Chapter Fifteen:
I
am so happy today…Sai. I cannot even begin to explain the way I feel inside
right now. My heart seems to beat with a rhythm all of its own - a beat that
sounds like that of a joy and completeness that I can never get enough of. I
thought that I could never feel this way for any other person…not ever. I
thought I would have to live the rest of my life hiding my true feelings from
them. But no more, Sai. I no longer have to remain in the shadows. I no longer
have to keep my thoughts and dreams from them. Hai…I love them both, Sai…and
nothing can ever change that…
“Oi,
Hikaru! We’re going to be late! Hurry up already!”
“Coming,
Waya!”
Well…looks
like it’s time to get the show on the road, Sai. I’m a bit nervous about the
match today. It’s against a formidable team after all. But I have a good
feeling about today. I know we can win. We have to! Everyone back home is
depending on us….
“Shiiiiiiiiiiinddooooo!”
“Coming!
Coming! Just need to fix up my tie!”
I
love them both, Sai. And nothing can ever change that…
~*~*~*~*~
He
closed his eyes and exhaled softly, his mind churning with images of stone
placements and possible movements from his opponent – only to find it replaced
with the images of the flushed and smiling visage of a certain blond and a
redhead. This caused him to shake his head lightly and to scowl at his lack of
concentration. But try as hard as he might, he could not shake off the warm
feeling of completion and satisfaction that filled his being as he stood
waiting in the lobby for said boys to come out of the apartment.
The
events of their activities last night were still fresh in his memory. Every
touch, taste, sound and smell invaded his senses causing him to groan softly
and to stuff his hands into the pockets of his dark pants. A light cough from
across the hall had him opening his eyes quickly with a guilty flush on his
cheeks as he stared at the unblinking bespectacled boy before him.
In
his daydream, he had completely forgotten that he had been waiting out here
with his teammate. He idly wondered what Ochi was thinking...not that he cared
either way.
“So,
you managed to get him, ne?” came the dry comment, which seemed to echo and
bounce off the walls of the silent hallway.
Akira
made a small sound that sounded eerily like a cough before shaking his head and
turning his gaze to the large flowerpots that decorated the corridor.
“What...what
are you talking about?” he asked quietly, hands tightening into fists within
his pockets. Where in Kami’s name were Waya and Hikaru? He didn’t think he
could deal with Ochi’s twenty questions right now.
Ochi
sighed heavily and pushed his glasses a bit higher up the bridge of his nose.
“I am saying that you and Waya think you have won him over, right? However, I
beg to differ, Touya.”
This
comment got the dark-haired boy’s attention and with a light frown on his
features, he spun back to face Ochi. “What on earth would make you say that?” he
asked in a tone that was filled with slight panic and an underlying current of
worry.
Ochi
shrugged lightly, his cold gaze not wavering from the 6-Dan’s handsome face.
“Shindo
was in a fragile state yesterday,” he said simply.
“Fra...gile...”
“You
both made him an emotional wreck the other day and naturally he came to me for
solace.”
“We
apologized...”
“Like
that’s supposed to help him in anyway,” Ochi retorted coldly. His eyes had
narrowed into thin slits of disdain as he continued. “Do you think that
sleeping with him would make things any better? And I would bet that he was
left with no option last night either. I would bet that he was taken against
his will...”
“Urusai!” Akira bellowed in growing
fury at the insinuation. “We did not take him against his will! Are you trying
to say that we...we...”
Ochi
quirked a brow and finished flatly. “Raped him? Hai, I think so.”
Akira
could feel the color drain from his face as he listened to the condemning
words. No...no way in hell. What they had done last night was a mutual thing.
They had enjoyed it. Hadn’t they? It had been a beautiful and wonderful thing,
hadn’t it? No one had gotten hurt...no one had complained. How could Ochi even
suggest a thing like that?
“How
dare you. How dare you say that we...”
“It
doesn’t matter now,” Ochi replied with a wave of dismissal. “At least...it
shouldn’t matter until someone questions Shindo about the bruises on his wrists
during the press conference today. Or about...this...”
He
tossed a large yellow envelope that he had been hiding behind his back towards
Akira, who caught it with hands that trembled slightly.
“What’s...what’s this?” he croaked weakly, feeling the fear slowly
creep up his spine.
“This
was left in front of the apartment door this morning. Luckily, I was up first
and managed to pick it up before Ogata sensei could come by. Apparently,
someone wants you all to get into some kind of scandal.”
Akira
could only gape at Ochi with incredulity. The envelope remained unopened in his
hands, his mind racing a mile-a-minute as he tried to deduce any sort of clue
as to what could be in it. And from the other boy’s tone, it looked as if it
wasn’t going to be good.
“Go
on,” Ochi cajoled with a nod in his direction. “Open it. It’s not going to open
by itself you know.”
The
6-Dan gave a light nod as he began to release the fastening on it. He hoped and
prayed that it wouldn’t be anything that he would have to be ashamed of for the
rest of his life. Kami! He couldn’t even begin to imagine what could possibly
be in there.
Scandal.
Someone wants to get us into some sort of scandal...but who? And why?
Finally
opened, he slipped his fingers into it and from the feel of whatever was
inside, he could tell that they were photographs.
~
Scandal! ~ His
mind screamed. ~ Photographs...what have I done to be so ashamed of?~
He
was just about to pull one of them out to see, when a familiar loud and
cheerful voice caused him to close it back quickly and to hide it behind his
back.
“Ohayo,
Touya-sensei! Ochi-kun! Are you both ready to kick some Korean butt today?
Hahaha!”
Akira
gave a wan smile and bowed politely as he faced the jovial Kurata. Clad in his
trademark white shirt and dark pants...and his fan with the words ‘Honinbo
Number One’ blazoned brightly on it, the older man grinned widely and stopped
before them. “Eh? What’s with the gloomy looks? Aren’t you guys confident in
your ability to defeat them? You shouldn’t be too worried. Why just the other
day...”
Akira
tuned the long speech out as his fingers tightened around the damned object. He
had to find out what was in this before Waya or Hikaru came out. He had to
discover for himself just what was in store for he and his...
Lovers...
Blushing
a bright beet red at the word, he coughed lightly and shuffled his feet.
I
have to get out of here...now!
The
sound of the elevator opening up again, had the trio spinning around sharply.
Ogata came strolling casually towards them with a light frown of disapproval on
his features.
“Ohayo,
Ogata-sensei! Fine morning for you to...”
“Kurata-san,”
came the calm reply, as he acknowledged the other man’s presence with a light
nod. “Shouldn’t you be in the lounge downstairs? I would like to have a word
with the boys if I may.”
Kurata
had the grace to blush. “Ah...of course, of course. I will leave you all to get
the game plans rolling along. Do not hesitate to ask for my advice or opinion
on anything, okay? Remember,
They
waited for the doors to close behind Kurata, before each gave an inward sigh of
relief. Ochi couldn’t be sure, but he sensed that there was something wrong
with their sensei. The older man looked...distracted, and it seemed like he
couldn’t maintain eye contact with them for long periods.
He
can’t be nervous about the match today...can he? It’s not as if he’s the one
that’s playing.
He stole a glance at Akira and noticed that his captain looked just as
preoccupied. Hmm...at this rate, we might have our hands full with the match
today. Perhaps I shouldn’t have shown him the envelope so early. Now, it’s
going to be on his mind all day. Feh...like I care. He deserves it. That will
teach him not to mess around with other people’s emotions.
“Where
are Shindo and Waya?” Ogata asked quietly...to no one in particular.
When
Akira showed no signs of responding, Ochi sighed and replied. “They are still
in the apartment, sensei. Would you like me to call them out for you?”
“No...no
need...”
For
the life of him, Ogata could not understand the reason for his nervousness this
morning. It wasn’t about the match, that much he knew. He had faith in his
boys’ ability to take care of themselves. They had grown so much over the years
and playing against the Korean team shouldn’t be too much of a hurdle. It
wasn’t going to be easy, but they had no plans to be walkovers either.
It
was his activities yesterday that had him concerned. The last thing he had
remembered was being with some of his long time American friends. They had gone
to a nearby club to celebrate being with each other after so many years
(something Ogata wouldn’t have done under normal circumstances. He didn’t like
to party the night before a big game, especially one so critical). However, one
thing had led to another and the next thing he knew...
“Are
you alright, Ogata-sensei?” Akira asked with a wary look as he noticed the
older man rub his forehead gently. “You look a bit pale.”
“I
am...I am fi...”
“And
then he says ‘You are sitting on my pizza! Get the hell up!’” The following
sounds of laughter from Waya and Shindo interrupted the tense silence as the
two boys stepped out of the apartment and into the hallway.
Akira
felt his heart beat quicken at the sight of them and the insane urge to run
into their arms and to clasp them tightly to him, never wanting to let go,
overwhelmed him so much that he had to take a step backwards and turn his gaze
away quickly. He couldn’t afford to let any one else know that they were now
that intimate. If word got out...
Photographs!
The scandal! Oh no! Kami, please don’t let it be what I think it is!
Waya
ruffled Hikaru’s hair and was just about to say something else, when his
peripheral vision caught the three men waiting for them. The loud greeting he
had reserved for Akira died on his lips as he stared into the blank gaze of
Ogata. The smile on his lips vanished just as quickly as his body stiffened.
Shindo who had been ready to grab the red head in a playful headlock, blinked
at the sudden change in body language.
“Waya?
Is everything alright...oh! Ohayo, Ogata-sensei,” he greeted with a light bow
and a happy smile. “Aki...eh...Touya...” He corrected himself quickly, trying
unsuccessfully to hide the dull blush that filled his cheeks. They had all
agreed to start calling each other by the first names now, since they had begun
a new and more intimate part of their relationship. Akira responded with a
blush of his own as he managed a small smile. Satisfied with that, Shindo turned
to face Ochi, only to come face-to-face with a cold stare that sent a jolt of
guilt down his spine.
“Ochi-kun...”
“Good
morning to you too, Shindo. I hope you had a good night’s rest.”
The
sarcasm was not lost on the three boys as their faces darkened with
embarrassment, but either Ogata didn’t notice or pretended not to notice for he
interrupted curtly.
“Let
us go through a quick rundown of what we can expect from the other team today,
shall we?”
Waya
tried to focus on the words that came out from the teacher’s lips. But as hard
as he tried, all that seemed to come to mind was the image of almost being
taken by the older man last night. He had kept trying to tell himself that the
teacher had been too drunk to know that he was doing, but then again...people
who were drunk and did certain things while in such a state, might have had a
subconscious thought of actually doing such a thing while sober, ne?
So...does
that mean that he has always wanted to...
“Waya...I would like to have a word with you.”
He
jerked his head upright at the command, eyes widening with slight panic as he
noticed that the other boys had begun to make their way towards the elevator.
“Ano...I
don’t...don’t think I should. I mean, I have to go and get myself ready for...”
“It
will only take a minute, Waya.”
Giving
a heavy sigh of resignation and a light wave to the concerned looks he got from
Akira and Shindo, he leaned against the wall and shoved his hands into his
pockets, his gaze fixed stubbornly on a painting across him. As the sounds of
the elevators closing signaled their solitude, he tried hard to maintain his
air of nonchalance, even as his heart continued to pound with growing worry.
What if Ogata tried to make a move on him again? What was he going to do? This
time around, Waya was sure that he was going not going to have the strength to
push the very sober...
“I
am sorry.”
Nani!
He blinked
and gawked at the older man in disbelief. “What...?”
Ogata
sighed and took another drag on his cigarette before stubbing it out on a
nearby ashtray. “About last night, Waya. I must have done something...” He
quirked a brow at the redhead in curiosity. “You did come to my apartment last
night, right?”
“Ha...hai...”
“In
that case, I apologize for my behavior and I can assure you that it will not
repeat itself, understood?”
“Ye...yes,
sir...”
“However,
you still had no right to come into my room without permission.”
“I
did knock...several times. I thought something must have happened to you.”
Ogata
stared at the boy with a smirk before shaking his head lightly. “Thank you for
your concern, Waya. But I am sure that I can handle and take care of myself.”
He pulled out a packet of cigarettes from his jacket and shook it lightly.
Cursing softly beneath his breath as he realized that he was out, he gave a
small sigh. “You had better run along to meet your teammates. Good luck in your
match today.”
The
redhead grinned and gave a thumbs up. “Thank you! I’ll do my best!”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Oi...you
would think that this was the finals or something,” Shindo muttered softly as
he stared in silent awe at the jam-packed auditorium. The last four teams,
Korea, Japan, China and the surprising underdog, Taiwan, were all being ushered
into their seats as cameras flashed and media reporters talked on and on about
the possible outcomes of the matches today.
As
predicted, no one put the Japanese team as the favorite for their
competition...which sent the bleached blond growling at the injustice of it
all. “Kuso! Do they think that we don’t know how to play or anything?”
“It’s
only fair,” Akira muttered softly as he noticed his opponent walk into the room
to take his seat position. “They are the better team...”
“On
paper,” Hikaru interrupted with a huff. “Grrr...I can’t wait to crush their
faces into the dirt...”
As
the blond continued with his tirade, Akira’s mind went to the envelope he had
hidden carefully beneath his jacket. He had tried to catch Ochi’s gaze but the
other boy had set out to make the situation extremely difficult for him. He
gave up trying to get his attention and instead focused on the many faces that
swam before him. Who could possibly be behind this? Whatever this was?
Many
people don’t exactly like us...so it could be anyone. I hate this feeling of
helplessness!
“What’s
the matter, Akira?” came the concerned voice of Waya, who had finally reached
the main floor. He resisted the temptation to wrap his arms around the other
boy’s shoulders and instead settled for a warm squeeze of his hand as he peered
into the pale visage with concern. “You don’t look so good. Are you...scared?”
Touya
shook his head and gave his companion as good a smile as he could muster. “It’s
okay, Waya-kun,” he replied.
That’s
it! I have to find out what’s in here or I am going to go insane with worry.
“Could you
both excuse me for a minute or two? I have something I need to take care of.”
Waya
and Shindo could only blink in surprise as they watched their partner almost
run away from them. They shared a bewildered look before noticing that a
certain bespectacled boy was also nowhere to be found.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Akira
slipped into the quiet confines of the library, making his way towards the
solace of the hidden reading areas. Falling into a chair, as his legs were
threatening to give way, he pulled the envelope out of his jacket and opened it
quickly. With hands that shook badly, he nearly ripped it in his haste as he
pulled out the pictures that promptly sent the color draining off his features.
No...it
can’t be! No...who...who did this?!
“I was
shocked as well, Touya.”
The
dark-haired boy gasped in shock and spun around quickly. Ochi stood before him
with the same cold look of disdain on his features – a condemning look that
spoke volumes. Scattered across the small reading table were pictures of he and
Shindo at the fair kissing...but more importantly, pictures of all three
boys...naked and in the throes of passion. Who in Kami’s name could have
gotten access to them at such a time?!
“This...this
isn’t...”
“Isn’t
possible?” Ochi cut in calmly. “Perhaps you should read the accompanying note.”
Not
really wanting to do so, Akira picked up the typewritten message and read it
silently.
‘You
are going to have to lose your match against
“Kuso!” He tossed the paper to the
floor and buried his face in his hands, his body trembling with unsuppressed
rage, confusion and misery. This couldn’t be happening. It just couldn’t be
happening. Not to him...not now...
Ochi
leaned closer and whispered into his ear. “But most importantly, Touya. I
suggest you keep Shindo out of this. I don’t really care what happens to you
and Waya, but if you hurt Shindo again...I swear it...I will never, ever forgive
you.”
He
pulled away and smirked coldly. “Good luck in your match today.”
And
spinning on his heels, he left the lonesome figure to his tumultuous thoughts,
knowing full well that whoever had sent the pictures had only used the magic of
technology to create indelible images that could very well ruin the lives of
three young men...forever.