Title: Death Games
Chapter: 1?
Pairing: None at the present.
Series: Hikaru no Go, Bleach
Disclaimer: The two series are the property of Twinsala...okay, no they're not. Hikaru no Go is the property of Shonen Jump, Hotta Yumi and Obata Takeshi. Bleach is owned by Shonen Jump and Kubo Taito.

Touya and Yashiro were eating a breakfast of ramen and reheated pork buns, the last pickings from their trip to the nearby convenience store. Touya poked at the cooling noodles with his chopsticks, swirled it about clockwise while thinking of that time Ashiwara said it was good luck if you twirled spaghetti noodles clockwise. Maybe it didn't work for ramen, but he needed the luck, even if he didn't believe in such superstitions. He wasn't really hungry. Last night's dream chased away his appetite. In his, dream the sky cracked open and a monstrous face leered down from within the gaping void. The painful screech of tires skidding off road and the sickening smell of blood and smoke had all been too vivid for comfort.

Yashiro and Akira had pushed aside the sliding screens to display the cultivated beauty of the garden. The stream flowed past budding plants, tumbled down rocks into the koi pond just as it had everyday. Today, it did not calm Akira the way it had in the past. He did not shiver, but the memory of that cruel smile chilled his insides.

Touya sighed, feeling the unease grow heavier as their meal came to an end. It was such an important day, and he had to start it with a nightmare. He'd tried talking to Yashiro to distract him, and it had helped - having to be polite and talking about everyday things and go kept his mind from wandering back to that dream.

"Is Shindou going with us to the hotel?" Yashiro asked as they finished clearing their breakfast. A pair of chopsticks got wedged between the stack of bowls, sticking up in the air like funereal offerings.

"He isn't, but maybe I should call him."

"He's going to be late otherwise." Yashiro's pragmatic answer was enough for Touya. After a brief talk, he went to call Shindou up while Yashiro washed the dishes.

Scenes from his nightmare quickly played back as he went to the phone -- a blur of purple and white, a deathmask's grin looming in the shadows and clawed hands the color of bleached bone reaching out. Unable to get rid of his apprehension, he quickly dialed Shindou's number.

"Hello, Shindou residence." After greeting Shindou's mother he got his teammate on the line. "What is it, Touya? I was changing!"

He could tell by the tone of Shindou's voice that the other was irritated. Knowing his rival, Shindou would surely refuse if he made a request now. Instead, Touya simply let Shindou have the chance to invite himself, "We decided we should all go to the hotel together."

"Who? Yashiro and you? That's not fair! Just because I'm not there doesn't mean you can decide on your own! Man!" Touya heard a few more muttered comments before Hikaru grumbled, "Fine, fine, I'll go. But if Kurata-san gets mad I'll tell him it's your fault."

Somehow the thought that Shindou was going with them made him less anxious. Touya and Shindou exchanged a few more annoying pleasantries, rather ironic if Touya gave it much more thought, but he didn't dwell on it and left to prepare as soon as the conversation was over.

Shindou was still grumbling when he arrived forty-seven minutes later. "Kurata-san's going to kill us," he muttered as he slid in the cab's passenger seat.

"We might be a little late, but at least we can talk before the ceremonies," Touya said, trying to soothe Shindou's ruffled feelings. The taxi bothered him - the accident in the dream had been a taxi wreck. "You wouldn't want to look nervous when we are introduced."

"I won't be nervous. The other insei said they'll come and watch us. I won't get nervous in front of them. It's the players from Korea and China who should be nervous."

"I heard some players from Korea and China flew in just to watch their team's fight."

"Yeah, and I'm excited to see Su Yon again. Isumi told me about the players from China before, and how good they were, and I want to play against them. But it's Yashiro who has to face SuYon anyway, so good luck trying to beat him."

Yashiro leaned forward and clapped a hand on Hikaru's shoulder. "You think I can't defeat the third board from Korea! I'm stronger now, you know!"

"Geez, your hand's freezing, Yashiro!" He brushed Yashiro's hand away, laughing. "The way you are, you're all set to lose tomorrow."

"I can do better than you, so go watch my game, Shindou!"

"I wouldn't have time 'cause I'll be busy winning mine, Yashiro!"

Touya half-listened to their bickering over who was the better player. Was this how teammates normally acted before a tournament? He wondered. During his short stint in the Kaio go club, everyone was serious and calm right before the game. Expectations had run high, but it didn't match this nervous energy. It was Yashiro's first major tournament, wasn't it? Maybe he should say something to keep them quiet, but Touya didn't want to waste his time. He might get caught in their argument instead.

Bored, he looked up at the sky, just in time to see claws rip through the clouds. He froze, as the same hellish grin appeared on the monster's face. It vanished in the blink of an eye, but he knew it wasn't gone. He glanced back to see a truck hurtling towards them.

"Shindou! Yashiro!" Touya shouted, pushing Yashiro down. The shadow crashed down in an earsplitting screech of twisting metal and shattering glass as the truck smashed into the taxi's trunk.

The impact threw him forward. He hit his forehead twice on the headrest. The car jerked, bumped forward by the force of the truck. One more bonebreaking crunch as the roof gave way, shattering what's left of the windows. Instinct made him raise his arms. He gasped as pain seared down his arms.

Touya merely glimpsed the grin on the monstrous face from his nightmare before sliding into unconsciousness.

Shindou banged the passenger side door open with his fists, and slowly, painfully crawled out of the wrecked car. His ribs hurt like hell, he couldn't stop his limbs from shaking, but that didn't matter. He was alive, somehow. He looked back and saw the wreck of the taxi, half-crushed under the truck. Sounds of someone getting violently sick almost caused him to retch, but he stamped down the impulse. He can't be sick now. It must be the driver throwing up. They've both managed to crawl away safely. There was no movement from the wreck or the truck.

Shindou forgot the pain, the strain of his muscles aching for rest, the burn of scraped skin stretching on his cheek as he shouted for his two teammates. "Touya! Yashiro! Hey, are you two all right? Answer me!"

He could hear someone - a bystander - calling for an ambulance as he tugged on the nearest back door, desperate for a sign that the others were alive. As he did so he heard a soft moan and spotted Yashiro's white hair under the ruins of the car roof. "Yashiro! Yashiro, where's Touya? Are you all right?"

" 'S fine, I think," came the muffled reply. "Dunno about Touya, I can't see him."

"Touya! Touya!"

" - Touya Akira, fifteen - "

Staccato, jangled noises, threaded through crackling static, mingling with the screech of fingernails on blackboard. Disturbing and eerie. This void sounded like that, growing loud then soft in waves, disembodied phrases blended in the discord. He didn't know how he got here, but Touya knew this smell. Antiseptic and medicine, with death faintly lingering underneath. It smelled just like that time his father had collapsed with heart trouble. He must be in a hospital.

" - Stabilized, he'll wake up in an hour - "

" - in China, I called earlier - " That was Ogata-san's voice, he thought. The darkness lightened, he slowly grew aware of the bright light shining beyond his closed eyelids. The static softened, deadened to a murmur punctuated by beeps from medical monitors as his consciousness slowly returned.

"All three Japanese representatives hospitalized - "

" - th Star Cup will be delayed - "

And Touya thought, no, no, we can get on with the ceremonies, the match drawing. He must play go, show Shindou a game that he could never surpass. There wasn't anything wrong with him, he'll play go wherever and whenever they pleased. But his eyes remained shut. His whole body refused to move to his will. He had to focus his thoughts. Maybe then he can summon enough strength to at least speak. He had to talk. The dark reached up to catch him again.

"Shindou's the only one well enough to be at the ceremonies."

Shindou. Shindou knew how important this tournament was for him. If he could talk to Shindou, he will tell them it's going to be all right. He had to at least get Shindou to tell them. With this goal in mind he blinked his eyes, but was forced to close them under the glare. He slowly formed the syllables with his lips. He couldn't speak in his first attempt, but he tried again. On his fourth attempt he managed to gasp out, "Shi - Shindo - "

It was Ogata who heard his gasping efforts, and silenced him with a finger to his lips.

"Touya's awake," he told the others.

"Ogata-san," he mumbled, and the relieved faces of the people crowding in his limited field of vision made him feel a little bit better. Ogata-san, Ishikawa from the go salon, Kurata, and an unfamiliar face that must be the doctor. "The others, are they fine?"

"Yes, they are, Touya-san." The doctor's voice soothed him. "They can see you after we finish our examination."

"And don't go anywhere without the doctor's permission," his mother's last words mingled worry and warning in equal amounts, spoken the way a mother only can to her child. Hikaru waited for the murmur of voices by his door to retreat before moving. He gingerly set one foot down on the floor, testing his balance. Besides a few cuts and bruises he was fine, he didn't even merit an IV. The doctor told him to rest, but he was worried about his teammates. It had taken the paramedics some time to pull them both out. 'Really, there was no need for all those tests,' he thought, pulling a face as he remembered his mother's anxious words and the doctor's reassurances. After picking up the fruit basket his mother left, he headed for the door.

'Now to find Yashiro and Touya,' he thought, slipping through his door and gently pulling it shut. He carefully avoided the nurses, knowing he'd be sent back if he was seen. Then, he saw someone who looked like Yashiro's sensei leave a room. "You're Yoshisawa-san, right?" he asked after a moment's hesitation.

The man's worried face gave way to a tired smile when he saw the young pro walking towards him. "Shindou-kun, walking around so soon?" Yoshisawa-san asked after their greetings.

"I'm fine already. I was wondering where Yashiro and Touya were. The doctor didn't tell me."

"Kiyoharu is in there, but I don't know where Touya-san is, you'll have to ask at the nurse's station."

Touya was in that bad a condition? Shindou recalled that pale face, those bloodied and cut arms when they finally found him half-buried in the roof's rubble. No, he had to think of Yashiro now. "Thanks, Yoshisawa-san."

He softly rapped his knuckles on the door. "Yashiro? Can I come in?"

"Yeah, come in, Shindou."

Yashiro was sitting when he entered, a pillow propping him up. Color had returned to his face. Bandages swathed his distinctive head of pale hair, and a few smaller patches covered cuts. The raw edges peeking under those patches were starting to turn purple. Hikaru winced before he could school his expression. He couldn't believe what luck saved him and the driver from the worst.

"I'm glad you're okay, Yashiro!" he greeted. "When I saw you I thought you were dead."

Yashiro grimaced. "That's not how you greet someone in the hospital, idiot!"

"But I'm just telling you what I thought. You're looking better though."

"You're the lucky one, Shindou. You managed to walk off the accident site, I had to be taken away by a stretcher. Do you know what happened? It's still blurry."

"A truck losts its brakes and rammed into the taxi, at least that's what they told me. Ah, and my mom visited me, so I thought I'd share." Hikaru showed the basket of fruit. "The nurse would've herded me back to my room with a sleeping pill if I didn't get lucky and spotted your sensei."

"Yeah, well - " And the weight of the pause grew unbearable. A teacher instead of the parents, it seemed to say, but Hikaru could not break it, it was not his to deal with. Yashiro stirred.

"Yoshisawa-sensei called the Kansai Go Institute. Some of them were going down to watch the matches; instead they'll visit tomorrow. It shouldn't be too boring. The doctor told me I have to rest for two days. Two days! How am I going to play in the Hokuto Cup then?"

Hikaru looked at Yashiro, grinning slightly. "I think the matches should be the least of your worries right now. Oh, some of the lower-dans will visit later, so you'll get to meet Isumi, Honda, Kadowaki, and Waya. Honda you've already met, and you must remember Waya from the pre-selection match. Do you want an apple or an orange?"

"Whatever. Anyway, this sure threw everything off. How are they going to have a tournament with a team in the hospital? Did Kurata-san say anything? Have they decided what to do?"

Hikaru started to peel an orange, sectioning it off with deft fingers. "Not yet, but I heard they're talking about a lot of stuff. It wouldn't be right if both the other teams get default wins because of this, and the only sure thing is the Korea vs. China match will be tomorrow. Hey, they could always hold the match in 'net go, and they'll have to put a camera here to make sure you're the one holding the mouse."

"That's such a crappy idea, Shindou!" Yashiro tossed him a pillow with one hand, which he caught, smiling, before putting it aside.

"If you can shout at me like that then you're going to be fine, Yashiro. And it's a good idea, if Touya's doctor says he can't leave with us."

Mention of Touya's name shut them up for a while, and Hikaru placed the plate of peeled orange sections on Yashiro's lap. "Have you seen Touya yet?" Yashiro asked.

"The doctor told me he's still being examined. He really looked bad when they took him out of the taxi. Maybe we can visit him together later, when we find out where he is."

"Touya was acting strange today, wasn't he?" Yashiro bit into an orange section, juice sliding down his fingers.

"What? I don't think so."

"Well, I was sitting beside him, and I thought he was quiet because he was trying to relax before the ceremonies, maybe doing some special Touya stable pre-match meditation you have to do, you know? Then when we were arguing he shouted all of a sudden, pushing me. It was just before the accident. If he hadn't warned us I'd probably be worse off than now."

"Maybe he saw the truck from the rearview mirror."

But Yashiro wasn't listening. "He looked at the sky for a long time, stared at it, like something's gonna drop all of a sudden. And he'd been out of sorts during breakfast too. Really quiet, really creepy. You should've been there." Yashiro rubbed the back of his neck. "You know him better than I do. I thought nothing of it because he looked calm enough."

"It must've been your imagination, Yashiro."

"But - "

"Geez, the way you talk you'd think Touya grew psychic and can see into the future! If you can stand up let's go see Touya right now and he'll tell you you're crazy."

"Let me at least finish this orange, idiot!"

Hospitals were the worst places, Touya had always thought. Death and birth lingered in the halls, a faint smell of blood and decay that no amount of soap could wash away. He hated the stench, but here he was, bathed in it. How long could he endure this?

The doctor withdrew, his examinations finished, and Ogata sat down at his side. "You look paler, Akira-kun," Ogata said, resting a finger on his cheek. "And look, scratches on your pretty face."

"Ogata-san," he reproved, not amused.

"You're looking better. I was worried about how pale you looked while you were asleep. I already called the Meijin, but it seems they're out. I'll try again later. Till then I'm your guardian."

"Thank you, Ogata-san." And he was grateful for Ogata's presence. Ogata may be his father's most ambitious student and a chainsmoking womanizer who flirted with anyone in skirts, but Akira felt safe with him. The death smell and the fears retreated into the shadows while he was with someone.

"You have two worried teammates pacing outside your door. Can I let them in?"

Shindou and Yashiro. Two people who got hurt in the very same wreck from his nightmare. There was guilt, slipping through the dulled pain. If he hadn't called Shindou the other boy would be safe in the hotel. If he'd voiced his misgivings earlier, could they have avoided the accident?

"If you don't want to talk - " Ogata misread his silence.

He sighed, turning to glance at the sky outside. "They'll be worried if I don't."

Ogata bent close, mussing his hair with a gentle hand. "I'll see to it you get discharged as soon as possible. Hospitals are just terrible places to recover."

So Ogata-san knew. Did his mother tell him? Was there a time when Ogata had figured in his memories of dreaded inoculations and health checks? However he knew, Touya was glad. How could he explain his fears without sounding childish? "But the Hokuto Cup, what - "

"Let the adults worry about that. I brought a goban and stones so you can play anytime you wish with the other two. Anything else I can do to make you feel better before I let them in?"

"Could you please open the window?"

"Promise you won't jump," Ogata joked as he did. A gentle breeze ruffled his light-colored hair. "Just in case you two get into a fight, you're not allowed to toss Shindou out too."

"I won't do either." Touya made a face. "It's going to be hard finding someone to play second board."

Yashiro and Shindou walked in with a fruit basket and some flowers. How and where did they get those if they were supposed to be recuperating? "I'll leave you kids to play then. Don't tire Akira-kun, you two," Ogata warned before leaving.

Shindou said the first thing that came to his mind. "Those bruises must be painful."

'Bruises?' Shindou reached out and touched a purpling mark on his arm. It wrapped around his forearm, a ragged mark the doctor had overlooked. It stung, he thought, wincing as pain flashed up his arm. "Oh, I'm sorry, Touya." Awkward silence, then, realizing he was still holding the flowers, "Ah, we should put these in something."

"I'll do that," Yashiro volunteered. He left Shindou and Touya trying to look at each other, but failing. Not knowing what to do or say, they did what was the natural thing for them under the circumstances.

Shindou brought the foldable goban to the bed and they set out to play.

"Hey, Touya. Are you feeling better?" he asked, when they finally ended fuseki with Touya's invasion of the upper right corner.

"Yes."

"That's great. You looked peaked when we walked in."

Akira couldn't keep quiet anymore. "I'm sorry, Shindou."

Shindou's black piece fell on the board with a clatter. "Huh? What are you apologizing for?"

"If I didn't call you you'd be in the hotel right now, instead of being injured like me."

"You're thinking about something like that?" Shindou grinned and poked Touya on the forehead. "Idiot, it's not like you saw this in a dream and could've warned us."

That hit dangerously close to the truth. Touya tried to smile, but it died on his lips. "That's true, I can't have known."

"I told Yashiro he was crazy thinking you knew something bad's gonna happen!"

He seized the chance to ask, "I wonder where Yashiro is?"

"Maybe a nurse spotted him and took him back. He was complaining he had to stay here for two days. Well, this ruined the Hokuto Cup for us, didn't it? At least we can still play go while they plan. Hey, are you sure about that kikashi?"

"I am." He responded to Shindou's move with more force than necessary. "And I can say the same about your nikken tobi earlier."

"I'm not going to lose with how you're playing." He rubbed his forehead. "Geez, you're jumping all over the place. Stick to one area first, or I'll beat you even with this headache."

"Don't think that you can use that as an excuse for your bad go, Shindou."

"We'll see whose go would be bad once we play our matches. Let's see what you can play against this."

"You're the one who said that. That's a bad time to make a connection, why don't you think first before talking?"

"Well then, what will you do now?" And he plunged them right into a ko fight. Touya forgot about the fear lurking in the shadow, that monster's claws biting into his skin, didn't even notice the death smell he was annoyed with. There was nothing but go, and his smile grew as he plotted how to fight back.

Ogata was sitting in the lounge when Shindou stormed out of Akira's room, declaring he'd never go back. He glanced at his watch. Fifty-one minutes. "That took longer than I expected. Sit."

"I was playing well when Touya said I was stupid to even think of correcting his moves! And here I wanted to play so bad! Touya - he'd - argh!" Shindou sat down, reduced to muttering insults under his breath.

"If you want a game, I can always take that goban from Touya's room and we can play here." Ogata reflexively brought out his pack of cigarettes, but a nurse's glare had him pocketing it with a soft curse on regulations. "If Akira's back to trading insults with you I doubt he'll let them keep him down for long. I can't wait to see him walk into the match wearing a hospital gown."

"Ogata-san!" Shindou exclaimed, scandalized by the idea.

"You would probably do the same thing, in your black sweatsuit, no less." Ogata cocked an eyebrow to his direction. "Ah, you're worried about Akira, Shindou?"

"Nah, Touya will be fine. If he can play go like that he'll be better than well." And that brought him back to the horrible game he'd played. How could he even challenge KoYongHa if he sucked this bad? Shindou ran a hand through his bangs, frustrated.

"Do you want to be discharged with Akira as soon as I can arrange for nursing?" Ogata's idle question struck him as strange. Given Akira's injuries, Hikaru would and should get out of the hospital earlier, but Ogata was talking like Akira was leaving before him!

His face must have given away his thoughts, because Ogata added, "Akira doesn't want to stay here for longer than he should. With the Meijin coming home tomorrow we'd fix papers for his discharge. You'll visit him at home. I was going to call Kurata about the matches, do you want to listen?"

"No! I'm going to review kifu in my room, and if he - " There was no mistaking who 'he' was, " - decides he wants to play go with anyone, let him call Yashiro or one of the old geezers from the other wards, 'cause I'm not playing with him anymore!"

Shindou woke up in the middle of the night, thirsty. After drinking from the glass on his beside, he tried to sleep again, but his eyes refused to close. That afternoon's argument with Touya had ruined his mood entirely. His game against Yashiro had also sucked, he'd snapped at his nurse and nearly didn't get dinner from the orderly. He can't wait to get discharged tomorrow and leave Touya here. Maybe he should get a sleeping pill to keep him down. He'd refused it earlier, but he needed his sleep. He opened his door.

Shindou thought he saw something black flutter just past his sight. He watched as the speck grow into the barest lines tracing a butterfly. It hovered right before his eyes, vanished, and reappeared further away. As it flickered in and out of sight it got clearer, the earlier grey turning into gossamer-thin wings of the blackest night. The black butterfly swept past his room, and he followed it, past the empty nurse's station, past closed doors, and he found himself in the corridor leading to Touya's room.

The butterfly troubled him, reminded him of something half-buried in his consciousness. It flew straight through the door of Touya's room. He tried the doorknob, expecting it to be locked. It turned in his hand, and he pushed it open.

"Touya?" he whispered. A lamp flooded the bedside in light and two butterflies fluttered over Touya's face instead of one. The room was so still. He bent close to look at his rival's face. His paleness alarmed Shindou.

"Touya!" he shouted, shaking the boy. "Hey, Touya, wake up."

Hot pain tore into his chest. He fell down on the floor, convulsing as he tried to shake off the wave of nausea, lifting himself off the ground with a shaking arm. And realized he'd left his body on the floor.

"What the hell!" He stared down his hands, but yes, that was his body on the ground. How could he be at two places at once? Why was the air so thich all of a sudden? he thought, crawling to the wall. The chain on his chest weighed him down. It snaked on the ground to where his body lay. He could hear someone talking.

"Did it cut his inga no kusari?"

"Not yet, he's alive! The other's cut already, he's in danger."

Hikaru sat up, panting. What the hell was happening? Who were the people dressed in black standing by Touya's bedside and how did they get here?

The taller man glanced at him. "What do we do about him?"

"Later - need to focus on the Hollow now!" his companion snapped back, his eyes still on the cellphone in his hand. "I really thought we killed it today."

"It hid back into Hueco Mundo to heal." Their conversation made no sense.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Who are you?"

The cellphone beeped into life. "Now!"

A heavy pressure sent his knees buckling anew, and he found it hard to breathe. The scream echoed as one of the black-robed men attacked their unseen quarry, katana gleaming in the meager light.

"It's going for him. We must kill it before it eats its target."

"Hollow Deathmask's going to appear- " The man raised his katana. "There!" He rushed straight to the bed, his blade aimed at the sleeping boy.

"Touya!" Shindou didn't think. He ran forward, jumping in between the man and the bed. The chain grew taut, nearly snapping him back. The katana pierced his chest.

Light flashed. A deafening roar close to his ears, followed closely by a scream and the snap and crunch of bone. He stepped back, blinded, stunned as the pressure lifted, and he could breathe easily again. He blinked in rapid succession, trying to clear the white mist from his eyes.

A monstrous large face smiled at him, licking at its bloodstained lips. Wickedly curving claws clutched at the remains of an arm. "Thanks for the meal, shinigami-san. More for me to eat."

The word rang in his head. Shinigami. A death god?

"Time for me to take my prey." And those clawed hands just reached past him and yanked Touya's unconscious soul from the bed. "Bye-bye, shinigami-san."

Before it vanished into a hole in the ceiling.

"Who the hell are you?" The one with the cellphone was on the ground, bleeding. He glared at Shindou. "Shit! We failed! It's too much, I've got to go back to Soul Society."

He grabbed at the sword lying on the ground, and sliced into the air. A pair of shoji screens rose from the floor. "Must - get back." The doors opened, and the wounded man staggered inside, trailing after one of the black butterflies.

Shindou turned to the bed. Touya wasn't breathing. "Touya!"

He remembered the soul in the monster's hands. Was that really Touya's? If it was he had to get it back. Sliding doors appearing in thin air, people in black kimono wielding katana, his body lying on the ground. It didn't matter. He didn't have to make sense of it - all he needed to do was to bring Touya back.

The doors were sliding shut after the second butterfly. He had to follow it. He ran, his feet taking him past the doors into a void. He tried to ignore the prickling sensation of free fall, and rushed forward.

Words rose from his consciousness.

'If his inga no kusari is cut, he's dead.'

-end chapter 1-

Notes:

1. Inga no kusari - Chain of Fate. This chain ties the soul to something in the world that keeps them there. In the case of a human soul removed from their body that isn't dead, this chain is tied to their body, and if it breaks in this state, they die.

2. Nikken tobi - A two-point jump. A two-point upward extension.

3. Fuseki - Opening. The initial stage of a game.

4. Kikashi - a forcing move usually made outside the main flow of play. often answered, then ignored; to be used later in the game

Comments and criticisms are highly appreciated. ;;