And so it begins. The game, that is.
This part contains a hidden spoiler, if that makes any sense. What I mean is that if you know the ending to the series, you'd be able to pick up the spoiler. If you haven't, then...you have been warned?
Disclaimer: Click the "back" button to access the previous chapter. Now press control (or command) + F on your computer. Type in the word "disclaimer". Read.
'Thought' system:
/.../ = Yugi's thoughts
/ /.../ / = Yami's thoughts
\...\ = Hikaru's thoughts
\\...\\ = Sai's thoughts
It's Time to Play a Game
Chapter 2: Let's Play a Game (Part 4)
Pachi. Pachi.
The only sound that could be heard was the sound of stones being placed. Yugi had a bit of trouble at first with remembering how to hold them, but soon got the hang of it.
Hikaru played his own stones a little safer than he normally would, testing the abilities of his new opponent. He had observed how Yugi fumbled at times with the smoothness of the stones, and was reminded of the time when he held them in the same way. It would've made him wistful, if he wasn't concentrating on the game. So Yugi wasn't lying when he said he'd only played the game a few times before. He also noticed that Yugi was a little slow in placing his next move, taking more time to think over where he wanted to play next. It was fine since they didn't have a timer, but Hikaru was a little worried that it would mean that there might be a phase where Yugi would spend five or even ten minutes on a single move, dragging out the game.
Pachi.
Thirty-odd moves into the game, Hikaru frowned. His opponent was holding up a lot better than Hikaru had expected from a beginner. He could almost hear Sai's interested hum behind him, knowing that the ghost was watching every move with great curiosity and anticipation.
\Okay, let's see how you respond to this!\
Hikaru grinned, and placed his first attacking stone into enemy territory. He was still debating whether he should be playing shidougo or not, and Yugi's response would be the deciding factor.
Pachi.
Hikaru narrowed his eyes.
\Oh, so you're going there, eh? Let's see how you handle this!\
A full-blown onslaught erupted across the goban, and though Hikaru knew he should be more surprised when he found that Yugi could keep up with his pace, he was too busy trying to beat down the other teen's attacks. Before he knew it, he was nowhere near playing shidougo.
Kawai-san was mumbling something under his breath, but neither boy paid attention to him. They were lost in creating their universe of stones.
Yugi was feeling quite comfortable for the first ten, twenty moves, allowing his gaming instincts to take over. In fact, he realised early on that Go wasn't that much different from Duel Monsters – you had to know when to attack, when to defend, when to enforce your stones' shape and when to lay traps while trying to avoid your opponent's traps, or deliberately trigger them in order to lay your own, more intricate trap. If you substituted the cards for stones, it had all the basic principles of a Duel Monster battle. Sure, it didn't have all the fancy designs the cards had, but Yugi felt the same thrill of trying to outwit his opponent. In a way, Go did that better than Duel Monsters did because it was boiled down to black and white, so simple, yet filled with as many infinite possibilities as Duel Monsters was. So when Hikaru had attacked him, he wasn't as surprised as he would have been.
/All right – let me show you what I've got!/
He gritted his teeth in determination, responding in the defensive but always looking for ways to counterattack and retaliate.
-o-o-o-
Sai tapped his fan on his lips, surprised at the intensity of the game. He hadn't expected the other boy to be able to pull out even half of Hikaru's full strength, yet here he was, forcing Hikaru to get serious. They were playing as almost-equals, and he realised that if Yugi had requested for a handicap, Hikaru would be struggling a lot more than he currently was.
But that was worrying in itself – or should it mean that Sai should celebrate? He couldn't decide whether the boy's unusual strength meant he was a Go genius, or whether it spoke of something more…like that second ghost Hikaru was talking about. To have only played a 'few' games and hold so well against Hikaru who was ready to become a pro practically screamed 'PRODIGY', or at the very least, someone who was extremely gifted at strategy games. Either way, Yugi had definitely caught the attention of everyone in the salon, and the crowd was as thick as it was when Hikaru was playing against the three other patrons.
Sai glanced at Yugi, and out of curiosity, decided to walk over to the boy, wondering if he could somehow find out whether there was a spirit behind Yugi's moves.
-o-o-o-
When Yugi had refused to switch, Yami was a bit put-off. His partner almost never outright refused his requests, especially when he was being reasonable. He was going to retreat inside the puzzle to sulk a little, but he couldn't help being interested in a game that he'd never played before. So he stood to Yugi's right, his crimson eyes taking in all the intricacies of the game in front of him.
He had been a little distracted during the games between the blond boy and the three men, but still managed to catch the gist of how to play. The stones were always trying to surround one another while claiming territory at the same time, being placed in a manner similar to the moves to an intricate sword dance. Players had to decide whether to attack, defend or strengthen with their stones, and it looked extremely difficult to find the right balance. It also required a heavy amount of reading ahead, but Yami caught on quickly due to his proficiency at forming strategies. It was one reason why he was very good at laying traps and using spells, and he had the feeling that Go was the same. Well that, and the Heart of the Cards helped to secure his wins. He quirked a smile at that – Yugi hadn't noticed, but he saw that the Go salon was named 'Heart of the Stone', and he'd briefly wondered if it had anything to do with the Heart of the Cards. Perhaps there was a way to win this game with just the right hand, where a stone was placed in the perfect place with perfect timing…
Suddenly, the feeling that had been nagging him grew a lot stronger, as if it were sitting right on top of him, making Yami's eyes widen in shock. But he kept his expression and emotions under tight control – he didn't want to disturb Yugi's concentration now, not when he seemed to be doing so well. He looked around cautiously, hoping that Yugi wouldn't notice his behaviour. What was making him feel so strange? It was nothing like the evil that radiated from the Millennium Ring or Rod when Bakura or Marik was using it, nor was it that queasy, toxic-sludge feeling that surrounded him whenever he was duelling in the Shadow Realm. Yet the power still felt like it fell in the category of 'mysterious spiritual power', and now that it increased in intensity, he could safely say that it didn't possess an ounce of darkness.
Yami hesitated. He felt silly, and hoped that Yugi wouldn't notice, but he closed off the mind-link they had so he could project his thoughts.
/ /…Hello? Is anyone there?/ /
He was met with silence. He held his breath, fervently hoping that he wasn't just making up the whole thing in his mind. Perhaps it was coming from inside the puzzle? He really hoped not – he couldn't send something he couldn't see, much less know next to nothing about, to the Shadow Realm.
He tried again.
/ /Can anyone hear me?/ /
He felt the power's presence shift a tiny bit, but that was all. He blinked.
Perhaps it wasn't sentient, just a source of lingering energy or something.
All at once, the presence left altogether as if it had retreated, its power reducing back to a nearly untraceable murmur.
Yami frowned. There was definitely much more going on here than he would ever know, and he silently chalked it along with the numerous other mysteries that he'd probably only get to solve at a later date.
He sighed, and turned back to watch the game.
-o-o-o-
Sai had hovered next to the spikey-haired boy, waving his long sleeves in front of the boy's face. He wasn't expecting much; after all, everyone but Hikaru would always walk through him or ignore him. And Yugi continued to play, putting his hand through Sai's sleeves to place his next stone.
Sai sighed. It was disappointing to be reminded of his invisibility, even though he knew he'd always recover sooner or later. Playing Go helped a lot, of course. It was only when he played when he felt that he could be seen, not in the physical sense, but on some sort of higher spiritual plane.
He shuffled closer to the other teen's right side, peering over to change his perspective on the game.
He was in the middle of admiring the delicate yet effective playing style Yugi had when he suddenly heard something strange, like a shiver in the air that somehow managed to form words.
…there?
He froze in his spot and cast his eyes around, wondering if someone in the crowd had said something. Well, they weren't completely silent, murmuring to one another about the latest move by Hikaru or Yugi, but the voice was completely different from an outside human's voice. In fact, the voice felt like it had appeared in his mind before fizzling out so quickly that he couldn't tell if it had been there in the first place.
He strained his ears, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him.
…hear me?
Sai jumped. He was officially more than spooked now – he was feeling something akin to pure terror. At first, he'd been semi-joking to Hikaru about another ghost, but now…he really didn't want to know. What if the other ghost wasn't a peaceful Go-obsessed ghost like him? What if it was evil and ate other ghosts for breakfast? He'd never be able to play Go again!
Sai shot back to Hikaru's side of the table, as if the presence of his host could somehow keep the other…thing…at bay.
\\Hikaru! HIKARU! I think…I think there's another ghost here!\\
He was met with silence.
\\HIKARRUUUU!\\
The ghost wailed, flailing his arms. But his cry was lost on the boy, who was too busy trying to defend his territory from a surprisingly ingenious move his opponent made. Sai humphed and gave up. He'll talk to Hikaru about it later when they were alone. Maybe during a few rounds of Go. Speaking of which, Sai turned his attention back to the game, his fear already ebbing in favour of watching his favourite game being played.
-o-o-o-
Pachi. Pachi.
Everyone could see that both boys were playing a brilliant game, and though Kawai-san was a tad disappointed at not having seen Yugi get thoroughly beaten by Shindou, the intense battle on the goban more than made up for it.
It was a very close game, but even Yami could tell that it was taking Yugi every ounce of his effort to keep up with Shindou while Shindou seemed to slice through their defences and traps without breaking a sweat.
/ /Aibou./ /
/…Hmm? What?/
His partner's answer was a bit delayed, as he was still very much into the game. He felt a pang of sadness when he realised that usually, during duels, he was in constant communication with his partner because he could offer good advice or vice versa, because they both knew the game so well. With this game of Go, he was virtually useless, even though he knew his gaming instincts were on par, perhaps even better than Yugi's. But despite that, he still wanted to help.
/ /I think we should switch./ /
Yugi blinked, pulling himself out of his focus for a brief moment.
/Why? Do you sense something dangerous?/
/ /Yeah. You're in danger of losing./ /
Yugi chuckled at the pharaoh's unexpected answer. Honestly, the spirit was so opposed to the idea of losing, even if it wasn't him playing the game! And one that wasn't Duel Monsters!
/Yami. I think I'll be fine./
The spirit sighed, but left Yugi to do as he wished.
/ /Just don't come crying to me if you lose./ /
Yugi would've hit Yami for that, but he let it slide, seeing as they were in front of a crowd. Perhaps he'd chastise him later, when they were alone in their soul rooms.
-To be continued-
'Pachi' is apparently the official Japanese sound effect for the sounds Go stones make as they come in contact with the board.
You can probably tell by now that I don't play Go. At all. So just imagine an epic battle taking place, complete with cinematic and overly dramatic effects worthy of any HnG game.
The conclusion to the game is coming up next, so stay tuned. (Translation: I'm so mean. XD)
