12 March/Hikaru no Go/Spirited Away crossover/Twice the River 11/?
Title: Twice the River 11/?
Series: Hikaru no Go/Spirited Away
Day/Theme: 12 March/You can either hold on or let go
For a moment, Chihiro was minded to dismiss it as a trick. After all that she had seen, twinkling Go stones seemed almost ordinary, as unremarkable as Christmas lights. But she felt inside that this was right--not necessarily the right way, but a possible right way to continue her search. She had sensed that when she put the stones on the goban's star points, so now she simply had to let matters take their course.
There was a "pachi" sound, and she watched as Sai lift his hand away from the goban, leaving a white Go stone sitting in an intersection near the edge. She watched as Sai settled back, clearly bent on playing the game. Her hand on the go-ke rose into the air, then she placed it on her lap, clenched. She did not know Go, as she had told Sai, and there was no way she could continue.
"Hikaru."
She gave a start to hear Sai speak, but Shindou only bowed his head, reached past her into the goban, extracted a stone and placed it on the goban; this stone much nearer to the centre of the goban.
Sai played another stone.
So did Shindou.
Chihiro was starting to sweat from the tension. The first nine stones she had placed were still sparkling now, but the light from them was gentler now, as though to complement the game growing between Shindou and Sai. She had at first thought that having those nine handicap stones would make the goban look awkward, but as both players progressed she could see how the stones were building a landscape of their own, delineating territory on one instance and building up walls on another.
The unexpected thing was, the more the game continued, the tenser Sai, Shindou and Touya seemed to be. Touya leant forward more and more, and even Shindou shuffled a half-step closer, as though drawn by the goban.
Then Sai glanced down at the floor of the hospital room and unable to help herself, Chihiro did so, too. She gasped.
There was water rising up from the floor, soundless in its passage. Her shoes were already soaked, Chihiro thought, and saw wetness seeping up the material of Shindou's jeans, turning it a darker blue. In another moment it would reach her knees.
None of the other three seemed to be bothered by it in the least. In fact, it was only Sai who even gave any sort of indication that he had seen it. Meanwhile, there was only the "pachi, pachi" sounds of a Go game being played.
Then the water gushed up to her thighs and Chihiro got to her feet, alarmed.
Sai, who had been waiting for Shindou to play, was unperturbed. "Ogino-san," he said to her, "you can hold on while the waters rise, or you can let go."
"What?" she whispered, trying to understand what he meant.
Sai's eyes flickered to Shindou, who was tugging at his shirt, as though to pull it away from the rising waters. He said nothing, and his feet never moved.
Chihiro thought, of course. The water's holding all of us immobile.
"The stars on the goban sometimes have a power that few can touch," Sai said, "though soothsayers in my day used to try and find it. But you, Ogino-san, you know rivers."
Only one, she thought, then blinked as she took in the game on the goban now. It was a river rising from one end of the goban to another, formed entirely of white and black stones. The nine she had put were still there, still sparkling, flashes of white, just like the movement of light on water. "Oh," she said. Yes, she knew rivers, she thought, and pulled.
The river water gushed up and rushed over all their heads.
Series: Hikaru no Go/Spirited Away
Day/Theme: 12 March/You can either hold on or let go
For a moment, Chihiro was minded to dismiss it as a trick. After all that she had seen, twinkling Go stones seemed almost ordinary, as unremarkable as Christmas lights. But she felt inside that this was right--not necessarily the right way, but a possible right way to continue her search. She had sensed that when she put the stones on the goban's star points, so now she simply had to let matters take their course.
There was a "pachi" sound, and she watched as Sai lift his hand away from the goban, leaving a white Go stone sitting in an intersection near the edge. She watched as Sai settled back, clearly bent on playing the game. Her hand on the go-ke rose into the air, then she placed it on her lap, clenched. She did not know Go, as she had told Sai, and there was no way she could continue.
"Hikaru."
She gave a start to hear Sai speak, but Shindou only bowed his head, reached past her into the goban, extracted a stone and placed it on the goban; this stone much nearer to the centre of the goban.
Sai played another stone.
So did Shindou.
Chihiro was starting to sweat from the tension. The first nine stones she had placed were still sparkling now, but the light from them was gentler now, as though to complement the game growing between Shindou and Sai. She had at first thought that having those nine handicap stones would make the goban look awkward, but as both players progressed she could see how the stones were building a landscape of their own, delineating territory on one instance and building up walls on another.
The unexpected thing was, the more the game continued, the tenser Sai, Shindou and Touya seemed to be. Touya leant forward more and more, and even Shindou shuffled a half-step closer, as though drawn by the goban.
Then Sai glanced down at the floor of the hospital room and unable to help herself, Chihiro did so, too. She gasped.
There was water rising up from the floor, soundless in its passage. Her shoes were already soaked, Chihiro thought, and saw wetness seeping up the material of Shindou's jeans, turning it a darker blue. In another moment it would reach her knees.
None of the other three seemed to be bothered by it in the least. In fact, it was only Sai who even gave any sort of indication that he had seen it. Meanwhile, there was only the "pachi, pachi" sounds of a Go game being played.
Then the water gushed up to her thighs and Chihiro got to her feet, alarmed.
Sai, who had been waiting for Shindou to play, was unperturbed. "Ogino-san," he said to her, "you can hold on while the waters rise, or you can let go."
"What?" she whispered, trying to understand what he meant.
Sai's eyes flickered to Shindou, who was tugging at his shirt, as though to pull it away from the rising waters. He said nothing, and his feet never moved.
Chihiro thought, of course. The water's holding all of us immobile.
"The stars on the goban sometimes have a power that few can touch," Sai said, "though soothsayers in my day used to try and find it. But you, Ogino-san, you know rivers."
Only one, she thought, then blinked as she took in the game on the goban now. It was a river rising from one end of the goban to another, formed entirely of white and black stones. The nine she had put were still there, still sparkling, flashes of white, just like the movement of light on water. "Oh," she said. Yes, she knew rivers, she thought, and pulled.
The river water gushed up and rushed over all their heads.