My take on the Sai comes back after a few years plot.

Summary: The human mind is a fragile thing, much less a child's naivety. Hinted SaiXHikaru.


Four years had passed since Sai's disappearance.

It was like four years of emptiness cracking at his mind, devouring his sanity within his passion for Go. He doubts his mind would last before he reaches 30, but whatever that remains of the old Hikaru wants to try anyway, for the sake of his dream. For the sake of the Hand of God.

Today was the fifth of May.

As usual, a small group of people stands outside his apartment door, hesitant to step into his privacy.

As usual, they find him sitting seiza in front of a beautiful kaya goban.

As usual, an unfinished game lay upon it, barely six hands in.

They knew that Hikaru was not to be disturbed during this day, no matter the unknown reasons behind it. His calm, blank face reading the board, the pure devastation that raged within those dull green orbs was enough to shut even the most insensitive up.

Today appeared the same, Waya dropping in with Isumi, chatting on and on, attempting to convince him to move in vain effort. Akira would shift towards the other side, as if to claim the seat of the opponent, but the eyes that stares a hole into his soul would cause him to flinch, and swiftly walk out and question the credibility of his rival status.

His parents had long since stopped trying to understand their son, instead choosing to silently support him by being the hosts in his apartment that day. His grandfather would stare for a long time at the goban as he sat next to him. His eyes would occasionally light up in understanding, and he would smile bitterly, seeing a story nobody but Hikaru could hear.

Akari would stop by the door, smile sadly, and leave. Many people who've met him would walk in; stare at him in worry, before leaving uneasily.

His grandfather stands and quietly leaves, leaving Waya and Isumi alone with Hikaru.

They fall into an awkward silence, but deals with it casually, having faced this situation before.

"Again." Waya thinks, "Nothing is different this year again."

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The two swivels around in surprise towards the door. A figure stands there, but they cannot recognize the stranger. The long, too femininely black hair convinces them that the stranger is a female, but the sharp eyes and firm lips settled on a definite male face evidently says otherwise.

Waya boldly asks for the stranger's identity, while Isumi looks at him questioningly. Hikaru does not turn, unaffectedly staring hard at the goban.

The stranger tilts his head at the duo to acknowledge their presence, but turns his sad eyes on the figure before the goban.

His voice echoes out softly, "Can you hear me?"

The reaction was instantaneous. Waya stared at him incredulously, shocked by his question and his audacity to ignore them, but their attention was immediately captured by Hikaru's tears that slowly flowed down from his eyes. He did not turn his head.

The stranger frowns, than walks nearer and repeats, "Can you hear me?"

Hikaru lets out a sob; his hand that held on to his paper fan tightens. The other two there looks on in confusion coupled with the terrible feeling that they were intruding upon something sacred occurring, something extremely private.

The stranger sighs melancholically, and then shifts right in front of Hikaru, casually taking the seat opposite. Isumi's eyes widen in surprise, and Waya lets out a gasp.

"Hikaru..." The stranger says firmly, staring straight at the slowly widening eyes, "Can you hear me?"

There was a long pause, and it appears as if all Hikaru was going to do was stare at the stranger with his rapidly paling skin, and eyes going so wide Waya thought they were going to pop out. Perhaps, Isumi feels in a stroke of sudden genius, perhaps the stranger was the one that Hikaru was waiting for, and soon they might have a touching reunion.

He was quickly proven right and yet so very wrong at the same time when Hikaru opened his mouth and releases a bloodcurdling scream. The stranger flinches in shock, staring as Hikaru screams in a way a tortured, dead beast would scream, and flies across the goban, desperate hands quickly finding their way on his now rumpled suit in an iron grip. Hikaru shakes and screams and sobs, his hands never letting go.

The go stones and cups crashes in his haste, but is quickly forgotten, as is the precious goban that swiveled away by his rush.

The scream dies down to a long chant, words repeating over and over again, dripping with despair.

The stranger is silent, wrapping his arms around the smaller, trembling go-player. It's like the world has shrunk to fit just them two, and nothing else exists.

Day turned to night, and night turned to dawn.

Waya and Isumi finds themselves in a state of numb shock, the only thing in their minds was of the scene overnight. Their hearts felt like dry ice, the image of the stranger moving even the slightest inch and causing Hikaru to let out another broken wail and increase his fervent chants continued to replay insistently in their minds. The worst were the words itself.


"Don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me..."


"Please don't leave me, Sai..."