Chapter Nine: Aoi - Hollyhock
"No, I've still got money left... there hasn't been much time for shopping... yes, I saw the Imperial Palace. Or at least the outside... You know I'll be fine, father. Tomorrow's opponent is Terachi Aya, she's very strong but plays so quickly that she makes mistakes. I'll be home in a few days... bye." Akira replaced the hotel phone in its holder and sat cross-legged on the bed. It was strange. It used to be his father calling from away matches, back when Touya Meijin had been Japan's top professional player... His father never did talk about why he had chosen to retire, and Akira had never pressed for an answer.
It was only eight-thirty or so, too early to go to bed but too late to go out alone. And the person he really wanted to talk to... Why was he even thinking about Shindou? The boy was beneath him, and without Go they had absolutely nothing in common. Nothing at all.
So he had been very surprised when Shindou dropped by his home yesterday. How did Shindou even know where he lived? Akira made a mental note to kill Ochi the next time the occasion presented itself. And so, the boy with the ridiculously two-toned hair had invited him out to get some ramen and check out the new video arcade.
Akira hated video games. He couldn't stand ramen, either. And he especially hated Shindou, a boy with the nerve to proclaim himself a rival. And yet, he had gone with Shindou; and for a few hours, his heart felt so much lighter.
Akira fluffed the uncomfortable hotel pillow before flipping idly through TV channels. There was nothing at all worth watching, and the noise in his head seemed to drown out the tinny voices, anyway. The only person he really hated... was himself. He hated his own uncertainty and the way he felt around Hikaru. Shindou. Using his given name would only complicated things that were difficult enough to understand. Akira had never feared anything until a boy with silly hair had suddenly appeared before him over two years ago. At that time, it was a fear of not being the best - but then to see the shaking, pathetic Hikaru at the junior high tournaments... he began to doubt his own intentions. Obviously, Hikaru was no match for him at Go - so why did Akira still feel as if he was chasing after someone elusive and special?
But something had changed in Hikaru, while Akira had allowed himself to grow complacent... Now there were two fears - that Hikaru was closing in on him, and that he wanted to be caught. To face Hikaru as an equal... Another cold point of apprehension struck Akira. What if... what if he and Hikaru were truly the same? Both fourteen-year-old boys, with all the feelings that went along with that...
He didn't have a chance to think about that because there was soon a sharp knocking at his door. Akira quickly opened it to see Ogata's pale face. And someone else, too, who he initially mistook for a girl. The stranger had extraordinarily long hair, which was only loosely gathered over one shoulder of his white trenchcoat. He looked nervous.
"Touya-kun, I'd like you to meet someone from the amateur tournament. His name is Murasaki. Akira and Ogata's stranger exchanged the usual pleasantries, with the young man taking note of the strange name. Murasaki? And why was Ogata bringing an amateur player to him?
"Ah..." began Akira, trying to think of a way to phrase his concerns politely.
"I think I've found him." Dispensing with politeness, Ogata was uncharacteristically... on edge. Usually he was a man of one facial expression - determined - unless he was drunk. Akira didn't smell any alcohol.
"Found who?" Ogata pushed his way past the door, placing a hand on Akira's shoulder that was so tense it had to have left bruises.
"Sai." Akira's eyes involuntarily widened. Impossible... There was no "Sai." That mysterious player was only a bizarre joke of Shindou's...
"You're mistaken. Shindou..."
"Listen to me." Ogata's size pressed Akira against the door to prevent his escape. If Murasaki would have found any of this strange, he was engrossed in the bland hotel paintings that decorated the hallway. "I only saw kifu, but I at once recognised him. He claims to be an amnesiac who has been institutionalized for the past few months. It's Sai!" Ogata's eyes were wild with a strange desire.
"Let me play him. There would be no mistaking the real Sai." The stranger was so excited that he was practically bouncing in the hotel hallway. Akira narrowed his eyes at Ogata. "But I don't believe that person is Sai."
"A double game, both even. Murasaki takes black," announced Ogata. "I'm sure Touya-kun has the necessary materials." Akira pulled the practice goban off his side table and placed it on the floor, then rummaging through his suitcase until he pulled out a plastic case. Inside was a magnetic Go board, useful for recreating games when traveling. If anything, the stranger seemed even more overjoyed. In a double game against a 10-dan and Japan's most promising young player, it would take the true Sai's strength to manage anything but a defeat.
Click, click. The travel board had a dull sound to it. Akira noted the postion after the first few moves on both boards - a classic Shuusaku fuseki, just off the upper right komoku... Within a few hands, however, he could not afford to watch Ogata's board. The game was progressing rapidly, and to think that Murasaki's time was halved by playing two people... Beads of sweat formed at Touya Akira's hairline. It was no longer a game taken straight from the Shuusaku textbooks. This player used inventive hands with almost effortless touches to the stones, long elegant fingers continuing Black's advancement over the board. More and more territory fell to the player whose gentle face belied merciless strategy, leaving white dead across the board.
"I have nothing... Sai." He looked over at Ogata to see if his judgment had registered at all with the older man, but Ogata's jaw was set with a look of absolute concentration, and a sort of longing. On Ogata's board, the interplay of black and white was even more intense, but Black's lead was apparent. In yose, with limited area to cover, the conclusion was obvious.
"You are Sai," whispered Ogata. "I couldn't make myself believe it, but you are..." Akira nodded hesitantly. Murasaki, or Sai, only looked more lost. Ogata looked as if he desperately wanted a drink - and an entire packet of cigarettes. He excused himself politely, but took the magnetic Go board containing his game with him. No doubt he planned to analyze his game against the master while consoling himself with a bottle of sake, or something stronger.
"I'm... Sai?" With wide eyes, he whispered: "Who is this Sai?"
Akira desperately wanted to tell Sai the truth - he had no idea who Sai was, or why Ogata had brought this strange man to him. But then he thought of Hikaru. Hikaru, whose easy smiles both excited and infuriated him; Shindou who chased him even as he chased Shindou... his rival. And also the one closest to his heart... This was unallowable. Shindou was his weakness, no matter what the boy's connection to Sai actually was. There was no room for weakness, much as his heart screamed against his rational mind.
"Sai was... is... a genius player of Go. Higher than even the top pros. And..." Akira trailed off. This man was Sai, and yet remembered nothing... He wouldn't remember Hikaru. Now it all fell into place - this was Hikaru's secret! Without Sai, Hikaru was helpless, forced to quit Go. If Akira could learn from the master, the infallible player... there would be no weakness.
"And you were my teacher. But I never saw your face - we always played over the internet. Yes... and several months ago you disappeared mysteriously, and I thought you had gone." Akira hoped Sai would not notice the sweat dripping down his neck, but the older man seemed far to enthralled with piecing together his past to notice the quaver of falseness to Akira's voice.
Forgive me, he thought; but whether his silent apology was meant for Sai or Hikaru, no one could guess.
Useful Japanese Section:
Aoi - title of chapter 9 in "The Tale of Genji", which is translated sometimes as "Heart to Heart". but the kanji really means hollyhock. In flower language, hollyhock can stand for ambition. Murasaki - Aside from being the name of a character in "Genji", and the pen name of its author, it means "purple" or "violet." Kind of weird for a guy's name. (even if Sai is the blue-lipstic sort of guy) Shuusaku - a really great Go player from the Edo period (over 100 years ago) who is Sai's first host in the series... but he was a real guy, too! Honninbo Shuusaku, aka Torajiro. Fuseki - the opening moves of a game. There happens to be a well-known Shuusaku fuseki, which was not used for a while because of rule changes but now seems to be making a comeback... why do I know this? Anyway, it wouldn't be completely out of the ordinary to see someone playing this old style of opening. Komoku - the "stars" of the board, on or around them is a common starting position. Yose - The later part of a Go game, where you're supposed to be tying up things and such.
And sorry for messing with Akira like that... I really do love him; I just want to play with him for a while. (But Sai and Isumi are still my favorites, hehe)
"No, I've still got money left... there hasn't been much time for shopping... yes, I saw the Imperial Palace. Or at least the outside... You know I'll be fine, father. Tomorrow's opponent is Terachi Aya, she's very strong but plays so quickly that she makes mistakes. I'll be home in a few days... bye." Akira replaced the hotel phone in its holder and sat cross-legged on the bed. It was strange. It used to be his father calling from away matches, back when Touya Meijin had been Japan's top professional player... His father never did talk about why he had chosen to retire, and Akira had never pressed for an answer.
It was only eight-thirty or so, too early to go to bed but too late to go out alone. And the person he really wanted to talk to... Why was he even thinking about Shindou? The boy was beneath him, and without Go they had absolutely nothing in common. Nothing at all.
So he had been very surprised when Shindou dropped by his home yesterday. How did Shindou even know where he lived? Akira made a mental note to kill Ochi the next time the occasion presented itself. And so, the boy with the ridiculously two-toned hair had invited him out to get some ramen and check out the new video arcade.
Akira hated video games. He couldn't stand ramen, either. And he especially hated Shindou, a boy with the nerve to proclaim himself a rival. And yet, he had gone with Shindou; and for a few hours, his heart felt so much lighter.
Akira fluffed the uncomfortable hotel pillow before flipping idly through TV channels. There was nothing at all worth watching, and the noise in his head seemed to drown out the tinny voices, anyway. The only person he really hated... was himself. He hated his own uncertainty and the way he felt around Hikaru. Shindou. Using his given name would only complicated things that were difficult enough to understand. Akira had never feared anything until a boy with silly hair had suddenly appeared before him over two years ago. At that time, it was a fear of not being the best - but then to see the shaking, pathetic Hikaru at the junior high tournaments... he began to doubt his own intentions. Obviously, Hikaru was no match for him at Go - so why did Akira still feel as if he was chasing after someone elusive and special?
But something had changed in Hikaru, while Akira had allowed himself to grow complacent... Now there were two fears - that Hikaru was closing in on him, and that he wanted to be caught. To face Hikaru as an equal... Another cold point of apprehension struck Akira. What if... what if he and Hikaru were truly the same? Both fourteen-year-old boys, with all the feelings that went along with that...
He didn't have a chance to think about that because there was soon a sharp knocking at his door. Akira quickly opened it to see Ogata's pale face. And someone else, too, who he initially mistook for a girl. The stranger had extraordinarily long hair, which was only loosely gathered over one shoulder of his white trenchcoat. He looked nervous.
"Touya-kun, I'd like you to meet someone from the amateur tournament. His name is Murasaki. Akira and Ogata's stranger exchanged the usual pleasantries, with the young man taking note of the strange name. Murasaki? And why was Ogata bringing an amateur player to him?
"Ah..." began Akira, trying to think of a way to phrase his concerns politely.
"I think I've found him." Dispensing with politeness, Ogata was uncharacteristically... on edge. Usually he was a man of one facial expression - determined - unless he was drunk. Akira didn't smell any alcohol.
"Found who?" Ogata pushed his way past the door, placing a hand on Akira's shoulder that was so tense it had to have left bruises.
"Sai." Akira's eyes involuntarily widened. Impossible... There was no "Sai." That mysterious player was only a bizarre joke of Shindou's...
"You're mistaken. Shindou..."
"Listen to me." Ogata's size pressed Akira against the door to prevent his escape. If Murasaki would have found any of this strange, he was engrossed in the bland hotel paintings that decorated the hallway. "I only saw kifu, but I at once recognised him. He claims to be an amnesiac who has been institutionalized for the past few months. It's Sai!" Ogata's eyes were wild with a strange desire.
"Let me play him. There would be no mistaking the real Sai." The stranger was so excited that he was practically bouncing in the hotel hallway. Akira narrowed his eyes at Ogata. "But I don't believe that person is Sai."
"A double game, both even. Murasaki takes black," announced Ogata. "I'm sure Touya-kun has the necessary materials." Akira pulled the practice goban off his side table and placed it on the floor, then rummaging through his suitcase until he pulled out a plastic case. Inside was a magnetic Go board, useful for recreating games when traveling. If anything, the stranger seemed even more overjoyed. In a double game against a 10-dan and Japan's most promising young player, it would take the true Sai's strength to manage anything but a defeat.
Click, click. The travel board had a dull sound to it. Akira noted the postion after the first few moves on both boards - a classic Shuusaku fuseki, just off the upper right komoku... Within a few hands, however, he could not afford to watch Ogata's board. The game was progressing rapidly, and to think that Murasaki's time was halved by playing two people... Beads of sweat formed at Touya Akira's hairline. It was no longer a game taken straight from the Shuusaku textbooks. This player used inventive hands with almost effortless touches to the stones, long elegant fingers continuing Black's advancement over the board. More and more territory fell to the player whose gentle face belied merciless strategy, leaving white dead across the board.
"I have nothing... Sai." He looked over at Ogata to see if his judgment had registered at all with the older man, but Ogata's jaw was set with a look of absolute concentration, and a sort of longing. On Ogata's board, the interplay of black and white was even more intense, but Black's lead was apparent. In yose, with limited area to cover, the conclusion was obvious.
"You are Sai," whispered Ogata. "I couldn't make myself believe it, but you are..." Akira nodded hesitantly. Murasaki, or Sai, only looked more lost. Ogata looked as if he desperately wanted a drink - and an entire packet of cigarettes. He excused himself politely, but took the magnetic Go board containing his game with him. No doubt he planned to analyze his game against the master while consoling himself with a bottle of sake, or something stronger.
"I'm... Sai?" With wide eyes, he whispered: "Who is this Sai?"
Akira desperately wanted to tell Sai the truth - he had no idea who Sai was, or why Ogata had brought this strange man to him. But then he thought of Hikaru. Hikaru, whose easy smiles both excited and infuriated him; Shindou who chased him even as he chased Shindou... his rival. And also the one closest to his heart... This was unallowable. Shindou was his weakness, no matter what the boy's connection to Sai actually was. There was no room for weakness, much as his heart screamed against his rational mind.
"Sai was... is... a genius player of Go. Higher than even the top pros. And..." Akira trailed off. This man was Sai, and yet remembered nothing... He wouldn't remember Hikaru. Now it all fell into place - this was Hikaru's secret! Without Sai, Hikaru was helpless, forced to quit Go. If Akira could learn from the master, the infallible player... there would be no weakness.
"And you were my teacher. But I never saw your face - we always played over the internet. Yes... and several months ago you disappeared mysteriously, and I thought you had gone." Akira hoped Sai would not notice the sweat dripping down his neck, but the older man seemed far to enthralled with piecing together his past to notice the quaver of falseness to Akira's voice.
Forgive me, he thought; but whether his silent apology was meant for Sai or Hikaru, no one could guess.
Useful Japanese Section:
Aoi - title of chapter 9 in "The Tale of Genji", which is translated sometimes as "Heart to Heart". but the kanji really means hollyhock. In flower language, hollyhock can stand for ambition. Murasaki - Aside from being the name of a character in "Genji", and the pen name of its author, it means "purple" or "violet." Kind of weird for a guy's name. (even if Sai is the blue-lipstic sort of guy) Shuusaku - a really great Go player from the Edo period (over 100 years ago) who is Sai's first host in the series... but he was a real guy, too! Honninbo Shuusaku, aka Torajiro. Fuseki - the opening moves of a game. There happens to be a well-known Shuusaku fuseki, which was not used for a while because of rule changes but now seems to be making a comeback... why do I know this? Anyway, it wouldn't be completely out of the ordinary to see someone playing this old style of opening. Komoku - the "stars" of the board, on or around them is a common starting position. Yose - The later part of a Go game, where you're supposed to be tying up things and such.
And sorry for messing with Akira like that... I really do love him; I just want to play with him for a while. (But Sai and Isumi are still my favorites, hehe)