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Description
The Divine Move

Turn I: Tengen

Tengen / An opening move on the tengen, or center point of the board, is not unheard of, but is uncommon.  It’s a difficult move to pull off in the end, and gives infinite possibilities for how the game could be played.

*~*~*~*~*

Yusei stared at the figure in front of him.  The boy had appeared out of nowhere looking just as confused as he felt.  Yusei glanced down at the wooden block he’d been cleaning off.  It was still scorched and a corner was still drenched in blood, as though his cleaning had done nothing.

He looked back up at the boy.  The other boy was probably about his age, maybe a little older, though his childish curiosity of the world around him would have never given that away.  His bangs were blond, probably bleached because the rest of his hair was black.  His clothes were nice, but not formal, as though he were about to go on a date with someone he had been with for months.

The boy finally finished his wide-eyed study of the room and looked back at him.  His green eyes fixed on Yusei’s own.

“Where am I?”

Yusei frowned slightly.  He wasn’t sure what he was dealing with here, but would it hurt to give this boy information?  Probably not.

“You’re in Neo Domino City,” Yusei answered.  The boy frowned, looking around again.

“Neo Domino...ah, I remember!  I was in Domino before, for a Go event.”  The boy turned to him hesitantly, asking, as though afraid of the answer, “Why is there a Neo Domino now?”

Fire everywhere, embers falling, a wall crashing down nearby.  The world aflame, a creak from above—

“No!  Yusei!”

“There was an explosion,” Yusei said softly, his stomach twisting at the memory.  “Several, actually.  Terrorist acts.  Half the city was destroyed.”

The boy blanched, suddenly looking sick.  “When was that?”

“Thirteen years ago.”

“What year is it now?”

Yusei eyed him curiously.  Why would he need to ask a question like that?  “It’s 2021.”

The boy cursed and looked away, finally noticing the block of wood Yusei had been cleaning off.  His eyes widened and he reached out, mimicking Yusei’s earlier movements.

“That would explain it,” he murmured to himself.  His eyes shifted back up to Yusei.  Yusei was watching him curiously, wondering what the importance of the board might be.

Suddenly, the boy thrust a hand at him.  Yusei stared at it in surprise.

“I’m Shindou Hikaru,” the boy said.  “I’m twenty-one years old, and a 6-dan Go pro.  And I died thirteen years ago in those terrorist attacks.”

Yusei stared at him in shock.  Finally, he lifted a hand to take Hikaru’s.  It passed right through.

*~*~*~*~*

Hikaru couldn’t believe his luck.  He remembered the explosions this boy had mentioned; he and Akira had heard a couple in the distance before the world around them had been engulfed in fire.  He remembered falling into blackness, but he hadn’t realized he’d died.  But here he was, in the same position Sai had been in all those years ago.  He wondered if he had come back for the same reason Sai had—his unquenchable thirst for Go.

He didn’t think that was the only reason, though it was probably part of it.

What to do now, though?  Akira would be gone now; he had probably died at the same time Hikaru had.  Hikaru felt a painful lump in his chest at the thought, so he refused to think about it.  Thinking about Akira dead would make him cry.

And he wanted to play Go, but he didn’t know whether he could in this time.  He doubted Go had died out, but he remembered how difficult it had been for Sai back when Sai had first appeared.  And the boy in from of him did not look like the type to play Go, anymore than he had at eleven.

The boy had not said a word yet, unsettling him.  Did he believe Hikaru?  Would he help him?  Would he abandon him?  Hikaru’s chest ached again, this time at the thought of Sai.  Now that he himself was in this position, he felt even guiltier for being so awful to Sai at first.  He hoped this boy wouldn’t be like that.

Finally, the boy nodded, as though agreeing with something, and said, “I’m Fudo Yusei.  I’m eighteen and a resident of Satellite.  That’s Old Domino.  And I’m the current Duel King.”

Hikaru would have breathed a sigh of relief if he could breathe.  It looked like Fudo wouldn’t abandon him or think he was an illusion.  Now all he had to find out was whether Fudo knew how to play Go and if he’d been willing to learn if he didn’t.

Fudo spoke before he could, though.  “How are you here?  And how can I see you?  I thought ghosts were invisible.”

“I’m tied to the Go board,” Hikaru explained eagerly, pointing at the scorched block of wood.  “You can see me because you touched it, and so now I’m tied to you as well.  No one else will be able to see or hear me, even if they touch the board.  They can’t see how damaged it is either.”

“You’re tied to me?” Fudo asked, a hint of nervousness tingeing his tone.

“Yes.  I don’t know why, but I’ll figure it out.  And I’m here because my life was cut short before I could accomplish the Divine Move, before I could play all the Go I wanted.  And before I could accomplish something else, although I’m not sure what that is yet.”

Fudo stared at him for a long time.  He finally said, a little regretfully, “I can’t help you.  I don’t play Go.  You should find someone else.”

Hikaru shrugged.  “I can teach you.  I learned from the greatest Go player in the world, and I’m a pro myself, so I can easily teach you.”

Fudo frowned and stood up.  “I don’t play Go.  I can’t help you.”

Hikaru opened his mouth to protest, but a loud knocking interrupted him.  He realized they were in a small storage room, and the knocking had been at the door not to far away.

“Yusei?  What are you doing?  You’ve been in there for an hour!”

“I was just looking around,” Yusei answered.  He walked toward the door.  “I wanted to see what was here.”

The door opened to reveal a tall blond man with spiky hair and a ridiculous white trench coat.  One of his arms was in a sling, though he moved with the attitude that he thought it didn’t need to be.

“What is there to see?  There’s just junk in here,” the man said.  His voice was deep and rich, the exact opposite of Sai’s.

Fudo shrugged.  “You can find some interesting stuff in junk.”

The blond rolled his eyes.  “Of course, says the one who built two D-Wheels out of junk.  C’mon, I was going to show you around, remember?”

Fudo nodded and moved to follow him.  Hikaru got up and moved to follow Fudo.  Maybe he could change Fudo’s mind about Go the next time they could talk.  Fudo had said he was the “Duel King” after all; he must have some interest in games.

Hikaru paused halfway to the door.  By his feet sat a second Go board, this one a little worse for wear than his own.  Why would the blond own two boards if he seemed to think they were junk?  Pros, and enthusiasts, were known to own more than one but it was uncommon for anyone else.

Still curious, Hikaru bounded after Fudo and the blond.

*~*~*~*~*

Yusei almost thought he should be annoyed when Hikaru caught up with them.  Almost.  He wasn’t, because he understood that the ghost was out of his element and needed something familiar to cling to.  Yusei was the most familiar thing he had right now, besides his Go board.  But he did have to wonder how long Hikaru was going to follow him around.  The man was three years older than him; he should be the mature one.

Yusei had a good feeling that he wasn’t.

He had to admit he felt a little guilty about Hikaru’s situation.  After all, Yusei was probably his only hope to play Go again or enjoy his afterlife at all.  But Yusei did have his own business to worry about, like Director Godwin and his obsessive interest in the Signers.  And being a King that the populace knew was from Satellite (they had already had a Satellite-native King, but Jack had kept that fact hidden very well).  And how he was going to tolerate living with Jack again.

Because that was the deal he’d had to make with Director Godwin: stay with Jack, or let his friends get killed.  Yusei was starting to get tired of having his friends’ lives held over his head, but he wasn’t about to test Godwin on whether the threats were real or not.  He would have to contact Saiga and see if he could get his friends out of Satellite.  If anyone could do it, it was him.

For now, though, he would have to stay with Jack.  He didn’t mind it too much, except that Jack seemed convinced that Yusei still hated him for what he’d done.  In fact, Yusei had never hated him, nor did he think he ever could; he’d only been extremely annoyed and disappointed. And now that he had Stardust back and he knew why Jack had taken her in the first place, he’d completely forgiven his old friend.  He only wished Jack would realize that.  The man acted too carefully around him, as though one wrong word would drive him away.

“I was expecting something a little more futuristic.”

Yusei glanced at Hikaru.  The ghost seemed disappointed as he looked around.

“Like what?” Yusei murmured, glancing at Jack to make sure he didn’t hear.

“Like flying cars and robots and that sort of thing.”  Hikaru shrugged, stuffing his hand into his pockets.  “And you don’t have to talk out loud.  I’ll hear what you say in your head.”

Yusei nodded, almost smiling.  “You expected that in thirteen years?”

“Anything’s possible.”

Yusei did smile at that.  Hikaru was right, of course.  And they had advanced quite far in thirteen years, though not to the point of flying cars.  Hikaru would like what he saw.

“We’ll sleep in here,” Jack said, flicking on the light of the last room.

Yusei looked around, as uninterested in this room as he had been with the rest of the mansion.  The whole place seemed far too big for only two people; the bedroom itself was as big as the area they and their friends had shared back in Satellite.  Still it was tastefully, though sparsely, decorated and felt comfortable and lived-in.

“There’s only one bed,” Yusei said, looking back at Jack.

“The second one hasn’t arrived yet,” Jack said.  He almost sounded embarrassed.  “You can take it until yours is delivered.”

Yusei shook his head. “I can sleep on the couch—”

“Yusei,” Jack interrupted.  “You’re the guest here, and the King.  You’re getting the bed.”

“Jack...”  Yusei did not feel comfortable taking the bed when it was Jack’s home and Jack had just gotten out of the hospital.  Jack’s arm was still in a sling, even.  Sleeping anywhere other than the bed and floor could make his injury worse, and Yusei doubted Jack was planning on sleeping on the floor.

“Why don’t you share?” Hikaru suggested, seemingly forgetting that only Yusei could hear him.  “It’s a big enough bed.”

Yusei frowned.  That could be awkward.  While they had practically shared a bed back in Satellite, that had bee two years ago.  A lot had changed since then.  They were rivals now, whether Yusei had forgiven Jack or not.  It was awkward enough that they had to live together.

“What are you thinking?” Jack asked, frowning at him.  Yusei blinked at him, surprised.  It’d been a while since someone could tell his moods so accurately.  He wasn’t used to it anymore.

“We could share,” Yusei said, refusing to sound hesitant.  “We’ve done it before.  I refuse to take the bed when you need it.  I’ll sleep on the floor.”

Jack studied him for a moment.  Yusei didn’t care what he said; he was fine sharing the bed, and he was fine sleeping on the floor.  It didn’t matter to him.

But for some reason, it would matter to Jack.

“You’re in Neo Domino now,” Jack finally said.  “I refuse to allow you to sleep on the floor as if we were still in Satellite.  We’ll share.”

Yusei nodded, secretly glad.  The closest he’d gotten to sleeping in a real bed in months was while he’d been in the detention center.  The last of their mattresses in Satellite had fallen apart and they hadn’t found another yet.

“And we’re going shopping for new clothes for you,” Jack added, looking him over with a scowl.

Yusei frowned and crossed his arms.  “These are fine.”

“You need more clothes than that.”

“You don’t need to go out of your way for me,” Yusei said.  “I won money for winning the Fortune Cup.  I’ll get some clothes later.”

“No, you didn’t, and I’m not going out of my way for you.  I’m giving you what you should have.”

“What do you mean I didn’t?” Yusei asked curiously.  He didn’t really care whether he had money or not, because if he had to, he was willing to borrow some of Jack’s clothes, but he’d been sure hid invitation had mentioned prize money.

Jack sighed.  “You’re not allowed to earn money anymore, remember?  I’m sure they told you that when you were Marked.  Everything you won got transferred into one of my accounts.”

“You’re not allowed to earn money?” Hikaru asked, horrified.  “Why not?”

“I’ll explain later,” Yusei said.  He rubbed at the Marker on his cheek in annoyance.  He hated having to rely on someone else like he would have to now.  It didn’t matter if that someone else was Jack.

Jack moved to cross his arms but quickly decided that was a bad idea.  “So, if you don’t want to help pick clothes out, I’ll send Sagiri to get you clothes, and you’ll have no say in what you get.”

Yusei sighed.  “I’d forgotten how stubborn you are.”

“And I haven’t forgotten how stubborn you are,” Jack said.

“I’d like to see the rest of the city,” Hikaru spoke up.  “Maybe find a Go salon.”

Yusei glanced at him.  The ghost was watching them curiously, if not with a little apprehension because of Yusei current job situation.  Yusei wondered what their argument looked like from the outside.  From the inside, it seemed childish.

He might as well humor Hikaru.  Maybe the ghost would leave him alone sooner.

“All right, I’ll go shopping with you,” Yusei conceded.  “But we’ll look for cards too.”

“Of course.”  Jack gave him a look that told him he was crazy for even think Jack might refuse that.  The he reached up and tapped at a spot in the air—a screen appeared before his fingers.

“Wow...” Hikaru said, hurrying over to look at it.  Yusei moved closer as well.  He’d heard about it, but he’d never actually seen the Solid Vision systems work like this before.

A girl with blue hair and golden eyes appeared on the screen.  Yusei assumed this was Sagiri, since he didn’t know who else Jack would call that he didn’t know.

“We’re going out,” Jack said.  “I don’t care if the Director knows or not.”

The girl’s eyes widened.  “You need your rest, Atlus-sama!  Director Godwin wouldn’t allow this!”

“I don’t care.  We’re going out,” Jack repeated, hardly looking surprised.  “We’ll be eating dinner while we’re out.  Don’t expect us back until late.”

He tapped the screen again and it disappeared before Sagiri could protest.  He smirked at Yusei and started out of the room.

“Let’s go before Sagiri tries to stop us.”

Yusei nodded, thinking it would be more likely that Jaeger or Godwin himself would try to stop them than Jack’s keeper.

Jack led them out to the front of the mansion where both their D-Wheels were parked.  Yusei didn’t bother to ask how they had gotten there, since he doubted he would get an answer, but he was still surprised.  They were at the top of a leaning skyscraper, after all.

“You’ll see how when we come back,” Jack said with a smirk.  He grabbed his helmet and put it on.  “For now, just follow me.”

Yusei didn’t think Jack had been so perceptive to what he was thinking before he’d left Satellite.  Why was he now?  But he didn’t have time to wonder; Jack was already starting up his D-Wheel.  Yusei put on his helmet and straddled his own D-Wheel.

“Can you keep up with us?” Yusei asked Hikaru as he started up the D-Wheel.

“I should be able to, but I think I’ll ride with you, just to make sure.”  Hikaru climbed on behind Yusei, although Yusei couldn’t feel it.

Jack shot off, heading for a large hole in the middle of the top of the building.  Yusei sped after him, staring at the hole.  It looked like the mouth of a tunnel...but that would be completely insane.  Even for Jack, who did more stunts while duelling than anyone Yusei had ever met.

Of course, Jack drove right into the hole.  Yusei took a brief glance back to make sure Hikaru was still with him before plunging after him.

Hikaru screamed as the floor practically fell away and their speed quadrupled.  That was good; it kept Yusei from making any noise himself.  The tunnel seemed to go through the center of the building so it was just flat enough to keep them from being in free-fall.  Yusei desperately hoped it levelled out a bit at the bottom, or they’d crash into the street.  How did Jack do this all the time?

The tunnel did level out at the bottom, though it was only just enough to keep them from crashing.  They shot out into sunlight still three times faster than their D-Wheels were meant to go.  Immediately, Yusei had to apply the break to keep from running into Jack, who had slowed as son as he reached the street.

He pulled up next to Jack’s D-Wheel and pushed a button on his helmet that would open a radio frequency between them.

“Jack, you’re insane,” he said into the receiver.  Jack’s voice laughed in his ear.

“Fun, isn’t it?” Jack responded.

Yusei rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t keep a smile from forming on his lips.  It had definitely been an adrenaline rush.

Yusei shut off the radio and glanced back at Hikaru.  “You okay?”

“You do this all the time?” Hikaru demanded.  Yusei was glad the man wasn’t corporeal, or he would have been in a lot of pain from how tightly Hikaru was clinging to him.

“Not quite like that,” Yusei said, gesturing vaguely behind them.  “That was Jack being an idiot.  But I am a riding duelist, so this—” he gestured at his D-Wheel— “I do all the time.  Especially now that I’m King.”

“What does that mean, that you’re King?” Hikaru asked.  Apparently, he’d decided it was safe for them to talk now, while the sound of the wind would keep Jack from hearing them.  “What are you the King of?”

“Duel Monsters.  It means I’m the best duelist in Neo Domino.  It used to be Jack.  His injury is from our duel that I won a few days ago.”

“Is it safe for him to be driving?”

“No.  That won’t stop him.”

Hikaru was silent for a moment.  Then he said, in a voice that was supposed to sound innocent but failed miserably, “You could be King in Go too.  Well, not King exactly, but practically the same—”

“I’m not interested in being King at all,” Yusei said.  “I would rather let Jack keep the title.  I don’t duel for prestige.”

Hikaru fell silent again.  Yusei shifted so he could catch Hikaru’s reflection in his visor.  To his surprise, Hikaru had a faint smile on his face, as though what Yusei had said had been exactly what he’d wanted to hear.

“Good,” Hikaru said.  Yusei could hear the appreciation in his voice.

Yusei sighed and turned his attention back on the road.  If Hikaru really had come back because he still wanted to play Go, it must have been frustrating for him to be attached to someone who didn’t play.  Would it really be so bad playing a couple games?  Yusei couldn’t see the harm in it, except that both he and Jack were famous.

They’d have just as many problems shopping out in the open, which they were already doing.

“Yusei, we’re turning here,” Jack’s voice crackled in his ear.  Jack’s D-Wheel shot forward and turned to the right.  Yusei followed easily.

“I’ll look for a Go salon while we’re out,” Yusei said.  “You can play a few games.”

“Really?  Thanks!” Hikaru exclaimed, hugging him tight.  Yusei winced and Hikaru’s arms went through his torso.

Jack slowed to a stop, forcing Yusei to do the same.  He took his time dismounting and taking off his helmet, knowing that Jack was waiting on him. He might have agreed to this trip, but he didn’t have to make it easy on Jack.  It was too much fun to push his buttons.

“Clothes first, then cards,” Jack said when Yusei walked over to him.  Yusei nodded and followed him into the building.

Jack had taken them to a mall that was clearly one of the nicer ones in the city—but was also fairly empty.  Enough people were wandering around that no store would go out of business, but few enough that he and Jack couldn’t be overwhelmed by a mob of people.  Yusei had a feeling this was the only place Jack ever came to because of it.

“Let’s look here first,” Jack said, heading for the nearest clothing store.  Yusei sighed and followed, half-heartedly wishing that he had refused this trip after all.

*~*~*~*~*

Hikaru was starting to get antsy.  Even though it had been years since the first time he’d picked up a Go stone, he hadn’t gained much maturity.  He’d gained enough that he could tell himself when he was a little too hyper or a tad too emotional, but it didn’t stop him from acting that way anyway.  And one thing he’d never lost was his enthusiasm for Go and how excited he could get before a challenging game or how antsy he could get if he hadn’t played for a while.

But it looked as though he would have to wait a while longer yet; although Jack had bought Yusei an entire wardrobe, he didn’t seem satisfied.  He dragged Yusei into another store, which Hikaru hoped was the last one in the mall.

“Atlus-sama!” the store clerk greeted as they walked through the door.  “Good afternoon!  How may we be of service today?”

“We’re just looking for now,” Jack answered.  Yusei relaxed a little.

Hikaru wandered away from them, looking around with only a slight interest.  He could understand now why Sai had been so distracted whenever they went out, but he himself was depressed.  He was dead.  He’d never eat ramen again, or hold a Go stone, or laugh with Akira and Waya and Isumi.  He’d never see his friends again.  He couldn’t do anything on his own any more.

He wished, not for the first time, that he hadn’t been so mean to Sai while he’d been around.

He finished a circuit of the store and sat down by the entrance, watching people pass by who couldn’t see him.  How long would he live like this, as a ghost?  He wanted to keep playing Go, definitely, but he thought he was lucky Yusei had agreed to let him play so quickly.  Go would likely become a rare thing in his life now.  Until he figured out what his true purpose was, would he stay like this?  He didn’t mind finding out about this Duel Monsters Yusei and Jack played, but he didn’t want to give up Go either.

“Are you okay, mister?”

Hikaru looked up.  A small boy had crouched in front of him, head cocked curiously to the side.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Hikaru answered, too shocked to say much else.

The boy gave him a big grin.  “Me too.  That’s why I’m here talkin’ to you!”

Hikaru smiled in return.  “Won’t your mother be worried?”

The boy shrugged and his grin got bigger.

“Ryu!”

The boy jumped to his feet and turned around.  And woman was hurrying towards them.

“Ryu, there you are!  What have I told you about running off like that?”

“Sorry, mom,” Ryu said, sounding sufficiently admonished.  “I just wanted to talk to this guy.”

Hikaru knew without the look the mother gave Ryu that she couldn’t see him.

She decided to play along, answering, “Then what have I told you about talking to strangers?”

Hikaru turned away from the two of them, scanning over the store to see if Yusei and Jack were any closer.  They were standing by the counter, paying for whatever Jack had convinced Yusei he should buy.  That was good.  They would leave soon.

“Bye, mister!” Ryu called as he got dragged away by his mother.  Hikaru smiled and waved to him.  He remembered doing exactly the same thing to his own mother.

“We’re leaving,” Yusei said just before he and Jack passed by him and walked out of the store.  “Jack said that’s the last store, so it’s just dinner before we find a Go salon.”

Hikaru grinned and hurried after them.  “Awesome.  Then you’ll see how great Go is, and you’ll want to see me play all the time!”

He only caught the brief smile that formed on Yusei’s lips because he was looking for it.

“We’ll see.”

Description
The Divine Move

Turn I: Tengen

Tengen / An opening move on the tengen, or center point of the board, is not unheard of, but is uncommon.  It’s a difficult move to pull off in the end, and gives infinite possibilities for how the game could be played.

*~*~*~*~*

Yusei stared at the figure in front of him.  The boy had appeared out of nowhere looking just as confused as he felt.  Yusei glanced down at the wooden block he’d been cleaning off.  It was still scorched and a corner was still drenched in blood, as though his cleaning had done nothing.

He looked back up at the boy.  The other boy was probably about his age, maybe a little older, though his childish curiosity of the world around him would have never given that away.  His bangs were blond, probably bleached because the rest of his hair was black.  His clothes were nice, but not formal, as though he were about to go on a date with someone he had been with for months.

The boy finally finished his wide-eyed study of the room and looked back at him.  His green eyes fixed on Yusei’s own.

“Where am I?”

Yusei frowned slightly.  He wasn’t sure what he was dealing with here, but would it hurt to give this boy information?  Probably not.

“You’re in Neo Domino City,” Yusei answered.  The boy frowned, looking around again.

“Neo Domino...ah, I remember!  I was in Domino before, for a Go event.”  The boy turned to him hesitantly, asking, as though afraid of the answer, “Why is there a Neo Domino now?”

Fire everywhere, embers falling, a wall crashing down nearby.  The world aflame, a creak from above—

“No!  Yusei!”

“There was an explosion,” Yusei said softly, his stomach twisting at the memory.  “Several, actually.  Terrorist acts.  Half the city was destroyed.”

The boy blanched, suddenly looking sick.  “When was that?”

“Thirteen years ago.”

“What year is it now?”

Yusei eyed him curiously.  Why would he need to ask a question like that?  “It’s 2021.”

The boy cursed and looked away, finally noticing the block of wood Yusei had been cleaning off.  His eyes widened and he reached out, mimicking Yusei’s earlier movements.

“That would explain it,” he murmured to himself.  His eyes shifted back up to Yusei.  Yusei was watching him curiously, wondering what the importance of the board might be.

Suddenly, the boy thrust a hand at him.  Yusei stared at it in surprise.

“I’m Shindou Hikaru,” the boy said.  “I’m twenty-one years old, and a 6-dan Go pro.  And I died thirteen years ago in those terrorist attacks.”

Yusei stared at him in shock.  Finally, he lifted a hand to take Hikaru’s.  It passed right through.

*~*~*~*~*

Hikaru couldn’t believe his luck.  He remembered the explosions this boy had mentioned; he and Akira had heard a couple in the distance before the world around them had been engulfed in fire.  He remembered falling into blackness, but he hadn’t realized he’d died.  But here he was, in the same position Sai had been in all those years ago.  He wondered if he had come back for the same reason Sai had—his unquenchable thirst for Go.

He didn’t think that was the only reason, though it was probably part of it.

What to do now, though?  Akira would be gone now; he had probably died at the same time Hikaru had.  Hikaru felt a painful lump in his chest at the thought, so he refused to think about it.  Thinking about Akira dead would make him cry.

And he wanted to play Go, but he didn’t know whether he could in this time.  He doubted Go had died out, but he remembered how difficult it had been for Sai back when Sai had first appeared.  And the boy in from of him did not look like the type to play Go, anymore than he had at eleven.

The boy had not said a word yet, unsettling him.  Did he believe Hikaru?  Would he help him?  Would he abandon him?  Hikaru’s chest ached again, this time at the thought of Sai.  Now that he himself was in this position, he felt even guiltier for being so awful to Sai at first.  He hoped this boy wouldn’t be like that.

Finally, the boy nodded, as though agreeing with something, and said, “I’m Fudo Yusei.  I’m eighteen and a resident of Satellite.  That’s Old Domino.  And I’m the current Duel King.”

Hikaru would have breathed a sigh of relief if he could breathe.  It looked like Fudo wouldn’t abandon him or think he was an illusion.  Now all he had to find out was whether Fudo knew how to play Go and if he’d been willing to learn if he didn’t.

Fudo spoke before he could, though.  “How are you here?  And how can I see you?  I thought ghosts were invisible.”

“I’m tied to the Go board,” Hikaru explained eagerly, pointing at the scorched block of wood.  “You can see me because you touched it, and so now I’m tied to you as well.  No one else will be able to see or hear me, even if they touch the board.  They can’t see how damaged it is either.”

“You’re tied to me?” Fudo asked, a hint of nervousness tingeing his tone.

“Yes.  I don’t know why, but I’ll figure it out.  And I’m here because my life was cut short before I could accomplish the Divine Move, before I could play all the Go I wanted.  And before I could accomplish something else, although I’m not sure what that is yet.”

Fudo stared at him for a long time.  He finally said, a little regretfully, “I can’t help you.  I don’t play Go.  You should find someone else.”

Hikaru shrugged.  “I can teach you.  I learned from the greatest Go player in the world, and I’m a pro myself, so I can easily teach you.”

Fudo frowned and stood up.  “I don’t play Go.  I can’t help you.”

Hikaru opened his mouth to protest, but a loud knocking interrupted him.  He realized they were in a small storage room, and the knocking had been at the door not to far away.

“Yusei?  What are you doing?  You’ve been in there for an hour!”

“I was just looking around,” Yusei answered.  He walked toward the door.  “I wanted to see what was here.”

The door opened to reveal a tall blond man with spiky hair and a ridiculous white trench coat.  One of his arms was in a sling, though he moved with the attitude that he thought it didn’t need to be.

“What is there to see?  There’s just junk in here,” the man said.  His voice was deep and rich, the exact opposite of Sai’s.

Fudo shrugged.  “You can find some interesting stuff in junk.”

The blond rolled his eyes.  “Of course, says the one who built two D-Wheels out of junk.  C’mon, I was going to show you around, remember?”

Fudo nodded and moved to follow him.  Hikaru got up and moved to follow Fudo.  Maybe he could change Fudo’s mind about Go the next time they could talk.  Fudo had said he was the “Duel King” after all; he must have some interest in games.

Hikaru paused halfway to the door.  By his feet sat a second Go board, this one a little worse for wear than his own.  Why would the blond own two boards if he seemed to think they were junk?  Pros, and enthusiasts, were known to own more than one but it was uncommon for anyone else.

Still curious, Hikaru bounded after Fudo and the blond.

*~*~*~*~*

Yusei almost thought he should be annoyed when Hikaru caught up with them.  Almost.  He wasn’t, because he understood that the ghost was out of his element and needed something familiar to cling to.  Yusei was the most familiar thing he had right now, besides his Go board.  But he did have to wonder how long Hikaru was going to follow him around.  The man was three years older than him; he should be the mature one.

Yusei had a good feeling that he wasn’t.

He had to admit he felt a little guilty about Hikaru’s situation.  After all, Yusei was probably his only hope to play Go again or enjoy his afterlife at all.  But Yusei did have his own business to worry about, like Director Godwin and his obsessive interest in the Signers.  And being a King that the populace knew was from Satellite (they had already had a Satellite-native King, but Jack had kept that fact hidden very well).  And how he was going to tolerate living with Jack again.

Because that was the deal he’d had to make with Director Godwin: stay with Jack, or let his friends get killed.  Yusei was starting to get tired of having his friends’ lives held over his head, but he wasn’t about to test Godwin on whether the threats were real or not.  He would have to contact Saiga and see if he could get his friends out of Satellite.  If anyone could do it, it was him.

For now, though, he would have to stay with Jack.  He didn’t mind it too much, except that Jack seemed convinced that Yusei still hated him for what he’d done.  In fact, Yusei had never hated him, nor did he think he ever could; he’d only been extremely annoyed and disappointed. And now that he had Stardust back and he knew why Jack had taken her in the first place, he’d completely forgiven his old friend.  He only wished Jack would realize that.  The man acted too carefully around him, as though one wrong word would drive him away.

“I was expecting something a little more futuristic.”

Yusei glanced at Hikaru.  The ghost seemed disappointed as he looked around.

“Like what?” Yusei murmured, glancing at Jack to make sure he didn’t hear.

“Like flying cars and robots and that sort of thing.”  Hikaru shrugged, stuffing his hand into his pockets.  “And you don’t have to talk out loud.  I’ll hear what you say in your head.”

Yusei nodded, almost smiling.  “You expected that in thirteen years?”

“Anything’s possible.”

Yusei did smile at that.  Hikaru was right, of course.  And they had advanced quite far in thirteen years, though not to the point of flying cars.  Hikaru would like what he saw.

“We’ll sleep in here,” Jack said, flicking on the light of the last room.

Yusei looked around, as uninterested in this room as he had been with the rest of the mansion.  The whole place seemed far too big for only two people; the bedroom itself was as big as the area they and their friends had shared back in Satellite.  Still it was tastefully, though sparsely, decorated and felt comfortable and lived-in.

“There’s only one bed,” Yusei said, looking back at Jack.

“The second one hasn’t arrived yet,” Jack said.  He almost sounded embarrassed.  “You can take it until yours is delivered.”

Yusei shook his head. “I can sleep on the couch—”

“Yusei,” Jack interrupted.  “You’re the guest here, and the King.  You’re getting the bed.”

“Jack...”  Yusei did not feel comfortable taking the bed when it was Jack’s home and Jack had just gotten out of the hospital.  Jack’s arm was still in a sling, even.  Sleeping anywhere other than the bed and floor could make his injury worse, and Yusei doubted Jack was planning on sleeping on the floor.

“Why don’t you share?” Hikaru suggested, seemingly forgetting that only Yusei could hear him.  “It’s a big enough bed.”

Yusei frowned.  That could be awkward.  While they had practically shared a bed back in Satellite, that had bee two years ago.  A lot had changed since then.  They were rivals now, whether Yusei had forgiven Jack or not.  It was awkward enough that they had to live together.

“What are you thinking?” Jack asked, frowning at him.  Yusei blinked at him, surprised.  It’d been a while since someone could tell his moods so accurately.  He wasn’t used to it anymore.

“We could share,” Yusei said, refusing to sound hesitant.  “We’ve done it before.  I refuse to take the bed when you need it.  I’ll sleep on the floor.”

Jack studied him for a moment.  Yusei didn’t care what he said; he was fine sharing the bed, and he was fine sleeping on the floor.  It didn’t matter to him.

But for some reason, it would matter to Jack.

“You’re in Neo Domino now,” Jack finally said.  “I refuse to allow you to sleep on the floor as if we were still in Satellite.  We’ll share.”

Yusei nodded, secretly glad.  The closest he’d gotten to sleeping in a real bed in months was while he’d been in the detention center.  The last of their mattresses in Satellite had fallen apart and they hadn’t found another yet.

“And we’re going shopping for new clothes for you,” Jack added, looking him over with a scowl.

Yusei frowned and crossed his arms.  “These are fine.”

“You need more clothes than that.”

“You don’t need to go out of your way for me,” Yusei said.  “I won money for winning the Fortune Cup.  I’ll get some clothes later.”

“No, you didn’t, and I’m not going out of my way for you.  I’m giving you what you should have.”

“What do you mean I didn’t?” Yusei asked curiously.  He didn’t really care whether he had money or not, because if he had to, he was willing to borrow some of Jack’s clothes, but he’d been sure hid invitation had mentioned prize money.

Jack sighed.  “You’re not allowed to earn money anymore, remember?  I’m sure they told you that when you were Marked.  Everything you won got transferred into one of my accounts.”

“You’re not allowed to earn money?” Hikaru asked, horrified.  “Why not?”

“I’ll explain later,” Yusei said.  He rubbed at the Marker on his cheek in annoyance.  He hated having to rely on someone else like he would have to now.  It didn’t matter if that someone else was Jack.

Jack moved to cross his arms but quickly decided that was a bad idea.  “So, if you don’t want to help pick clothes out, I’ll send Sagiri to get you clothes, and you’ll have no say in what you get.”

Yusei sighed.  “I’d forgotten how stubborn you are.”

“And I haven’t forgotten how stubborn you are,” Jack said.

“I’d like to see the rest of the city,” Hikaru spoke up.  “Maybe find a Go salon.”

Yusei glanced at him.  The ghost was watching them curiously, if not with a little apprehension because of Yusei current job situation.  Yusei wondered what their argument looked like from the outside.  From the inside, it seemed childish.

He might as well humor Hikaru.  Maybe the ghost would leave him alone sooner.

“All right, I’ll go shopping with you,” Yusei conceded.  “But we’ll look for cards too.”

“Of course.”  Jack gave him a look that told him he was crazy for even think Jack might refuse that.  The he reached up and tapped at a spot in the air—a screen appeared before his fingers.

“Wow...” Hikaru said, hurrying over to look at it.  Yusei moved closer as well.  He’d heard about it, but he’d never actually seen the Solid Vision systems work like this before.

A girl with blue hair and golden eyes appeared on the screen.  Yusei assumed this was Sagiri, since he didn’t know who else Jack would call that he didn’t know.

“We’re going out,” Jack said.  “I don’t care if the Director knows or not.”

The girl’s eyes widened.  “You need your rest, Atlus-sama!  Director Godwin wouldn’t allow this!”

“I don’t care.  We’re going out,” Jack repeated, hardly looking surprised.  “We’ll be eating dinner while we’re out.  Don’t expect us back until late.”

He tapped the screen again and it disappeared before Sagiri could protest.  He smirked at Yusei and started out of the room.

“Let’s go before Sagiri tries to stop us.”

Yusei nodded, thinking it would be more likely that Jaeger or Godwin himself would try to stop them than Jack’s keeper.

Jack led them out to the front of the mansion where both their D-Wheels were parked.  Yusei didn’t bother to ask how they had gotten there, since he doubted he would get an answer, but he was still surprised.  They were at the top of a leaning skyscraper, after all.

“You’ll see how when we come back,” Jack said with a smirk.  He grabbed his helmet and put it on.  “For now, just follow me.”

Yusei didn’t think Jack had been so perceptive to what he was thinking before he’d left Satellite.  Why was he now?  But he didn’t have time to wonder; Jack was already starting up his D-Wheel.  Yusei put on his helmet and straddled his own D-Wheel.

“Can you keep up with us?” Yusei asked Hikaru as he started up the D-Wheel.

“I should be able to, but I think I’ll ride with you, just to make sure.”  Hikaru climbed on behind Yusei, although Yusei couldn’t feel it.

Jack shot off, heading for a large hole in the middle of the top of the building.  Yusei sped after him, staring at the hole.  It looked like the mouth of a tunnel...but that would be completely insane.  Even for Jack, who did more stunts while duelling than anyone Yusei had ever met.

Of course, Jack drove right into the hole.  Yusei took a brief glance back to make sure Hikaru was still with him before plunging after him.

Hikaru screamed as the floor practically fell away and their speed quadrupled.  That was good; it kept Yusei from making any noise himself.  The tunnel seemed to go through the center of the building so it was just flat enough to keep them from being in free-fall.  Yusei desperately hoped it levelled out a bit at the bottom, or they’d crash into the street.  How did Jack do this all the time?

The tunnel did level out at the bottom, though it was only just enough to keep them from crashing.  They shot out into sunlight still three times faster than their D-Wheels were meant to go.  Immediately, Yusei had to apply the break to keep from running into Jack, who had slowed as son as he reached the street.

He pulled up next to Jack’s D-Wheel and pushed a button on his helmet that would open a radio frequency between them.

“Jack, you’re insane,” he said into the receiver.  Jack’s voice laughed in his ear.

“Fun, isn’t it?” Jack responded.

Yusei rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t keep a smile from forming on his lips.  It had definitely been an adrenaline rush.

Yusei shut off the radio and glanced back at Hikaru.  “You okay?”

“You do this all the time?” Hikaru demanded.  Yusei was glad the man wasn’t corporeal, or he would have been in a lot of pain from how tightly Hikaru was clinging to him.

“Not quite like that,” Yusei said, gesturing vaguely behind them.  “That was Jack being an idiot.  But I am a riding duelist, so this—” he gestured at his D-Wheel— “I do all the time.  Especially now that I’m King.”

“What does that mean, that you’re King?” Hikaru asked.  Apparently, he’d decided it was safe for them to talk now, while the sound of the wind would keep Jack from hearing them.  “What are you the King of?”

“Duel Monsters.  It means I’m the best duelist in Neo Domino.  It used to be Jack.  His injury is from our duel that I won a few days ago.”

“Is it safe for him to be driving?”

“No.  That won’t stop him.”

Hikaru was silent for a moment.  Then he said, in a voice that was supposed to sound innocent but failed miserably, “You could be King in Go too.  Well, not King exactly, but practically the same—”

“I’m not interested in being King at all,” Yusei said.  “I would rather let Jack keep the title.  I don’t duel for prestige.”

Hikaru fell silent again.  Yusei shifted so he could catch Hikaru’s reflection in his visor.  To his surprise, Hikaru had a faint smile on his face, as though what Yusei had said had been exactly what he’d wanted to hear.

“Good,” Hikaru said.  Yusei could hear the appreciation in his voice.

Yusei sighed and turned his attention back on the road.  If Hikaru really had come back because he still wanted to play Go, it must have been frustrating for him to be attached to someone who didn’t play.  Would it really be so bad playing a couple games?  Yusei couldn’t see the harm in it, except that both he and Jack were famous.

They’d have just as many problems shopping out in the open, which they were already doing.

“Yusei, we’re turning here,” Jack’s voice crackled in his ear.  Jack’s D-Wheel shot forward and turned to the right.  Yusei followed easily.

“I’ll look for a Go salon while we’re out,” Yusei said.  “You can play a few games.”

“Really?  Thanks!” Hikaru exclaimed, hugging him tight.  Yusei winced and Hikaru’s arms went through his torso.

Jack slowed to a stop, forcing Yusei to do the same.  He took his time dismounting and taking off his helmet, knowing that Jack was waiting on him. He might have agreed to this trip, but he didn’t have to make it easy on Jack.  It was too much fun to push his buttons.

“Clothes first, then cards,” Jack said when Yusei walked over to him.  Yusei nodded and followed him into the building.

Jack had taken them to a mall that was clearly one of the nicer ones in the city—but was also fairly empty.  Enough people were wandering around that no store would go out of business, but few enough that he and Jack couldn’t be overwhelmed by a mob of people.  Yusei had a feeling this was the only place Jack ever came to because of it.

“Let’s look here first,” Jack said, heading for the nearest clothing store.  Yusei sighed and followed, half-heartedly wishing that he had refused this trip after all.

*~*~*~*~*

Hikaru was starting to get antsy.  Even though it had been years since the first time he’d picked up a Go stone, he hadn’t gained much maturity.  He’d gained enough that he could tell himself when he was a little too hyper or a tad too emotional, but it didn’t stop him from acting that way anyway.  And one thing he’d never lost was his enthusiasm for Go and how excited he could get before a challenging game or how antsy he could get if he hadn’t played for a while.

But it looked as though he would have to wait a while longer yet; although Jack had bought Yusei an entire wardrobe, he didn’t seem satisfied.  He dragged Yusei into another store, which Hikaru hoped was the last one in the mall.

“Atlus-sama!” the store clerk greeted as they walked through the door.  “Good afternoon!  How may we be of service today?”

“We’re just looking for now,” Jack answered.  Yusei relaxed a little.

Hikaru wandered away from them, looking around with only a slight interest.  He could understand now why Sai had been so distracted whenever they went out, but he himself was depressed.  He was dead.  He’d never eat ramen again, or hold a Go stone, or laugh with Akira and Waya and Isumi.  He’d never see his friends again.  He couldn’t do anything on his own any more.

He wished, not for the first time, that he hadn’t been so mean to Sai while he’d been around.

He finished a circuit of the store and sat down by the entrance, watching people pass by who couldn’t see him.  How long would he live like this, as a ghost?  He wanted to keep playing Go, definitely, but he thought he was lucky Yusei had agreed to let him play so quickly.  Go would likely become a rare thing in his life now.  Until he figured out what his true purpose was, would he stay like this?  He didn’t mind finding out about this Duel Monsters Yusei and Jack played, but he didn’t want to give up Go either.

“Are you okay, mister?”

Hikaru looked up.  A small boy had crouched in front of him, head cocked curiously to the side.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Hikaru answered, too shocked to say much else.

The boy gave him a big grin.  “Me too.  That’s why I’m here talkin’ to you!”

Hikaru smiled in return.  “Won’t your mother be worried?”

The boy shrugged and his grin got bigger.

“Ryu!”

The boy jumped to his feet and turned around.  And woman was hurrying towards them.

“Ryu, there you are!  What have I told you about running off like that?”

“Sorry, mom,” Ryu said, sounding sufficiently admonished.  “I just wanted to talk to this guy.”

Hikaru knew without the look the mother gave Ryu that she couldn’t see him.

She decided to play along, answering, “Then what have I told you about talking to strangers?”

Hikaru turned away from the two of them, scanning over the store to see if Yusei and Jack were any closer.  They were standing by the counter, paying for whatever Jack had convinced Yusei he should buy.  That was good.  They would leave soon.

“Bye, mister!” Ryu called as he got dragged away by his mother.  Hikaru smiled and waved to him.  He remembered doing exactly the same thing to his own mother.

“We’re leaving,” Yusei said just before he and Jack passed by him and walked out of the store.  “Jack said that’s the last store, so it’s just dinner before we find a Go salon.”

Hikaru grinned and hurried after them.  “Awesome.  Then you’ll see how great Go is, and you’ll want to see me play all the time!”

He only caught the brief smile that formed on Yusei’s lips because he was looking for it.

“We’ll see.”