1Hikaru Shindou couldn't believe what he was seeing. His rival Akira was playing a game, against a girl! While in tournaments it wasn't so unusual for that to happen, when they were on Akira's turf most people wouldn't dare face him, let alone the girls, he hated tears after all.
The dual haired boy moved closer to the goban and watched silently as Akira placed a stone, the game looked to have just started. But then again the way the girl was looking at Akira, a triumphant smirk in her eyes, it was clearly not their first one of the day.
"You take so long, Akira-chan," the girl, said softly, her smile fading when the only response she got him slapping the stone down. "So testy today. And after I invited you to play in our little game," she said with an even larger smirk when he faltered in placing the stone.
Akira looked at her with passion in his eyes, passion to shut her up, but Hikaru had the feeling that would only happen if she were kind enough to lose. And she seemed to be having too much fun destroying him.
"By the way Akira-chan," she said as she placed a stone causing him to look up at her, his face full of questions, yet not one of them standing out. "Do you have any friends you would like to join us?" she asked her tone deceptively innocent. "Perhaps this boy right here. He does seem to understand the game enough to know the out come already."
And he did. As much as he wanted Akira to win this game, for there was something not right about the girl, he could clearly see that the other boy had no chance of beating the child facing him. She might not be a professional, for Hikaru knew all the ones that played in the Asian circuits, she was clearly better then many of the players he knew.
"He wouldn't want to," Akira said simply as he placed yet another stone on the board in a vain attempt to keep himself alive.
"You wouldn't like to play a few games of Go with friends?" the girl asked looking at Hikaru as she played a stone, not even looking to see if she played it right. And her gaze stayed locked with his as Akira played and she responded.
"You can play blind?" Hikaru decided to ask instead of asking. Akira knew him; if he didn't want him playing then there was a good reason, after all Akira was still chasing after Sai.
"If needed. Now will you play with us?" she asked point blank, not giving him any room to maneuver in. She was a strong player that used the rules of the game in real life.
Hikaru looked at Akira begging that the other give him a chance to level the field but the other boy meekly kept his eyes to the board. The dual haired boy let his mind wander until he could speak to Sai again.
'Sai?' he asked tentatively, he had earned the anger he could still feel by not letting the other play. But he enjoyed the game now too.
'Yes, Hikaru,' was the reply.
'What do you think about this? She seems like a strong player, and probably only plays with others like her. But Akira does seem afraid of her for some reason,' Hikaru trailed off not sure if he wanted to truly think about what the girl meant for him and his new friend.
'I think we should ask for information. Who will be there?' Sai said after a moment of thought. He had spent much of his life in the palace. He did know how to play games with people. But then again he did not enjoy it, while this girl seemed to relish it. H had known many people like that. Had lost to one.
'You may be right,' Hikaru thought before he turned his gaze back to the girl, finally letting her know that he was thinking on her question.
"That depends on the friends that I play with," was all he said at Sai's prompting. He watched as her eyes lit up at the prospect of having someone to play with at her level. Pity neither Hikaru nor Sai felt they were up to being on that level.
"Well you'll have to come any find out," she said with a smile before placing another stone on the board and waited to Akira to move, still looking at Hikaru.
He wasn't sure why but something in her eyes troubled him. She was the kind of girl that could belong to the Cartoshen palace. She was on the Cartoshen caliber. The kind of girl that was to be avoided at all costs, simply because she could destroy a person with words.
"How would you feel if I decided not to go?" Hikaru asked suddenly, before letting Sai tell him what was the right answer. He watched as the girl blinked slowly placed a stone and then allowed a slow grin to spread over her face.
"Why I would hunt you down and force you to join," he tone was dead, not emotion in it anywhere. The creepy feeling, that this girl was not playing a simple game but one that was dangerous and possibly even deadly in its own right, made him feel sick.
"And why would a friend do such a thing?" Akira asked as he placed a stone on the board, his eyes showed his fear of her but there was something else in them. They shown with courage the likes of which Hikaru had never before seen on his rival.
"To ensure that all friends had optimal fun, of course," she replied responding to his move, and capturing three stones. She turned back to Hikaru as Akira studied the board. "You do like to have fun right."
It was a statement not a question, but for some reason he felt compelled to answer her.
"I do like o have fun. However," a very energetic girl promptly interrupted him.
"Do you not have fun playing go? Do you not have fun being with Friends?" her questions came hard and fast. The stone she placed on the board was the only one he had seen her use proper form for. She was a threat to all-weaker then her, hiding her strength until she had annihilated you.
"I do. What I do not enjoy is playing pointless little games with little girls," he said as Sai directed before turning to leave. He was amazed that Akira hadn't demanded that he stay and play him.
As he opened the door to leave he heard Akira forfeit the match, and the musical laugh that could only have belonged to the wretched girl. He turned and looked back at them.
"You miss, are the finest Cartoshen I have ever had the honor of meeting," he said watching her face to see how she reacted to the comment. He was disappointed to see a small almost sad and fragile smile form upon her lips.
"I am far from being Cartoshen, child," she said her voice laden with pain. "I am Corbatian, or if I am lucky and Lord Hede would permit me the liberty, Litherelian. But I can assure you that I am no Cartoshen."
Hikaru nodded his head before leaving the salon and turning towards the train station. He tried to get his mind off of the girl. Tried to make he forget her and her last comment. But for some reason she had seemed all to unwilling to take some praise. Was she really not what the mistress would consider Cartoshen? But if that was so how could the girl possibly know what she was then?
Hikaru sighed as he walked into a bookstore, grabbing the latest Angelic's Saga book off the shelf and started leafing through it. At least Sai had left him alone until then.
'Hikaru, what did you two mean?'
'These are really popular books right now. There are four main types of angelics, Cartoshen, Shinitoian, Litherelian and Corbatian. There is another type but they have yet to be explained.' Hikaru informed him silently.
'Oh!' was all Sai could think of.
'She said she was not Cartoshen, as if she wanted to be one,' hikaru thought.
'Is that a bad thing?'
'Cartoshen are truly evil beings that do what ever they can to manipulate the world around them. I have only ever been called Corbatian, loyal, trusting stupid, but considered the power of the angelics. She said she belonged to that group, but with Akira so scared… I'm not to sure she is.'
'Didn't she say she could also be Litherelian?'
'Yes, but even that doesn't make since. Why claim to belong to the lower levels when you clearly could match wits with the best?'
'The best?'
'It would be like me playing my best against a new player compared to me playing that way with Akira,' Hikaru explained patiently.
'Why would she claim one that could make her look worse than any other term? She claims to be Litherelian but they are cut throats that will do what ever it takes to get what the want. They do also do that to protect that which is important to them.
"Hikaru-chan," a voice called from behind him.
"I see you are reading my books. How happy you make me feel. How special. But please you will only get the people that the story is biased off of if you come to play," her tone was happy and playful. Clearly she had been waiting for him. Though he doubted from Akiras actions that he had told he about him. So how had she known? Had they been waiting for him?
"Will you come to play, Hikaru-san?" she asked her voice taking on a pleading note. Suddenly she looked so fragile that he was unsure how to tell her 'no' with out her breaking into tears.
"Why do you want me?" he asked as he placed the book down, careful not to touch her or anything else as he eased himself down the easel.
"Because Akira said you can hold your own against him. That you were the only person outside of the circuit to beat him. Please I need all the help that I can get. Please, Hikaru-san," she said again, her voice damn near breaking.
"Why do you need people strong enough to beat Akira? Why do you need people to play against simple friends?" he asked his temper coming out full force, anger at how she had treated Akira, at the fact that she was not letting this go. Angry that he was going to say yes, just to shut up both voices in his head.
"Fine, I'll play, but on one condition," he said trying to sound serious and threatening.
"Which would be?"
"That you tell me just why you were playing that way with Akira. You could have given him a chance or played a more fare game. Why were you playing like that?"
"Would you prefer that he faces those that will rip him to shreds without a second thought, with out toughening his skin? Would you like me to leave him defenseless? If you would then I wish that I had never laid eyes on you, Hikaru Shindou," she said her voice thickening with emotion and an anger that was hotter than anything he had ever had the pleasure pf facing.
"No, but is that truly the only way to help him?" the dual haired boy asked.
"If you have any bright ideas I would love to hear them."
"It's killing you to treat him that way, isn't it?" he asked softly, gently.
"He was always like a brother to me," she said as a tear fell from her eyes.
"Then why do this to him?"
"You don't understand! I don't have a choice!" she cried as she felt the tears starting to flow freely from her eyes.
"What do you mean?" Hikaru asked as he placed a friendly hand on her shoulder trying to comfort her.
"Come and you'll see. See why I'm so far from being a Cartoshen," her words turned bitter towards the end. Her hatred for someone shining in her dark eyes as she gazed at him, her focus sharper than anyone else's.
"I need someone else to help me. I need someone to help Akira," she said her voice sounding normal again. But the tears still fell from her eyes, and Hikaru had to wonder just who this girl was.
"I'll help you," he said giving her a small smile, one that said he forgave her. And that he would try to understand.
