CHAPTER TWO

The twenty-year-old Shindou Hikaru walked along the quiet graveyard of Innoshima, carrying a large bouquet of wisteria in one arm and a bucket of water and incenses in the other. His best friend and rival, Touya was walking behind him, silently wondering where do the smiles and laughter that Shindou had on their way to Innoshima Island.

Since his disappearance from the Igo world five year ago, Shindou has visited Honinbo Shusaku's grave regularly every year, right on the Golden Week holiday. Touya never asked him for the reason, but he thought it would be nice to visit this place with Shindou this year. Who knows, maybe Shindou would finally tell him his secret.

Shindou Hikaru kept walking through the maze of tombstones to the final resting place of his idol, as he already memorized it by heart through his yearly visits. Finally, they arrived at the legendary player's grave.

Without words, the multi-colors haired boy knelt and gently cleaned the tomb with the clean water from the bucket while Touya lit the incenses carefully. After that, they both were silent with their prays for the late Shusaku.

'Torajiro… Please tell him… I really really miss… '

'I envy you so much Torajiro… You get to be with him for eternity now… I…. I…'

"Shindou? You okay?" Touya touched his shoulder

"Ah? Sorry Touya…"

"No problem… Ready to go?"

"Un… Yeah… Let's go…"

Hikaru and Akira left the grave, heading back to their hotel, without knowing a long-haired spirit kneeling behind them with sad expression in his face.


Natsume was in the bus heading to Innoshima Island, Nyanko-sesnsei slept on his lap, purring slightly as his master absent-mindedly stroked him on the forehead. Sai, wanting to find Hikaru as soon as possible had teleported himself to Innoshima.

"Ne, Sensei.."

"Hmm?"

"How did Reiko-san died?"

"Why do you ask now?"

"Well… I've always knew… Death is something that's inevitable… But… Listening to Sai's story… And that boy at the station… I was just…"

"You wanna know about hers?"t

"Yeah… She was strong… Right? Very strong…"

"All humans will die Natsume…. Sooner or later…"

"I know that… But… Will youkai…?"

"We will, Natsume. We ages much more slower than humans do, but we will die in some point."

"Oh…" Natsume frowned sadly, avoiding Nyanko's eyes

"Reiko… Died of illness when she was young…"

"Illness?"

"But… It… Wasn't a human illness Natsume…"

"Could it be…."

"She was cursed by a Youkai when she was distracted… Just after she gave birth to your father"

"Giving birth? What do you mean?"

"Well, you wouldn't understand, but for a woman like Reiko, the most vulnerable times when your spiritual power decreased to the lowest point, is when they're in labor"

"So… That youkai attacked her?"

"That's right…"

Natsume bit his lower lip, suddenly; he felt Nyanko nuzzled his head gently to his stomach,

"Stop thinking of unimportant things now Natsume. I won't die before you do. The Book of Friends' mine remember?"

The boy smiled softly and hugged the cat, "Yeah… Thanks Sensei…"


'Hikaru! I'm here! I'm here! Can't you hear me? Please Hikaru…'

Hikaru was alone in his and Touya's two beds room, Touya's in the bathroom right now, so Hikaru lays on his bed and sighed tiredly, oblivious to the energetic spirit by his side.

'Hikaru… Can you really not hear me…?'

'Hikaru…'

Slowly, a dark aura appeared on Sai's back

'Hikaru… Why wont you answer me?'


Suddenly, a jolt of chill surprised Natsume from the back of his neck, he realized something was definitely wrong,

"Sensei!"

"Hmph! The wimp's aura has started to darken… Natsume we got to hurry before it's too late…"

"Sensei, can you track where he is now?"

"He's a little far, Natsume let's get off from this bus. I'll get there faster!"

"EXCUSE ME! STOP THIS BUS! I'M GETTING OFF HERE!" Natsume yelled to the driver, surprising other patrons

"What's wrong young men?" asked a lady at the front

"Are you okay? I couldn't stop here; it's in the middle of nowhere! It's already dark outside, couldn't you wait? We'll be there in…"

"I SAID STOP THE BUS! I NEED TO GET OUT HERE!"

The driver finally opened the bus door, letting both of them out of the bus. After the bus' gone, a gust of smoke appeared and a great, big silvery white feline youkai appeared in the place of the fat little cat.

"C'mon Natsume! Get on!"

Natsume hopped onto Sensei's back and Madara flung himself into the sky.


'How dare you ignore me… Hikaru… Hikaru! Hikaruu!'

Hikaru was walking around silently the swimming pool of the hotel, trying to calm his mind down.

Beside him, Sai was silently following him. The dark aura surrounding grew bigger and wider, darker, darker, deeper, deeper. Starting from the edge of his sleeves, his white clean kimono slowly turning black, slowly, his purple eyes turned dark red.

At that time, Hikaru stopped for a while at the edge of the water. He took off his shoes and socks, and dipped his toes. In 5 minutes, Hikaru found his jeans rolled up to his knees as he sat at the edge, foot dangling in the water. The young men sighed.

"…Sai…"

The spirit jerked at the sound of his name coming from his favorite boy's lips, then he realized, though his lips were curved into a smile, Hikaru's eyes were wet in tears, gradually, his dark intention decreased

'Hikaru…'

"Sai… I miss you…"

'Hikaru!'

"What… What am I talking about…? Sai…"

'Hikaru I'm here! Please!'

"You're in peace now right….?"

'Hikaru!'

"Sai…"

'Hikaru! Hikaru!'

'HIKARU!' Sai's dark aura appeared again, growing rapidly from every corner of his body

'Hikaru…'

"SAI!" a voice of a boy cried out, breaking the silence of the night. Hikaru's ear perked at the sound of the name and he started to look around frantically. And suddenly, his vision was blurred by a strong gust of wind, as if something's big and invisible had just landed and on that something a teenagers with hair and eyes of gold sat, no, it was more like he was riding something. His eyes were wide and he was grasping for breath.

The boy hopped from his invisible ride and ran towards Hikaru, "SAI!" the stranger ran past him and stopped at an empty space behind him, the boy held out both of his hands, as if holding a pair of shoulders of someone that was also invisible. Then Hikaru realized, on the place where the boy landed, a small and fat cat, looking a lot of the lucky cat figures, was there. The cat hopped to the golden haired boy's shoulder, and talked

"Natsume! It's too late! You'll have to exorcise him soon! He's turning darker!"

"No! Sai! Sai! Stop it! Listen to me!" The boy shouted

"Sa… Sai…?" Hikaru squeaked, disbelieving his ears

The boy finally turned to Hikaru and shouted, "Look Sai! Your precious Hikaru's here! You have to calm down! If it goes like this, you'll turn into an Ayakashi!"

Hikaru's feet were clattering. He didn't understand what the boy and his talking cat were talking about, but he's sure that they have something to do with Sai.


In Natsume's vision, Sai was kneeling on the ground with his hands on his head and screaming loudly in pain. The darkness on his white clothes had reached his shoulders, symbolizing the progress of his transformation into an Ayakashi. Natsume was holding Sai in his arms, trying to calm the spirit down

"Hi… Hikaru…" Sai was moaning his best friend's name in pain. He reached out one of his hand to the young man, but Hikaru could not see him. Natsume grasped Sai's hand in his and shouted,

"COME HERE SHINDOU-SAN! PLEASE! SAI NEEDS YOU!"

"Wha…?"

"HE'S IN PAIN! IF WE DON'T CALM HIM SOON, HE'LL TURN INTO AN AYAKASHI AND WE'D HAVE TO KILL HIM! COME HERE DAMN IT!"

Being yelled by an unknown teenager approximately four year younger than him, Hikaru walked nervously to where the boy knelt and kneeled in front of the boy's extended hand,

"His hand's in mine, he's been trying to reach and touch you before…" Natsume said and he reached out his hand for Hikaru to hold.

"Sa… Sai…? Is he really here…?" Hikaru held up his trembling hands to touch Natsume's hand and was surprise when he felt a very soft tint of warmth between his hand and Natsume's. As if an invisible hand was there between their hands.

The warmth was weak, but Hikaru could definitely feel it, and from the soft breeze, he can slightly sense a scent of wisteria

"Sai! Sai! You're here aren't you? Wha… What happened? What's happening to him? Is he alright?" Hikaru asked Natsume frantically, still holding Sai's invisible warmth.

Natsume was not listening to Hikaru. He was busy trying to find something from his backpack. When he found it he bit the ofuda that he had just found in his mouth and clapped both of his hands once, holding onto the position. The boy closed his eyes and chant a spell

"O the holy light of the god Tsukiyomi that lit up the dark sky tonight I plead to you to help this lost soul purified the darkness in his heart with you gentle guidance!"

Suddenly, the moon and the stars shone very brightly simultaneously, and when the light started to dim, Sai was pure once more. The spirit was seemingly unconscious in a deep sleep.

Natsume fell back and balanced himself with his arms sighing tiredly. Nyanko-sensei was right by his side,

"Oi are you alright Natsume?"

"Yeah, just a little tired"

"You idiot! I didn't think you were gonna actually used the spell Natori taught you before!"

"Haha… Well it worked didn't it?"

"Umm… Excuse me…?" Hikaru's voice broke their tension. They both turned to the Go player

"What… Are you guys…?"

TBC

A/N chapter two! I'm glad to have finished this chapter XD I wanna make the 'first reunion' of Sai and Hikaru as dramatic as possible, that's when the idea of making dark!Sai OOC much..? lol… Touya doesn't have much part in this chapter huh? Well he will in the next chapter! R&R

P.S Ayakashi is a vengeful spirit :p