Last chapter!

The go community was in a state of upheaval. The Houinbou match was turning out to be the most exciting, confusing, and record breaking series that had ever been played. Not only was Touya the youngest title challenger in history, he had also forfeited three of the seven games (also a first). And, no one had ever won a title after losing the first three matches, and yet Touya had won three games in a row. On top of that, he was playing his games in another player's style. After Kuwabara had pointed it out, more people began to notice. Top pros, Hikaru's friends, and others who had played Touya and Hikaru regularly noticed that the kifu from the Houinbou matches had a distinct Shindou Hikaru flavor. But Touya refused to say any more about it after his first explanation and the go world was left wondering.

It was the morning of the seventh and final match. Touya and Hikaru were in Hiroshima, where the game was set to take place. Touya looked markedly better. He had put some of his weight back on and his cheeks and eyes no longer appeared sunken and hollow. He very strategically chose not to eat breakfast with Kuwabara and the other affiliates, preferring the solitude of his room so that he could talk to Hikaru freely.

"Are you nervous?" Touya asked.

"Hmm?" Hikaru replied distractedly, clearly not paying much attention.

"I said, are you nervous." Hikaru shook his head.

"No, what gave you that idea?"

"You've been quiet all morning. Are you feeling alright?" Hikaru grinned.

"I'm a ghost. I don't get sick Touya." Touya glared at him. Hikaru sighed. "I get this way when I'm in Hiroshima. Don't worry about it."

"Because of Sai?" Hikaru nodded.

"Anyway," Hikaru continued, "I should focus on the game today. After all, it'll be the last time I ever play someone who isn't you." Touya gave him a confused look.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not going to play any more of your matches for you. I won't do that to you. So I'll only get to play against you from now on." Touya shook his head.

"That's not true. You can always play online. Besides, if you win today, you're the Houinbou. Not me. That means that next year, and the year after, and every year after that, you get to play in the Houinbou match. At least until you lose it."

"Touya…" Hikaru was visibly touched. A smile crept along his face.

"Then I guess I can't lose it huh?"

"You have to win it first," Touya pointed out. Hikaru grinned broadly.

"Don't worry, I plan to."

ooooooooooooooooooooo

Hikaru played spectacularly. Even Touya, who had seen Hikaru's games many, many times, had to admit that this was special. Hikaru pulled out all the stops and played with the depth and creativity that his game was known for, but at a much more intensive level than usual. He set the pace early in the game and pushed Kuwabara to the edge. Kuwabara even resorted to his "sealing the move" trick that night, but as Touya had been forewarned, it didn't have the same effect that it had had on Ogata.

It was just before lunch on the second day when Kuwabara finally surrendered his title.

Touya waited impatiently through the pictures and the post-game discussion. It felt like ages before he could finally escape to his room where he and Hikaru could talk.

"Congratulations, Touya Houinbou," Hikaru said as soon as Touya closed his door.

"Don't you start too!" Touya groaned. "I was going to offer you the congratulations, Shindou Houinbou. You actually managed to take a title before me, and I never would have thought that would happen."

"Yeah, no one else did either, what with me being dead and all." Touya threw a pillow at him, but it sailed right through him. Hikaru laughed. Touya couldn't help smiling too.

"But I still feel bad about it," Touya continued. "Everyone's going to call me the Houinbou, but I didn't play those games. I don't deserve it."

"Torajiro didn't deserve the title either," Hikaru pointed out.

"Who?"

"Houinbou Shuusaku. Sai played all of his games. Sai was the Houinbou, not Torajiro. But he still took the title, and he held it with honor." Hikaru smiled warmly. "You're in good company." Touya thought about that. Hikaru did have a point. Touya may not have felt that he deserved the title of Houinbou, but the fact that he had helped Hikaru achieve it linked them together with a bond so strong, even death couldn't break it. He felt tremendous pride course through him at that realization. And then he remembered something Hikaru had said to him years earlier.

"You once told me that your reason for playing go was to link the distant past to the distant future. Well, I think I finally understand that. And I think, from now on, that can be my reason for playing as well. Thank you for letting me be a part of it." They locked eyes for a long moment, reveling in that feeling of sharing something so important.

"Touya," Hikaru said, breaking the silence. "Do you mind if…if I call you…A…Akira?" Touya was floored. He was not expecting that question at all.

"W..Why?" he stuttered. Hikaru scratched his head nervously.

"Well, you're the only person I'm going to be able talk to for the rest of your life, so it feels kinda weird to have that distance between us, you know?" Now, lots of people called Touya "Akira", but they were all people he had known since he was very young. The thought of Hikaru calling him that was confusing and scary and…nice.

"Ok," Touya agreed. "But on one condition. I get to call you Hikaru."

"Really?" Hikaru asked excitedly. "You're really going to call me Hikaru?" Touya glared at him.

"Of course. Why should you call me by my first name if I don't call you by yours? Besides, I don't want there to be any distance between us either." Touya felt like he had just admitted something very intimate, but with Hikaru, there was no reason to hide, no reason to keep secrets. Hikaru would know everything about him from now on, and the least he could do was be honest with him. He reached out and took Hikaru's hand. The feeling of touching a ghost still felt a little strange, but Touya was quickly becoming used to the sensation.

"Let's go Shin…Hikaru," he said, enjoying the sound of Hikaru's first name on his tongue.

"Go where?" Touya smiled.

"Shuusaku's grave. There are some things I want to say to him. And you can say hi to Sai."

"Akira," Hikaru said affectionately, and Touya loved hearing Hikaru say his first name just as much as he loved saying Hikaru's.

"Don't you think it's a bit weird for a ghost to go to a graveyard?" Hikaru asked with a smirk.

"I think it's quite a natural place for you actually," Touya replied. He squeezed Hikaru's hand tighter as Hikaru laughed. And Touya thought that he would never, ever, get sick of that sound.

oooooooooooooooooooo

Somewhere in another realm, Sai and Torajiro sat before a go board.

"They'll be alright now," Torajiro said. "Both of them."

"Yes," Sai agreed. "Those two have picked up where we left off. Maybe they really will play the hand of god someday."

"They just might do it. Those two. Onegaishimasu."

Sai smiled as he heard Touya's voice drift through the air.

"Thank you Sai," Touya said. "Thank you Shuusaku. Thank you for Hikaru."

"Onegaishimasu," Sai replied. And with that, they began to play.

The End!

I feel like there's more I can probably do with this concept, but this was all I had in me right now. I really hope you liked it. It was my first fic (or I guess ficlet) in a long time, and only my second Hikaru no Go fic. I have an incredibly difficult time convincing myself to write yaoi, so sorry if I disappointed you with the lack of romance. But I tried to put some teasers in there anyway :)

Oh, and for you anime watchers, Hikaru's reason for playing go is something he says near the end of the manga. Just in case you were confused :)

Anyway, thank you so much for reading my fic. I hope you enjoyed it!