Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction / Hikaru No Go Fan Fiction ❯ For the Game ❯ For the Game ( Chapter 1 )

[ A - All Readers ]

Summary: He plays all games, from Duel Monsters to Shadow Games…to Go. After all, he is the King of Games… (x-over w/ Hikaru no Go)
 
Toboe LoneWolf: Yep. Crossover with Hikaru no Go. Surprisingly, with the similarities between them (person with a spirit living inside them that is an expert at their respective games), there aren't that many crossovers with 'em. So…here's my little one-shot: the ultimate match!
 
I am just a beginning Go player, so please excuse my skirting of the game and not naming moves, except for one segment (sweatdrop). This takes place after Battle City, and fairly early within the Hikaru no Go timeline, when Sai still plays a majority of the games…
 
Disclaimer: Toboe LoneWolf neither owns Yu-Gi-Oh! or Hikaru no Go. …But one can wish…
 
--------------------------------------------------
 
For the Game
 
For once, there was no destiny involved, no "saving the world," no life-threatening situations that involved Shadow magic, Millenium Items, or old dead guys that lived in inanimate objects.
 
//Hey!//
 
Yugi stifled a grin. /Sorry, Yami. Couldn't help it./
 
With a nice spring day, light and breezy, Yugi decided to just go outside and walk around. There was nothing to do, no school work, no out-of-proportional duel tournaments coming up, so he figured he might as well enjoy the outside.
 
Yami poked him with a mental finger. //Yugi, look.//
 
Yugi turned. A crowd of people was gathered around some building. A flapping white sign read "Go Tournament! Come in and play!"
 
/Huh. Wanna go inside?/
 
Yami's nonverbal reply said it all.
 
After all, he was the King of Games.
 
x x x x x
 
Hikaru Shindo watched the people play go, young and old. It wasn't as intense as the other two Go tournaments he'd been to -- this tournament wasn't a huge one, very informal -- but it was kind of interesting to watch people of all ages play.
 
And of course, Sai was in ecstasy.
 
:Why do you not play, Hikaru?: Sai asked. :Is not the reason you came here was to learn?:
 
Hikaru shuffled his feet. :I…don't want to draw attention to myself.:
 
:I see…: Sai mused. Hikaru was trying to stay down low after Sai's upset over Akira. Perhaps that was why Hikaru decided to observe a Go tournament out of town-- less chance of being recognized and therefore hunted down by Akira.
 
Behind him the glass doors opened, and Hikaru stepped aside. The person walked in, heavy boots clomping against the floor. Intrigued, Hikaru turned to look.
 
Hikaru blinked.
 
That guy was short.
 
This new person gazed around the room with interest. He looked like a teenager to Hikaru's eye, even though the person was so short. He had strange, multicolored spiky hair -- Hikaru had no idea of how that was possible -- and wore a black tank top and black leather pants, and about three metal-studded belts.
 
In other words, a punk.
 
Not exactly what you'd see at a Go tournament.
 
Hikaru started when the black-clad person looked at him.
 
"Why aren't you playing?" The guy asked, with a soft, deft voice. "I can see that you want to…"
 
"Ah…"
 
The guy smiled. "Then shall we play?" He pointed to a side table and an unused Go set. "Come. Play a game."
 
Hikaru looked at the guy incredulously. Who was this guy?
 
Sai nudged Hikaru. :Please, Hikaru? Please?:
 
Hikaru winced as Sai bounced around, begging. "Alright."
 
:Yea!!!:
 
They sat down at the table, separated from the rest of the players. The stranger crossed his legs and leaned back.
 
"Ah. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Yugi."
 
Hikaru nodded as he opened up the jars. "Hikaru."
 
Yugi winked. "Onegaishimasu…"
 
Let's play a game…
 
x x x x x
 
Yugi nudged Yami. /Okaaay, Yami. What is with this?/
 
//I wanted to play. He looked like he wanted to. What is wrong?//
 
Yugi rolled his eyes. /Just…you and Go…is…weird…/
 
Yami placed down a black stone. Fitting that he was black. //I love games of all kinds, aibou. This is no different.// Yami watched as the boy slowly place down a white stone, as if he were not quite used to holding stones in the traditional manner. //Besides, I sense something about this boy…//
 
/Huh?/
 
//He has a strange aura…//
 
/Eh?/ Yugi frowned, and tentatively stretched out his senses. Hmm. Strange. /Huh. Feels familiar…/
 
//Hikaru Shindo, new aspiring player in the Go environment. Recently played several upsets over Akira Toya, son of Toya Meijin, holder of four titles.//
 
/…Okay, just what do you do in your free time?/
 
Yami chuckled, and Hikaru stared at him. Yami motioned for him to continue. //…King of Games?//
 
Yugi rolled mental eyes. /Ya-mi. …But that isn't what I was referring to./
 
//Hmm?//
 
Yugi reached out again with Light magic, confirming his suspicions. It felt almost like Yami. /Feels like…you. A…guardian spirit?/
 
//Interesting.// Yami mused, and then mentally smiled. A smug smile, which Yugi had learned to be wary of. //Well, this should be very interesting.//
 
/…Alright, what have you been doing?/
Sai frowned. This man they were playing against held his stones as if a beginner, and yet was skillfully playing his moves. Perhaps a teaching game for Hikaru would be difficult, if their opponent was so…strange. Sai looked at the board, which had only a few stones - it was only the beginning of the game - and then froze.
 
Hikaru didn't get it. Usually Sai made his moves in like, ten seconds or less. Now Sai was pausing, and Hikaru had no clue why.
 
:Sai? What's wrong?: Hikaru asked. :What's our move now?:
 
:It can't be…: Sai said in disbelief.
 
Hikaru blinked. :What?:
 
:This man… It is… He is playing move for move the same game I played with Akira…:
 
:What?!?:
 
Sai motioned an invisible hand. :The sides have been changed, but it is the same. 4-17. Left star point. 17-6…:
 
:No way…:
 
Sai stared at the motionless stranger before them. How in the world could this be possible? How could he know? And how could he, Sai, who has played countless games of Go, have not noticed?
 
:…Play the next move, Hikaru. Play at 17-4, and we will see if this is true…:
 
The man looked at the stone Hikaru had just played for a moment, rolling a stone between his fingers before placing it down.
 
At 3-15.
 
:…It…It is true…: Sai said in shock.
 
The stranger smirked, and all of a sudden Sai felt eyes upon himself, as if this man could see him. See him, Fujiwara-no-Sai, who lived only in spirit…
 
The man spoke. "You are not playing at your full potential."
 
Sai's eyes widened. How?…
 
"So come. Play." The man smirked and leaned forward. "I am more than what I appear."
 
And the man picked up a stone and held it between his fingers in the traditional style, with all the bearing of that who has played the game for years. Without even looking at the board, he placed down his stone with an audible snap, breaking the pattern.
 
Game on.
 
x x x x x
 
They played even faster now. Two dragons teething at each other, clawing at each other's territory, one dark, one light, battling as if they were yin and yang.
 
Hikaru played in a trance. Stone after stone, placing them as if this were all a dream…
 
Click. Click.
 
Yami stared intently.
 
:Attack at 5-10.:
 
/The star point./
 
Click. Click.
 
Click.
 
x x x x x
 
It was impossible.
 
But the evidence was irrefutable.
 
He, Fujiwara-no-Sai, had lost.
 
:Sai…:
 
Sai stared at the board. With komi, it came down to 59 points.
 
Black had sixty.
 
"Who…who are you?" Hikaru asked in the silence.
 
The man smirked. "I?" He let his hand drop and finger a stone. "Yugi Moto, to most." His eyes met with Hikaru's. "And you, Hikaru Shindo, an upsetter of Go games, who houses an ancient centuries old spirit."
 
Hikaru's eyes widened.
 
"You play an interesting game, young one. You have potential. Do not leave the game." His eyes flickered to the invisible spirit hovering over Hikaru's shoulder. "And you, ancient one, guide the young one well."
 
…Slowly, Sai nodded.
 
The man continued. "But I?" He put down the stone and got up from his seat. "To some, as I have said, Yugi Moto. To others, Pharaoh." Hikaru stared into amused, red eyes. Had they been red before? Hikaru would've sworn they'd been violet…
 
Yami winked, and began to walk out of the building. Just before he exited through the doors though, he paused, and looked back.
 
"To most though, I am the King of Games."