Anticipate

Death is copyrighted to Sallie Drazzi

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"How long have we been playing?"

"Hard tellin."

"... Aren't you tired?"

"If ya thinkin I'm going to concede and let you win because I need sleep then ya wrong."

"You aren't talking correctly is all, you do that when you're tired."

Tanji looked at him through his haze of bangs, glancing back down to the board and moving his rook.

"You need sleep."

"Ya ya, I know, I'm only mortal and all, focus on the game."

"You really are presistent about this game."

"You're last three sentences have started with "you", says you're a bit unfocused. And I'm winning."

"Hardly."

"I'm winnin so you wanna distract me and... oooh good move," Tanji tilted his head at the board, eyes flickering at each and every piece. He snapped back immediately with a move of his own.

Death blinked, quick moves meant Tanji had been expecting that move and had been prepared to retaliate. His bishop was in danger, as was his rook, he'd have to sacrifice one of them since his last move had been countered. He moved his rook out of danger, into hopefully a more strategic place so that he might go on the offensive.

Tanji took the bishop, the first major piece to be taken.

Death made sure the breech of his defenses wouldn't cause anymore damage, noting a break in Tanji's and moving his rook there. Tanji calmly swept up a few more pawns as Death maneuvered into position.

"Check," Tanji declared.

Death blinked, slightly startled. It wasn't serious, easy enough to move out of the way of one piece. Then Tanji reached over and took the invading rook.

"How..." Death seriously regarded the board.

"Toldja I was winning."

"Two pieces is hardly winning."

"You've already been checked."

Death glared at the board, deciding it was a lost cause to argue. Tanji was right, he'd fallen into that little trap without realizing it, the deceptive little mortal was getting better every time they played. And they'd played so often that anymore Death had to watch every single piece.

Tanji sat back, lounging and watching Death think. There wasn't any sort of confidence in him, he never celebrated a game with Death until he won. He also made sure to not do anything overtly distracting, that wasn't fair. There was honour and a set of certain rules about their games. Like, Tanji only fingered his bellyring when he was sure he was losing.

"You're too smart for your own good," Death growled, reluctantly moving a piece, almost sure it was a safe move. He hated being on the defensive like this, not sure what Tanji was planning.

Tanji reached forward almost lazily and took the knight Death had just moved. So much for a safe place.

"Is your mind elsewhere?" Tanji asked quietly.

"My mind is wondering how I didn't see that when I stared at it for all that time."

Tanji leaned forward, smiling, "I can anticipate you."

Death glared into those glittering red eyes, "I"ve been playing chess longer than you've been alive, easily."

"There are only a certain number of possible plays, each with variations of course. If you break it down into mathematical formulas and probabilities..."

Death really glared. Tanji shut up and put his hands in his lap, blinking innocently. At least his speech had improved. Death took one of Tanji's pawns, clearing a path. Tanji casually moved his knight into that same space, taking Death's other rook. The immortal blinked several times. He really couldn't have been paying attention, he hadn't even noticed the knight huddled back there.

Death moved his bishop cautiously, making very sure nothing could take it, taking a long time with the essentially strategically worthless move. Tanji moved his knight into a very innocent looking location. Death regarded that knight very seriously, though. It wasn't innocent, next move it would have taken his queen. And the only other open space left his king wide open to Tanji's rook. Death calmly moved into position to take the rook.

Tanji's bishop swept forward and took the piece Death had just moved, protecting his rook. Death blinked, unable to believe the complexity of Tanji's thinking in this. That and he was rapidly running out of pieces. Death moved his bishop into place to take the knight threatening his queen.

Tanji noted that, and took the queen, putting his knight out of danger. And with the queen out of the way...

"Check," Tanji declared.

Death moved his king, advancing boldly towards the threatening knight. Tanji didn't seem bothered, moving his bishop to take a pawn. Death went to take the knight, then realized the bishop was now protecting it. Tanji had taken all his other major pieces. Death grunted and moved one of them, blocking Tanji's knight from moving into a place that would threaten the king.

Tanji moved his rook, taking another pawn. "Check... and mate."

"Hardly," Death surveyed each of the open squares around his king. The knight and bishop covered them well, perfectly. With a sigh he reached over and tipped his king onto its side. "Too smart for your own good, mortal," he glowered at Tanji.

Tanji reached under his chair and produced a bottle of wine, "Would the defeated care to join me in a drink?" he offered the bottle, smiling.

"The defeated will drink with you, and then we're playing again."

Tanji smiled more, putting the pieces back into place, "I anticipated that."





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