Summary: The journey of Sai and Hikaru continues when Sai returns. Encompasses the point from when Sai disappears to the Hokuto Cup.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, settings, etc. pertaining to the manga series, Hikaru no Go, by Yumi Hotta, and illustrated by Takeshi Obata.

Chapter Twelve: End

In the end, Korea won two matches out of the three against China, bringing the two countries to a tie. Japan was now in last place with no wins so far. They would have to win at least two to tie with Korea and China. If that happened, all three countries would have a win and a loss each and the prize money would be split three ways. That would be the ideal solution of course, but that didn't mean Team Japan only planned to win two of the three matches. They each had to win for their own reasons.

For Hikaru, he had to show everyone, even if the whole thing was a misunderstanding, Shusaku was just as powerful now as he had been a century and a half ago, as well as a thousand years ago. Touya was who everyone had their eyes on, and though the pressure was enormous, he had grown up knowing that he would perpetually be under this pressure and always rose above it. He had to if he wanted to stay ahead of Shindou. They were rivals after all. Neither of them would dare lose while the other was watching. Yashiro, of course, also had his own reasons. He would show his parents that he would go his own way and that his choice in pursuing Go was right. There was no way they were going to lose today.

The three of them entered the room confidently, Touya once again at the head, now used to the stifling atmosphere. They came face to face with Team Korea. Ko Yongha stared at Shindou along with Suyon, who looked anxious. He looked over at Yongha though and didn't say anything.

Hikaru was confused. "Suyon? So, did you ask him?"

Suyon nodded. He was about to answer when Yongha stopped him. Everyone turned to the older teen. "Shindou, was it? What board are you playing?"

Shindou looked at him questioningly. He didn't understand what he said, so turned to Suyon for an explanation. Suyon understood and translated. Now Shindou was even more confused. "I told you I was Second board already, didn't I, Suyon? You can tell him that."

Suyon translated again and Yongha looked surprised for a split second. You could barely even tell it had happened, if everyone hadn't already been focused on him. "Second board? Why not First? I heard that you're an avid Shusaku fan. Are you not good enough to defend him then?" Yongha taunted.

Suyon stared aghast at Yongha. "I'm not translating that. How could you say such things, Yongha? You know you didn't say any of those things. You told me that. Why are you provoking Shindou?"

"What did he say, Suyon?" Shindou turned to glare at Yongha for a moment before turning back to his young Korean friend. "It was something insulting, wasn't it? Was there or was there not a misunderstanding?"

Sai believed there to have been one and Shindou wanted to believe it too, if only for Sai's sake, but Yongha was getting on his nerves. He was acting like a brat, so much like Shindou himself that Shindou was getting really irritated.

Suyon couldn't stand it anymore. Yongha was someone he really admired. He hated that Shindou may misunderstand him all because Yongha was acting like a child. "It was all a misunderstanding!" he blurted out in Japanese so Yongha wouldn't understand. Yongha seemed to know what he was doing though, but he didn't stop him. Oh well. He had had his fun, trying to stir up chaos. It wouldn't do to totally ruin things. Besides, Suyon was getting really worked up about this. If it really meant that much to him, he supposed it didn't matter.

Suyon continued his explanation, unaware of Yongha's acquiescence. "Yongha said that during the interview he only said that of course he knew Shusaku because he studied all the old masters. He only thought it was horrible that most people in Japan didn't study Shusaku and other great players of the past like we in Korea do, going into depth and studying the essence of their play. Most people in Japan just study the people instead of the Go. That's why he thought Japan was weak. It wasn't meant as an insult though and Yongha really does admire Shusaku. He just thought it was unfortunate that because Japan didn't study the great players of the past in the way they should be studied that everything would be forgotten. So it really was a big misunderstanding. I told you, everyone in Korea studies the old masters. There's no way nobody who knew the least about Go wouldn't know Shusaku's name."

Shindou smiled faintly. Hear that Sai? You were right. It seems there really was nothing to worry about. You must be really happy to hear that. I'm glad for you.

Thank you for clearing things up for me, Hikaru, Sai nodded happily. He was glad that everything was okay.

Ha, ha. Sai, if it hadn't been for you talking to me, I so would have blown a fuse at that guy for creating such a big misunderstanding in the first place and then not even trying to fix it.

He turned back to Suyon. "Still, what did he say before?"

Suyon thought back. He wasn't about to create another misunderstanding just when they had cleared up the first one. "Nothing; it was nothing really. He just wanted to know why you were settling for Second board since he's First board. He had heard from somewhere that you really admired Shusaku, but didn't understand why you weren't going to challenge him directly about it."

Shindou almost slapped his forehead. "Kurata and his big mouth," he muttered. Suyon looked confused. "Nothing; you can tell him that I would have, but a friend talked me out of it. I'll settle for having Japan sweep Korea in this match 3-0," Shindou smirked.

Suyon now stared at him aghast, along with Touya. "Shindou," Touya warned. "That's what I was trying to keep Kurata-san from doing. You shouldn't say such bold things in public. It's impolite."

"Oh, come off it," Shindou waved his hand. "Don't think I don't know from your reaction," this he referred to both Suyon and Touya since Touya had been studying Chinese and Korean in preparation for the Hokuto Cup, "before that he didn't just insult me too. This is just payback. You don't have to tell him what I said either you know, Suyon."

Suyon shook his head. "You two are just so immature." He said it both in Japanese and Korean. Touya nodded in agreement.

Yongha looked at them in interest. "Oh? So what did he say Suyon?"

Suyon shook his head. "I'm not telling. I don't translate insults. If I did, I would be here forever with you two acting like little kids forever. I want to play against a serious Shindou tomorrow and this childish Yongha is very annoying."

Yongha scoffed. "Suit yourself."

"Anyways," Suyon changed the subject, "Shindou's answer to your earlier question about why he settled for Second board is that a friend talked him out of it. He was pretty evasive about it," Suyon shrugged. It wasn't really any of their business. He was just glad everything had been resolved without damaging anyone's reputation.

Yongha was intrigued though. He had thought there would be a lot more fun in this, but it hadn't been the case. When he had spotted Shindou, he had thought he would be much like a rebel, loud and brash, yet in face of such circumstances, for some reason he hadn't blown his top like Yongha had expected, inciting more chaos. He had stayed calm instead. Yongha wanted to know how this friend had managed that.

"What friend?" he asked casually.

Suyon looked at him suspiciously, but translated. Shindou's answer was no more enlightening than the first, but he told Yongha anyways. "He said a wise one."

Yongha smirked. "What a brat. Then, does this wise friend of his have a name?"

Shindou smirked too now and Touya rolled his eyes, knowing what was coming. "Shusaku," he answered plainly, so that Yongha would also understand. He and Yongha stared at each other, imaginary daggers coming out of their eyes.

"Shusaku, huh," Yongha repeated mockingly, to which Shindou only nodded, still smirking. "A very wise friend indeed."

Suyon translated a bit disconcertedly, wondering what was going on. His own teammate and it seemed Japan's Third board were also out of the loop. Only Shindou, Touya and Yongha seemed to have any idea what the conversation was about. Of course, there was also a fourth that he could not see.

'Of course' was Shindou's answer to that, which Suyon translated again, making Yongha's eyes glitter dangerously. Before anything else could happen though, the matches were announced to begin so everybody separated to take their seats. The air was already charged with tension, but none of the players seemed to notice. They focused only on their opponent and the game.

Touya and Yongha nigiri-ed and it turned out that Touya would start, as would Yashiro at Third board, so Shindou's opponent, Im Irufhan-4-dan would start. Things began well on all fronts now that both Yashiro and Shindou could focus solely on their games. However, their opponents weren't letting up at all.

Shindou had guessed correctly when he had assumed that the Second board would be harder to beat than the game with Suyon even though it had been two years since then, but he would have a greater chance of winning than if he had tried against Ko Yongha. Everyone matched up well with their respective opponents. It all came down to whose determination to win was stronger now and Japan had a lot to prove. They were the new wave of Go players of this generation and they would show the world that Japan was just as good now as it had been back in Shusaku's era.

Yongha and Touya were entangled in a fiercely cold battle, blocking, attacking and defending with the precision of the top Pros. They were both playing very aggressively. Touya Kouyo had arrived just in time to see his son's game. However, he was already confident that he knew the outcome of two of the three games. As long as Shindou-kun and Akira were aware that their rival would be able to defeat their own opponent, there was no way they themselves could afford to lose. It was not an option.

Touya was waiting for a key moment to launch a fatal attack. If he could force a conflict on the board, he would be able to wipe out all the white groups in a corner of the board. It would be a devastating attack. To do so though, he would have to get even more aggressive; he had to attack even more fiercely now. Yongha stared at the board for a moment. That last move had cut in very deep. Touya was now enclosed on all sides. He would only be able to win if he could live through those conditions. He had to be damn confident to try that against someone like himself.

It was time for Yongha to see for himself if the rumours of Touya Akira leading the head of the new wave of Go players were true. Everyone always spoke of Touya Akira this and Touya Akira that. It would be nice to see what the attraction was since Ko Yongha was also spoken about with the same air. Which of the two of them would emerge victorious? The outcome would bank on the single stone Touya had placed down.

Shindou's own opponent had underestimated Shindou just because he had not heard of him before. That had been his downfall. The fourth dan had now fallen into Shindou's trap. Shindou now had the opportunity to attach to black's key point, attacking from behind. From there, he could extend his framework and attack the center group of his opponent's black stones.

Shindou's opponent could now see that he had to play extremely seriously if he wanted a chance to win. He would have to speed up his attacks. Unfortunately, Shindou wasn't about to give him that chance. He was already calculating his next move, getting ready to break his opponent's game down piece by piece. He couldn't let the black stones regroup. He had to separate them for good; so he did just that.

Back with Touya, it was an insane struggle between him and Yongha as he tried to make sure the single stone he had placed down survived, while Yongha tried his hardest to make sure it died. Touya knew he had to live though. He jumped. It would cost him stones to make such a hasty move, but his priority was in ensuring this group survived. If it did, he had the game.

Yashiro was making sure not to misread anything this time. His conviction from his first game had only grown stronger after that single mistake had cost him. He had to win. It was hard though. The Third board from Korea was a lot stronger than the Third board from China had been. However, he had managed to control most of the game that time with his unconventional moves, so this time, although it was a struggle, he still had a chance. He had to win.

Shindou had his game in the bag. It was obvious already. His opponent could do nothing else but resign. It was done. Congratulations, Hikaru, Sai praised. I knew you could do it once you got used to the pressure.

Yeah, thanks Sai. Shindou took a deep breath. If it hadn't been for you, I probably would have continued trying to get to play First board, though, and then I don't know what would have happened.

I believe you would have tried your best either way, Hikaru, but it definitely would not have been a game such as this one. Ko Yongha would never have given any opponent the edge this one did, enabling you such quick control of the game. It would still be up for questioning as to who would win, but it definitely would not be easy either way.

Yeah, I know, Shindou agreed. This game had been easier because his opponent had had fewer expectations, and although he would have still won either way, it would have been a lot more fun if people stopped underestimating him all the time. Oh well. Let's go see the other games.

He and Sai went over to Yashiro's table first where the game was still in session. Yashiro was really struggling to stay afloat, but it seemed Suyon wasn't having an easy time at it either. He moved on to Touya's table, where it seemed things were coming to a close. They were already at the end of yose, but it was too hard to tell who had won. They would have to count the territory to see.

Shindou stood by, waiting as they counted. The difference would be as close as half a moku. It was such a close game. He held his breath. Everyone seemed to be waiting. Only Touya Kouyo was sure he knew the outcome. There was no way his son would let himself lose; he knew it. He was proved correct when Kurata-san shouted in glee. All three countries were tied now. Either way, whether Yashiro won or lost, it would be a victory for Japan.

Everyone looked at the last board now where the battle was coming to an end as well. It had been tough, but it looked as if the outcome was already apparent. Yashiro's inexperience still wasn't enough yet to be able to go up against stronger players. However, for someone who had just become a Pro, it was an admirable game nonetheless.

It was a big surprise for everyone, but a pleasant one, that all three countries were able to win during the tournament. There were no hard feelings and everyone had had so much fun that it was decided that the Hokuto Cup would become an official tournament for professional Go players ages eighteen and under to be held every year.

During the awards ceremony, all nine participants were given a medal and the managers all said closing remarks as they held the check up that would be split between all three teams. Yashiro and Shindou were shocked to see their respective father and mother in the crowd of people. As soon as the award ceremony ended and the reception began, they dashed down from the stage to talk to them.

Yashiro found his father first. "Dad," he uttered, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing," his father lied. "I just happened to be here for a business meeting and when I finished, I had some time and remembered from one of your magazines that you had a tournament here. I just came to see what the big fuss was." Yashiro just waited for the final judgement silently. No matter what, though, he wouldn't give up on Go. He had lost this time, but next year, things would be different. He would have an extra year of experience then. He would be stronger.

His father cleared his throat. "I was surprised. They said you were considered one of the top new players in the country and that you played against some of the top players in Korea and China. They're really strong, you know. My business associates in China are always going on about the strength of their Go Association. I never would have thought that could be possible in Japan as well. It just didn't seem very important here. If you're able to match up though…"

Yashiro held his breath. Was he actually going to get some sort of approval? "Well," his father cleared his throat slightly, "this doesn't mean you can quit school. Your mother and I only want what's best for you after all, but we won't object to you trying this. We just want you to have something to fall back on in case."

Well, it wasn't outright approval, but it was better than nothing. When he won and gained more recognition, then he would negotiate the terms again. He didn't want to have to waste so much of his time going to university too. It just wasn't for him. He wanted to be able to play Go full-time. For now, though, it would have to do until he gained more experience. "Okay, then, dad, but when I prove to you that I can support myself my own way, we're going to talk again."

"Wait, what?" his father said, as Yashiro walked away, only to be surrounded by reporters and cameras. His father stood back now as his son was dragged away to get pictures taken with the rest of the team. "Sheesh, when did kids learn to grow up so fast?"

During the time Yashiro had used to find his father, Shindou had also found his mother. "Mom, what are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay home?" His mother just wasn't very comfortable in big crowds, especially with so many reporters lurking around.

"I wanted to see what kind of a life you were leading," his mother protested. "I was worried about you. You hardly speak of this job at all and I have no idea what it entails."

"You don't understand Go at all, though, mom," Shindou swept a hand through his hair. "You probably didn't understand what any of the games were about."

"Well, no," his mother admitted, "but that doesn't mean I don't want to be part of your life, Hikaru. In these past few years, you've suddenly taken up an interest in something you never had before, grown up so fast, stopped going to school, gotten a full-time job…it's crazy. Can you blame me for worrying? A mother is always prone to wondering how her child is faring in life and I just have no idea."

Hikaru felt guilty. He knew he sometimes caused his mother undue worry and that he had pushed a lot on her, but he hadn't really tried to do anything about it. Go took up so much of his time and he was already living in a whole other world, separate from the life he had had from before he had met Sai. It was just like his relationship with Akari. They just didn't fit into his life anymore. It was sad, but true. His mother didn't even have the slightest interest in Go like Akari did and he hated having to explain things because he just wasn't good at it. It seemed he would have to try though.

"I don't know how to explain what I'm doing to you, mom," he sighed, but ploughed on. "This is basically my job. I enter tournaments like these and if I win, there's prize money, which I can use to support myself. Even without that, professional Go players teach others to play Go and go to conventions, commenting on games and stuff like that. Like I said, we're professionals just like any other type, only with Go. You don't have to worry. Look. I'll show you my bank account when I get home. I've learned to manage it pretty well and I'm really doing fine. You don't have to worry."

His mother still looked worried, but then his grandfather appeared. "Grandfather," Hikaru greeted him in surprise. "You're here too?"

"Of course I'm here," his grandfather huffed. "How could I not come see my own grandson in his first international tournament? You played so well. I knew you had it in you. My blood, you see. It was obvious from the start the potential you had. Now didn't I tell you?" he turned to Shindou's mother. "You have nothing to worry about. The kid's doing fine. You should have seen how he cut off his opponent at every turn. No mercy at all. Good job kid."

"Thanks, grandpa," Shindou beamed. "I don't think mom understands what you're talking about though."

"Oh well," his grandfather waved a dismissing hand. "She should have gotten the jist of it from the jubilant screaming in the room. Everyone was ecstatic. I saw other young kids around too. I heard your name mentioned actually; were they friends of yours?"

"Really? Well, there's Waya and Isumi, but I don't know if they came or not. Everything has been so hectic. I'll go look for them. Bye." Shindou rushed off without another word, leaving his mother to badger his grandfather about Shindou's chosen career.

Before he could go off to find whether his friends were around though, he was waylaid by reporters. Sheesh, didn't they get enough pictures during the award ceremony? He spoke in his head as he was dragged off. Yashiro and Touya were already there, along with Touya's father and Kurata-sensei.

After many more pictures, where the Korean and Chinese Teams were also dragged into the fray, Shindou finally managed to find Waya and Isumi, or more like, they found him being dragged into photo after photo after photo. "Congratulations, Shindou," Isumi smiled.

"Thanks," Shindou smiled. He felt as if he hadn't seen Isumi and Waya in forever. Ever since after the preliminaries, things had gotten so chaotic, especially when he had gotten caught up in wanting to play against Ko Yongha. He was glad it was all in the past now. They chatted for awhile, and Shindou and Isumi had a good laugh over the fact that the Chinese Pros kept mistaking Waya for Le Ping, Waya's younger, bratty, Chinese counterpart.

However, Shindou was soon jumped by an enthusiastic Kosemura. "You did it, Shindou. I knew you would. Hah, that'll show Korea not to-" The reporter was cut off as Shindou immediately clapped his hand over the man's mouth. Waya and Isumi stared in surprise as the man's sudden appearance.

"It's nothing," Shindou flashed a smile. "Kosemura-san is just happy that Japan did so well in the tournament. It's because it went so well that everyone decided to do it again next year and all, right? Kosemura-san is just more vocal than most."

Waya and Isumi just nodded as Shindou dragged Kosemura off. They turned to look at each other. Waya shook his head. "Man that Shindou really knows how to plough ahead. He's already got reporters recognizing him now. Next year, I'm definitely going to get on the team. I'm going to play stronger and stronger players and grow too."

"That makes two of us then," Isumi agreed. Even if he wasn't eligible for the Hokuto Cup, he had other ways of getting stronger.

Shindou successfully dragged Kosemura off into the hall where others wouldn't overhear before releasing him. Kosemura immediately started speaking again. "Hah, that'll show Korea they can't just get away with calling Japan weak."

Shindou waved his hands. "No, no, Kosemura-san. It was all a misunderstanding."

Kosemura stopped his rant. "What?!"

Shindou nodded, continuing now that he had the reporter's attention. "I've spoken to Hon Suyon, a friend of mine. He was Third board for Team Korea and can speak Japanese. He talked to Ko Yongha for me and told me that your translator messed up all his words. He said something about that he studied all of the old masters including Shusaku like everyone else did. He wasn't insulting Shusaku at all."

"He wasn't?" Shindou shook his head. Kosemura exhaled in relief. He grinned widely. "That's great! I was so angry about it, but it turned out to be all a big misunderstanding. What a relief. I'm so glad now I decided to keep that a secret and not publish it. What a disaster that would have been. Now I can write a proper article about strengthening international relations and how the Go world is growing stronger now with all these new Pros on the scene, building on everything that the masters of old taught us. It'll be a great positive angle."

Shindou nodded too, happy that Kosemura had finally gotten the point. Kosemura dashed off, his new idea already stuck in his head. "Thanks!" he called back to Shindou before he disappeared.

Phew, Shindou mentally swiped sweat from his brow. Crisis diverted.

Very good job, Hikaru, Sai beamed. With this, everything should have been resolved.

Yeah, Hikaru smiled. I'm glad.

It seemed they had spoken a little too soon though as a shadow loomed over them and Hikaru could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Whatever was behind him couldn't be good. Sai turned around first to see who it was. It's Ogata-san, Sai informed Hikaru.

Damn, Hikaru swore. Why now? He was about to dash off into the crowd when Ogata grabbed his arm to stop him. Hikaru tried to shake him off, but Ogata wouldn't let go. In addition to this, he tried to grab for the fan in Hikaru's other hand. Hikaru immediately held it as far away as he could.

"What the hell, Ogata-sensei?" Shindou roared. "Let me go."

Ogata smiled dangerously. "Don't think that I don't know that you're hiding many secrets, Shindou Hikaru, including the identity of Sai. I know you know him and I know that fan holds a clue to it. Hand it over."

"You're crazy," Shindou tried to shake him off again, Sai yelling at Ogata as well, whacking him with his own fan, though it didn't have any effect.

"We'll see who is crazy after you hand over that fan," Ogata grabbed for it again.

Damn it! Shindou swore, wondering why the hell he hadn't immediately immersed himself back into the crowds after Kosemura had left. He had let his guard down in the afterglow of winning the tournament. He had totally forgotten about Ogata-sensei and now Touya wasn't even here. Everyone was inside the room, celebrating and mingling. There was no one else around, but still Shindou couldn't let Ogata get the fan. He would only get more weird ideas in his head if he ever saw it.

There wasn't much more he could do other than continue to dodge though. Ogata wouldn't let go of his arm and he had a longer reach than Shindou did. This was only a temporary solution. Sooner or later, Ogata would get the fan. Then, of course, Touya again showed up when Shindou least expected him. This time, though, Shindou couldn't be happier.

"Ogata-san, what are you doing?" Ogata froze and this time, Shindou successfully managed to wrench his arm away and travel to Touya's side. Sai gave Ogata's head one more transparent whack before following.

Ogata straightened up, as if just seconds before he hadn't been trying to steal a fan from a child about half his age. "Ah, Touya. I was just stopping by. I heard that you won both your matches. Congratulations." Touya nodded in thanks.

Ogata turned to Shindou, as if nothing was wrong. "Congratulations to you as well, Shindou. Well, I must be going now." He swept past them and left without another word.

"He's crazy," Shindou declared as soon as the 10-dan was out of earshot. "Honestly, do you know how obsessed he is with Sai? It's absolutely nutty! Why the hell did your father decide to take him on as a student?"

Touya decided that Shindou probably hadn't meant to view his father in a negative light and that it was only because of Ogata, so he let the remark slide. "Ogata-san was always a little ambitious, but I never really thought he would get so worked up about a single person like this. I admit it is a little disconcerting to me as well. That's twice now I've found him attempting to corner you into spilling your secrets."

"Yeah, well, I hope he doesn't think he's making me any more likely to do so after that stunt." Shindou rolled his eyes in disbelief. "I wouldn't trust him with any of my secrets. It's not like I care if he wants to know about Sai; everyone else in the Go world does too, but it's not like I'm going to announce it. I would be either sent to a mental institution or hounded by fans of the supernatural or like with Ogata-sensei, hounded for games with Sai. I definitely do not need any more Ogata-senseis snooping around."

Touya nodded. He acknowledged that he also would choose not to give that information out to just anyone and he didn't plan to, especially not without Shindou's express permission. It was his secret after all and since he had been trusted enough not to give it away, there was no way Touya would even think about doing so. "You're just going to have to be more careful now," Touya advised as they re-entered the room.

Shindou nodded. "And to think I thought it was all over too," he sighed. "How the hell did he know the fan had something to do with it anyways?"

"Perhaps it's because you always carry it around now?" Touya suggested helpfully. It was kind of obvious to him and everyone else that the fan was important to Shindou. It wouldn't take much more to put that and Sai together, since Sai was also obvious a big part of Shindou's world, seeing as the teen Go Pro was about the only person with information on the mysterious net player that had rocked the Go world and that knew how to contact him. Of course, there were only a few people in the world that were aware of these facts alone, and lucky too, else Shindou would have been harassed even more.

"Well, I'm not going to stop if that's what you think I should do," Shindou objected stubbornly.

"I wouldn't expect you to," Touya replied. "Just be more careful."

"I will," Shindou complied. "Besides, even if he does see it, I'll just make something else up. I've always gotten away with it before."

"Yes," Touya remembered the many times Shindou had avoided him and Ogata-san before. "You are very good at lying."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Shindou grinned unrepentantly. Touya just shook his head. The conversation ended there as Suyon came up to them again.

"When will you be coming around tomorrow?" he asked without preamble.

"Is around three in the afternoon okay with you?" Shindou asked. "I have to get home and unpack first."

"It's fine," Suyon agreed. "I'll see you then." Shindou nodded and Suyon ran off again, heading back towards Yongha.

Touya turned to Shindou questioningly. "Oh. Suyon wanted a rematch since we weren't able to play each other in the Hokuto Cup. I'll be going over to his uncle's Go Salon again tomorrow to play." Touya nodded in comprehension and the topic closed.

The reception continued along with the interviewing and photo-taking for another hour or so, but soon, everything was over again. Shindou and the other members of the tournament would spend one last night in the hotel before returning home in the morning. With that, the first ever Hokuto Cup ended.

The next day, Suyon and Shindou played again, but same as the first time, Shindou won again. They had both gotten stronger though. That much was obvious. Suyon swore that next time they met, they would have another rematch. Shindou agreed. He then left to go meet up with Touya so they could discuss the game, Sai happily skipping behind him. It was just another day for them both as they stepped into the warm sun, heading down their endless path together to meet up with the others.