Sorry about the wait! I've been a bit sick for over a week, though not badly enough that I could have stayed home from work, so life's been a little tiring. Haven't really had the energy to sit by the computer after work. And when the urge to write hit me last week, I started working on a different fic (though one related to this, but more of that after the chapter).

A big thank you for your review, Laurie, it made me very happy. Merci beaucoup! And thanks again to you too, 19x19. It seems I'd managed to mix up abide and abate… I do stuff like that all the time, but usually I catch it myself (like when I was trying to write "it's my bane" and wrote instead bone. xD)

Chapter 11

The summer was left far behind,and once the eleventh month arrived, the rice harvest was completed. Gozechi Dances were held in the palace, and for weeks it was the only subject of conversation in the whole city. Sai was quite happy that he wasn't a girl, and so not in the danger of being selected as one of the four dancers – he wasn't sure how he'd deal with the attention they received. Who was the most attractive, the most gorgeously dressed, performed with greatest grace… it was, mainly a competition between the girls' patrons, and one wrong move could ruin everything.

"Isn't it the same with go?" Hikaru said with a yawn, as he had been babbling about his thoughts one day when they had finished playing. "One wrong move…" he yawned again.

"Well, yes, but… the dances are certainly beautiful, but the whole thing is so… superficial. Go is deep. You need skill to see its beauty…"

"I bet if it was a go competition, you'd be the first in line, not at all worried about the attention."

"Of course! But that would be something completely different."

Hikaru said nothing, nodding by the go board, and he gave the boy a searching look. "You seem to be pretty tired," he remarked. "How have you been doing? It's been a while."

"Yeah." Hikaru yawned once more. "Dad got me a job as a carpenter's apprentice. I don't know, it's okay, I guess. I kinda like it, building stuff. But I have to wake up so early and the days are long…"

"Are you still playing with Akari?"

"Every now and then. We're both kinda busy. I wish I could spend more time with go, but it's getting real hard."

"I wish it too – you have great skill for the game, you should not let it go wasted." Sai thought a moment, and started then rearranging the stones on the board. "Look, here's a problem for you to think about until we meet next time. It's something you can ponder on even if you don't have a go board at hand. It is quite hard, though, so try to memorize it well. Where should black move next?"

"Hard, huh?" Hikaru stared at the stones a while. "Okay. I'll tell you next time, then."

It took a long while before the next time arrived, but Hikaru got the answer right.

.

The year came to its end, and with the new year new appointments and ranks were announced. As they had expected, Sai's father's appointment as the governor of Musashi came to an end. He received a new post as the governor of Kawachi, one of the home provinces, only a few days journey from the capital. It was an absentee appointment. Sai smiled a little when he heard that, and as he had guessed, his father snapped his fingers at the absentee part, and promptly moved to Kawachi. Sai was happy, though, for now it was much easier for him to visit his father. They started a game of go through letters, now that there was no need to wait so long for a reply.

Sai's father rose in rank, too, to the junior fourth upper, for his exemplary service as a governor. He seemed to find it a little surprising, though Sai didn't quite understand why – in his mind, his father definitely deserved it. What did surprise him was when he himself was suddenly recommended for a graduate student, and became such.

"I can't believe this!" he exclaimed at Nobunori. "I have been studying there only for two years! It's much too soon."

"I told you the professors like you. And the university isn't what it once was… it means but a little these days. Would that you'd also get other people to like you than old musty professors, senile go players, and naïve youngsters from insignificant families."

"There's Akitada-sama," Sai pointed out. "He is a go player, but I don't think he counts as a senile one."

"Unfortunately not," Nobunori muttered. "You should be careful with him. He's an old, sly fox, and not from a family close to ours."

"He's been good to me," Sai defended Akitada. "And we share a passion for go – it is something that connects us even if our families don't."

Nobunori made a strange sound. "Sometimes I just can't believe how naïve you are. Play go with him if you must, but please, don't trust him. You really don't know what's the best for you… oh, and that reminds me, there is a fourth group that likes you: commoners. Is that boy still coming here?"

"Hikaru? Yes, from time to time. He can't come often these days, but he is still playing go, and still developing. You should see him some day, you'd be astonished at how much he has learned! Though the past month he hasn't been making that much progress. I think it is because he's working too much. He is always so tired when he comes here." Sai frowned a little. "That is not good. Maybe I should, somehow, hire him again."

"Again? No – don't tell me, I'm not sure I want to know. At least you've kept this matter quiet. Can you imagine how much you'd be ridiculed if the word got out you're teaching go to commoners? I bet even Akitada wouldn't agree to play with you after that."

Sai looked at him, his frown deepening, but said nothing.

Later that night, when he stopped to think about it, he realized how happy he was he had come to know Hikaru, and not just because he enjoyed teaching the boy. He wasn't sure if he otherwise had ever come to have any idea of what the commoners' life was like, and how many defects there were in how the beautiful, tranquil world of the capital operated. Most likely he would have spent his days happily playing go and studying the classics – which, he realized a little guiltily, was pretty much all he was doing these days.

He was watching Hikaru worriedly when the boy visited him. He couldn't help feeling the boy had to be working too much, for every time he seemed a little wearier than before. Sai had suggested that maybe, if it was too hard for him, he wouldn't have to come so often, but Hikaru just shook his head and muttered something about needing breaks for all the monotony. So Sai just made it a habit to stuff the boy with food whenever he came, and Hikaru didn't seem to mind. But still he was worn out and quiet, his games lacked their usual vitality, and Sai couldn't help feeling guilty when he told the boy the news he had.

"The spring is coming," he started in a roundabout way. "The roads aren't in such a bad condition anymore."

"Mmm," Hikaru said, his mouth full.

"So… I am going to visit my father," Sai went on, not looking at him. "It will be wonderful to see him again, I can't believe it has been two years since we have met…"

His voice faded away. Hikaru was staring at him, his jaws having a break from their busy grinding. Then he swallowed.

"When?"

"On the first day of next week. I would have left earlier, but I'm traveling south-west, which is at the moment an unlucky direction, so it is better to wait a few days."

The boy's face was blank, and he stared at Sai with a vacant look. "When will you come back?"

"Oh, I'm not sure… that is, actually, we were thinking I'd spend most of this year there… but that doesn't mean I wouldn't come to the capital too, Kawachi is not far away, you know."

"I thought you were going to be studying," Hikaru said.

"I can do it there, too, now that I'm graduate student. Father has a grand library, and some new volumes he got in Kawachi I'm very curious to see. I'll just come here for some occasional lectures and such."

"I see." Hikaru took another bite of the rice ball he was eating. "Well, I'm sure you'll have fun. Getting to play go with your dad and so on."

"Yes," Sai said, relieved. Hikaru seemed to be taking it better than he had thought. "I wasn't too happy about it, when father suggested it, but overall, it's not so bad. I'll get to see with my father what governor's work is in reality – I never really paid much attention to that in Musashi – and it's the kind of practical experience that might come useful. And I'm sure many go players will take this chance to come to visit my father, so I too will get to play with many people."

"Well, good for you," Hikaru muttered, and he felt another pang of conscience.

"You can ask Ayaka when I'm coming back. I'd be happy to see you when I'm here. And if you need anything, just come here."

"Yeah, sure." Hikaru finished his food. "I think I should be going."

"You'll come to see me yet before I leave?"

"I'll try," Hikaru said, and left.

.

When the time came for Sai to leave, he had not seen the boy again. He kept on glancing around as the last preparations were made, but there was no sign of Hikaru. He was a little disappointed, but perhaps there had come some hindrance and Hikaru just couldn't make it.

He jumped on his horse with less ease than he remembered from his childhood. He had decided to ride to Kawachi; it was a short enough way that although he had not been riding much at all during his time in the capital, he probably should make it without too much pain. He had used to ride often around the Musashi province with his father… certainly just a couple of years break wouldn't mean that much.

He rode off with a small retinue. For a moment he stopped to look back once they had passed the Rashomon gate. He had a very dim memory from his early childhood when he had left the capital with his parents. He had been impressed by the gate then, and it truly was a grand sight. Much better he remembered the excitement he had felt when he finally returned a decade later and caught sight of the gate and the city. During his stay there he had not needed to step outside of the capital for once. Now he nodded his head in farewell to the gate, and then turned his back to it and spurred on his horse, eager to meet his father again.

.

Although Sai had not seen him, Hikaru had been close by watching the preparations. He had stayed always behind a corner, making sure Sai wouldn't notice him. He wasn't happy to see the horses – they thwarted his plan a little. But he had made his mind, and as the small group started moving, he set out after them.

In the city it was easy to follow them without anyone noticing, but when they left it behind, for a moment they stopped to look back, and Hikaru hid in the gate. He was far enough he was sure Sai wouldn't recognize him even if he saw him, but he didn't want to take any chances.

The riders continued their way, and Hikaru threw his sack on his back. Lot's of walking ahead, but he wasn't scared of that. He took a step.

"Hikaru!" The sudden shout behind his back gave him a big start, and he spun around, panicking. To his relief (and annoyance) he saw only Akari.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, angrily.

"Surely that's my question!" The girl ran to his side. "Where are you going to?"

"None of your business," Hikaru stated and turned around. "See you!"

"Hikaru!" Akari ran after him as he started walking on. "I'm not going to leave you until you tell me what you're up to."

Hikaru glowered at her, but it had no effect. He stopped and sighed. "Okay. Might as well tell you, so you can tell my parents. Some day, not right away, understand?"

"Alright…" Akari said slowly, watching him with a suspicious look. "So?"

"Sai left to Kawachi, and I'm going there too."

After this short declaration they both stood perfectly still. "What?" Akari breathed then. "You…"

"I'm fed up," Hikaru said with a shrug. "I keep on working my ass off for that stupid carpenter, and what do I get of it? An apprentice isn't even properly paid, you know! Learning the trade! But I don't want to learn it."

"You're being stupid, Hikaru," Akari said seriously. "Stupid and selfish! How can you leave your family like that? Just because some lord taught you a game you think you don't have to work for your living! What do you think you're going to do?"

"I don't know. I'll go after him, for now. I'll ask him to give me a job, and to hell what my parents say."

"Why aren't you going with him, then?"

"I… I'm not sure if he'd have taken me. But I thought that if I go to him to Kawachi, then he'll see I'm serious. It's not such a long way, I can make it easily."

Akari shook her head, doubt in her eyes. "Hikaru, please…" she started to say, but the boy fixed his stubborn look to her, and she sighed.

"Take care, then," she said quietly. "I'll tell them… when? Your mother is going to be worried when you don't come home."

"Yeah… eh, just… tell them when you think it's the right time, okay? But do give me a head start."

The girl nodded and remained long by the gate watching after him.

.

For a while Hikaru saw the riders far ahead, but then they disappeared behind the horizon. He had planned he would be able to follow them at a short distance, but on horse they traveled much faster than they would have with ox carts. He didn't worry, though; he knew the direction he was going to, and if he'd somehow get lost, there would surely be other travelers who could point him to the right way. And there was a fine road to Kawachi, so it should be pretty easy.

He walked briskly, thinking through the things he had taken with him and wondering if he had forgotten anything. Salted fish and some rice for the journey, plus some water, and a blanket for the nights – they might still be a bit chilly, and he would have to spend them on the road. Hopefully something like three nights would be enough, maybe even two if he walked fast. Sai had said it was three days journey to Kawachi, right? Unless he'd meant by horse... Hikaru pondered on that a moment, but shrugged then. No matter – he wasn't turning back, even if the journey would take him half a year.

He grinned as he thought how astonished Sai would be when he appeared in Kawachi. He would surely understand Hikaru meant it when he said he would not go back home anymore. He'd get some job at the place, at the governor's mansion, and his parents too would be amazed when he'd some day return as a… a retainer? Why not.

He was beginning to get a little hungry, but with the excitement of the journey squirming pleasantly in his stomach he ignored it easily for a short while. He didn't have that much food with him, so he'd use it sparingly and sensibly. He walked on, watching the meadows around him and the mountains in the distance, and wondered how long he had walked. Glancing behind he realized he could still see the white city wall glisten in the sun, which was a mild disappointment. Well, he was on a hill. Maybe he had too good eyes. But he definitely wouldn't stop to eat as long as the city was still in view. That wasn't sparing and sensible.

The sun climbed high on the sky, and started gradually to descend again. One of his sandals was beginning to rub his foot. At first he ignored it, then tried to put some leaves there, but it didn't really help, and in the end he took the sandal off. Whatever, it wasn't too cold to walk barefooted.

When he finally did stop, his stomach was rumbling with hunger. He ate a bit of the rice, and in the end also some fish, though he had planned to spare it. He took a gulp of the water, wondering how far it would get him. Surely he'd pass some springs and ponds sooner or later.

...

Sai's little entourage had arrived to the Ogura Pond, and they had stopped there to admire the scenery. There were some sakura trees by the little lake, but it was yet far too early for them to be blooming. Even so, the pond offered a beautiful view, and he decided to have a short break there, even though the journey was just in the beginning. It was a beautiful day, just like made for a little picnic, and they enjoyed a midday meal there before continuing the way.

Sai had heard some rumors of bandits on the roads, but then again, such stories always circulated in the capital, and at least the first day passed uneventfully, with them meeting only other travelers on the way. It was a rather pleasant trip, too, and he thoroughly enjoyed his first ride in two years. They spent the night visiting a countryside villa of his father's friend. It was a little of the road, but offered them more comfortable beds than they would have otherwise had.

In the morning when Sai woke up he very soon came to the conclusion that maybe he should have gone to ride a few times before spending a whole day on horseback. Muscles aching he got up and dressed gingerly. Another day spent riding didn't feel like such a great idea at the moment, and so he was in no great hurry to leave, and they lingered at the place past midday. When the time to continue the way finally came, he watched his horse almost mournfully, but still rose to the saddle. This day there was no galloping, nor much trotting either, and they proceeded so leisurely the night had fallen before they reached an inn where they could spend the next night.

In the morning they woke up to the sound of rain.

Sai watched the rain through a window and pursed his lips thoughtfully. "This doesn't look good," he said to his men. The sky was completely gray, and the rainfall, although not very heavy, was constant, with no sign of stopping. "Let's wait for it to end," he decided. "We're not in such a great hurry." And he was anything but eager to get again on horseback.

He informed their host that they would stay until the rain would end, which the host certainly did not mind.

"So… one needs something to pass time." He fixed a hopeful look at the host. "You must surely have a go board here?" And a go board was promptly found, and soon the first game started.

...

The rain woke up Hikaru as well. In his case, it wasn't just the sound, but the water itself splashing on his face. He sat up, spluttering, and couldn't help swearing when he looked up at the dark sky. It was hard to say what time it was, but certainly the sun had not yet risen. He sat a moment in the rain, thinking. Then he ate a little, and tried to pack his things so that the food would not get wet. He thought a moment of trying to find some dry place to wait for the rain to end, but then again, he was already wet. So he set on the road again. It was still quite dark, but at least he saw enough to see the road, and there was no point to be sitting in the rain.

It turned out to be quite a miserable day. The rain did not end; on the contrary at times it grew heavier, so that he could barely see ahead anymore. He tried to find a place to keep shelter from it, but the trees were of no help, and there was nothing else in sight, not even one simple hut or a hole in the rocks. So he trudged on, hoping he was still on the right way – though it should have been simple enough; there was only one road, and it followed the Yodo River. Getting lost certainly would have been hard, for even with the rain he could at times see the river close by.

He stopped to eat, and found out the rice was getting moist despite of his efforts. He ate some and tried to pack the rest even better. At least he didn't have to worry about water. Once, as he walked on, he thought he saw something ahead, a light in the rain, and felt a surge of hope, but it disappeared when he stopped to look at it. Most likely just a trick of his eyes, he thought, and sneezed.

So far the journey had proceeded even better than he had dared to hope. The nights hadn't been too cold, he had slept well on the soft ground, and he seemed to have plenty of food with him to last all the way. But this day was getting just impossible. "What's up with this weather," he muttered to himself, and wiped the rain water from his eyes. "Yesterday was so beautiful… Isn't this enough already?" he yelled at the sky, and got no reply but more water.

Finally he gave up. He thought about cutting down some branches and making a cover of them, but it turned out too hard barehanded. He should have brought a knife. Why didn't he bring a knife? He could have easily gotten one from the carpenter. In the end he crouched down underneath a big tree after having spread his blanket on the branches. It didn't help much, and certainly was not waterproof, but it was better than nothing. Somehow he managed to fall asleep there, exhausted by the long walk and cold rain, too tired to even eat anything.

When he woke up, he realized to his joy that it wasn't raining. A moment passed just appreciating that fact. He got up a little shakily, thought about eating something but realized to his wonder that he wasn't hungry. So he took his sack and started walking on. He had not walked far when he realized he had forgotten the blanket on the branches, but still it felt like too much trouble to go back and get it, so he just went on. He was feeling oddly lightheaded, and when the road made a turn and he saw small buildings ahead, he couldn't help laughing out aloud. It just figured there'd be a house nearby. He walked on, by the house, down a hill, and suddenly his knees gave up underneath him.

...

The next day dawned, not as bright as the day when they had started the journey, but still much better than the previous day. Sai watched approvingly the sky where the gray clouds were dispersing. They started the preparations for continuing their way early on, to make up for time they had lost because of the rain. Mounting his horse he grimaced a little – the one day break had been useful, but even now the saddle didn't feel like the most comfortable seat in the world. But he was the one who had decided to ride to Kawachi, he reminded himself, so he'd better not complain about it.

They had not traveled far from the inn when the foremost rider came to an abrupt stop. It took Sai a moment to understand why he had stopped, but then he too saw a crumpled figure lying on the road.

He was about to spur his horse on to see what was wrong, but his companions stopped him.

"It could be a trick," one man said, eyeing the forest by the roadside. "The bandits could be waiting among the trees, and once we have dismounted and our attention is on the bait, they'll jump on us."

Sai's eyes widened for a moment. "No," he said then. "This near to the inn? We are close enough to call for help. Besides, there is something familiar…" His eyes grew wide again. "Hikaru!" he yelled, jumped off his horse, and rushed to the boy. "What the… what are you doing here?"

The boy looked at him blearily, and it seemed to take him a moment to recognize him. "Oh, Sai, great…" he muttered. "Sorry, just took a lil' nap… are we in Kawa~choo," he sneezed, and sniffled his nose, "…already?"

"No." Sai looked down at him as if not quite wanting to believe what he saw. Then he touched the boy's forehead. "You've got a fever," he said. "Don't tell me you were out in that awful rain? Idiot."

"No, am not… I jus…" He sneezed again. "Coming to Kawachi. With you," he mumbled.

"No, you're not. You're going back home. I need to…" Sai turned to look at the men accompanying him, wondering how to best send the boy back, but Hikaru grasped his clothes with feverous vigor.

"No! I'm not going back! I'm not!" There were huge tear drops forming in his eyes as he attempted to weakly shake Sai. "Don't send me back! Don't!"

"Hikaru! You can't just…"

"I'm coming to Kawachi with you! You can't force me to go back! I can do what I want to, and I'm coming there!"

Sai gave him a resigned look. He glanced at his men. "We're anyway closer to Kawachi than the capital. Let's take him there for now. Go ask if they have some kind of a cart at the inn that we could borrow."

.

When Hikaru woke up next time, he was pleasantly surprised at how warm and comfortable he was. He opened his eyes slowly, and enjoyed the feeling. It took him a long while to realize that there was something off in the ceiling he was staring at. He wasn't at home, that much was sure. But he didn't quite remember ceiling like that elsewhere either. It reminded him of the time he had fallen asleep at Sai's place and woken up without realizing where he was, but this was different from that, too. The wood seemed darker.

Sai's place. Sai. Kawachi. He bolted up, remembering, and then fell back down, holding his head. The sudden movement had made the world turn black in his eyes.

He had left after Sai to Kawachi. What happened? It rained a lot, and he had a feeling he had met Sai on the road. He also thought he remembered something of a troll with a yellow hat, but after considering a moment he concluded it had to be a dream. What about Sai, then? Had he been a dream too?

He had barely finished that thought when the subject of his ponderings appeared by his bedside, kneeling down to touch his forehead.

"Am I dreaming?" he asked, confused, and Sai shook his head with a smile.

"No. We are at my father's mansion at the capital of Kawachi. We came here the day before yesterday."

"Really? I don't remember that at all…"

"You have been pretty much out of it. But now your fever seems to have come down."

"Fever?" Hikaru touched his own forehead in confusion. "Oh. I got sick? Must be all that damn rain…"

"Probably." Sai shook his head. "What am I to do with you? What kind of a senseless endeavor is this, leaving to travel on your own?"

"It's not senseless, it's… dedicated?" Hikaru looked at him hopefully. "I don't want to go back there…"

Sai was shaking his head. "We'll talk about that later. You should still get some more rest. I'll send you some food, if you feel like you can keep it down? Good." He sighed. "It has been a bit of a pain to explain you to my father. You'd better behave when you meet him – whether or not you can stay here will, in the end, depend on him."

"Ye… yeah." Somehow, Hikaru hadn't even thought of the fact that Sai's father would also be there. Of course it was quite obvious, after all he was the one Sai had come to meet, but somehow he had never become a real person in Hikaru's mind. Sai left, the food he had promised arrived, but suddenly Hikaru found himself almost too nervous to eat.

.

Having left the boy's room, Sai walked through the building to his father's rooms. "He's awake," he declared as he entered. "Eating something now."

A lone man was sitting by a desk that was covered with bunches of papers. He held one document in his hand and was reading it closely.

"Good." He did not raise his eyes from the paper, a tiny frown on his face. "It will be interesting to meet him."

A small smile tugged Sai's lips. "I am quite certain of that."

A/N: About the new fic I started, Hikaru and the Troll… You remember how Hikaru's "grandpa", i.e. the old merchant died early in this story. I got totally stuck after that – Hikaru was just sitting on the roadside, moping, and nothing happened.

So, then a troll walked into the story. That certainly got Hikaru on the move again. (And saved my wordcount for nano for that day.) Of course, I had to cut that part out, but I couldn't resist continuing it later, and now I decided to start posting it. Akira, who sadly has no room in this story, has a big role there. And Sai too, though quite different from what he is here. ^^ The first chapter's up, story id 9083515.