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The Divine Move

Turn II: Fuseki

Fuseki / The opening stage of game during which the two players map out their territory on the board.  Ends when the first fight begins.

*~*~*~*~*

“Jack, let’s pull over here,” Yusei said into his radio.  He didn’t give Jack a chance to respond before he slowed to a stop.  If Jack didn’t listen and kept going, he’d realize Yusei was missing and backtrack eventually.

Jack only took a moment to react and turn around.  He stopped in front of Yusei, leaning around the front of his D-Wheel to see him.

“Why are we stopping?”

Yusei pointed at a sign behind them that read “Go Salon.”

“I want to play a game.”

“You play?”

Yusei was suddenly very glad for their two year rift.  Jack had no idea what had happened to him in those two years.

“I started learning not long after you left,” Yusei answered.  He dismounted and pulled his helmet off.  “I want to see what the players in Neo Domino are like.”

Jack sighed but got off his own bike and pulled off his helmet.

“You’re a lot better at this than I was,” Hikaru said in awe.  Yusei set his helmet down on his seat.

“It’s easy manipulating Jack,” Yusei answered.  “You just have to know what card to play.”

“Why did you start playing Go?” Jack asked, walking up to him.  “Isn’t it an old man’s game?”

Yusei waited for him to catch up before he started walking toward the stairs that lead to the Go salon.

“It’s good for strategy,” Yusei said, although he wasn’t sure about that.  He didn’t know anything more about Go than what it looked like and that it did have the reputation of being “an old man’s game.”  But he saw Hikaru nod out of the corner of his eye, so it was probably true.

“I’ll explain everything as we get to it,” Hikaru said.  Yusei glanced at him; that man was grinning and looked like he was finding it difficult not to run ahead of them.

At the bottom of the stairs, Hikaru finally gave up on holding back and ran forward into, and through, a door.  He stuck his head back out a second later.

“In here, Yusei!”

Yusei walked to the door and pulled it open.  Immediately, they were hit with a wall of cigarette smoke and the sound of clacking and murmuring.  Hikaru stood by a counter off to their right.  The rest of the small front room was filled with long tables holding four Go boards each.

“Hello!  Are you here to play?” asked the man behind the counter.  Yusei nodded and walked over, Jack trailing reluctantly behind him.  The man’s eyes shifted over to the blond and widened dramatically.

“Atlus-sama!  So good to see you again!  Are you here to play too?”

Yusei glance at him and raised an eyebrow.  “Old man’s game” indeed.  Jack glared back at him, cheeks flushed a little with embarrassment.

“I might,” he muttered, answering the man behind the counter.  “And I only started playing a couple months ago,” he added to Yusei.

“Hurry and sign in, Yusei!” Hikaru urged, pointing at a sheet of paper lying on the desk.

“You’ll have to sign in here,” the man said, also pointing at the paper.  “Write down your name and experience.  It’s 750 yen for adults.”

“Write down ‘4-dan’ under experience,” Hikaru said as Yusei took up a pen.  Yusei nodded and wrote down what he needed to.  Then he turned to Jack for the money he needed to pay.

“Yusei Fudo?  The new duel King?”

Both Jack and Yusei tensed, though for different reasons.  Yusei set the money on the counter.

“Yes.”

“You don’t need to pay here, either of you,” the man said, shaking his head.

“I’d like to anyway,” Yusei said, refusing to take the money back.  Reluctantly, the man swept it off the counter into a drawer.

“Our strongest players are usually in the back over there, Fudo-sama,” the man said, pointing.

“Thank you,” Yusei said.  Hikaru was already heading over.  Yusei sighed and followed him.

In the corner sat a boy who was playing a game on his own, checking a book every now and then.    He looked to be about their age, maybe a little younger, with a shock of silver hair.  He looked up when Yusei and Jack approached, piercing them both with cold brown eyes.

“Yusei Fudo and Jack Atlus,” he said with surprise.

Yusei nodded, annoyed that everyone knew him now.

“I’m Akihiko Tsukune,” the boy said.  He started clearing off the board, dumping the black and white stones in their respectful bowls.  “Are you looking for someone to play?”

Yusei nodded and sat across from him at Tsukune’s prompting.  Jack pulled up a chair and sat near them.

“I have nothing better to do.  I don’t feel like playing,” Jack said at Yusei’s questioning look.

Yusei nodded and looked back at the board, pulling off his gloves.  “What do I do?” he asked Hikaru.

“You’ll probably nigiri for who goes first,” Hikaru said, stepping up beside him.  “I don’t need a handicap.”

“How good are you?” Tsukune asked.

“4th dan,” Yusei answered.  Tsukune’s eyes brightened in surprise.

“Really?  We’ll nigiri then.”  Tsukune grabbed the bowl closest to him and opened it.  It was full of black stones.

“So you have white right now, good.  Grab a handful of white stones.  He’ll put down one or two to guess odd or even.  If he gets it right, he’s black.”

Tsukune set down one black stone.  Yusei grabbed a handful of white stones and set them on the board.  He quickly counted them out.

“Eleven, I’m black,” Tsukune said, looking them over too.  Yusei nodded and dumped the white stones back into their bowl.

Tsukune bowed very slightly.  “Onigaishimasu.”

Yusei quickly copied him, hearing Hikaru echo him.  Tsukune placed a stone near the star point on the left closest to Yusei.  Yusei lifted a hand to take a white stone, waiting for Hikaru to tell him what to do.  The instruction didn’t come immediately.  Yusei glanced at Hikaru.  A white sensu fan had appeared in his hands and the expression on his face was one Yusei recognized as one from his duels.  He often had that look on his own face.

“Ready?” Yusei asked.

Hikaru nodded and pointed his fan at the board.  “Third from the top, forth from the side in the lower right.  Mirror his stone.”

*~*~*~*~*

Jack wasn’t sure what the hell was going on anymore.  Yusei had defeated him, not once but twice, and had taken his title, although he didn’t want it.  Now Yusei had to live with him again so he could keep an eye on the new King.  He didn’t mind that too much; it was just a little awkward after two years of hating each other.

And now Yusei played Go.

Jack’s blood had run cold when Yusei had first pointed at the Go salon.  Akira’s board had been in the storeroom.  Was it possible that Akira was with Yusei now?  But no, Akira had stepped up beside him, looking surprised and thoughtful.  Maybe Yusei really had just started playing Go on his own.

But Jack was positive that there were no professional players in Satellite, nor was there anyway for a Satellite to take the test to become a pro.  And there was no way Yusei could have gone from no experience to 4-dan in two years, not along with building another D-Wheel and working.  It was impossible.  Yusei may have tricked Meichi, but he liked to think he knew Yusei better than anyone.  Something felt off about this.

He glanced at the spirit standing beside him.  He hadn’t been lying when he’d said he started playing a few months ago.  He had, because that was when he’d met Akira.

Jack liked being King.  He really did.  He could do practically whatever he wanted, no one knew he was from Satellite, nor would anyone find out, and he could hold it over Yusei’s head if they ever met again.

But if there was one thing he disliked about being King, it was that he had no privacy.  Outside his mansion, he was constantly swarmed by fans.  Inside, Godwin had cameras in every room, and he usually had a companion in Sagiri or Godwin himself.

But he could use the threat of leaving Neo Domino to get Godwin to leave him alone.  Godwin hated whenever he mentioned his old home and tried to convince Jack that he hated it too.  Jack usually tried to keep up that appearance, but the truth was, he missed Satellite.  He missed Yusei and Crow and even Rally.  So Godwin knew his threat wasn’t hollow; he really would leave.

Jack wasn’t an idiot, so he knew Godwin still had him followed while he was out.  He didn’t mind it so much, as long as they didn’t interfere with whatever he did.  He would have been worried if Godwin didn’t have him followed.

Today, he’d decided to leave his D-Wheel at the edge of a street mall and walk around a bit.  He would never tell anyone but Yusei, but he liked walking as much as riding his D-Wheel.  Yusei had thought he was crazy, but it was true.

It seemed a school had managed to rent the space for the day to have a festival of some sort.  The stalls were manned by kids not much younger than him, so he assumed it was a high school festival.  He almost turned around, since most of the people here would be rabid fans of his.  But he’d been forced to leave school after sixth grade, like everyone in Satellite, so he’d never had the chance to go to a festival like this.

Crow would laugh if he saw how weak he was being right now.

Jack took his time walking through the festival, enjoying it despite himself.  He was just starting to decide that he was hungry when a particular stall caught his eye.

This booth was being run by the school’s Go club, he guessed, from the look of the items sitting on the table: a board and a couple bowls full of black and white stones.  Off to the side sat a few items that he guessed were prizes.  A couple more boards sat on the ground next to the table.  Jack didn’t care about any of that, though.

Why were they using a board that was so badly damaged?  The whole surface was charred, and a corner looked as though it had been soaked in blood.  It was difficult to tell that it was a Go board. He didn’t know much about Go, but he knew that no player would use a board so badly damaged, just like he wouldn’t use a water-damaged card.

“Atlus-sama!  What a surprise to see you!” exclaimed the girl behind the booth. “Do you know how to play Go?  Would you like to try for a prize?”

“No, I don’t play.”  Jack frowned down at the board as he moved closer.  He’d thought it might be a trick of the light, but no, it was really damaged.  He ran his fingers over the board.  “Why are you using such a damaged board?”

She frowned at him and looked down at the board herself.  “What are you talking about?  It’s a beautiful board.”

Jack pulled his hand away and studied it curiously.  He’d expected his hand to be covered in soot, but it came away clean.

“It’s all burned,” Jack said.  “It’s like it was in a fire.”

“I don’t think we’re looking at the same board, Altus-sama,” the girl said.

“You can see it?”

Jack looked around, grateful that there was someone else who could see it and back him up.  A man not much older than him had appeared beside the booth, staring at him with wide eyes.  He was dressed in clothes that had gone out of style years ago, and his jet black hair was cut to his chin in a style Jack was sure had never been popular.  His eyes reminded Jack of Yusei’s—piercing and far too old for his age.

“Of course I can,” Jack said, trying not to sound too rude.  “Can you?”

The man smiled with relief.  “Then you can help me, I think.  You’re the only one who has ever seen it in this state.”

That was bad.  If he was the only one, there was no saying that both the damage to the board and this man weren’t figments of his imagination.

“Who are you?” Jack asked, ignoring the looks the girl was giving him.

“My name is Akira Touya.  I...I have been dead for thirteen years.  I am tied to this Go board, so I think you can see me because you can see the true state of this board.”

Jack shook his head.  He really was crazy.

“You’ll believe in me but not a ghost?”

Jack jerked as though shaking off an annoying bug.  Sanuye didn’t know what he was talking about.  A ghost was very different from a card spirit; card spirits had been proven to exist.

Akira’s smile faded a little.  “You don’t believe me.”

“Of course not.  That’s crazy.”

“I can prove it to you.  Do you know anything about Go?”

“Nothing.”

Akira nodded once then nodded to the girl.  “Ask her for her hardest problem.  I’ll solve it.  Then you’ll know I am actually real.”

Jack was reluctant to do it.  He didn’t like being told what to do, and he didn’t like the prospect of Akira getting the problem wrong because he was an illusion.

Nevertheless, he turned back to the girl and said, “I’d like to try your hardest problem.”

“The one to win the book?” she asked.  He had to admire her for still doing her job no matter how flustered she was from his obvious insanity.

“Book?”  Jack scanned over the prizes again.  A book lay near the back of the table.  He glanced at Akira, who nodded.  “Yes, the one for the book,” he said to the girl.

She nodded jerkily and started placing stones, checking a book every few stones.  Once she was done, she moved away and said, “Solve it in three moves.  Black goes first.”

Jack looked to Akira, who had turned away to look at the board.  Suddenly, the ghost smiled and leaned back.  “I remember this one.  Hikaru and I fought for an hour over this once.”

“Then you don’t know the answer?”

“No, we looked it up eventually.  I was right.  14-1 black.  16-2 white.  14-5 black.”

Jack took up a black stone, but he had no idea what the numbers meant.  Akira seemed to realize this and repeated the moves, pointing out each place as he said it.  Jack placed each stone as Akira pointed them out.

The girl stared at the board in shock when he was done.  She didn’t say anything for a long time, longer than Jack’s patience.

“Well?  Is it right?” Jack demanded.

“Y-yes, it’s right,” she said, still staring at the board.  “You win the book.  Please enjoy it.”

“Thanks.”  Jack was in shock himself.  That certainly proved Akira’s existence.  He took the book and looked it over.  It was a Go book, of course—he hadn’t expected anything else.  The title was Shusaku Revisited, which meant nothing to him.  Then he froze as his eyes found the names of the authors.

Meijin Hikaru Shindou and Oza Akira Touya.

“We published it a couple months before I died,” Akira said softly.

“You should probably acquire that board,” Sanuye whispered to him.

Jack nodded; he’d already been thinking that.

“How much are Go boards, usually?” Jack asked Akira.  Akira glanced at him with surprise.

“It depends on the board.  All of these are probably about 150,000 yen.”

Jack turned back to the girl, who looked confused as to why he hadn’t left yet.

“I want to buy this Go board from you,” Jack said.

“I-I can’t sell it, I’m sorry,” the girl said.  “I-I can tell you a few places to buy one—”

“It has to be this board,” Jack interrupted.  “What did you get it for?”

“This board and another were donated to us.  But I really can’t sell it to you.”

“I’ll buy them both for 500,000 yen,” Jack said.

Her eyes widened, but she looked even more nervous.  “I-I really can’t make that decision, Atlus-sama.  You have to talk to Hotta-sensei about that.”

Jack had, of course, bought both boards and arranged for them to be taken back to his house.  Then he’d promptly forgotten about them.  Akira had hung around and persuaded him to play a few games, but usually they ended up fighting and didn’t talk to each other much.

Still, Jack knew he would miss Akira if the man ever disappeared.

“What are you thinking?” Jack asked him.

Akira didn’t answer.  He was too focused on the board, his brow crinkled a little in thought.  Jack couldn’t tell what he was thinking, nor what was happening on the board that was making him so thoughtful.

Sanuye appeared next to him, also looking thoughtful, though the dragon was more willing to talk than Akira.

“It’s a bit coincidental, isn’t it?” Sanuye said.  “You know what was in the room.”

“We don’t know that.  I bought the two boards on instinct.”

“Still, he’s playing well,” Sanuye said.  “Far above the level of 4-dan.  He’s close to Akira’s level, if not equal to it.”

Jack didn’t bother to ask how the dragon could tell that.  He had come to accept that both Sanuye and Iseul knew more about Japan than he would have thought, even before Godwin had told him both dragons had originated in South America.

“Of course we do,” Sanuye said, hitting him over the head.  “We’ve been wandering this world for thousands of years, following Akaki Ryu so we could protect him always.  Nearly all of the Signers for the last thousand years have been in Japan.  It’s not our fault many of them have played Go.”

“You’ve told me that before,” Jack grumbled, looking away from him.

“Hikaru...”

Jack looked up in surprise.  Akira looked just as distant as before, but Jack was sure that had been his voice.

“The guy who helped you write your Go book?” Jack asked.  Akira still didn’t answer.

Tsukune did instead.

Tsukune had been still for a long time, presumably thinking over his move.  He suddenly looked up at Yusei, his eyes wide, almost terrified.  “Where did you learn to play Go?”

“From a friend back in Satellite,” Yusei said.  Jack rolled his eyes.  Yusei needed to learn to be more careful about admitting he was from Satellite.

Tsukune shook his head violently.  “No, where did you learn to play this Go?”

Yusei looked at him questioningly.

“This is Reformed Shusaku,” Tsukune said, gesturing at the board.  “Perfect Reformed Shusaku.  There have only been two people who have ever mastered it: Sai and Hikaru Shindou.”  Tsukune’s eyes lit up dangerously, piercing a hole through Yusei’s skull.  “Both disappeared years ago.  How did you learn this so well?”

“I had a good teacher,” Yusei said.  Jack could tell he was starting to get nervous, though he doubted any else could.

“What was his name?”

“Shinichiro,” Yusei answered after a short pause.  Tsukune’s face fell.

“I see.”  He looked down at the board again before shaking his head.  “I can’t win this game.  I resign.”

“Thanks for the game,” Yusei said, bowing, after another slight pause.  He cocked his head very slightly, as though listening to something, then said, “Would you like to play another game?”

“I’d love to!”  Tsukune eagerly started helping him clean up and set up again.

*~*~*~*~*

It was Hikaru.

Akira didn’t know how or why, nor did he care.  He only cared that Fudo’s Go was exactly like Hikaru’s.  There was no way he wouldn’t recognize it; Hikaru’s Go had always been extremely unique.  The only person who played like him was the mysterious Sai, whom he had come to accept must have been Hikaru’s teacher.  Hikaru’s Go was so much like Sai’s, but with its own flavor to it.

It was part of the reason Akira had prodded Hikaru into helping him write a book; he had hoped it would give him more insight into Hikaru’s Go and his mysterious teacher.

This was Hikaru’s Go.  He was sure of it.

Was it possible Hikaru existed still in spirit form like Akira himself did?  He had never questioned his current predicament; he only assumed that his spirit had remained trapped on earth because he had died before accomplishing the Hand of God.  He still wanted to play Go—so God had granted his wish.

Was it the same for Hikaru?  Were the two of them meant to find the Divine Move together, no matter how many lifetimes it took?

But if that were so, he should be able to see Hikaru.  They would never accomplish anything if they couldn’t interact with each other.  He doubted Jack would agree to be a middleman, and Fudo didn’t seem the type either.

Perhaps Hikaru had reincarnated as Fudo?  But no, his Go would be subtly different; this was as through Hikaru had merely woken up after being asleep for thirteen years.

He knew Hikaru was there, guiding Fudo’s hand.  He knew it.  He had never been so sure of anything before.

So why couldn’t he see Hikaru?

Kami-sama, Akira thought fiercely, I understand what you want from me.  But I cannot do it without Hikaru.  Why can’t I know he’s there?

Maybe Hikaru had to recognize his presence as well?

Was it a two-way process?  Could they only see each other when each knew the other was there?  Hikaru would only know he was there through a game, and one game would do it.  Then he would know if that was it.

“Jack.”

He felt Jack’s gaze move onto him.

“I want to play Fudo once this game is done,” he said, his own eyes never leaving the board.

“I don’t want to play,” Jack answered, as though he had a choice.

“I don’t care.  We’ll play, or I’ll make you sick for a week.”

Jack didn’t say anything to that.  He knew Akira would do it without a second thought.  Akira had done it before.

He smiled faintly.  Now all he had to do was wait for this game to finish.

*~*~*~*~*

Yusei had to admit, he found this game appealing.  He would never give up dueling nor riding duels, but he wouldn’t mind playing Go once in a while.  He might even ask Hikaru to teach him so he could play on his own.

Still, playing two games in a row was a little boring since he had no idea what was happening on the board.  He was glad when Tsukune announced his defeat again.  They could head back to Jack’s apartment and he could try to get some sleep.  They had to meet with Director Godwin tomorrow, and he needed to be well rested for that.

“I want to play you now, Yusei,” Jack said suddenly.  Yusei glanced at him in surprise and little annoyance.  He’d been hoping Jack would want to leave as soon as possible.

“For your title?” Yusei asked, although he’d never been good at joking.  Jack only smiled faintly, otherwise looking thoroughly pissed off.

“Wrong game for that,” Jack said.  He only gave Tsukune a passing glance as they switched places and Jack took the spot across from Yusei.  Yusei was surprised to see Sanuye standing beside him, actually male for once instead of his preferred female form.

Sanuye smiled when he noticed Yusei was looking at him.  “Hey, long time no see, Yusei.”

Yusei smiled faintly.  “It’s good to see you outside a duel.”

“It’s good to be outside a duel for once.”  Sanuye grinned and poked Jack in the side of the head.  “This guy never lets his ‘very soul’ take a break.”

Jack scowled and swatted at the hand.  “You’ve never complained.”

“Because only Yusei would ever listen to me.  You wouldn’t care,” Sanuye answered petulantly.

“Who are you talking to?” Hikaru asked.

Yusei almost glanced at him, surprised that Hikaru couldn’t see Sanuye.  He’d assumed that Hikaru would be able to see him, if not because he was a spirit himself, then because Yusei could.  Apparently, it wasn’t that easy.

“The spirit of Jack’s Red Daemon’s Dragon card,” Yusei answered.  “Both Jack and I can see card spirits, but not everyone can.”

“Of course, Yusei is the only one who ever cares about us,” said a voice at his shoulder.  Both Yusei and Jack turned to look.  Iseul waved a pale hand back at them.

“Yes, he is!” Sanuye agreed.

Jack rolled his eyes.  “Are we just going to talk, or can we nigiri already?”

Yusei nodded and placed two black stones on the board.  Jack put down a handful of white stones and started counting them out.

“Thirteen.  You’re white,” Jack said.  He dumped the stone back in their bowl and handed it to Yusei, who gave him the black stones in return.

“We get komi, then.  Good,” Hikaru said, tapping his fan again the palm of his hand.  Yusei turned his attention back toward the board, but his eyes didn’t get that far.  They didn’t move past Jack’s face.

As a duelist himself, he knew that a duelist’s expression was often serious to the point of frightening during a duel (unless that duelist was Judai Yuki, who was famous for never looking as though he took a duel seriously).  But dueling took place over a large distance or speeding around track, so it was difficult for one duelist to tell the other’s expression.

This was different.  The space across a Go board was small, and it made it very easy for Yusei to see Jack’s expression.

Yusei was sure he’d never seen Jack look so serious or so focused before.  His eyes were intense as they stared down at the Go board, so much that Yusei thought he could feel it.

For the first time since they’d parted two years ago, Yusei was excited to face Jack across a battlefield.

Jack placed a stone on the board as though he’d been playing for years.  Yusei glanced at Hikaru, waiting for his move.  Hikaru was staring at the board with the same intensity as Jack.

“3-4 in the upper right,” Hikaru said after several minutes, pointing his fan.  Yusei placed the stone and sat back to watch the battle commence.  He noticed Iseul and Sanuye sneak out, but didn’t pay it any mind.  The two had probably seen enough games in their lifetimes.

*~*~*~*~*

Akira.

This was Akira.

Hikaru was finding it difficult to think of what moves to make on the board.  He was too shocked and excited.  Akira must have died with him—of course he had, they’d been hit by the explosion at the same time—so Akira could be here, now, in the same state as himself, guiding Jack the way he was guiding Yusei.

This was Akira’s Go, anyway.  He would know it anywhere.  He’d played and fought with Akira enough.

But if that were true, why couldn’t he see Akira?  He had been able to see Sai, and other people had been able to sense Sai’s presence at times.  Maybe he had to touch Akira’s board?  Could he touch it?  Would it work if Yusei touched it?

Or maybe he would be allowed to see Akira once the game was over?  If that was the case, he would just have to try his hardest to win and to show Akira that he was here too.

*~*~*~*~*

Iseul could see both of them, but she wasn’t about to say so.  She knew Sanuye could too, and that he hadn’t said a word about Hikaru to Jack.  That was fine; it would be interesting to watch this play out.

“I feel so sorry for him,” Sanuye murmured behind her.  Sanuye’s voice was high and female.  Iseul smiled faintly; of course, he would want to feel protected right now.  The last Signer he had watched over had been through so much...Sanuye had never been quite the same.

“For who?”

“Hikaru.  I wasn’t with him, but I know what happened.”

Iseul shook her head.  “Nor was I.  That was Roshan.”

“No, you were with Judai...”

“At first.  I was with Akira for longer.”

Sanuye sighed and sat down on the steps, his eyes staring blankly at the door of the salon.  “I’m only glad he doesn’t remember what actually happened.  He wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

“He’s stronger than you think,” Iseul said, sitting next to him.  Somewhere along the way, she had reverted to her male form.  Sanuye leaned against her.

“I hardly ever saw them.  Tokyo is a ways from Duel Academia.”

“They’re strong.  Both of them.  That’s why they’re here now, like this.”  Iseul sighed and looked down at her arm where a duplicate Mark to Yusei lay.  “Fate has an interesting way of playing with us.  Who would have guessed those four would ever meet?”

“If only they could meet Judai and Johan too,” Sanuye agreed with a faint smile.  “It would be like a dream come true for duelists like them.”

Iseul nodded.  “I miss them...”

“Me too...”  Sanuye shook his head.  “Fate wasn’t fair to those two.  But then, Fate is never kind to the Signers.”

“No.”

Iseul hissed softly as the Mark on her arm started glowing.  Sanuye sat up and covered his in a gesture similar to Jack.

“Something’s happened,” Sanuye murmured, standing up.  Now he was male again, ready to fight whatever had caused their Marks to react.

Iseul didn’t say anything.  She strode forward through the door and back into the room.

*~*~*~*~*

Hikaru sighed beside him, his eyes still on the board.  He stuck his fan into his pocket and bowed slightly.  “I resign.”

“I resign,” Yusei repeated, also bowing.

He caught a glimpse of Jack’s astonished face before his arm started burning and he had to wince in pain.  Across from him, Jack grabbed at his own forearm.

“Why is this burning now?” Jack cried out. Yusei frowned down at his own Mark shining through his shirt sleeve.  They hadn’t been duelling or trying to provoke each other.  Their dragons were in another room.  There was no reason for their Marks to burn.

Yusei looked up again and caught Jack’s gaze.  The blond almost looked frightened.

Then he heard Hikaru gasp.  He looked over and gasped himself.

Hikaru’s left arm was glowing too.

Hikaru didn’t notice his arm.  He didn’t notice Yusei and Jack’s arms either, or the two odd men who had just run into the room through the door.  All he saw was Akira and that he really was right there.

“Akira...” he said, unable to move.

“Hikaru...” Akira whispered back, staring at him in shock.

“Akira...”  Hikaru suddenly grinned and ran at him.  “Akira!  It’s really you!”

Akira staggered as Hikaru slammed into him and started hugging the life out of him.  He heard both Jack and Fudo gasp, but ignored them.  All that was important was that Hikaru was really here.

“What the hell is going on?” Jack demanded, staring at them, still clutching his arm in pain.  All he knew was that before, he could only see Akira, and now, he could see Akira and another person with ridiculous hair.  Maybe someone who would take Akira away and back to heaven?

“Who it that?” Jack demanded at the same time as Yusei.  Jack glanced at him; Yusei was staring at the two with the same amount of shock that he felt.  Was this person the reason Yusei suddenly knew how to play Go at Akira’s level, then?

“Yusei!  Jack!  Are you okay?” Iseul asked, hurrying over to them with Sanuye behind her.  Yusei nodded and looked back at Hikaru and the other ghost.  The two had mostly let go of each other, and now both were staring at the dragon spirits in shock.

“What’s going on?” Hikaru asked, staring at them but at Iseul in particular.  Iseul supposed she might be a sight to see to someone who hadn’t seen her before.  “Who are you guys?”

“I might ask you the same thing,” Jack said.  His gaze had fallen from Hikaru’s face to his arm, where a dragon mark burned clear as day.  Yusei nodded in agreement, though he was looking at the other spirit and the claw mark on his arm.  One that he’d seen before, on someone else.

“Maybe we should go home and discuss things there?” Iseul suggested.  “You’re attracting attention.”

They looked around.  Indeed, half the salon was staring at the two duelists blatantly, and the rest were trying not to be obvious.

Yusei nodded and starting clearing off the board.  “We can wait until we get back.”

Jack looked about to protest, but he took one more glance around the room and started helping Yusei clean up.  Once they were done, they stood and walked out together, flanked by the four spirits.

As soon as they were out of the room, Jack opened his mouth but then promptly shut it again when Sanuye shook his head.

“This isn’t the place, Jack.”

Jack scowled at him but kept his mouth shut.  Sanuye reverted to his female form, gave Jack a quick hug, and promptly disappeared.  Yusei and Iseul shared a look and Iseul disappeared as well.

“We’ll explain about them when we get back to Jack’s apartment,” Yusei said when Hikaru looked at him questioningly.  Hikaru nodded, taking it much better than Jack.

“I hate those dragons,” Jack muttered.

Yusei ignored him, knowing that really wasn’t true.  He stopped next to his D-Wheel and put his helmet on.  Jack continued on to his own.  Hikaru and the other spirit parted as well.  As soon as they let go of each other’s hands, the other spirit disappeared.

Yusei frowned at the spot where he’d disappeared in confusion, but since Jack glared at a random place in the air a moment later, he assumed the he just couldn’t see the ghost anymore.

“Let’s go,” Hikaru said, trying to sound eager and failing.  Yusei could see the look of apprehension the ghost gave his D-Wheel.

He felt a little bad for Hikaru as they both got on the D-Wheel.  Hikaru obviously didn’t like it, and Yusei would be giving up his D-Wheel any time soon.

Description
The Divine Move

Turn II: Fuseki

Fuseki / The opening stage of game during which the two players map out their territory on the board.  Ends when the first fight begins.

*~*~*~*~*

“Jack, let’s pull over here,” Yusei said into his radio.  He didn’t give Jack a chance to respond before he slowed to a stop.  If Jack didn’t listen and kept going, he’d realize Yusei was missing and backtrack eventually.

Jack only took a moment to react and turn around.  He stopped in front of Yusei, leaning around the front of his D-Wheel to see him.

“Why are we stopping?”

Yusei pointed at a sign behind them that read “Go Salon.”

“I want to play a game.”

“You play?”

Yusei was suddenly very glad for their two year rift.  Jack had no idea what had happened to him in those two years.

“I started learning not long after you left,” Yusei answered.  He dismounted and pulled his helmet off.  “I want to see what the players in Neo Domino are like.”

Jack sighed but got off his own bike and pulled off his helmet.

“You’re a lot better at this than I was,” Hikaru said in awe.  Yusei set his helmet down on his seat.

“It’s easy manipulating Jack,” Yusei answered.  “You just have to know what card to play.”

“Why did you start playing Go?” Jack asked, walking up to him.  “Isn’t it an old man’s game?”

Yusei waited for him to catch up before he started walking toward the stairs that lead to the Go salon.

“It’s good for strategy,” Yusei said, although he wasn’t sure about that.  He didn’t know anything more about Go than what it looked like and that it did have the reputation of being “an old man’s game.”  But he saw Hikaru nod out of the corner of his eye, so it was probably true.

“I’ll explain everything as we get to it,” Hikaru said.  Yusei glanced at him; that man was grinning and looked like he was finding it difficult not to run ahead of them.

At the bottom of the stairs, Hikaru finally gave up on holding back and ran forward into, and through, a door.  He stuck his head back out a second later.

“In here, Yusei!”

Yusei walked to the door and pulled it open.  Immediately, they were hit with a wall of cigarette smoke and the sound of clacking and murmuring.  Hikaru stood by a counter off to their right.  The rest of the small front room was filled with long tables holding four Go boards each.

“Hello!  Are you here to play?” asked the man behind the counter.  Yusei nodded and walked over, Jack trailing reluctantly behind him.  The man’s eyes shifted over to the blond and widened dramatically.

“Atlus-sama!  So good to see you again!  Are you here to play too?”

Yusei glance at him and raised an eyebrow.  “Old man’s game” indeed.  Jack glared back at him, cheeks flushed a little with embarrassment.

“I might,” he muttered, answering the man behind the counter.  “And I only started playing a couple months ago,” he added to Yusei.

“Hurry and sign in, Yusei!” Hikaru urged, pointing at a sheet of paper lying on the desk.

“You’ll have to sign in here,” the man said, also pointing at the paper.  “Write down your name and experience.  It’s 750 yen for adults.”

“Write down ‘4-dan’ under experience,” Hikaru said as Yusei took up a pen.  Yusei nodded and wrote down what he needed to.  Then he turned to Jack for the money he needed to pay.

“Yusei Fudo?  The new duel King?”

Both Jack and Yusei tensed, though for different reasons.  Yusei set the money on the counter.

“Yes.”

“You don’t need to pay here, either of you,” the man said, shaking his head.

“I’d like to anyway,” Yusei said, refusing to take the money back.  Reluctantly, the man swept it off the counter into a drawer.

“Our strongest players are usually in the back over there, Fudo-sama,” the man said, pointing.

“Thank you,” Yusei said.  Hikaru was already heading over.  Yusei sighed and followed him.

In the corner sat a boy who was playing a game on his own, checking a book every now and then.    He looked to be about their age, maybe a little younger, with a shock of silver hair.  He looked up when Yusei and Jack approached, piercing them both with cold brown eyes.

“Yusei Fudo and Jack Atlus,” he said with surprise.

Yusei nodded, annoyed that everyone knew him now.

“I’m Akihiko Tsukune,” the boy said.  He started clearing off the board, dumping the black and white stones in their respectful bowls.  “Are you looking for someone to play?”

Yusei nodded and sat across from him at Tsukune’s prompting.  Jack pulled up a chair and sat near them.

“I have nothing better to do.  I don’t feel like playing,” Jack said at Yusei’s questioning look.

Yusei nodded and looked back at the board, pulling off his gloves.  “What do I do?” he asked Hikaru.

“You’ll probably nigiri for who goes first,” Hikaru said, stepping up beside him.  “I don’t need a handicap.”

“How good are you?” Tsukune asked.

“4th dan,” Yusei answered.  Tsukune’s eyes brightened in surprise.

“Really?  We’ll nigiri then.”  Tsukune grabbed the bowl closest to him and opened it.  It was full of black stones.

“So you have white right now, good.  Grab a handful of white stones.  He’ll put down one or two to guess odd or even.  If he gets it right, he’s black.”

Tsukune set down one black stone.  Yusei grabbed a handful of white stones and set them on the board.  He quickly counted them out.

“Eleven, I’m black,” Tsukune said, looking them over too.  Yusei nodded and dumped the white stones back into their bowl.

Tsukune bowed very slightly.  “Onigaishimasu.”

Yusei quickly copied him, hearing Hikaru echo him.  Tsukune placed a stone near the star point on the left closest to Yusei.  Yusei lifted a hand to take a white stone, waiting for Hikaru to tell him what to do.  The instruction didn’t come immediately.  Yusei glanced at Hikaru.  A white sensu fan had appeared in his hands and the expression on his face was one Yusei recognized as one from his duels.  He often had that look on his own face.

“Ready?” Yusei asked.

Hikaru nodded and pointed his fan at the board.  “Third from the top, forth from the side in the lower right.  Mirror his stone.”

*~*~*~*~*

Jack wasn’t sure what the hell was going on anymore.  Yusei had defeated him, not once but twice, and had taken his title, although he didn’t want it.  Now Yusei had to live with him again so he could keep an eye on the new King.  He didn’t mind that too much; it was just a little awkward after two years of hating each other.

And now Yusei played Go.

Jack’s blood had run cold when Yusei had first pointed at the Go salon.  Akira’s board had been in the storeroom.  Was it possible that Akira was with Yusei now?  But no, Akira had stepped up beside him, looking surprised and thoughtful.  Maybe Yusei really had just started playing Go on his own.

But Jack was positive that there were no professional players in Satellite, nor was there anyway for a Satellite to take the test to become a pro.  And there was no way Yusei could have gone from no experience to 4-dan in two years, not along with building another D-Wheel and working.  It was impossible.  Yusei may have tricked Meichi, but he liked to think he knew Yusei better than anyone.  Something felt off about this.

He glanced at the spirit standing beside him.  He hadn’t been lying when he’d said he started playing a few months ago.  He had, because that was when he’d met Akira.

Jack liked being King.  He really did.  He could do practically whatever he wanted, no one knew he was from Satellite, nor would anyone find out, and he could hold it over Yusei’s head if they ever met again.

But if there was one thing he disliked about being King, it was that he had no privacy.  Outside his mansion, he was constantly swarmed by fans.  Inside, Godwin had cameras in every room, and he usually had a companion in Sagiri or Godwin himself.

But he could use the threat of leaving Neo Domino to get Godwin to leave him alone.  Godwin hated whenever he mentioned his old home and tried to convince Jack that he hated it too.  Jack usually tried to keep up that appearance, but the truth was, he missed Satellite.  He missed Yusei and Crow and even Rally.  So Godwin knew his threat wasn’t hollow; he really would leave.

Jack wasn’t an idiot, so he knew Godwin still had him followed while he was out.  He didn’t mind it so much, as long as they didn’t interfere with whatever he did.  He would have been worried if Godwin didn’t have him followed.

Today, he’d decided to leave his D-Wheel at the edge of a street mall and walk around a bit.  He would never tell anyone but Yusei, but he liked walking as much as riding his D-Wheel.  Yusei had thought he was crazy, but it was true.

It seemed a school had managed to rent the space for the day to have a festival of some sort.  The stalls were manned by kids not much younger than him, so he assumed it was a high school festival.  He almost turned around, since most of the people here would be rabid fans of his.  But he’d been forced to leave school after sixth grade, like everyone in Satellite, so he’d never had the chance to go to a festival like this.

Crow would laugh if he saw how weak he was being right now.

Jack took his time walking through the festival, enjoying it despite himself.  He was just starting to decide that he was hungry when a particular stall caught his eye.

This booth was being run by the school’s Go club, he guessed, from the look of the items sitting on the table: a board and a couple bowls full of black and white stones.  Off to the side sat a few items that he guessed were prizes.  A couple more boards sat on the ground next to the table.  Jack didn’t care about any of that, though.

Why were they using a board that was so badly damaged?  The whole surface was charred, and a corner looked as though it had been soaked in blood.  It was difficult to tell that it was a Go board. He didn’t know much about Go, but he knew that no player would use a board so badly damaged, just like he wouldn’t use a water-damaged card.

“Atlus-sama!  What a surprise to see you!” exclaimed the girl behind the booth. “Do you know how to play Go?  Would you like to try for a prize?”

“No, I don’t play.”  Jack frowned down at the board as he moved closer.  He’d thought it might be a trick of the light, but no, it was really damaged.  He ran his fingers over the board.  “Why are you using such a damaged board?”

She frowned at him and looked down at the board herself.  “What are you talking about?  It’s a beautiful board.”

Jack pulled his hand away and studied it curiously.  He’d expected his hand to be covered in soot, but it came away clean.

“It’s all burned,” Jack said.  “It’s like it was in a fire.”

“I don’t think we’re looking at the same board, Altus-sama,” the girl said.

“You can see it?”

Jack looked around, grateful that there was someone else who could see it and back him up.  A man not much older than him had appeared beside the booth, staring at him with wide eyes.  He was dressed in clothes that had gone out of style years ago, and his jet black hair was cut to his chin in a style Jack was sure had never been popular.  His eyes reminded Jack of Yusei’s—piercing and far too old for his age.

“Of course I can,” Jack said, trying not to sound too rude.  “Can you?”

The man smiled with relief.  “Then you can help me, I think.  You’re the only one who has ever seen it in this state.”

That was bad.  If he was the only one, there was no saying that both the damage to the board and this man weren’t figments of his imagination.

“Who are you?” Jack asked, ignoring the looks the girl was giving him.

“My name is Akira Touya.  I...I have been dead for thirteen years.  I am tied to this Go board, so I think you can see me because you can see the true state of this board.”

Jack shook his head.  He really was crazy.

“You’ll believe in me but not a ghost?”

Jack jerked as though shaking off an annoying bug.  Sanuye didn’t know what he was talking about.  A ghost was very different from a card spirit; card spirits had been proven to exist.

Akira’s smile faded a little.  “You don’t believe me.”

“Of course not.  That’s crazy.”

“I can prove it to you.  Do you know anything about Go?”

“Nothing.”

Akira nodded once then nodded to the girl.  “Ask her for her hardest problem.  I’ll solve it.  Then you’ll know I am actually real.”

Jack was reluctant to do it.  He didn’t like being told what to do, and he didn’t like the prospect of Akira getting the problem wrong because he was an illusion.

Nevertheless, he turned back to the girl and said, “I’d like to try your hardest problem.”

“The one to win the book?” she asked.  He had to admire her for still doing her job no matter how flustered she was from his obvious insanity.

“Book?”  Jack scanned over the prizes again.  A book lay near the back of the table.  He glanced at Akira, who nodded.  “Yes, the one for the book,” he said to the girl.

She nodded jerkily and started placing stones, checking a book every few stones.  Once she was done, she moved away and said, “Solve it in three moves.  Black goes first.”

Jack looked to Akira, who had turned away to look at the board.  Suddenly, the ghost smiled and leaned back.  “I remember this one.  Hikaru and I fought for an hour over this once.”

“Then you don’t know the answer?”

“No, we looked it up eventually.  I was right.  14-1 black.  16-2 white.  14-5 black.”

Jack took up a black stone, but he had no idea what the numbers meant.  Akira seemed to realize this and repeated the moves, pointing out each place as he said it.  Jack placed each stone as Akira pointed them out.

The girl stared at the board in shock when he was done.  She didn’t say anything for a long time, longer than Jack’s patience.

“Well?  Is it right?” Jack demanded.

“Y-yes, it’s right,” she said, still staring at the board.  “You win the book.  Please enjoy it.”

“Thanks.”  Jack was in shock himself.  That certainly proved Akira’s existence.  He took the book and looked it over.  It was a Go book, of course—he hadn’t expected anything else.  The title was Shusaku Revisited, which meant nothing to him.  Then he froze as his eyes found the names of the authors.

Meijin Hikaru Shindou and Oza Akira Touya.

“We published it a couple months before I died,” Akira said softly.

“You should probably acquire that board,” Sanuye whispered to him.

Jack nodded; he’d already been thinking that.

“How much are Go boards, usually?” Jack asked Akira.  Akira glanced at him with surprise.

“It depends on the board.  All of these are probably about 150,000 yen.”

Jack turned back to the girl, who looked confused as to why he hadn’t left yet.

“I want to buy this Go board from you,” Jack said.

“I-I can’t sell it, I’m sorry,” the girl said.  “I-I can tell you a few places to buy one—”

“It has to be this board,” Jack interrupted.  “What did you get it for?”

“This board and another were donated to us.  But I really can’t sell it to you.”

“I’ll buy them both for 500,000 yen,” Jack said.

Her eyes widened, but she looked even more nervous.  “I-I really can’t make that decision, Atlus-sama.  You have to talk to Hotta-sensei about that.”

Jack had, of course, bought both boards and arranged for them to be taken back to his house.  Then he’d promptly forgotten about them.  Akira had hung around and persuaded him to play a few games, but usually they ended up fighting and didn’t talk to each other much.

Still, Jack knew he would miss Akira if the man ever disappeared.

“What are you thinking?” Jack asked him.

Akira didn’t answer.  He was too focused on the board, his brow crinkled a little in thought.  Jack couldn’t tell what he was thinking, nor what was happening on the board that was making him so thoughtful.

Sanuye appeared next to him, also looking thoughtful, though the dragon was more willing to talk than Akira.

“It’s a bit coincidental, isn’t it?” Sanuye said.  “You know what was in the room.”

“We don’t know that.  I bought the two boards on instinct.”

“Still, he’s playing well,” Sanuye said.  “Far above the level of 4-dan.  He’s close to Akira’s level, if not equal to it.”

Jack didn’t bother to ask how the dragon could tell that.  He had come to accept that both Sanuye and Iseul knew more about Japan than he would have thought, even before Godwin had told him both dragons had originated in South America.

“Of course we do,” Sanuye said, hitting him over the head.  “We’ve been wandering this world for thousands of years, following Akaki Ryu so we could protect him always.  Nearly all of the Signers for the last thousand years have been in Japan.  It’s not our fault many of them have played Go.”

“You’ve told me that before,” Jack grumbled, looking away from him.

“Hikaru...”

Jack looked up in surprise.  Akira looked just as distant as before, but Jack was sure that had been his voice.

“The guy who helped you write your Go book?” Jack asked.  Akira still didn’t answer.

Tsukune did instead.

Tsukune had been still for a long time, presumably thinking over his move.  He suddenly looked up at Yusei, his eyes wide, almost terrified.  “Where did you learn to play Go?”

“From a friend back in Satellite,” Yusei said.  Jack rolled his eyes.  Yusei needed to learn to be more careful about admitting he was from Satellite.

Tsukune shook his head violently.  “No, where did you learn to play this Go?”

Yusei looked at him questioningly.

“This is Reformed Shusaku,” Tsukune said, gesturing at the board.  “Perfect Reformed Shusaku.  There have only been two people who have ever mastered it: Sai and Hikaru Shindou.”  Tsukune’s eyes lit up dangerously, piercing a hole through Yusei’s skull.  “Both disappeared years ago.  How did you learn this so well?”

“I had a good teacher,” Yusei said.  Jack could tell he was starting to get nervous, though he doubted any else could.

“What was his name?”

“Shinichiro,” Yusei answered after a short pause.  Tsukune’s face fell.

“I see.”  He looked down at the board again before shaking his head.  “I can’t win this game.  I resign.”

“Thanks for the game,” Yusei said, bowing, after another slight pause.  He cocked his head very slightly, as though listening to something, then said, “Would you like to play another game?”

“I’d love to!”  Tsukune eagerly started helping him clean up and set up again.

*~*~*~*~*

It was Hikaru.

Akira didn’t know how or why, nor did he care.  He only cared that Fudo’s Go was exactly like Hikaru’s.  There was no way he wouldn’t recognize it; Hikaru’s Go had always been extremely unique.  The only person who played like him was the mysterious Sai, whom he had come to accept must have been Hikaru’s teacher.  Hikaru’s Go was so much like Sai’s, but with its own flavor to it.

It was part of the reason Akira had prodded Hikaru into helping him write a book; he had hoped it would give him more insight into Hikaru’s Go and his mysterious teacher.

This was Hikaru’s Go.  He was sure of it.

Was it possible Hikaru existed still in spirit form like Akira himself did?  He had never questioned his current predicament; he only assumed that his spirit had remained trapped on earth because he had died before accomplishing the Hand of God.  He still wanted to play Go—so God had granted his wish.

Was it the same for Hikaru?  Were the two of them meant to find the Divine Move together, no matter how many lifetimes it took?

But if that were so, he should be able to see Hikaru.  They would never accomplish anything if they couldn’t interact with each other.  He doubted Jack would agree to be a middleman, and Fudo didn’t seem the type either.

Perhaps Hikaru had reincarnated as Fudo?  But no, his Go would be subtly different; this was as through Hikaru had merely woken up after being asleep for thirteen years.

He knew Hikaru was there, guiding Fudo’s hand.  He knew it.  He had never been so sure of anything before.

So why couldn’t he see Hikaru?

Kami-sama, Akira thought fiercely, I understand what you want from me.  But I cannot do it without Hikaru.  Why can’t I know he’s there?

Maybe Hikaru had to recognize his presence as well?

Was it a two-way process?  Could they only see each other when each knew the other was there?  Hikaru would only know he was there through a game, and one game would do it.  Then he would know if that was it.

“Jack.”

He felt Jack’s gaze move onto him.

“I want to play Fudo once this game is done,” he said, his own eyes never leaving the board.

“I don’t want to play,” Jack answered, as though he had a choice.

“I don’t care.  We’ll play, or I’ll make you sick for a week.”

Jack didn’t say anything to that.  He knew Akira would do it without a second thought.  Akira had done it before.

He smiled faintly.  Now all he had to do was wait for this game to finish.

*~*~*~*~*

Yusei had to admit, he found this game appealing.  He would never give up dueling nor riding duels, but he wouldn’t mind playing Go once in a while.  He might even ask Hikaru to teach him so he could play on his own.

Still, playing two games in a row was a little boring since he had no idea what was happening on the board.  He was glad when Tsukune announced his defeat again.  They could head back to Jack’s apartment and he could try to get some sleep.  They had to meet with Director Godwin tomorrow, and he needed to be well rested for that.

“I want to play you now, Yusei,” Jack said suddenly.  Yusei glanced at him in surprise and little annoyance.  He’d been hoping Jack would want to leave as soon as possible.

“For your title?” Yusei asked, although he’d never been good at joking.  Jack only smiled faintly, otherwise looking thoroughly pissed off.

“Wrong game for that,” Jack said.  He only gave Tsukune a passing glance as they switched places and Jack took the spot across from Yusei.  Yusei was surprised to see Sanuye standing beside him, actually male for once instead of his preferred female form.

Sanuye smiled when he noticed Yusei was looking at him.  “Hey, long time no see, Yusei.”

Yusei smiled faintly.  “It’s good to see you outside a duel.”

“It’s good to be outside a duel for once.”  Sanuye grinned and poked Jack in the side of the head.  “This guy never lets his ‘very soul’ take a break.”

Jack scowled and swatted at the hand.  “You’ve never complained.”

“Because only Yusei would ever listen to me.  You wouldn’t care,” Sanuye answered petulantly.

“Who are you talking to?” Hikaru asked.

Yusei almost glanced at him, surprised that Hikaru couldn’t see Sanuye.  He’d assumed that Hikaru would be able to see him, if not because he was a spirit himself, then because Yusei could.  Apparently, it wasn’t that easy.

“The spirit of Jack’s Red Daemon’s Dragon card,” Yusei answered.  “Both Jack and I can see card spirits, but not everyone can.”

“Of course, Yusei is the only one who ever cares about us,” said a voice at his shoulder.  Both Yusei and Jack turned to look.  Iseul waved a pale hand back at them.

“Yes, he is!” Sanuye agreed.

Jack rolled his eyes.  “Are we just going to talk, or can we nigiri already?”

Yusei nodded and placed two black stones on the board.  Jack put down a handful of white stones and started counting them out.

“Thirteen.  You’re white,” Jack said.  He dumped the stone back in their bowl and handed it to Yusei, who gave him the black stones in return.

“We get komi, then.  Good,” Hikaru said, tapping his fan again the palm of his hand.  Yusei turned his attention back toward the board, but his eyes didn’t get that far.  They didn’t move past Jack’s face.

As a duelist himself, he knew that a duelist’s expression was often serious to the point of frightening during a duel (unless that duelist was Judai Yuki, who was famous for never looking as though he took a duel seriously).  But dueling took place over a large distance or speeding around track, so it was difficult for one duelist to tell the other’s expression.

This was different.  The space across a Go board was small, and it made it very easy for Yusei to see Jack’s expression.

Yusei was sure he’d never seen Jack look so serious or so focused before.  His eyes were intense as they stared down at the Go board, so much that Yusei thought he could feel it.

For the first time since they’d parted two years ago, Yusei was excited to face Jack across a battlefield.

Jack placed a stone on the board as though he’d been playing for years.  Yusei glanced at Hikaru, waiting for his move.  Hikaru was staring at the board with the same intensity as Jack.

“3-4 in the upper right,” Hikaru said after several minutes, pointing his fan.  Yusei placed the stone and sat back to watch the battle commence.  He noticed Iseul and Sanuye sneak out, but didn’t pay it any mind.  The two had probably seen enough games in their lifetimes.

*~*~*~*~*

Akira.

This was Akira.

Hikaru was finding it difficult to think of what moves to make on the board.  He was too shocked and excited.  Akira must have died with him—of course he had, they’d been hit by the explosion at the same time—so Akira could be here, now, in the same state as himself, guiding Jack the way he was guiding Yusei.

This was Akira’s Go, anyway.  He would know it anywhere.  He’d played and fought with Akira enough.

But if that were true, why couldn’t he see Akira?  He had been able to see Sai, and other people had been able to sense Sai’s presence at times.  Maybe he had to touch Akira’s board?  Could he touch it?  Would it work if Yusei touched it?

Or maybe he would be allowed to see Akira once the game was over?  If that was the case, he would just have to try his hardest to win and to show Akira that he was here too.

*~*~*~*~*

Iseul could see both of them, but she wasn’t about to say so.  She knew Sanuye could too, and that he hadn’t said a word about Hikaru to Jack.  That was fine; it would be interesting to watch this play out.

“I feel so sorry for him,” Sanuye murmured behind her.  Sanuye’s voice was high and female.  Iseul smiled faintly; of course, he would want to feel protected right now.  The last Signer he had watched over had been through so much...Sanuye had never been quite the same.

“For who?”

“Hikaru.  I wasn’t with him, but I know what happened.”

Iseul shook her head.  “Nor was I.  That was Roshan.”

“No, you were with Judai...”

“At first.  I was with Akira for longer.”

Sanuye sighed and sat down on the steps, his eyes staring blankly at the door of the salon.  “I’m only glad he doesn’t remember what actually happened.  He wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

“He’s stronger than you think,” Iseul said, sitting next to him.  Somewhere along the way, she had reverted to her male form.  Sanuye leaned against her.

“I hardly ever saw them.  Tokyo is a ways from Duel Academia.”

“They’re strong.  Both of them.  That’s why they’re here now, like this.”  Iseul sighed and looked down at her arm where a duplicate Mark to Yusei lay.  “Fate has an interesting way of playing with us.  Who would have guessed those four would ever meet?”

“If only they could meet Judai and Johan too,” Sanuye agreed with a faint smile.  “It would be like a dream come true for duelists like them.”

Iseul nodded.  “I miss them...”

“Me too...”  Sanuye shook his head.  “Fate wasn’t fair to those two.  But then, Fate is never kind to the Signers.”

“No.”

Iseul hissed softly as the Mark on her arm started glowing.  Sanuye sat up and covered his in a gesture similar to Jack.

“Something’s happened,” Sanuye murmured, standing up.  Now he was male again, ready to fight whatever had caused their Marks to react.

Iseul didn’t say anything.  She strode forward through the door and back into the room.

*~*~*~*~*

Hikaru sighed beside him, his eyes still on the board.  He stuck his fan into his pocket and bowed slightly.  “I resign.”

“I resign,” Yusei repeated, also bowing.

He caught a glimpse of Jack’s astonished face before his arm started burning and he had to wince in pain.  Across from him, Jack grabbed at his own forearm.

“Why is this burning now?” Jack cried out. Yusei frowned down at his own Mark shining through his shirt sleeve.  They hadn’t been duelling or trying to provoke each other.  Their dragons were in another room.  There was no reason for their Marks to burn.

Yusei looked up again and caught Jack’s gaze.  The blond almost looked frightened.

Then he heard Hikaru gasp.  He looked over and gasped himself.

Hikaru’s left arm was glowing too.

Hikaru didn’t notice his arm.  He didn’t notice Yusei and Jack’s arms either, or the two odd men who had just run into the room through the door.  All he saw was Akira and that he really was right there.

“Akira...” he said, unable to move.

“Hikaru...” Akira whispered back, staring at him in shock.

“Akira...”  Hikaru suddenly grinned and ran at him.  “Akira!  It’s really you!”

Akira staggered as Hikaru slammed into him and started hugging the life out of him.  He heard both Jack and Fudo gasp, but ignored them.  All that was important was that Hikaru was really here.

“What the hell is going on?” Jack demanded, staring at them, still clutching his arm in pain.  All he knew was that before, he could only see Akira, and now, he could see Akira and another person with ridiculous hair.  Maybe someone who would take Akira away and back to heaven?

“Who it that?” Jack demanded at the same time as Yusei.  Jack glanced at him; Yusei was staring at the two with the same amount of shock that he felt.  Was this person the reason Yusei suddenly knew how to play Go at Akira’s level, then?

“Yusei!  Jack!  Are you okay?” Iseul asked, hurrying over to them with Sanuye behind her.  Yusei nodded and looked back at Hikaru and the other ghost.  The two had mostly let go of each other, and now both were staring at the dragon spirits in shock.

“What’s going on?” Hikaru asked, staring at them but at Iseul in particular.  Iseul supposed she might be a sight to see to someone who hadn’t seen her before.  “Who are you guys?”

“I might ask you the same thing,” Jack said.  His gaze had fallen from Hikaru’s face to his arm, where a dragon mark burned clear as day.  Yusei nodded in agreement, though he was looking at the other spirit and the claw mark on his arm.  One that he’d seen before, on someone else.

“Maybe we should go home and discuss things there?” Iseul suggested.  “You’re attracting attention.”

They looked around.  Indeed, half the salon was staring at the two duelists blatantly, and the rest were trying not to be obvious.

Yusei nodded and starting clearing off the board.  “We can wait until we get back.”

Jack looked about to protest, but he took one more glance around the room and started helping Yusei clean up.  Once they were done, they stood and walked out together, flanked by the four spirits.

As soon as they were out of the room, Jack opened his mouth but then promptly shut it again when Sanuye shook his head.

“This isn’t the place, Jack.”

Jack scowled at him but kept his mouth shut.  Sanuye reverted to his female form, gave Jack a quick hug, and promptly disappeared.  Yusei and Iseul shared a look and Iseul disappeared as well.

“We’ll explain about them when we get back to Jack’s apartment,” Yusei said when Hikaru looked at him questioningly.  Hikaru nodded, taking it much better than Jack.

“I hate those dragons,” Jack muttered.

Yusei ignored him, knowing that really wasn’t true.  He stopped next to his D-Wheel and put his helmet on.  Jack continued on to his own.  Hikaru and the other spirit parted as well.  As soon as they let go of each other’s hands, the other spirit disappeared.

Yusei frowned at the spot where he’d disappeared in confusion, but since Jack glared at a random place in the air a moment later, he assumed the he just couldn’t see the ghost anymore.

“Let’s go,” Hikaru said, trying to sound eager and failing.  Yusei could see the look of apprehension the ghost gave his D-Wheel.

He felt a little bad for Hikaru as they both got on the D-Wheel.  Hikaru obviously didn’t like it, and Yusei would be giving up his D-Wheel any time soon.