7Hikaru sat down on the hard wooden floor of his apartment, setting 3 candles out in front of him. He took a match in one hand and struck it, quickly lighting all the candles before the flame died out. Then he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
As he blew out the candle on the left, he remembered how he first met Sai, his greatest friend and mentor. He remembered fainting before the goban and waking up with a hyper ghost, sprouting off nonsense in his ear.
After the smoke dissipated, he blew out the second candle.
This candle represented his time with Sai. As the smoke rose to the ceiling, he remembered every game, every moment he spent with the ghost. His life flashed before his eyes and before he knew it, he had been through every memory. Some had been hidden, but not forgotten.
Finally, he blew out the flame of the last candle, tears dripping down his face as he did so. He remembered his failure, his inability to hold on to Sai until the day he died. Sai had left because of him, and he was never coming back.
He just sat there for a few minutes, not really wanting to do much of everything, just wishing that he'd wake up and see long, flowing hair, a tall hat, and the bright face of a forgotten prodigy.
Hikaru picked up the candles and placed them in a drawer, not far from his bed. He lied down and sobbed, hugging his pillow to his chest. He stayed up crying for the rest of the night, standing up with red-rimmed eyes as he got ready for the new morning.
Just like he did every fifth of May.