All Ogata wanted to do when he got home was to sit, have a cigarette, review the match he just played and perhaps drink before retiring for the night. He believed that he would carry those string of events to his deathbed without failure.

When he stepped out of the shower with towel draped around his neck, ice cold beer in hand, he stepped into his bedroom to start placing stones on the goban. However, just when he cracked the alcoholic beverage open, he found himself rooted to the ground.

Long purple hair that reflected the moonlight was the first thing he noticed, followed by the very strange way the person was dressed. Noshi? Who in their right mind still dress like that? If he thought Touya-sensei was traditional, this person must be downright historic.

"Hey!" Ogata raised his voice, and he could see the intruder's shoulders tense. "What are you doing here?!" He leaned forward to roughly grab the man, or woman's shoulder.

"Uwaah!" They squealed, with a voice that was leaning towards male.

His next sentence would be 'get out of here', had he not find himself unable to speak. His palm certainly was touching the man's shoulder, but he couldn't feel warmth or the smoothness of fabric. In fact, he felt nothing at all.

"You can see me, Ogata-sensei?" The man practically grinned, expression so bright he might as well be a lightbulb.

"What do you mean you can see me?" He flinched at the strange question, not any less odd than the noshi he wore. "Are you mocking me?" Ogata spat out, thinking that just because he wore glasses didn't mean that he was blind.

"Mock you? I would never!" The stranger quickly denied.

"Explain yourself before I call the cops." The blond demanded impatiently.

"That's not really gonna do you any good, though..." At the raised eyebrows, he stood up and cleared his throat. "I am..." He placed his hands on his hips. "Fujiwara no Sai! Yes, the very same Sai that you have been obsessing over! I also happen to be a ghost, and from now on I will be haunting you!"

Ogata could feel his glasses slip. "Excuse me?"

"Now please tell Hikaru that I haven't disappeared. The poor boy's been looking for me and forfeiting all his matches! Please give him an earful, Ogata-sensei!"

The blond put his fingers on his chin, pondering about what move he should take next. He then grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket and said, "Hospital."

"No! They won't be able to see me anyway!" Sai grabbed Ogata's hand. "Hikaru! Call Hikaru!" The self-proclaimed ghost cried out.

"I am not calling Shindou." He struggled to free his hand so that he could continue to dial the number. "You are clearly delusional and need immediate treatment."

"B-but!" Sai pouted, lips tightening into a pout. "He can't see me and no one else can. Only you can help me."

"Yes, I certainly can help you by calling the hospital."

"Please!" Sai fell on his knees and practically was hugging Ogata's feet. "Ogata-sensei, you are my only hope!"

"Let go of me!" The 9-dan complained and moved backwards only to drag Sai with him, teary eyed and all. "Let go or I swear, I will call the cops." But that statement didn't seem to faze the strange man as he kept sobbing and gripped him even tighter than before. After a few more seconds of struggles from both parties, Ogata sighed in defeat. That was apparently enough to make Sai release him.

Still eyeing the intruder with suspicion, he finally deemed that he was more of a nuisance than a threat. Claiming that he was Sai? Pah! How laughable. Sai probably didn't even know Ogata's existence. No one had ever met him in person, and there was no plausible explanation as to why he decided to show up in his bedroom out of the blue.

"You don't believe me." Sai sulked.

"Do you expect me to?"

"Hikaru did."

"Well, unfortunately I am not an airhead like he is." The man mocked.

Sai was running out of ideas to convince Ogata when he laid his eyes upon the goban. That's it! "What about a game? If I win, you have to call Hikaru."

The blond let out a dry chuckle. "Surely you jest." He smirked. "I'm a 9-dan player and there is no way an unknown amateur like you would stand a chance. You wouldn't even make it past early game."

There was no tint of hesitation or fear in Sai's eyes as he snapped open the fan he had been holding to cover his lips. "I never joke about go."

Ogata was about to flatly refuse the challenge, but the aura emitted from the man in front of him somehow stopped his thought processes. It reminded him of... reminded him of Shindou. That look, that sheer intensity. "Alright, I'll humour you." He smiled before assuming a seiza. "Place as many stones as you'd like."

Sai followed suit and sat opposite the professional, eyes not leaving the man for even a split second. "We will play an even game."

"Very bold," He pushed his glasses up his nose. Ogata was not going to go easy on him. In fact, he was going to annihilate him so hard, he wished he never made claims that he was Sai. "I'll let you have black."

The man in noshi nodded as the other grabbed his bowl of stones and expected Sai to do the same. However, he didn't. "Ogata-sensei, I cannot touch the stones." He broke the silence, attempting to grab the bowl only to have his hand passing through it.

At that, Ogata paled. He closed his eyes and shook his head as if trying to sober up. He hadn't even had anything to drink yet. Was it some sort of optical illusion? If that's the case, it wasn't entertaining in the slightest. After a moment of silence, he let out a long sigh. Maybe it was time to change his glasses. "I must be crazy." He thought, grabbing Sai's bowl of stones.

"4-4 hoshi." The slender man started, and Ogata could do nothing but comply.

Both players started building frameworks for their chuban. Everything was calm for the time being with the occasional stones placed close to the other's territories. Not much, just to test the waters and see how the other would react.

"You're certainly fairly confident in your skill." Ogata couldn't resist a smirk at the bold hane that his opponent just played.

"From experience comes confidence, Ogata-sensei." Sai answered shortly, eyes still looking at the goban. "12-5 hasami."

The 9-dan observed the board, trying to figure out what the stranger was trying to pull. It was quite an unorthodox hand. Maybe there was some meaning behind it? Or perhaps just an amateur placing stones anywhere that look good.

Fifteen minutes passed, and Ogata couldn't help but squint and wonder how this Sai could evenly match him. He hadn't exactly slacked off and underestimated him. In fact, he was doing the exact opposite. He wanted to truly and thoroughly crush the noshi clad man to the point of beyond help. Discreetly, his eyes shifted from the board to his opponent, trying to figure out who he exactly is.

"He can't be Sai. There is no reason why the man who had been hiding in the shadows for years would come here, of all place." He rolled a white stone between his fingers as he continued mulling over which move would be best. "A ghost? Can't touch the stones? What bullcrap. He's obviously just toying with me." Ogata placed the stone right next to his already existing one to cut black's territory. "That clump is dead."

Sai, however, begged to differ. As soon as he said his moves, the bespectacled man's expression dropped. It was his stones that were threatened. The strange hane that was played now caused him a world of trouble. Ogata tightened his fingers into a fist and brought it close to his lips. There must be some way to make white live. It was humiliating how he could just feel that the long-haired man was smiling.

"In that case I'll just threaten this." He responded by threatening to connect on the bottom left corner where black was the weakest. If black responds, he would then try to connect to his soon-to-be-dead stone.

As the game progressed, it was becoming clear who the winner was. He had failed to save his stones and now he was short on territories. Running through the possibilities, he calculated that he would lose by 4 and a half moku.

"That's impossible." Ogata bit his lower lip. "Who are you?"

The man said nothing but merely closed his fan with a noise that made Ogata flinch. "I told you, Ogata-sensei. I am Sai."

"But that's impossible!" The blond raised his voice, quickly coming to a stand. "What business could Sai possibly have with me?" It was just illogical. The Sai he had in mind was a man of Touya-sensei's age, stern and intimidating, not this delusional, excitable and childish young man in his 20s.

"I want you to relay a message to Hikaru." He responded. At Ogata's confusion, Sai sighed. "I know it's hard to believe, but I really am a spirit. When I disappeared, I thought I have fulfilled my unfinished business, but… But instead, I appeared here. I tried to go back to Hikaru, but I don't think he can see me. You're my only hope, Ogata-sensei. I know that he forfeited his matches to find me. I can't stand to see it! Please, you have to help me."

The owner of the house made a dry chuckle. "You know this sound absolutely insane, right? A ghost? Sai is a ghost?" He ran his hand through his hair while pacing around the room. "You know what? I'm going to lie down, and I'm sure everything will return to normal."

"But I won!"

"That means nothing. I didn't promise you anything, you mad man! This is just a dream. That must be it."

"Hikaru was right. I hate you too now! Hmph!" Sai sulked once more. That didn't last long however, as the addressed male has now lied down to sleep. "Ogata-sensei! Don't sleep! Hikaru is still out there. We need to go to him!"

Ogata chose to ignore the screaming man and instead cover his ears with pillow, constantly trying to convince himself that it was just one ridiculous dream. He would wake up tomorrow, goban clean and no one in the room but himself.

That didn't go to plan it seemed as when he put his glasses on in the morning, the same figure was still there, in a seiza position in front of the goban with yesterday's game. The can of beer was still left untouched next to the door.

"What a boring go…" He heard the man muttered.

Feeling offended, Ogata crossed his arms and raised his voice. "Boring go?"

"Good morning, Ogata-sensei." Sai smiled excitedly.

"Is there anything wrong with a boring go? I win most of my games, isn't that what matters?" The man asked impatiently. He knew that he was pretty much a walking Go How-To Textbook 101. Because he thought as long as he got the basics down a hundred percent right, there was no way he would lose.

"Don't you ever try to find your own playstyle?"

"I don't really need to." He retorted shortly before crossing his arms. "So it wasn't a dream, after all."

"I keep telling you!"

"Well, excuse me for not believing that you are a spirit. You'll find any normal adult would also struggle to." Ogata shrugged, still sceptical. "So, tell me the truth. Who are you and what do you have to do with Shindou?"

Sai sighed exasperatedly. "My answer won't change no matter how many times you ask me. My name is Fujiwara no Sai. I used to be Hikaru's ghost until a week ago when he suddenly could no longer see me."

"And no matter how many times I hear it, it won't get any less ridiculous." Ogata grabbed the can of beer from the ground. "But I do have to admit, your go reminds me of Sai's."

"So, you believe me?"

"No." He said, much to Sai's dismay. "So far, what you're saying is not making a lick of sense." Ogata scoffed and walked away from the bedroom. He wanted the stranger to leave, but at the same time he found himself fascinated at his go. Perhaps they could play a few more games before he decides what to do with the situation.

Sai trailed after the blond to the kitchen where he fiddled with the coffee maker. "When are we going to see Hikaru?"

"I don't know where he is." Ogata mumbled.

"Aren't you curious why he suddenly doesn't show up to his games?" Sai insisted. "He thought I'm gone. He's looking for me right now and he said he won't play until he finds me."

"Who are you to him?" He asked mockingly while grabbing a mug.

"I'm Sai. I'm his teacher. It's because of me he picked up go to begin with."

"I'm going to stop you right there." Ogata raised his hand. "Shindou said that he doesn't have a teacher."

"Because he can't say otherwise!" The long-haired man said for the thousandth time. "I'm not real! Even if he did say he has a teacher, they won't be able to see me. Ogata-sensei, please trust me."

"I'll think about it, alright?" The bespectacled man grumbled in frustration at the man's persistence to convince him that he was not organic. Ogata shook his head. He had to get it together. In a couple of hours, he has his tutoring session with the Meijin and he would not let himself get distracted.

"Please think faster!" Sai pouted.

The 9-dan rolled his eyes before he grabbed his cup of coffee and walked back to his bedroom to sit in front of the goban, reviewing yesterday's match against Sai. He had been way too shocked to be able to understand completely what made him lose.

"There's no doubt about it. These are Sai's hands." He thought while stealing a glance at the man. "Is he really the real deal? If so, what is he doing here? How did he get in? How did he know where to find me? His story can't be real. There must be something he isn't telling me."

"This was where you misread my intentions." Sai pointed at one of the stones with his fan. "Had you not played a textbook move and trust your instinct, perhaps you could've prevented my next move and render my stone completely useless."

"Indeed," Ogata pondered while taking a sip of his coffee. The man's go skill was not something to be trifled with. It was almost intimidating how young he was and how much skill he possessed. It reminded him of Hikaru. "So, you are Sai?"

"I keep telling you!" Sai waved his arms about. "When Hikaru beat Touya for the first time, it was me who played the game. He had never even touched a goban back then!"

That would make sense. That would make a lot of sense. Ogata always wondered how Hikaru's skill fluctuated so much in the early days. But if Sai was guiding his hands, he certainly would have won. But that would mean he had to admit that Sai is indeed, a spirit. That is simply outrageous! "Alright, I believe you."

"Really?"

"I believe that you are Sai. I do not believe that you are a spirit."

"Even when I can do this?" Sai reached out to the goban, only to have his arm passing through it, appearing on the other side. He could visibly see the blood draining from Ogata's face. Poor man seemed like he was about to pass out.

"I-" The blond stammered. "I didn't know Sai is also a magician."

Sai was about to pull his hair out at that point. No matter what he said or did, Ogata just wouldn't trust him! In that case, he had to pull out his trump card. "Let's go outside! I can promise you that no one's going to be able to see me!"

"I will call Shindou if that's really the case." He answered firmly, confident that it would not happen.

"Promise?" Sai curled his lips.

"Promise."

"Pinky promise!" The man in noshi stuck out his pinky. "Hikaru said pinky promise can never be broken!"

At the childish gesture, Ogata could not help but scoff mockingly and copied the gesture. Sai wrapped his pinky around Ogata's and there it was, that strange sensation of nothingness.

After his morning shower, Ogata put on his usual white suit and tie before going into the car to drive towards the Meijin's house for their tutoring session. When he stepped into the residence, he was prepared for the "who is that" questions, but none came.

It was odd how everyone else completely ignored the man behind him. All they did was greet Ogata and started the lesson. He found himself unable to focus as he tried to find a reason why they didn't say anything. Could it be that they are in cahoot with Sai and tried to screw with his mind? Did he got drugged and now he was hallucinating? Ogata had no idea what was happening anymore.

Sai however, he focused on every single syllable that came out of the Meijin's lips. It was an honour to attend and he was not about to let such an opportunity slip out of his hands.

"Ogata-sensei, pay attention!" Sai grabbed his shoulder and started shaking him.

"Are you alright, Ogata-sensei?" The Meijin's son, Touya enquired when he saw that the 9-dan was moving side to side in a strange way.

"Y-yes." He cleared his throat. "I'm perfectly fine."

In reality, Ogata was far from fine. He had always been a man who relied on logic more than anything else. A ghost co-existing with human was far from logical. However, no one in the room seemed to be able to see Sai. Sai also couldn't touch any items or anyone else. What would explain such strange occurrence? He didn't know.

One thing he knew though, he had to speak with Hikaru to find out more about Sai. He had to make sure that he wasn't cursed or anything, and that it was all just one bad dream. Ogata needed to know that his mind was still intact. Hopefully Hikaru would be able to confirm it once and for all.