LOG; Hikaru & Akira

[sprinted.livejournal.com]

When; July 1st (early, early morning) after this post.
Rating; PG for uh peep shows?
Characters; Touya Akira enterprisingly & Shindou Hikaru sprinted
Summary; Touya goes out to find Hikaru at a very questionable hour in a very questionable section of town. They argue and eventually play go. No, seriously.
Log;

It was rather...unbelievable that he'd been brought here in the first place, but for Shindou to be the first person he knew to be brought here as well... What were the chances?

He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, honestly. On one hand, it was an immense relief to have someone familiar suffer the same fate as him. At least he was no longer alone, now. At the same time, he knew it was a selfish thought to wish such misfortune upon someone else.

Still, it figured that it would be Shindou. If I can't move forward, then neither can you. Perhaps a rather haughty point of view, but he was sure Shindou felt the same. And yet...his rival was...at a peep show?

What kind of idiot was he?! He came to this place and the first spot he managed to find Internet at was in the red light district in the underground. To say Akira felt out of place was a great understatement. This place was the most bizarre section of the City--and that was saying a lot. And why did it have to be the middle of the night? It was creepy, and people were dressed especially sparse due to the curse that had ended only hours before.

When he finally found his way to the red light district, he was horrified to see just how many peep show signs there were. Shying away from any straying eyes, Akira moved to one side of the street and just began peering in windows, hoping to catch a glimpse.

Not wanting to draw too much attention in this place, he called out the name a few times, but kept from outright yelling just yet. "Shindou. Shindou, get out here!"

He was cursed. That was the only explanation that Hikaru could come up with. So the last time wasn’t so bad but being haunted by a ghost no matter how friendly and wonderfully life changing could hardly be considered lucky. And whoever heard of riding the subway to another world? He’d never even taken the subway to Yokohama let alone the edges of a nameless city.

It’d been well into the night and creeping towards early morning when he’d stumbled out of the subway. Hikaru wasn’t that bright but even he knew better than to wander a strange city hours before dawn. Apparently Touya though was crazy enough to wander around at this hour. It made him wish he’d stumbled into a better area, Touya looked like a girl and girls really weren’t supposed to walk around alone at this hour. Sure he wasn’t really a girl but drunk dudes wouldn’t know any better until it was too late.

Man, if anything happened it’d so be his fault.

“Mister, thanks for lending me the computer, I’m going now!” he called out over the sleazy music to the jovial looking man that gave him a nod and said something that didn’t reach. Sketchy place but strangely he wasn’t scared. He was too confused to get scared. Maybe, maybe he’d wake up in an ambulance with a voice in his head.

He stepped out of the small establishment, squeezing around a late coming customer to bob out into the red hued air. If Touya were nearby he’d stick out like a sore thumb. Hikaru scanned the near empty streets, skimming past anyone that wasn’t neatly and completely dressed before stopping on the all too familiar figure. Walking away from him. He ran up behind Touya, hand landing easily on the other teen’s shoulder, “Hey, Touya!”

The hand to his shoulders gave him such chills that he could have sworn he nearly felt his skin crawl. The familiar voice didn't register until he had already grabbed Hikaru's hand to twist it around and shove him against the nearest wall...which probably wasn't very clean, but he certainly wasn't paying attention to that.

He'd just been wondering if he needed to pull the knife he'd purchased out when he realized who it was, and the guilt he felt was...short-lived. He'd had every right to react the way he did. This place did things to people, and it was only natural for him to be jumpy and defensive.

"You idiot! You don't sneak up on someone like that in a place like this! You're just asking for trouble." Of course, the entire time he was lecturing, he was looking the other boy over to make sure he hadn't been seriously injured or worse--man handled.

“Geez, now you know how freaked out I get when you appear out of nowhere.” Maybe he should have been more worried about himself than Touya. Hikaru raised a hand to rub at his head where it had bounced from the wall. At least he had a nice thick skull he knew.

“That hurt you know.” He pushed Touya back, get out of his personal space bubble of sorts and so that he could pull away from the very questionable wall. He needed a shower. And since there was no way home according to that report that Touya had demanded that he read Hikaru figured his mom would kill him either way. Might as well be clean. Probably getting off the streets and away from all the advertisements for naked ladies would be a good idea too. The confusion was clearing enough for the setting to be uncomfortable and worrying.

“So where are we gonna go from here?” he asked, looking around owlishly. Honestly both ways looked the same to him, red signs to the front, red signs to the back. Bad music everywhere, crawling from the crack of every door and…some other noises here and there that he didn’t bother to place for the sake of his innocence.

"I don't appear out of--never mind. And you should be happy that's all I did to you." Of course, the threat was rather hollow. Akira might have owned a knife, but that didn't mean he knew how to use it...and he doubt he would ever be able to, unless he was truly in a life-threatening situation. And even then? ...Well he wouldn't know unless it happened.

Hopefully never.

Reaching up to brush off his shoulder where Hikaru had previously touched, as if getting rid of any cooties left behind, the boy stepped back to look around. "We're going..."

...Wait. He wasn't actually lost, was he? He couldn't be lost. No, he just needed to calm down and remember landmarks. That neon sign... He was positive that had been on his left when walking down this street, so... "This way. Come on."

It was easy to look confident as he marched off ahead of the other teen, but this place just wouldn't stop giving him the creeps. He would feel much safer when he was near his apartment building... That was at least familiar territory.

Hikaru kept his eyes carefully averted from the various posters of girls with stars over their nipples. He’d never lingered in an area like this before and never at heaven knows what time. And it wasn’t like he wanted to linger, Hikaru offered no complaints as he followed Touya in stride even if he was being a bit of a prick. He was even glad to see Touya, after all that was nothing new at least. Hikaru was learning to find comfort in things that didn’t change, Touya magically appearing out of thin air was becoming one of those things, freaky as that seemed.

It was nice now, when he’d been thrown into something new and more bizarre than the last. “So…all that stuff you made me read, you really think it’s true?” It sounded like science fiction except there wasn’t quite enough logic behind it. It wasn’t quite fantasy because it lacked in the “fantastic” area. Maybe it was just weird and unbelievable. But Hikaru had seen enough weird things in his life that maybe he could buy all that. Given a few days anyways, once the shock and “maybe this is a dream” sentiment wore off.

Right now it was still somewhere in between disbelief and convinced. Listening even though he was bad at it and counting the number of cigarette butts on the street and how many pieces of old gum he stepped on. It was as dirty as some of the alleyways in Tokyo that was for sure. Somehow that grounded him a bit.

With a sigh, Akira tried not to show just how irritated he was. Honestly, he was...a little turned around, and Hikaru bothering him with questions wasn't helping. The landmarks weren't very helpful when there were people blocking them. And they were the types of people that Akira didn't want to spend too long looking at, either... When a woman hanging by a fire hydrant caught his eye, he was quick to turn away, face red as he darted around the corner.

He had to keep walking, though... If he stopped, then Hikaru would know he was lost. And look incompetent in front of Shindou? That was almost as bad as looking incompetent in front of his father. ...Almost.

"Well, I've spoken with the deities. They seem surreal enough...not to mention insane. And I've seen somebody magically change shape... This place had a blizzard only a couple days ago, and then yesterday was hotter than any Tokyo summer I've suffered."

“You know you sound crazy, right?” It was weird, Hikaru kind of always thought that Touya would be the one saying that to him not the other way around. But it did sound crazy even if Hikaru did believe him. Touya wasn’t the kind of person for random crazy talk so if this place convinced him of that Hikaru was pretty sure he’d be convinced eventually, no point in fighting it.

“If this place is really so weird they should have like things so that we can just pop from place to place. Like videogames,” he blabbered meaninglessly because they’d been walking for a while and he really wasn’t sure where they were going. And his own voice was a lot nicer than the noise in the surrounding area seriously. Discomfort was starting to settle snuggly in his stomach but there was the faint possibility that he was just hungry.

Did he dare ask? “…Touya, do you know where you’re going?”

Akira's brow twitched in further irritation as he marched on. "Pop from place to place? Now who's sounding crazy?"

Oh, he didn't want to answer that last question...but it did make him stop and fold his arms across his chest. There was no use lying about it. He could be stubborn at times, but he wasn't an outright liar. "...I know where we're going...I just may have gotten a bit turned around on how to get there."

Sighing, he tried not to sound as incredibly tired as he was, and he dropped his arms to begin walking again. "I'm sure it's this way. I recognize that grocery store."

Sure enough, he did recognize it...which meant...turn left? Yes. Left.

“Well if the place is crazy anyways it might as well be convenient,” he replied flippantly. Hikaru stared at Touya as he admitted, in a rather roundabout way, that he was lost.

“You’re really not good at directions,” there was no sting in the statement, it was just one of those thoughtless things that came out of his mouth without conscious control. But really they were lost and it was probably something like four in the morning in a really sketchy section of a really sketchy city. Where was his optimism right now when he needed it? “Are you really sure? I mean we could just find a place to rest until it’s bright and ask for directions when the people aren’t as creepy looking.” There were hotels all over the streets anyways, basically holes in the walls but he wasn’t really picky at this moment. Granted the thought of hanging out in what was probably a love hotel with Touya of all people did make him pull a funny face. But it was possibly a better option than wandering dark streets with dark corners that probably had people scarier than Ogata hanging around them.

Why did Hikaru always have to say just the things that annoyed him the most? It was almost like he went out of his way to grate on Akira's nerves... Only it was clear he wasn't even trying, from his tone, like it had merely been a thoughtless comment.

Stopping again, Akira gave his 'rival' a sour look, though it was still rather subtle compared to some. "I'm bad at directions?! Who's the one who got lost on the way to my house? When I had even given you a map?!"

The urge to stamp his foot like a child throwing a temper tantrum was...so strong. But he resisted. He was dignified, after all. He had class. "I have a perfectly nice apartment of my own. We don't need to stay in one of these ratty things. Who knows what's lurking in the walls. Not just rats, I assure you."

Offhandedly, he shifted and muttered, "Probably demon vampire rats."

“A map that wasn’t right,” Hikaru returned with a slight snort. Hey, Touya started it if anyone asked and here he doubted anyone would. Crazy Touya, he was just looking out for their butts.

“And even if your apartment is all perfect and doesn’t have a single hair out of place we don’t know how to get there! And ratty room is better than dark alleys with demon stalker men in white suits.” Seriously the worse that could happen to Hikaru was that he’d get stabbed and mugged or something. Touya might get molested, he just had that look. And Hikaru wasn’t going to have that hanging on his conscience. “Just seriously, do you know which way to go from here? Because we might just end up wandering into a place with crazy murderous clowns that kill little boys and eat them or something.”

That was a real thing too, Hikaru thought. Maybe, he heard about it somewhere though he couldn’t really remember where. It was a creepy thought but this was a creepy place so if something like that could actually exist anywhere it was here. “If you really know the way I’ll follow you,” he wasn’t going to leave Touya. But he wasn’t against dragging Touya’s skinny ass for some cover until there was actual sunlight rather than just red lights.

The thought of going to one of those hotels honestly terrified him. In reality, they shouldn't have been any worse than the apartments... It was all barren and unknown when you first walked in. Who knew what had happened in his apartment before he moved in... But at least it appeared clean.

What if these didn't? At the very least, he was going to scout out the cleanest apartment he could. Already, the idea of sleeping in his clothes nearly made him scowl as he turned and started to walk again.

"It was right. It isn't my fault if you have problem following directions. And what are you talking about? Demon stalker men in white suits? I haven't seen any of those. Or clowns. You're getting ahead of yourself, Shindou."

Finally spotting something that looked decent, and that didn't have anything resembling a prostitute or a pimp standing in front of it, Akira stopped and held out his hand. "Lend me a hundred yen." In this place, that little ought to cover them both.

“Well you said demon vampire rats,” he reasoned. What he’d said didn’t seem so crazy when Touya was talking about demon vampire rats. But Hikaru held his tongue, for once, since it looked like Touya was actually going to listen and find a place until daylight. No need to piss him off and make him change his mind.

He dug into his pocket for his wallet, 100 yen wasn’t that much, he probably had that though he’d expected Touya to have something on him. Would 100 yen be enough to cover even the most cheap ass of hotels? Still, no arguing, he just fished out his wallet and pulled out a shiny 100 yen coin and handed it to Touya.

“You think they have food here too?” Yeah, that was hungry, not paranoid butterflies in his stomach.

Accepting the coin, Akira was at the very least polite enough to hold the door open for Hikaru before entering after him. It was a cheap looking hotel, even if it was clean... He doubted it had much more than coffee, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Perhaps they had a basic continental breakfast or something.

The question was answered before he could even ask the front desk, though, when he noticed a small continental room set up with various pastries, cereals, and drinks off to the side behind a glass door. The boy was quick to wave his hand to shoo Hikaru off towards it as Akira stepped up to the front desk to trade the coin for some key cards.

Something on the first floor would be best... They could escape quickly if anything went horribly wrong.

Hikaru resisted the urge to cheer just because it seemed like an inappropriate situation for cheering. But honestly it was easier to be optimistic and loud with some food in his stomach and rest. It wasn’t ramen but it was food and with the world and time jumping he wasn’t sure when he’d had his last meal.

He ate like a tornado, growing boy and all, while he waited for Touya to get the room. Eating as fast as possible without choking was a skill that Hikaru had long since mastered. He was gulping down some orange juice while keeping an eye on the counter to make sure no one tried anything funny while Touya was focused on something else. Granted given how he’d reacted when Hikaru had tapped him the boy wasn’t in any great danger at the moment. No more danger than Hikaru was anyways.

Two pieces of toast, a mouthful of grapes, and two glasses of orange juice later Hikaru was sated at least. He grabbed two boxes of those stupidly tiny boxes of cereal though because Touya might be hungry. If he wasn’t Hikaru would probably get hungry later.

It didn't really take that long to get a room. It wasn't like he had a credit card to charge or papers to sign. What took awhile was arguing with the man over proper room facilities and acceptable beds. He was not going to sleep with Hikaru in one queen-sized bed and that was that.

Turning to see that the other teen was apparently done eating, Akira held out one of the two key cards. He had been watching out of the corner of his eye, and if he hadn't already witnessed it when Hikaru had stayed at his house, he would have still been marveling at the human vacuum.

"Now that you're through with eating China out of house and home, perhaps we can get some sleep?" Not waiting for a response, he was already heading for the hallways, having turned away if only for the luxury of rubbing at his weary eyes without being seen.

It was tempting to ask what took so long but well Hikaru had heard the yelling.

“I didn’t eat that much. Just because you eat like a bird doesn’t mean everyone else should too,” he was tempted to throw one of those boxes at Touya’s head. But manners kept him from doing it, in a way Touya kind of helped him out. So he might as well play nice. So he just followed Touya to the room that they were sharing that had two beds. Touya was a prude, it wasn’t like Hikaru slept naked or something. Nor did he kick in his sleep.

Actually now that he was full and in a place that made him feel marginally safer than the streets Hikaru probably wouldn’t sleep at all. No, his mind was already wandering back to his train of thought before the subway train massively derailed and landed him here.

Just because there was no goban didn’t mean he couldn’t think about that match. It’d never stopped him before and with the sudden spin in his messed up life maybe new options would be in his mind, like a fresh outlook. It was a stretch but Hikaru’s brain wasn’t ready to shut down at the moment. There was also something weird about sleeping in the same room as Touya even though he thought it was prudish that Touya had made so much noise over a bed.

Oh crap, was he going to miss one of his games? His record had suffered enough during that half year of forfeits.

It had also been a struggle to get their room on the first floor... But there it was--109. Akira had to hold his breath when he slipped the card into the slot and heard the bleep as it unlocked. The handle didn't look dirty, but then all those germs that weren't visible to the human eye--

No no don't think about it.

When he opened the door, though, he was...startled to find that it was clean. Simple, and a bit bland, but...clean. Stepping out of his shoes due to habit, Akira turned to say something, but his words died on his lips. He recognized that face. It was only too easy to figure out what was going on in Hikaru's head...or at least the general idea. Go.

...And what upset him more than anything was that it hadn't been on Akira's mind. He had only been thinking of a safe place to eat and to not get poisoned with their food. To not get raped or killed or anything of that nature. Had this place really made him so...primitive?

"...I've been here a week. Some, apparently, have been here for months." Regarding their matches...their plans... What more needed to be said than that?

“A week? But I thought I just saw you yesterday and I was on my way to find you before I got here.” He’d heard nothing about Touya disappearing and he was sure he would have heard that. It would have been huge news in the go world and even if Hikaru tended to ignore things he always paid attention when any Touya was mentioned. It didn’t make sense but maybe that was just how this place was. So there was no need to think too hard about this, not right now. Hikaru shrugged off whatever worries he’d had concerning his matches. That was out of his control and he couldn’t cry over it. He sure as hell wouldn’t in front of Touya.

“You can play go anywhere.” It seemed like a silly thing to say, stepping into a cheap hotel room in the middle of heaven knows where, but somehow it was comforting. As comforting as it was to habitually slip out of his shoes as he stepped into the barren, but clean, room. It was a part of his life now, a big part of his life. And even if he was in another world he wasn’t going to stop playing, it worked just as well that Touya was here too.

He shrugged off his backpack next to one of the beds. He couldn’t remember if he had it with him but he should. It was habit, like his shoes. Digging through the mess of crap in his backpack Hikaru pulled out a small magnetic goban. It was for emergency purposes like his cellphone. “A game before you sleep?” he asked with an easy grin.

Well that was an interesting revelation. He had just been seen the day prior? That couldn't be possible. He had been counting the days since his arrival. He knew it had been a week.

What did it mean? Time flowed differently? Was there a...pattern? It was rather impossible for him to figure that pattern out unless more people that they knew showed up...but for now that offered a ray of hope. It meant that if...no, when he returned, he won't have missed anything.

...But then it also meant nobody would miss them. Nobody would look.

His concerns were temporarily tossed out the window when he heard what else Hikaru had to say, and was startled to find a miniature goban pulled out of his backpack. Intrigued, Akira stepped over and reached out to take it. He was pleasantly surprised when he flipped it open.

Familiar. Instinctive. This place might have been alien...but Go was something he knew. Immediately his shoulders relaxed and he set the magnetic board on the table by the window, doing his best not to act quite as eager as he was. "One game."

...Perhaps two.