A\N: Seishin chapters aren't optional reading. That is all. Oh! This chapter is for my wonderful Nerdybooklover, who shares the same musical tastes I do. Thanks Azadari for your review~ This chapter goes a bit into go. I can't claim to have an in depth knowledge of go. . m.

The train was predictably packed. Though, it was still preferable to the alternative, the street parking available by the go center was scanty at best. Shiomi had called him a fool for purchasing a second car; it wasn't necessary in the city. In the end, they had settled on a medium-sized car. Nothing fancy. It was pristine, like the interior of their house.

Their house. He still hadn't gotten used to that. Yes, he had been living with her for quite a while. And, yes, he had mentally prepared himself for whatever that entailed. But thinking about his house as anything other than his own was strange.

He checked his cell once again. It was peculiar. He hadn't expected Seishin to acquiesce as quickly as he had. Seishin… Seishin was… a daytime vampire, apparently. Was he part of a group of similar vampires? And his last published book was Shiki. Had he written anything since then?

He was living close enough to the Go Center to suggest it as a location to meet up. Where exactly did he live, though? And, he was probably living with the small Kirishiki girl. Since he had a daughter, was it safe to assume that he had a wife? He couldn't discern anything beyond that. And Seishin probably wasn't going to give out any information, judging from the tone of his texts.

He had bought a charm from a nearby temple, just in case. If Seishin had tried anything…

He ran a hand through his hair. Should he have worn something more presentable? He shook his head. The doctor's coat seemed fine enough. Besides, he was wearing a clean shirt, and a nice pair of slacks underneath it. And Seishin probably wasn't going to wear anything fancy…

He was struck by just how wrong he had been. The jinrou had worn a rather stylish jacket, coupled with a nice scarf around his neck. His hair had reverted to a more youthful style, his glasses seemed long gone. The doctor himself could not quite tell the difference between fall and winter fashions in Tokyo.

But the jinrou was different… He realized that he was staring. An older man had patted his shoulder, and assured him that yes, Seishin was handsome, but he'd probably have a better view if he sat down. He apologized profusely and pulled up a chair (he had seen another man do it, so…)

Seishin was hunched over the table, carefully examining the stones. Another man was discussing them with him, apparently. "You see. If you had played one point higher here…" He pointed to an intersection in the upper right hand corner of the board. "… you would have probably won." He quickly amended himself. "But… Don't beat yourself up over it. The shape is rather difficult. A pro might not have seen this one right away."

"Ah… But if you say that, sensei…" He offered the older man a laugh.

"Sensei" joined in. He felt out of place. He was being largely ignored in a meeting that he himself had called. He shifted his chair slightly. "Sorry. I'm keeping you, aren't I?"

He looked expectantly at Seishin. "Ah… That is…"

"No, it's fine. I was going to go pick my son up anyways." He swept the black stones back into the pot. He grinned "You should take the test this year. You're fairly qualified. Not many people I know can play a game like that."

Seishin did the same with his stones. "… I don't know if I can… My daughter is still young, and…"

He was given an affectionate ruffle of the hair, and Toshio couldn't help but feel jealous. "Don't worry about it. Whenever you think you're ready." He collected his jacket, and emptied the seat, presumably for Toshio to occupy afterwards. "Anyways, I've got to be going…"

The doctor slid into the seat across from the jinrou, and began idly toying with one of the stones. "Long time no see."

"You should put two stones down… Though… You haven't played in a while, so four might be more accurate."

"God. Seishin. I haven't seen you in forever, and you give me this bullshit about stones." He sighed, complying with the earlier instructions. "By the way… Are we not choosing for color?"

"No." He shrugged. "You asked me for help. Not companionship."

He shook his head. "Doesn't mean you have to be so cold about it."

"Fine. How was your day? What are you doing now? How is your sex life?" There was a sarcastic tone to it. "Was there something I missed?"

Seishin was markedly different. "I'm fine. My day was alright. I suppose I'm still unnerved about the patient. Uh… You can see that I'm still a doctor. And the last question is kinda personal." He slid a stone next to one of Seishin's. He chuckled, hoping that it would lighten Seishin's mood. "When'd you get so damn fashionable anyways?"

He blushed "I… It's convenient to dress this way." He plucked one of Toshio's stones off the board, and threw it with his prisoners. "And wearing a kimono is rather conspicuous."

The doctor laughed at the thought of the priest wearing a kimono on the streets. But then again, he had half-expected him to have it on. "I get it. You don't your face floating around."

He nodded.

"It looks nice, though."

Another blush.

"Anyways. I wanted you to check this out." He passed his phone to the other man. "It seems similar to… You know."

The jinrou regarded the picture with flat eyes. It had taken him but a moment to make his diagnosis. "No."

"No what?"

"No, I don't have any information." He handed the phone back to the other man. "As I said before, there are certain Shiki I would rather not cross."

"Seishin… There are guys dying out there." He plopped another stone down, with relative disinterest. Some part of him knew that he was going to lose anyways.

"One, so far as you know." He took another one of Toshio's stones. "And anemia is a relatively common symptom."

"But Mutou. Come on! It's just too much to be a coincidence!" He took the charm out of his pocket, letting it dangle from his left index finger; perhaps this would do the trick. He almost expected Seishin to keel over.

Instead, he got: "Is that… A bribe?" He reached over and took it. "It's tasteless though." He handed it back to Toshio. "… You know… I was a priest."

"…Yeah. I mean… No. It's not a bribe. I thought that maybe…" He shook his head and slid it back into his pocket. "I know. And I thought it was a waste. That you were a priest, I mean. Seemed so much more talented than that."

"Toshio… You can't just…" He was furiously blushing. It was working to his advantage, then. "I…"

"Seishin. Please?"

He hesitated a moment, but the doctor had known that he would agree. "If you do something for me in return."

"And, what would that be?"

"A death certificate. I want one."

He sighed. "Seishin. Nobody asks for a death certificate."

The other man retorted with "And nobody loses a go game that he's seen before."

"I haven't seen this before!"

He shrugged. "Sensei and I were playing a similar game. Had you chosen to focus on the area he suggested, you would have won."

"Fine. I'll write your death certificate. But you've gotta get me some results first."