[Myeongin]
by onkoona
The Highest Stakes
Hikaru's heart plumeted. They wanted Sai. They didn't want Shindou Hikaru, newly minted pro go player. These people wanted Sai, the mystery internet go prodigy. They wanted his abilities.
Hikaru stared at the them: the blond westerner, the man from the ministry, the translator and Sai, who was standing in a corner, hiding behind his fan, looking very very guilty.
"Os, nac eh od ti?" the westerner asked, turning to the translator.
"Mr. Bond would like to know if you can provide him with the level of play he needs?" the translator addressed Hikaru.
Hikaru looked at Sai and asked, Can you?
I think so... Sai was slow to answer. But Hikaru, don"t you want to play?
Of course I do! What a question! It rankled and hurt to know that these very important men had come to him on the Meijin's recommendation, based on Hikaru's Shinsodan game, which Sai had played instead of Hikaru (at a ridiculous handicap).
The man from the ministry had laid out the stakes. This gaijin, Bond, was staking his very life, and more besides - all top secret hush-hush, so Hikaru didn't exactly know what was at stake, but it was Very Important. All on a go game against, reputedly, the biggest villain Japan has ever known. They needed the best, yet totally unknown, go player they could find, to help Bond play this creep. For the good of Japan. And Britain, apparently.
They want you, not me, Hikaru sighed.
Sai dropped his fan from his face, snapped it shut and said, No they don't. They want to win. They need to win.
So? Hikaru asked.
Look at him, Sai indicated the blond stranger, He is a proud man, but he knows he hasn't got the skills needed for this important job, yet he is able to put aside his pride and ask for help. Should we then not do the same thing?
Oh god, Sai was going to convince him to do just that and let the ghost play instead of himself. It wasn't like Hikaru hadn't convinced himself of that yet. No need to rub it in!
Sai continued speaking, This opponent Mr. Bond is facing is a very evil man, who must be stopped at any cost. Sai turned to Hikaru and passionately said, If we combine our skills and experience, we can give this gaijin what he needs.
What? Hikaru tried his best not to show his surprise on his face.
We play together, as a team, Sai stated.
When Hikaru didn't respond, Sai started to worry Hikaru might not want to try and team up. Was Hikaru's own pride so stiff he could not let go of it for the greater good? Sai wouldn't have thought so before... Sai was about to open his mouth to ask him, when the gaijin spoke again.
"I deen a doog erusaem fo lortnoc revo eht emoctuo fo eht emag. I deen ot eb elba ot nrut dnuora eht emag ta yna emit. I deen ot eb elba ot niw ro esool ro yalp a ward ta lliw. Lliw uoy eb elba ot od taht?"
Hikaru looked over to Sai. He was at awe over the fact the ghost wanted to team up with him. He asked, If we team up, like you say, will we be able to do all that?
Provided we can study the evil man's game play and he isn't a unknown go genius, I would think yes.
Hikaru nodded and answered the westerner, "I'll need to see his kifu."
Hikaru directed the men to spread out the kifu from an amateur tournament, played a month ago, on the table so Sai could see them all. The ghost started to flit around the table, seemingly trying to look at all of them at once. His bubbling came an abrupt stop when he pointed his fan at a kifu and said, Look here, a weakness in his defence!
Hikaru looked and then looked at another kifu, spotting the same thing there. He pointed it out to Sai. Running his eyes carefully over the 20 or so game records, Hikaru found the same flaw everywhere.
We have him! With fire in his eyes, he looked over to Sai who nodded excitedly.
Hikaru turned to the tall blond and said with equal ferver, "I can do it, Mr. Bond."
Bond gave a small nod and then bowed and said, "Domo arigato gosaimashita." It sounded horrible because of the foreign accent, but Hikaru appreciated the gesture. As, it seemed, did Sai, for he bowed in acknowledgement. Hikaru followed suit.
Sai snapped his fan shut with determination.Ready Hikaru?
The boy nodded.
Let's play some go!
The game itself was the longest Hikaru had ever played, it lasted six hours. This was mostly because Sai and Hikaru had to talk out every strategy until a consensus could be reached and a stone could be played. But also because Bond changed his mind 6 times during the game. This changing meant having to work out a whole new strategy to fit the newly proposed outcome and that frustrated Hikaru terribly.
Look at the gaijin's face, Sai suggested, when Hikaru expressed his frustration with Bond.
The man's shirt was sticking to his broad back, his face wet with sweat, his eyes firmly fixed on his opponent.
He is reading the other to find what would be the best end strategy; while we are playing the game, he is playing the man.
Then as an afterthought he added, Had he lived in my time, he would have been a great Samurai warrior. Sai gave the man a long look and then got back to talking strategy.
The whole affair ended rather prosaicly.
After Bond had won from the man by a single moku, his opponent drew a gun and all hell broke loose.
Some 20 minutes later Hikaru found himself dumped from a car at the intersection he had been picked up that morning.
The end
The Highest Stakes
Hikaru's heart plumeted. They wanted Sai. They didn't want Shindou Hikaru, newly minted pro go player. These people wanted Sai, the mystery internet go prodigy. They wanted his abilities.
Hikaru stared at the them: the blond westerner, the man from the ministry, the translator and Sai, who was standing in a corner, hiding behind his fan, looking very very guilty.
"Os, nac eh od ti?" the westerner asked, turning to the translator.
"Mr. Bond would like to know if you can provide him with the level of play he needs?" the translator addressed Hikaru.
Hikaru looked at Sai and asked, Can you?
I think so... Sai was slow to answer. But Hikaru, don"t you want to play?
Of course I do! What a question! It rankled and hurt to know that these very important men had come to him on the Meijin's recommendation, based on Hikaru's Shinsodan game, which Sai had played instead of Hikaru (at a ridiculous handicap).
The man from the ministry had laid out the stakes. This gaijin, Bond, was staking his very life, and more besides - all top secret hush-hush, so Hikaru didn't exactly know what was at stake, but it was Very Important. All on a go game against, reputedly, the biggest villain Japan has ever known. They needed the best, yet totally unknown, go player they could find, to help Bond play this creep. For the good of Japan. And Britain, apparently.
They want you, not me, Hikaru sighed.
Sai dropped his fan from his face, snapped it shut and said, No they don't. They want to win. They need to win.
So? Hikaru asked.
Look at him, Sai indicated the blond stranger, He is a proud man, but he knows he hasn't got the skills needed for this important job, yet he is able to put aside his pride and ask for help. Should we then not do the same thing?
Oh god, Sai was going to convince him to do just that and let the ghost play instead of himself. It wasn't like Hikaru hadn't convinced himself of that yet. No need to rub it in!
Sai continued speaking, This opponent Mr. Bond is facing is a very evil man, who must be stopped at any cost. Sai turned to Hikaru and passionately said, If we combine our skills and experience, we can give this gaijin what he needs.
What? Hikaru tried his best not to show his surprise on his face.
We play together, as a team, Sai stated.
When Hikaru didn't respond, Sai started to worry Hikaru might not want to try and team up. Was Hikaru's own pride so stiff he could not let go of it for the greater good? Sai wouldn't have thought so before... Sai was about to open his mouth to ask him, when the gaijin spoke again.
"I deen a doog erusaem fo lortnoc revo eht emoctuo fo eht emag. I deen ot eb elba ot nrut dnuora eht emag ta yna emit. I deen ot eb elba ot niw ro esool ro yalp a ward ta lliw. Lliw uoy eb elba ot od taht?"
Hikaru looked over to Sai. He was at awe over the fact the ghost wanted to team up with him. He asked, If we team up, like you say, will we be able to do all that?
Provided we can study the evil man's game play and he isn't a unknown go genius, I would think yes.
Hikaru nodded and answered the westerner, "I'll need to see his kifu."
Hikaru directed the men to spread out the kifu from an amateur tournament, played a month ago, on the table so Sai could see them all. The ghost started to flit around the table, seemingly trying to look at all of them at once. His bubbling came an abrupt stop when he pointed his fan at a kifu and said, Look here, a weakness in his defence!
Hikaru looked and then looked at another kifu, spotting the same thing there. He pointed it out to Sai. Running his eyes carefully over the 20 or so game records, Hikaru found the same flaw everywhere.
We have him! With fire in his eyes, he looked over to Sai who nodded excitedly.
Hikaru turned to the tall blond and said with equal ferver, "I can do it, Mr. Bond."
Bond gave a small nod and then bowed and said, "Domo arigato gosaimashita." It sounded horrible because of the foreign accent, but Hikaru appreciated the gesture. As, it seemed, did Sai, for he bowed in acknowledgement. Hikaru followed suit.
Sai snapped his fan shut with determination.Ready Hikaru?
The boy nodded.
Let's play some go!
The game itself was the longest Hikaru had ever played, it lasted six hours. This was mostly because Sai and Hikaru had to talk out every strategy until a consensus could be reached and a stone could be played. But also because Bond changed his mind 6 times during the game. This changing meant having to work out a whole new strategy to fit the newly proposed outcome and that frustrated Hikaru terribly.
Look at the gaijin's face, Sai suggested, when Hikaru expressed his frustration with Bond.
The man's shirt was sticking to his broad back, his face wet with sweat, his eyes firmly fixed on his opponent.
He is reading the other to find what would be the best end strategy; while we are playing the game, he is playing the man.
Then as an afterthought he added, Had he lived in my time, he would have been a great Samurai warrior. Sai gave the man a long look and then got back to talking strategy.
The whole affair ended rather prosaicly.
After Bond had won from the man by a single moku, his opponent drew a gun and all hell broke loose.
Some 20 minutes later Hikaru found himself dumped from a car at the intersection he had been picked up that morning.
The end