Author's Note: Watched Hikaru no Go episode 66, side story when Akira met Hikaru, etc. I kinda got inspired by that... lots of "chasing", "running", "path to Hand of God" references. Can be interpreted as AKiHika if you want.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hikaru no Go.

The Same Path
By SVZ

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They say that if you walk straight down the road, it's the quickest and easiest way to get to your destination.

You don't realize how so many people try to walk the same path, and how many of them fall and you have to walk on top of them-crushing their hopes and dreams. They never tell you how the path may be worn because so many people have tried to achieve the same destiny, but that doesn't make all the obstacles go away. It's those people who never got past the obstacles in the first place. The bramble of thorny bushes obstructs you view-you have to take in all the pain to get through that and try to see what's on the other side.

You have to wander alone for long periods of time, not knowing if you should go on and if there's anything waiting for you. You have to give up things important to you, along the way. Packages and bags full of items you once loved and still do-but you can do without as long as you reach your goal.

You lose friends along the way. Friends you have known your entire life. If you're lucky, you might meet some new ones up along the road. They might be your friends-but they're also your rivals. It's an unspoken fact that you're all rivals-you all strive for the same goal-and you may be friends on the outside-you're still rivals.

Touya Akira found that out the hard way. He had a head start on the path to the Hand of God, and he was breezing through. He tried his hardest not to step on top of other children's dreams and hopes because it would be cruel. He knew he had talent. He wanted to meet up with his father and Ogata-san who were near the end of the road.

But then Shindou Hikaru busted into the scene, running. He just came into Akira's calm and orderly life and disrupted it. It was the first time Akira was one of the people who were on the ground, face-forward. It was the first time he had been challenged. It was then his goal changed.

Of course, Akira's intent was to reach the Hand of God. But his original preliminary goal was to chase his father and Ogata-san, until he reached them. Now, he had someone else to chase. A new obstacle. Shindou Hikaru.

Akira had been so used to walking down the path, undisturbed. He was used to being the one being chased by other people. Not chasing after them, himself. Shindou had turned the world he knew upside down. So, he started to chase Shindou, but Shindou was stubborn and didn't want to be chased. He managed to lose Akira on that straight path, and when Akira finally caught up to Shindou-he was horribly disappointed.

Shindou was just like the people had crushed. Average. There wasn't anything special about him. Maybe Akira had just imagined everything. Akira went on with his life-he didn't need Shindou. He would leave Shindou behind and forget that he existed.

But now, Shindou didn't want to be dismissed so easily. Now, he was the person chasing Akira, even when Akira tried to ignore him. Akira was trying to push himself to his limits-trying to lose Shindou, but no matter how much he tried, he could still hear the soft footsteps of Shindou directly behind him.

Shindou was persistent.

That's how the battle went. Shindou and Akira. Just when one of them was a little bit ahead, the other would catch up. They were in each other's shadows. They seemed to push everyone else away, and everyone knew that they were special. They had the skill and the will to reach their goal. They often appeared to be of equal standing, but Akira noted with satisfaction that he usually won.

Someone had once told Akira that to reach the Hand of God; you would need two passionate people.

He didn't doubt that he would find the Hand of God with Shindou Hikaru someday.

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