-------(13)---------

"What… What do you mean? Sai's board…" he stopped, looking around at the boards again.

"It's still missing," Shindou said. "I don't know if someone bought it first--the police are checking the antiques shop's sale records--or the thieves never sold it to the shop at all."

"Do you think it's connected to…"

Shindou shook his head. "I don't know. Why would anyone take Sai's Go board, and my sons?" he asked. "It makes no sense." He stretched out a hand and ran it down the side of the nearest board, as though to comfort himself by the gesture. "If someone wants Sai, they should talk to me," he said. "Who else knows more about Sai? Hell, I was Sai, in a way. My sons have nothing to do with him."

"Yes." Touya was quiet for a while, thinking. "But you have spent the last twelve years denying your connection to Sai," he said.

Shindou's jaw fell.

---

The news that the date for the final game of the Tengen title had been confirmed sent waves of confusion through the Go community in Tokyo. There was none who did not know that Shindou's sons had already been missing for three whole weeks, and expectations from the police were running low. Some were aghast that Shindou could bring himself to play at a time like this. Rumours, as were to be expected, ran high.

When Shindou finally appeared at the Go Institute where the game would be played, a huge crowd had gathered, and at the realization that he had indeed arrived, started to murmur amongst themselves. Touya watched as Ogawa Toru, the official for the game, approached and talked to Shindou for a few seconds, before bowing and leading him to the Yugen no ma.

Touya took a seat in the viewing room, and found to his surprise that sitting opposite him was the new Meijin. The younger man looked even more surprised, and somewhat discomfited.

"Akashi-san," Touya said. "I didn't know you were interested in Shindou's games."

Akashi gave a small shake of his head, almost instinctively. "No. I came to see… Ochi-sensei play."

Touya hid a smile. Akashi was brilliant at Go, but he was young at life. "Ah, you're Ochi's supporter, then. Good, he doesn't have many, especially in this crowd." Who had all come to see Shindou.

"No!" Akashi flushed at little at his outburst. "I mean," he controlled his voice with effort. "I mean, I am interested in Ochi-sensei's Go, that's all."

"Ah," Touya said, speaking far more gently than he usually did. "I'm here to support Shindou, though. He and his Go. Besides," he eyed Akashi, "Shindou has won the two games. He only needs one more win to get the Tengen title." Akashi, he knew, was about to enter the Tengen league, and he faced the prospect of challenging Shindou if he beat the others in the league.

Akashi fidgeted and dropped his gaze, turning to the projection screen where the game would be displayed. On the screen, Ochi and Shindou bowed to each other to start, both their eyes on the Go board. The atmosphere became tense, and the tightness spread even to the viewing room. The other spectators who had arrived in the room became eerily silent as Shindou played the first hand.

Shindou's Go had always a pleasure to watch, for he was capable of adroit, surprising hands that made every strategy fresh again.

However, Touya had something else on his mind. Ever since their conversation about the missing Go board, Shindou had been extraordinarily silent about Sai. He also started to make excuses not to play Go with him, something Touya would have put down to worry over the boys' disappearance if it weren't for the fact that Shindou was practising Go continuously. Noguchi said that when Shindou wasn't studying kifu, he was playing online games. When Touya commented on it casually, Shindou simply avoided the topic.

"Shindou-san's moves are really good," someone commented into the silence.

"Ochi-san is strong too. Those stones he placed on the star-points are going to be useful, I bet."

The other watchers were already copying Shindou and Ochi's moves on various portable Go boards in the room. Although the video screen showed the entire Go board clearly, most Go players still preferred to recreate the game by hand. Opposite him, Akashi was frowning over the replayed moves on the Go board before him.

Touya, however, watched the video screen intently. The game was in the beginning stages, but already, it was starting to show the classic brilliance of Shindou's Go: his opening moves were flawless, and denied Ochi any openings to exploit. Ochi's Go had always relied on his comprehensive analytical skills, a superb strategic grasp of the game, and as some said, pure dogged persistence. With Shindou, though, his superiority receded to mere points; Shindou had his own analytical prowess, his strategic skill, and his determination.

Then Shindou attacked: a single black stone into Ochi's territory. It looked like one of his typical bold moves, but Touya felt his eyes narrow eyes at the hand. It was not the best hand, even if it looked like that to other watchers. But Touya knew Shindou's Go so well that he could tell that at any other time, Shindou would have played a less obvious, but ultimately more powerful, extension of his left territory. There was something else going on here.

Akashi placed the stones delicately as Ochi fought back, ousting Shindou and wasting his stones, even as Shindou began to encroach into the upper right.

Touya began to analyze the hands as the game went on, matching it with a pattern he knew he had seen before. It was like Shindou's Go, but subtly different from the Shindou he had been playing with for the last twenty years. But what was it?

Ochi bowed to resign at the end of a three-and-a-half hour fight. He looked so furious on the video screen that Touya half-expected him to take off to the nearest bathroom (a habit that had stopped many years ago).

Shindou bowed his head to accept the admission, and opposite him, Akashi whistled softly as he slapped on the stone that had driven the final nail into the coffin of Ochi's Tengen title. As Shindou and Ochi began to discuss the game, the other watchers began chattering among themselves.

Touya almost had to step over the bodies of fans to get to Shindou. It was as though the other players had lost their apprehension about Shindou's turning up for the game even with his sons still missing, and were mobbing him.

"Akira," a voice said softly, and Touya glanced up to see Ueyama Takeshi. "Takeshi-san," he greeted. He had expected Go Weekly to send someone more senior to cover the final game of the Tengen title, but Takeshi had always been enthusiastic about his assignments.

Takeshi glanced back from where he must have been, the Yugen no ma. "I should have thought you would be here to watch Shindou-sensei play," he said.

Touya smiled. "It's the final game of the Tengen title, after all," he said.

"It's incredible that Shindou-sensei was able to play so well even with his sons…" Realizing what he had been about to say, he stopped. "Is there any news?" he asked. "I heard that the police found the stolen Go boards?"

Takeshi was also a reporter, Touya reminded himself. "Yes, but I don't know anything other than that," he said. "Excuse me, I need to speak to Shindou," he inclined his head in a bow and walked towards the Yugen no ma.

Shindou was talking to the main game official, Ogawa Toru, but he raised his head instantly when Touya entered, as though he was hyper-aware of Touya's person.

"Shindou-sensei, are you sure?" the game official asked, and Shindou turned back to him.

"Yes. I'm sorry to have caused so much trouble, but that is my plan," he said, and bowed.

The games official bowed as well. "Of course, Shindou-sensei," he said. "We will arrange it as soon as possible. I shall contact the other players to inform them that your games schedule will resume."

Shindou nodded. "Thank you, Ogawa-san. I shall look forward to further news from you. Excuse me," he bowed again, and his eyes met Touya's. His expression was unreadable, but he seemed to be expecting something.

"We need to talk," Touya said.

They were on the way back when Shindou said, "I'm resuming my schedule, Touya. I've put off my responsibilities for too long."

Touya nodded. He had half-expected it, in fact, ever since he identified what felt so unusual about the game.

"What did you think about the game?" Shindou asked a moment later.

Touya didn't hesitate. "You played like you were twelve," he said flatly.

Shindou stopped the car, and turned to face him directly. "What?" he said, outrage colouring his voice.

"No." Touya met Shindou's eyes, wishing he knew how to express himself better. "I meant, you're playing like you are twelve. When you were twelve," he added insistently, his voice breaking on the 'you'.

-------to be continued---------