"Thank you for the game," Sai gave a tender smile, placing his fan beside the Go board and bowed to the 9-dan, Morishita Shigeo whom he had played informally a few months before. The 9-dan just laughed the whole match off.
"A brilliant game was always, Shigeo-chan," Sai chirped, almost too happily. The 9-dan nodded.
"It's a wonder how you remained full of wits after seven months of disappearance. Training the child, I presumed?" Morishita questioned, and eyebrow raised. Upon mentioning the 'child', Hikaru, Sai's eyes brightened up like the full moon in the raven night sky. Sai nodded vigorously, like a child and blabbered on to how Hikaru learnt to walk, how he fed himself and how cute Hikaru looked when he bleached his bangs.
They went onto the conversation on the Child's Tourney.
"Ah, right. I've heard that Touya-san's child was also participating in the tourney. Well, a rival for Hikaru-chan, eh?" Morishita chuckled, while Sai's violet orbs narrowed slightly as he picked up his fan.
"Was it really?" Sai questioned, smiled gently and stood up. The 9-dan stood up too and they left the room.
"Yes… I heard that his name was Akira. Probably older than your child by a few months, I guess." Morishita spoke, casually. Sai just smiled politely, knowing that the Child's Tourney was going to end. Finish bidding his goodbye to Morishita, Sai strode to the other room where Seiji was playing.
"Almost finished his game," Sai whispered, leaning onto the wall. Thinking back about the incident few hours before, it was a pure coincidence that he saw Kano Kyoko, a great friend back in the high school. It was only then he registered that she really went for her dreams.
"Araaa… If I am not wrong, she probably went to be a reporter. But a Go reporter?" Sai mused, whipping out his cell phone, checking for new messages. The door opened with a soft click, with a 7-dan coming out, with beads of cold sweat rolling down his forehead. Next came Seiji, who came out while wiping his spectacles. He noticed Sai, who was grinning; Seiji could immediately notice that Sai was getting very eager to fetch Hikaru back.
"Right, fine. I'll go with you to fetch Hikaru, so please wipe that blissful grin off your face," Sai nodded, while skipping all the way to the car park, with Seiji following closely behind.
Hikaru sat beside Kyoko quietly, waiting for his father to fetch him. Kyoko frowned; the frown was so deep that her cheeks bulged out. As limited as her knowledge in Go might be, but the last game, that Hikaru had lost by half a moku, was definitely a fluke. She patted little Hikaru's back softly, comforting him. The child was tired, she noticed, when the child treated her leg like a pillow, laying his little head on her lap. Tear-stains were evident in the child's cheek.
Being careful not to wake the child up, she picked out the photos that she had shot during Hikaru's last game. It was really a wonder that both children of about two years old could win continually to the last game. Kyoko smiled softly, caressing the child's forehead. The child stirred slightly and went back to his slumber.
"Paa-paa…" the child whimpered, while Kyoko had not heard the child mentioning anything about his father other than the amazing lunch box. Sighing dully, she tapped her right feet, with her high heeled shoes on. Patience has its limits; and most of the children had gone home. As happy as she might be to have a photo of Touya Kouyo and Touya Akira, she was dreading for the fact that she still have heap of works which included essays and news report undone.
"Plod… Plod… Plod…" It was sound of footsteps. She instinctively concentrated on the two guys who were walking towards her. When the three people noticed each other, with Sai noticing Hikaru, Seiji noticing Kyoko and Kyoko noticing Sai. Kyoko almost screamed. Despite writing lots of articles on a friend whom had became famous since high school, it was actually a better thing to be reminded that Sai was her friend by looking at him in flesh and blood.
"Ah! Chibi-chan!" Sai cried with teary eyes. He smiled at Kyoko who just returned a smile. Timidly, Sai pointed at Hikaru who was still asleep, with Seiji folding his arms and leaning onto the vending machine. Kyoko chuckled and lifted Hikaru up, who opened his eyes, still sleepy. Rubbing his green orbs, Hikaru gave a loud yawn. His eyes brightened when he saw his father. Sai's eyes brightened too when Hikaru finally noticed him.
"Paa-paa/ Chibi-chan!" the two idiots cried in unison with Sai rushing and gave Hikaru a big bear hug. Kyoko chuckled, while trying to remain as polite as possible.
"So long already and you hadn't change at all, Sai-chan!" She cried, pressing her stomach while laughing out loud at the father and son's antics. "So, who are you to Hikaru-chan anyway?" Seiji, though cool, offered a small smile to his friend. Kyoko gasped as if she just saw an alien smiling at her. Seiji, noticed her teasing reaction, gave her a glare.
"Sai's son. Hikaru's name was Fujiwara no Hikaru after all." He muttered nonchalantly. This was BIG news to Kyoko. Sai was a Go master, no biggie. Sai was a delinquent, no biggie. Sai was a bike racer, no biggie. Sai was a father at the age of twenty-two, that was a BIG matter. Upon registering what she has heard, she shrieked.
"EHHHHHH!"
Seiji just shook his head, thinking that her reaction was the first reaction he had thought of when he heard the news. Sai just smiled sheepishly, while passing a yogurt to Hikaru, who in turn passed the cup of yogurt to Kyoko. Opening the lip and covers, while scooping a mouthful of yogurt, they came to the topic on the tourney earlier.
Hikaru became uneasy and trembled slightly while sitting on Sai's lap, who was sitting next to Kyoko on the bench. Seiji rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Lost by half a moku, to Touya Akira." Kyoko spoke, her tone of voice dangerously cold while speaking of the name, 'Touya'. Sai just patted Hikaru's head, and comforted him. "Here, I even shot the last scene in the game." Kyoko muttered while passing the photo to Sai.
With just a glance, Sai cursed, startling both Seiji and Kyoko.
"A pre-planned game, I see. If Hikaru was just a normal child, all these would just end like what Kouyo-chan has expected." Sai murmured dangerously. Sai pushed Hikaru to Seiji and told Seiji to take care of Hikaru, which basically meant to feed him and tuck him in when Hikaru was asleep, and Kyoko.
Sai strode out of the building, before giving a peck on Hikaru's forehead.
"Ehh, are you sure that he'll be alright?" Kyoko asked, worriedly, while Seiji shook his head.
"I doubt so. Every time he has that look in his eyes, it literally meant that he was out for blood. Touya-san had played the game too far. A pre-planned game was a direct insult to Hikaru's intelligence." Kyoko laced her arms on her hip, finally figured out what Sai was going to do.
"So he's seeking revenge?" She asked, idly. Seiji just smirked and mentioned nothing.
"A declaration of war, perhaps?" Seiji murmured, while carrying Hikaru, who was engrossed in his little game of peek-a-boo. These little incidents were getting too interesting. No matter what they say, Kouyo has much more influence than Sai. Yet Touya Kouyo had made a big mistake. Kouyo did not know that he was going to stand by Sai's side after all.
Seiji's connections with the pros…were oftenunderestimated.