Work Text:
As he left the mortal plane for the third time, Fujiwara no Sai shed tears that glimmered in the line between existence and nonexistence. Hikaru lay asleep in his bed, the carp flags still flitting in the breeze outside, and no one yet knew he was gone. Perhaps Hikaru would forget him now and forever wonder how he'd gotten into go, or maybe he'd just give it all up altogether. Or perhaps he would miss Sai as much as Sai already missed Hikaru. This was the real Hand of God, hard at work. Every go player strove to be the best and what they wanted was the ability to pick and choose who lived and who died. Sai had chosen for himself the first time, and Torajiro had chosen the second time. This time only God's hand could have taken him. And so he went, if reluctantly, because perhaps Hikaru would attain the Hand of God and learn to bring Sai back to life, or perhaps he'd live a wonderful life regardless. If he was honest, both options had their appeal.