Full Summary: Ya Shu was considered a Go genius. Her rise to fame was quick, and she easily attracted respect, power, fame... and enemies. When it got to be too much, she fled from China to her grandparents in Japan, changing her name to Makoto Seiko and swearing to never again play Go. One day, when walking home, she takes refuge from the rain in a Go salon, where she plays a single game. But before she can place down the last stone, the one that will secure her win, she realizes what she has done and flees. The only problem is that her opponent is the Meijin, and he won't let her fade into the background at all. All he has is the name she gave him, Zhen Hui, but it's enough to start tracking her down.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hikaru no Go.
Author's Note:
Ya Shu means 'elegant kindness' in Chinese.
Zhen Hui means 'rare intelligence' in Chinese.
Makoto Seiko means 'sincere truth' in Japanese.
Last Updated: Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Placing the Last Stone - 000
Written By: FireFlower007
Ya Shu decided that she hated Go when she was eight years old.
She had been a genius, and when her parents had discovered it, they immediately thrust her into the world of the pros. She had passed the exam without a single loss at seven, and her winning streak had remained unblemished for the entire year. She had quickly become a 2-dan without any effort, and had attracted attention everywhere.
But of course, everything had its bad side.
Ya Shu's popularity gained her many enemies, and she was soon shunned from almost every other pro. Lonely and confused, she had begged her parents to let her be a normal girl only to have them slap her and call her ungrateful. She received threatening letters and was even ambushed one night when she walked home.
That was when she decided that she had had enough. What she did next shook the entire Go world to its core.
In the dead of night, she ran away, taking nothing but a wad of cash and her backpack, straight to the airport. There, she took the flight to Japan, promising herself that she would never again return to China. On the flight, she called her grandparents and told them everything.
She took on the name Makoto Seiko, and never looked back once.
So, when she was only eight years old, Ya Shu decided she hated Go. And she swore that she would never associate with anything that was even remotely related to Go.
~dbdbdbdbdbdbdbdb~
Makoto Seiko shivered slightly as she walked home to her grandparents' home. She was surprisingly short, with pale white skin and long blonde hair she kept braided back. Her emerald green eyes were slightly slanted, the only sign of her Chinese heritage on her father's side, and they were just as cold as her surroundings. She hunched a little as a blast of freezing wind slammed into her. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a short-sleeved shirt, hardly the kind of clothes that protected her in the current weather, but she hadn't read the weather report when she'd woken up that morning.
Then, the second she looked up to wonder who on Earth could hate her enough to do this to her, it began to rain. Cursing under her breath, she ducked into the nearest store, hoping to wait out the storm.
Her eyes widened when she realized just where she was: a Go salon.
Shitake mushrooms, she thought wildly. I must've been a serial killer in my last life. Hoping no one had noticed her yet, she tried to flee for the door when a cheerful voice called out, "You gonna play or what?"
Makoto closed her eyes and inwardly cursed every god she knew to hell. Taking a deep breath, she opened them and turned to give a shy smile at the lady at the desk. She was young, with short hair and kind eyes.
She bowed. "Forgive me, I was just looking for refuge from the rain." She gestured to herself. "As you can see, I was not expecting the storm. It took me by surprise. I don't want to be a burden, though. I can leave now if you wish."
Please let me leave, she pleaded mentally. Please please please let me leave.
"Oh, no problem," the lady smiled. "Stay as long as you want."
Damn.
"Do you play Go, by any chance?"
Funny story, that. See, I was once this really famous player in China, but I decided to run away and swore I would never play Go again after I nearly died 'cause of some jealous biatch. So, I'll just let myself out now. Yeah, that would go over well.
"I used to," she said, biting her lip and feeling like a cornered animal. "I don't anymore."
"Nonsense!" the lady laughed. "You can't just take Go out of someone! Say, what's your name, kid?"
Makoto's mind went blank. What should I say? I can't say Ya Sha, because that name's famous! I can't say Makoto Seiko, 'cause they might force me to play, and I might get noticed! What do I do?
"Zhen Hui," she finally said, remembering the old nickname her parents had called her before they had become completely enamored with the idea of more fame. "My name's Zhen Hui."
"Well, Zhen Hui, take your time and look around. I'm sure you'll get into the spirit of things!"
Yeah, right. As soon as pink unicorns appear and start farting rainbows.
She forced herself to smile, feeling like she needed to throw up. "Thanks," she said weakly. "I'll be sure to do that."