"Saaaaaiiiii, come play with me," Chihou pouted, dragging the sitting boy upwards by his hands, her pigtails bouncing at her effort. Sai didn't budge, but instead pulled back. "Nooooo, you stay here and play with me! Father's busy, and Mother is cooking, so I can only play with myself."
Chihou knew she could never win at that kind of tug of war, and so she soon gave up. Crossing her little arms and turning her nose, she sneered at the tiny flat block of wood in front of him. The soft wood seems easily splintered, and the stones came of various sizes and shades. "Ever since you got that stupid game, you haven't played outside once. What's so good about it anyway? Let's go catch some crickets instead!"
Before she could get excited again, Sai replied proudly, "well, it is my birthday present. Father must've saved up for so long to get me this whole set. He must've picked out the wood himself, and everything." The seven year old Sai sighed like a grown up, and explained, "Father said I'm too much of a dolt to get a good government job by studying, and I'm not strong or brave enough to be a samurai. And too soft to be a merchant. The only thing left if I don't want to be a craftsman like him is to become an entertainer."
Chihou giggled, and whispered, "You do look like a clown."
Sai gave her a dirty look and continued. "Father said, he always sees me looking enviously at rich people sitting around with nothing to do but drink expensive tea and play Go. But he told me our family was a greater house than their's could ever be." he said with pride. "So, he said it's nothing to be envious about, and that I could play Go like them if I wanted to. This really is a cool game. If you learn it, you'll like it too."
"Well, ok..." Chihou sighed, and sat down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ahhhhhh..." she moaned, messing up the stones in front of her. "I can't believe I lost again. At nine handicaps too! Every year you give me one more handicap stones. How did you get so strong?"
"Maybe you just got weaker," Sai teased.
Pouncing on him, she pinched him playfully. "You're so mean!"
"Ok, ok!" he dodged half-heartedly, "Mr. Nabu from the end of the street started teaching me. He used to teach in the royal courts, you know. He's teaching me how to read and write too."
"Oh, lucky! You'll have to teach me then."
"Only if you work hard at it too."
She watched him replace the stones she had flung off the board, and listened to the sound of his voice as he proceeded to analyze the game, pointing out places for improvement. "You should've attached here, when I threatened, instead of playing tanuki. Even though that move is bigger, you have to address the present danger... Are you listening to me? I'm trying to help you." Sai looked up, berating her.
"Mmmm... No," she stuck her tongue out.
"If you'd only be more serious about playing, you'd improve so much faster."
"And you take it too seriously."
Chihou watched him frown, and knowingly changed the subject, "Sai-kun? What are you going to be when you grow up?"
Sai thought about it for a minute, and said, "I don't know. But I wish I could just play Go forever."
"You really love Go that much?"
He nodded. "What about you? What are you going to do? I know you like to write."
"I don't care; as long as I can play Go with you forever." She blushed as Sai took her hand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"My parents are getting more persistent," Chihou said leaning her face against his shoulder, "they said if I'm already two years past the age of marriage, if I don't pick someone, then soon no one would want me anymore."
Sai broke away from their embrace, and begun pacing. "Chihou, I..."
Chihou interrupted, knowing his thoughts,"
"But it's not fair to you. You deserve someone who could devote their whole heart to you, not the second most loved."
"I don't care, I only want you."
Sai took her into his arms and nodded. "If you'll be happiest then."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you really leaving for Kyoto?" She faced him at the goban for the last time.
"Mr. Nabu recommended me. I have to repay his kindness."
"But we're getting married in a month."
"You knew that I would make this choice."
"But I thought you would know better after being with me for so long." She cried, "What do you see right before you fall asleep at night?"
He responded without hesitation, "Games that I've played that day, and what I could've or should've done instead."
"So you love Go more than you love me? Can Go make conversation with you? Can Go take care of you when you're sick? Can Go love you back, no matter how much love you have for it?" Hardly containing her tears, Chihou stormed out.
The day Sai left, she watched the trail behind him, and she pleaded softly, "Please come back to me. You promised you'd play with me for the rest of my life. I'll wait for you... Even if I have to become the pillow you sleep on, a fan that you admire in a courtesan's hand, or a single Go stone that you might touch only once, I'll wait for you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He lost. No longer a courtside tutor, he finally returned home after wandering the streets until dawn as if he had lost his soul. What was he going to do now? He sat before the goban and saw an unopened letter, received two days ago express.
"Sai-kun,
I'm getting married soon. Tomorrow Night. I hope you'll grant me the honor of your presence, and your blessing.
Chihou"
He had nothing left. Nothing at all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In this life, her name is Akari.
"Hikaru, that dolt!" Akari mumbled to herself, as she walked to school alone the third time that week, "what is going on with him? First, he faints, and then he's like a whole different person. Acing history, but failing gym. He's never been serious about anything. Now he's planning on becoming a pro Go player. He thinks he's so much better than me." Akari shook her head.
"Alright, Hikaru! I'll be serious about Go, too. I'll get better, until you will play me on an even game. I've got a long way to go, but wait for me, I'll play with you."
Chihou knew she could never win at that kind of tug of war, and so she soon gave up. Crossing her little arms and turning her nose, she sneered at the tiny flat block of wood in front of him. The soft wood seems easily splintered, and the stones came of various sizes and shades. "Ever since you got that stupid game, you haven't played outside once. What's so good about it anyway? Let's go catch some crickets instead!"
Before she could get excited again, Sai replied proudly, "well, it is my birthday present. Father must've saved up for so long to get me this whole set. He must've picked out the wood himself, and everything." The seven year old Sai sighed like a grown up, and explained, "Father said I'm too much of a dolt to get a good government job by studying, and I'm not strong or brave enough to be a samurai. And too soft to be a merchant. The only thing left if I don't want to be a craftsman like him is to become an entertainer."
Chihou giggled, and whispered, "You do look like a clown."
Sai gave her a dirty look and continued. "Father said, he always sees me looking enviously at rich people sitting around with nothing to do but drink expensive tea and play Go. But he told me our family was a greater house than their's could ever be." he said with pride. "So, he said it's nothing to be envious about, and that I could play Go like them if I wanted to. This really is a cool game. If you learn it, you'll like it too."
"Well, ok..." Chihou sighed, and sat down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ahhhhhh..." she moaned, messing up the stones in front of her. "I can't believe I lost again. At nine handicaps too! Every year you give me one more handicap stones. How did you get so strong?"
"Maybe you just got weaker," Sai teased.
Pouncing on him, she pinched him playfully. "You're so mean!"
"Ok, ok!" he dodged half-heartedly, "Mr. Nabu from the end of the street started teaching me. He used to teach in the royal courts, you know. He's teaching me how to read and write too."
"Oh, lucky! You'll have to teach me then."
"Only if you work hard at it too."
She watched him replace the stones she had flung off the board, and listened to the sound of his voice as he proceeded to analyze the game, pointing out places for improvement. "You should've attached here, when I threatened, instead of playing tanuki. Even though that move is bigger, you have to address the present danger... Are you listening to me? I'm trying to help you." Sai looked up, berating her.
"Mmmm... No," she stuck her tongue out.
"If you'd only be more serious about playing, you'd improve so much faster."
"And you take it too seriously."
Chihou watched him frown, and knowingly changed the subject, "Sai-kun? What are you going to be when you grow up?"
Sai thought about it for a minute, and said, "I don't know. But I wish I could just play Go forever."
"You really love Go that much?"
He nodded. "What about you? What are you going to do? I know you like to write."
"I don't care; as long as I can play Go with you forever." She blushed as Sai took her hand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"My parents are getting more persistent," Chihou said leaning her face against his shoulder, "they said if I'm already two years past the age of marriage, if I don't pick someone, then soon no one would want me anymore."
Sai broke away from their embrace, and begun pacing. "Chihou, I..."
Chihou interrupted, knowing his thoughts,"
"But it's not fair to you. You deserve someone who could devote their whole heart to you, not the second most loved."
"I don't care, I only want you."
Sai took her into his arms and nodded. "If you'll be happiest then."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Are you really leaving for Kyoto?" She faced him at the goban for the last time.
"Mr. Nabu recommended me. I have to repay his kindness."
"But we're getting married in a month."
"You knew that I would make this choice."
"But I thought you would know better after being with me for so long." She cried, "What do you see right before you fall asleep at night?"
He responded without hesitation, "Games that I've played that day, and what I could've or should've done instead."
"So you love Go more than you love me? Can Go make conversation with you? Can Go take care of you when you're sick? Can Go love you back, no matter how much love you have for it?" Hardly containing her tears, Chihou stormed out.
The day Sai left, she watched the trail behind him, and she pleaded softly, "Please come back to me. You promised you'd play with me for the rest of my life. I'll wait for you... Even if I have to become the pillow you sleep on, a fan that you admire in a courtesan's hand, or a single Go stone that you might touch only once, I'll wait for you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He lost. No longer a courtside tutor, he finally returned home after wandering the streets until dawn as if he had lost his soul. What was he going to do now? He sat before the goban and saw an unopened letter, received two days ago express.
"Sai-kun,
I'm getting married soon. Tomorrow Night. I hope you'll grant me the honor of your presence, and your blessing.
Chihou"
He had nothing left. Nothing at all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In this life, her name is Akari.
"Hikaru, that dolt!" Akari mumbled to herself, as she walked to school alone the third time that week, "what is going on with him? First, he faints, and then he's like a whole different person. Acing history, but failing gym. He's never been serious about anything. Now he's planning on becoming a pro Go player. He thinks he's so much better than me." Akari shook her head.
"Alright, Hikaru! I'll be serious about Go, too. I'll get better, until you will play me on an even game. I've got a long way to go, but wait for me, I'll play with you."