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Chapter 04

Here's the fourth chap, ready for you guys! Hope you enjoy!!!

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And once Hinako Tamashii uttered that single name, white butterflies the was somehow seem familiar to her appeared, throwing her back into her previous life's memories.

A three year old little girl with a head full of curly brown strands sat on her mother's lap as she filled in the missing blanks of the white stones. Finally, setting the last white stone in place on the Goban, her glimmering chocolate brown eyes gazed up to her mother. "Did I set the stones correctly, mother?"

The girl's mother, Hyun-Jae Min warmly smiled at her child, softly patting her head. "Well done, Chouka."

Hyun-Jae had shown her daughter a game that had been played by her father and an official who was an acquaintance of his. Then she had removed all of the white stones of the game and had instructed her daughter to reset the stones, testing her memory and understanding of the game that had been played.

"Mother, if the official who had challenged father played 17-3 (nobi), he would have won the game!" Chouka exuberantly divulged, after she had scrutinized the playings on the wooden board once more.

Hearing her daughter's tone, Hyun-Jae queried, "My little butterfly, do you love Go?"

"Hmm, do I love Go?" She tilted, her head repeating her mother's interrogative sentence. "Go is fun to play with mother, so I love it!"

Hyun-Jae narrowed her navy blue eyes at her child, wrapping her arms around her in an embrace. "Chouka, no matter what you must be an excellent Go player. Keep your title as a prodigy amongst prodigies within the Sasaki family. You must achieve the 'Hand of God'. And to get anywhere close to achieving the 'Hand of God' you must live and breathe Go. Only Go can help you survive."

The brunette mother had said this to Chouka, because she was a concubine of Iwao Sasaki. Iwao Sasaki was the Emperor's Go Instructor. To be more precise the all Heads of the Sasaki Family had all been Go Instructors of the previous Emperors and royalties; Iwao Sasaki was the current head of the Sasaki Family. All of those in the Sasaki Family lived and breathed Go.

Hyun-Jae had forcibly became Iwao's concubine when the Emperor had heard of her playings in the capital and the title, 'Queen of Go' that had been placed upon her. She had only came to Japan from Korea to find out about her mother's heritage, because she was half-Korean and half-Japanese. She never had suspected her life would have turned out like this; that she would never return to Korea, her homeland, to the school where she had learned Go; and most importantly to have a child who she could barely protect.

Her child even at a young age had already been the victim of many vicious slanders, because was a concubine's daughter, an illegitimate child and because she was the daughter of a half-breed. And there had been already so many hidden attempts on Chouka's life by the members in the Sasaki Family. Even though Hyun-Jae was strong in Go, she was just, but a mere concubine and had no evidence.

Iwao, himself had stated to Hyun-Jae, if 'her' child, the first daughter of the Sasaki Head Family Branch showed him so impressive skills when she have reached the age of the eight, he would protect her. If not, trash must fend for themselves within this family.

'Five more years until that day.' Hyun-Jae wryly smiled as she thought, 'I wonder if I can even live that long to see that day with this body of mines. Now, it's not the time to worry about myself, but this child's future. Even if she may hate me, but for her to live I will make her into an undefeatable Go player.'

And that day Hyun-Jae had pondered if she could live long enough, she passed away three years later, because of her long term inflammatory disease acting up. It was also the day Chouka was hit with the harsh reality that her own father would allow her to be schemed against other members of her family if she was useless in Go. The words had mother had spoken to her were true. To survive, to live, she must endeavor for the 'Hand of God'!

As Chouka worked to obtain her goal, a crisis had befallen on the Sasaki Family. A sea of red hot flames had devoured the noble Sasaki Family's Household. All perished besides the fourteen year old Chouka Sasaki due to Hyun-Jae's 'love'. Hyun-Jae's 'love' that saved Chouka on that summer's night was a protective spell that involved white butterflies encircling her, allowing her to avoid death just that one time. Hyun-Jae had chanted that protective spell over her daughter during her deathbed.

The perpetrator of that night's event was a man who desired to be the Emperor's Go Instructor, but Chouka ordered by Iwao, utterly defeated him.

Even though there were many who had despised her due to her talents in Go and wished to kill her, over the years she had found others in the Sasaki Family who had genuinely loved and cared for her. But, she caused their deaths. No, Go caused their deaths! If it wasn't for Go, her mother wouldn't had been forced to be a concubine of Iwao Sasaki. She wouldn't had entered the Sasaki Family where the Head hadn't sent one doctor to help with her mother's inflammatory disease! Go had been the cause of it all!

She had thought this hatred was indispensable for Go, until one year later she met another Go prodigy. And for the first time, she had been defeated. The conclusion of the game went like so:

Holding a fan as he placed down a black stone on the Goban, he inquired, "Chouka, why do you play Go?"

"Go? I play Go to survive. Without Go I would be dead. Go to me is just like air or food humans require to live." She dryly answered, making her move.

"So, you're telling me that you don't love Go?" He questioned and made his move after her.

"Never once have I loved Go. I utterly loathe the game." Chouka snared.

"Is that so, Chouka?" When he set another black stone, she heard a familiar 'clacking' sound, a white rim glowing on it.

Chouka's brown eyes widened as hot tears filled them. This play. Joyful memories of her and mother learning and playing Go played before her. A droplet splattered on the male prodigy's stone that bequeathed him with victory. "Where?"

He smiled, "I met and played Lady Hyun-Jae before."

"Your name?"

"Chouka, I told you before we started that my name is Fujiwara no Sai!"

"I didn't want to remember your name then so, I allowed it to go into one ear and flow out the next." The fifteen year old declared.

Sai sighed at this, but perked back up."Chouka, you said before that you hated Go, but I could have seen with your moves, even though you were trying to mask it, that you truly love Go. And that you are one who wants to play the 'Hand of God'." The twenty year old male told her.

Because of this game, the two became close friends.

Months after, Sai had been given the title of Emperor's Instructor and a decree had been made by the Emperor that he would take Chouka Sasaki as his wife. The Emperor that had made this decree for the following reasons: the Sasaki Family had usually been the Emperor's Go Instructor, but it was left in the hands of Chouka who was a female and born of a concubine no less; and he had wished to resurrect the Sasaki Family.

Sai and Chouka had played many games with her usually being the one who lost or called her defeat. Once she had finally tied with Sai, she had decided to return to her mother's hometown, to the school where Hyun-Jae had learned Go to become even stronger, develop and master a new style of Go that could defeat Fujiwara no Sai.

But when she had returned three years later, she had heard of the news of Sai cheating during a game of Go and his later banishment.

Chouka knew Sai. Sai would had never cheat. She decided to challenge the only Go Instructor of the Emperor and came out on top.

This was when the Emperor had given another decree that she must wed that Go Instructor, but she declined.

Her declination made the Emperor furious and she was given the punishment for one who had defined the Emperor's decree - execution.

The Go prodigy, Chouka Sasaki died by hanging.

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Hope you enjoyed!

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Trivia:

• Chouka and Hinako both possess 1/4 Korean blood.

• The match between Hyun-Jae Min and Sai came to a tie.

• Sai is five years older than Chouka.

• Hyun-Jae's mother was a wandering priestess who somehow found herself on the shores of Korea.

• Hyun-Jae's father was a rich merchant.

• Hyun-Jae inherited her mother's strong spiritual powers. Her spiritual powers usually involves the use of white butterflies.

• Chouka knew of Sai committing suicide through use of the spiritual white butterflies she inherited from Hyun-Jae.

• Chouka Sasaki and Sai Fujiwara never possessed romantic feelings for each other even though being engaged.

• The long term inflammatory disease Hyun-Jae died from in this current day and age is known as 'asthma'.

• Chouka died at the age of 20.

Chouka died in regret of never being able to play against Sai with the Go Style she created and developed.

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