In the Forests of the Night
A Hikaru no Go Ghost Story
Part 5: Distant Deeps and Skies
Sometimes, when faced with the greatest evil the world has ever known,
bodily reactions become rather hard to control. When
Shindo Hikaru was faced with Amatsu Mikaboshi, Japanese
Lord of Hell, Darkness, and pure undiluted Evil, he could
have easily lost his sanity, his wits, or even bladder control
...
Instead, he took one look
into the face of utmost sin, swallowed twice, then dissolved
into a fit of giggling hiccups. He shook so badly that his loops
of hair swayed and jiggled, like a pair of puppy ears.
It was probably the only thing that saved him.
Amatsu Mikaboshi, it seemed,
was not quite used to being laughed at. As the Lord
of the Autumn Star stared, as an entire pantheon of the Japanese
deities stared, Shindo Hikaru slowly wheezed to a halt, rubbed
his eyes, then straightened up again.
"I'm sorry," he apologized
sincerely. "But you looked taller in the movies...."
The Lord of Darkness merely
blinked his eyes of depthless night. "I will deal with
you later," he said, as he sauntered toward the head of the
table. "After dinner."
"You're lucky he didn't
have you FOR dinner!" Sai hissed at him as Hikaru gathered
his robes up again.
"I'm sorry! But I never
expected the Lord of Darkness to be so ... not tall," Hikaru
snorted into his sleeves. "Wow, now I know why you guys like
these robes so much! Instant giant napkins!"
"I'm glad you find it funny
..." Sai tapped his fan against his face. His eyes were
distant and unfocused. "You do realize that was the God
of Evil you just laughed at, right? The same God of Evil that
Osusuki wants to give you to?"
"Yeah I ...oh. OH. OH ...SHIT!" Hikaru sobered as the full reality of the situation hit him like a goban upside the head. "Oh crap, I didn't ... I did ... I just laughed at ..." He slapped his face with his right hand, dragging it down slowly to his chin. "I'm toast. I'm BEYOND toast. I'm beyond battered, fried, and nuked ..."
"Actually, I think you may have amused him. Evil has a strange sense of humor. That's a good and a bad thing. At least he didn't swallow you or me on the spot."
"Ooooh, holy shi --- no, no make that UNHOLY ---"
"Calm down. He would've
wanted you anyway, probably as an appetizer. At least now
he's not only interested in devouring your soul bit by bit."
Sai nodded. "If he wants to possess your soul instead of eating
you, there are certain rules he has to follow. We might have
a chance ..."
Hikaru sneaked a glance
at where Amatsu Mikaboshi was sitting and felt
his insides quiver.
"Eh ... h-he's looking
at us ..."
"He can't do anything until
we finish the meal. It'd be too rude, you know." Sai
shut his fan with an audible snap. "I'll try to think of something
by then."
Hikaru could feel the Demon
King's gaze burning into him. "Ummm ... sensei?"
"Yes?"
"Think faster ...."
Course after course seemed
to fly by in Hikaru's estimation. He almost wished
he could have an appetite though (or for that matter, a solid
stomach to store the food in), for many of the dishes he knew
he would never find again in the worlds of daylight and reason.
Fruits from every color of the rainbow and some from beyond were
offered on solid gold trays; meat from every animal that ever set warm
paw to earth or swam the ocean with icy fin were carved up and sent
forth to be devoured. However, Hikaru immediately lost any chance at
an appetite when he saw something that suspiciously looked like a
human with an apple in its mouth go by.
"I think I'm gonna stick to veggie ramen for the next three months," he
vowed.
Luckily, none of the human platters made it to their table, although
Hikaru noticed that Amatsu Mikaboshi's had at least three of them. Sai
had not taken a single bite of the food, opting instead to arrange
the morsels delicately (yet politely) with his chopsticks so that it looked
like he had eaten. He would occasionally take a sip from his tea cup,
holding the mouthful with his eyes slightly closed. Otherwise,
he did not touch anything else.
"Food not to your exquisite standards, Fujiwara-san? You're being highly
rude, you know." Kinyuki had managed to overcome
his pain, though his hands still shook around his sake
cup. He seemed determined to drown his sorrows in liquor.
Empty bottles littered the table and ground next to him, and
Kojoro had yet to sit down for a full five minutes before
being sent to gather another round of drinks.
"This feast is too excellent for my poor tongue," Sai replied demurely.
"The food of the gods is not for a mortal soul like me. I fear that
a single bite would overwhelm my senses completely, leaving me poor
company for illustrious beings such as you and the others here."
"Your delicate tongue? Feh, it wasn't like that in the old days," Kinyuki
let lose with a large belch. "Your tongue certainly
got a lot of use back then. Though I question what you licked the most,
feet or otherwise. Ah well, let's not talk of the past now. Why bring up
the old unpleasantness when you have so much of that to look forward to
tonight? At least have some of this sake. Loosen up a bit, for this
is likely the last night you will be able to enjoy for a long
while."
"Yes, Fujiwara-sensei, drink with us!" one of the tanuki from down the
table called. "Kinyuki-san's right! The sake is
excellent, the best we've had in ages."
Shaking his head slightly, Sai gently turned the teacup in his hand. "I
thank you for the offer, but I will have to decline. Sometimes, I find
the simplest of flavors to prove the most profound," he said,
seeming to direct the comment into his lap. "Whether it be for feet ...or
otherwise. Though I'm sure someone such as you, Kinyuki-san, should have
no idea of what I mean. You must possess much more complex tastes."
"More of your pretty phrasing? I wondered when you'd start." Kinyuki
slurred. "You were quite the darling of the Heian Court,
if I remember correctly. Too popular, I think. Heh.
The ladies sure did love you, though only Kami-sama knows why ..."
Sai merely drew his right sleeve away with his left hand, and took another
sip. Hikaru glanced at Sai curiously. What does
he mean, too popular? And what's with all this tongue stuff? I don't
understand. Am I missing something? Hm. Must get him to talk about that
one day ...
Sai smiled serenely into his teacup. "But it's still here," he placed
his hand to his heart, "every game I ever played. It doesn't
matter if no one else remembers. I do."
"But that still doesn't amount to much now, does it? You are tied to a
goban, forgotten by humanity; you can't even play for yourself!
It's a rather poor end for such a noble soul like yours. How
does it feel, knowing you have to rely on disciples to place even a
single stone? You're are nothing, Fujiwara no Sai, and you will be worse
than that once this night ends."
"I remember too," Hikaru spoke up, unable to hold his temper anymore. "Every
game he ever taught me. I remember. Even if it IS through
me, he still does something in the world, Go still is important
... while you ... I've never heard of a Kinyuki Kitsune before.
Your kind is stuck in my manga books and the occasional made-for-tv
movie!"
Kinyuki snarled fiercely, and he raised his claws in the air. "I will
wear your skin as a belt, boy!"
"Big words for someone who has to go to the groomers every week!"
"Fujiwara no Sai, your disciple is as rude and ungainly as you ever were.
Dying was the best thing you could have done for
your family, after you disgraced your name." Kinyuki
turned viciously to Hikaru.
"You don't know much about your master, boy, do you? Did
he ever tell you about his family? How they had fallen from grace,
how his whole clan had cast their branch out? He was their chosen one,
the golden child who could erase the shame that had been heaped
upon their name. And he ended up disgracing them even more. Do
you remember that, Fujiwara no Sai? Along with your pompous memories
of Go, do you remember how your mother's tears flowed, how your
father was forced to move the family out of the capital, how your
ancestral home was raided and emptied out? Oh, I forgot, you were
sealed in a goban by then."
Hikaru clenched his fingers into a fist. "Shut up! Sai's not a disgrace!"
"Perhaps you like the word `failure' better, then ." Kinyuki tipped back
another bottle of sake.
"You take that back!" Hikaru growled. "You take that back right now or
I'll ..."
"You'll what? Pass through me? Be glad you're body isn't here. I
would have flayed it bloody by now."
"Hikaru, it's okay. Calm down," Sai's mental voice caused Hikaru
to freeze in the act of bolting up and trying to
slug the kitsune one, incorporeal body or not. It was the first time
the ghost had spoken through their mind link since Osusuki
had found Hikaru.
"Sai? I thought we weren't going to talk this way ...."
"Right now, he and the tanuki are too drunk to overhear us mentally.
Now, I need you to bow to Kinyuki, say you're sorry,
and sit down behind me again."
"How could you let him say stuff like that about you?"
"Hikaru, it doesn't matter ... what he said, in a way ..." Sai trailed
off. "You need to apologize."
"I am NOT bowing OR apologizing to him! No way!"
"Hikaru, please?"
Gritting his teeth, Hikaru rose to his feet, turned to the fox, executed
a stiff bow, and muttered an apology.
Kinyuki gave a barking laugh. "You're so easily cowed, like your master
..." He took another swig of sake, then promptly
passed out.
"He's SUCH a pig bastard! I hope you get a whoop-ass of a hangover,
you excuse for a furry toilet cover! And
what he said about you, Sai ..." Hikaru thought furiously
as he resettled himself.
"Don't worry about that. We need to concentrate on what we're going to do about Amatsu Mikaboshi. Kinyuki will seem like an angel compared to how the demon lord will treat us. "
"Have you got a plan yet?"
"The beginnings of one, at least. But I need you to sit behind me quietly, and not attract any more attention. And ... I must ask you something, Hikaru. Something very difficult."
"Ehh ... okay ...."
"I need you to accept me fully as your sensei."
"You are kinda like that already, aren't you? You practically started
this whole Go thing for me --"
"Hikaru, the way they see the sensei-deishi bond here ... it's not simply student and teacher. If you agree to it, you're committing totally to me and my guidance. My actions and my decisions will overrule yours."
Hikaru paused, scratching his neck uneasily.
"Is it permanent? Like, once we get back to the normal state of things,
then I'll be in control again?"
"I promise I won't use it to interfere with you once we get out of
here. Even thinking such a thing is ... anathema to me."
A queasy feeling stirred in his stomach, as Sai's mental voice became
very very upset. "Eeegh! Don't get all sad, okay? I don't
want to spend the rest of my short life barfing, all right? I'm
not saying you would take advantage ..."
"Hikaru, this is not something you should decide lightly. You
are essentially trusting me with your soul..."
Hikaru hesitated as Kinyuki's words echoed in his mind. After all, he didn't really know much about Sai. This night alone proved that.
"Hikaru?" Sai's back stiffened. "I understand if you can't.
I really understand ... I'll work around it, don't wo--"
"I do."
"What?!"
"I do. I trust you and take you as my sensei." Hikaru thought firmly, banishing the last of the Kinyuki inspired doubts. "I'm sorry, Sai. I didn't mean to cause you trouble with Kinyuki."
"No, Hikaru. Thank you," Sai gave the boy a gentle smile. "No
one's ever defended me before. I appreciate it.
We need to stop talking like this now, since others may
try to listen, but ... domo arigato gozaimasu. I will try to
live up to the honor you have bestowed upon me."
Sai's mental voice disappeared from Hikaru's mind, leaving him feeling a little empty at the loss.
Hikaru tugged at his sleeves distractedly, wondering just what he had done
by declaring Sai as his sensei. He had a feeling that it wasn't as
simple as going to classes and sleeping through his homework.
What did Sai mean by no one ever defending him? And more importantly,
what did Kinyuki mean by Sai being a disgrace? He knew that
Sai had been exiled from Kyoto for supposedly cheating, but did
it also mean his entire family was evicted as well? Honor was very
important back then ...as it still was in modern day Japan. Plenty
of people committed suicide on a daily basis for things even more
trivial than an obsession with playing Go.
Hikaru rubbed his head, suddenly feeling as if Sai's centuries
had reached out and draped their long length across his young shoulders.
"He isn't really your master, is he? You call him Sai." Kojoro's voice
broke into his thoughts. Hikaru stifled a yelp.
He had forgotten she was there. "I heard what you said,
in your head."
"You heard ... you can read ..." Hikaru spluttered.
"Not him, no," she said, pointing to Sai. "His mind is tight, like a trap.
But you ... you broadcast your thoughts really loudly."
"What are you going to do?" Hikaru asked dully, to tired too even half-heartedly
fight with her.
"Nothing, for now," the kitsune clicked her claws together. "It is enough
that you know I know, and that you feel I'm watching your thoughts ...."
she leaned forward, until her nose nearly touched Hikaru's.
Hikaru swallowed, trying hard not to flinch away.
Giving a small grunt of disappointment at his lack of reaction,
Kojoro stretched languidly, and her long, amber tail flared out like a
furry banner. The tip twitched mischievously. "I bet Lord Amatsu
Mikaboshi would like to know that you two are plotting
against him. I wonder how he'd reward me ...."
Oh shit! thought Hikaru. Shit, shit, shit, shit ... they can all read my thoughts, wait -- they're reading them right now ... it was bad enough when it was just Sai ... shit, can't call him that ... shit! WE ARE SO DEAD!
"Hikaru, it's all right." a reassuring warmth stole
through his panicky thoughts again. "She can only read your
thoughts when you broadcast them to me. Your mind is more
open, then. Otherwise, you're safe from her at least."
He glanced at Kojoro, who scowled and crossed her arms.
"Not many in the wandering world possess the ability to read
a mortal soul to its deepest depth," Sai continued, and Hikaru had a
feeling he wasn't talking to him anymore. "Few beings
ever want to, because it brings them that much closer to
understanding mortals ... and to touching mortality themselves."
Kojoro huffed angrily, raking at the dirt with her claws. "I still don't
see what's so great about being mortal. You and
your little closed minds."
"Hikaru, kitsune can only read some, not all, of your thoughts
and they can read your strong emotions, but your heart and
what you do with it remains known only to you."
"I think I'm going to be sick." Kojoro made a gagging noise. "Kinyuki-sama was right. You might as well expose your soft bellies and let us tear them out for you. It will save you pain later."
"Keep your emotions in check, and just think and act like you normally do ... like when you don't want me to know how much you like A--"
"Hey! What do you mean by that?! I DON'T LIKE ANYONE!" Hikaru howled
mentally. Sai merely hid his face with his fan. "You're
supposed to keep OUT of those thoughts!"
"Err ...umm, that was just an accident. You know I don't prod where
you don't want me to. And most of the others here
cannot even go as far as I can, no matter what they might
say. As long as you keep your mind calm and your thoughts to
yourself, you'll be fine." Sai's voice faded.
Unfortunately, so did the dinner music. Hikaru came to the gut wrenching
conclusion that dinner was indeed over as the server
tanuki appeared and began to take away the plates.
"Ohh, someone's getting in trooo-uble!" Kojoro sang. "I hope you like
Hell, monkey boy, cause that's where you're going to be spending the rest
of your afterlife. I hear it's painful there!"
"Sensei, You do have a plan, don't you?" Hikaru asked nervously as a murmur
began to build through the crowd, swelling from quickly
from a hush to a buzzing to a veritable wave of rumbling
sound.
Sai snapped his fan shut. It disappeared from his hands a moment later.
"Sensei?" Hikaru swallowed.
"Fujiwara-sensei," Osusuki called as he strolled towards their table.
Around them, everyone had fallen silent. "I hope you have found your meal
to be acceptable. Now that the dinner courses have been concluded, one of
my guests requests you and your disciple's presence."
"We would be most honored if you could bring us into such distinguished
company," Sai rose elegantly to his feet, followed by a rather
reluctant and wobbling Hikaru.
Hikaru's stomach threatened to rebel, his legs threatened to collapse,
and his entire body in general seemed on the verge
of a neurotic meltdown. He couldn't quite blame himself.
Each and every step took them closer and closer to the head
table and to what very might well be his oblivion.
"Inari-sama," he said, "and Amatsu Mikaboshi-sama, may I present to you Fujiwara no Sai and his disciple. They showed up when we were about to begin our festivities, and I invited them to join us. I thought it might be amusing for you to meet them."
Sai lowered his knees to the ground, then bowed until his forehead touched the ground. Hikaru thought it prudent to mimic him exactly.
"Fujiwara no Sai. Ahh." The old man grinned widely, as if seeing a favorite grandnephew again. "It's been centuries since I've heard your name. I remember your games though. Any closer to the Kami no Itte? You were nearly there. I wish you did get it. You would have been a worthy opponent to even us gods, if you had attained that."
"Inari-sama truly pays me too much respect," Sai said, his head still bent.
"Oh, please rise. It makes my back hurt to see you like that." Inari waved a hand at them, and Sai resumed a sitting position, with his legs folded under him. "So, what do you think, Mikaboshi?"
"I am interested in your disciple, Fujiwara." Amatsu Mikaboshi rumbled, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. "Say, boy, what do you think of my appearance now? I would've come formally attired, if I knew there was business to be conducted."
Hikaru peeked up from the mass of black curls that had cascaded over his face when he had bowed. The demon lord was still not very tall, but he was no longer short by human standards. The rolling clouds of darkness he had carried around him had also faded, though a lingering miasma still flickered around his figure.
For his appearance, the god had shaped his shadowy figure into a human form, and to Hikaru's utter surprise, he was a breathtakingly beautiful. Long, silver white hair trailed unrestrainedly down the man's back. The god had forgone the traditional Japanese festival robes; instead he wore a samurai's armor over a tunic of the finest white silk. A sword dangled from a gold belt around his waist, and a gold cape finished the look.
Amatsu Mikaboshi, Lord of all Hell, looked exactly like a noble warrior out of a feudal tale.
"Would you like to join my retinue? I could use a young face amongst the crowd," Amatsu Mikaboshi said, his voice rich and hearty. "You have a spirit and a spark I have not seen equaled in many many years. In fact, the last time I saw such a thing ... well, both of you are before me now."
"Eeeeh," squeaked Hikaru.
"If you join me voluntarily, I promise that it won't be too horrible for you. You might even enjoy it ... I can give you power beyond your wildest dreams."
"Eeeeeeeeee," Hikaru wished he could make another, non-dying-mouse noise, but his throat seemed to be stuck on "whine" mode. He couldn't look away from those eyes ...
"Pardon my most rude interruption, your excellency," Sai spoke, and his words lifted the heavy weight in Hikaru's head. "But he, as a disciple, cannot give himself away. He already belongs to me."
"Is that so?" Amatsu Mikaboshi interlaced his fingers together. "Hmm. My world is such a cold and barren one, and a soul such as his could fill the darkness, if only for a little while. Of course, flames do burn out, and he will too, after a few centuries ... but for a little while, yes. I haven't seen such a bright soul in such a long time. Usually, only the most putrid and sullied of specimens come to me."
The Lord of All Darkness shook his silver head regretfully. "The moaning, groaning, and general backstabbing does get so tedious, after awhile. Tell me then, what will you have for him, Fujiwara no Sai? I can give you anything you wish, your dreams, your most secret, damning, desires."
"My disciple is far too worthless a being to trade for such rich things, your excellency. I cannot agree to any bargain, knowing this."
"But trade you must, Fujiwara no Sai. And we both know he's not that worthless of a being. No, not at all, in fact he's quite the opposite. Now, if it was as simple as merely taking his body, I would've already done so and used his bones to pick my teeth. But for his soul, a deal must be made, as you well know." Amatsu Mikaboshi leaned forward, and Hikaru caught a glimpse of his eyes again. No matter how perfect and flawless his face seemed, no matter how beautiful his body was, his eyes -- somewhere beyond the color of black, colder than winter's first breath, and hungry, oh so hungry --- gave him away. "A deal will be made."
"Come, come, Mikaboshi, not this again!" Inari patted his ample stomach. "Take a break from work, now and then. Enjoy yourself."
"What is more fun than wagering upon a mortal soul? And I believe one such soul is owed to me tonight," the Lord of the Demons clicked his shapely hands together. "A deal, Fujiwara no Sai. Otherwise, I'll just destroy his mortal body and force his spirit to wander the earth in torment. It won't be Hell, per se, but it will be close. It is within my rights to do so, for he entered this sacred ground of his own free will, disrupting my celebration."
"Mikaboshi! Really," Inari tried again. "Year after year, it's the same thing ..."
"Now, now, Inari, are you saying that evil is becoming mundane?" Amatsu Mikaboshi shook his head, a regretful expression crossing his exquisitely beautiful features. "Though you do have a point, I do give you that. These mortals of late ... it's simply long distance killing, maiming, and murdering. There's none of the old art or flair."
He took a dainty sip out of his tea cup. "I miss the days when man and demon would strive against one another, horns to hand. But the old ways are dying, and evil is being replaced by something infinitely more bland ... wanton destruction. Everyone just presses a button, pulls a trigger, or brings down the knife. No one sells their souls anymore, or begs for an impossible prophecy, or wagers their firstborn child for unlimited power. Evil has lost its mystical edge. Nowadays, it's not `Hell made me do it' but `I'm doing it for the Hell of it.'"
Amatsu Mikaboshi dropped a hand to rest lightly his rapier. "But I digress. Fujiwara no Sai, what is your answer? Either condemn him to an eternal afterlife of wandering, just like you ... or release him to me now. I will not treat him too unkindly ... these days, pure mortal souls are hard to come by, and I wouldn't want to waste him. And when your turn comes to enter Hell, as you must, then you can be together again."
Sai paused. "Your excellency came here tonight to relax, did he not? And enjoy some amusement. I remember you used to love games ... especially the oldest kind, when the wagers are the highest. I propose a game between us, then ...a game of stars and heavens."
Hikaru blinked, feeling the now familiar sensation of his jaw dropping again. Sai wants to ... He's not going to ... oh what am I thinking? This is SAI ... of course he is.
"Ahh, as always, we return to your obsession, Fujiwara no Sai." Amatsu Mikaboshi inclined his head to the side. "May I remind you that while you are brilliant in the mortal arena, you still have not attained the Hand of God. And you will be playing a god tonight. Are you certain this is the course you want to take?"
"It is the only deal I am willing to make, your most supreme honor. At the very least, I will have the chance to say I've challenged a god ..."
"Few mortals ever dare to, in any arena. Why should I take this deal of yours? It would be easier just to offer you something."
"Because of what I am willing to wager. If I lose, I will relinquish my claim on Shindo Hikaru's soul, and it will be free for you to take. In addition, I will forsake my own chance for redemption. As you know, my last disciple became a Go Saint. I am on that path myself; Hell cannot hold me if I attain the Hand of God. If I surrender now, willingly, then you will have the two bright souls to light up Hell. However, if I win, my student goes free, unharmed, and you will never have any claim on him ever again."
Hikaru folded his hands into his sleeves, trying desperately not to react. My soul? Redemption? Sai?
"I have never lost before, Fujiwara no Sai. May I remind you that you have done so many times -- moreover ... you have lost against mortals. But if you insist, let's make it official. May it be heard by all those present, that before this night is over, I will play a game of Igo with Fujiwara no Sai, and I will win both his soul and that of Shindo Hikaru's. However, if I lose, then Shindo Hikaru will go free, and none of my kind nor that of any night wanderer will ever plague him again."
The Lord of Hell paused, and Hikaru felt all the hairs on the back of his neck rise as a slight smile curled the ever perfect lips. "There is one more thing, however. This time, it is you who are challenging me to a game. We gods don't normally take mortal challengers, you know. Thus, if you do win, then you also must submit to a thousand years in Hell, in order to teach me Go. For I will indeed need a tutor, if I were to lose to a mortal like you. That is the price of asking for a game with a god. So is this little mortal worth it to you, Fujiwara no Sai? It means one thousand years of Hell, even if you do win."
"That's not fair!" Hikaru protested. "Sensei, don't --"
"Shindo-kun! Hold your tongue! I accept your most gracious offer, Amatsu Mikaboshi-sama." Sai bowed low again.
"Osusuki!" Amatsu Mikaboshi clapped his hands. "Bring a goban, and set up an area for us." He turned to Sai. "I will give you a few moments to talk to your student and tell him how foolishly you have signed away his eternity and your own. I wish all innocent souls were so easy to gain. But ... it does feel good again to go back to the old ways. For that, I thank you, Fujiwara no Sai ... even though your disciple may not."
Sai merely bowed as he gained his feet.
"Shindo-kun, come." he said quietly.
As soon as he was sure he was out of normal earshot (although he wasn't quite sure just quite how to judge the hearing range of most of the creatures around them) Hikaru let all the anger and confusion within him explode outward in a flurry of flapping arms and swaying cloth. "I can't believe you agreed to that! If you win, you still have to stay with him for a thousand years, and if you lose, we're both stuck with him for eternity!"
"It was the best I could do, Hikaru. I couldn't let him force you to wander the earth for eternity either. Like he said, it's not Hell, but it's as close to it as you can get, sometimes." Sai stared into the night sky, perhaps recalling his own long years of wandering. "My Go is the only gift I have. It was the only thing I could use to fight. I couldn't let him take you away like that."
"Tell me the truth. Do you stand a chance?" Hikaru asked. Insight pinpricked through his thoughts, as his mind ran through Sai's earlier conversation with the Demon Lord. "This isn't the first time you've met him, is it?"
"No."
"What?! Did you play him before?! Did you win?!"
"No. As for whether I stand a chance, well, Lord Amatsu Mikaboshi is not only a god, he is a demon .... he is the god of all demons. He can read my foremost thoughts and emotions, and he can judge my state of heart. And he has had more than a few millenniums to play; I have had only one." Sai tilted his head back further, as searching for some other divine intervention.
"Guess what, that's another one of the `things you shouldn't say in situations like this,'" Hikaru threw his hands up in frustration. "I should've known it would come down to Go. It always does, for some reason. Am I cursed or something? Mou, and it figures you'd be stupid enough to challenge a god to a game, not once, but TWICE. Is there anything or anyone you won't force to play Go?!"
"Gomen nasai, Hikaru ... I am really, really sorry. I couldn't think of anything else." Sai folded his hands together, his eyes closed. "Kami-sama, again it all comes down to a game. Once again ..."
Hikaru stared at his toe-pinching sandals, feeling rather horrible. He is trying is best to save me, and what do I do? I yell horrible things at him again. Ugh. "Sai? I didn't mean to say that. I know you're only doing this to help me. Eh, well ... maybe you won't get cheated this time huh? Waiiiiiit. He is the Lord of Evil ... oh crap, he IS going to cheat, isn't he?"
Sai bowed his head, his shoulders slumping even further. Swallowing uneasily, Hikaru ran a hand through his hair. He groaned as he encountered the hated coils and ribbons.
"Oogh, and on top of it all, I think I have split ends." He began to rearrange his loops of hair.
"Hikaru?" Sai did not look up, but his tone was questioning, in a rather confused sort of way.
"Look, it may not be my Igo match, but I'm not going to look all manky for it. I haven't gotten my certificate yet, but I'm a pro now, right? I need to look and act like one, especially at an important game. I really don't want Waya or Touya getting wind that I'm not taking Go seriously enough or something. They already think bad enough of me, and I'll never get any respect from them if I don't do this right. And I want to look my best when you kick some demon ass!"
He smoothed out the wrinkles in his robes. Beside him, Sai started fussing with his own clothes, fingers twitching at the ribbons which held his sleeves together.
"Sai?" Hikaru said quietly, waiting until the hands stilled and the ghost turned around to face him. "I trust you. Whatever happens. You're not going to let me down."
He paused, waiting again until Sai's startled gaze could meet his own. "And ... thanks for volunteering to go to Hell, just to try to save me. One thousand years ... t-that's a very long time."
"Hikaru..." Sai seemed to be at loss for words.
"Ecck, just don't get all weepy or nothing. It makes me barf! And I bet these robes are a pain to clean." Hikaru made a fake gagging noise. He let out a breath of relief when Sai smiled faintly. "At least I don't have to hold the stones for you, huh? That'll be a nice change. I know it annoys you when you can't play on your own."
"Hikaru, I never wanted--"
"Sai ... I know. But I also want you to know that even if you're the one playing ... we'll get through this together, right? Right? Like we always do. And we'll find a way to get you out of Hell early. I'm really good at skipping and playing hooky. A-and I'll teach you all my tricks. And I --"
"Excuse me," Osusuki's voice broke in. "I hate to interrupt what looks to be a very interesting conversation, but Mikaboshi-sama is waiting," he bowed to them. "If you are ready ..."
"Yes," said Sai. His face became expressionless as he turned away from Hikaru. "Come, Shindo-kun. Let's go."
Yet, instead of guiding them immediately towards the game dais, the kitsune paused.
"You know, it's still not too ..."
"I am ready, Lord of the Foxes. Lead on."
For once, Osusuki said nothing brash, bold, or even remotely witty in response. That and the fact Hikaru now had to walk past table after table of silent monsters, demons, and gods, caused his fingers weave together into a nervous knot. Hikaru wished someone would break the silence, but the staring sea of bizarre faces around him did not oblige. Some expressions held contempt. Others held a primal sort of joy. And still others ... pity. Hikaru did not know which one of those reactions truly scared him the most.
Actually, no. He knew. The fact that Sai kept folding and unfolding his fan, twisting it again and again in his hands, caused a cold tremor to shiver throughout his body. Because the consequences of the night's game ... Hikaru shut his mind tightly. He could not think about that now. He would not think about that, about los-- no.
Taking a deep breath, he followed Sai as his mentor headed towards the platform upon which both their destinies rested.
To be continued ...