DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hikaru no Go, or any of its characters or components.
Forgotten
(Chapter 1)
by Genie
He's so grown up now...
These were the first words that entered Sai's mind when he saw Shindou awaken. The childish glint in his eye was still there, as well as the blank face Sai had grown so fond of. But, it could not be denied that Shindou had changed considerably since Sai's departure. The baby fat that once framed Shindou's face was gone, replaced with defined cheekbones and a rugged, almost handsome, structure. He was taller, as well – Sai could see that, even though Shindou was laying down. An estimated four or five inches had made the "boy" Sai had first met into a young man, full of vigor and enthusiasm for life, experience, and... Go.
Shindou's fainting had been just mildly surprising, as Sai had expected a similar reaction all along. He knew, however, that when Shindou finally awoke again, it would tear him apart not to tell him what only Sai knew... In a way, he was happy that he would finally be with Shindou again, but there was a deep, longing ache inside of him to be with Shindou fully – memories and all. After Torajiro's death, Sai feared he would never encounter another chance to do what he loved most: play Go. In meeting Shindou, Sai had learned so much more than he ever could have dreamed. He had gained experience in not only Go, but life as well.
Sai sighed and sat patiently on the floor, staring longingly at Shindou.
It wouldn't be long before he woke up again.
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Shindou rolled over in bed and groaned. He yawned and sat up to stretch his arms out, rubbing his eyes groggily. He vaguely recalled his alarm going off and waking him up, but then why was it he fell back asleep..?
Shindou turned to get out of bed, and the memories of what had happened came rushing back.
"Aaaahhh!" He half crawled, half leaped into the furthest corner of his room, showing a rather admirable attempt to make himself invisible.
"Who are you?"
Sai smiled. No matter how much Shindou had changed on the outside, the same childish boy that had first discovered Sai would always be there.
"My name is Fujiwari no Sai. I am a Go instructor from the Heian Period and has come to you as a spirit." Sai explained, rather nonchalantly. It was, after all, very common these days to have a spirit come to you from a long ago time.
Shindou blinked.
"Am... I dreaming?"
"Nope."
He blinked again. Sai wondered to himself how long it would take before it finally sunk in. He gestured to the goban sitting in the center of Shindou's room.
"Would you like to play?"
Shindou blinked. Again.
"Pardon?"
"I said, would you like to play a game of Go?" Sai repeated calmly.
Shindou blinked a few more times, as if he was seeing things.
"...Yeah, sure. I'll be right back. I'm gonna get a glass of water."
Sai watched as Shindou bolted out his door, and smiled when he heard him stampede down the stairs. Although the sadness still lingered within him, a tiny ray of hope had begun to take root. Perhaps, Sai thought, this can work out... Shindou and I can be happy again, regardless of whether or not he remembers...
"MOM! THERE'S A WEIRD PERV IN MY ROOM! HELP ME!"
And Sai cringed.
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"I just don't get it!" Shindou exclaimed vehemently. He had forced his mother, Akari, and called both Waya and Isumi over to his house claiming there was an "emergency" before finally believing Sai's seemingly "ridiculous" claims that only Shindou would be able to see him. After being called crazy, deluded, high, and asked what assortment of drugs he was taking, Shindou reluctantly conceded that either they were right, or Sai was.
Shindou peered up at Sai suspiciously.
"So... If this whole thing about being a ghost from the Heian Era is right... What're you doing here bothering me?"
Sai smiled. Still as blunt as always, he noted to himself with a hint of nostalgic pride. He cleared his throat and repeated a story he had already told Shindou once before, one that, unfortunately, the young boy did not remember.
"You see... During the Heian Period, I held a position in the Capital as Go instructor to the Emperor. It was such a happy time for me, I was able to play Go every day..." Sai sighed reminiscently, an undeniable twinkle in his eye.
"However... In addition to myself, there was one other Go instructor. One day, he approached the Emperor with a suggestion: 'Sir,' he said. 'I believe that you have need for only one Go instructor – let us play a game to decide who shall keep his position!'" Sai's countenance darkened considerably, and his eyes smoldered with embers of anger that had not died despite time.
"The game was dead even. Everyone's attention was drawn to the board, it was only by mere chance that I saw it... A single white stone la in my opponent's Go bowl!"
Shindou frowned. "It could have been an accident. Did he put it back in your bowl?"
Sai shook his head, his frown mirroring Shindou's.
"I thought that it might have been – to have one of your opponent's stones mixed in with your own is highly unusual, but on occasion, it has been known to happen. It could have been fixed simply by just explaining the situation and returning the misplaced stone back in his opponent's Go bowl."
Shindou nodded in understanding.
"So..? What happened?"
"That scoundrel..! He waited for an opportune moment, and then he placed the stone in with his prisoners!"
Shindou gasped.
"That's terrible! It's not just that he's cheating... That's a disgrace to both the game, you, and everyone watching! He should not have been allowed to play!"
Sai nodded grimly, silently taking note that Shindou now understood with more clarity the brevity of the actions that had taken place, considerably more than he had the first time. He continued to tell Shindou about everything else that happened afterwards: the false accusation against him, his loss, banishment, and, eventually, suicide.
"My soul wandered aimlessly for centuries, refusing to go to the heavens as my love for Go was too strong..."
Shindou nodded.
"I feel that way too. I love Go more than anything... My grandfather was the one who got me into it. It's funny, I never really enjoyed playing Go before because I thought it was an old man game! But... My eighth grade year, I guess I just matured a lot!" He shrugged, "I started playing all the time with Gramps. I got strong real fast, and now I'm a pro! I could definitely understand how you feel."
Sai felt a pang of sadness rip through him. Shindou could not remember Sai being the one who introduced Go to him...
"It's funny though, Sai..." Shindou was staring at him oddly, his eyebrows scrunched up in question.
"What?"
"It's just... You look really familiar... Like I've met you before..." He shook his head, "But, that's impossible of course."
Sai frowned, but said nothing. Could it be, he thought, that there's a chance Shindou remembers..?
Shindou shrugged.
"Shall we play a game then? I'll move the pieces for you, of course."
Sai nodded, eager to play a game against his favored pupil. Since nigiri was impossible, considering Sai couldn't hold the stones, they both agreed to let Shindou be black.
The game progressed slowly, Shindou choosing not to underestimate his mysterious opponent. Both played slowly and cautiously.
"Shindou..." Sai murmured inaudibly. The Shindou he was playing right now seemed nothing like the Shindou he had played in last night's dream... It seemed as if the play was worse: less experienced, messy in some parts, and downright amateurish in others.
Shindou frowned. Sai was very strong – maybe even as strong as Touya Meijin himself! The game had not yet progressed into end game, but Shindou knew who the winner was. He bowed his head respectively, knowing that there was no point in continuing.
"I resign."
Sai was perplexed. Why was it Shindou seemed to have decreased in strength..? A sudden thought struck his mind.
"Shindou... Do you have someone to call a rival?"
He looked up, surprised.
"Yes, of course... His name is Waya Yoshitaka. I met him as in insei."
Sai's heart began to quicken.
"Waya..? And.. What about Touya Akira?"
"Touya? How do you know about Touya?" Shindou questioned suspiciously. Sai quickly looked around frantically, and almost sighed in relief when he saw "Go Weekly" sitting on Shindou's desk, with Touya on the front cover. He gestured to where the magazine lay.
"I saw him, there. Have you played him before?" Sai asked cautiously. Shindou snorted.
"Touya? I'd be lucky if I could even catch a glimpse of the kid! No, I haven't played him. Not many kids my age have... He usually plays against the higher-dan players."
Sai was suddenly very, very afraid. He wanted to ask about Ko Yonha, but knew that Shindou would be suspicious when Sai could not reveal how he know about him. Yet, at the same time, he knew what the answer would be: Shindou had never played Ko Yonha, had never even gotten into the tournament...
His blood ran cold at the thought.
Something was going terribly, terribly wrong.
-tbc-
Yay. Sorry it took me so long to update.
Reviews muchly appreciated :D
-Genie