Chapter Text
Fujiwara no Sai has seen many things, as is natural for someone with his unusual life-span. He has lived (in a manner of speaking) for nearly a millennium, and through sheer determination and tenacity, has played with the top players of Go history, has seen them grow from young amateurs to full blown geniuses. And Sai isn't ungrateful to whatever gods have granted him this amazing opportunity. In fact for the first centuries he was quite enthusiastic to be in such a position. Able to follow the path that will lead to the Hand of God, and then, maybe if he is worthy, be the one to play it perhaps. But now, as weird metallic statues that people live in rise up to meet the sky and other metallic carriages that people travel in run by(and occasionally through him) he feels that maybe he's slightly out of place.
Plus, it's a very lonely existence. Sai often speaks with other ghosts, such as himself, but the conversations don't seem to really go anywhere.
“That's 'cause you're too obsessive. Ghosts don't listen to what they're being told unless it concerns the thing they're obsessed about. Which is really annoying by the way.”
“Yes, indeed. I can see what you mean. Like this excellent young lady I met the other day-couldn't stop talking about food and how she- I AM NOT OBSESSED! How can you say such a thing?!”
The young boy rolls his eyes as he takes a sip of his soda, but he keeps walking, leaving Sai behind. This happens very often and it never stops annoying the ghost, who hurries after him.
“What would you call it, Long-Hair?”
“It's... Uh- actually, er... It's love.” Sai says. He can see that Hikaru isn't impressed. Which frustrates him.
“Love.” Hikaru says in a flat tone.
“Yes. It's like, I can't think of anything more worthwhile to do than play Go for the rest of my existence.”
Hikaru looks at him from the corner of his eye. “Sound like obsession to me.”
“Well,” Sai starts feeling increasingly annoyed. “It can’t be, I was like this even before I died.”
“Which might be why you became a ghost in the first place, right?”
“I always thought that it was because I had been disgraced before I died... accused of cheating! If that could ever be possible.” Sai fans himself a little and tries to forget that day. Hikaru makes a vague noise. Sai tries to see if it's interest, but it's difficult to say. One thing he's notices about this bizarre child is that whenever he talks to him in public he's always resolutely expressionless, a distinct difference compared to his exaggerated tirade when Sai came by his house. He decides that it doesn't really matter.
“You see, I was one of the two go-teachers of the emperor. I was very happy there, able to play all day... But I was too good, and the other go-teacher started to resent that.” Sai takes an unnecessary breath. “He told the emperor that the court didn't need two teachers and that one of us should leave. He said it should be decided in a game. I was confident in my ability, I had beaten the other teacher and I had a good grasp on his playing methods, so I agreed. But while we were well in the middle of the game, I noticed that he had one of my stones in his goke. That's rare, but not unusual. He would just pass over the stone to me and we'd continue the game. But then, just as I was about to tell him, he took that very stone and put in his captured ones!” Sai pauses breathless for a moment. Even centuries after the fact the incident still upsets him. Hikaru is now staring though, his face intrigued.
“And then?” he asks quietly behind the soda can.
“I, uh, as I was about to shout that he cheated, he rose first and pointed at me to accuse me of cheating. I was flabbergasted at the suggestion but everyone was furious at me! The emperor said that he did not believe that any of his go-teachers could be anything less that honorable and ordered us to continue the game. But it was in vain for I was too distracted now. I lost horribly. Not to mention branded a cheater and exiled from the palace. I couldn't live with what had happened anymore. I drowned myself in the river.”
For a while Sai stays still with his eyes closed, pained. He hates this memory the most. Then he feels someone patting him on the arm. He opens his eyes and sees Hikaru looking at him awkwardly sympathetic. Sai sniffs. They stay like that for a bit. People look at Hikaru weirdly as they pass by.
Then Hikaru shakes Sai a little and points with nod across the street. “Well, what do you know Long-Hair. That one's perfect.”
“Which one?” Sai asks feeling disoriented.
“The blonde one.”
“She... She's a girl.”
“I know. She's perfect for you.”
Sai looks at the girl with the casual boldness of someone who's been invisible for centuries. She's blonde, her skin has an inexplicably orange tone and she's showing an awful lot of skin. Sai knows from experience that is a bad combination with the early spring weather. Too humid.
But Hikaru's right, she does feel very comfortable even from across the street.
“Are you sure you're okay with this, Hikaru?” Sai knows that the boy finds it very disgusting.
“Hey, it was our deal wasn't it? You help me with the bet and I help you with the possessing.”
Sai and Hikaru both hide their smirks. Sai feels very bad pretending he's not utterly grateful to be have been able to play his favorite game with youngsters but in the end it became a mutually beneficial agreement. Sai played to his hearts content, then got Hikaru to find him the best host and take to a go-salon where he would not be detected but would be able to play at a high level. Hikaru on the other hand got to embarrass a senpai and then get Sai to find an appropriate person to possess instead of someone utterly obvious.
“So, see, she's waiting to get picked up, dressed up like that. She's been waiting for a while-”
“How can you tell?” Sai asks curious.
“She's sitting. Usually when girls are waiting for someone to pick them up, they are too nervous to sit, or too confident to think that they'll have to. But she's sitting. And she looks bored.”
“Really?” Sai can't really distinguish expression through all the layers of paint.
“Yeah! Now go do your thing!
0000
Akira spends a month trying to convince himself it's a coincidence.
When that fails (he's read way to many mystery novels) he tries to convince himself that he's not a stalker, so he has no right looking for Fujiwara no Sai in the Haze School on-line archives. A week afterward it turns out that he needn't worry, there is no one named as such in Haze.
Which isn't exactly good news. Akira decides that he's already a stalker anyway and forges on. There is a Fujiwara no Sai registered for the Tournament, but it's like he sprung out of thin air. No school records or other sort of mentions. Only a dozen of “Did you mean...” notices about some highly esteemed family in the Heian period on Google.
There are two explanations. Either Fujiwara no Sai isn't a Haze student and decided to help the Haze go Club, or he entered with a fake name. Akira thinks it's probably the former, mostly because he can't fathom why someone would enter with a fake name, unless they were a criminal of some sort (and no sane criminal would risk that to enter some tournament, Akira theorizes, feeling very smart.), and because he's unwilling to believe someone just happened to come up with the same name. They just might be related. (And then there is that niggling thought in the back of his head: “He recognized me...”)
The only thing left to do is the head-on approach.
Akira arrives at Haze Middle School via his self-proclaimed number-one-fan, Ichikawa-san's car. It's a mediocre school compared to Kaio, but it looks friendlier. Of course that's hardly an accomplishment considering that in Kaio two thirds of the population's chins have never touched their necks.
Akira decides that the best strategy is to search for the go club. Unfortunately he quickly discovers that it is mightily optimistic of him to think the search for the elusive Fujiwara no Sai would be so straight forward. Because it turns out the school has no go club at all.
“Go club you said?” a boy's voice asks from behind him. Akira who had been in the process of asking for the nth time about anyone in this school playing go, turns around immediately.
“Yes, do you know of it?” Akira says eagerly. The boy is older than Akira, but seems non-threatening. He wears large glasses and looks very kind.
“Well, yes and no. I am the sole member of it, so it's not much of a club.” the boy sighs defeated.
“What?!” this Akira didn't expect. Actually he didn't expect any of this. It is really starting to frustrate him. “But you won in the Middle-School Go Tournament, did you not?”
“Yes, we did, didn't we? And I played third chair for the club of which I am the sole member.” The boy smiles wistfully at Akira. “How can I help you?”
Akira looks at him wide eyed. He has to go back in track though, there is a very serious reason he's here: Obsession!
“Uh, your first chair, Fujiwarano- I mean Fujiwara Sai. Could you perhaps tell me where he is?” Akira asks, not entirely able to hide his anticipation.
The boy suddenly claps his hands. “I remember you! From Kaio, you were the boy that knew Tachibana-senpai!”
“Tachibana-senpai?” Akira asks thoroughly confused.
“Yes. That's who you mean, right? He used a different name in the tournament because he didn't want his parents to know he played go or something.”
Akira pauses because this is exactly what he had ruled out. Someone coming up with the name. A bizarre coincidence. Akira frowns. He doesn't want to believe it. Maybe this Tachibana person know Fujiwara and wants to emulate him in a weird stalkery fashion.
“Why wouldn't he want his parents to know he plays go?” Akira asks.
“I don't really know. Before the tournament I only knew Tachibana-senpai because he had the highest score of all students in the school. An overachiever. I hadn't even seen his face.” the boy laughs a bit awkwardly. “You probably should speak with Shindou-kun though. He's the one that knows him.”
“Couldn't I speak to him in person?” Akira asks confused.
“Eh, he graduated this year. I don't know which High-School he goes to. So I can't really help you.” the boy looks contrite.
This is a possibility that hadn't occurred to him at all. He had looked so scrawny. “Do you think this... Shindou-san will know?” Akira asks, ever hopeful.
“Why wouldn't he? They are friends from what I gathered.”
“Do you know where I could find him?”
The boy frowns for the first time. “Yes. He's at the shogi clubroom.”
Akira frowns as well. Apparently this Shindou fellow isn't a go enthusiast.
0000
The shogi club room is depressingly full of lively students compared to the one-man go club. The boy, whose name is Tsutsui Kimihiro, has come along, claiming that Akira needs the support he can offer. Seeing all these crazy people shouting and being way too loud -how do they concentrate?- Akira is glad for the company.
“Hm, where is he? Oh, I see him! Come on.” Tsutsui-san exclaims going ahead to a row of desks facing the windows. A boy is sitting there reading with a constipated look on his face. His fringe is dyed a ridiculous shade of...hey.
Akira suddenly remembers this person. The annoying school-grader that shoved Fujiwara when Akira first played him. The same one that had been in the tournament as well, taking the second Fujiwara away when Akira tried to interrogate him. He is the only connection other than a name between the two sightings.
“Good afternoon, Shindou-kun. Is that the book I gave you? Does Kaga know?” Tsutsui-san asks oblivious to Akira's revelation.
“No, he doesn't, so keep it down, will you?” the boy grumbles as he turns. Then he notices Akira and his eyes momentarily widen comically in muted horror.
“Oh, this is Toya Akira. He's been looking for Tachibana-senpai and I thought that you'd be able to help.” Tsutsui-san says. Shindou turns his bewildered stare to Tsutsui.
“Tachibana-senpai...?” Shindou says and gulps.
“What going on here?” a voice booms next to Akira's ear making him jump. An older boy with extremely messy hair is looking at him with contempt. He raises his hand and points at him. “You're Toya Akira!” he says a touch angrily though it's mostly surprise. “What are you doing in my club?”
Akira tries to pinpoint if he's met this person before or if he's just someone who's read about him at Weekly Go when Tsutsui-san rises to his defence.
“Kaga, can't you at least try to be polite!? Just ignore him Toya-san, he has this weird possessiveness about everything in this club.” Tsutsui-san grumbles the last part. “Toya-san just wanted to ask about Tachibana-senpai.”
“Yeah? What about him?” the Kaga-person sneers at Akira.
“I was wondering if I could meet him, that's all.” Akira says looking straight at Shindou. Shindou to his credit, doesn't try to look away. He just narrows his eyes.
“Tachibana, has moved to Sapporo.” Kaga says surprising Akira. “He passed the entrance exam for Hokkaido International.”
“The Hokkaido International, whoa, he must be really smart!” Tsutsui-san exclaims. “No wonder he is so good at go.”
Akira is ready to rise to the defense of dedicated, hard-working go players everywhere when Kaga interjects.
“So, no. You can't talk to him, Toya Akira. Something else you'd like to bother us with?” the tall boy grumbles his arms crossed.
Akira braces himself. This is whole incident has led him to a dead end, but Akira now has another lead.
So as he apologizes and thanks Tsutsui-san for his help (ignoring in the process a bristling Kaga) Akira looks at Shindou from the corner of his eye.
I'm going to get you.
0000
Ogata Seiji has something that most of his peers and antagonists don't have: youth.
Of course, at thirty-something, he isn't exactly spring chicken, but compared to other nine-dans(say, Kuwabara-sensei who is practically ancient), he is the youngest.
He is also very embarrassed with his whole generation. Only he and Kurata can even compare to the elites, and Kurata is still an eighth-dan. And it isn't just the professionals either. In go-salons everywhere you can find pensioners, but spotting someone under forty is a rarity. Playing Go in general has some very uncool connotations with the younger crowd, hence the decay of the game in Japan.
So when Ashiwara – fellow student of the Meijin- calls Seiji in the middle of lunch, screeching about a ganguro of all people beating him in an even game, Seiji is disbelieving.
Later at the Toya household, while the Meijin is having a meeting with all his students, Ashiwara enters, proudly proclaims himself useless and dramatically reenacts the whole thing.
“...so she has beaten Fumio-san, right? And I'm like, hey, Fumio-san's tough for an amateur, what's your story. And her friend says, they learned at school and she's like, really enthusiastic. So we play and it's really tight, like really tight. I tried to go easy on her for the first twenty hands and then she got offended or something and she placed here, and I answered here...” Ashiwara places each hand on the board so that everyone can see what he means. “And then she gets really pissed off, which was kind of scary, these Shibuya girls aren't kidding, let me tell you. And then, she did this.”
Ashiwara places the stone and the students suddenly make “ahh” and “ohhh” sounds, embarrassing themselves in Seiji's opinion. But when even Toya Meijin's widen, Seiji cranes his neck a bit to see the hand. He gapes, as discreetly as he can. There are at least five, very obvious good moves the girl could have chosen instead, but this hand is beyond that. It secured the whole corner, and they hadn't even entered middle-game yet.
Ashiwara completes the game on board, without stopping the ridiculous commentary even once, but Seiji doesn't interrupt him because he is right. This is an amazing game. Ashiwara has been squashed like a bug under the very thin twelve inch heel of a ganguro.
“Did you catch her name?” Toya Akira, the Meijin's son asks. Seiji turns surprised. He hadn't noticed the young prodigy's arrival.
“Yes, this is very interesting indeed. I would also want to play with this young woman. See the extent of her strength.” Toya Koyo adds in his gravely voice.
“Um, yeah, her name's Fujiwara Sai.” Ashiwara answers.
“Not Fujiwara no Sai?” Akira asks again. Seiji raises an eyebrow. Did Akira know this person?
“That's the name she left at the reception. Why do you know her?”
“Not very well, no.” Akira says avoiding Ashiwara's acquiring look. “Fujiwara... was she alone?”
“At the salon? No, she had a kid with her. I was under the impression she was trying to teach him how to play.”
“He didn't happen to have bleached blonde hair, did he?”
“Actually, he did. Not his whole hair though. So you do know her!” Ashiwara exclaims happily. “Do you know if we could meet her?”
Everyone is looking at Akira now, but he ignores them, instead looking stoically to the side.
“She's not a very consistent person.” he says frustrated for some reason. Then he turns and leaves in a huff.
Ashiwara turns to Seiji.
“Was it something I said?”
0000
“You know who Fujiwara no Sai is.” the girly boy with the weird bowl-cut says.
“What if I do?” Hikaru asks sulkily, kicking a few innocent peddles probably imagining it's Sai.
“Who is he? What is he?” the boy takes a breath. “How is it that people... assume his name?”
“Why should I tell you? You know nothing!” Hikaru yells, aggravation lacing his every word though he mostly feels scared. He wants to run.
“Hikaru, that's not very nice.” the ghost frets worriedly from his side.
“You can't keep this to yourself! Don't you understand? Something truly bizarre is going on!” Bowl-cut yells.
Hikaru sees red. His voice trembles. “Do I understand...?”