Chapter 8

Hikaru meets Akira about two months after he starts visiting the Meijin's home.

He knows the younger version of who he used to call his rival must have been in the house during the times Hikaru himself had been there, but the games or discussions between him and Sai and the Meijin always stretch so far into the evening that by the end of it, Hikaru never has time to linger, always in a hurry to get to the station and back home before his mother goes insane with worry.

Admittedly, he hadn't given Akira's presence in the house much thought either, always far too concerned with letting Sai play against the Meijin to his heart's content.

So, they likely would have continued missing each other. Because when they do finally meet, it's actually mostly Ogata's fault.

Figures.

xxx

Akira knows he is loitering, but he still comes up with yet another 'reason' to coincidentally wander past the door to his father's Go room. The room where his father is currently playing against someone Akira doesn't know.

Sure, Akira had been generally aware that his father had added yet another regular appointment to his schedule recently, what with him disappearing into the Go room for several hours every Sunday, but his father quite simply is never not busy, so Akira had thought nothing of it.

But then last week, that suddenly changed.

Akira had just been walking past his father's Go room on his way to the kitchen, when he had come to a abrupt stop, blinking, honestly surprised to hear a rather brash and definitely young voice passionately - and loudly - arguing about some Go move, saying how placing the stone there instead would have given Akira's father an advantage over 'him'. Who is 'him'?

And who in the world is this boy to argue with his father at all?

But the thing that had truly piqued his curiosity had not been the age of his father's Sunday afternoon appointment or even the brashness of the boy, but the fact that his father had clearly not only been listening but then also replied in that thoughtful manner he only gets when he actually thinks another player's opinion worth considering.

And that is definitely not something that happens often and sounds absolutely ridiculous when considering the one suggesting it is a child.

So, now, Akira is curious.

While his father has quite a few students, Akira knows all of them and he is absolutely certain that none of them are children.

Akira had even asked his mother, not quite wanting to go badger his father about it, and she had told him that a boy about Akira's age had been to visit their house a couple of times now to play with his father. In a timeslot his father has specifically reserved just for that boy and apparently their games and discussions go on for several hours each time.

Even the main study group his father holds only goes for three or four hours at most. And that's with several people present, most of them rather highly ranked in the Go world.

For his father to be willing to spend that much time with just one other player...

Yes, Akira is definitely curious.

He contemplates the door once more, trying to figure out if he could come up with a good enough reason to just go inside, or at least to have a quick look.

Because today, there are no voices, not a single noise from the room. No conversation, no discussion.

Which means, they are most likely playing a game.

Thing is, when Akira got home almost three hours ago, they had already been inside the Go room, already silent, already playing. Which means, whoever he is, this boy is good enough to last through a match with his father for several hours. Which should plainly be impossible.

Akira has never been this curious about someone before in his life.

Hence, the loitering in the hopes of maybe being able to run into whoever is currently keeping his father so very occupied. Entirely by coincidence, of course.

He sees his mother approach the door with a tray from the kitchen just as Akira draws level with the door, she easily slides it open, entering silently. And finally Akira can see his father sat as usual on one side of the goban and the boy he has been so very curious about. Who is strangely enough not actually sitting opposite from his father but instead a little off to the side.

The boy also looks nothing like what Akira had been expecting subconsciously, doesn't look at all like a serious Go player. The dyed hair and the relaxed way he is sitting at the goban, legs crossed casually, the jeans and t-shirt. It's all so casual compared to what he is used to seeing in the Go world much less from people who are visiting the house of the Meijin.

He is so distracted by his observation that he misses the point where his mother has refreshed the tea for the room's occupants and is already making her way back out.

She clearly sees him staring.

Akira knows he is blushing at being caught eavesdropping - if you can call it that - but his mother just smiles at him in passing and with a slight smile tugging at the corner of her mouth, she 'coincidentally' doesn't close the door all the way.

Which only makes Akira blush more. But he just can't help but focus back on what little he can see of the room beyond.

It truly is entirely silent in the Go room.

From his spot and with the door now mostly closed, Akira can only see some of the two occupants. But they clearly are entirely, intently focused on the board in front of them.

And that's not just his father's general focus on a game.

No. Even from where he is standing, even from a distance, the aura inside the room feels oppressive. Like his father is truly putting his all, all of his focus into this game. Like the boy opposite him, the game he is playing requires all of his attention.

Akira stares. Because a boy his own age posing an actual challenge to his father? That just can't be.

"Akira?"

He flinches at the unexpected interruption.

Somehow he entirely missed Ogata coming up to him, now standing right next to him where he is loitering in the hallway, looking at him with an expectantly raised eyebrow.

"Hello, Ogata-san," he says, trying to cover how flustered at being caught lurking outside the Go room.

Ogata frowns and then glances over to where Akira was so focused before. His eyebrows jump up.

"The lesson already started?"

Akira shakes his head, about to say that this is not their study group - which is only supposed to start in about an hour or so - and that whatever is going on in that room is clearly entirely different. But, well, Ogata was never one to actually wait around for explanations and before Akira can say anything, the man is already striding over to the door, entirely used to being welcome to join in on watching any game going on in this house.

Akira blinks and then quickly scrambles after him.

Both of them are of course entirely quiet, not wanting to disrupt the players' concentration. But they barely make it into the room before both players suddenly look up.

A blink.

And then the heavy atmosphere in the room just dissipates, simply wafts away with the interrupted focus of both players.

Akira feels torn about interrupting despite his curiosity and at his side Ogata is frowning now, clearly surprised by the presence of this boy who he doesn't know and likely also having sensed the unusually heavy atmosphere in the room.

"Ogata-san. Akira," his father greets both of them, sounding rather unimpressed, his raised eyebrows telling Akira just how much his father doesn't appreciate being interrupted.

Even Ogata seems slightly cowed by the disapproving vibes his father is currently giving off. Neither of them willing to come any closer to the board without his father's invitation to do so.

Clearly they walked in on something they were in fact not welcome to join.

The other boy sitting opposite his father at the goban however is reaching for the phone that had been lying next to him, seemingly typing a quick message, before putting it away again. His father watches and nods at the boy.

And then they get up as his father introduces.

"Shindou-kun, this is one of my students Ogata-san, kyudan. And my son, Akira who has is currently preparing for his insei test."

The other boy nods at both of them casually, relaxed, almost irreverently. And Akira can't help but once more notice how much he doesn't look like a serious Go player.

Irritatingly enough, when looking at Akira there also seems to be something almost like humor in the boy's eyes.

Although, that's still much better than the expression directed at Ogata. Which is just pure and simple suspicion. Like he expects Ogata to jump out him and accost him any second now.

"Ogata-san, Akira, this is Shindou-kun." His father continues.

No further explanation. Well, that's not very helpful in figuring out just why his father apparently spends several hours a week playing and discussing Go with this boy Akira's age.

xxx

Hikaru is caught between humor at how adorable Akira's twelve year old self is and the need to make himself disappear at Ogata's presence.

But well, with his rather close association with the Meijin, he always knew that he would run into Ogata at some point.

Thankfully, they have long since come up with a cover story. Because neither Hikaru nor the Meijin have any interest in trying to explain Sai's ghostly presence to others.

They would very much like to stay outside of any sort of mental institution, thank you very much.

The solution had actually been rather simple. The Meijin suggested that they could claim Sai to be an old acquaintance of his, a magnificent Go player with skills on par with the Meijin's own, who however has been sickly for years – thus unable to truly be part of the Go world – and whose illness has recently worsened to a point where his recovery is no longer certain. Which is the reason he sent the one student he decided to take on despite his weak constitution to be taught by his old friend the Meijin while he himself is bedridden and unable to teach.

It's a little convoluted but straightforward enough that they should be able to keep their stories straight. They really only have to keep in mind to talk about anything that would fall under the ghostly part of Sai's existence, to be due to that fictional illness instead.

And with Sai supposedly being on bedrest somewhere, they also have a great excuse if anyone ever spots Hikaru playing a game far beyond his actual skills with the Meijin. They'll simply claim that Sai is telling Hikaru from his sick bed where to place the stones for him.

It's actually quite perfect. It gives Hikaru's claim of having been playing for two years credibility if he had an truly excellent but sickly and rather shut-off-from-the-world Go teacher.

And - most importantly in Hikaru's opinion - it means Sai and the Meijin can continue playing without the three of them constantly having to check over their shoulders that no one witnesses Hikaru's two hands. He'll just always have to remember to put his phone in a way that he could believably claim to be using it for communication in some way.

Not to even mention the added bonus of making Sai's name into something spoken easily and normally between Go players, which will finally give his ghostly companion the recognition Hikaru has been trying to give him ever since returning to this time.

It's perfect. A great cover story.

A story which is also about to be put to the test.

Still, he really wishes that Akira and Ogata hadn't interrupted the game that Sai and the Meijin had been playing. It had been truly breathtaking and it will absolutely kill him to have to wait for its continuation until next week.

When he glances back at the goban, Sai is still sitting in his spot, contemplating his next move to tell Hikaru who will write it down, similar to what they do at the Go Association for professional games. It's how they have been dealing with their frequently interrupted games.

Hikaru leaves him to it and instead gets out a kifu, sits down next to the board and quickly starts filling in the moves in succession.

The Meijin is already taking his place across from Sai, while both Ogata and Akira are currently finding places across from Hikaru. He doesn't even have to look to know that the two of them must be rather confused by their current seating arrangement.

While he really, truly, rather desperately doesn't want there to be any indication of anything being off about him – has no interest in being once more chased around by Ogata, the absolute maniac - but, well, Hikaru is only willing to go so far for his cover story and telling Sai to move away from his spot is certainly not included in that.

And with the Meijin on his side and backing up his story, he doubts he'll have to put nearly as much effort into hiding Sai's constant presence at his side. Hikaru being a student of someone the Meijin considers a friend should really be enough of an explanation for any questions anyone might have.

So, once he is done with the kifu, he waits for Sai to decide on his next move, the Meijin silent at his other side.

'G-28 please, Hikaru,' Sai finally announces.

Hikaru promptly pretends to check his phone, nods and adds the new position on the kifu before folding it up to keep until they continue their game next week. At least he hopes there won't be anything - like highly-ranked, busybody Go players with bad dye jobs - interfering with their game.

But the whole kifu procedure and noting down the next move as they do for professional games, not only lends more credibility to their story overall but Hikaru has sworn to keep a record of every single one of Sai's games anyway this time around. And that's what he is going to do, no matter whether it's one of these breathtakingly beautiful games with the Meijin or one of the random ones online that they play as shuu.

This time around, there will be a physical record of Sai's existence, his name, his Go will be known. It's the reason Hikaru is here after all.

But now, with the kifu done and stored away, it is finally time to face the music.

He looks up, nods at the Meijin and then finally turns towards the other two occupants of the room. The boy who was rather essential in getting Hikaru into Go initially and who is definitely one of the reasons Hikaru kept at it in the years afterwards, and the man whose persistence made him want to pull his hair out on more than one occasion and who more than once made Hikaru wonder whether he should have ever joined the Go world in the first place.

What a combination.

A/N: Akira and Ogata are here! Would love to know what you think about their introduction :D
And thanks for all your lovely reviews (*^^*)