A/N: So I'm not sure I ever thought I'd add more to this, but I was in the midst of working on some research (I'm never going to truly be done with school) and someone added AOF to their Story Alert-and suddenly, all I really wanted to do was add some more to this. If I do continue to update this, don't expect regular updates or anything more than monthly. I'm in the midst of my PhD and I am supposed to be working on that instead.

I do however understand that it's never a bad idea to take some time to yourself and spending time writing is supposed to help for dissertation writing eventually. At least I'll keep telling myself that...

Thank you all who reviewed the first chapter and showed an interest in this story! I'd still like to see where it takes me. Hopefully not in another five years though because I'd forgotten the prologue was in first-person POV and had to change the whole first chapter. It was mildly frustrating and a bit sad too.

Disclaimer: See the disclaimer from the prologue. I do not have any rights to these characters.

An Old Friend

Chapter One

I must've spent twenty minutes at the Log In screen of NetGo, the site that I'd used daily, ten years prior. The username sai just seemed to sit there, observing me as I rested my head on the back of the couch. What in the world was my password? I tapped absently on the laptop space bar as I let my mind wander. It felt like I'd tried every combination of my name and the number five, and obscure cartoon characters. There were even the football players I'd followed at some point and a conglomeration of Sai's name with mine.

Yuusuke, on the one recliner we shared in the small apartment, spared me a glance from the game he was playing. He was in the process of going for a spectacular shot on the football game, teeth gritted in concentration. "No luck?" There was an answering groan from me.

"Thirteen-year-old me probably chose some obscure manga character." I glared briefly at the screen. "I must've tried everything!" I continued and shut the laptop with a frustrated bang. Yuusuke sighed with me.

"I mean," I continued as the frustration bubbled out. "The worst part is I don't even remember the e-mail address I used. Could it be any more hopeless?" At this point, I was on my feet and moving towards the kitchen to pull out a cup ramen from the cupboard.

"Just make a new account." Yuusuke's voice came from the living room. "You know—people make new accounts to things all the time." I knew this. But how could I explain to Yuusuke that it felt like part of me was losing Sai all over again, by losing this account. All the history the two of us shared was under that username. Yes, I could make a new account, but would it be the same?

I pondered this as I heated up some water and poured the hot water into the dried noodles. I continued to mull the thought over as I silently ate my ramen at the kitchen counter while scrolling through some updates on social media. It was only a text from Akari that seemed to take my mind off the question at hand.

Worst day ever. Drinks?

I chuckled slightly to myself, typing a quick response. You mean it's your monthly appointment to get sordidly drunk while pretending I'm your psychologist, so I can listen to drunk ramblings?

It took approximately two minutes before the response of 'screw you' lit up the screen. With a few more taps at the keyboard, I let Akari know that I could be at our regular place in half an hour. Throwing the empty ramen bowl in the garbage, I scrambled to my room to change my shirt. I ruffled through a set of mildly clean clothes strewn over a chair until I found a slim, forest green V-neck. Sniffing it lightly, I shrugged before putting it on.

"Hey, Yuusuke! I'm meeting Akari for a drink." The whirlwind that I'd become pushed my wallet into a pocket and bounced my way into a pair of dark sneakers at the front door, all in record time. I got some sort of noise as a response from my roommate who was still busy playing football on the shared PlayStation. I took that as a good enough answer before grabbing my keys and slamming the door behind a quick good bye.

The fifteen-minute jaunt to the low-key bar that Akari and I frequented was appreciated. I hadn't realized how tense I was since getting the goban yesterday. But after putting down that stone, it felt like I'd finally broke down some emotional barrier I never knew I had. Now, I was itching to play. I wanted so badly to see the formation of a universe before my eyes.

I remembered sleepless nights as I listened to Sai's excited explanations behind moves from a previous game. There were learning games played on the cheap folded board I'd purchased after my grandfather refused to give me the goban. There were the stories of a history long passed. For a solid three years, I seemed to revolve around Sai's tutelage, and in turn, around go. I'd read kifu of games between Go Masters, both past and present, and Sai and I would discuss them in depth.

And then, one day, Sai was gone. I remembered the incident well because I'd thought about it for more than a year. I could picture the almost startled look on Sai's face that week everything began to change. "I thought I was brought back to play the Hand of God," Sai had whispered to me shortly after his online match against Touya Meijin. "But I think it was to meet you, Hikaru." I'd rolled my eyes at this and called the ghost sentimental. I hadn't thought much about it at the time but over that week, Sai had begun to say more things like that.

After one of our final games together, he'd smiled brightly at me. "You are getting so good, Hikaru. If time were permitted, I think you would see even further ahead than I." I huffed at that one and remined the ghost that I wasn't anywhere near beating him.

I should have known, but Sai was so friendly and optimistic and enthusiastic, and I just hadn't recognized it for what it was at the time. Now, however, I knew that Sai was trying to prepare me for the ghost's disappearance. And when Sai disappeared, I was angry and hurt and I didn't know where exactly to turn. I'd anguished over the loss of my friend and when I couldn't handle it, I'd hidden it all away.

Suddenly, I felt two smaller arms wrap tightly around one of my own swinging arms. "Hikaru! Thank goodness you're here." Akari all but plastered herself to my side. "There are drinks to be had and complaints to be discussed!" She quickly pulled me the last few feet into the dim bar, hidden in a nearby alley.

I greeted the girl warmly as we found our usual spot. "Ah. Yes, Fujisaki-san—please. Begin." I took on a comical position and waited for her to begin her tale and listened obediently, only stopping briefly to put in an order for two glasses of sake from the bar. I hummed and hawed when appropriate.

It wasn't until much later that I finally changed the topic. At this point, Akari was a drowsy mess in our corner of the bar, slowly swirling the thin straw in her very sweet concoction. I was nursing a beer and felt mildly buzzed myself. "My dad stopped over yesterday." I started, giving Akari a small look to see how she'd take the conversation. "Apparently my grandfather left me the goban."

Akari slowly settled her gaze back to me. She must've been rather out of it, I thought, if she wasn't immediately jumping into that conversation. Instead, she let out a breathy, "Hmmmm…" and settled further into the alcove. But almost like a short-circuiting wire, she jumped back towards me. "The goban? The one that nearly knocked you out?"

I simply nodded in response. I knew she'd be interested in this change of events. Akari was my closest friend. My best friend and additionally, my neighbor. She was there when we first saw Sai, and she was there to help drag me out of my despair on Sai's disappearance. While I had never told her about Sai, she'd recognized my sudden avid interest in go and then my very staunch refusal to even speak of the game.

"Made me think," I continued, taking another sip of the nearly warm beer. "Of those years, you know?"

"Which ones? The ones where you spent all your waking time playing the game or the ones where you pretended you didn't even know what it was?" Akari's bluntness was probably a mix from drunkenness and her frank personality, but I didn't fault her for it. Instead, I shrugged. Because honestly, I didn't actually know which one myself. Both, perhaps?

Akari moved her drink to the side, and seemed to look me over, settling on my eyes. "I was starting to think I'd never hear you utter the word 'go' again. You seemed so unhappy that I was terrified you'd just break down and never come out again." I realized she wasn't actually staring into my eyes but seemingly past me and into a younger version of myself. "You threw it all out. All the books and the articles and that foldable goban you had. If the computer wasn't handy for other things, I thought you might've thrown that out too."

I chuckled weakly. "I probably would have," I agreed. "I wanted to burn it all and forget all about it. And now, I think I've made a terrible mistake." I looked down to see she'd rested her hand on top of mine and squeezed it tightly.

"Shindou Hikaru. You might have been an idiot at the time, but you did what you thought you had to. Never look at the past with eyes from the present." Her sage advice was only slightly downplayed by the droopy eyes. "But does this mean you're ready to talk about it?"

I wasn't sure I'd ever be ready to talk about it. Not all of it, anyway. And not to Akari who wouldn't be able to understand my obsession with an old game. "Maybe not talk about, but I'm ready to play again." I smiled slightly. "I'm ready to heal."

And her smile was blinding. She grinned with all her teeth. "Good." There was an additional squeeze to my hand. "No. Great. I'm so happy to hear that. And how will you manage that?"

"Well, I'd thought I'd start back with internet go like I used to, but I can't remember my password." I remembered my earlier frustration.

"Well, make a new one." She said matter-of-fact, not dissimilar to Yuusuke. "Sounds like an excuse to me." I blinked dumbly at this. Akari was right, of course—not that I'd tell her that. But I was making excuses. Did I even want to use Sai's account? Those were Sai's games, not mine. I may have discussed them at length with the ghost, but they were still Sai's moves and his ability.

It was finally time that I played with my own ability. I had a shadow to step out of and a lot of potential opponents to play against—instead of the same one opponent. I had to understand if I was any good without Sai and learn if the game was still worth playing if it wasn't against the ghost.

I grinned at Akari. "You're absolutely right. Are you sure you're not supposed to be the psychologist between us?" Akari simply gave a quick eye roll.

"Eugh, as if. Listening to you whine is more than enough. I have my own issues to deal with—speaking of. I saw Mitani-kun the other day and I swear, he hasn't grown in the least." She started out, her ire returned as she rehashed an event concerning old school friends.

Her voice washed over me and calmed my thoughts. I took a long swig of beer, knowing what I needed to do next.

It was quiet and dark in the apartment when I finally made it back after walking Akari back to her place. I hung up the keys next to the door and slipped off my sneakers as quietly as my muddled body could manage. Yuusuke must be asleep by now, and my dry eyes indicated I could do with some shut eye too. But there was something I had to do first.

Instead of finding my way to bed, I picked up the forgotten laptop and settled back onto the couch. When I opened it, the website page immediately came back into view and sai still blinked at me, waiting. I clicked into the username slot, and with three hits of the delete key, it was gone. Instead, I navigated to the 'sign up' page and slowly began making my way through a new username, e-mail, and password that I'd hopefully remember this time. And when it was finally all set up, I logged in under the username, Hikaru5.

It was well past one in the morning but for some reason, I couldn't find it in myself to feel tired. Really, all I wanted to do was play a game. Before I could change my mind, I accepted the first person to challenge me. I played my first game in ten years and found that I was actually rather wide awake, and more than slightly excited.