Disclaimers: Hikaru no Go and its characters are created and/or owned by Hotta Yumi, Obata Takeshi, Shueisha, Studio Pierrot (all rights reserved). I just borrow them to provide - hopefully - a bit of free entertainment to the fans.
Warning: spoilers everywhere!
The Way of Go
by VKempf
8. Prelude
Two weeks after the god game episode, Hikaru called Akira on his cell-phone:
"Is it still OK for tomorrow night?"
"Tomorrow night..."
"It's full moon," Hikaru said as if it was enough of an explanation. "Remember your promise?"
As often when talking to his rival, Akira was lost.
"Have I promised anything?"
"Yeah, the full moon game!" Hikaru moaned. "So can I stay over?"
"Oh... that. You weren't talking seriously, were you?"
"Yes, I was," Hikaru replied. "So, yes or no?"
"Don't be pushy, Shindo, I made no promise about that," Akira snapped. "Besides, you're not even sure that night won't be cloudy."
"I'm sure it won't, because I've checked the weather channel, and because I say so!"
Akira smiled. Shindo's pushiness was often annoying, but it saved him a lot of embarrassment.
"If it's so important to you... I'll be home at 7 PM, bring your toothbrush, ramen not allowed," and he hung up.
On Saturday 8 PM, Hikaru was ringing at Touya's door. He had his usual backpack - and with chance a toothbrush inside, as well as a flavored bag. Akira was already raising an eyebrow, so Hikaru immediately clarified things:
"No ramen. You like curry?" he scowled.
"... yes," the 5-dan blurted out, taken aback, "but you didn't have to bring dinner, I can take care of that."
"I thought so, but Mom insisted, just because I'm staying all night. Hope you haven't already made something..."
"No, I knew you'd be late."
Hikaru pulled a face, but didn't answer. Once he had his things settled in the room where Akira had put an extra futon, they went straight into dinner while the rice was still hot. Akira didn't eat as much as his rival - few people could anyway, but he did justice to his portion.
"You'll congratulate your mother, her curry is really delicious."
The Touyas were generally known to spare compliments, so Akira's praise was not to be taken as mere politeness, and Hikaru beamed.
"Why don't you tell her yourself?"
"You want me to call her now?"
"No, just wait till next Thursday, when you come to my place, for once!" Hikaru winked.
"Ah... erm... thanks," Akira mumbled upon the totally unexpected invitation. Hikaru smiled: his pal-around agenda for Touya was running smoothly.
They took their time to finish and wash everything. Hikaru went out on the veranda to feel the warm night breeze and admire the full moon rising above the surrounding roofs. Meanwhile, Akira was setting the goban and goke by the open screen, straight under the moon's rays. Then he switched the lights off to judge the effect.
"How does it look?"
Hikaru spun around. The room was pitch dark, except for a white rectangle on the tatami, in the middle of which the precious kaya goban dramatically stood out.
"Fan-tas-tic!" the boy marveled.
"Maybe you'd like a kimono dress, to make things perfect?" Akira asked half-jokingly.
"Oh, can we? You can lend me one? Please, Touya!" Hikaru almost squealed.
The boy was standing against the light so his face remained unseen, but Akira easily imagined the excited sparkles in the olive-green eyes.
"All right," he sighed.
He dragged Hikaru into his bedroom and picked two yukata in the dresser.
"It's seasonal, and we'll even be ready to go to bed after the game," he said. "Here, take this one and go change yourself in your room."
Hikaru nodded and ceremoniously took the light garment.
Akira was quickly done and went back to sit by the goban. Hikaru came after a while, striding resolutely on his bare feet.
"Here I am, let's begin."
Akira just threw a glance at him:
"You're already dead."
"What? The game hasn't even started!" Hikaru replied indignantly. "Feeling cocky tonight, Touya?"
"No, your yukata is wrapped on the wrong side: right over left suits people ready for burial. As a living person, you always put the left side over the right."
"Eh?" Hikaru looked at his robe, then at Akira's, then his again. "Oh shoot..." and he started to work again at the knot of his obi. It must have been a complicated one, because after several unsuccessful attempts, he walked to stand under the moonlight, squirming over his navel in a weird way.
"Let me see." Akira stood up and authoritatively got hold of Hikaru's rebellious sash. "What a mess... When was the last time you wore a kimono?"
"Dunno," Hikaru grumbled. "Must be that play I performed with Haze's Go club. Akari was taking care of all the dressing and undressing, so I didn't have to learn."
He felt stupid and immature, having a taller yet slightly younger guy tying his knot for him like for a little boy. For some reason, Touya's hands fluttering around his waist made him feel nervous too.
"And you don't look too skilled with a yukata either. What can you possibly wear by these summer nights?" Akira asked without really thinking.
"My underwear, or nothing!" Hikaru retorted defiantly. He bit his lip at once. He certainly had a knack for provoking Touya... but not that way?
One advantage of moonlight is, in its dominant paleness, nobody sees you blush. Akira, as embarrassed as his rival, finally managed to untie the knot, rearrange the robe on the sweaty chest and tie the sash again.
"Look: I've made a simple one, so next time you can do it yourself."
"Hmm!" Hikaru emitted as thanks. Both now breathed easier.
Akira sat back in front of the goban.
"Are we ready?"
"So it seems... Wow, you look terrific!" Hikaru said, looking at his opponent in kimono and in situ. "You forgot your sword though," he added in a laugh.
"The only weapons needed here are the stones," Akira replied, "and I won't move several piles of heavy things just to please your esthetic taste tonight, Shindo."
Hikaru's laugh instantly died.
"Wait... you mean... you really own a sword?"
Akira closed his eyes. I'm talking too much to Shindo for my own good.
"There's the family daisho in a chest somewhere, but-"
He was interrupted by the dull sound of Shindo dropping on all fours in front of him.
"So, you... you're a real samurai!"
Even in the half-light, the expression of utter amazement on his face appeared clearly. Akira sighed.
"I belong through my father to a noble lineage, yes - for what it's worth nowadays... And before you ask, NO, I won't show you the swords."
"Oh, why's that?" Hikaru moaned, displaying puppy-eyes girls would fall for at once - but Akira was no girl and it was too dark for them to be really efficient anyway.
"Look, if I show you the swords, you'll want to touch them. When you touch them, you insult my family and all my ancestors, so as the acting master of this house, I'll have no choice but to draw the blade, cut your head, then spend several hours mopping the pool of blood, when I'd rather keep my rival alive so we can play a good game together. That's why NO."
He kept his face as stern as possible, though it was very hard not to laugh at Shindo's sheer dumbfoundment.
"So cool!" Hikaru finally whispered in total awe.
This was getting a little on Akira's nerves.
"Shindo, stop gaping at me like that. I'm Touya Akira and you play Go with me every week! So please, forget about all that and prepare for our game."
Hikaru kept staring at him.
"Now I understand many things. Your dad's pride... Yours..."
"So what?" Akira retorted aggressively. "You too have your own pride, don't you?"
"Sure," Hikaru quietly replied. "I'm proud to face you as an equal on this goban. I'm also proud to count a noble man among my friends. You're the sec- erm, nothing..." he mumbled in sudden panic.
He had been about to say "you're the second one", but he stopped just in time. Fortunately, Akira wasn't paying attention: the word "friends" was already burning in his heart like a blessed candle. Hikaru quickly brought him back to reality.
"So you won't show me your sword tonight, too bad... I hope to make you draw your Go blade at least."
Akira relaxed.
"I hope so too. By the way, you asked about my sword, but won't you take your fan?"
Hikaru tensed.
"This means a serious game, Touya," he said gravely.
"Isn't it what you planned for tonight? Or is this another study?"
Hikaru stared at him for a while.
"No, you're right. Just wait a minute," and he made towards the guest room.
Akira blinked in perplexity. He could not see what the fan had to do with playing a serious game or not. One thing was quite certain though, Shindo had not bought his fan just to look cool. In every of his official games, he always had it firmly held in his hand, but never to unfold it, even less wave it like other players full of themselves often did.
Hikaru came back with his fan in the left hand. He first kneeled in the doorway, facing the garden and the moon. Akira gave him a wondering look, but remained silent. Hikaru stayed there a long moment, his hands joined around the fan handle, seemingly rapt in contemplation.
Finally, he slid aside toward his opponent. Akira opened his fist on the goban as Hikaru released a couple of stones. Nigiri designated the latter.
"Onegaishimasu," they said in unison.
Hikaru took a good breath. When he had asked for that moonlight game, he had been mostly driven by the fun of the setting, so exotic to a boy disconnected from his own tradition. Now, holding tight Sai's symbolic heirloom, he felt compelled to play a game as worthy as possible of the memory of the Go genius. That was essentially the import of his unspoken prayer.
This is yours, Sai. Tonight, you face Touya again. Let me play your hands so the three of us have a great game.
No clock to press them, only the bamboo tube clacking outside to pace their minds. In dignified moves, Hikaru's fingers picked a stone, raised it and placed it on the grid with a slight slide forward to reach the exact line crossing. In the eerie light, his nails seemed to glow on the kaya table. Hikaru remembered the strong impression Touya's father made on him, long ago: the old pro hands were shining alike, and the son obviously inherited this feature.
Akira answered those seemingly perfect moves with perfection. At first, he was not expecting much of the game, considering Shindo's trivial desires. The 3-dan's first hands quickly set him straight. Not only were they graceful and carefully thought over, but they supported his own moves rather than they countered them. Akira did nothing to disrupt this harmony; on the contrary, he completely put his relentless Go aside to sing on the same tune.
Thus the pace of the game reached the magnificence of a ballet. Walls were erected, flowing like rivers along open fields, embracing them, pushing against hedges or crossing them in a breathtaking swirl. On this memorable night, Hikaru and Akira were communing in the beauty of Go like they never did before.
When yose was finally completed, none of them made a move to rearrange the territories. The mere idea of counting the score seemed blasphemous. Eventually, Hikaru raised his stare and broke the silence.
"Arigatou gozaimasu, Touya."
"Arigatou gozaimasu, Shindo."
Rarely an end game expression had conveyed so much sense. What to say after that? For a long time, they remained transfixed in the pale light.
"This..." Hikaru whispered,"... isn't it a real god game?"
In a shock, Akira realized the other boy had voiced his own thought. They had just played the game Akira did not dare hope the other day, when Shindo mocked his efforts to build harmonious patterns on the board. He was not able to give him a totally affirmative answer though.
Hikaru thought he had it. Obviously, Sai had answered his prayer. Maybe he had finally found the Kami no itte up there, and this game was a glimpse of it sent as a heavenly gift?
"I must record this!" Hikaru decided, unable to contain his delight. "Touya, have you some kifu sheets?"
He did not add "please", but Akira shared his excitement, so he went fetch a kifu pad and pens.
Hikaru got straight down to work, lying in prone position toward the garden to benefit from the moonlight. None of them even thought of switching the lights on again. At one point, Hikaru sat up to look at the goban, then wrote down two or three hands. Several times, he had to check the goban, much to his exasperation:
"What's wrong with me? I always remember a game I've just played, and now I'm not so sure!"
"Give me a sheet," Akira said. "I'll write it down and we'll compare."
Hikaru grumbled a bit, but complied. Soon Akira quickly bumped on the same problem: some sequences would escape him inexplicably. He did his best though, and when they compared the two kifu, both displayed the final pattern of the goban, with the hands in the same order.
"Really, it's strange," Hikaru muttered. "We don't normally hesitate like this, do we?"
Akira shook his head.
"No, but I may see a reason. This game doesn't look like any I'd play against anyone, and certainly not against you."
"Same here," Hikaru agreed. "I'd even say, we'd better not play like that in a tournament, or we'll never get very far. These are clearly no winning tactics."
Akira almost gasped. Is the divine game a winning one? The question was haunting him again. Actually, the present game could not really be called perfect, some of its sequences now appeared quite odd on the kifu. Yet they seemed so right at the time!
"I wonder how we got into this," Akira said. "I didn't play a 'god game' as you like to say, and you took it very seriously too, am I wrong?"
"Definitely," Hikaru confirmed. "I don't know either. Yet I can't say it's a bad game... It's just... special. Feels good, sorta..."
Is it you, Sai? he muttered in himself. If it is, then thank you. With all my heart.
Fortunately, Akira could not distinguish his moist eyes.
"Do you want to discuss it?" the 5-dan asked softly, though he already guessed the answer.
"No," Hikaru instantly replied. "Discussion is meant to improve a game. This one doesn't need that. It's perfect - in its own way... Look, I'm not even sure we could play another one of this kind. Let's take it as it is... a gift."
Akira shivered. He had not forgotten Shindo's behavior prior to the game, and the words naturally burst out:
"A gift... from Sai?"
Hikaru's grip tightened on his fan.
"Who knows?" he said simply.
That's all he would tell Akira, and Akira knew it. They remained speechless for a while, undecided as to what to do after such an experience.
"Feel sleepy?" Akira asked.
"Not at all! It's still early. What about you?"
"No... Let's go outside."
"Yup!"
A light breeze refreshed them as they went down in the garden. The whole place was brightly lit by the moon, and Hikaru went to explore it, jumping from rock to rock on his bare feet, just for the fun of it. Akira sat down on the bamboo floor of the porch, watching him with an amused twitch of lips.
"You're gonna twist your ankle, Shindo," he warned. "Be careful, carps jump sometimes, some rocks may be wet."
All the rocks around the pond were perfectly dry, but a wobbly one nearly compromised Hikaru's balance. The boy saved himself just in time to avoid a midnight soak. He finally flopped down next to Akira, laughing.
"So, what's my time?"
"I haven't checked," Akira said, "but no doubt you're the record holder; nobody ever does that."
"Wanna try?"
"I knew you were going to say that."
Hikaru laughed but did not insist. As much as he would love to see his rival fall flat in the pond, he didn't want to ruin this perfect night by a useless humiliation. No need to press things with Touya, he thought. The 5-dan pro was already much more relaxed than usual.
"What was that play you performed at Haze?" Akira asked suddenly.
"Ah, the play!" Hikaru grinned, as fond memories were coming back. "The great fire of Honnou-ji, or something like that. Though it wasn't really about the fire, but a triple ko in a game."
"I remember this legend," Akira said. "Just before Mitsuhide's assault against the temple, Nobunaga was playing a game against Honinbo Sansa..."
"Actually, it was Sansa against Rigen Kashio," Hikaru corrected. "Kag- I mean, Nobunaga was just watching."
"Right. They had a triple ko in that game, and it was considered a harbinger for the events to follow. I must have the record somewhere, we could recreate it..." Akira said eagerly. He was already making a move toward the library, but Hikaru laid a hand on his arm:
"No, Touya, why would you want to replace our great game by that nasty one? If it's anything like the videotape in Ringu, imagine your house in fire before tomorrow morning."
Akira let out a skeptical snort.
"What about Haze school, then? Did it burn, or haven't you really played the actual game on the stage?"
"No, it didn't, and yes we have!" Hikaru retorted. "Partially at least. Tsutsui was very serious on this, he made me study the game. He probably took Sansa's part just to keep control of things. Of course, Kaga played Nobunaga, Mitani was Mitsuhide - he had the coolest costume! and Akari... just a guard," he promptly ended, unwilling to fuel Touya's stats with too many occurrences of Akari's name in his talk.
"What about you?"
"Me, I played Rigen."
"Rigen, the underdog..."
"I was given Rigen because he had the shortest lines in Tsutsui's play!" Hikaru pouted, and Akira chuckled. "Poor Tsutsui, he was turning crazy with us guys: I, unable to memorize my lines, Mitani and Kaga always bickering about who had the lead part..." He stopped, looking at Akira. "Thinking of it, you've already met all of them!"
"I'm not sure. It's a few years now..."
"Not so long ago... You saw Mitani, Tsutsui and Akari at the summer tournament. Mitani and Tsutsui were first and second board in the Haze team, Akari was... just there. You and I were third..."
There was an uneasy silence after Hikaru trailed off. The bleached boy wanted to kick himself hard.
"I'd rather remember that winter tournament, when you played so well, disguised in that oversized uniform," Akira said softly. "How did you got there?"
Hikaru winced. Ineluctably, memories were leading them to bump into the wall of his secrets. He answered nonetheless.
"Kaga and Tsutsui needed a third one in the team. I lost a game to Kaga, so I had to join the team."
"That's all? They knew about your skill, then? Why did they choose you?"
"Because..." Hikaru hesitated. "Because of you!"
"What?" Akira gasped.
"Yes, Tsutsui was showing tsumego problems; he said: 'if you can solve this one, you're at Touya Akira's level.' Then Kaga arrived, said 'Who cares about Touya, he's lost against me.' So I picked a fight with him, because I had seen how strong you were, I said he must have cheated against you, or you weren't playing seriously, then he got furious, and he challenged me with a game, and I lost, and that's all."
He glanced at Akira:
"Is it true, Touya? You really lost against Kaga?"
Akira blushed. He was not eager to speak, but Shindo had answered his question, so he felt impelled to tell the whole story: how he used to meet Kaga at the Go lessons for children, how he overheard Kaga's father threatening his son, how he let the brash boy win by a moku and a half.
"I didn't want him to have problems," he said, "but in the end, it was a mistake. He never went back after that."
Hikaru nodded.
"Now I understand why he hated you so much..."
"Did he?" Akira whispered.
"Man, he even tore a tsumego book by your father apart!" Hikaru laughed. "Oh, he must have gotten over it since," he added, noticing Akira's sad expression. "He's always been into shougi first anyway."
"I've always feared I made him quit Go," Akira said in a little voice that surprised Hikaru. "When I talked to Father about it, he blamed me for not playing my real strength. 'When not playing shidougo, you must always give the best of yourself, Akira, whoever you face. By not doing so, you're scornful to your opponent, and to yourself. Handicap stones exist for a reason.' he said. I've never forgotten the lesson."
Hikaru patted him on the shoulder.
"Good advice. But don't worry about Kaga, he's way too cool to keep a grudge after all this time. Besides, he wouldn't have spend time helping Tsutsui with the club if he hated Go so much... No, the one to blame in the story is Kaga's dad!" he growled. "What kinda father he is to threaten his own son like that! I bet he was just frustrated because he hasn't succeeded himself in passing even an insei exam! Honestly, Touya, did your father force Go down your throat when you were a kid?"
Akira shook his head.
"No, he just let me watch him play with the other pros of our study group. I was two years old when I first asked him to teach me. When he saw me taking interest, he agreed to guide me on condition that I'd be serious and dedicated in learning, that's all. If I had not chosen his way, maybe he'd have been disappointed, but I don't think he'd blame me for that..."
Hikaru's eyes sparkled.
"You have such a father, Touya! Strict but charismatic enough to pass you down his passion..."
Akira didn't answer, but he blushed under the sincere praise.
"Yeah, you're so lucky with a dad like yours," Hikaru went on. "If I had to count on mine..."
Akira looked at him.
"Your father..."
"Even so, he paid the application fee for my insei test," Hikaru said blankly, "but except for that, he hasn't given a damn about it whatsoever..."
Akira kept mute. Shindo had just told him something very personal, and he was not sure how to deal with it. By speaking too lightly, he might hurt him. Yet not speaking may make Shindo believe Akira did not give a damn either. This was a delicate instant.
"You'd like him to acknowledge your true value..." he whispered.
Hikaru did not answer at once. Then his cheek curved in a half-smile.
"Maybe... I don't really care," he said. He raised his stare upon Akira. "As long as the people who do care keep looking at me..."
Akira held the stare.
"As long as you don't disappoint them, they sure will look at you."
Sitting cross-legged in front of the table, Hikaru was gulping down a bowl of rice.
The sun was already high in the morning sky when the boys woke up on the veranda where they had spent a long time talking, to the point slumber fell on them by surprise. Hikaru had first sneezed, then sworn as he remembered a professional appointment he had this Sunday morning in exactly an hour and a half. Thus he hadn't waited for Akira to dash to the bathroom, take a quick shower and get dressed. Fortunately, he had brought a spare shirt, so he wouldn't have to either go change himself at home first, or smell funny in the Go Study Center. Meanwhile, Akira had gone straight to the rice cooker, yawning.
"Shorry, Touya, I'fe comp'ete'y fo'gotten," Hikaru munched.
Akira, still in yukata since nothing hurried him, just nodded in total lack of surprise.
"Do you think you'll make it in time? Need a suit or something?"
This time, Hikaru swallowed before speaking.
"No, it's just showing the Center around for members of an amateur club somewhere. Nothing formal but Morishita-sensei will kill me if I miss it, it's my turn to help. Thanks anyway."
"People may take offense if you look too casual..." Akira pointed out.
"Touya, don't you feel how hot it is already? There's no way I'll stick myself in a suit! All those geezers don't care anyway; they're just too happy to see young guys still interested in their hobby."
Akira smiled, remembering the lady at the Osaka Go festival.
"I see what you mean..."
Hikaru stood up, washed his bowl in the sink, then went to the guest room to gather his things.
"I've made you prepare a futon for nothing, in the end..." he said, throwing a surrounding stare.
Akira did not mind.
"Hope your night wasn't too awful."
"Nope, it was perfect... Well, my neck's a bit stiff, but it could be worse!" Hikaru said, rubbing the strained muscles. "You mustn't have been too comfortable yourself."
"I'm not more delicate than you are," huffed Akira, for whom such a night was worth a back aching for a few days.
Hikaru smiled but did not add anything. He donned his backpack - wincing a little when putting his arms through the shoulder straps, and made for the genkan.
"Don't forget your mother's dishes," Akira said, holding out the big paper bag.
"Ah, thanks... I've no time to drop by home, so I must lug this around all day..." he moaned.
"You can leave it here and take it back later, if you want," Akira suggested. "I won't be home this afternoon, though. Or maybe I can go..."
Akira surprised himself with his sudden level of concern for Shindo's comfort.
"Nah, never mind," Hikaru interjected. "I can carry it, it'll train a muscle or two. Remember you're coming at my place next Thursday, by the way!"
"With pleasure, if you deign to explain me how I can get there."
"Sure... "
Hikaru looked around for a sheet of paper. Then his eyes fell on the goban, still displaying their moonlight game.
"The kifu! That's the thing not to forget!" he hollered, darting to the game place.
He grabbed the kifu he had completed himself, looked at it for a moment, then picked up a pen still lying on the floor. On the back of the sheet, he drew a sketch map of his area.
"Here," he said, holding the kifu out to Akira. "This is the way to my place, as well as a memory of this night. I'll take yours if you don't mind."
Without waiting for an answer, Hikaru took the other kifu, rolled it and just slid it inside his shirt.
"I think I'm ready now. Thanks for everything, Touya, it was really great!"
"You're welcome," Akira said softly.
Hikaru slip his shoes on, while Akira opened the door.
"Jaa ne!" the bleached boy waved, before striding past the gate into the street.
Akira closed the gate behind him, then went back in the living-room, still holding Hikaru's kifu. The black and white pearls on the goban were vividly shining under the sun, inspiring Akira a faint melancholy. Their magic, so pregnant in the moonlight glow, now seemed worn out in full daylight. Leaving the game on the goban for days would not change anything: something was missing here. Someone was missing.
Akira shook his head.
I'm ridiculous. This is just a good game I had with Shindo, and we'll have many other good ones in the future.
Ignoring the twinge of regret in his heart, he put down the kifu and carefully removed the stones back to the bowls.
In a way, he was acting rightly. The game, as rewarding as it had been, was not as important to him as what had followed: for the first time in his life, he had someone his age who would confide in him and in whom he could confide too, who respected him but never hesitated to challenge him.
In other words, he had found in his rival his first true friend.
The heady feeling of felicity he was vainly trying to suppress appeared like the clear evidence of this invaluable luck. It also left him unaware of what their game actually was: a prelude to the tremendous events that would irrevocably change their destiny.
(to be continued)
[NOTES:
Daisho(u): set of weapons of a samurai, composed of a long sword (katana) and a shorter one (wakizashi).
Honnou-ji: on this episode of Japan, Go and Hikaru's history, please read again the last pages of HnG vol. 6 & 8.
Ringu: who's never heard about Hideo Nataka's horror classic? (I won't comment on the useless remake...)
Jaa ne: "See you." Much less formal and ominous than sayonara.
--
You weren't expecting a new chapter this soon, were you?
Actually, I had most of it written as the second half of chapter 7, when I realized it was growing really big, so it eventually became a whole chapter on its own. I also thought there was a little too much of just Hikaru and Akira in the recent chapters (though there can never be too much of them for some people, so I hope they enjoy this one), thus I inserted the piece with Waya & Co instead. Waya's my favorite character, by the way, strange I don't write more about him.
Though I made it clear this fic is not shounen ai, I took a certain pleasure parodying usual situations of the genre. You'll forgive me this impish whim (or not).
Many thanks to all my reviewers, I'll now use FFnet reply feature to express my gratitude to each of you personally (hope I've not forgotten anyone from previous chapter!).
As for chapter 9, I can't make any promise. What's certain is I want to complete this story, so if you find no update in the next six months, you can just assume I'm dead or something. Even so I'm not sure I wouldn't return like Sai to haunt somebody and finish it!
Valérien
