Eternal Go

Summary: After Hokuto Cup tournament, Akira finally get to know about Sai and more.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hikaru no Go. Hikaru no Go belongs to the author, Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata. I merely use their characters and the story.

Author's Note: 1) This is NOT shounen-ai or yaoi. 2) Sentence which are in italic and within quotation mark "bla bla bla" means it's what the character thinks in his mind. Sentence which are in italic only (without quotation mark) represents the sentence in flashback. 3) I use "Akira" to refers "Touya Akira" and "Hikaru" to refers "Shindou Hikaru". All the other characters' name except that use only the surename. 4) English is not my native, and I live at a country that doesn't use English, so please forgive me for the mistakes and please bear with it. QAQ

Hope you like it!

Chapter 2

"This is?" Akira looked at a traditional style house which was, of course, smaller than his own house. Both he and Hikaru had contacted their parents on their ways, and of course, it caused his mother to surprise since that was the first time for him to stay over at a place other than hotels.

"My grandpa's house," Hikaru answered him lightly then looked back at Akira, "you remember what I said, don't you?"

"Yeah, like I will mention it to anyone,"

The front door was opened as Hikaru's grandfather stood there. "Oh, Hikaru! What brings you here? Hm?"

Akira bowed politely, "Good evening, sorry for the intrusion,"

"Could it be, Touya Akira?" Hikaru's grandfather looked astounded, "Hikaru, Grandpa don't know that you were friend with him,"

"Friends?" both Akira and Hikaru held the same question in their minds as they exchanged glances with each other. "Really?"

"Please come inside,"

"Grandpa, I want to take a look at the storehouse," said Hikaru after they all were inside.

Akira, of course, was puzzled by this. "Storehouse?" He did remember clearly Hikaru said something about a place where it all began, so that word confused him.

"Again? Why don't you just take it already?" His grandfather went to his room.

"Again?" finally Akira couldn't hide his confusion as he glanced at Hikaru.

"That's right, Touya-kun, this child always take a look at the storehouse every time he come, and that's all for an old haunted goban,"

"Grandpa,"

"Yeah, yeah, here," His grandfather came back and handed Hikaru a golden key, "Just don't collapse again, okay? The last time you went there with Akari-chan, you collapse and made me panic."

"That was three years ago," Hikaru corrected him.

"Yeah, and I still think that you might be hit your head that time since you suddenly started to learn go after that."

"Grandpa..." A bit of annoyance glimpsed at his face, "Then, Touya and I will be there for a while. Don't disturb us, okay, grandpa?" said Hkaru as he headed to the storeroom followed by Akira.

"As if I would. Still, you really like that goban, eh? Even though it is said that there was a hat-wearing ghost near it." said his grandpa behind them.

Hikaru paused and smiled sadly as he was looking at the ground. "It would be very nice if he will actually appear again though,"

"What?" It seems his grandfather didn't listen what Hikaru said.

"No, it's nothing," Hikaru shook his head and went inside the storehouse.

Akira who saw that attitude of his rival kept silent and went inside. The two climbed a wooden stair to the second floor. There, Akira saw a goban placed on the floor. After it was being wiped using a cloth, he finally was able to see clearly the four legs goban. Even though it was looked really old, it sure made from a fine wood.

Hikaru then sat and faced Akira as his hand touched the old goban. "Then, I'll tell you now. This is where everything began. Around three years ago in this place, Fujiwara Sai and I were met," and by this, he started telling his story.

.

Akira looked at an old but fine goban that, according to Hikaru, used to have blood stains. "Ghost..? Shusaku's.. spirit? But that's impos–!" Akira was about to deny but then watching Hikaru's eyes and reminding his grandfather's words, he started to deny the impossibility and at the same time, he started to process everything as he arranged the puzzle.

Hikaru glanced at Akira who kept silent. Just now, he told his rival about the meeting with Sai and Sai's identity. Looking his rival wandered in his own thoughts, Hikaru gave him time to recover. "Looks like he's shocked. Well, of course."

"Then?" Akira finally regained his composure back.

"Ha?"

"Then, this Sai, he possessed you?"

"Yeah, but the one he possessed is not my body but my consciousness and so he didn't have any control over my body.. Wait. Do you really believe me?" Hikaru asked in disbelief.

"Was it a lie?"

"Of course no,"

"Well, then it's the truth." Akira remembered the Shindou Hikaru he first met who used classical jouseki. "It didn't make any sense, but at same time, it makes sense," If Sai was Hikaru's other personality, then it didn't make any sense since another personality attached not only to the consciousness but also to the body. The first time he met Hikaru, the way he put the stone was horrible and if it's double personality problem, he should able to put it better. And if he thought about reincarnation, then it would be similar with believing a ghost since both couldn't be explained by logic science. However, since Hikaru's grandfather said something about a hat-wearing ghost, then it meant that might be the case.

Hikaru sighed at frustration then asked Akira to come down. He then locked the door and gave the key to his grandfather who insisted him to let Akira play a game with him. Of course, Hikaru refused this idea, but Akira accepted it and he defeated Hikaru's grandfather thirty minutes later.

"Then, the one playing with me back at the sixth grade is..." asked Akira while they walked toward Hikaru's house.

"Yeah, it's Sai. The one you were chasing all the time, your rival, is Sai," Hikaru then continued his story. How he and Sai played 'Net Go' to let Sai played without anyone noticing him, how Sai really wanted to play against Touya Kouyo, and how he finally disappeared few days after the match. Telling about Sai disappearance, he did his best by being able to put out the words even though he had no choice but to struggle with his trembled voice all the time.

"That's why you skipped your games and said about quitting go, huh?"

"Hm? Ah.."

"So, you really did have a connection with Shusaku," Touya remembered well how his rival became so furious over by Yong-Ha statement. Unlike the others, Akira wasn't ignorant enough to easily conclude him as a fan of Shusaku.

"I'm home. Come on in, Touya,"

"Sorry for intrusion,"

.

After having dinner with the family, Akira wearing Hikaru's clothes was waiting in his room. A futon had been spread and Akira was sitting on it. He watched closely the goban mentioned by Hikaru just now.

'It's because you said people were looking for Sai's identity that we finally stopped playing net go. I had no choice but asking my grandpa to buy it so he's still able to play, with me at least. Though it's really tiring at first since I have to put all the stones, both mine and his,' Akira was remembering what Hikaru said when he first noticed the goban before him then was reminded the scene at the house of Hikaru's grandfather.

"The goban brought for Sai's sake, huh? ...Maybe that is the reason Shindou chose this one instead of the goban on his grandpa's house." Akira touched the goban, "Since they always played together using this goban, it stores memories of their days,"

The door was opened and Hikaru came in after taking a bath. "What, Touya? Haven't sleep? You want to play?"

"Yeah, one game is fine, isn't it?" Akira placed the goban after Hikaru nodded and the two started playing.

"Oh, yeah, Shindou, my father asked you if you can come over,"

"Touya sensei?! Why didn't you mention earlier?!"

"Father told me just now when you're taking a bath!"

Hikaru looked confused, "When? And... did sensei tell you for what?"

"This week, the day is up to you. And, father didn't tell me anything else,"

Hikaru sighed heavily, "Okay, tell him I will come in two days."

An hour later, after such ruckus and yelling they both made, Akira was lying on the futon. The lamp had been turned off. He stared at ceiling, "Say, Shindou, what kind of person is Sai?"

"What kind of person? Well, to be honest, he's childish, troublesome, and always made a fuss and nagging all the time. We often had quarrels because of that. When he wanted to fight someone, he would make me to let him play go against that person, and of course, he didn't hold back at all," Hikaru finished his sentences in one breath, causing Akira to put such a shocked face and was about to say something.

"...but he taught me go, encouraged me, laughed with me, and stayed by my side all the time," Hikaru continued in hoarse and trembled voice as he covered his eyes with his right arm.

"..I see..." and Akira didn't need a second to understand how important Sai was to Hikaru. "A friend? No... More than that. He's your half, huh,"