Histeria In Wisteria Blooms
Summary: In retrospect, I should have known something smelled fishy the moment I had accidentally dyed my bangs blonde instead of green. SI!fem!Hikaru
Disclaimer: I wish I could own this series. If I did, Sai would come back and they will live happily ever after. Since that obviously didn't happen, I obviously don't own this series then. /weeps/
I stared upwards. Blankly.
For as long as I could remember, I had always been able to recall vague memories that seemed to belong to another life. To a life where I had a different family and a different set of friends. A life where I had been older.
A life I no longer had.
Sure, I had always known these facts on some kind of subconscious level. But I didn't really think about why I was here and not where I was before, and why everything had changed. Perhaps it was done deliberately to make it easier on my, uh, transfer, but I had just been happy about the new chance I was given.
I was content. So why would I think about sad things and brood? To me, that was just a waste of time!
. . .
In retrospect, I should have known something smelled fishy the moment I had accidentally dyed my bangs blonde instead of green.
'A-Are you okay?!'
Pretty, silk cloth shimmered in the light as someone fluttered around me nervously. I tracked the flitting fabric dully as my heavy head started to swirl in complete confusion. Hadn't I been alone? When did someone else come into the room? Taking a deep breath to mentally brace myself, I tilted my head towards the dark blob in the peripheral of my vision and . . . began staring at . . . it . . . him?
Beautiful bluish-purple eyes stared at me worriedly, the beginning of tears building on the thick eyelashes.
'I didn't mean to scare you!' The man fidgeted and seemingly floated higher in his agitation.
Floated.
. . .
I blinked once. Twice.
. . .
Too-pretty-to-be-real guy was still floating beside me, concern oozing out of his figure like a faucet. Taking a closer look, I suddenly realized that the man was actually transparent. Like, seriously see-through. It was almost as if he was a ghost . . .
Wait.
My eyes widened in shock as my lungs came to a stuttering halt. With one last frightened glance at the floating man, I felt a spike in panic as I ascertained that yes, this man was still floating and transparent. Letting out a strangled squeak, I backed away in a hurry before bumping my head harshly on the wall that was apparently behind me.
Tears sprung into my eyes as sweet darkness crept into my vision and my world began swirling.
'Ah!' Potential-ghost cried out in alarm.
And with that, I, Shindou Hikaru . . .
. . . Fainted dead away.
'Be careful going in search of adventure - it's ridiculously easy to find.'
― William Least Heat-Moon
.
.
.
He placed a thin chapter book in front of me, smirk on and eyes twinkling in silent laughter. Did he think I was really that stupid? Scowling, I snatched the book away before immediately opening it.
". . ."
And then I stared at it in baffled confusion. Because one, the book was completely in Chinese, which I couldn't read. Two, pictures of a grid with black and white circles decorated the sides of the pages.
". . . Is this Chinese checkers or something?" I asked reluctantly as I flipped a few more pages before hesitantly placing it down. This time, he laughed out loud as he took the book back and flipped through it himself with a fond smile.
"No, though I can teach you that instead if you want," he said as he patted what looked to be a wooden and 3-D version of the pictures I had been looking at.
"But I think you would like this game better. This here, is . . . Go."
.
.
.
Something pulled me back to the world of the living.
Well, not really 'something'. I couldn't really stay unconscious when it felt like someone had slammed me with a hammer full of nausea. Groaning pitifully, I reluctantly pried open my heavy eyes and scrambled to my knees, bringing them to my chest as I tried fruitlessly to calm my protesting stomach. I seriously did not want to throw up in here, in the dusty attic full of potentially priceless artifacts. After all, Grandpa would kill me.
With that in mind, I took several deep breaths and released them slowly.
Everything was okay. Everything was okay. Everything was okay.
I was fine. I was completely fine. There was absolutely nothing wrong―
The sound of rustling fabric broke through my frantic mantra. I froze. As far as I knew, nobody else was in the attic with me. Akari had elected to go shopping instead of visiting my grandparents with me and both of them were making me lunch. I had offered to help dust and sort out the mess in his attic since they never did so themselves. So there really shouldn't be anyone . . . here . . .
Wait. That . . . wasn't all that right either.
Taking in a few more breaths (though now I felt like I was more hyperventilating than actually calming down), I stiffly turned around to meet another pair of eyes.
A young man with the longest purplish-black hair I had ever seen stared at me in visible distress, fat tears sliding down his cheeks in complete silence. Shrinking back into the wall, he fidgeted with what seemed to be a fan as he curled up slightly, as if he was trying to make himself look as nonthreatening as possible.
". . ."
I stared. This . . . was probably not something, or someone, you'll see everyday. The man wore very old-fashioned clothes, the things you'll see in movies. In addition, he was so beautiful that I was already feeling a bit jealous. Sure, I was cute, but I didn't stand a chance against that.
The man cried some more. I stared at him a bit more.
"Oh," I said blankly when I finally found my voice. "So you were what had made me faint."
Pretty boy looked even more distressed before he sobbed and covered his teary face with his fan.
I blinked, took in the transparency of the man, and then fainted again.
CHAPTER ONE: "DID I GET LOST ON THE ROAD OF LIFE OR SOMETHING?"
So, maybe I should have been expecting this. In hindsight, I really should have.
After all, my freaking name was Shindou Hikaru. Okay, granted, I really couldn't remember the importance of my last name at all. Until the incident had happened and all the clues practically pierced themselves together, I didn't think my name was that weird. Hikaru was a perfectly normal and popular Japanese name, so I had totally ignored it.
In addition. My best friend was Akari. This . . . was quite normal too. After all, we were neighbors, and so we became friends when we were just toddlers. I didn't really think much about it.
No matter how many clues presented themselves to me, I had brushed them all off with logical thinking.
Yeah, I liked soccer, mostly because I was actually athletic in this world. Finally being able to kick a ball in a straight line made me really like physical education classes. I mean, wow, I'm not tripping over my own feet anymore. It was a miracle.
Next. Well. My bangs were dyed blonde because of an accident. Back in my old life, my strict parents would have never let me dyed my hair. I really wanted to try it now that my new parents were more lenient . . . but who knew I would accidentally buy yellow dye instead of green? Green would have even matched my eyes! I didn't even buy enough to dye my whole head blonde . . .
No matter how coincidental things became (why were there so many Go salons everywhere? Why did everyone know about Go? Why was there that website called NetGo?), I had brushed it all off.
After all, I was female. And the faint memory I had of a boy and his Go-obsessed ghost made it quite obvious that I couldn't be him.
'A-Ah . . .'
But obviously, gender meant nothing when you get reincarnated into an anime. Which sounded just as absurd as it did in my thoughts. Really though, had I gotten lost on the road of life or something? How badly did I mess up to get reincarnated into an anime?
"So let me get this straight," I started dubiously as I eyed the fidgeting and visibly upset ghost. "You are from the Heian era, your name is Fujiwara no Sai, and you are a ghost who just wants to play Go."
This was so insane. I was talking to a ghost. I was talking to one of my favourite manga characters. At the moment, I still couldn't decide if I should squeal and try to glomp the adorably pretty and nervous man or if I should scream.
Fujiwara no Sai (in the flesh . . . uh, ghostly flesh) nodded frantically. I would have thought his besotted face funny had I was not confined to my bed (I wasn't even allowed to go to school!) because my parents caught wind of my little fainting spell. How, I had no idea. The walls really had ears.
Pity they didn't have ghost-seeing eyes, though.
'Yes! You don't have to be so scared, I won't hurt you,' The Heian-era ghost fretted over me but still kept a sizable distance. After all, even now I would flinch away whenever he got too close.
Hey, it wasn't like I was doing it on purpose. I was just very terrified of ghosts, okay? And though I knew that Sai would never do anything to hurt me (at least, my other memories tell me that), knowing and doing are two very different things.
But still, I really hated watching the ghost's heart-broken face whenever I showed him just how scared I was. So, if I kept that in mind . . .
". . . I know," I said with a sigh as I studied the ghost. Sai didn't seem to be a bad spirit, and all my memories told me he was good. It was really stupid of me to be so high-strung about all of this. If anything, I should be thankful I was reborn in the safe, Go-centric manga. What would I do if I was reborn in that popular ninja anime or something? Oh my god.
Yes. I was very thankful for the small mercies.
"Do you want to play some Go now then?" I asked as I stared thoughtfully at the bloody goban my grandpa gave me after I had begged for an hour straight. Thankfully, I was very obedient and caused almost no trouble compared to canon!Hikaru, so my grandpa very reluctantly relented in the end.
'Go? Of course! Can we play Hikaru? Please?' Sai all but beamed at me as he started bouncing. However, he deflated when he realized there were no stones beside the goban. 'Oh, but Hikaru, we can't play with just a goban . . .'
Resisting the smile that was threatening to appear, I got off my bed and made my way to my desk. Opening the lower drawer, I carefully took out a set of very familiar stones. This time, when I turned around, I was treated to the sight of one surprised ghost.
'Eh?' Sai said with wide eyes. 'Hikaru, you play Go?'
". . . No, I don't," I replied as I carried the bowls of stones to the goban. It wasn't a lie. After all, I really haven't played at all in this life. I only had the set of stones because of nostalgia (before this, I didn't even buy a goban!), and to be honest, I didn't really play much in my previous life too. I had always been busy in school, but I now wondered why I didn't pay more attention to my manga. After all, my in-depth knowledge in biology won't help me here!
"So you'll have to teach me, Sai." The confusion on the ghost's face disappeared as he started to bounce happily again. I turned away when I saw the tears glistening in his eyes, and didn't say anything when they ran down his cheeks. Carefully, I listened to the gentle instructions and slowly pawed a black stone.
CLACK.
And thus began our first game.
"Ugh," I said as my eyes swept over the board and I realized I had lost. Again. "I resign. You really are good."
'Can we play again, Hikaru?' Eager puppy eyes blinked at me. I could almost see the wagging tale and ears.
". . . I guess we can," I relented after stealing a glance at my clock. It was starting to get pretty late, but tomorrow was the start of my weekend, so I didn't have to get up early or anything. "One more game though, I really should go to sleep."
Placing down my first move, I blinked slowly when I realized something. "Hey, I don't feel as sick anymore."
'. . .' The ghost gave me a sheepish look. I twitched.
'Sorry Hikaru, I think my emotions seeped into your conscious . . .'
Blinking again, I closed my eyes and tried valiantly to remember if this was something that had happened in canon. It . . . did, didn't it? After all, how did Sai get canon!Hikaru to play Go in the first place . . . ? Even if my memories of the Go manga were fuzzy, I could distinctly remember that I was nothing like canon!Hikaru. Not at all.
". . . It's fine, but please don't do it too much in public. I don't want to get sick outside again . . ." With a sigh, I placed another stone and drilled more holes into the goban with my eyes. Though I knew I probably would never win against Sai, no one could fault me for trying to give him a good fight.
'Of course, Hikaru! I'll try my best!' The ghost said even as he used his fan to point out his next move. I stared at the white stone as I ran through the previous matches we did and tried to think of the best move I could do now.
"I'll have to get better at thinking my responses too," I mused when I finally figured out something I could do. "I don't want anyone to think I'm crazy . . ."
Click.
.
.
Clack.
.
.
Click.
Within a few minutes, I had lost again.
"I resign," I said with a sigh as I got up and started cleaning up. Sai pouted beside me, but still looked quite happy.
'You learn really quickly, Hikaru,' the ghost remarked as he fluttered behind me. I hid a small smile. Sai, say hello to my one good point: my amazing memory.
Even in my old life, I had a really good memory. Part of it was probably from my parents' genes; they were both scholars and could memorize a book from the front cover to the end and from the end to the front. I probably also improved my memory from the countless violin pieces I had memorized as I grew up. Needless to say, my memory was pretty top-notch.
As Hikaru, however . . . If I was correct, canon!Hikaru had really good memory too, right? How else would he have been able to play Go otherwise?
If anything, my memory had improved astronomically. I just didn't really realize it until now. After all, I haven't even needed to memorize any school things, since I can coast through elementary school easily with my past knowledge.
"Thanks," I said as I tidied everything up and put the Go things onto my desk. Stretching and making my bed again, I slanted a look at the euphoric ghost.
So, tell me about yourself? I thought to the ghost, giving the telepathy-like communicating method a try. Sai blinked at me twice in confusion before humoring me with my request.
'I taught Go for the Emperor in the Heian Capital. I played Go everyday, and was so happy. There was another who had also served as the Emperor's Go teacher, and one day he commented to the Emperor . . .'
O-M-A-K-E
Canon!Hikaru made everything look so nice, like his life didn't change at all after getting a constant companion.
Let me tell you that it is totally not true.
Sai . . . I sighed as I stared at my pajamas in slight frustration. Can you leave the washroom?
The ghost blinked at me prettily. 'Is something wrong Hikaru?'
I groaned and bid my lovely ex freedom a tearful goodbye.
No, I just need to change. I explained patiently. Sai . . . turned red.
'Oh!' He squeaked before all but fleeing. I blinked, bemused. Well, Sai did look quite proper. It wasn't a surprise that he'll be so shy.
Briefly, I wondered if the ghost even knew I was a girl.
After cleaning up the books and dusting some of the decorative china, I stared at the intricately designed goban and placed my finger onto it. It came away with a layer of dust and caused me to sneeze.
Wiping my nose, I gave the slab of wood another once-over. The goban was really beautiful . . . but . . .
"Ah, too bad its so stained," I muttered to myself as I leaned in closer. "Is this . . . grapefruit juice or something? My grandparents are so clumsy!"
I covered my face with my blankets. I turned around to face the wall. I scrunched my body into a ball.
Nothing worked. How great. Why didn't ghosts come with their own how-to manual again?
With a groan, I peeled open my tired eyes and sat up slowly, before turning to my new roommate.
"Hey," I hissed, brain too muddled to try and do my usual telepathy. "Stop doing your ghostly glowing thing!"
Sai blinked and looked sheepish. But . . . the light he emitted did not become any darker. Groaning, I fell back onto my bed and resolved to buy a sleeping mask first thing tomorrow.
"I'm too old for a nightlight!"
AN: /weeps/ Why do I keep falling for these dead fandoms. Anyway, I haven't really seen an SI!Hikaru fic before, so I tried my hand at one. That being said, Hikaru is OOC because he is not canon!Hikaru. She's actually someone from our world (who has seen Hikaru no Go) and is reborn into the Go world.
Comments and reviews are very appreciated. HNG fic reccs are too, to be honest.