River, I
A Spirited Away / Hikaru no Go crossover
By Kristin Huntsman
I remember being Haku, and Nigihayami Kohaku-nushi before and after the old woman of the bathhouse stole my name. I remember Chihiro, who became Sen, and then again Chihiro, returning to the human world. I remember my promise that she and I would meet again.
Someday, we shall.
With skills to barter and services to trade, it becomes quite easy for one of the Spirit World, especially one whose home in the Human World has been destroyed, to arrange a return to that place, briefly, as human lives are brief, in a form not unfamiliar yet also not one's own.
Now, I am called Touya Akira, yet I am also all those other names.
The where of my entry into this world was not a great concern, though the when was. I am five years older than Chihiro will be now. I could meet her, but... I will wait.
In the meantime, I distract myself quite well. I was born into a prestigious family. My father is... was, I should say... the World Champion of the game Go. I follow in his footsteps, ever learning the game. I became a professional player, the youngest ever, and moved through that life with ease, without complications, until....
Shindou Hikaru.
As Chihiro loved me, so did he challenge me. So skilled in mastery, far beyond my own level though scant months older than I... an enigma. For if I am a genius at the game, what must he be?
Then he stopped playing with the skill and grace of a god.
He became normal.
I became angry.
What had challenged me, only to disappear into the depths of nothingness?
Here in this space that was my territory, who dared...?