4 March/Hikaru no Go/Spirited Away crossover/Twice the River 4/?
Title: Twice the River 4/?
Series: Hikaru no Go/Spirited Away crossover
Day/Theme: 4 March/The art of losing isn't hard to master
ETA: Partially amended on 5 March to add a plot point
Touya had thought that once Sai woke, the mystery would be solved and the impasse would break. After all, that was what Shindou and Chihiro-san had both been waiting for.
But he should have remembered that life, as in Go, the progression of one step naturally led to permutations in all other aspects of the playing surface, some more directly than others. And nothing had served better as a forewarning of that as clearly as the way Chihiro-san left the hospital room, her eyes much too bright with tears that refused to be shed and her steps faltering, as though she had received a mortal blow. Touya had nearly gone to her from pity, but he saw her expression, and refrained. She had been pining her hopes on Sai--all her hopes, Touya sensed, for a clue to someone she had been searching for. But she had come up blank.
And so had Shindou.
To watch Shindou struggle to talk to Sai, and be rebuffed, was an experience that made Touya's heart twist in a way he did not understand.
"But don't you remember, Sai?" Shindou asked, while the man sitting upright in bed gazed upon him in confusion.
"I don't know what you're saying, sir."
It did not help that the man spoke an archaic form of Japanese that was nearly impossible to understand and though there was faint sympathy on his face, it was clear that whatever memory Shindou alluded to, Sai did not share it.
"It's me, Hikaru! Only I could see you, and later we came to know…" Shindou looked around wildly for a moment, then tugged Touya by the forearm, bringing him to the bed. "We knew Touya, do you remember?"
Touya was still wondering what Shindou meant by saying that only he could see Sai, but he bowed to the man, not bothering to hide his curiosity. To his surprise, there was a spark of befuddled acknowledgement in Sai's eyes. "You--I've seen you before," Sai said, his voice soft and uncertain.
"You remember him?" Shindou exclaimed, looking from Touya to him and back again. "Then..." His eyes searched Sai's face. "How about Torajiro, do you remember him?"
"Torajiro..."
"He was a boy when you met him, too. And you were attached to him and the two of you played igo for years, you said."
"Igo?" The man now looked interested, clearly catching only that word in Shindou's answer. Animation beginning to replaced the confusion in his eyes. "You are igo players?"
Shindou turned to Touya at that, and their eyes met in what had to be the umpteenth moment of mutual sympathy, an automatic response to the many outsiders who had been puzzled at their chosen profession. Then Shindou broke the gaze and turned back to Sai. "Yes!" he nodded emphatically. "In fact, you taught me to play Go!"
"I did?"
"Yes, don't you remember?" Shindou had that frustrated look on his face again. "You couldn't move the stones, so I did it for you."
Sai stared at him, then raised both hands to look at them, clenching and unclenching them a few times. "But I can move the stones myself. What--" the rest of his words grew incomprehensible again.
"You don't understand!"
"It's you who is being confusing."
Shindou was about to say something else, when the door to the hospital room opened, and Chihiro-san entered.
She was carrying a goban, of all things.
Touya stared in surprise, and belatedly noticed that Shindou and Sai had identical looks of anticipation on their faces. Shindou, however, recovered himself and said, "Ogino-san". There was a tone in his voice that made Touya blink. He had never heard Shindou sound that uncertain before, as though he was not sure how to address her despite knowing her name.
But she only spared him a single glance, before she came and put the goban on the table, and from her pockets produced two go-ke of polished turned wood that was so dark as to appear black. Then she took a step back. "Play with him," she said.
Shindou's eyebrows rose, while Sai leaned forward to inspect the goban, which was one of the foldable ones used mainly by Go salons and almost looked out of place when placed beside the two antique go-ke. "P-play?" he said in a puzzled voice, though his body was turning towards the goban already.
Touya nodded. Maybe this would work, he thought. "Yes, Shindou," he said in a low voice. "Play a game with him. You said Sai taught you to play Go, so if you play with him, that will help him to remember, right?"
As he spoke, he saw the way Chihiro-san--no, she was Ogino-san--gave a near imperceptible nod, and the corners of her eyes deepened for a moment, as though she had smiled, though her lips remained in a straight line. He puzzled about her briefly. Her temper was uncertain, and her face not particularly striking, but she made Touya feel as though he was standing in the presence of a sacred temple.
"Are you sure it will work?" Shindou asked. He was staring at the goban as though mesmerized already.
Touya, still looking at Ogino-san, anwered, "Show him your Go, so that he can see his Go in yours. Maybe that is what he needs, to find a way back." He thought he saw Ogino-san's expression darken at that.
"Oh." Shindou's face cleared, and his mouth begin to widen in a grin as he saw the implications of what Touya was suggesting.
To Touya's amusement, Sai was beaming too, becoming surprisingly childlike in his joy. "So this strange world has Go too," he said, and added something else Touya couldn't understand. "Can we play now?"
Everything was set up, and though Shindou was seated at the side rather than facing Sai, both their eagerness somehow erased that awkwardness. "Please," Shindou bowed, the anticipation of the Go game calming him.
Sai, in the meantime, was so excited that he was nearly quivering, though after he bowed too, and said "Please," his demeanor transformed into that of a serious opponent, so different that even Touya was taken aback.
But Shindou seemed unfazed by the change. "I'll nigiri," he said.
He lost the game, but when Sai, in a wondering voice, said "Hikaru?" at the end Touya thought the loss well worth it.
Series: Hikaru no Go/Spirited Away crossover
Day/Theme: 4 March/The art of losing isn't hard to master
ETA: Partially amended on 5 March to add a plot point
Touya had thought that once Sai woke, the mystery would be solved and the impasse would break. After all, that was what Shindou and Chihiro-san had both been waiting for.
But he should have remembered that life, as in Go, the progression of one step naturally led to permutations in all other aspects of the playing surface, some more directly than others. And nothing had served better as a forewarning of that as clearly as the way Chihiro-san left the hospital room, her eyes much too bright with tears that refused to be shed and her steps faltering, as though she had received a mortal blow. Touya had nearly gone to her from pity, but he saw her expression, and refrained. She had been pining her hopes on Sai--all her hopes, Touya sensed, for a clue to someone she had been searching for. But she had come up blank.
And so had Shindou.
To watch Shindou struggle to talk to Sai, and be rebuffed, was an experience that made Touya's heart twist in a way he did not understand.
"But don't you remember, Sai?" Shindou asked, while the man sitting upright in bed gazed upon him in confusion.
"I don't know what you're saying, sir."
It did not help that the man spoke an archaic form of Japanese that was nearly impossible to understand and though there was faint sympathy on his face, it was clear that whatever memory Shindou alluded to, Sai did not share it.
"It's me, Hikaru! Only I could see you, and later we came to know…" Shindou looked around wildly for a moment, then tugged Touya by the forearm, bringing him to the bed. "We knew Touya, do you remember?"
Touya was still wondering what Shindou meant by saying that only he could see Sai, but he bowed to the man, not bothering to hide his curiosity. To his surprise, there was a spark of befuddled acknowledgement in Sai's eyes. "You--I've seen you before," Sai said, his voice soft and uncertain.
"You remember him?" Shindou exclaimed, looking from Touya to him and back again. "Then..." His eyes searched Sai's face. "How about Torajiro, do you remember him?"
"Torajiro..."
"He was a boy when you met him, too. And you were attached to him and the two of you played igo for years, you said."
"Igo?" The man now looked interested, clearly catching only that word in Shindou's answer. Animation beginning to replaced the confusion in his eyes. "You are igo players?"
Shindou turned to Touya at that, and their eyes met in what had to be the umpteenth moment of mutual sympathy, an automatic response to the many outsiders who had been puzzled at their chosen profession. Then Shindou broke the gaze and turned back to Sai. "Yes!" he nodded emphatically. "In fact, you taught me to play Go!"
"I did?"
"Yes, don't you remember?" Shindou had that frustrated look on his face again. "You couldn't move the stones, so I did it for you."
Sai stared at him, then raised both hands to look at them, clenching and unclenching them a few times. "But I can move the stones myself. What--" the rest of his words grew incomprehensible again.
"You don't understand!"
"It's you who is being confusing."
Shindou was about to say something else, when the door to the hospital room opened, and Chihiro-san entered.
She was carrying a goban, of all things.
Touya stared in surprise, and belatedly noticed that Shindou and Sai had identical looks of anticipation on their faces. Shindou, however, recovered himself and said, "Ogino-san". There was a tone in his voice that made Touya blink. He had never heard Shindou sound that uncertain before, as though he was not sure how to address her despite knowing her name.
But she only spared him a single glance, before she came and put the goban on the table, and from her pockets produced two go-ke of polished turned wood that was so dark as to appear black. Then she took a step back. "Play with him," she said.
Shindou's eyebrows rose, while Sai leaned forward to inspect the goban, which was one of the foldable ones used mainly by Go salons and almost looked out of place when placed beside the two antique go-ke. "P-play?" he said in a puzzled voice, though his body was turning towards the goban already.
Touya nodded. Maybe this would work, he thought. "Yes, Shindou," he said in a low voice. "Play a game with him. You said Sai taught you to play Go, so if you play with him, that will help him to remember, right?"
As he spoke, he saw the way Chihiro-san--no, she was Ogino-san--gave a near imperceptible nod, and the corners of her eyes deepened for a moment, as though she had smiled, though her lips remained in a straight line. He puzzled about her briefly. Her temper was uncertain, and her face not particularly striking, but she made Touya feel as though he was standing in the presence of a sacred temple.
"Are you sure it will work?" Shindou asked. He was staring at the goban as though mesmerized already.
Touya, still looking at Ogino-san, anwered, "Show him your Go, so that he can see his Go in yours. Maybe that is what he needs, to find a way back." He thought he saw Ogino-san's expression darken at that.
"Oh." Shindou's face cleared, and his mouth begin to widen in a grin as he saw the implications of what Touya was suggesting.
To Touya's amusement, Sai was beaming too, becoming surprisingly childlike in his joy. "So this strange world has Go too," he said, and added something else Touya couldn't understand. "Can we play now?"
Everything was set up, and though Shindou was seated at the side rather than facing Sai, both their eagerness somehow erased that awkwardness. "Please," Shindou bowed, the anticipation of the Go game calming him.
Sai, in the meantime, was so excited that he was nearly quivering, though after he bowed too, and said "Please," his demeanor transformed into that of a serious opponent, so different that even Touya was taken aback.
But Shindou seemed unfazed by the change. "I'll nigiri," he said.
He lost the game, but when Sai, in a wondering voice, said "Hikaru?" at the end Touya thought the loss well worth it.