Yashiro grinned as Akira and Hikaru jumped apart from each other like they had been burned. Lifting two fingers up in a semi-wave, he said simply, "Yo."

"Ya-yashiro!" Hikaru croaked out in surprise. His back was pressed against the brick wall behind him in an unconscious act of embarrassment. "Wha-what are you doing in Tokyo?"

"And how did you know we were here?" Akira added, his composure quickly returning to him after his surprise over Yashiro's arrival.

Yashiro couldn't help but marvel at the calmness of Akira's voice and how easily he managed to recover himself after the initial shock. That's Touya Akira for 'ya, he thought to himself with a mixture of dryness and amusement, always cool and in control. He couldn't help but wonder again, as he did occasionally, how Hikaru and Akira managed to get along with each other. The two often seemed like complete opposites of each other and Yashiro thought it was a small miracle that the two hadn't killed -or at least seriously injured- the other already, what with the way the two argued all the time. I guess opposites DO attract, Yashiro thought before quickly dismissing the subject from his mind. He never was too comfortable thinking of his friends' love lives. In answer to Akira's question, Yashiro replied teasingly, "Hmm...how did I know you guys were here? Well, let's just say a little bird told me."

Yashiro struggled to hide a smile as Akira immediately turned to glare at Hikaru, a feat that became even harder when Akira demanded in an accusing tone, "Shindo, are you that 'little bird' he's talking about?"

If Akira's tone wasn't so frightening, Yashiro would have been rolling on the floor in laughter at Akira's unintentionally funny question. As it was though, Yashiro merely clapped a hand over his mouth and hoped his snickering wasn't too apparent. However, with the threatening look that Hikaru flashed in his direction, he had a feeling that he wasn't doing a very good job of hiding his giggles. Turning his attention back to Akira, Hikaru stammered outloud, "I-- I--"

"Are you his little bird, Shindo?" Akira repeated.

Yashiro pressed his hand tighter against his mouth, his shoulders now shaking with the strain of holding his laughter back.

"I-it was an accident, okay?" Hikaru burst out finally. "We were talking and then it just came out."

"How could something like that 'just come out'?" Akira shot back in a tone laced with disbelief and anger.

"Well, Yashiro asked how it was going between us and then, well, I--"

"Just give the guy a break, will 'ya?" Yashiro cut in, finally managing, with a lot of difficulty, to rein in his urge to laugh and quickly coming to Hikaru's rescue. "It's not like he meant to tell me," Yashiro continued, "I kinda tricked it out of him." Actually, that wasn't exactly true as Hikaru HAD told him this information of his own accord, but Yashiro was alright with shouldering the blame for Hikaru. Yashiro understood that because of the nature of his relationship with Akira, Hikaru was often frustrated with not being able to talk to others about the problems that arose within a romantic relationship and Yashiro didn't mind being the outlet to whom Hikaru occasionally turned to vent his feelings to. "Besides," Yashiro added, deliberately using a lazy tone of voice that he knew grated on Akira's nerves, "it's not like I haven't known -or seen- worse between you two"

As predicted, Akira now directed his glare at Yashiro but wisely let the subject and his glare drop after a few seconds. Obviously wanting to just forget the whole issue, Akira picked up on the question Hikaru had asked earlier. "So Yashiro-kun, this is a surprise. What brings you to Tokyo again?"

"That's right," Hikaru chimed in eagerly, also wanting to shove the earlier subject aside. "What are you doing here, Yashiro?"

"Just doing a bit of research," Yashiro said simply.

"Research?" Hikaru exclaimed.
"For what?" Akira asked at the same time.

"The Hokuto Cup," Yashiro replied, tucking his hands in the pockets of his spring jacket. He could never get used to the slightly cooler March weather of Tokyo. "I'm just here to get an idea what my competition is like this year before I start the qualifying tournament." He knew he had said the right thing when he saw Akira nod with approval and Hikaru's eyes light up. The latter boy playfully punched him on the arm. "Since when did you get so worried about others?" Hikaru teased. "Afraid you're losing your touch, Yashiro?"

Yashiro messed up the bleached blond boy's hair in response, causing Hikaru to emit a small squawk of protest. "Not at all," he replied smoothly. "But after Waya beat me that second year, I realized that I can't take any chances." He paused, a sudden thought occuring to him. "Speaking of which, Waya's not going to be in this year's tournament, is he?"

"No, he's 19 now. Last year was his last eligible year," Hikaru replied. His grey eyes darkened as he recalled the disappointment he had seen Waya suffer when he realized that he wasn't able to make the team on his last year. Not wanting to upset Yashiro though, he quickly added, "But you better watch out for Ochi. He definitely won't let this year slip by him. He's bothered enough that he wasn't able to make the team the first year." Hikaru gave a small shrug. "That's just the sort of person he is."

"He's been playing pretty well this year too," Akira added.

"Don't remind me," Yashiro said with a small groan, recalling the intense aura that always seemed to emulate off the bespeckled boy. It was Yashiro's firm opinion that Ochi seriously needed to learn how to relax - that or a good shot of alcohol everyday to help erase the dour look from his face. "He's definitely one of the players I want to check out during my time here." He then paused and did a quick calculation in his head. "Though you know, there may not be too many people to worry about this year, what with Waya gone and three team member positions open again this year."

Hikaru and Akira exchanged a brief glance with each other before Akira replied, "Actually, there are only two positions available this year."

"What?" Yashiro blinked. "Two?" He turned to Akira. "But you're going to be the team leader again, right?" After Kurata had stopped being eligible for the tournament the first year it was held, Akira had automatically been asked to be Team Japan's leader by the Hokuto Cup organizers, leaving three team positions open for the last couple of years instead of the two positions of the first Hokuto Cup tournament.

"I am."

"Then that should leave three positions open as usual." Not that Yashiro believed that having three positions open meant that he could let his guard down. That was the mistake he had made the second year of the Hokuto Cup tournament and Hikaru, Waya, and Ochi had ended up filling the three positions for that year. He had managed to get into the team with Akira, Hikaru, and Ochi in the third year, but that second year experience had taught him a valuable lesson he wasn't planning to forget.

"No, there's only two because Shindo's already been asked to be a team member this year too," Akira explained.

"WHHHAAAATTTT?!?" Yashiro exclaimed, gawking. "You I can understand, but Shindo too this year? I don't believe it!"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean, you jerk!" Shindo complained with an offended expression on his face.

A slight smile played lightly across Akira's lips. "I know, I was just as surprised myself when he told me the news. Hard to believe, isn't it?"

Shindo now turned his indignant look onto his boyfriend. "Touya!"

"I'm joking, I'm joking," Akira said, the slight smile widening as he raised his hands up in mock-surrender to Shindo. "Actually," Akira continued to Yashiro, "it really isn't surprising considering how well Shindo's been playing these last couple of years."

"Yeah, and I've been on the team for all THREE years unlike some other people," Hikaru added, his tone sounding remarkably childish despite his age. He then stuck his tongue out at Yashiro in what was even more of a childish move. "So there!"

Yashiro rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, I get your point." He reached out to ruffle Hikaru's hair again, earning him yet another little squawk of displeasure. However, even as Hikaru sought to duck his hands, Yashiro couldn't help but stare at the laughing Akira in something akin to surprise. Before he would have never associated Touya Akira with anything remotely resembling humour, and yet, here he was cracking jokes about Hikaru and laughing with them. Yashiro turned his attention to the smaller boy in front of him, who had just managed to move out from under his hands and had gone off to stand -more like hide, in Yashiro's opinion- behind Akira. Akira smiled fondly at Hikaru as he approached him and Yashiro couldn't help but marvel again at how much Akira had changed from when he first met him 3 years ago.

He let his gaze wander to Hikaru again. But could this remarkable change of Touya's be because of Shindo?

Watching Akira lift a slim hand and mess up Hikaru's hair himself, causing Hikaru to bat at his hand with a loud "Touya!", Yashiro concluded that perhaps that just might very well be the case.

You know, Yashiro thought to himself as he shoved his hands back into his jacket pockets, I think I can see the benefits of this whole "opposites attract" thing.

"I can't believe you still don't have your own place yet," Yashiro said almost accusingly to Hikaru as he sat cross-legged in front of the goban in Akira's apartment. Since Yashiro had not made reservations at a hotel yet, it had been agreed by the three of them that he would stay with Akira for the three days that he was in Tokyo. Yashiro, who had been bugging Hikaru to get his own place ever since they turned 17, was sorely disappointed that Hikaru STILL had not listened to his thoughtful advice and was STILL living at home with his parents.

"No time," Hikaru replied automatically, his eyes never lifting from the goban. He placed a Go stone onto the lower left 4-8 intersection of the board, neatly surrounding Yashiro's 2 white stones.

Yashiro blinked once before narrowing his eyes in concentration, trying to decide whether to protect his territory or to continue attacking. Akira, who was sitting to the side observing their game together, said, "Don't believe him. Shindo's just too lazy to move into an apartment of his own."

"Why?" Yashiro asked, realizing that he had no choice but to protect his territory for now. He carefully placed a stone on the board, wincing inwardly as Hikaru placed one of his black stones onto the board almost immediately after. Obviously Hikaru had thought of and anticipated this particular move of his beforehand.

"Because his mother does everything for him already," Akira replied for Hikaru. "Therefore, Shindo considers living on his own to be much more of a hassle than living with his parents right now."

"Haa?" Yashiro looked at Hikaru with an expression of disbelief and Hikaru, who had finally looked up from the goban, shrugged.

"Okaasan doesn't bother me about what I do, and living at home saves me from having to do cleaning or cooking on my own. So why leave?"

Akira merely shook his head, used to Hikaru's line of reasoning. Yashiro, on the other hand, looked dumbfounded. "What are you going to do when you and Touya start living together then?" Yashiro demanded as he plunked a Go stone down on the goban. "You don't expect Touya to do all the housework, do you?"

Silence. Yashiro looked back up from the goban and was greeted with the surprising sight of both Hikaru and Akira with deep red flushes covering their cheeks. Their reactions caused a thought to suddenly dawn on him. "Wait a second, you mean you two never thought about living together before?"

More silence. Yashiro decided to take that as a 'Yes' and inwardly sweatdropped. I can see why Hikaru tells me they're getting nowhere, Yashiro thought to himself. At the rate they're going, they'll probably be as old as Kuwabara-sensei before they experience any action together. Okay, Yashiro knew that was an exaggeration but the two definitely needed someone to help push things along between them. Glancing at the blushing Hikaru and then at the embarrassed Akira and then back to the still blushing Hikaru, Yashiro felt a small grin slowly spread across his face.

He would be the person to help them out.