Anonymous Go
(Experimented by Winterpanda)

Story – Once upon a time, in the shed belonging to a Shindo family, a boy named Hikaru became a host for the spirit Sai. The girl, Akari, didn't leave without being a hostess as well. Can they live happily ever after?

Disclaimer – I do not own Hikaru no Go. Original characters belong to Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata.


Prologue

A violent shake jolted the spirit awake. But he could only sense total darkness. And heaviness. He felt heavy. Like a thousand gobans chained him, endlessly driving him downwards.

"Thank gods, I can now return to the living world!"

The joyful words chorused into his ears, but it took a moment before his mind registered the voice. "Sai…" It was barely a whisper.

He could feel strong warmth above him. Or was it below him? It was difficult to tell. No matter what, it was beckoning him.

"Sai…" This whisper was just a tad louder.

Before he knew it, his entire being reached for the light, drawn by an irresistible bond. The pull was much too strong for the chains that bounded him. They quivered and shivered and shook under the mysterious but mighty strength. A terrifying scream attempted to tear the abyss, shredding his shackles in the process. Whose scream it was, he had no idea.

When he could sense no more movements, when everything seemed to stand still, he forced his eyes opened.

He faintly registered the room, the light, and the small body that lied motionless on the floor. A series of pounding steps drew closer, growing louder and louder.

"Hikaru! What happened?" As soon as the rushing steps stopped, the face of a girl peeked from a…what he deemed to be a hole.

Instantly, all colors rushed from her face as she dashed to the motionless body. "Hikaru! Hikaru!" The unmoving child-like body didn't budge. At a loss, she turned to the spirit, who merely watched as his awareness gradually returned. "What happened to him?"

Brown eyes implored his pair of brown eyes.

In a split second, something formed. Something intangible. A feeling akin to duty overwhelmed his sensations. But Speech was merciless and jumbled both his mind and mouth.

To the young girl, she couldn't wait for the words to come, that is if they could. He watched as she rushed out of the room to who-knows-where, only for her to reappear several minutes later. After rechecking on her friend's status, a certain realization hit her.

"Who are you?" She sharply narrowed her eyes, her arms spread out as if to shield the fragile body behind her from the still-standing being.

This time, the words came easily. "Kuwabara Torajiro." In hearing his own voice affirming his existence, waves after waves of memories unleashed uncontrollably.

And then, he remembered why he was here. Or at least, why he had not moved on, wondering if the gods truly did not pity him.

But for Akari, the melody of his gentle voice entranced her. So much so that she was incapable of asking her next question. The more she tried to fight against it, even subconsciously, the darker the room grew and the stronger the smell of earth multiplied. Eventually, being too intoxicated, dizziness engulfed her and she fell into a deep sleep beside her friend.

A slight wind indicated where the spirit may have been just a moment ago. But nothing else stirred.


Afternote:

In the original story, Akari first appeared important, but soon became a very minor character. Here's a "What if" story centered around Akari (since such stories are very rare) and Torajiro. A bit of a confusing prologue, but that was sort of the point… Just hopefully, it's not too confusing.

Updates will be based on a whim. Honestly, I'm not too serious about this story, so just a heads up: don't expect too much.

All comments welcome.