this
particular area. There were many rides and booths opened up for games. Stalls
and vendors filled with all sorts of confectionaries ranging from your simple
sweets to more expensive ones lined the curbs. The smell of hotdogs and
barbecue, roasted marshmallows and acorn, burgers and beer filled the air and
this, of course, did more to remind Shindo that they had skipped lunch. The
evening was beginning to fall and the fairgrounds were beginning to brighten
with lights, giving the grounds an added air of mystery and excitement.
Meanwhile, Akira frowned as he lost again at the ‘Shoot
the Clown’ booth.
“Kuso,.” h muttered angrily as he
shelled out another five dollars for another go. He was determined to win this
game no matter what it took. Shindo, who was in the nearby stall, was busy
clobbering his competition in the ‘Horse races’. His horse always managed to
cross the finishing line before the others and after five wins and stuffed
animals later, the owner of the stall politely asked him to leave. He willingly
left and made his way over to Akira, grimacing as he watched the boy lose
again.
“Ano...maybe
we should play something else,” Shindo said through the pile of teddy bears in
his arms. Akira scowled and rose to his feet quickly, ignoring the whimpering cry
of ‘Aren’t you going to help me?’ from his companion. The blond pouted and
stopped as he saw a group of children. Smiling warmly, he handed the stuffed
animals to them and couldn’t help chuckling at the loud squeals of delight it
elicited.
“Touya!
Wait up!” He ran towards the striding boy and got a quick puzzled glance in
return.
“Where
are the toys?” Akira asked softly.
Hikaru
shrugged and leaned closer to give a small kiss on his cheek, still somewhat
shy about giving it to him on the lips. “I want you to win something for me,
Touya,” he said softly. He had gotten the sense that Akira had been trying to
win a game for him and Shindo decided that this was a good a chance as any.
Seeing the small look of gratitude in Akira’s eyes, he dutifully followed the longhaired boy
towards another stall.
~*~*~*~
Two
hotdogs, a can of Coke and two stuffed plushies later, found Akira and Shindo
standing in line to join the Ferris wheel. Shindo was pouting, however, for he
had wanted to go into the Haunted House attraction. Akira had not felt up to
it. And then Shindo had tried to get into the House of Mirrors, but Akira had
bailed out on that one too. It had taken all of Hikaru’s strength not to lose
his temper with the cool attitude. So, as a last resort, he suggested the Ferris
wheel and once Akira opened his mouth to protest, Shindo sent him a chilling
look that had sent his mouth clamming up immediately.
Finally,
it got to their turn and they were ushered into their seats. Making sure their
seat harnesses were in place, the slow ride to the top began with a little jolt
that had Akira gasping softly. For a second, Shindo wasn’t sure he had heard
the small sound and he lifted up his hands to give a loud cry of excitement.
“We
are going on the roller coaster next, Touya!!”
Akira
paled considerably but remained silent. If that was what Shindo wanted...then
who was he to refuse?
“Up!
Up and away!!”
The
stars had come out and it dusted the night sky with its beautiful sparkles. The
wind whipped through their hair as they slowly rose to the zenith of the wheel
and Hikaru could only gape at his surroundings in awe.
“It’s
beautiful...ne, Touya? Touya?”
He
blinked as he finally took notice of his ashen companion. He cradled the pale
face within his hands and stared into the worried green eyes before him. “Are
you okay, Touya? Why didn’t you tell me that you didn’t like riding in these
things?”
Akira
smiled weakly and shook his head. “I...I just wanted you to enjoy yourself,
Shindo-kun. It’s just a little stomach queasiness. It will pass...”
“Bakayaro!”
Shindo snapped angrily, even though his heart lurched at the selfless
sacrifice. He rested his forehead against Akira’s and caressed his lips gently
with a thumb. “You stupid, stupid, stupid fool,” he muttered softly as his eyes
shimmered with an emotion that threatened to make him break down at any moment.
“Why would you do such a thing?”
Akira
lifted a hand to place upon Shindo’s as he stared deeply into the twin pools of
green heat. “Because I...I....”
Tell
him now!
Shindo
felt as if his heart had stopped as he waited with abated breath for the words
from Touya’s lips. Please say
it...for both of us...
“I...I think...no...I am...” Akira took a much-needed breath before
finishing hoarsely. “I lo...love you, Shindo Hikaru.”
“Aki...Akira....”
came the shaky whisper of disbelief, relief and pure joy.
But
it seemed like Touya wasn’t finished yet, for before Shindo could think, he had
closed the distance between their lips with a feather light brush against them,
almost afraid that this night would end in a ‘puff’ if he went any further. The
blood rushed into Shindo’s face as he parted his lips, willingly inviting the
questing tongue further entrance into his mouth. He closed his eyes and slowly
sank his hands into Akira’s silken hair. Learning from his mistake with Waya,
Shindo decided that he would not rush anything but allow Akira to do what he
wanted with him.
With
a low groan, Akira slid his hands down to Shindo’s hips and held them tightly
as his tongue grew more aggressive. Hikaru shivered at the silent show of
strength and he could only whimper in pleasure as Akira kissed him with a
passion that was a far cry from the shy one they had shared in the kitchen. He
could feel his pants tightening and he pressed himself closer to Touya, hoping
that he wouldn’t be pushed away for showing the way he really felt. But from
the light nudge against his thigh, Hikaru was more than aware of how much this
was affecting Akira as well. He gave an inward cry of triumph as he wrapped his
arms around the strong neck and practically straddled Akira’s lap, never
breaking the kiss as they both relished in each other’s taste and feel.
Another
sharp jolt from the wheel caused them to cry out softly and pull away from each
other as they realized that the ride had come to an end all too soon. Both
blushed self-consciously and they lowered their gaze as if caught doing
something they shouldn’t have.
“Hey,
you guys coming out or what?”
They
jumped to their feet and stepped out of the carriage at the curt question from
the operator. With small sheepish smiles and their hands interlaced, Akira and
Hikaru walked back slowly to the main grounds.
So, this is what being in
love feels like, Shindo thought with a sense of giddiness as Akira suddenly stopped.
They
were in a relatively isolated area of the fair now and not many people wandered
around these parts. Shindo found himself enclosed in the strong arms again and
he put up no resistance as his lips were seized again in a more thorough and heart-stopping
kiss. His body was practically aching to be fulfilled and he yearned to be
complete with Akira in a way that was bound to change their lives forever.
Pulling
away gently to get some air, Hikaru licked his lips and stared into glazed
green eyes above him. “I...I...I love you too, Akira,” he blurted out, his
cheeks flaming as he finally said the words that he had longed to share.
The
6-Dan tightened his grip around Shindo’s waist and buried his face against his
neck. “Thank Kami. I thought that...that...you...you loved Waya more than I...”
At
the mention of the redhead’s name, Shindo stiffened and felt the color drain
from his face.
Waya....what
about...Waya?
Akira
felt the change and lifted his head to stare into the pale visage. He could
already sense the distress and he felt his heart clench in worry.
“Shin...Shindo...you do love me...don’t you?”
Hikaru
nodded slowly. “I do, Touya...it’s just that...”
Akira
pulled away completely with a hurt but angry expression on his handsome
features. “You love him too, right?”
“Akira...”
“You
can’t love two people at the same time, Shindo,” he bit out coldly. “You just
can’t! You are going to have to make up your mind sooner or later. It’s either
him or me!”
Hikaru
shivered and held his arms around his waist, shaking his head slowly as if
trying to believe that this wasn’t happening to him. “Please...don’t make me
choose...I...”
Why
can’t I love you both?!
But
Akira’s face was set in determination and as he spun around to make his way out
of the grounds, he muttered out softly.
“It’s
either me or Waya, Shindo-kun. You are going to have to break....someone’s
heart....”