AN: Alternate take on Sai's last moment with Hikaru. I wanted to make his fading away a slightly slower process than in the anime/manga, so there would be more time for him to reflect on his own disappearance and what Hikaru truly means to him before the actual.. poofing (for lack of a better word) happens. Basically, this is my headcanon. Hope you'll enjoy.

I can't be disappearing yet. I can't.. There's so much more I want to accomplish.. and to teach Hikaru.. Hikaru...

I look over at the exhausted form on the opposite side of the goban, my heart clenching at the sight. He's about to be lulled into sleep any second. I won't even be able to say goodbye properly like this. He'll surely misunderstand.. He'll think I chose this fate if I don't say anything.

"H-"

My voice won't come out. I panic and stare at the large sleeves covering my arms. They're slowly becoming transparent. I'm.. I'm fading. No! Hikaru! Wake up!

"H-!" I try again, to no avail.

I don't want this.. I'm not ready yet. Please.. Give me more time, please!

While most of my ghostly body is still intact, I can barely see my limbs anymore. It'll be too late soon. And Hikaru won't budge. He's leaning onto his hand and his eyes have already drifted shut. He won't be waking up to ever speak to me again. This is.. the end. My only chance to bid farewell and it has become apparent that my words will go unheard, that my last game of go will be an unfinished one. There is no fairness in this world. Perhaps it's for the best, to leave it. But I...

My eyes water as I, with a bitter smile, regard the teenage boy before me, he who has been my whole world for the past three years.

Hikaru.. I wanted to reach the hand of God. That was my sole purpose for possessing you in the beginning. At first, you were just a boy who happened to be able to see me, my key to the outside world of go. But I need you to know that I've gained a lot more than I ever expected.

I'm sad that I won't be able to play Touya Kouyou again. I won't be able to watch the progress of his son's career and its impact on you and vice versa. I won't learn new things from the strange place called the internet. But most of all, it saddens me to know that I have to leave you.

It's quite strange, how mistaken I've been. I always thought what I wanted the most was to be able to play go, that nothing could ever compare. Now I know it's not that simple. What I failed to learn in my life, I learned after death. The feeling of a close, irreplacable bond. I never experienced something to this extent, even with my parents, or Torajiro. Only with Hikaru. Why it was Hikaru who found me, I now know, but I won't be around long enough to figure out why this is the most painful parting one could ever begin to imagine.

What I know for certain, Hikaru, is that I do not want to leave you, at any cost. If only I had a choice in the matter.. But it's too late. It seems that my role has been fulfilled and it's time I face the truth; I was never the one destined to reach the hand of God, and at this point, I serve no more purpose.

I blink and a tear falls, dissolving before it reaches the fabric of my robe.

Please don't feel bad, Hikaru. You have humored me long enough, and just like I have to move on, it's time you focus entirely on your own future. We will meet again one day, definitely. I will wait for you. I might even pay you a visit in your dreams.

I have faith in you and I know that you will keep playing for as long as you are capable, possibly even longer than that. So I only wish you could promise me one thing; Never forget. I know I cannot.

The exact moment my view of the teenager's room slowly starts to crumble into darkness, I notice Hikaru quietly mumble something in his sleep, just before the twitching of his eyelids. This small movement from the boy feels almost like an unconscious acknowledgement of my request and a sealed promise in our fogged minds, and though my eyes are still wet with unshed tears, it ultimately allows me to part with a slight smile of affection on my lips. Contrary to my initial panicked state, a sudden feeling of calmness and reassurance washes over me.

Let us finish the game on the other side, Hikaru.

Welp, that's it for this fic. Feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Honestly, I had in mind for the feelings they have for each other to be something platonic, but it's okay to interpret it however you want. I left it a bit vague after all.