DISCLAIMER:

I do not own or have not created any of the characters from Hikaru no Go. These characters belong to Hotta Yumi and Obata Takeshi creators of Hikaru no Go

The story plot is an original and belongs to me. Have fun reading ^_^

Oh and my friend Olga is beta-ing this so the grammar wont be as bad as in other stories I write but English is not here frist language either so still please forgive grammar errors^^

P.S. the grammar is WAAAAY better in the actuall story I wrote this A/N

Interesting Beginnings

Shindou Hikaru entered the convention and felt happy at the atmosphere as he noticed people of all ages engrossed in a game of Go. It was the beginning of the convention in Tokyo and he was sent as one of the resident professional go players to play tutoring matches and present game commentaries. He knew Touya Akira was going to show up soon and he wanted to wait for him here, but without anything else to do he decided to sit among the crowd and watch the opening ceremony.

This year, the community wanted to do an amateur Kabuki play and have the theme of the play center on the game of Go. Silently, Shindou sat down and picked up a small pamphlet and read the storyline. A young man tutored Go to the emperor, but the emperor had two Go tutors. The other Go tutor accused the young man of cheating and he was sent from the capital in disgrace. With his honor in ruins the young man killed himself to regain his honor.

Shindou felt his heart ache as he read the storyline. It was the story of his mentor, friend, and companion who spent two years with him as a ghost; Fujiwara Sai. Sai had taught him how to play Go and was a mentor to him while he strove to become the rival of Touya Akira. He felt Sai every time he put a Go stone down. He would have loved to know that people made a kabuki play about his life. He could just imagine Sai excitedly tug on his arm and jump around like a little child.

"Hiiiikaaaruuuu! Look! Look! Hiiiiikaaaaaruuuuu! It's about me!" He could imagine Sai's voice ringing in his head. He sighed and put down the pamphlet. He looked up onto the stage and watched the second half of the play. Right now the Emperor was center stage and soon the young man would walk across the stage in a dance of defeat. As a slender arm extended with a familiar fan out, Shindou felt his heart stop as he spied familiar long deep purple hair, slender white hands, with the same period clothes he had worn the whole time. He was from The Heian Period and wore what was called a noshi-bina; a purple kimono wrap and blue pants with a white noshi which was everyday court dress. The only difference was that the person on the stage wore a white mask. As the play ended, everybody left the stage and Shindou rushed towards the backstage and searched the people until he saw "Sai." Running through the crowd he pushed people aside and grabbed the person's hand.

"Sai!" The person turned around and took of the mask and revealed a softer face than Sai's.

"Who are you?" His voice was delicate and with a disappointed heart Shindou could only sit and stare. Noticing the crestfallen look, he tilted his head and squinted his eyes trying to think. "I know I've seen your face somewhere before." Shindou looked at the man as it dawned on him who he was. He hit his right palm of his hand with his left fist as his face smiled in excited understanding.

"I'm…"

"Shindou Hikaru!" He interrupted him and grabbed his hand. "For some odd reason you feel awfully familiar to me, and it has nothing to do with the paper my grandfather gave me." He smiled at him and motioned for him to sit down next in a chair nearby.

"May I ask who you are?" Shindou found himself sitting there with a can of cold coffee in his hand.

"I'm sorry. I'm Fujiwara Saime. Most of my friends call me Sai. I was surprised you knew my nickname but it might also belong to a friend of yours." Saime sat down and took off the hat to reveal that his hair was really that long. It reached all the way down near the bottom of his slender calf muscles. "Could you do me a favor? My grandfather had taught me the basics of go and gave me these kifu's, but unfortunately I do not know how to read kifu's so could you help me?" He held out a notebook that had a number of kifu's from random people. He flipped to a random one and recognized the kifu of one of Touya Meijin's game. He pointed at the kifu and watched as his bright colorful eyes become engrossed and concentrated at what he was saying. He taught him how the paper showed the beginning and the end of the game and how it could show each attack of each player. Afterwards he picked up the book and seemed to flip through the pages of the book looking at each kifu before he placed it back in his duffel bag.

"Is that all you wanted from me?" Shindou looked at him and was torn between wanting to leave and being polite.

"I'm sorry, I must look like a friend that you lost but would you honor me by playing a game of Go. I apologize ahead of time. I have only been playing Go for two months and I may not be a challenge for you." He smiled and shrugged and led him down to a free table with a portable Go board.

"What handicap do you want?" He reached inside the wooden bowl filled with stones and waited for his comment.

"None. I want to start with Nigiri and see how strong I am." He filled his slender hand with some white stones and placed them on the board. Shindou placed two black stones and watched as the white stones came out odd. He switched bowls with Saime and watched as he placed a stone down. His technique was a little shaky but he put down the stone with purpose. As the game progressed, he noticed that he picked familiar positions on the board. After the 10th turn he stopped and sat there. His hands were on his lap as he thought about the next move, connecting his thumbs as he thought. He seemed to scan the board before his eyes changed and sharpened. He picked up the stone and placed it down causing Shindou to stare at him in astonishment. It was like looking at Sai placing a stone down using his own hands. He followed each piece, and then as he looked at the pattern on the Go board he realized that he had lost. Astonished, he looked up at Saime's face. He was into the world of the go board and at first didn't notice that his opponent had stopped playing. He slowly looked at him and tilted to his head to one side.

"Hikaru! Let's play."

"I resign…" Shindou put down the stones in his hand and cleaned up the rest of the stones. "You play exactly how Sai would…" He touched the slender hand gently and held onto him.

"Your Sai! He would be the only person to think of the moves you had placed on that board." Saime looked at him astounded.

"First of all… I'm not a Go player. I'm a Doctor in the hospital near Tokyo University writing up my first dissertation. I'm a person that enjoys playing with my grandfather."

"But… This game cannot be played by someone who just started playing Go!" He looked at the intense moves and the perfect patience that went with placing all the pieces at the right time.

"I think I remind you of Sai. Even though you do seem familiar I know for sure I haven't seen you before. I'm sorry but I'm not Sai."

"I know! You must be a reincarnation! That is the only explanation. That means you'll remember me eventually!"

"Even if I am a reincarnation, reincarnations would never remember their past lives. It would ruin their chance of a clean life." He sighed and stood up. "I am truly touched Shindou-kun, and hopefully we can play Go again someday but I am not Sai. I am willing to be your friend and even though my nickname is Sai… I am not that person." He reached into his robes and pulled out a thin wallet where he pulled out his business card. He gave it to him and left.

Master Ogata exited from the elevators and noticed at the corner of his eye a wisp of long purple hair before it disappeared in the crush of people going towards the elevator. He shrugged and looked around for the representative for the Go Institute from Japan. Instead of the representative, he saw Shindou sitting at the table. He walked and out of habit read the board. The board was complex and from Shindou's position on the board he was the white stones. The feel of the board felt very familiar and he only remembered this feeling when he watched the game played by Sai and Touyo Meijin online. He looked at Shindou's face and noticed how pale he was.

"This… You played Sai! Here! Where is he!?!" Master Ogata quickly turned around and tried to find the person amidst the crowd. The deep voice of Master Ogata quickly woke Shindou from his trance and he looked up.

"Sai is not here… This was a game I played with a person named Fujiwara Saime. He's amazing." He tapped her card and vowed that he would find Saime again.

"Someday Shindou-kun I will follow you and figure out who this person is. He must be one hell of a person to be able to play a game like this against you." He inhaled on his cigarette before leaving Shindou alone by himself. He began to think that any person who could play a game like that would be an interesting opponent.

Shindou looked down at the card and address. Next weekend he wanted to go see him and find out what he knew. At that moment a familiar dark green head appeared beside Shindou and looked at the board as well. The slender hand gripped Shindou's arm as he stared intently down at the board. He was getting the same feeling as Master Ogata had at the pattern he saw.

"Sai…" He looked at Shindou's face and noticed the intense concentration.

"No Touya. It was not Sai, somebody else who plays just like him." Unconsciously, he reached up and gripped Touya's fingers holding onto him for support. Touya looked at Shindou surprised but oddly he felt a warm feeling in his heart that Shindou would look to him for support.

The Weekend

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Saime leaned forward looking at the patient chart in his hand, reading the history of each patient. Like a camera, he photographed each page of the chart in his mind and sorted the information in a never ending filing cabinet that was easily accessed by the name of the patient. He turned the page and sipped his tea when the bell to the front door rang. Startled, he looked at the clock and saw that it was 12 o'clock in the afternoon. He pushed all the files away and left the room to open the door. Shindou was their shifting nervously as he pulled the door open and look at his visitor.

"Oh Shindou-kun. I wasn't expecting any visitors today but come in." He motioned for him to enter and take off his shoes. Being polite, he took off his shoes and wore slippers that were meant for visitors and followed him into the depths of his house. The house had a definite traditional feel to it having very little furniture to clutter the room. He brought him to a living room and motioned him to sit in on the white couch. The sliding doors were pulled aside and opened to a wide opened space that yet again opened to a garden and pond. "I like to open all the sliding doors because it brings in natural light and makes the room brighter. I usually live with my grandparents but they're going to be gone for two months visiting our relatives in Hokkaido." Shindou nodded patiently and looked at him. He was graceful and even beautiful. Sai had always been a beautiful man, and looking at Saime was startling.

"I really came here to learn more about you." Shindou shifted uncomfortably while he sat across from him.

"Go ahead and ask. But I have a question for you. What would you like to drink?"

"Juice would be fine." Saime just smiled at him.

"Apple juice, orange juice, plum juice, cranberry juice or peach juice?'

"Uh… Apple juice I guess." He just nodded and left the room and in a couple minutes had a glass of apple juice on a small tray. He gracefully put a coaster down and put the glass on top.

"How did you learn how to play so well after only playing for a couple of months?" Saime was not surprised at the question and wondered how he should reply.

"I have a mind that works similar to a computer. I can soak in huge amounts of data and analyze it just as fast. It's always been a problem for me and I rushed through school really quickly. When I was younger I was used like a lab rat, being tested before they left me alone. My parents fought very hard to have me live a normal life as possible, but I still get ask to do side jobs." He leaned comfortably in the couch and smiled. "You want to know if I am Sai or not." Surprised Shindou just stared at him.

"I remembered the conversation we had last weekend and I have tell you I honestly do not know who Sai is. If I am Sai I really don't remember anything." Dejectedly, Shindou nodded and looked at him for a moment.

"What did you mean by side jobs? I thought you were a doctor?"

"I am. My ability to see all possibilities in something I see is usefully because people can give me a picture and report and I can place them together in my head. Often in criminal scenes I can pick out something they ordinarily miss even though it's just a small change in the room. They use me for criminal cases like murders, but I do get paid for my services." Saime smiled at him gently and touched his hand in a comforting gesture. "I have a feeling that Sai was really close to you. Do you want to tell me about it? I promise that whatever you tell me won't leave this room." Shindou breathed in deeply and really thought about it. He had never told anyone about Sai and it felt like it was eating him still inside. He missed Sai and every time he felt like talking to him. The empty space beside him felt so bleak that sometimes he would still cry at night.

Resolutely, he turned and began talking to Saime and told him everything including all the personal details he knew about Sai. Saime just absorbed it and learned that his personality was almost exactly like Sai's. The only difference was that he had a photographic memory.

"I see why you were almost happy to see me." Saime picked up his empty glass and motioned him to a go board on the ledge near the door. Shindou sat with him and almost instinctively took the white bowl and he took the black. Saime waited for him to put down a stone and he followed suite. The game ensued and Shindou looked down at the board to see that he had lost spectacularly once again.

"You almost got me but you lost it when you put the stone down here." Saime pointed to a spot on the board and everything began to fall into place. If he moved the stone to a different spot in the area, he would have had the higher ground.

"I see, but what would happen if I moved the stone here?" Saime looked at the stone carefully and smiled.

"You may have won the game but I would have countered that move with a stone placed here." It felt so familiar to him that before long, he was sitting there smiling. "Shindou, if it makes you feel better you can treat me as Sai. I don't mind and I'm beginning to feel that maybe I am Sai. Even with my photographic memory, I shouldn't feel this comfortable with a Go board." He nodded silently and thought for a bit.

"I think it would make me feel better if you don't mind."

"I don't." Saime bent down and began cleaning up the stones. "So what are your plans? Are you going to high school?"

"I had already decided not to go to school and focus my life on Go and getting a title for myself. My parent's are going through with the decision, and even though they don't like it they're agreeing to it because I have been earning my own way since I started playing Go."

"Do you feel like moving out of your parent's house?" Sai closed the top of the bowl and placed it gently onto the Go Board.

"Well to tell you the truth I do. My friend Waya got his own place and I thought maybe I should to."

"Well, do you feel like getting your own place. It means so many other things." He shrugged uncertainly. "Well if you want, I was going to rent the guest house on the other side of the smaller gate. The entrance is on that street and it feels completely separated to this house. It's actually a three-room cottage with a bathroom, and a kitchen. The rent is affordable too." He just nodded.

"Give me a week and I can give you an answer." He looked at his watch and shot up like a jack-in-a-box. Touya was waiting for him at the Go Salon and he was running late. Thankfully, Sai's house was not far off from the Salon that he could make it if he ran. "I gotta go. Here's my address and phone number if you need to call me." Saime just smiled and took the business card. Saime followed him and cleaned up after him. Then he closed the door as Shindou ran down the street. Making a decision, he picked up the phone and dialed Shindou's home number.

"Moshi? My name is Fujiwara Saime. I know your son Shindou Hikaru and I just wanted to talk to you about him. Can I come over and talk to you and your husband?" he heard the woman on the phone say yes and then a dial tone. He put down the phone, picked up his wallet and keys and left the house. It didn't take long to get to Shindou's house and when he knocked on the door, a pretty woman opened the door.

"My name is Fujiwara Saime." The woman nodded and let him through into the room. Her husband was waiting for them in the living room and waited for his wife and the visitor to get comfortable before looking directly to their visitor.

"So what is this about?"

"I'm an acquaintance of Shindou Hikaru through the Japan Institute of Go, and I talked to him recently and he wanted to get a place of his own." They reacted to the news just as any other normal family would with absolute negativity about it. "I know it sounds bad but here is what I will do. I offered him my guesthouse that is actually near the Go Institute, and I will make absolutely sure that he is okay. I will call you every week to tell you how he's doing and if he needs help. I'm also pretty sure that he will come home as many times as he can." They thought about it and like clockwork they agreed. He smiled at them and gave them his business card and the address and excused himself. All in all, he thought it was a day well spent.