STEPPING STONES
preface
black vs. white ~recollections~
Sunlight filters down in mellow, bone-soothing waves of warmth, and the cherry blossom trees are bursting with heavy spring blooms. An errant wisp of wind whisks past, plucking up handfuls of white petals and scattering them over a cobblestone path. More sun fingers its way through the clouds, rippling over the ground's snow-like mantle.
A little ways up the road, two figures glide around a gentle corner. Fallen petals swirl about in their wake, drifting far from their original resting places before touching back to earth. One of the figures, a man with a large pack slung over one shoulder, pauses to look around the park. The other, a man seated in a wheelchair, gazes up at the ivory-laden branches.
"We'll go there," says the first, indicating a small picnic table in the shelter of several trees.
The man in the chair nods, his eyes fixed not on his companion, but on the floating white petals.
When they reach the table, the man with the pack brushes off a layer of dropped blossoms, then reaches into his bag. In a soft succession of thuds, a wooden goban and two go-ke are placed upon the table's surface. The pre-game rituals are performed in wordless, practiced motions. Both men murmur the customary "onegaishimasu," and the white player, the man who was carrying the pack, places down his first stone. The man in the chair studies the board for a moment before making the move for black.
"You still play very well," says the white player after several minutes, as his opponent takes several ivory stones.
The black player manages a wry half-smile. "Go is one of the last things I would want to forget," he replies, leaning back in his wheelchair as he surveys White's play. "I hope my fingers will remember the motions long after my mind is completely gone."
A couple more moves are made in silence.
"You're good," Black tells his opponent at last. "One of the best I can remember. You must have worked very hard to come so far."
Placing down his next stone with an audible "clink," the white player does not reply. The game continues for several more plays, with both men bowed intently over the goban. Another breeze weaves past, sending flower fragments tumbling across the worn wooden board.
"How much have I forgotten?" asks the black player suddenly. "Weeks, months…years? Or have you not known me long enough to tell?"
Still staring down at the goban, White eventually gives a slow, vague nod. "Would you like to hear a story?" he asks after a beat of silence, finally setting down another one of his ivory stones.
"What kind of story?"
"Ah…a story with you, me, and some things in between." The white player laughs softly, then shrugs. "I'm not very good at this," he admits, putting a hand behind his head, "so I can't promise that it will be interesting or funny…or make much sense. After all, I can only tell you the parts I've heard or remember personally. Many pieces will probably be left out, and what is left may be hard to put back together."
The black player tilts his head. "Start from the end, then," he says. "By the time you reach the beginning, I might be able to help you."
"Thank you. I'll try my best."
Deftly lifting a stone between two fingers as he returns to the game, White begins his tale. "One of the characters in our story is a boy who plays Go," he says as he glances over the goban and swiftly pinpoints a favorable spot. "Appropriately enough."
Black's answering clink is quick to follow. "Did I know this boy?"
"Hmm. Maybe you'll remember him. His name is Akira Touya."
Notes: So I was going through my old files and rediscovered some fics from my Hikaru no Go-obsessed days. "Stepping Stones" was originally supposed to be a collection of fifteen or so stories at different points in Akira's life, all connected by the beginning game between the black player and the white player (they were either Akira and his dad or Hikaru – I can't remember). I only ever finished four stories (I have always been a lazy bum), but since all four are stand-alone oneshots, I thought I'd post them anyway.