--------------(18)----------------

It felt strange to be playing NetGo as himself, after two weeks of impersonating Sai. His own skin seemed too tight for him, by contrast. Sai's Go, imperfectly learnt, was too strong nonetheless, and Touya felt as though it was about to burst out of him.

At this stage, only a dozen hands each, Sai--or rather, Shindou--had yet to show his true power. That was usually Sai's style: never to attack immediately, but to strengthen his own shape so that it surrounded the targeted territory. Then, slowly, Sai would entice, confuse and trick his opponent into making a mistake, and from there, Sai would pounce and force through a devastating takeover. Playing in his own room as Sai in the weeks past, Touya had sometimes felt overwhelmed by the speed with which Sai's Go could move, as though it could leap from the computer and destroy his own small room through sheer power.

But not yet. Their territories were staked out now, and they proceeded smoothly into the mid-game stage, when both players would concentrate on consolidation and attacks to protect or gain territory. As Black, Touya had gained a slight advantage but it was easy to see that White was no pushover either. It had mapped out the lower left first, and although the territory there was small, there was potential for extension to the rest of the Go board.

Touya considered his choices carefully, already considering the possible points of contention, and searching for the best places to ply his attacks. There. And there. His black stones were already on the crucial points, he could see. Those territories would be vulnerable, and he planned to surround them first before White could. That was his way.

If he were playing only Shindou, the thought crossed Touya's mind, he would be expecting a pointed, perhaps crude reprisal, most likely a hand that looked clumsy but would succeed in pushing back a crucial boundary at a later, pivotal moment. However, the counterattacks that came from White were polished and well thought-out, with the weight of experience behind each hand. Touya understood. Shindou was just as careful to play only Sai's Go.

In every game with Shindou, Touya had played with the aim of thwarting Shindou, of anticipating Shindou's strategies and countering them. Now it was no longer Shindou's Go he was facing.

Some fifty hands later, he had to admit that it was frustrating him. He was used to playing with Shindou. He had longed to play with Sai, as his father had, for years. But to know that it was Shindou, playing as Sai--it was... Touya's left hand cramped from being clenched so tightly, and he held it close to his chest, messaging it with his other hand. It was unsatisfying. Touya would have been glad to play either Sai or Shindou, not this awkward, confusing amalgamation.

The game had to continue, however. Touya leaned forward, concentrating on the game, pushing his feelings away for the time being. He could see an opening for Black at the right...

The lights in his room went out.

There was only the eerie glare of the lighted screen in the pitch-dark room. Touya gave a start, before standing up quickly and finding the wall switch. He flicked it, but the lights refused to come on.

He frowned. The house's electrical fixings had not been upgraded for more than thirty years--since Touya was a child, in fact--but they had always worked without a hitch before.

Thank goodness the computer had a separate power source, and nothing about the game seemed to be disrupted, at least. Touya pondered the possibility of a blackout, or perhaps an earthquake-related disruption, and wondered if he should continue the game. In any other circumstance, he would have continued playing without further thought, but the silence made him feel uneasy. He turned to his desk and fumbled for the emergency flashlight stored there. His hand closed around it at the same time he realized that the hand-bound copy of kifu, given to him by Shindou, was missing from his desk.

There was a crash from the back of the house.

"What was that?" he called out. His mother had left on another week-long visit to her sister, something she did more and more often now that his father was gone; Touya did not think that she had come back so quickly.

Silence only.

Gently, softly, Touya could hear the slightest creaks of the tatami floor outside as someone moved on it. Not a normal walk--the house was old enough that certain parts of the floor creaked loudly if one walked normally--but someone creeping, trying to make as little noise as possible. Someone was coming to his room.

Touya retreated towards the other end of the room, fumbling in his pockets for his phone, which he usully switched off before playing a game. The screen showing the Go game gave off barely enough light to see by.

His door slid open.

Touya stood motionless, trying to make himself invisible.

Someone entered his room. Tall, with short black hair, with the build of a man, his face hidden despite the flashlight in one hand. He saw the screen, and gave a muffled curse. He reached out towards the switch.

Touya clenched his teeth, willing the man to stop. That was his game!

"Wait!"

It was not him. Touya waited in astonishment as loud footsteps, obviously in a run, approached the room. "I forgot to tell you," said the newcomer, as soon as he came in, "that if the game is still on..." he faltered as the beam of light from his flashlight fell on Touya. "T-Touya-sensei."

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