A/N: THIS IS A REWRITTEN CHAPTER 1 AS OF 2/3/06. My worst nightmare has come to pass, my writing has deteriorated since I first started, thus I'm going to rewrite this fic from beginning to end.
Changing Eternity
Chapter 1- Twins
Disclaimer: The oh so great creations of Hikaru no go do not belong to me, they belong to the creators. Well duh….now I'm not going to make money off of this yadda yadda yadda…
―A tsunami of
black and white, one doesn't see
the small waves forming
"Saiyoko! Rasaiara! Where could those two children gone?" A tall, attractive blond woman crosses her arms in exasperation. Her only job was to be in charge of the children during their stay, but they were such brats. The girl, Rasaiara, would throw a temper tantrum if a certain food wasn't cooked to her liking, and as revenge she would ruin all the good linen. The boy, Saiyoko, was a bit better, but his smirk during one of his sister's tantrums annoyed her to no end.
However, once the children did disappear somewhere, the house was quiet, and she had the free time to do whatever she wanted. But it wouldn't do for the long term; two other maids had quit or were fired, the former because of the antics of the children, and the latter because of "negligence". The current record was three weeks, and bets were already being placed how long the newest caretaker would last.
The woman sits down at the table, pouring herself a steaming cup of tea from the teapot sitting in the middle of the table. Unbeknownst to her, this tea had a sleeping draught in it, designed to keep pesky people asleep for a few hours so they could get fired.
The children were in a room located in the east wing. The subtle décor on the walls were of the highest taste, the furniture, sparse, thin and decidedly expensive. A room where most children would not enter in fear of breaking some priceless heirloom, and would measure eight tatami mats in size. Only large comfy cushions broke the austerity of the room, something the children needed that was not originally there.
Against the backdrop of the comfortable cushion, steam rose from two cups of green tea, one at each side of the figures hunched over a go board.
It was quiet enough for both children to hear their own beating heart, and that of the go stones as they resounded clearly on the board.
At least the white stones did. Moist and shaking fingers hesitate over the board, think better of it, and retract the hand. Trembling, and sweating, the slight figure bows, "I have nothing."
"Hah! I knew it! You suck!"
That broke the revered silence of two players in serious thought. Saiyoko, ten years old, did not understand the concept of sportsmanship. He waves his hand at the weak shapes and battles on the goban.
"I must say though, you were right to resign. If not, in a real game, you lost by twenty moku."
"How would you know that? You just learned counting two weeks ago same as me! There's no way you can count that fast!"
"And how do you know I didn't learn it instantly? I might just be a pure genius, unlike some people I can mention."
Rasaiara conceded his point, her brother never lost a game against her; and she was the one with extensive tutoring sessions. But she hated losing to her arrogant, older by two minutes, older brother, and made excuses.
"What do you mean twenty moku? I only lost by half a moku at best, and that is not a difference at all!"
In silent laughter, her bright brother smiled benevolently at her. "So, what happened to the four stone handicap I gave you?"
The girl only glares at him.
"Hey don't get mad at me. You were the one who suggested that we play this game! To make mom and dad happy you said….too bad you don't have the talent. But it's not a total waste; we got rid of that blonde bimbo." His violet eyes gleams in his mirth.
It was joke at her expense. She was the one that asked for the lessons after all, and he was only forced to play along because they did everything together. Soon, it was clear, while Saiyoko had innate talent, his sister….his sister would never reach pro level, even with arduous training. Too bad, because it was his sister that passionately loved the game, and was cut short by her own deficiencies. She could enjoy the game, but he could and would always pound her in the dust.
"That's it Saiyoko! How can you behave like this? I got rid of all those caretakers, I listened to all your ideas, and all you can do in a game like this is rub in my face how much I lack compare to you! Well fine! You get your wish! That's the last time you're going to say anything. I'll stop playing. I hate you and this game!" Rasaiara clutches the stones tightly, as if she was about to throw them at her insensitive brother.
Saiyoko eyes did widen at the statement but she couldn't be serious. Go was like her lifeline, without it what would she do? As for hating him, he always wanted to be an only child anyway.
Why did she let those words come out of her mouth? Now, she was struck with it. She kept her promises, unlike her twin.
Her brother's hand swipes across the goban scattering the pieces everywhere. "Well, since you lost, and you're never going to play anyway, pick these up will you? It's your last chance to hold her kind of go stones." The boy then leaves the room, his loud laughter echoing in the hallway.
Rasaiara could not take it anymore. If her beloved go was going to be associated with that, that, person, she could give it up. Nothing was more despicable than her twin.
It took a long time that time to clean the stones and put them in their proper places. The stones kept getting wet.
Japan, 7 years later, 2 years after the Hokuto Cup
Rasaiara looks at the simple structure of the GO institute. The architect must have picked the most functional design; it held none of the aesthetics that go professionals prized.
Hesitating to go in, she paces a little in front of the building, back and forth, almost like she wasn't going to enter. She had always hated going here, the symbol of her mockery of a life. But there was nothing she could do about it, Saiyoko was an insei and he asked for her most specifically to deliver his things. The household lived to serve the young master.
Rasaiara wished she was back in America or even China. She was willing to even spontaneously combust on the spot. She closes her eyes. The building is still there, an epitome of that wretched game of black and white stones.
Rasaiara still couldn't figure it out. Saiyoko, 7 years ago, treated go like a passing hobby but now lived and breathed the game like she once had. Her twin had even trained in China for 5 years before becoming an insei. After two years of that, Saiyoko decided he was ready to take the pro exam.
According to that woman, her brother apparently didn't have much choice in the decision; in order to catch up the twin dragons, as the media dubbed Shindou Hikaru and Touya Akira, who were the same age, it was now or never. He had missed his chance in defeating Shindou while he was an insei; he was in Korea and China training.
Rasaiara knew that he didn't need her to come; he just wanted to gloat. Charged full of righteous anger, she tucks her long black hair under the baseball cap, and stomps into the lobby.
Saiyoko was such a bastard for making them move to this country. He could have stayed permanently in Korean where go was more popular, or moved by himself to Japan if he wanted to be acknowledged in his country of origin. Like the decision to move to China, she had no say in the matter. If Saiyoko wanted to go, the whole household went. The only amusement she had since coming to this country was the look on his face when he found out his name was practically only given to girls in Japan. He got over it though, and made tons of girlfriends off of that story. He never lost against her in anything.
"…too bad you don't the talent…"
Did he know how much that hurt?
They were only ten years old, and both of them were always treated equally despite the wide gaps in talent. Then, for him to say she didn't have talent…it was painful knowing that her parents felt she was wasting their time. Her real parents…. Not the ones that were part of the household. Why couldn't she have been adopted? No, Saiyoko decision was that twins stayed together. It was as he wanted her by his side at every victory to torture her .
Rasaiara finally realized how much derision Saiyoko treated her hard training; he had started with Tengen in that fateful game, adding in a four stone handicap. It was different as night and day as the outcome between the Kansai pro and Shindou Hikaru. It was the one game she actually poured the kifu over in secret, as if it held answers to her salvation.
In the end, she felt only disgusted with herself and watched the kifu burn with another go piece, white this time, from her collection. She had only twenty pieces left from the original eighty, and eighty one stones that her brother told her to pick up. It was her habit to burn a stone every time she thought of the crippling game, the game that stole her very soul.
Why was her twin gifted in the one game she had wanted to play so badly in? Even now her passion threatened her sanity, but she could not afford to be put on medication again. Her position was precarious in the household as a non go player as it was.
Easing her mind away from the memories that had been dredged up by her brother's decision and the Go institute, Rasaiara breaths deeply, unclenching her fist; her nails had broken the skin and she hadn't even noticed.
Ignoring the slight twinge of pain, she kept her eyes straight ahead, her gaze intent on the elevator door. Though Rasaiara was concentrating very intensely at her surroundings, her mind really was elsewhere, and failed to take notice of the people coming off the elevator.
The papers in the folder flew out of her hands, scattering all over the lobby. How did she get on the floor?
"Sorry!" a voice utters, while she tried to slip out of her daze and get up.
The boy collected the various sheets of paper for her, but the lunch that Rasaiara had brought on her mother's orders was beyond salvaging.
The boy frowns, sweeping the blond bangs away from his eyes.
"Gee I'm really sorry about this," Shindou as he surveys the mess he made. Grinning widely despite the circumstances, he reprimanded his friend. "Waya, I told you we shouldn't race out of the elevator!"
"So says the loser who has to buy me sushi." Waya shot back, both of them ignoring the fact that it was really Shindou who suggested the idea, but over ramen.
Pretending he didn't hear that last statement, Shindou speaks with rather pretty long haired girl, "Are these kifus are yours? You don't mind if I look at them right? Hey, wait a minute are you an insei? You're carrying so many kifus and stuff. That must be your lunch….hm…but… I never saw you here before…" Hikaru rifles quickly through the pile of kifus that she had dropped, scanning each one quickly without regard.
"Shindou! Stop going through her stuff! I apologize for his rudeness; he can be a little out of line sometimes. " A cheerful smile greeted her as Rasaiara finally looked up.
A brown haired boy was looking at his friend in exasperation, jabbing the other boy with his elbow for him to say something. A boy with funny brown hair that was cheerful… from her brother's description and a glimpse of his picture in Weekly Go , it probably was the one called Yoshitaka Waya ,a Go pro….and if the other one was Shindou Hikaru…
She hated contact with anyone related to the Go world.
"So, since your lunch is ruined, Wanna join us? We're having ramen. Waya's paying," Shindou smiles happily, completely ignoring Waya previous statement.
"Hey, don't hit on girls using me as an excuse! And it was sushi! And you're paying!" Waya shot right back at his friend.
Quickly the girl snatches the kifus away from Shindou's hands. "No, thank you. That lunch was his. I could care less. These kifus are also my brother's, go invite him for lunch discussing his genius plays. If I need to pay for the mess, send the bill to him as well." As fast as Shindou could recognize the games that the kifus were composed of, it was nothing compared to how fast the girl moved out of their sight and company.
Startled at her rudeness, both boys shrugged.
"What's up with her? A pretty girl, but too much bitterness. You sure can pick them, Shindou. You attract the weirdest people. On a side note, how's the insei?" Waya, distracted already by thoughts of another potential genius rival.
"……Um…five of the kifus were Shuusaku's, two were of your matches Waya, five of Akira Touya, five of my matches, ten of Touya-sensei…" Shindou ticks off his fingers, ignoring the side comments about the girl.
"You mean none of the kifus were her brother's? Wait a minute, why is he observing more kifus of your matches than mine?"
Shindou stops counting, "Actually only one was his. His skill level is okay, maybe a bit above Fuku. I can't see what the girl meant by genius. I mean I am of course…"
"Shhhhhindou…..!" Waya yells in rage as Shindou Hikaru, pro of four years, ran as fast as he could from one's, codenamed Zelda, wrath.
Settling down once Waya had a mock fight with him, Shindou couldn't get rid of the feeling he had met the girl before.
"Hey…Waya…that rude girl back there….did she feel familiar to you?"
Waya slaps him on the back and laughs. "So I was right about you hitting on her! I was getting worried, when it seemed you were only interested in Touya Akira. I mean, that tension between that arrogant bastard and you is just not normal," Waya interjects with spoon waving in the air.
Hikaru reacts automatically. "I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH HIM! He's just the…nevermind." In the mid of his sentence that reminded him of Sai, Shindou grabs his fan in reflex. His hand grabbed empty air. "Shit! Waya I have to go back to the Institute. I left my fan there. Order me my favorite ramen for me!" Shindou was already halfway down the block before Waya could reply, sushi, not ramen.
Waya had to have the last word though. "YOU'RE PAYING SHINDOU!"
Grinning though Waya couldn't see him, he only waves at the other boy.
On the road back, the whole thing kept nagging Hikaru. Before he was a bit pre-occupied with the kifus, but now that he reflected back on it, he kept on thinking how she felt so familiar. That's why he extended the invitation. But maybe it was just him. Hikaru ran faster to ignore the direction his thoughts were really taking him.
Dreams don't really come true after all.
Breathing hard as he enters the lobby, Hikaru silently wished the elevator to go faster. As the elevator opened, a bunch of inseis got out, which was normal, except for the fact he caught the sight of long purple hair.
Shindou Hikaru tried to calm himself down. He thought he was rid of the habit of chasing down anyone with that unique purple hair.
Get a hold of yourself! It's not Sai! Sai is gone but he lives in your Go remember?
Still, Hikaru couldn't help but be curious. Could he pretend to bump into him or something? His eyes followed the retreating backs of the insei, and his resolve falters, until the boy on the right speaks.
"Sai, you totally killed me today! I just have no luck… no wonder you been #1 since you got here!"
His name is Sai. His name is Sai. No, calm down. It's probably the person who impersonates the real one from time to time on the internet. It's not really him.
"Skill, luck and hard work. All you need, oh shoot, my hair band got loose. Where did it go?" The purple haired boy starts to turn around.
Shindou looks at his feet. It's not him, it's not him. Unfortunately, at his feet was a white ribbon hair tie. No Ogata. He could try it at least.
"Hey, Sai, you dropped this!" Shindou said loudly, steeling his heart, and expecting an awed insei, got ready to break into a grin. It couldn't be him.
But to his utter surprise, the face staring back at him was indeed Sai Fujiwara, go tutor from the Heian period.
Author's Note: I hope this is more up to par. C/C welcome. I hope my characterizations were too off. Please also tell me if the OC are getting Mary Sueish, however I doubt many are going to reread this, but okay.