Touya Akira stared at the patterns of black and white spread across the goban in front of him. He was at his father's go salon, playing yet another game with Shindou Hikaru, his friend and rival, and it was his move. As his fingers played among the smooth stones in his bowl he became increasingly aware of the usual crowd of salon regulars who had tendency to watch their games. He tried to ignore them and concentrated further on the board in front of him. Shindou had managed to cut his territory in the upper corner and had a strong hold on the middle and lower corners of the board as well. No matter where he considered a move on the board, it was hopeless.

"I... have nothing," he said quietly. He immediatly had the urge to strangle Shindou, whose face now held a triumphant smirk. Instead he growled and pushed a strand of hair out of his face, "Shall we count?"

They did. Akira lost by a moku and a half. He sighed and the two boys began to recreate the game, pointing out mistakes that the other had missed, complimenting good moves, and other such things. As usual it started out calmly, professionally, but, as usual, it began to escalate into something more.

"What are you talking about?" Shindou shouted, glaring at Akira and pointing to a stone on the goban, "This move was fine!"

"For an insei!" Akira shouted back. He pointed to a point on the board several places away from the other boy's stone, "This would have been a much better move!"

The red in Shindou's face was beginning to contrast greatly with his blonde bangs as he pointed accusingly at one of Akira's stones. "Well, a beginner wouldn't have made ~this~ mistake!" He leaned across the board, his deep, charcoal eyes glaring at his opponent.

The green haired go pro huffed indignantly. Around them the men, who had been watching the game so intensly before, were starting to move away, not wanting to be near the two as their egos waged war over the go stones. Neither Touya nor Shindou noticed this, however, as their shouts were getting louder and more heated by the minute. Their faces were inches apart now as they continued debating.

In his rush to get away from the arguing teenagers, one of the older men bumped into Akira, pushing him towards Shindou. For a fleeting moment, the two boys' lips met, their eyes going wide. Almost as soon as it had happened, it was over, and the man was apologizing to Akira. He didn't noticed, though, as his eyes were locked on Shindou's. Shindou was still red, but there was a difference in the attitude of it. Akira felt his face flush as well, and before he realized what he was doing he grabbed his bag and ran out of the salon and down the street.

He finally slowed down as he neared the park that was a couple of blocks from the salon. Spotting a bench, he dropped his bag onto it and slumped down. Thoughts and images were racing through his head: the kiss, Shindou blushing, feeling his own cheeks burn. He ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm overreacting," he said to himself, "It was an accident. An innocent accident..." He didn't sound convincing even to himself.

It was true, though. It had been an accident. The problem was... he had liked it. He had never thought about anyone that way, much less another boy, and yet there had been something about it that excited him. Even in such a brief instant, it had sparked something inside him. As he sat on the bench under the sun, he couldn't help but wanting to do it again, longer perhaps, so he could get a proper taste of him.

"Stop it!" he scolded himself, drawing looks from some of the people around him. He blushed. After a moment he stood up and grabbed his bag. He paused to look up at the sky.

'Go is the most important thing in my life,' he thought to himself, 'I can't let something as simple as a brief kiss distract me.' He turned in the direction of home and started walking.

"Besides, he probably didn't like it anyway..." he added under his breath.

******

Hikaru sat on the floor in his room, leaning against the bed and staring at the wall. He had been doing it for the past half hour or so, ever since he had gotten home from the go salon.

After Touya had run from the salon, everyone had turned and stared at him. One of the old men had asked what he had done to upset his friend like that. Hikaru could only stammer, not actually being able to get anything out. He had been amazed that no one had noticed their lips touching when Touya was knocked off balance. Well, no one except for the two boys involved. Hikaru felt his cheeks get hot again.

"Sai... I wish you were here right now. I could talk to you about this if you were still here..." he lamented quietly. He dropped his head back onto the matress and closes his eyes.

'It was just something that happened,' he thought to himself, 'It didn't mean anything...'

He wanted to believe that, anyway, but inside he knew that it was a lie. It may not have intentionally meant anything, but it had provoked feelings from him that he wasn't sure he wanted to feel. It had made him feel warm, and not just from the blush. It had started from the point of contact and had spread through his body in a pleasant wave.

He sat up straight with a surge of anger and punched the floor. It's not right to feel this way! Touya Akira was a friend, a rival, and what's more, a ~boy~. Boys don't kiss boys, and boys especially don't like it when they kiss boys. They don't want it again, don't want it to go further, don't want another boy's body close to their's...

Hikaru shook his head.

"Damnit, what's wrong with me? He's a guy!" he cried.

He hugged his knees to his chest and hung his head. As much as he wanted to deny it, that brief brush of Touya's lips against his had awakened feelings that Hikaru hadn't known were there. Yet, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Touya was most of what he had thought about for the past couple of years. He had always put it down to go, to their rivalry, but he had caught himself thinking of the green haired boy even when he was playing someone else, or when he wasn't playing at all. He sighed and looked up at the wall again.

"Touya Akira..." he said softly. The name almost seemed melodic on his lips.

******

Days had passed since the incident at the go salon, and in those few days Akira had seen nothing of Shindou. The blonde didn't have a game scheduled until the beginning of the next week, so he hadn't seen him around the Go Institute. He hadn't been to the go salon either, even though Akira would wait there every day in hopes that he might show up. Akira tried to rationalize it by telling himself that Shindou was probably busy with other things, but in the pit of his stomach he had the awful feeling that his rival was purposely avoiding him. Even worse, he couldn't get the thought out of his head that Shindou might actually blame him for what had happened and was angry about it.

The boy sighed. It hurt to think that Shindou was mad at him, but it still didn't change the fact that he had thought of nothing else since it had happened. He had tried, oh how he had tried! to focus on go and the games he played with his father and the other pros, but the scene from the salon was continually tugging at the back of his mind, demanding attention. It didn't help matters, either, when his imagination started to wander to other things he wanted to do with the other boy. Once, at the dinner table, his imagination had gone so far that he turned beet red and fled to his room, burrying his face in his pillow and trying to make the images leave his mind.

'All this from a simple accident,' he thought dryly.

He stared ahead of him, not really noticing anything that was there. Had these feelings been there all along, lying dormant until fate found a way to bring them to light? He had to admit, ever since he had met Shindou in the go salon the overly energetic and often times rude boy had been an important part of his life. He had been to Shindou's school just to see him, had asked to be third position during the school go tournament so he could play him. Come to think of it, he had spent a lot of time and trouble so that he could see Shindou. He had always thought it was because he saw the boy as a rival, but could it really have been...?

"What am I going to do?" he asked himself aloud.

"Yes, what are you going to do, Akira-kun?"

The voice of Akira's father jolted him back to reality. It was late afternoon and he was playing the usual game of go with the retired pro. He shook his head lightly and stared at the board as he realized that it was his move. He picked up a stone, twirling it lightly in his fingers while contemplating his move. It dawned on him that he didn't know where his father had just moved.

He sighed and dropped the stone back into its bowl. "I have nothing," he said, bowing his head a bit.

Touya Kouyo huffed and almost glared at his son. "What's wrong with you? You have plenty of room to come back and be victorious," he said coldly. He pointed out several different points, explaining how they would have worked to Akira's advantage.

Akira stood up and looked down at his father, then bowed respectfully. "I apologize, Father. My mind is elsewhere this morning." With that, he turned and walked quickly to his room, leaving his father looking confused and annoyed.

He entered his room and closed the door behind him, then lay on his stomach on his bed. His father had been right, those were moves that an intermediate player could have spotted. He rolled onto his back, draping an arm across his eyes, and scolded himself inwardly. He was a professional in the world of go, and he couldn't afford to lose games because his was fantasizing over Shindou. However, the more he tried not to think of him, the more he plagued his mind.

He lay silent for a long time, aware of only the gentle sound of his breathing and the even gentler feeling of his heart beating in his chest. After a long while that seemed like practically forever, he moved his arm and sat up, squinting at the evening sun that poured through his window. He knew what he had to do; it was the only thing he could do to get the blonde out of his head. He nodded once, reassuring himself that it would be the best course of action, and stood up.

He had to find Shindou.

******

Hikaru stared at his ceiling. He had been avoiding Touya ever since that day at the go salon. He wasn't sure how he could face him now. When he thought of the green haired boy, images of the kiss flooded to the front of his mind, and he could only imagine what his mind, and perhaps body, would do if he confronted him again. The absence of his rival created a sadness inside him, though, and he wasn't sure if he could stand to not see him for much longer. He sat up and ran a hand through his two-toned hair, sighing heavily.

'Things can't go on like this,' he thought to himself.

What if he confessed? If Touya rejected him, then he would be able to put it out of his mind and move on with things. Of course, there was always the chance that a confession could alienate the neat, proper Touya Akira and ruin their friendship. Then Hikaru remembered that Waya had mentioned that Touya had been looking for him, so maybe there was a possibiity...

Hikaru bolted to his feet, grabbed his backpack, and flew down the stairs, pausing only long enough to slip on his shoes before he was out the door and running down the street towards town. The setting sun glared down on him as he rushed past people merrily laughing or chatting with friends or into a cellphone. Street by street he went, praying each moment that he would find Touya at the go salon. As he neared the corner that turned to the street he needed, he slowed down, trying to catch his breath. He paused and wiped a sleeve across his brow, soaking the fabric with sweat.

Finally, after a long moment, he turned the corner and began to walk as casually as he could towards the salon while trying to ignore the rough thumping of his heart in his chest. His stomach felt as it it had turned into butterflies as he walked into the building and waved as casually as he could at the clerk at the front counter.

"Hello, Shindou-kun," she said merrily, "Akira-kun has been looking for you."

Hikaru swallowed and nodded slowly. He looked around the salon, but didn't see any neatly cut green hair. "Uhm... where is he?" he asked quickly.

The young woman looked to her right and then to her left before motioning Hikaru to come forward a little. "He's in the bathroom," she whispered.

He thanked her and hurried to the back, pushing through the door to the men's bathroom. Touya was there in front of a sink, apparently having just finished washing his hands as he was putting his handkercheif back into his pocket. He looked up at the noisy entrance, and the two boys' eyes met. Hikaru took in a sharp breath and walked over to the other, not taking his eyes off him.

"Shindou..." Touya said, sounding a bit surprised.

Hikaru swallowed and opened his mouth, "I need to tell you some-" he said, but he was cut off.

"I like you!" Touya exlaimed quickly. His cheeks were turning pink and he looked to the tiles on the floor. "I... I know that we're both guys, and that this may be a little awkward, but I just had to tell you. I like you Shin-... Hikaru."

Hikaru blinked. He couldn't believe it. Touya Akira had just confessed to him! For a second he was so surprised that he didn't know what to do or say, but then, in a rush like a tidal wave, it dawned on him just what this meant. He wouldn't ruin their friendship by confessing his own feelings because Touya felt the same way. He felt he would practically burst from the happiness he felt inside, but then he noticed that the other boy was staring at him with tears threatening to overflow.

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said anything," Touya said quietly.

The blonde looked at him, realizing that he must have been silent for too long. He mentally scolded himself, feeling guilty for giving the wrong impression. He stepped closer to the other, wanting to hug him and tell him that it was okay, that he liked him, too, but Touya backed away and into the wall behind him. Hikaru noticed that he looked a little scared. He placed his hands on the wall to either side of the boys head and smiled gently.

"It's okay," he said soothingly, "I like you, too... Akira."

He pressed his lips against his rival's in a proper, though a bit clumsy kiss. He felt Touya tense for a moment, and then relax into it, wrapping his arms around Hikaru. For a long time the two stood like that, Akira holding the blonde close and Hikaru using the wall for support, their lips, and sometimes their tongues, interlocked in new discovery.