Chapter 3- The weird man
'Waaaah, that oji-san heard it! I know it! Why did I have to say that?' Hikaru asks himself as he runs. "This is YOUR entire fault!" he directs his glare to his companion as he slows down to a walk and a few looked at him as if he had gone mad.
It was not really their fault—the boy had been talking to no one.
"eeeeeeh? Why is it me? Hikaru baka! You were the one who told him that you found a haunted goban not me!" the ghost defends as he flails his arms to nowhere but suddenly halts in remembrance of something "and I was not haunting the goban!"
The boy remembers his place before irately answering back with his thoughts. 'You were! That's why you're here now, possessing me, baka!'
"Were not! And besides you were the one who was talking with that flashy person without halting to think of what you were going to say!" the ghost further pointed out.
'But you were the one who told me to do so!' Hikaru reasoned out. 'I would have run from him if it weren't for your rants!'
The ghost pouted at that. It was true that he was the one who insisted on accompanying the man but that was because Hikaru and him both felt the need to do so—he just voiced out their thoughts.
The moment they had gone out and saw that unfamiliar face holding the poor, poor plant pot that hadn't been watered for days was truly an enigma. It was like seeing somebody you always knew wearing a full Halloween suit except less scary –more creepy. Hikaru hadn't even reprimanded the guy of holding something that was his—it just felt like he hadn't had the right to do so.
"Shindou… Hikaru."
Another thing that was weird. The man obviously knew Hikaru and had spoken his name in such familiarity but it looked like he was surprised at the whole 'I-know-you-but-you-don't-know-me' thing. He even pinched Hikaru! But the boy hadn't been modest as he countered with a kick. Sai was sure that the two were similar for their hot-headedness.
There was also something Sai had noticed in the way the man's eyes flickered in recognition for Hikaru's mother. He was looking at her warmly and it made Sai wonder if the man was really a stranger—though a small part of him willingly put a small smile towards the young man, Haruki Fuji-san, as he had introduced himself.
If he weren't already a ghost, Sai was sure he would have never kept up with the two 'friends' as they both ran to the field. He asked Hikaru beforehand how he knew the man when the boy had been introduced as a friend and he was verbally answered—for the sake of his mother as well—that the man was a stalker and a weird creepy old guy. And even though that should have been alarming, the ghost found himself smiling behind his hand.
'Hikaru hadn't said that he didn't know the young man'
That was enough for him to be at ease with the young man because in people, sometimes instincts works better. And as far as he knows, Hikaru's instincts were more or less accurate. He was a brilliant child too—though the ghost would not let himself praise Hikaru like that now, the boy still had things to learn especially with his manners.
The man smiled fondly at Hikaru like he knew what the boy was like and accepted him –all too soon but it was welcome anyway, only a few manage to be tolerant of the boy in a short time after all. Sai had scolded him for being too rude but Haruki just shrugged the offensive language off and opted to go along with it. Surprisingly, the two had many common things and the ghost absently wondered if the young man had "skipped" classes too—which the man had confirmed just as he did so, as if he had heard the unspoken question of the man he wasn't able to see. Sai had even doubted that he was heard by the other and childishly stuck his tongue out, blabbered incoherent things or experimentally poked through the young man despite his constant reminder to Hikaru of decency and respect but he was rewarded with nothing but smiles and that pained expression—like he had suddenly felt a chill through his spine and remembered something he didn't want to.
So he opted to remain seated like he had first planned to. (besides, Hikaru had been glaring at him for a while and he needed to act mature enough to stay still)
The man was good company and both Sai and Hikaru found themselves contributing to the seemingly endless conversation of nonsense. But that ended when baka Hikaru had slipped his tongue and scared the guy off. (Well, it was more like Hikaru was the one who was scared off but still...) He certainly didn't want to end the conversation at that but Hikaru had the habit of running away.
And Sai had seen something Hikaru hadn't.
Just when the boy ran off, leaving him wailing and trying to explain to Haruki that everything was fine and that he shouldn't mind it –conveniently forgetting that the other couldn't even see nor hear him. Just then he had seen the slightly relieved expression of the young man and the slight hazy look he had which was definitely not of fear but of something else, something the ghost couldn't even begin to explain. He felt like it was not fair to be seen vulnerable by someone not visible, so the ghost opted to leave him be despite the strong urge to comfort him.
And that leaves him to the situation at hand.
"Hikaruuuuuuu~ let's play Go ne?" Sai pleaded as he circled on the boy who was currently lying on his bed. They had bought a foldable goban since Hikaru's grandfather hadn't wanted to give the old goban to his irresponsible grandson—quoted from the old man himself—but Sai had seen the small smile Heihachi had shown. Maybe he was waiting for Hikaru to grow up?
'No is no Sai' the boy grunted, sulking as he turned.
"Hikaruu, you're still mad on what happened with Haruki-san?' the ghost whined "but that was your fault!"
'And you urged me to talk to him' was the swift return, this was a repeated debate and he wasn't willing to change his thoughts on things.
"But you—" The ghost paused to correct himself."—we enjoyed talking to him didn't we?"
"Yes, but now he's creeped out!" Hikaru burst out and he had heard his mother ask from outside his room "what is going on there Hikaru?"
"Nothing!" he answers back. It was normal for him to like talking to people that much but Haruki was somehow different and the idea of not being able to talk to him again somehow saddened the usually energetic boy. Sai just had to sigh. (Pun not intended aha)
"It will be alright for sure, you just have to explain," The ghost reasoned and he looked a bit dejected before continuing "or cover it up the next time you see him." He didn't really like the idea of denying his existence but he really enjoyed talking with the young man and it would be a waste if they weren't able to do that anymore just because he spooked out.
"Would that really work out?" Hikaru pondered. "But I don't even know where he lives!"
The ghost had to pause at that, it had been a mystery how they continued on talking without asking each other about personal things. "oh, oh, maybe he lives near here! Didn't he know you Hikaru?" the ghost exclaimed, ecstatic on being able to figure it out.
"Ah, that's right, he knew me." The boy had glimmers of hope evident on his eyes but it simply dulled at his new thought, "but didn't he look a bit classy for this neighborhood?" he asked, dejected.
"But, but" Sai tried to think of ways to see the young man again and he pouted. If anyone were to see them right there and then, both pacing left and right, and stopping at the same time, they would think they were practicing a comedy skit.
They both knew it was weird getting so riled up in seeing someone, like they were planning for a date, not date date just that friend date, you know—but they just felt that they had to meet the man again. Something in him pulls them in for some reason even without Go linking them in any way. Though it was a bit fun too—both of them worked up by something other than Go.
"I'm sure we'll see him another time" Sai voiced out, sounding as unconfident as Hikaru was but wanting to believe it anyway.
"Welcome back Sir." The young staff greeted and it stunned Haruki 'again with the Sir' but he answered with a nod anyway. Without a place to go into since he couldn't possibly go home looking the way he was at the time, he decided to go back to the hotel after spending his time at the empty field clearing his mind.
It wasn't that easy to believe that Sai was indeed there and he had to drill to his mind that he could finally, finally, correct his mistakes. And he had cried like the child he was—and still is, considering the fact that his time seemed to stop when Sai left him—but he was back! And he couldn't calm down for a while.
He had been wondering how he was supposed to get close to his younger self.
But that brings back questions as to who he was. As he looked at the door of the room he had once been in he felt restless. He rang the doorbell countless times but no one was answering.
'Is he still not in?' he idly wondered and continued to ring the bell.
It wasn't long before a staff had seen him and offered to help.
"Did you lost your room card Sir?" the staff politely asked and he was supposed to say how he didn't rent the place when the other said to him something that definitely weirded him out.
"You always placed it in your wallet, did you lost it perhaps?" before excusing himself, saying he was needed downstairs.
His chest clenched and he had hard time breathing as he checked on the only thing he had brought with him that morning. His ears buzzed and he couldn't think straight.
"Oh," he nervously laughed to himself "I am Haruka Fuji," he laughed some more before swiping of a carefully detailed card to its respectful slot on room 1919, and hearing a soft beep before opening the door.
"And I own this place," he stood just outside the open door, stupefied.
For contained in his wallet was a hotel room card…
…And an I.D. of a Haruka Fuji with his picture at the side.
Because He had taken a liking to you that you were given a place to sleep.
And a body to occupy.