White Wind Anemones
Chapter Four
Hikaru felt hungry, so he whined and pleaded until older Hikaru- no, Hikari- no, Fujiwara Saichi- gave in and brought her younger self and the tag-along Go ghost to a ramen stall nearby Touya Meijin's salon.
Hikari/Saichi felt like she was going through an identity crisis.
"How do I address you anyway?" Hikaru the younger scowled after Hikari/Saichi blew up when Hikaru called her 'onee-san'. He had also gotten scolded by a passer-by before that, when he addressed Hikari/Saichi as 'hey you'. The passer-by thought it was unbelievably rude.
Hikaru was forced to apologise and come up with another way to address the older.. girl.. and decided on "onee-san".
(Hikari/Saichi had not been not amused. "Do you want ramen? Do you? If you do, don't call me onee-san for goodness sake!")
Hikari/Saichi/Hikaru the older sighed. "I really don't know," she said unsurely. "I need more time to come to terms with this."
"Using Hikari is weird, so is Saichi, because he's Sai," Hikaru jerked his head at Sai discretely, "And no way I'm calling you Hikaru. I'm Hikaru."
"Yeah yeah." Hikari/Saichi's facial expression was sour.
"How about Hikari-chi?" Suggested Hikaru, green eyes sparkling with laughter.
"Don't you dare, else I'd call you Hikaru-chan," threatened Hikari/Saichi.
"Fine with me, Hikari-chi."
For that, Saichi made sure to buy Hikaru a ramen bowl without any ingredients except the noodles and soup base. Hikaru threw a tantrum and kept shooting Saichi betrayed looks throughout their meal.
Saichi practically inhaled his-er, her ramen. Going two weeks without flavourful food would do that to anyone, not to mention ramen was one of the bo-er, girl's favourite food. She shuddered just thinking about the bland hospital food she had to eat, and chewed on an egg with vindictive glee. She just hoped her stomach wouldn't rebel. Even her throat still hadn't fully recovered from the coma.
Most of Fujiwara Saichi's household things were settled by the Welfare Community, or so Saichi was informed. The Community had given her a debit card linked straight to her trust fund. Her schooling details were still being sorted out, and a Welfare Community Worker would visit her house every four days for a month to ensure that she was settling well into her life.
Saichi's trust fund wasn't scarce, so Hikaru the elder started feeling guilty when she felt greed upon seeing the money available at her disposal. Saichi's parents left the money for Saichi, and Hikaru the elder was Saichi now.. She had bowed her head and gave a minute of silence in thanks to the real, now dead Saichi, and her parents.
Hikaru hadn't complained about his plain ramen, as Saichi was the one who paid for it. Sai had asked what 'ramen' was and Saichi had explained what it was to the ghost with great relish. It was a great gift that she managed to talk to Sai again. She'd do anything, even be a girl, in order to stay right here and now in order to spend more time with Sai.
"Here we are," Saichi announced as they stopped outside Touya Meijin's Go salon, after finishing lunch.
"What are we doing here?" Hikaru the younger asked, puzzled. "This is a Go salon? It looks really high class."
Saichi nodded, "it is owned by the Meijin after all."
"Meijin?" Hikaru asked the time as Sai gushed, "can we play Go here?"
"Yes we can play Go here and the Meijin is a title, like Honinbo. You know, Honinbo Shusaku?"
Hikaru knew who Honinbo Shusaku was, thanks to Sai. But what's a title? Before he could ask, Saichi was already walking into the salon, and he rushed to catch up.
"Hi," Saichi greeted the woman behind the counter cheerfully.
The woman smiled back. "Welcome. Do you play Go? Is it your first time here? I don't think I've seen you here before, young lady."
"Yes to both questions," Saichi replied politely. "I'm here to show my little brother here how to play Go today. How much do I have to pay?"
"What a good sister you are!" The lady, Ichikawa as seen from her name tag, gushed. "It's 500 yen for children. If your brother isn't playing, I'll let you in for just 500 yen."
"Yeah, he isn't playing, I just want to play against a real opponent to show him how this game is played, before teaching him back at home," Saichi explained as she counted out 500 yen in change and put it on the counter.
Ichikawa pushed the entry book at Saichi, sweeping the 500 yen into her palm and counting the coins. "Please write your name and Go level here."
Hikaru piped up, confused, here. "What's Go level? They're talking about it like it's a video game. How can you level up and stuff while playing a board game?"
Saichi flashed a grin at her younger self. Hikaru flushed self conciously at his own stupid question.
"You don't 'level up' as in a game." Saichi explained," since we're not professionals or anything, level just means how good you are, or you think you are, at this game."
"Oh." Hikaru's mouthed open in an 'o'. His eyes flicked toward Sai. Saichi could hear the hidden question: how strong is Sai?
Saichi wrote her name down on the entry book as 'Fujiwara Hikari'. She was avoiding the usage of 'Saichi' as it would have been detrimental to her anonymity when she let Sai play NetGo again. As for Go level, Saichi left it blank.
'Why did you leave it blank?' Hikaru asked via their three way mind connection.
'I doubt it would go over very well if I wrote "as strong as a title holder",' Saichi answered dryly. 'That's how strong Sai is at this game, weren't you listening when he told you?'
Sai had gulped, hiding his red face behind his open fan. "You flatter me, Hikaru-san, I'm good at this game, but I'm not that good yet. And what is a title holder?"
'Not yet,' Saichi agreed, 'there are a lot of new rules you need to get used to first, but I know you, Sai. You are the best Go player, and I will let the world know you are. I'll explain more about title holders and insei later.'
Sai had been too shy to answer that compliment, though both Saichi and Hikaru could feel his happiness radiating through their link.
Hikaru caught sight of someone while looking across the Go salon, as Saichi knew he would. "Hey, there's a kid," Hikaru exclaimed loudly, before clapping a hand over his mouth when the other patrons turned around to glare at the trio. Duo, actually, since Sai couldn't been seen by them.
The kid in question was Touya Akira, who was sitting near a pair of relatively old men and overseeing their game. He looked up at Hikaru's exclaimation, blinking as he noticed Saichi's intense gaze.
'That is Touya Akira and he will be your rival in the future,' Saichi stated.
'My rival?' Hikaru asked. 'Rivals like Satoshi and Shigeru (Ash and Gary) in Pokemon?'
'Exactly,' Saichi said. 'I, and Sai, will teach you Go until you can stand toe to toe with him.'
'I'm not interested in Go,' Hikaru grumbled, but Saichi had already moved forward and asked Touya Akira for a game, not replying Hikaru.
"Would you play a game with me?" Saichi asked extremely cheerfully.
Hikaru inched away at that voice. His older self was being creepy again. That tone of voice meant that Saichi knew something that the rest of them didn't- and it never bode well for Hikaru.
To Touya Akira's credit, he didn't bat an eyelash. "Erm.. Are you sure?" He asked, uncertainly. "I'm not a good opponent for beg- um.." He had cut off what he wanted to say because he thought it would have sounded condescending.
Saichi almost cackled at that. Touya certainly didn't know how to reject someone's offer to play Go. "Please?" Saichi pressed. "My little brother would like to see me play against another kid."
Hikaru, bless that kid, played along and nodded frantically. "No old geezers please," he hissed loud enough for Sai, Saichi and Touya to hear, but not said 'old geezers' in the salon. Seems like even he knew how bad an idea that would be. "That'll be boring."
"I guess that's okay.." Touya gave in uncertainly. "We can have a game at the back," he suggested, leading the two people and one ghost to an empty table at the back.
Saichi remembered that table to be the table at which they had their first game back in the original timeline as well. She used her feet to push an extra chair from the adjacent table, gesturing for Hikaru to sit. "Thanks," she said as she sat down opposite Touya.
"I'm Touya Akira," Touya introduced, not very subtly searching Saichi and Hikaru's faces for any sign of recognition.
Saichi almost cackled again at Touya's surprise when he found none. Not even a twitch, just a girl a few years older than him, grinning in anticipation for a game and a boy with bleached bangs his age looking quite lost indeed.
"I'm Shindo Hikaru," Hikaru introduced himself, likely hoping to seem less lost than he actually was. "And.. I guess that's my sister in a way.. I think." Needless to say, it didn't work.
"Call me Hikari," Saichi said as she nudged another chair over from the other adjacent table and dumped her small bag on it. 'Sai, have a seat,' she called. 'It's your game.'
Sai gingerly sat down on the chair. Saichi's bag, which only contained cash, a few cards and house keys, was strategically placed at the corner, so it wouldn't hinder him sitting down even if he was tangible, yet it wouldn't raise questions as to why Saichi wanted an extra chair.
"Erm," Touya started, "how good are you at Go?" He then flushed when he realized it was a rude question. "I-I mean, what's your Go level?"
"Over 9999," Hikaru cut in, crying out "ow!" when Saichi gave him a nougie for it.
"Not sure," Saichi shrugged. "We'll see though. I think I'm quite good," she said smugly as she took the proffered stone bowl. Well, at least Sai is, she snuck a glance at Sai, happy to note that he was smiling too. "Shall we nigiri?"
Touya had stuttered there again. "A-are you sure you don't want to put down a couple of stones?"
Saichi found it strangely endearing that young Touya was so socially awkward around kids his age. Saichi had declined Touya's offer the same time Hikaru had snapped, "why don't you put down some stones? Sa- Hikari would wipe the floor with you!" Huh. Seems like Hikaru knew of Sai's expertise in Go as well
Saichi had initially tried to avoid drawing attention, but it seems that two Hikarus in one Go salon made that impossible. Hikaru's loud declaration was met with derision from the other elderly patrons of the Go Salon.
"Nigiri," Saichi repeated, and Touya gave up trying to convince her otherwise. Saichi got black and Touya had white. 'Sai, this game is all yours. Just tell me where you'd like to place your stone and I'll do it for you.'
"Thank you Hikaru-san!" Sai chirped and, using his fan, pointed out the spot on the board which Saichi knew to be one of his favourite starting moves. 'Typical Shuusaku,' Saichi thought fondly, before shaking her head when Hikaru turned toward her questioningly.
The game unfolded into something beautiful. Saichi fumbled with some of the stones as this body of hers wasn't precisely conditioned to holding Go stones yet. However, after the game proceeded into midgame, she was so deeply immersed in appreciating everything the game had which she'd thought she lost forever that she only broke out of her daze when Touya resigned.
Saichi stared at Touya, whose eyes were fixated on the board, fists clenched on his lap. It was when she tilted her head at an angle that she caught sight of Sai, who had stood up and postioned himself behind her somewhere during the game, and had hidden the bottom half of his face behind his fan.
'Are you crying?' Hikaru's mental voice sounded incredulous when he noticed Sai's suspiciously moist eyes.
"It was a beautiful game." Saichi offered to both Sai and Touya. "Thank you. Would you like a discussion?" Saichi asked the same time Hikaru wailed "nooooo!"
It was tough for her younger self to stay seated watching a board game which he didn't understand. She resolved to treat the kid to some ice cream, or more ramen later. That, and teach him the basics tonight.
Touya had remained mute and still, shocked eyes fixated on the Go bored.
"Suit yourself," Saichi muttered, before standing up and stretching.
Hikaru took the cue and was up and out of the Go salon before Saichi even picked up her bag. She rolled her eyes as she met the gaze of Ishikawa, who had smiled back amusedly.
"Are you leaving already?" Ishikawa asked.
"Yep, seems like the brat's run of patience," Saichi replied.
"It's boring," Hikaru whined, coming back in. "The match didn't seem very balanced either."
"A little," Saichi grinned.
"Hmmm.." Ishikawa smiled, before seemed to suddenly remember something, as she fumbled beneath the counter and procured a leaflet. "You two might be interested in a children's Go tournament being held next week at the convention center. It's not very far from here."
Hikaru took the leaflet and scrutinized it. "Will the kids there be strong? That guy back there wasn't very-"
"It's alright, Touya is unmatched by anyone his age. The kids attending that competition will be strong too," Ishikawa interrupted, before continuing on proudly. "Maybe you'll be motivated to take up Go, and who knows, you might even be able to participate in a Go tournament eventually!"
"Cheh," Hikaru had dismissed, but Saichi noticed that Ishikawa's words had annoyed Hikaru a little.
"We'll be going now," Saichi said politely after thanking the woman behind the counter, then herded both Hikaru and Sai out of the salon.
As they walked along the streets following Saichi's lead, Sai was glancing longingly at the childrens' Go tournament leaflet, while Hikaru was glaring daggers at it. "Maybe I'll be able to participate in a Go tournament eventually. Really?" Hikaru scowled, offended. "Like it'll take much to play this old man's game."
Saichi grinned at Hikaru's words. "I'm teaching you Go tonight. So.. Ice cream or ramen? I owe you something for your spectacular patience."
"Ramen!" Hikaru immediately perked up, unclenching his fist from around the leaflet. Saichi deftly snatched it from his fingers and examined it. "Hey! I was looking at that."
"Yeah," Saichi waved off Hikaru's concerns. "It's next Saturday. Wanna go?"
"Not really.." Hikaru muttered. On the other hand, Sai, who had been staring silently and starry eyed at the leaflet, gasped, "Yes, please! Can we gooooooo?"
"That's great then," Saichi nodded, totally ignoring her younger self. "I'll meet you at the front of your house Saturday morning 8am."
"No!" Hikaru squawked indignantly, while Sai had a mini celebration in the background. "How am I supposed to explain you to my mom and Akari?"
"You mean, our mom and Akari."
"MY mom!"
".. Yeah, yeah, whatever," Saichi felt a pang then as she realised the brat was right. Shindou Mitsuko was no longer her mother.
Before the gloomy mood was picked up by Hikaru, they were at the doorstep of the ramen place, and the brat was gone.
"One bowl of extra hot tonkotsu ramen and add another egg!" Hikaru ordered, giving a daring smirk when he felt Saichi's unimpressed stare at his back. "Onee-chan's treating!"
Saichi growled. "What did I say about calling me onee-chan?"
"You had no problem with it just now at the Go salon," Hikaru said, sticking his tongue out.
"That was because-" Saichi stopped mid-sentence as she realised something. She didn't really think about it when Hikaru called her his sister during their act at the Go salon. But now that she thought about it, she realised she didn't really care anymore. "Whatever. Oji-san (uncle) give me a plain ramen please." While she liked ramen, her stomach was roiling just thinking about eating ramen again. Guess the stomach wasn't used to actually working on real food yet.
(She could just hear Waya screaming in her mind about how unhealthy ramen was and are you sure the doctor would have approved?)
"Stay here," Saichi told Hikaru as, after a few mouthfuls of ramen, decided that when her stomach says no it means no. The oil on the surface of Hikaru's tonkotsu ramen turned her stomach too. Stupid stomach. She quite looked forward to the day where she could have all three meals as ramen. Seems like dinner would be light today. "I need to go walk around to get some fresh air, so we might as well test this out now. Sai, let's go!"
"Sit," Saichi commanded again, like she would a dog. Hikaru glared balefully up at her, a bunch of noodles hanging out from his mouth. "Good boy. Don't go anywhere until I come get you." And then she left.
"Older sister, huh. I feel you." The ramen stall owner called to Hikaru from the counter. They were the only two in the stall, so it wasn't very much of a nuisance. "My elder sister was always like that too. Bossy and embarrassing. Still is actually."
"She's not my sister," Hikaru called back grumpily.
The stall owner just smiled knowingly.
"Do you feel like you need to go?" Saichi asked Sai as they walked along.
"No," Sai replied, "I think the bond has somehow centered around you now, Hikaru-san."
"Hmm.. Try going back to Hikaru now- woah!" Saichi jerked back as Sai just vanished. "Wait what. Sai? SAI!"
A couple of passers-by stared at Saichi as if she was crazy. She didn't care. "Sai!" She called again. 'Sai! Where are you?'
'Here!' Sai and Hikaru said together. 'Scared me to death, I tell you,' complained Hikaru,'he just appeared, upside down and I almost choked on my noodles- woah! He disappeared!'
Sai immediately materialised in front of Saichi. "Did I scare you?" He asked, concerned as he took note of Saichi's face, which had relief painted all over it.
"Yeah, a bit," she muttered. 'But now we know it works. Sai can center around either me or you, and we can hear each other like this. Saves many phone calls.' And she laughed out loud.
"Phone calls?" Sai asked. "The little machines that ring and connect two people who are far away together?"
"Later," Saichi replied, mentally shaking her head at her younger self's attempt to explain technology. "Better go back to get the brat first. That game took almost two hours, with Touya being hesitant with everything-oh damn." Saichi just realised that she hadn't been to her house yet and she promised the nurse that she'd go there right after being discharged and call her. "Maybe teaching the kid Go will have to wait for tomorrow."
"No Go tonight?" Sai whined, in a pitiful voice.
"Oh that reminds me! I need to get a computer if I don't have one already." Confronted with the millions of things she hadn't done, Saichi sped back to the ramen stall in less than five minutes.
(If she had been in her original body, that distance would've been over in less than a minute. Why, kami-sama, why this weak little girl's body?!)
"Brat, plans have changed," Saichi said, panting once she got back to the stall. Hikaru had finished his ramen and was looking very bored indeed. "Thanks for the meal, oji-san (uncle)." She bade the stall owner farewell as she speed walked back out.
"What's up," Hikaru yawned, very deliberately.
"I have chores to do," Saichi said flatly as they walked toward the train station, quite quickly. "It's quite boring so you might want to go home first."
"What chores?" Hikaru whined. "Didn't you say you'll teach me Go tonight?"
"Plans change," Saichi replied, "I'm glad you're actually interested in Go. But you have homework uncompleted, don't you?"
"Yeaaaaah.. But I don't-"
"No, you'll thank me later when you realise there's a surprise social studies test on Wednesday. And it's on the war."
"There's a surprise test?" Hikaru gaped, astonished. "And what war? Which one?"
"Go home and study!" Saichi repeated crossly.
"Yes mom," Hikaru mocked.
"If you have a string of As, dad will get you a computer by the way."
"What?! Really?!"
"Yeah. Speaking from experience here." Saichi had originally gotten the computer due to an A in only history, and Shindou Masao had deemed it fit enough for a reward. But if Hikaru got As for every subject, Shindou Masao will definitely get a computer for him right? It was good for her younger self to study hard. Maybe he might even be able to enter Kaio instead of Haze!
"Got it," Hikaru nodded determinely, before leaning in. "Remember to tell me more cheats like these in the future. How do you remember them so precisely?"
Saichi tapped her head. "This brain, and your brain actually, can remember and recreate games seen once from scratch. Remembering significant dates- I failed that test and last week's history test and was almost grounded- is chicken feet for this brain!"
"Chicken feet?" Sai asked.
"Chicken feet means easy. It's a modern term."
"Strange," Sai murmured. "Chicken feet."
"Huh." Hikaru said, nonplussed. "Bye. Sai's coming with you by the way. I need to study without distractions."
"Also, if you fail this test," Saichi added, "your playstation games will be confiscated until the next social studies test, which is next month."
"Okay! I get it already!" Hikaru scowled. "It wasn't like I was planning on doing anything but study.."
"Oh really," Saichi raised a brow.
"Whatever. Bye," Hikaru waved to both Sai (which resulted in a very confused elderly lady seated opposite the duo hesitantly waving back) and Saichi before getting up and scrambling out of the train.
Saichi alighted the next stop, and according to the address, it would be this building over here- ah.
It was actually a house with a lawn, just like her old house, but with a few notable differences, as this house was taller than it was wide. There were two bedrooms and a guest room on the second story, and a living room and the kitchen on the first. There was nothing in the living room, not even a chair. It was just a wide empty space. The kitchen had nothing but a fridge, and even that was relatively old and had nothing contained within it. There was a futon in one of the bedrooms, but that was it.
Sai had great enjoyment hearing his voice echo in the open space, but Saichi already felt a headache approaching.
The Welfare Comm left her with this?!
'I will be busy for the next week, Hikaru. I probably won't be able to drop by till Saturday.'Saichi informed Hikaru via their mental link, inwardly fuming.
'Why?'
'My house is totally empty. They only left me with a futon to sleep with!'
"Such irresponsible adults," cried Sai. "Are all modern people like that?"
Saichi glanced out the, thankfully, spotless windows. It was almost sunset, but if she was able to head out to the bank to check on her inheritance and buy a few necessities, it would make the rest of the week easier.
Like buy a new bed and have it instantly delivered. Seriously, did the Welfare Comm expect her, a recently awakened coma patient, to sleep on the ground?
Before heading back out, Saichi dialed up Takashino-san and assured (lied to) her that everything was fine.
She also didn't lock the doors because there was nothing to steal anyway.
"At least tonight I have a bed to sleep on."
It was night, and Saichi praised her own foresight in not locking to doors. She had checked her bank account balance, at least, the trust fund, and found it astonishing. She heard Saichi's parents had been rich but this was way too much. She could eat approximately twenty bowls of ramen a day until she turned twenty with this money!
Of course she wouldn't, though, as furniture took a sizable chunk out of the numbers, and she paid for instant delivery for the bed, which cost a whopping extra 2,700 yen. That was.. Three and a half bowls of miso ramen!
At least the doors weren't locked, so she didn't have to rush back to the house to open the door for the laborers. That meant she could spend more time, roaming the streets with Sai, and having a mental conversation between the two of them, excluding Hikaru.
(Hikaru had lost it after he tried to explain the concept of lifts to Sai. "I don't have time for this!" He roared. "I must get an A and get that computer and save my playstation!")
"Is that a shooting star, Hikaru-san?" Sai asked, while looking up at the sky.
Saichi looked up as well, following that moving white dot with her eyes. 'That is an airplane, Sai, they're like cars of the sky.'
"Cars of the sky..?"
'You can travel from Japan to anywhere around the world on airplanes. Like to Korea, or China.'
"Humans can fly now! They used to travel by sea, and I never got to visit China or Korea before I died. I heard Korea's Go was particularly strong," Sai gushed, head craned, following the bright spot in the sky until it was hidden behind a cloud.
'I'll bring you somewhere once I'm older. So stick around. I'll bring you all over the world to play Go.'
Speaking of which, she needed to let Sai play NetGo, and fast. The two weeks she'd been hospitalized had been a total waste of time that she could've used bonding with Sai.
Then, Saichi explained her plan of action to Sai: sign up for the pro exams next week, sign Hikaru up for the insei programme next week as well ("Isn't that a little too fast?" Sai asked, doubtful. Saichi had considered it. "Nah, he has the talent. Maybe if you throw him into the deep end he'll learn how to swim faster." Or drown, but let's not go there.) buy a computer, install an internet connection, create a NetGo account, unleash [sai] upon the hapless world of NetGo…
"What's a computer? And internet? And NetGo? Does it have Go?" Sai asked curiously as they browsed through the available computers in an electronics store.
'A computer is a machine, functioning on electricity, that lets you access the Internet. NetGo is a website, short for Internet Go, which is sort of like a.. Go Salon.. On the internet, which lets you play with many different people all over the world.' Saichi explained.
"It's a box that has many people inside?"
'No-' Saichi started, before smiling. She'd had this conversation before, back in her time, her dimension. 'Your other self used to think that a computer was a magic box with many Go opponents inside too.'
"It's not?" Sai stuck his hand through the nearest computer, seemingly feeling around inside. "I don't feel anyone inside."
Saichi laughed, before clapping her hands over her mouth as a sales clerk gave her a disapproving stare. 'Let's just get one and go, I still need to approach the telecomm company to set up my internet connection. And we need a Goban. Which computer do you like, Sai?'
"This one," Sai pointed at the one which he stuck his hand into.
'…Okay then.'
By the time Saichi went to the telecomm company, which would install the Internet connection on Tuesday, she felt dead beat. "Sorry Sai," she muttered, "I'll have to find the Goban and play with you Go tomorrow.. I'm really tired." As if to accentuate her point, she yawned widely.
"It is alright, Hikaru-san. I will still be here tomorrow," Sai assured.
Saichi really looked forward to sleeping as she tramped back up the stairs to the bedroom, which was still empty save for the futon in the corner and the really big and tempting bed she bought just now.
Then she saw the bathroom.
There wasn't even toilet paper.