Epilogue - Teaser

Akira frowned slightly, staring up to the house where Shindo lived but not yet daring to go inside. He still wasn't completely done digesting what had happened that day and neither was probably anyone else. He could only wonder what master Ogata would think, once he would find out.

Shindo Hikaru had missed oteai game -- his opponent had won by default. That would've been nothing out of ordinary had it been anyone else -- maybe there had been emergency or maybe they were sick, but Shindo? No. For one he hadn't informed any emergency or other reason why he had missed the game and for two, it was first game he had ever missed. It was Shindo after all, he was late but he did not turn down a game, ever.

Also the record breaking winning streak, which had been growing longer and longer with each game… was broken because Shindo hadn't shown up. That was already shaking people up, Akira knew he certainly had been shaken.

Taking a deep breath, he finally walked up to the front door. He had no idea what he would say to Shindo. All he wanted to know was why. Why and was he going to come to the next match. Trying to plan a talk with Shindo was stupid anyway, with the other pro's habit of turning conversations around until they were balancing on their heads and no one knew what they were about anymore.

Akira rang the door bell, wishing that his hands weren't a clammy as they felt. The door was opened by a woman whom he assumed to be Shindo's mother. "Hello," the woman greeted him with slightly surprised look about her face, taking in his Kaio-uniform. "Are you… one of Hikaru's friends from the Go institute?"

"Yes, I passed the pro exam at the same time as he did," Akira answered with a nod, somewhat relieved that the woman had offered him the opening for conversation. "Is Shindo here?"

"Hikaru, he… um…" the woman sighed. "He isn't. Last Saturday he left for Kyoto."

"What? Kyoto? Why?" the young Go-pro asked with confusion. He had been following Shindo's game schedule and was certain the other second-dan had no games or events in Kyoto.

"I'm not actually sure," the woman frowned with slightly worried look about her face. "Hikaru got a phone call from Kyoto City Hospital and after that he just… dashed out. He called later that he was staying there for a while -- asked me to inform his school that he'd be missing days…"

"Hospital?" Akira asked slowly.

"Yes," the woman shook her head with a sigh. "That boy is so impulsive," she murmured and then glanced up a the phone stared to ring. "I need to get that. Would you like to come in?" she asked.

"Thank you," Akira said, stepping inside. As the woman went to answer the phone, Akira stayed by the doorway a bit awkwardly. He wanted to know more about why Shindo had gone to Kyoto but he didn't wish to impose upon Shindo's mother's hospitality.

"Hello, Shindo Mitsuko speaking," the woman answered the phone before staring up a bit. "Hikaru!" she exclaimed, making Akira snap his eyes up. "Oh good thing you called, your friend is here -- what? The institute phone number? Yes, I should have it… alright, I'll get it. But Hikaru, your friend is here, umm…" the woman turned to look at the go-pro. "What is your name?" she asked.

"Toya Akira," the boy quickly answered, already taking off his shoes. "Can I talk with him?"

She turned to the phone again. "Hikaru, a boy named Toya Akira is here, do you want to…? Alright. I'll get the phone number while you talk," the woman turned to Akira and offered the phone. "Here you go."

"Thank you," Akira thanked her while taking it and pressing it against his ear. "Shindo," he spoke to the phone. "You missed your oteai game today, I thought…"

"I completely forgot about that, I'm sorry. Damn, I should've thought of giving them a call before but I, uh, got distracted by other things," the other pro answered awkwardly. "I figure I lost by default then?"

"Yeah. Your winning streak is broken. It… startled lot of people," Akira sighed. And I'm one of them, he thought awkwardly. "Why are you… why did you go to Kyoto?" he asked, though he already had a slightest theory. After that very memorable internet game, he had had a talk with his father and Ogata and had found out thing or two of Shindo's mysterious friend.

"I just have something I need to take care off here," Shindo answered. "I'm going to take official leave from Go so that I won't lose all my games by default --"

"You're not leaving entirely, are you?" With Shindo being so damn mysterious and confusing he might just do that for what ever mysterious reason he had at the time. In everything but Go other second-dan was very hard to predict. Scratch that, he's anything but easy to predict with Go, Akira corrected, remembering all the games and the two different hands.

"No, I think I'll come back but I don't know when. It… might take a while," Shindo answered somewhat flippantly -- like being absent didn't matter. "This is important to me."

"More important than Go?" Akira asked a bit disbelievingly. Everything Shindo did was about Go, his entire life was Go, he even painted about Go. What more could there be for the mysterious Youkai?

"You should know that there is one thing in this world far more important to me than Go," Shindo's voice was gently rebuking, making Akira wince just lightly. He got the eerie feeling that Shindo could see him when he heard the other's chuckle from the phone. "Is my mom back yet? I need that phone number so that I can call the institute you know."

"Um, yeah. Do you want me to give the phone to her?" Akira asked, turning to look at Shindo's mother who was waiting close by with a piece of paper in her hand.

"Yeah, sure. And don't worry, Toya. I'll be back in Tokyo and before the institute Gobans as soon as I can."

Akira handed the phone to woman and stepped back. Figuring that his talk with Shindo was over, he turned to put his shoes back on. Then, after bowing to Shindo's mother as his thanks, he turned to leave. While heading towards the train station, he thought about Shindo, Sai and the strange notion of a person being more important than Go.

--

Dun dun dun and now my secret has been revealed. Oh yes, I am evil person. I did say that the Epilogue has little to do with Watch and learn, and it really doesn't. This is more of teaser of the sequel, really. And yes indeed, there is a sequel. I've been planning for it, waiting for it, heck I've been dreaming of it ever since I wrote the prologue to Watch and learn. To me this story is nothing but a prequel to the actual story, which is "Trial and error".

However, Trial and error is vastly different from Watch and learn. They are really different stories and will concentrate onto different things. Of course Go still plays important role, Hikaru no Go just doesn't feel right without it, but there will be other things that will be important. Relationships and life in general will be what sequel is about. It will also have a more realistic and dramatic tone to it -- and it's a bit more angsty too. And if you squint your eyes and become too serious about it, you might see shonen-ai in Trial and error, though that's not what it will be about at all. Just a word of caution.

So, here we go. Watch and learn is now officially over. I thank you all for your company during this year long journey of Go and hope to see at least some of you eventually on the path of Trial and error.