AUish AkiHiki What if Hikaru Shindou had never existed. What if no one remembered who he was? What if Hikaru just...disappeared? 'I'm haunted by the ghost of someone who never existed.'

A silent wind blew threw the tree tops of a silent city on a silent night. A figure wearing white with a black hat and purple hair stood watching a small boy sleep. His eyes were clouded and sad as he looked at this boy with two colors in his hair.

'I'm sorry Hikaru. Truly sorry.' He whispered to the sleeping boy.

Hikaru didn't stir, he didn't know of the happenings in the world. Sai's eyes traveled to Hikaru's lower half, all of which was encompassed in a strange golden glow.

He'd been able to come back to Hikaru after all this time, but only because of the tragedy about to befall him. Hikaru had been so thrilled, he'd cried for half an hour, and had been so tired afterwards that there had been no time to explain. Now, Sai felt himself losing the confidence he'd had to tell Hikaru why he was back.

-

It was snowing, and Hikaru liked the snow. He'd just seen a few Go matches, and played a game with Waya. Everything seemed perfect in the world to him right now.

"Hey Sai." he said aloud.

They were in the park, but no one was there. So it was no harm to talk to the ghost aloud.

'Yes Hikaru?' he asked.

"I feel so great right now. Kind of like I'm floating or something...Do you know why?" he asked innocently.

'No. I don't know.' Sai lied, but Hikaru couldn't tell.

"Hmm...Guess I'll go home then. I need to train in order to beat Touya when I see him next." he laughed.

His eyes widened and his laughter turned to gasps. He felt a pulsation run through him, and it was painful. The teen fell to the ground, making a slight hole in the ever present snow.

"S-sai..." he managed. He was shaking badly.

'Hikaru!' the ghost knelt next to him in the snow, but cursed his lack of ability to help.

Hikaru stopped shaking and took a few deep breaths. Sai could tell how scared he was, just by looking in his eyes.

"Sai...What just...happened?" he asked in a small voice, looking to the ghost for comfort. Sai merely shook his head.

-

Hikaru fell straight to sleep that night, tired from the day's events. Sai sat next to him and cried some tears that would never hit the ground.

'I'm sorry this is happening so fast...I never meant for you to be in pain.' he whispered.

Hikaru's body was now completely enveloped in the golden light. Sai reached out to touch the boy's shoulder, but flinched away when wisps of the light attacked him.

'Hikaru...' he laid his hands back in his lap.

Hikaru merely groaned in his sleep.

-

Hikaru was careful the next day. He even told his mom he was sick so that he could stay home.

"I'm not sure what happened yesterday Sai. But I'll keep it away today." he assured the worried looking ghost next to him. "Let's just play a game, ok?"

'If you feel up to it.' He nodded and Sai took a seat across the goban from him.

The game lasted longer than their previous ones, but Hikaru was pretty sure it wasn't because he had gotten closer to Sai's level. Sai had obviously gone easy on him. And he never went easy on Hikaru.

"Hey Sai. Why'd you go easy on me this time?" he asked. "I'm not really sick, you know that right?"

'Yes. I know.' he smiled behind his fan. 'You should eat something though. It's dinner time.' Sai pointed to the clock moments before Hikaru's mother called out "Dinner's ready Hikaru!"

"Wow. You must be psychic." Hikaru winked as he laughed.

Sai smiled until he saw Hikaru's eyes shimmer gold.

'Uh...Hikaru...' he tried, but the boy was already heading downstairs to eat. 'It won't be long now.' he said sadly before following the one whose consciousness he inhabited.

-

Hikaru sighed, closing the door to his bedroom. He pat his stomach in content.

"Man. Mom's cooking gets better every time!" he joked with a laugh. He yawned. "I'm going to bed. Ok Sai?"

Sai nodded with a half smile. When Hikaru froze, a familiar pulsation running through his body, he fell to the floor with a loud thud.

'Hikaru!' Sai yelled once more, kneeling next to his charge and wishing he could make this easier for the boy.

"Wh-what's happening?" Hikaru asked.

'I'm sorry Hik-'

"Hikaru? Hikaru what's wrong? I heard a loud noise." his mother's voice drifted in from the other side of the door.

"M-mom?" Hikaru managed before another pulsation made any talking futile. "Ah!"

It hurt. It hurt a lot!

The shaking had worsened and for a brief moment, Hikaru wondered if he was actually really sick. His mom's knocking on the door increased in frequency, but the noise just seemed to hurt Hikaru's ears.

"Augh...Ah!" was all he managed to make out as it seemed his body was being torn to shreds.

"Hikaru! I'm coming in if you don't open this door in 5 seconds!" his mother replied loudly. "5...4...3...2..."

A swift wind blew southwards down the street, blowing every leaf in the trees nearby, every blade of grass. The woman outside the bedroom door opened it to see a room filled with boxes that had yet to be unpacked since her and her husband moved in.

"What did I come in here for again? Oh well..." she closed the door and proceeded down the stairs to the kitchen, humming happily.

A group of teens walking down the street covered their faces for a split moment while the wind hit their faces, before they continued on their way to a Go Salon, in which sat a boy alone at a goban.

His hair was iron straight and he seemed to be contemplating something deeply. He looked up as the wind blew the trees outside roughly, then looked down at the board.

"What...game was I replaying again?" he asked in confusion before clearing the board and starting a game his father had recently played.

And the boy with bleach-blonde bangs was nowhere...Gone with the Wind.

-

Do you want previews?