Chapter 2: Lost!

Honinbou title match: Game 1

Title holder: Shindou Hikaru, 8-Dan, Honinbou, Kisei

Challenger: Touya Akira, 8-Dan, Meijin, Ouza

This was the game that everyone had been looking forward to. The 2 rising stars of the Go world had played several matches, but have not faced each other in a title match. But it had been no conincidence that Akira had chosen to focus his energies on the Honinbou title this year. For Hikaru had pursued the Honinbou with a passion - and Akira wanted to reignite that passion in his title challenge.

Which title is your favourite, Hikaru?

Why, the Honinbou, of course!

There was only 1 problem - Hikaru was nowhere to be seen. And Akira was more upset than anyone else.

"The time is up. I award game 1 to..." the announcer began.

"Wait! Let me call him one more time!" Akira was frantically pressing the buttons on his cell phone now. But he simply got the same answering machine.

Akira was awarded a walkover, but he was in no mood to celebrate.

"Hello, this is the Shindou residence." Shindou Akari picked up the phone.

"Hi Akari, this is Akira. Have you seen Hikaru at all for the past 2 days?"

"No. He called from the Go Salon saying that he had something important to attend to... and he won't be back for a few days." replied Akari, almost wistfully. "Has something happened?"

"Hikaru did not show up for our title match. What could possibly be more important than that?"

"Is that so? I remember now, Hikaru did mention to me an upcoming match with you. And he was so looking forward to it - he even said that no one, not even you, can take away his Honinbou title. Oh dear, is he in some trouble?"

"Don't worry, Akari, I will find him."

I don't want to play Go anymore...

Suddenly, memories of the days when Hikaru almost gave up Go surfaced in his mind. Determined to find Hikaru, Akira set off for the Go salon.

"Why on Earth would Hikaru follow a stranger to this deserted place?" Akira stood at the edge of a dense forest, muttering to himself. After making several enquiries, he found out from a street hawker that Hikaru was seen walking towards the forest with a tall, thin man. No one had recognized the stranger or seen him before. But a few customers at the Go salon recalled that Hikaru had lost a friendly game to that man.

"That was unbelievable!" recounted one "Shindou sensei always gave at least a 3-stone handicap and played at a leisurely pace with us. Not only did that man not ask for a handicap, but he also placed down his stones without thinking. Shindou sensei was chasing the game really hard, but eventually he was forced to resign."

I encounter a wall higher than the one I felt when I played Shindou

"Sai... it must be Sai! I am convinced that Hikaru's previous no-show had to do with Sai. Although Sai has not showed up for a long time, this man must have something to do with him. I must find Shindou and make him tell me the truth."

With that thought, Akira set foot into the forest.

"Hey, this tree looked like the same one I walked past about an hour ago. Gee, am I walking in circles?" Akira started to get worried after having walked for 2 hours without seeing anything else except lots of trees. Yet, he had a strong feeling that Hikaru is somewhere in the woods, though he could not say why.

"There is something very strange about this part of the woods... the trees look too artificial, like they have been laid out in a grid. Perhaps I should retrace my steps." Akira turned around, and walked for another half an hour. He got back to the same tree! Almost in a panic now, he started to run. But no matter which direction he took off, he would cover only a moderately short distance before coming back to the same tree. Finally, he sat down under the tree, hungry, thirsty, and very tired. He stared at the tree, and could almost feel it staring back, almost mocking him in defiance. Suddenly, Akira was overwhelmed by exhaustion, and he dozed off into a deep sleep.