Everyone is wondering why Rei is such a genius at Go. The truth is that I had been planning to tell you guys before but this story has grown out of control. I thought it would only have like five chapters but here we are at number seven and the end isn't even near. So please bear with me cuz' the story has a mind of its' own, It might make me end it at chapter eight, chapter twenty or chapter seven. Yes people this might be it! The imminent end might be here! Are you scared, frightened to the point of seat wetting? Well read and find out.

Hahahahahahahaha that sounded corny.

"Okeeydokey, why don't you young people head home, it's pretty late," Kurata got up heavily from his seat patting the crumbs of cookies he had been eating earlier. He headed to the bathroom without further ado. Akira got up after clearing and was heading for the door when Isumi grasped his shoulder.

"Wait, I think we all have to talk about something," Isumi mumbled to him shooting a conspicuous look at Hikaru.

Akira sighed, "What did Shindou do this time?"

Being a few feet away Hikaru heard this loud and clear, "I didn't do anything Touya. If anyone did anything here is you. I just called the Fashion police and they think your sense of style is a human tragedy."

"What did he do?" Akira turned to Isumi making a point to ignore the comment on his wardrobe.

Isumi grimaced looking from one to the other, perhaps hoping Hikaru would speak up but Hikaru was too busy glaring at both of them, "Hikaru scheduled his rematch with Rei for Friday."

Seconds passed in which all that could be heard was the ticking of the clock then…

"Are you out of your freaking mind?" Akira snapped making several elderly players turn.

"Shut up, will you?" Hikaru urged nervously waving cheerily at the old people who turned away disgruntled at the interruption.

"You can't skip the tournament Shindou, you just can't!" Akira whispered angrily.

"I agree with Touya, you can't do this to us," Isumi added immediately. "Kurata and the entire Japan Go community will blow the roof if you bail on us Shindou."

Hikaru flopped on his chair and started collecting the stones on the Go board in a violent manner. Soon black and white were shooting of to all the corners of the room. It was true, he was mad and frustrated and riled but most of all he was full of disappointment. He had practiced twenty-four/seven just to beat the bastard. All night in his room, all morning and afternoon in his head…Go went with him even to the bathroom, how obsessive could you get?

"Change the date," Akira ordered in the commanding voice he seemed to have inherited from his father. Hikaru was on the verge of answering back when he realized Akira had just told him the most obvious option he could take. "Go to Sekai tomorrow and tell him the rematch will take place after the North Star cup."

Hikaru got home and went to his room without dinner, he didn't have the time for it, he had to practice. Once in his room he got his alarm and set it for five in the morning. He would have to go to Sekai High and try to catch Rei before his classes, so waking at dawn was necessary. Once he talked with Rei and changed the match he would return to study the entire afternoon with Akira and Isumi.

After hours of more practice Hikaru lay on his bed, watching the late night breeze blow the kites outside his window. They had blown just as candidly as the day after Sai's departure. It was an atmosphere, his room was.

An atmosphere where time stood still and Sai's memory wasn't blurry and precedent like it was in the outside. Here the memory went strong to the point that upon waking up in the mornings he could sense Sai's presence seconds before opening his eyes. Of course it was heart wrenching to open his eyes and see no one for two consecutive years but…memories were precious. It would be wrong to forget; he knew this and held on to it. It was the only thing keeping him from throwing his fan and Go board out of the window every morning at the pain of it all.

Resigned he closed his eyes, his exhausting day taking him to dreamland in no time.

Tall grass waved below an indigo sky. Hikaru breathed in the fresh prairie air feeling warm and weightless. This was it he just knew it. He looked about and in no time saw the back of his long gone teacher. The purple hair waved just as placidly as the leaves of the nearby tree.

"Sai!" he felt himself call out, his voice coming out as in a deep echoing tunnel. In his chest he felt excitement, this was no silly dream Sai really was here before him, "You came back!"

Sai turned only his head to look beyond his shoulder. Time stood still and yet the wind continued to blow. Hikaru's broad smile dropped, Sai wasn't smiling. In fact Sai was looking at him as how you would look upon a stranger, indifferent and uncaring.

Hikaru smiled forcefully his heart falling yet refusing to believe, "Sai, it's me. I'm so happy you came back. I've been having some problems lately, this guy looks like you! Can you believe it? He is such a jerk though, I have this match on Friday—oh no never mind. Touya made me change it. Well, we have the North Star Cup on Friday, it's really fun! It's too bad you were never here for it, you would've liked it…Sai?"

The purple haired ghost had turned his head and started walking away.

"Wait where are you going?" he hurried after him. Sai strode forward without looking at him.

"Hurry up! Why do you always take so long?"

Sai's face broke into the warm smile Hikaru had seen so long ago as he headed to a small twelve year old boy sitting before a Go board.

Hikaru gasped, sitting on the grass smiling up at Sai was Hikaru as he had been five years ago. He was staring at himself.

Sai sat on the ground and fixed his garb before reaching in the basket for a stone. Twelve-year old Hikaru frowned while Sai put the stone on the board then he got one of his own basket. Hikaru saw speechless as his younger self put down the stone. He held the stone like a true beginner.

"Hikaru, why did you put the stone there?" Sai asked softly after a few more moves.

The dream Hikaru thought for a moment, "Because I wanted to gain territory," he said finally.

Sai smiled, the patient smile of a mentor, "Yes but by doing that I could simply stop you here and corner you there, your group would be dead."

Dream Hikaru groaned loudly, "You are just too good Sai, I'll never get it!"

"That's not true Hikaru, we have plenty of time, you will improve you'll see."

Hikaru stood by them not really understanding, he was here but Sai refused to acknowledge him, what was going on?

"Sai, what is it? Is that me? Sai! Speak to me! Speak!"

The only sounds of his dream were the whispering of the wind and the tap of stone with wood but on the distance he heard a beeping growing insistently. He knew it was time to go, with regret, desperation and bewilderment he woke.

His alarm beeped and beeped until he reached over and threw it across the room, but he could barely hear it crash or see it break because of his sobs and pouring tears.

"Rei? No he doesn't come to the club in the mornings; he isn't part of the club at all."

Hikaru bit his lip not knowing what to do. He had hurried on the subway arriving a little earlier than he wanted, most students weren't here yet. Knowing this he had gone to the theater arts classroom. The brown haired boy with glasses whose name was Kuragi was there with two other Go members.

"Well do you know when he'll get here, I really need to talk to him," Hikaru said pleadingly.

Kuragi shrugged but smiled wickedly, "I don't think Rei is in the mood for Go right now. Once Akira Touya beat him yesterday Rei hasn't been too keen on it."

Hikaru blinked trying to compute what had just been said, "Touya beat Rei? Are you sure, Touya didn't say anything. What was the score?"

To his surprise Kuragi and the other two boys burst out laughing.

"Sorry, I meant punch, I meant punch!" Kuragi managed to sputter while roaring with laughter.

Hikaru felt like he had landed in the Twilight Zone, where were the pig masks?

"Akira Touya came yesterday and asked for a rematch but Rei said no," one of the other two boys explained while the other two pounded the Go boards still laughing. "Rei insulted you so Touya punched him."

"Square in the eye!" Kuragi said finally calming down wiping the tears from his eyes, "He deserved it, Rei is the biggest—."

"The biggest what, Kuragi?"

Hikaru turned to the doorway, and his first thought was to never pick a fight with Akira, it would hurt.

Rei was leaning on the doorway as cool as collected as could be. The only thing ruining his cool look was the large swollen mass of purple, blue and black that his left eye was.

"What do you want Shidou?" He snapped irritated entering the room so that they were only a few feet apart. Hikaru's mouth hanged open and his eyes were indiscreetly wide as he gawked. Akira's bruised hand came to mind so that all the pieces fell into place, but he didn't say anything.

"I said what do you want?" Rei hissed.

"Oh, uh, I wanted to change our match…I have a tournament on Friday," Hikaru managed to say still staring in horror at the painful sight.

"No, I won't change it. Either we play tomorrow or we don't play at all," Rei said glaring with one eye while the other simply squinted.

"What is it to you if we just play a week from now?" Hikaru urged beginning to get mad. He hadn't met anyone who could push his buttons even worse than Akira.

"It means nothing to me but I guess it means a lot to you…," Rei smirked but it looked like a very painful process. "So it will be tomorrow or never."

The school bell rang its usual tones announcing the end of the conversation.

"I'll wait for you tomorrow five minutes, if you don't show, then don't bother me ever again."

Rei left and soon afterwards Kuragi and the others shooting him uneasy looks. Hikaru would have remained glued to the spot if students hadn't started to file in staring at him. He rushed out and ran all the way out of the school perimeters. His head felt on the point of exploding, if Rei had stood before him a few more seconds Hikaru would've given him a second squinting eye.

He couldn't believe this, Rei would refuse to play him ever again just to spite him he just knew it. Oh well, maybe if he skipped the tournament…no!

What was wrong with him? Why did it matter so much to be unable to play against that asshole?

'He has Sai's face'

That's right…Sai…

Hikaru sat on the curb of the street his face on his hands. He now realized it: he didn't want to play Rei because of some stupid rivalry or because he wanted to protect Sai's memory.

No…what he wanted was to just play him. To fool himself for just a few hours into believing that Sai wasn't gone, Sai was before him playing and teaching him. Yes…that is what he wanted, what he was willing to give up everything for, that lie.

The dream of last night came back rushing to him and he understood it perfectly.

Sai, in the spirit world, was frozen with the memory of Hikaru, just as Hikaru was frozen in life with the memory of Sai.

Both frozen with wishes of what they desperately wanted back, unable to move on.

'It would have been easier if we had stayed together…until the very end'

That is all for today folks, I hope it was of your liking, if not well review and complain. Oh and something else, people please watch the entire season of Hikaru no Go and you will see Akira's attitude. He is so not the quiet shy type, okay maybe quiet but he is just being respectful to his elders. The real Akira Touya has a bad temper that can be tested very easily. So I thought that him, boxing was a given. Oh well, buhbye, don't cry I'll be back but my wrists are beginning to hurt. If I get carpel tunnel syndrome or whatnot I blame all of you. Goodnight, dream with angels and cotton candy. Happy, happy, joy, joy.