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flonnebonne) wrote2006-04-10 11:30 am
[Hikaru no Go] Fic: The Silent Path
Anyone who is anyone is kicking it oldskool at
dancedance_fan (a com for reccing animanga titles & fandoms) where it is now officially Slam Dunk week! Today is canonland, so you can download the first volumes of the manga in today's postings. SD is pure shounen awesomeness, the sports series that defined sports series, and also one of the funniest damn things ever. Speaking of kicking it oldskool, I've recently started reading some of the works of Tezuka Osamu, the "God of Manga" and "God of Anime" who wrote Astro Boy. His second volume in his Phoenix series, entitled Future, is absolutely magnificent. The scope of the story-telling is amazing--it goes from microcosmic to macrocosmic in the blink of an eye. The first half of the story seems fairly "normal," but the second half heads into superbly imaginative territory. I actually cried near the end of it, not because I felt pity for the characters (which I did), but because I was so flabbergasted by the plot and Tezuka's concerns about humanity's future. It's easy to make me cry for the characters, but to make me cry for the storytelling? That's something else.
Oh yeah, and fic of the day:
Title: The Silent Path (previously known as "Untitled")
Fandom: Hikaru no Go
Characters: Sai
Genre: AU
Spoilers: None
Summary: What if Sai had not been allowed to play Go?
The Silent Path
Sai had wondered, when the boy and girl had found his goban, what kind of host the God of Go would give to him this time. He should not have expected another Torajiro.
Sai learned that the modern age was filled with many things, too many things, ice cream parlours and video games and cell phones and internet, school and homework and clubs and entrance exams and I'm sorry, Sai, I can't play Go anymore.
It was sad, so sad, these children who had forgotten how to love Go.
There were birthdays and first dates and first kisses, first days of spring and rainfall and umbrellas (some things did not change, he thought nostalgically), and there was that first car accident when Sai was so scared and helpless, a ghost who was useless for anything but Go.
I'm okay, it's okay, I'm okay, weak smile that was like Torajiro's smile before death had claimed him, the smile of a child who loved and loved well.
Sai was so sad in the days following the accident that the doctor had had to prescribe a double dose of nausea pills, because there was one thing that Sai could do aside from play Go, he could make his host sick with his sadness, and Sai wondered if he'd long ago killed Torajiro with his sadness, tears and blood mingling on a goban, which only made him sadder still until the dose of nausea pills tripled.
Sai asked his child: Do you wish you had never met me?
No, of course not, you're my best friend, Akari answered sweetly, and as soon as she got out of the hospital Sai was allowed to play NetGo until his sadness went away.
-End-
Part 2
"Mitani-san, are you alright? Who was that stange man who just came in?" asked Akari rounding the counter to stand right in front of Mitani-kun's sister.
"I'm fine, Akari-chan. Just some gaijin asking around about the customers here. As if I would ever tell some foreigner information about my customers. My boss would fire me!" Mitani-chan answered.
"Really? Was he some creepy stalker or something?" Akari asked shooting nervous glances around.
"Just someone trying to get into our records. He wanted to look at our logs to see which custormers have been using the computers. I told him we don't have any go players here, just teenagers playing games and older people checking their email. We don't even have any go boards or anything! I don't know where people get their ideas sometimes." Mitani-san answered exasperated.
"Go...players...ehehehe..." Akari laughed trying to sound casual.
"I know. Isn't it the silliest thing? Like some old timer would be hanging around an Internet Cafe to play go, right? Why bother when there are go parlors around?" Mitani joked back.
Akari could only nod meekly while Sai was waving his hands frantically. His robes were flying all over, but Mitani-san just continued on, "Oh, I must be keeping you from dinner, Akari-chan. I've bored you enough with my problems. I'm sure you have have places to be."
Akari perked up at this and answered with a little more cheer, "Yes, I was just on my way home. Thank you for chatting with me Mitani-san."
"Bye-bye, Akari-chan."
Waving one last time, Akari turned away to walk out the door, Sai following after her.
As Akari started walking towards the train station to take her back home, Sai started to grow agitated and couldn't contain his thoughts any longer. "What will we do, Akari-chan?! Someone has found out that I'm playing NetGo with you! How are we going to play go anymore with other people?" Sai wailed.
Feeling a little nauseuos Akari tried to soothe her frantic ghost, "It's okay, it's okay, Sai. We'll think of something. I promised you when I quit the go club that I would always play with you, right? I know I'm not as much fun as palying all those great players on the 'Net, but I'll get better. And you never know, maybe we'll think of something."
Watching as Sai took in her words, he seemed to calm, and the nausea that Akari was experiencing faded away.
"You're right, Akari-chan. I know that you are doing the best you can to make me happy in your busy life. I'm just afraid of that creepy man who came after you! What if he had found out who you are? Did you see his face, he looked like a toad! A toad-man could have spirited you away because of me," Sai answered back dejectedly.
"Never, Sai. How could anything concerning you hurt me? You're my best friend. Don't worry, we'll figure something out," Akari replied, striding towards the train station and hoping what she said was true.
Sai was the best friend Akari had ever had, and while she knew that she couldn't give Sai what he wanted most, she hoped she could give him a little bit of what he craved. Until he found a host that would love the game Sai had died for as much as he did, Akari worried that her friend would never truly be content.
Wow, I really have to stop these comment ficlets. This one seems to be over the limit, and I had to split it in two. Hehehe, sorry for spamming you post, but I hope you find them at least a little amusing.
Re: Part 2
A toad-man could have spirited you away
For some reason I thought of Miyazaki's Spirited Away when I read this line. *grin* Must be your icon. Is that Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle?
Re: Part 2
The Spirited Away reference was actually unintentional on my part. I can see where you'd think that, especially with the little frog guys running around in the movie. I was actually trying to be clever and referring to Sai's fear of frog/toads. I think they mentioned it in one of the episodes where Sai challenges some antiques dealer over a little girl's vase. But we'll just pretend that I was being super smart and punny on purpose, shall we? ^^
Oh, and my icon is teenager!Howl. Isn't he adorable? *pets*
Erm, and if you don't mind, I could post these on ff.net, so I wouldn't have to spam you if I have new one. If that's ok. I'd totally credit for the original idea and all.
Re: Part 2
...Howl looks much too girly. But then, that's what we love about him.