Disclaimer: I don't own Hikaru No Go.

Watching Over You

Sai sighed as he walked through the roads of the small town where he now lived. It had been four years already since he came here to stay…permanently. Of course it was a nice place, isn't everything supposed to be "paradise" after death? All your dreams, your desires, everything you wanted you would get.

But not for Sai.

Everybody knows what Sai's "paradise" would be. Playing Go all the time! And so be it for him. Every single day, all Sai did was play Go. From morning to night, Go consumed him like a hungry shark. He would think of nothing else. Except one thing.

"Hikaru…"

Hikaru was a boy Sai had used to reside in back in the living world. He heard what Hikaru heard, saw every one of Hikaru's thoughts – he might as well just be called Hikaru himself, for he knows every little thing about Hikaru. He loved Hikaru like a son. It wasn't anything like his experiences in Shuusaku's body.

Shuusaku was another person he had resided in. Of course, it was way before Hikaru was born. But the two were completely different from each other. Shuusaku, who was already an advanced Go player, chose to let Sai play every single one of his games for him. This resulted in him taking one of the highest Go ranks there was: Honinbu. And for a time, Sai and Shuusaku were happy with their lives. Nothing could change that. Until an epidemic hit. Shuusaku died over a Go board, and Sai was trapped inside of that Go board, waiting for someone who had the power to hear him and see him come.

That person was Hikaru. Now, Hikaru was just an ordinary and mischievous young boy. He knew nothing about Go, an "old man" game. So Sai wondered, "Why did God let me use Hikaru's body, and not an advanced Go player like Shuusaku?"

But even then, he taught Hikaru much about Go. He told Hikaru of his past, and why he came to be there. Except he didn't really know for himself.

Finally, it hit him, when he watched Hikaru, now a pro Go player, play a spectacular game. He was there to give Hikaru a future, a future that would continue Sai's own legacy, a legacy that no one knew about. But now they would, through Hikaru.

And that's why God gave him Hikaru, so Sai can finally rest in peace in his "paradise".

But sometimes, things just don't work out the way they are planned. Sai couldn't rest in peace, he didn't want to rest in peace yet. Only three years with Hikaru wasn't enough – he wanted more time to see Hikaru, to watch him grow and learn from his mistakes, like he always used to. In this place, he played Go everyday, but there was no change here. No one learned through their mistakes. They played the same games. They never got any better. Sai always wondered why.

And so he got bored. Bored of doing the same things everyday and playing the same games everyday. He needed something new, he wanted something old – a challenge. Well, and Hikaru.

One day, the Divine One came to Sai with a proposal. To watch over Hikaru, and be his guardian angel.

"Really? Will you really do this for me?" Sai asked, excitement clearly showing in his eyes. "I would be honored to. To watch over Hikaru, is the biggest honor anyone should ever have. Thank you."

But then, Sai's face showed a little confusion. "But…will he be able…to see me? Will I be able…to converse with him?"

The Divine One sadly shook His head. "I'm sorry. I cannot do that. Ones of the living cannot communicate with those of the dead."

Sai looked disappointed, but then his face lit up with a smile that would cheer up anybody's day. "It's alright. I understand. And I still accept."

And with that came a bright flash of light.

-::-::-::-

"Arimasen."

"Arigatou gozaimashita."

Hikaru sighed in relief. This was the game he had to win to become a 5-dan!

"5-dan…" Hikaru muttered to himself as he stood up. Waya patted him hard on the shoulder.

"Great job Shindou! I knew you can do it!!" said Waya, who had already been a 5-dan for a few months. 'Shindou's moving faster than I thought. I'd better get to practicing more…'

Touya Akira 7-dan was watching the game along with a crowd of spectators. He walked up to Hikaru.

"Very nice Shindou." He kneeled down next to the Go board. "Although you could have pulled back here," he pointed to a spot on the board, "…and attacked here instead. You also made a couple mistakes here, in the center. Not your best game, Shindou."

Hikaru looked a little angry. "I still won though! Who cares if it wasn't my best game, I still won!"

Akira smirked at Hikaru. "Even so, Shindou. Your best game's still not good enough for me."

Hikaru turned red. "TOUYA! You KNOW I've beaten you about ten times already! So just ADMIT you're a sore loser and stop lying!"

"Make me!"

"You wanna play a game right now? I'll PROVE it!!"

Waya sighed.

-::-::-::-

Sai laughed at the scene unfolding before him. They were at it again. Hikaru and Akira were always fighting like this, always over a game of Go. He shook his head. Those two were the best of friends, but quarreled with each other constantly. Sai had been Hikaru's guardian angel for over a year now, and has watched his interactions with his friends.

And if Sai hadn't been with Hikaru in the first place, Hikaru wouldn't have met Akira at all. Or Waya, or Tsutsui, Kaga…the Go club at his junior high school wouldn't have begun. To think that one person could make a huge difference in another person's life and the lives of others. And now that that person was gone, the other person continued his life with those of his friends.

"And I will be able to watch you, Hikaru, everyday for the rest of your life. Maybe I'll even be able to watch over your kids…well…if you ever have kids." Sai smiled. "You probably will end up having kids, too, with the way Akari has been looking at you. Well, I just hope you will be happy, whatever your decision might be."

He watched Hikaru pack up his belongings, say goodbye to the others, and head home.

"But I hope you know, that no matter what you do, I will always be watching over you, Hikaru."

-OWARI-

-::-::-::-

AN Okay, I hope that wasn't too bad. I just wrote this one in an hour as a one shot, and I think it might have turned out pretty well. Well, for my first fic in almost a year. I think my writing style has changed a bit, and I took my first year of Japanese this year so I might be using some Japanese words in my writing. Anyway, please tell me what you think! Thanks for reading.

Kawaii Yoshi