-------(11)---------
Shindou's place was burgled two nights later.
Kenichi and Kenji met him at the entrance. The police, at least, seemed to have left already, and Touya knew from his enquiries at the Go salon that Shindou had asked his students not to visit as he was still putting things back together.
Kenichi had his usual sullen expression, which lightened only a little when he saw who the visitor was. "Touya-sensei," he said, bowing in greeting.
"Haku-niisan!" Kenji clambered over to where Touya was removing his shoes and grabbed his hand.
"Excuse my intrusion," Touya said politely, accepting with a bow the slippers Kenichi set out for him. He laid a hand on Kenji's shoulder and squeezed it gently, before looking up at Kenichi. "How is your father? None of you were hurt, I hope. I heard that the burglars only entered the warehouse."
"We're all right. Dad is all right," Kenichi said, allowing himself a faint frown. "He's just moping over what the burglars took."
Kenji started to shake his head at that. "No!" he said. He looked up at Touya, tugging his hand, as though to pull him deeper into the house. "Dad is really sad, Haku-niisan! Come and talk to him."
His brother cuffed him lightly on the head. "Dad said not to call Touya-sensei 'Haku-niisan'," he told his brother. "Say 'Touya-sensei'."
"Touya-sensei," Kenji said, parrot-like, and tugged at Touya's arm again. "Come on! Dad will be happy to see you, and then he won't be sad anymore."
Kenichi had a mildly disgusted look on his face. "A grown man acting like that," he muttered, but relented when his younger brother turned a mournful look upon him. "Please go in, Touya-sensei." He nodded in the direction of Shindou's room.
"I'll show you!" Kenji said.
Touya was amused to see Kenji knocking quietly at a door, calling out, "Dad? Touya-sensei's here." Despite Shindou's complaints about his 'rude' sons, it seemed that both Kenichi and Kenji behaved far more politely than one would expect. Perhaps he was just too used to Shindou's impetuous habits.
His amusement faded when the door opened and he saw Shindou at the doorway, looking grey and ill.
"Shindou!" he exclaimed.
Shindou faced him unsmilingly, and every bone in his body radiated tiredness. "Touya," he said. "What brings you here?" he asked.
Before he could stop himself, Touya asked, "Are you all right, Shindou?"
"Dad?" Kenji looked from his father to Touya. His eyes grew frightened when neither answered him. "Dad?" he said again.
Touya watched as Shindou gave a start, and smiled at his son. "I'm fine," Shindou said. "Go and find your brother. Touya and I want to talk by ourselves, okay?"
Kenji was not old enough to see how difficult it was for Shindou to summon up a smile to reassure him. He nodded, "Okay!" and skipped in the direction of his room.
As soon as he turned the corner of the hallway, Shindou's smile disappeared. He regarded Touya. "You might as well come in," he said, stepping back to let Touya enter. "Though I warn you, I'm not in the mood to entertain anyone at the moment."
Shindou's room was cluttered. The bookshelves were filled with books of kifu and two portable Go boards were set out on a table littered with loose kifu. Shindou's Go board was tucked in a corner, well-used and gleaming.
Touya sat down, taking a seat next to where Shindou had been sitting. He waited while Shindou settled down, the dark expression re-settling itself on his face. "What did they take, Shindou?" he asked.
Shindou flinched, and closed his eyes.
Touya waited.
"The police said they were after the antiques in the warehouse," Shindou said after a while. "Grandpa had left me his collection, though I had no interest in them. But the Go boards..." he stared, unseeing, at his own Go board sitting in a corner. "Antique Go boards. They took them too."
Shock suddenly hit Touya. "You mean..."
"They took Sai's Go board, Touya!" Shindou said, raising his voice in agitation. "They took it!" He buried his face in his hands, and his shoulders began to shake.
"Shindou," Touya said, shifting to sit closer, hoping his proximity would comfort Shindou. To his shock, Shindou let his hands fall, and buried his face in Touya's shoulder.
"What am I going to do, Touya?" Shindou asked, with his voice harsh with suppressed emotion. "I lost Sai's Go board. It's my only connection to Sai, and I lost it!"
Carefully, Touya raised his arm and put it around Shindou's shoulders. In response, Shindou pressed closer, his breath dampening Touya's shirt. They sat like that, until Kenichi knocked on the door to bring them tea.
A week later, Kenichi and Kenji went missing.
-------to be continued---------