[tonkotsu]
by verloren1983
A Lesson in Wizard's Chess
Hikaru cheered as his chess piece moved forward, took out a tiny sword, and killed the piece in front of it. Touya raised an eyebrow at him.
“What was that supposed to be?”
"An awesome move, that's what."
"You're kidding, right? You've just allowed me to slice your defense to ribbons."
"No way!" Hikaru huffed.
Touya leveled a look at him and moved one of his pieces, trapping Hikaru's king.
"Checkmate," he said flatly. "You were saying?"
"That's not fair!" Hikaru flailed. "You weren't supposed to move there!"
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, really!"
Touya sighed. "Did you want to play again or not?"
Hikaru paused momentarily. "Yeah, okay," he shrugged. "I'm going to kick your ass this time!"
"Right."
Hikaru glared as he picked up his chess pieces. "Stupid Ravenclaw," he muttered under his breath.
"Idiotic Hufflepuff," Touya shot back at him.
They began playing again, pretty standard fare at first, but as usual it descended into more bickering after a little while. Hikaru didn't even notice someone standing behind him until he heard another voice.
"Oh, wizard's chess!" it said, and Hikaru turned to see one of the school ghosts, Sai, peering at the chess board. He'd been a well known chess player in life and loved the game just as much now as he had then. Sai was smiling, which he supposed was a good sign.
"Hey, Sai," Hikaru grinned. As much as talking to a ghost had freaked him out at first, Sai had always been friendly. He'd been the one to first teach Hikaru chess.
"Hikaru," the ghost smiled back, then leaned over and whispered in his ear, "You should move that r-"
Touya was scowling at them. "No cheating."
"Geez, Touya, lighten up. We weren't cheating, we were just... er..."
"Cheating," the other boy finished. He sighed and started picking up his pieces.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"There's no point if you're not going to play properly. We'll try again when you don't have so much help."
Once the white pieces were put away, Touya stood up and left, not looking at either of them. Hikaru and Sai looked at each other, then Sai looked at Touya as he was walking out of the Great Hall. Hikaru took the opportunity to take a drink of his pumpkin juice.
"He's a little high strung, isn't he?"
Hikaru almost snorted pumpkin juice out of his nose. He laughed for a good five minutes before calming down enough to speak.
"A little? Yeah, and you're a little dead."
"That's rather insensitive, isn't it?"
"Sorry, sorry. You want to play?"
The ghost went from looking rather offended to smiling impossibly quick. Sai was pretty easy to make happy, most times.
"Of course," he smiled and floated across the table to appear to be sitting on the other side. "Good luck, Hikaru."
"You too."
Then Sai's expression changed to his serious playing face, and the game began.
A Lesson in Wizard's Chess
Hikaru cheered as his chess piece moved forward, took out a tiny sword, and killed the piece in front of it. Touya raised an eyebrow at him.
“What was that supposed to be?”
"An awesome move, that's what."
"You're kidding, right? You've just allowed me to slice your defense to ribbons."
"No way!" Hikaru huffed.
Touya leveled a look at him and moved one of his pieces, trapping Hikaru's king.
"Checkmate," he said flatly. "You were saying?"
"That's not fair!" Hikaru flailed. "You weren't supposed to move there!"
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, really!"
Touya sighed. "Did you want to play again or not?"
Hikaru paused momentarily. "Yeah, okay," he shrugged. "I'm going to kick your ass this time!"
"Right."
Hikaru glared as he picked up his chess pieces. "Stupid Ravenclaw," he muttered under his breath.
"Idiotic Hufflepuff," Touya shot back at him.
They began playing again, pretty standard fare at first, but as usual it descended into more bickering after a little while. Hikaru didn't even notice someone standing behind him until he heard another voice.
"Oh, wizard's chess!" it said, and Hikaru turned to see one of the school ghosts, Sai, peering at the chess board. He'd been a well known chess player in life and loved the game just as much now as he had then. Sai was smiling, which he supposed was a good sign.
"Hey, Sai," Hikaru grinned. As much as talking to a ghost had freaked him out at first, Sai had always been friendly. He'd been the one to first teach Hikaru chess.
"Hikaru," the ghost smiled back, then leaned over and whispered in his ear, "You should move that r-"
Touya was scowling at them. "No cheating."
"Geez, Touya, lighten up. We weren't cheating, we were just... er..."
"Cheating," the other boy finished. He sighed and started picking up his pieces.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"There's no point if you're not going to play properly. We'll try again when you don't have so much help."
Once the white pieces were put away, Touya stood up and left, not looking at either of them. Hikaru and Sai looked at each other, then Sai looked at Touya as he was walking out of the Great Hall. Hikaru took the opportunity to take a drink of his pumpkin juice.
"He's a little high strung, isn't he?"
Hikaru almost snorted pumpkin juice out of his nose. He laughed for a good five minutes before calming down enough to speak.
"A little? Yeah, and you're a little dead."
"That's rather insensitive, isn't it?"
"Sorry, sorry. You want to play?"
The ghost went from looking rather offended to smiling impossibly quick. Sai was pretty easy to make happy, most times.
"Of course," he smiled and floated across the table to appear to be sitting on the other side. "Good luck, Hikaru."
"You too."
Then Sai's expression changed to his serious playing face, and the game began.