Hikaru No Go Fan Fiction ❯ Outplayed ❯ Comparing Notes ( Chapter 1 )

 

As you probably know, I don't own Hikaru no Go and appreciate the owners letting me play in their universe. I definitely don't make any money from this fic.

 

 

This will have about 3 or possibly 4 chapters in it, depending on whether I add a couple of side conversations in here or in another fic.

 

Please review (she begs)

 

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Waya headed across the open foyer in the Go Institute and joined Kadowaki at one of the tables. Even though he was significantly older than the rest of the group, Kadowaki had sort of become attached to the general group since he passed the pro exam with Isumi and Honda.

 

“Hi Kadowaki-san. What'cha doing?”

 

“I'm just studying this kifu. I keep going over this one a lot.” Kadowaki passed it on to Waya to take a look. It was a computer printout of a kifu. Waya studied it for a while, and then started concentrating on it harder. He frowned, set it down and ran his finger across some of the shapes.

 

“Black crushed white. This looks like black was Sai. I've never seen this kifu and I thought I'd seen every kifu existing that involved Sai. Where did you get it?”

 

Kadowaki gave him a strange look and then said “I printed it off my computer. What makes you think the kifu is one of Sai's games.”

 

Waya just looked at him. “I've studied every one of his games, at least every one I knew about. This really looks like Sai played black. His forms are pretty unmistakeable. Wow, I didn't realize I missed one of them. Who played white?”

 

“I did.”

 

“You got to play a game with Sai? I did that once. Isn't it awesome? He can crush anyone. He even beat Touya Meijin.” Waya was enthusiastic. Kadowaki just looked at him. Akira came up to the table.

 

“Kadowaki-san, please excuse the interruption. I need to ask you a question about the convention scheduling for this Saturday,” Akira began. He took an automatic look at the kifu Kadowaki and Waya were looking at and then took a closer look. “Where did you get this?” He asked.

 

“Kadowaki played Sai. I didn't know that. You should have told us sooner. I study all of his kifu.” Waya and Touya continued to look at it.

 

“The shapes and strength of his Go is unmistakeable. This is definitely Sai,” Akira said after tracing some of the shapes.

 

“I agree. Could I get a copy of this, Kadowaki-san?” Waya asked. He and Akira continued to study the kifu. Sai was probably the only matter which would get Waya and Akira studying at the same table.

 

“You can have that one. I can print out another copy. Let me ask you two something: why are you both convinced this is Sai?”

 

Waya and Touya looked at each other. “No one else could have done this. No one else comes up with shapes and games like this. Look at this attack here and that stone he placed there. It looks odd but is perfectly placed to attach 10 moves later. That is classic Sai,” Akira said. Waya nodded in agreement.

 

“There is only one problem,” Kadowaki said. “I didn't play this game on the internet. I played it in person.”

 

“NO WAY! In person? What did he look like? Was it a woman?” Waya was really excited. Akira said nothing but looked just as excited as Waya.

 

“No, I played this game against Shindou-kun.” Dead silence met this remark.

 

“Are you sure?” Waya asked cautiously?

 

“Of course I'm sure. This game is the reason I didn't take the pro exam in the year you and Shindou-kun passed. I lost so badly against a young insei kid I knew I needed to study up for the next year. I went home and entered it immediately into a computer kifu records system I have on my computer. Shindou-kun played this game. I even asked him how long he'd been playing and he gave me this cheeky grin and said `1,000 years.'”

 

“Have you ever played Shindou again?” Akira asked.

 

“Yes. We played the day of Isumi-kun's shinshodan match. He said the game was problematical for him because I would be comparing him to a year and a half ago. He was right. It was odd but he played better in this game than he did in the recent one.” Everyone digested that for a moment. “Well, I don't understand it and I don't hope to understand it, but I'm late for a meeting. Frankly, I have enough to worry about with my own career without trying to figure out some old mystery. See you later,” Kadowaki said before leaving. He left a well of silence as Waya and Touya looked at each other and then studied the kifu again.

 

“Shindou played this game, but this is definitely Sai's go. I would swear it was his go.” Waya said. As he said that, Ochi came up and wanted to talk about the convention planned for the weekend. Touya and Waya barely glanced at him and neither one of them answered his question. They just kept studying the kifu and tracing the shapes with a finger.

 

“This is phenomenal. This is Shindou's game? This is beyond the level of a pro,” Waya said. “This is… this is Sai's level of game.”

 

“I agree,” was all Akira said.

 

Ochi had not had a good day. He had lost his match and he was angry. “Shindou! Shindou! He's not that great. It's always Shindou as though he was the second coming of Shuusaku,” Ochi said bitterly. “Wait! I know. Lo and behold, Shindou touched the goban and out of it sprang the ghost of Shuusaku who appeared before him and said `yea verily, Hikaru, I will smite thee and make thee a brilliant Go player.' And it was done. YEAH, Right!”

 

“Ochi, you jealous ass,” Waya exclaimed. Ochi glared at him, turned and saw Touya Kouyo approaching the group. He was obviously close enough to have heard every word. Ochi went beet red, bowed to Touya Sensei, apologized to him for his outburst and took off. Touya, Waya and Touya Kouyo watched him go.

 

Waya immediately stood to attention and bowed deeply. “Good afternoon, Touya-sensei. I apologize, Touya-sensei, for my loud voice,” he said very meekly.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“We are looking at a kifu, father.”

 

“May I see it?

 

“Of course, Touya sensei,” Waya said as he handed over the Kifu.

 

Touya Kouyo studied the kifu in silence for a minute or two. “Who are the two players?”

 

Akira answered his question. “Kadowaki-san was white and Shindou was black. This game was played about a year and a half ago. But this looks just like the game was played by Sai. Both Waya-san and I thought it was a kifu of Sai's before Kadowaki-san said he played this in person against Shindou.” Touya Kouyo just nodded.

 

“Was this an official match?”

 

“No, sir,” Waya said. “Kadowaki-san told me he walked into the Go Institute before the pro exam Shindou and I entered. He had planned to take the exam that year. He wanted to warm up, saw Shindou and thought a young kid like him would make good light exercise. He played him in a friendly game. This was the result. He was crushed. Kadowaki-san said he lost so badly to a young insei he decided to skip the exam and study up and take it the next year. Then he went home to recreate the game and study it. This looks just like Sai played this game. This is Sai. I have studied every kifu we have for him. I would swear it was his Go. Shindou has a different Go even though it has similarities. But Kadowaki-san says he played this face to face with Shindou. It wasn't over the internet. So it makes no sense. Shindou's really good but this is a totally different level from anyone. Why would Shindou play like he usually does if he really is Sai and he could play like this all the time?”

 

Touya Kouyo just looked at him. “May I keep this?”

 

“Umm, yes, but it belongs to Kadowaki-san.”

 

“I will return it to him.”

 

“That's not necessary, sensei. Kadowaki-san said he could just print out another copy. Umm, I'd better be going”.

 

“Tell me something, Waya-san; you play go, do you not?”

 

It sounded like a trick question to Waya. “Yes, I play Go,” he said cautiously.

 

“You play Go. Would it please you to have Moreshita or I stand behind you to play for you or to tell you the best moves during a tournament? You would win easily against any of the lower dan players.”

 

Waya looked shocked. “Of course not, Touya sensei. That would be cheating. It would be your win. It has to be my fight and I have to show the strength of my Go. It must be my win.”

 

Touya Kouyo smiled. “Then you have answered your own question as to why Shindou's Go does not look like this during an official match, have you not?”

 

Waya was silent for a long moment while he thought that one over, then he looked up at Touya sensei and just shook his head. “It's very confusing. Please excuse me.” He bowed.

 

“Waya-san?”

 

“Yes, sensei?”

 

“I would consider it a favor if you did not mention this kifu to anyone else.”

 

Waya's eyes widened. “Yes, sensei!” Waya bowed again and rushed off.

 

Father and son looked at each other and then at the kifu.

 

“Father, is it possible that Ochi 3-dan is more correct than he realizes? I know he said it out of bitterness, but…” Akira trailed off.

 

“Sai is not Shindou. Of that I am certain.”

 

“Are there truly two Shindou? There must be. I do not understand. He said he would tell me someday, but he just yells at me if I bring it up.”

 

“I have promised Shindou 2-dan not to pry. However, I do not believe there are two Shindou. Shindou-kun is himself. He told me he was not Sai and I have no reason to doubt him. Sai is someone or something else. There has been no sign of Sai playing for over a year and a half. I would like to play him again.”

 

“I want to play him again, too.” Akira said.

 

“That is also my wish. I retired to seek stronger players. There are strong players in the world. To have a game such as the one I had with Sai is to strive for the hand of god. I do not believe we will see him on this plane again. There is only Shindou-kun for you to play.”

 

“It was good to play Sai once. I may have played him twice when I first met Shindou.”

 

“I have played him twice.”

 

Akira looked startled. “When was the first time?”

 

“During the Shinshodan match. I do not think Shindou-kun played that game. At the time I did not understand why a shodan would handicap himself so badly, but I felt the intensity in the Go and the presence of the handicap. It was the same intensity I felt when I played Sai over the internet. The handicap was made to hide the ability of my opponent so observers would only see a shodan.”

 

“After the game Kuwabara Honinbou also said Shindou handicapped himself in the game. I didn't know what to think at the time. Then who is Sai if he isn't Shindou?”

 

“Perhaps he really is the spirit of Shuusaku. Does it matter? Shindou wants his privacy on it and I promised not to seek the real identity of Sai. Whoever he is, I am convinced Shindou himself did not play his shinshodan match.”