Well, I've just introduced my sister to Hikago... she likes it, but I think
she finds it weird that I proudly declare myself to be a Touya Kouyo fan.
He might be a bit old, but he's cool! Really! ^^;;; When he puts down a
stone, it just goes "whoosh!" *laughs*
Chapter Eleven: Kochou - Butterflies
Touya Kouyo was the sort of man who always seemed older than his true age. Perhaps it was due to becoming a professional at an age when most young men were planning for their futures in business or marriage - and he had chosen to take a step backward in devoting his life to a game that was thousands of years old. Even the clothing he wore placed him in another time, a Japan as far removed from today's fast-paced world as the West. Touya Kouyo remained always a phase shift apart from everyone else, perhaps sharing in their physical world but always a relic from the past.
As such, he took his son's strange request in stride and had begun to clear the guest room. His doctor probably would frown on him moving boxes and such things, but Touya Kouyo wasn't about to let a sharp mind rot inside a dying body. The dust, however, made him wheeze, so he sat down on the edge of the bed.
"It's Sai, Father!," or so Akira had said. Akira rarely allowed himself to be excited or confused by anything, but his voice over Ogata's cell phone had hinted at both. "Sai is here in Kyoto... Father, don't take this as a sign of disrespect... but I want to learn from him. I'm sure he holds secrets to winning against..."
Shindou, filled in Touya Kouyo, although Akira had quickly mumbled something about "top foreign pros." A father knew his son, though, so he easily guessed his son's true motivation. He wasn't too worried about Shindou, though - if anything, the funny-looking boy was the closest person Akira had to a friend. As long as the competition between them remained friendly, he didn't object to Akira taking an outside teacher.
Especially a teacher he strongly desired to play. Ever since the second disappearance of the Internet's strongest player, "toya koyo" had made several discreet inquiries into "sai's" true identity, only to come up with nothing. Even attempts to trace the player's location had only lead to an anonymous Internet cafe downtown. That only narrowed his query down to the millions of people who lived in or passed through Tokyo. Touya Kouyo had only been able to hope that Sai would eventually present himself again. If the son had become obsessed with the mystery of Sai and Shindou, it had weighed just as heavily on his father...
He assumed that Shindou had known Sai's location in Kyoto all along - after all, the boy had obviously studied with the master. His playing style was like a fingerprint to an experienced devotee of Go. Perhaps Sai would know why Shindou had suddenly abandoned Go, especially after such a promising start...
"I'm home, father," called the still boyishly-pitched voice of Akira from the front hall. Touya Kouyo left his reverie to greet his son - and their visitor. In his day, it had been common for a student to live with a teacher or vice versa, so he was perfectly willing to open his home to Sai. He supposed it would not be appropriate to demand a game immediately...
"Welcome home, Akira. Is this really Sai?" Sai was somehow exactly what he had expected, and yet not. The appearance of the great player was feminine and youthful, unlike the wrinkled Honninbo or most other high- level pros. And yet his hands were the delicate sort accustomed to handling the stones, and quick-moving eyes were already taking in the features of the Touya home.
"Yes... Sai, this is my father, the former Meijin." Sai clasped his hands together and exclaimed in a soft voice:
"Oh! It's an honor to meet you in person!" So this was Sai... he didn't seem much like a serious Go player, but once his eyes alit on the goban sitting in the Touya living room, he rushed over to inspect it.
"Oh, real slate and clamshell stones~!" Perhaps the wrinkled lines of an experienced Go player were missing, but the joy of being able to play was evident. Touya Kouyo smiled softly to himself until he looked over at his son. Akira seemed strangely uneasy - but it was probably just a trick of the light." "I want to play someone!" exclaimed Sai, fingering the edges of the board. "Touya-sensei, could I have the honor?"
The last time Sai had faced Touya Kouyo, it had ended in the senior player's promise retirement coming to fruition... and yet there was no apprehension at all to the former Meijin. If anything, he was... captivated by the exuberance of their houseguest, who if he remembered their previous encounter had the tact to not mention it in front of Akira. That game was still a sensitive subject for the young pro.
"Certainly, but it is I who would be honored." Sai hid his giggle behind his arm like a geisha accustomed to flowing sleeves. "Although a proper host would allow you to settle in first." Sai only smiled at him.
"I have nothing."
"No suitcase?" Sai shook his head.
"I had no need for anything at the hospital - one of the nurses graciously gave me some of her son's old clothing, but I'm afraid I haven't anything else to bring... oh dear, I didn't realize I would be imposing..." Once again he hid part of his face, splaying long fingers as in the spokes of a fan. His style of speech was ornate and yet flowing, like someone accustomed to poetry... Touya Kouyo shook his head.
"No, no, it's not a problem at all. Please, make yourself comfortable. It's only myself and Akira in this house, and he spends half the week with his mother. It has grown too quiet here, and there is more than enough space." More than enough disturbance, too, with pros asking to come nearly every night to play the great retired Meijin. Once they heard about Sai, the flow would only increase. No matter, it would be good for Akira's training to observe so many games between the highest-level players.
"I thank you!" Sai bowed deeply, allowing long, unbound hair to cascade to the floor. Touya Kouyo felt his breath hitch at the sight. It was ridiculous... he scarcely knew this Sai, and yet he felt as if...
"Father..." began Akira. "About Sai-sensei..." The man in question sighed deeply, straightening himself.
"I suppose I should tell you... there was an accident several months ago, and I nearly drown... since then, I remember almost nothing. I had been hospitalized, and within the past few days have pieces of my memory began to filter back. I feel I should know you, both of you. So, please forgive me... I see both my past and future in Tokyo, although I hope that in the latter I may be of as much assistance to your son as is in my power." Another bow, and a sad smile.
"I have every confidence in you," stated the former Meijin. "Why don't we begin with a game after dinner?" Sai nodded, seemingly relieved to have the attention taken off of him. Even as he turned to follow Akira on a tour of the house, Touya Kouyo's stare followed the tall, elegant man as he walked away.
An amnesiac... perhaps he would never know the secret of Sai's real identity. But wasn't there someone else who had been close to Sai...?
Shindou Hikaru. The same Shindou whose mysterious absence was the talk of young pros. For some time, Touya Kouyo had believed it to be related to his pressures on the boy to play Sai... but what if Sai himself was the root of the problem? Had there been a falling out between Sai and Shindou, or... Sai had mentioned an accident. There were a myriad of possibilities, none of which settled well in Touya Kouyo's heart.
Akira, though, was Shindou's friend, and certainly had drawn the same conclusions. For now, it was probably better to leave matters concerning Shindou to his son. Shindou... Touya Kouyo had not missed his son's true feelings for the other boy, despite Akira's flustered attempts to cover them with bravado. Akira was growing older, as was Shindou. It was useless to pretend that they would be children forever - already both had entered the adult world, and it would change them.
Touya Kouyo touched the edge of the goban softly, listening to the muffled voices of his son and the new teacher coming from the back part of the house. It seemed there would be much to discuss with Akira.
Useful Japanese Section!:
Kochou - Butterfly, the title of chapter 24 in "Genji" (hmm, I found an online list of chapters so I can stop dog-earing my book...) Honninbo - Another really high title for professional Go players (named after Honninbo Shuusaku!) Slate and clamshell: Finer go stones are made from slate and clamshell, and are more expensive.
Chapter Eleven: Kochou - Butterflies
Touya Kouyo was the sort of man who always seemed older than his true age. Perhaps it was due to becoming a professional at an age when most young men were planning for their futures in business or marriage - and he had chosen to take a step backward in devoting his life to a game that was thousands of years old. Even the clothing he wore placed him in another time, a Japan as far removed from today's fast-paced world as the West. Touya Kouyo remained always a phase shift apart from everyone else, perhaps sharing in their physical world but always a relic from the past.
As such, he took his son's strange request in stride and had begun to clear the guest room. His doctor probably would frown on him moving boxes and such things, but Touya Kouyo wasn't about to let a sharp mind rot inside a dying body. The dust, however, made him wheeze, so he sat down on the edge of the bed.
"It's Sai, Father!," or so Akira had said. Akira rarely allowed himself to be excited or confused by anything, but his voice over Ogata's cell phone had hinted at both. "Sai is here in Kyoto... Father, don't take this as a sign of disrespect... but I want to learn from him. I'm sure he holds secrets to winning against..."
Shindou, filled in Touya Kouyo, although Akira had quickly mumbled something about "top foreign pros." A father knew his son, though, so he easily guessed his son's true motivation. He wasn't too worried about Shindou, though - if anything, the funny-looking boy was the closest person Akira had to a friend. As long as the competition between them remained friendly, he didn't object to Akira taking an outside teacher.
Especially a teacher he strongly desired to play. Ever since the second disappearance of the Internet's strongest player, "toya koyo" had made several discreet inquiries into "sai's" true identity, only to come up with nothing. Even attempts to trace the player's location had only lead to an anonymous Internet cafe downtown. That only narrowed his query down to the millions of people who lived in or passed through Tokyo. Touya Kouyo had only been able to hope that Sai would eventually present himself again. If the son had become obsessed with the mystery of Sai and Shindou, it had weighed just as heavily on his father...
He assumed that Shindou had known Sai's location in Kyoto all along - after all, the boy had obviously studied with the master. His playing style was like a fingerprint to an experienced devotee of Go. Perhaps Sai would know why Shindou had suddenly abandoned Go, especially after such a promising start...
"I'm home, father," called the still boyishly-pitched voice of Akira from the front hall. Touya Kouyo left his reverie to greet his son - and their visitor. In his day, it had been common for a student to live with a teacher or vice versa, so he was perfectly willing to open his home to Sai. He supposed it would not be appropriate to demand a game immediately...
"Welcome home, Akira. Is this really Sai?" Sai was somehow exactly what he had expected, and yet not. The appearance of the great player was feminine and youthful, unlike the wrinkled Honninbo or most other high- level pros. And yet his hands were the delicate sort accustomed to handling the stones, and quick-moving eyes were already taking in the features of the Touya home.
"Yes... Sai, this is my father, the former Meijin." Sai clasped his hands together and exclaimed in a soft voice:
"Oh! It's an honor to meet you in person!" So this was Sai... he didn't seem much like a serious Go player, but once his eyes alit on the goban sitting in the Touya living room, he rushed over to inspect it.
"Oh, real slate and clamshell stones~!" Perhaps the wrinkled lines of an experienced Go player were missing, but the joy of being able to play was evident. Touya Kouyo smiled softly to himself until he looked over at his son. Akira seemed strangely uneasy - but it was probably just a trick of the light." "I want to play someone!" exclaimed Sai, fingering the edges of the board. "Touya-sensei, could I have the honor?"
The last time Sai had faced Touya Kouyo, it had ended in the senior player's promise retirement coming to fruition... and yet there was no apprehension at all to the former Meijin. If anything, he was... captivated by the exuberance of their houseguest, who if he remembered their previous encounter had the tact to not mention it in front of Akira. That game was still a sensitive subject for the young pro.
"Certainly, but it is I who would be honored." Sai hid his giggle behind his arm like a geisha accustomed to flowing sleeves. "Although a proper host would allow you to settle in first." Sai only smiled at him.
"I have nothing."
"No suitcase?" Sai shook his head.
"I had no need for anything at the hospital - one of the nurses graciously gave me some of her son's old clothing, but I'm afraid I haven't anything else to bring... oh dear, I didn't realize I would be imposing..." Once again he hid part of his face, splaying long fingers as in the spokes of a fan. His style of speech was ornate and yet flowing, like someone accustomed to poetry... Touya Kouyo shook his head.
"No, no, it's not a problem at all. Please, make yourself comfortable. It's only myself and Akira in this house, and he spends half the week with his mother. It has grown too quiet here, and there is more than enough space." More than enough disturbance, too, with pros asking to come nearly every night to play the great retired Meijin. Once they heard about Sai, the flow would only increase. No matter, it would be good for Akira's training to observe so many games between the highest-level players.
"I thank you!" Sai bowed deeply, allowing long, unbound hair to cascade to the floor. Touya Kouyo felt his breath hitch at the sight. It was ridiculous... he scarcely knew this Sai, and yet he felt as if...
"Father..." began Akira. "About Sai-sensei..." The man in question sighed deeply, straightening himself.
"I suppose I should tell you... there was an accident several months ago, and I nearly drown... since then, I remember almost nothing. I had been hospitalized, and within the past few days have pieces of my memory began to filter back. I feel I should know you, both of you. So, please forgive me... I see both my past and future in Tokyo, although I hope that in the latter I may be of as much assistance to your son as is in my power." Another bow, and a sad smile.
"I have every confidence in you," stated the former Meijin. "Why don't we begin with a game after dinner?" Sai nodded, seemingly relieved to have the attention taken off of him. Even as he turned to follow Akira on a tour of the house, Touya Kouyo's stare followed the tall, elegant man as he walked away.
An amnesiac... perhaps he would never know the secret of Sai's real identity. But wasn't there someone else who had been close to Sai...?
Shindou Hikaru. The same Shindou whose mysterious absence was the talk of young pros. For some time, Touya Kouyo had believed it to be related to his pressures on the boy to play Sai... but what if Sai himself was the root of the problem? Had there been a falling out between Sai and Shindou, or... Sai had mentioned an accident. There were a myriad of possibilities, none of which settled well in Touya Kouyo's heart.
Akira, though, was Shindou's friend, and certainly had drawn the same conclusions. For now, it was probably better to leave matters concerning Shindou to his son. Shindou... Touya Kouyo had not missed his son's true feelings for the other boy, despite Akira's flustered attempts to cover them with bravado. Akira was growing older, as was Shindou. It was useless to pretend that they would be children forever - already both had entered the adult world, and it would change them.
Touya Kouyo touched the edge of the goban softly, listening to the muffled voices of his son and the new teacher coming from the back part of the house. It seemed there would be much to discuss with Akira.
Useful Japanese Section!:
Kochou - Butterfly, the title of chapter 24 in "Genji" (hmm, I found an online list of chapters so I can stop dog-earing my book...) Honninbo - Another really high title for professional Go players (named after Honninbo Shuusaku!) Slate and clamshell: Finer go stones are made from slate and clamshell, and are more expensive.