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31_days2008-05-06 11:14 pm
issen4.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2008-05-06 11:14 pm
[May 6][Hikaru no Go] Stones in Narrow Spaces 6/?
Title: Stones in Narrow Spaces 6/?
Day/Theme: May 6 - They only let him go so wrong out of kindness, I suppose
Series: Hikaru no Go
Character/Pairing: implied Akira/Hikaru
Rating: General
--------------
"Cursed?" Shindou said.
Kuwabara shrugged, though not in dismissal. "It was rumoured to be one of the gobans secretly taken by thieves from Shuusaku's room while they were bringing the bodies out." He meant the bodies of Shuusaku and his pupils who had died in the epidemic.
Shindou shivered.
Kuwabara's eyes were sharp as they watched his reaction. "Such close association with death made superstitious people believe that the goban was cursed and indeed, rumours of it being haunted by a spirit spread through the Go world at that time. But nobody knew who owned it. So it has been in your family's hands all this while." He thought about it, and pointed out, "Oh, wait, I meant before you gave it to Touya Kouyo." There was a look in his eyes that was almost mischievous.
"But there's nothing-" Shindou began, looked around as though he feared to be overheard, and went on, "There's nothing wrong with it." He turned to Touya. "Believe me, I would never give Touya-sensei a cursed goban."
"I know, Shindou," Touya said. He was still trying to work out why Kuwabara's story of the goban was significant, but he trusted Shindou--and to a lesser extent, Kuwabara--to help him understand.
"But you know something of the curse on it," Kuwabara said.
"That was not a curse!" Shindou said, leaning forward. Both his hands, resting on the tatami, were in fists. "That was just-" He stopped and clapped a hand to his mouth.
Kuwabara looked all too innocent. "Yes, Shindou? Something you would like to tell me?"
"Yeah, right!" Shindou said, stumbling over his reply, barely able to hold his composure.
Touya suspected that contrary to his pretence of innocence, Kuwabara had heard of the rumours about Sai that had overrun the Go community years ago, but like the sly old fox that Shindou often accused him of being--sometimes in the most impolite way and to his face--Kuwabara kept such knowledge to himself.
"I wouldn't have told you so much if I didn't already suspect the rest," Kuwabara said. "You've encountered the curse, haven't you?"
Shindou's head came up, his eyes widening in pure shock.
Touya studied the expression on Kuwabara's face, watching the way he watched Shindou. There was a smirk about Kuwabara's lips, telegraphing the old pro's triump that he had scored a surgical strike against Shindou.
That façade of a doddering old man who was close to senility was just that, and the professional Go community knew it. Touya thought that it was a mark of perverse respect, especially in Japan, that most Go pros simply let it go.
Even Ogata, who resented Kuwabara's little ways with adolescent-like fury, chose not to do anything. Only Shindou dared to call Kuwabara on it.
"Yeah," Shindou said. He met Kuwabara's eyes squarely, acknowledging Kuwabara's hit.
Touya's admiration for Shindou rose. He knew of Shindou's pain, but he had always wondered if he would be strong enough to bear with the same loss. For him to admit, even without elaboration, was more than what Touya would do.
Shindou said, "But the curse... what you call the curse--it's gone. There's nothing in that goban except memories. It's just a goban."
"Yet the memories it carries are of tremendous importance to you." Kuwabara tapped a fingernail idly on the goban before him. "And those memories have a beginning that is external. That's why you came here to question Norimoto, isn't it?"
Shindou now placed both hands on the goban, as though feeling for the lines scored on its surface. "Yes," he said. "All night long, the only rumours about the stolen goban have circled around the fact that I gave it to Touya-sensei."
So those were the rumours Shindou had read, and not responded to, in his night of playing online Go.
"And that's not a widely-known fact?"
"No." Shindou glanced at Touya. "Touya? I don't think-" he stopped, embarrassed.
Knowing what he wanted to say, Touya shook his head. "No. Very few people know that my father's new goban was from Shindou--much less how important it was to him. My father knew it was something very private to Shindou and he never spoke to others about it." Never boasted about it, he wanted to add. "Even Ichikawa-san didn't know."
"That's what I thought," Kuwabara said smugly. "Well, Shindou? The story of Shuusaku's cursed goban has certain currency among collectors and Go fanatics."
"Wait," Shindou said, "You think it was someone like that who stole it?"
"I think they will do a lot to make you show your hand," Kuwabara said. "Your grandfather kept it for so long, fearing its influence, but its long disappearance had only increased its allure. And now that the goban has resurfaced, in connection with you and the rumours that surround you-"
"Me?!" Shindou's exclamation combined confusion and incredulity.
Kuwabara glanced at Touya, and for a second Touya was on the verge of irrational laughter. Quick though Shindou could be, he could sometimes be oblivious to the way he had influenced the Go world. And no wonder; the Go world was kind to its champions and indulged them so that some, like Shindou, only lived for Go.
"You're why the goban was taken," Kuwabara informed him.
(TBC)
Day/Theme: May 6 - They only let him go so wrong out of kindness, I suppose
Series: Hikaru no Go
Character/Pairing: implied Akira/Hikaru
Rating: General
--------------
"Cursed?" Shindou said.
Kuwabara shrugged, though not in dismissal. "It was rumoured to be one of the gobans secretly taken by thieves from Shuusaku's room while they were bringing the bodies out." He meant the bodies of Shuusaku and his pupils who had died in the epidemic.
Shindou shivered.
Kuwabara's eyes were sharp as they watched his reaction. "Such close association with death made superstitious people believe that the goban was cursed and indeed, rumours of it being haunted by a spirit spread through the Go world at that time. But nobody knew who owned it. So it has been in your family's hands all this while." He thought about it, and pointed out, "Oh, wait, I meant before you gave it to Touya Kouyo." There was a look in his eyes that was almost mischievous.
"But there's nothing-" Shindou began, looked around as though he feared to be overheard, and went on, "There's nothing wrong with it." He turned to Touya. "Believe me, I would never give Touya-sensei a cursed goban."
"I know, Shindou," Touya said. He was still trying to work out why Kuwabara's story of the goban was significant, but he trusted Shindou--and to a lesser extent, Kuwabara--to help him understand.
"But you know something of the curse on it," Kuwabara said.
"That was not a curse!" Shindou said, leaning forward. Both his hands, resting on the tatami, were in fists. "That was just-" He stopped and clapped a hand to his mouth.
Kuwabara looked all too innocent. "Yes, Shindou? Something you would like to tell me?"
"Yeah, right!" Shindou said, stumbling over his reply, barely able to hold his composure.
Touya suspected that contrary to his pretence of innocence, Kuwabara had heard of the rumours about Sai that had overrun the Go community years ago, but like the sly old fox that Shindou often accused him of being--sometimes in the most impolite way and to his face--Kuwabara kept such knowledge to himself.
"I wouldn't have told you so much if I didn't already suspect the rest," Kuwabara said. "You've encountered the curse, haven't you?"
Shindou's head came up, his eyes widening in pure shock.
Touya studied the expression on Kuwabara's face, watching the way he watched Shindou. There was a smirk about Kuwabara's lips, telegraphing the old pro's triump that he had scored a surgical strike against Shindou.
That façade of a doddering old man who was close to senility was just that, and the professional Go community knew it. Touya thought that it was a mark of perverse respect, especially in Japan, that most Go pros simply let it go.
Even Ogata, who resented Kuwabara's little ways with adolescent-like fury, chose not to do anything. Only Shindou dared to call Kuwabara on it.
"Yeah," Shindou said. He met Kuwabara's eyes squarely, acknowledging Kuwabara's hit.
Touya's admiration for Shindou rose. He knew of Shindou's pain, but he had always wondered if he would be strong enough to bear with the same loss. For him to admit, even without elaboration, was more than what Touya would do.
Shindou said, "But the curse... what you call the curse--it's gone. There's nothing in that goban except memories. It's just a goban."
"Yet the memories it carries are of tremendous importance to you." Kuwabara tapped a fingernail idly on the goban before him. "And those memories have a beginning that is external. That's why you came here to question Norimoto, isn't it?"
Shindou now placed both hands on the goban, as though feeling for the lines scored on its surface. "Yes," he said. "All night long, the only rumours about the stolen goban have circled around the fact that I gave it to Touya-sensei."
So those were the rumours Shindou had read, and not responded to, in his night of playing online Go.
"And that's not a widely-known fact?"
"No." Shindou glanced at Touya. "Touya? I don't think-" he stopped, embarrassed.
Knowing what he wanted to say, Touya shook his head. "No. Very few people know that my father's new goban was from Shindou--much less how important it was to him. My father knew it was something very private to Shindou and he never spoke to others about it." Never boasted about it, he wanted to add. "Even Ichikawa-san didn't know."
"That's what I thought," Kuwabara said smugly. "Well, Shindou? The story of Shuusaku's cursed goban has certain currency among collectors and Go fanatics."
"Wait," Shindou said, "You think it was someone like that who stole it?"
"I think they will do a lot to make you show your hand," Kuwabara said. "Your grandfather kept it for so long, fearing its influence, but its long disappearance had only increased its allure. And now that the goban has resurfaced, in connection with you and the rumours that surround you-"
"Me?!" Shindou's exclamation combined confusion and incredulity.
Kuwabara glanced at Touya, and for a second Touya was on the verge of irrational laughter. Quick though Shindou could be, he could sometimes be oblivious to the way he had influenced the Go world. And no wonder; the Go world was kind to its champions and indulged them so that some, like Shindou, only lived for Go.
"You're why the goban was taken," Kuwabara informed him.
(TBC)