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-Game 4: To Lessons-

Shindou Hikaru sat in the apartment of his friend and fellow go pro, Waya Yoshitaka. He had decided that he needed to do a little research and had asked to use Waya's computer. Now he was staring at the computer monitor, a stick of pocky hanging out of his mouth. As he read his eyes got wider and his face redder.

/One thing you have to remember is that the first time for your partner will most likely be a painful experience./ the website read. The blonde nodded absently.

Hikaru had been with his lover and rival in the go world, Touya Akira, for almost two months now. The two boys had been spending as much time as possible together without attracting attention from their peers. This had been difficult, though, as not only were they trying to be inconspicuous, but they both had many things to do pertaining to both school and their jobs as go professionals. Even so, their relationship had progressed nicely, and Hikaru was hoping to take it even further soon.

He continued reading. /Always make sure that your partner is comfortable and willing before trying anything. You must always listen to what he tells you so as to avoid both physical and emotional pain./ Hikaru nodded again, finishing off the pocky.

"Whatcha doin'?" came a familiar voice behind the blonde. Waya was beside him, staring at the monitor's screen.

Hikaru jumped and felt himself blush. Quickly he tried to leave the page, but ended up clicking on a link to an online store featuring cherry flavoured anal lubricant at half price. He felt his cheeks grow hotter and quickly clicked on the little X in the upper right corner, closing the window. He sensed, rather than saw Waya turn his brown eyes to his friend.

"Um... Shindou?" he began.

"... What?" Hikaru was staring at his hands in his lap.

"If you needed advice on laying Touya, you should have come to me," the brunette grinned, touselling Hikaru's two-toned hair. He walked over to the middle of the room and sat beside his goban.

Hikaru's eyes turned into dinner plates as he spun around in the computer chair. "What??" he yelped, "Wh- what makes you think this has anything to do with Touya?"

"Oh, come on, Shindou. Anyone with eyes can see that you two are together," he stared at the neat nineteen by nineteen grid on the smooth wood and looked up at his friend. "Come play and I'll give you some advice. Those internet sites are too full of porn; you shouldn't be looking at them."

The blonde nodded numbly and stood up, walking slowly over to the goban. He half dropped, half knelt into a sitting position on the floor across from his friend. He had thought that he and his lover had been careful enough not to attract attention, and he wasn't sure what to make of how easily Waya had figured them out. Were they not being discreet enough? He stared across the board at the brunette.

"How did you know?" he asked quietly.

Waya laughed and scratched the back of his neck. "I didn't really," he admitted.

Hikaru blinked, the realization that he had been baited into revealing his relationship hitting him like a slap in the face. "Waya!" he cried, his face now turning red from anger instead of embarrasment.

"I had my suspicions, you know. You and he have been spending a lot of time together, and not all of it is at that go salon his dad owns. And now, between that website and your own reaction, you confirmed it," he paused and looked at his friend, "Come on, Shindou! There's no reason to get so mad. It's not like I care. You and Touya can do whatever you like; it's not my concern. Black or white?"

The blonde slumped, his anger slipping away. "You really don't care? We've been afraid that our friends would turn their backs on us if they knew..." he stared at the center star on the board, "So we were hoping no one would find out."

Waya pushed the bowl of white stones across the floor to Hikaru, figuring he wouldn't get an answer with his friend like that. "You may lose some, others will understand. Some may not like it but will learn to live with it. As for me, it doesn't matter. If you and Touya are happy, more power to you. The sex of your partner doesn't matter as long as the feelings are genuine."

Shindou nodded, feeling better. He straightened up and the two pros began their game. For a while the only sound in the room was the gentle hum of the computer and the ever pleasant 'pa-chi' of stones being placed on the board. After a while Hikaru remembered that Waya had offered advice on the matter of being with Akira.

"What about that advice you promised?" he asked, not taking his eyes from the board.

Waya placed his stone and nodded lightly. "Ah, yes. Well, how far have you gotten with him?" he asked casually.

Hikaru blushed as he placed his countering stone and removed three black from the board. "What does that matter?" he stammered.

The brunette grumbled about his lost stones and contemplated his next move. "Don't want to tell you things you all ready know," he replied. He paused and looked up at his friend, "If your this embarrassed, I'd take a guess that you've not gotten past kissing." 'Pa-chi.'

"Th-that's not true!" Hikaru said indignantly, placing his stone a little harder than he needed to.

"Oh?" Waya smirked, invading a section of Shindou's territory, "Well then, how far have you gotten?"

Hikaru's face went scarlet. "It doesn't matter! Just... just tell me how to... how to..." his voice trailed off, his grey eyes staring blankly at the board.

Waya opened his mouth to say something else, but just then there was a knock at the door. He shrugged and stood up to answer it. Outside in the hallway was Isumi Shinichirou, another friend and go professional. Waya invited him in and took his place across from Hikaru again, Isumi taking a seat beside the board and scanning the placement of the stones. Hikaru gave him a little wave, then placed his stone. His opponent nodded.

"So, what are you two up to?" Isumi asked.

Waya studied the board thoughtfully. "I was just about to give Shindou some tips on bedding Touya," he replied lightly.

"WAYA~!" the blonde shrieked, his grey eyes giving his friend a steely glare.

"Ah, so that's why Shindou's form is slipping," the older boy said. His eyes were still on the goban in front of him, "You're playing him when he has a disadvantage, Waya."

The brunette shrugged, placing a stone on the board. "He brought it up during the game, not me."

Hikaru let out an exasperated sigh and fell over backwards. How could they sit there and talk like that when he was sitting right there? He felt the eyes of both his friends on him and sighed again. Tears were threatening to overflow, their stubborness to be shed causing his eyes to sting. The blonde rolled onto his side so that his back was to his companions. He wasn't sure if he was more upset by how casual Waya was about the whole thing or by the fact that his secret had been found out at all.

"Shindou, what's wrong?" he heard Isumi ask.

"Oh, he's paranoid that people will be disgusted and drop communication with him," Waya replied. Hikaru could hear him cleaning the stones off the goban.

"Oh," the older boy said, then added, "Well, you don't have to worry about me, Shindou. If you're happy being with Touya, that's fine."

The blonde bolted upright and glared at both friends in turn. "How many others know?" he cried, the frustration in his voice clearly evident.

"I'm not aware of anyone else..." Isumi said quietly.

"Come on, Shindou. We're your friends. Of course we're going to notice things that others don't," Waya pointed out, "I doubt anyone else has bothered to pay enough attention to you two to think anything of it. And even if they did, they probably just think it's related to go. You are his rival after all." He finished putting all the stones back into their bowls and replaced the lids.

Hikaru fell back to the floor feeling defeated. Waya had a point, they were both his friends. And as the brunette had said earlier, it had only been a suspicion in the first place. Besides, neither of them seemed to care in the slightest that he was involved with another guy. He sighed softly, stretching out. For a while, all three were quiet.

"How far had you gotten, Waya?" Isumi asked, interupting the silence.

"Oh, I hadn't gotten anywhere. He won't tell me how far he and Touya have been," Waya replied.

"It's none of your business!" Shindou cried, his face turning red yet again.

Isumi laughed. "Come on, Waya, don't torment him. If you're going to tell him what to do, just tell him."

"All right, all right! Are you ready to listen, Shindou?"

Hikaru sat up, sitting with his feet together and nodded, his face still a bit red in a blush. "Yes..."

"Well, first off," Waya began, "you gotta know that, though he might be willing, his body won't be. Not at first, anyway. You have to do things slowly. It can be frustrating for you, but it'll be better off in the long run." The blonde nodded. "And never try to enter him without stretching him a bit first. You should use your fingers with some lubricant. Start with one, work to another." Isumi was nodding knowingly. "If he says stop, you stop. Understand so far?" Hikaru nodded again.

The brunette go player went on, explaining more about mood and getting his partner ready for initial entry. He told his blonde friend about actual penetration, pointing out repeatedly that it was important to pay attention to the other boy's reaction and not to do anything that is unwanted or painful. By the time he got to explaining about lubricant and how to use it, Hikaru was scarlet and staring blankly at the wall. There was a long silence after he finished as he let the blonde soak in all the information.

"The... the website said I could use lotion..." he said finally, his charcoal eyes still fixed on the wall.

"You can if it's water-based, but I dunno if I'd recommend it for your first time. Lotion is meant to absorb into the skin, and it might not be enough lube for someone unexperienced." Waya explained. Isumi just nodded in agreement.

Slowly Hikaru shifted his gaze to the brunette, focusing on him. "How do you know all this stuff?" he asked.

It was now Waya's turn to flush red. "I... I read a lot!" he said loudly. Isumi laughed. "Shut up, you!"

Suddenly a thought came to Hikaru. He looked from one friend to the other and back again. "Are you two...?" he began shyly.

"Huh?" Waya blinked, then realized what the blonde was asking. "No! Don't even think that, Shindou Hikaru! Just because we know things doesn't mean we're together."

"So... no?"

"No!" the other two replied firmly.

Shindou nodded, then asked his next question. "Uhm... where would I get lubricant?" He felt a surge of fear when he saw the grin on his friend's face.

******

Hikaru stared at the merchandise on the shelves in front of him. He shook his head, still not being able to believe he had let Waya talk him into going to an adult store. There were other places to get lubricant. There ~had~ to be other places to buy lubricant! He sighed and picked up a box, reading the label.

"Give your man a treat!" it read in bright red letters, "Make him work for what he wants. New edible panties come in three flavours: Cherry, Chocolate, and Greentea!" The blonde turned as red as the lettering on the box and put it back.

"Hey, Shindou!" he heard Isumi call from the next isle, "I found it!"

Hikaru was very glad that there was no one else in the store as he walked over to where his friend's voice had come from. He arrived right before Waya did, and then the three go pros looked at the shelves stocked full of anal lubricant. The blonde blinked and looked from one package to another. He hadn't thought there would be so many.

"Hey, Shindou. Why not try this one?" Waya held out a small box with English lettering on it.

"Happy Cheeks," Hikaru read aloud, struggling a bit. He tilted his head, confusion evident on his face. "I... don't get it."

"It's talking about your butt," Isumi supplied.

Hikaru shoved the box back at Waya. "I'm not getting anything that says something like that on it! I'm not a pervert!"

The brunette shrugged and put the box back. "I guess that means flavours and scents are out?"

"YES!"

After a few more moments of looking at the shelves, Isumi picked up a box and held it up for Shindou to see. "What about this one?" he asked.

The blonde took the box and read the label aloud once again, "Ichiban Anal Lubricant. Scentless and with less mess!" He looked at it for a long moment, turning the box over in his hands. On the back were instructions of how to use the stuff and a large warning about having safe sex. He sighed softly and nodded. "This'll do."

Hikaru walked up to the counter, his two friends flanking him on each side. The woman was very friendly, though she kept giving the three of them odd looks as he fished out his wallet for the money he needed. He stuffed the little box into his backpack before the clerk could offer him a bag, and walked as fast as he could, without breaking into a run, out of the store and down the street.

******

Hikaru was very glad to get home that evening. After having found out that his friends knew about his relationship and having been dragged into that perverted store, he felt very tired. He stepped inside the door and shut it behind him. As he slipped off his shoes, he called out to his mother that he was home. He was about to go up to his room when the woman emerged from the family room.

"Hikaru..."

"What?" he asked, wishing she'd just let him go up and lay down.

To his utter shock, she held out a box of condoms. He stared from the box to her face, then back to the box. The blonde let go of his backpack and dropped into a sitting position on the stairs. His mother was giving him condoms?! His mouth was agape as his mind raced for something to say.

"I may not know much about go, but I do know that look that you two give each other," she said quietly.

Hikaru shook his head to clear it. "Mom, it's not like that!" he said quickly.

"Don't lie to me, Hikaru!" He started to say something, then shut his mouth again, staring at the floor. "Look," she continued, "I can't stop you from doing what you're going to eventually do, but I can urge to you to be responsible." She sighed. "I don't like it, but you're my son... And if he's the one, then..." she trailed off.

"I-" the blonde began, but he didn't get farther than that. His mother pushed the box into his hands and walked back to where she had emerged from.

Hikaru stared at the box in his hands. He knew he should be appreciative, even if it was a weird gift to get from your mother, but instead he felt guilty. She had sounded so dissapointed. The blonde let out a long breath and hung his head. Waya had said that not everyone would be happy with it. He had known that all along, he had just hoped for a better reaction.

'She'll get used to it...' he thought, 'Who knows, maybe she might even accept it one day.' He looked up at the cieling, a frown across his face. 'Even if she doesn't, I love Touya. I won't abandon him just because my mom doesn't approve...' He stood up slowly, picked up his backpack, and headed up to his room.

-End of Game-