The Never-ending Road: Chapter 53 – Thoughts for Tomorrow

By Leitbur

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"So, would it have been better for me if I had played here instead?"

Shaking her head, Nase replied, "No, this move was actually good. I'm sure it might be hard to see, but it sets you up nicely to invade from here later on. I actually thought that had been your plan during the game and was surprised when you let me defend it without even trying to attack."

"Yeah, I didn't see that at all. Sorry."

Smiling, Nase responded, "Takamine was it? No need to apologize, this is how we all get better, by playing and learning from our mistakes. Even I wasn't as good as I am now at one time."

A giggle coming from behind Nase off to her right, she heard Akari comment, "Yeah Asumi, how long ago was that though, five years?"

Grunting a laugh back at Akari as Nase turned her head to face her friend, she replied, "No Akari, probably closer to seven or eight years ago. Remember that I didn't fly up like Hikaru did, pro after only two years."

As Nase turned back to the board to continue with the post-game discussion she heard the Club President, Itsuki Ayase chatting a little ways off to her left. "Wow, this is so cool, our club is so lucky. I mean not only do we get to have Shindo 2 – Dan, one of the top young pros in Japan come by here a few times a month to give us lessons, but now when he's too busy we have another pro substituting for him. And the fact that Nase-sensei is our age and a female pro… what an inspiration."

Nodding as she continued to watch Nase point out new avenues of attack and defense, Miyoko Kobayashi replied, "Yeah, she sure is impressive. In some ways I find it easier to relate to what she's saying than when Shindo-sensei is explaining a joseki or whatever. Still, we're so lucky that Fujisaki joined our Go club, or this would never have occurred."

"Yeah, that's the truth. Fujisaki is a lifesaver." That statement was true in so many different ways too. After all it had been Akari who had originally brought Hikaru to visit the club, leading to the driving out of their previous club president in Tamura. In fact Tamura had ended up dropping out of the school all together, solving the issues that some of the returning club members had about the possibility of his taking revenge on them for returning. Then, not only had Akari been able to convince her boyfriend to keep returning without charging a fee to the club for lessons, but she was also friends with another pro player in Nase, who was also willing to help out the Go club. Adding to all of that Akari's own skill at the game and she truly had become an indispensable part of the club.

Given all that, it didn't really come as a shock that Akari was the strongest female player in the club, arguably the strongest period perhaps but for the return of Makoto Hayashi after Tamura's departure brought that claim into question. Regardless of that debate though, as the strongest girl Akari would be the first board at the next team tournament despite her 1st year status. It would be especially interesting since Ayase had learned from a friend at another high school that word of Taro High School having a player on their team that was dating Hikaru Shindo had gotten out. Hopefully that knowledge would be helpful to their team, and with the lessons that Hikaru and Nase were providing and a little luck, they might actually win the tournament this time.

Glancing over at Nase again as she finished up her last few comments before beginning to clear the board, Ayase sighed at the sad fact that Nase could do nothing more than give lessons for them. After all, if a pro player of her strength played for their team, they'd surely be unstoppable. Then again it would mean pros for other schools could also play against them, and since Nase didn't even attend this high school… no, it was best to leave such fantasies as just that. Nightmares were too likely if she let her mind wander down that path, and what they were getting was already more than sufficient.

Finishing putting the glass stones into their respective bowls, Nase glanced around and smiling said, "So, who's next?" A flurry of spectators began to call out and attempt to vie for position to replace Takamine at the board. The arguments that were arising were quite interesting too, many of them dealing with seniority against talent. Thankfully there was a simple solution. "Someone go bring me three more boards and I'll play four of you at once. That should make it easier."

It still wouldn't remove the entire problem as there were six players all trying to get a game in, and it was likely that if Akari's current opponent wasn't already in the middle of a game then he'd also be over trying to get a game. Ironically it was Akari that Nase would like to play the most just now, not out of strength but because the pair could just sit down and play a fun game, have a nice conversation and not bother with things like proper play. Akari though was adamant in not playing Nase at the club, and was likely the same with Hikaru as it would have been unfair to monopolize Nase or Hikaru when she could do that some other time. Oh well, they'd just have to play a game at Akari's house later on that night on the folding Go board Nase had packed in her bag since Akari didn't have a board of her own. It was strange actually that she didn't have one, but perhaps Nase could invest in a board for Akari for her birthday.

Without looking Nase touched the brooch that she wore pinned over the left breast on her light green scallop-necked sweater, the brooch Hikaru had given to her on Christmas. Yes, that was a good idea; she'd mention it to Hikaru when he got back, perhaps he'd be willing to help pay for it.

"Hey, if we're doing four games, then I think as President I should be one of them." The sound of Ayase as she nudged her way into one of the seats brought Nase back to reality. Glancing around it appeared that the debates had ceased and three others had also taken a seat at the other boards. That was fine of course, as they could now begin to administer handicaps and start playing. Several minutes later the five players bowed their heads and greeted one another, then the four club members waited as Nase surveyed the boards. Playing these types of games with such high handicaps, it was strange after so many games over the last six months at even strength. Of course it was likely that she'd need to get used to it as playing teaching games and other such lessons were what a professional Go player was really about. Even Hikaru, who was playing such important games now, still gave lessons even if less often than most other pros.

Placing the white stones down on each board, taking little time as she assessed the situations and calculated, Nase found her mind begin to focus. It was so different from the Pro Exam, insei practice, and the games she played at Waya's study group or in Hikaru's bedroom, even if the level of Go was disregarded. There it was a learning experience, lessons amongst peers who played the games to further their own study of the game. Here it was also a learning experience, but a one-sided one. Nase didn't really take anything new out of giving lessons to amateur Go club members; in fact it was in some ways a chore. The only real pleasure gained from it was the thrill of playing the game she loved. Teaching games like this weren't about relaxation, not in the sense that Hikaru or her found in playing people like Akari. Sure it was about helping Akari improve her own game, but in a far more casual, fun way, especially in watching Akari challenge herself to improve.

Nase's own challenges though were now fast approaching. It had been almost two and a half months now since the end of the Pro Exam, two and a half months since she had won her pro status… and two and a half months since her last real, meaningful game. Playing Hikaru, Waya, Isumi, Honda, everyone at the study group was enlightening and all, but not one of them compared to the strain and thrill of the Pro Exam. How could it compare when nothing was on the line? That was why it was hard to tell just how much, if at all her game had improved since then, to gauge her relative position amongst her peers when it came to strength. Sure she knew that Hikaru was stronger than her, but by just how much was harder to say. The same applied to Waya, Isumi, Honda, even Sato and Komiya whom she'd played in the Pro Exam not too long ago. How had they improved since the Exam in comparison to herself, had her game deteriorated at all in the lull?

The answer to that question and so many more would soon be answered. She'd received the phone call last week, her Shinshodan match had been scheduled for Sunday, January 18th, and her opponent would be Ogata Judan Gosei. That was ten days from now, and even just thinking about it gave her goosebumps. Sato's match against Kuwabara Honinbo came first of course, this upcoming Sunday in fact and that was good; the idea of being the first new pro to play was almost unbearable.

It wouldn't get easier after that either as all three of the new pros would be thrown into the thick of it even before their pro careers officially started in April. The Hokuto Cup Qualifier, the first preliminary round of it was going to be taking place sometime around the end of the month, although an exact date had yet to be set. Heck, she didn't even know who she would be playing yet, although given what she knew from Waya and Hikaru from the previous year, her opponent would be almost certainly be an experienced pro. The Association had divided the matches up last year by record to keep the players with top records from knocking each other off too early, and it was likely to be the case again. With no pro record of her own, Nase would be put at the bottom of that list and likely to get one of those top record pros, maybe even Waya or Ochi. While she had confidence in her own strength, the idea still felt daunting.

"So Nase-sensei, do you know Shindo-sensei?"

Glancing up from the boards to look at Ayase, her thoughts thrown back to the void, Nase replied, "What?"

Placing a stone down on the board, Ayase repeated, "I said, do you know Shindo-sensei?"

"Oh!" Nase stated as she placed a stone down on another board. "Yes, I know Hikaru. I played against him in the Young Lions Tournament last May, and lost of course. We used to be insei together before that though and we both study together at Waya 3 – Dan's study group on Saturdays. The study group has been a bit inactive over the last two weeks though since Waya is currently studying in China."

"Wow" the girl playing at the board to Nase's left replied, "you must have played against him a lot then. I mean you even refer to him by his first name, I'd be too scared to do that. No wonder you're a pro now. He's so cute and kind too, always so patient with me. I tell you, if he wasn't dating Akari I could so go for him."

Grunting a slight laugh at that, Nase placed a stone on the girl's board and then glanced off at Akari who had flicked a glance of her own in the girl's direction. Nase remembered Akari had once mentioned how her fellow Go club members refused to accept that she wasn't dating Hikaru, and this was just more evidence of that. Not that Nase was planning to correct that misconception, the last thing she wanted to do was to bring that sort of argument up. Instead she just said, "Yes, Hikaru is very kind-hearted."

"Speaking of that," Ayase added as she placed a stone while Nase played another stone on a third player's board, "I feel kind of bad since a couple months ago I sort of… slapped Shindo-sensei."

Glancing up from the boards to look at Ayase clearly, Nase responded, "You… what?"

By this point Akari, who had finished up her own game and made her way over to the table, watching over Nase's shoulder interjected, "Yeah, she slapped Hikaru. I walked in right after it happened, and when I found out the details it was rather silly. Ayase-sempai was under the false impression that I'd caught Hikaru cheating on me," turning to look at Ayase now she continued, "even though I had denied that he had repeatedly."

Her brow contorting, Nase strained her mind to make sense of it. Hikaru had cheated on Akari? It seemed crazy, Hikaru wasn't that type of person, Nase knew that from personal experience, after all she'd… Realization struck suddenly as the circumstances behind the so-called 'false impression' became exceedingly clear in Nase's mind. To clinch it even more, Ayase quickly rebutted, "Well come on, you said he'd been kissing another girl! What was I suppose to think?"

Pausing as a slightly nervous expression slid over her face, Nase turned to look up over her shoulder at Akari. Glancing down at her friend, Akari gave a smirk and a wink to Nase before replying, "Well maybe if you'd finished listening to the story instead of jumping to my aid..."

Catching onto Akari's signal, Nase interjected, "Akari, is she talking about that night-"

"At Hikaru's house before his Kisei League match? Yeah, that night."

Returning her attention to the board to her left and placing a stone, Nase then stated, "Hikaru isn't the type of person to cheat on someone. Trust me, I've known him for three years now. That girl, he'd been tutoring her for a couple months as a favor and it had paid off. The girl just got overexcited in thanking him was all."

The girl to Nase's left then jumped in, "Oh, then Nase-sensei, do you know the girl who did that? Akari never told us her name."

Pausing a moment, Nase took a deep breath and then exhaling answered, "Yes, I know who she is, but since Akari hasn't told you, it's not really fair if I say either. But let's drop it. After all, if we keep chatting like this then focusing on your moves won't be easy."

Nodding, Ayase replied, "Yeah, you're right." As the club president then made her next move, Nase glanced back up at Akari again sending a silent 'thank you' with her eyes. As Nase turned back to respond to Ayase's play the club president added, "Oh, one last thing, Nase-sensei, we have our next big tournament coming up soon, would you like to come watch?"

Her brow contorting again as she placed a stone on Ayase's board then quickly moved to place another on the board next to it, Nase asked, "Well when exactly is it?"

"January 25th, three Sundays from now."

Pausing a moment even as she concentrated on the games around her, Nase sighed softly. The Sunday after her Shinshodan match, it was certainly possible she'd be able to make it, but as they hadn't yet scheduled Komiya's Shinshodan match or the Hokuto Qualifier preliminary nothing was certain. The latter she couldn't possibly miss, it would be her first pro tournament, even if her career hadn't officially started yet. As for the former, it was traditional for the other new pros to attend each Shinshodan match, in a way it was an unofficial expectation. Certainly if an emergency came up one could be excused, but attending a friend's Go tournament? "I'm not sure yet, I'll have to let you know."

As she continued to concentrate on the games being played out before her, calculating points all the way, Nase had to admit to herself one interesting thing about that conversation about her kiss with Hikaru. That girl who Hikaru had agreed to tutor, she was gone now. In her place sat a young woman with a strong sense of the game and a fiery determination. She was a professional Go player now, her new path in life set before her. All these months she'd been studying while worrying about boys and girls, love and hate, forgiveness and redemption, forgetting that most important fact. Now her pro status was appearing before her, waiting for her to reach out and claim it, to act like she belonged amongst her peers. Her left hand reaching up to touch the face of the white kitten on her brooch, Nase breathed softly as her fingers moved off to touch the black and white stones on either side, then lowered her hand back to her lap. Nase the woman was still there, she always would be too, but for now she needed to focus her attention on the game, just as Hikaru was once more.

Life, in many ways, was just like Go. Forcing a move in Go was not a smart thing to do; pushing it in before it was naturally ready to be played only brought disaster. Moves that flowed naturally within the harmony between the stones and the board, that was Go. She'd been pushing the stones for too long, and it was time to let them fall as they were meant to fall. Running through life without living it, living within life without letting life live within her, these she could not do anymore. Hikaru was not her teacher anymore, it was time to let the game itself be her mentor, and prepare herself for the challenges ahead. If she did that, then everything else, Hikaru, Akari, all of it, would fall into place as it should.

The games were drawing to an end now as Nase continued to concentrate on the matches. The handicaps, though extravagant, had at least been pretty appropriate. Luckily, even with such a difference in skill, there were ways to practice within them.

Placing a stone down on the board to her left, Nase turned her focus to the others as that game came to and end. Meanwhile the girl began to count up the points, and said, "Wow, it looks like it's close… Black 60 points White… 63 points. Drat, I lost by three points."

"If you want," Nase stated as she placed another stone on Ayase's board, "you can clear the stones to the side and I'll recreate the game so we can discuss it."

"Really, wow ok."

As she said this Ayase's game came to an end, allowing Nase to turn her attention onto the two male players to her right. Meanwhile Ayase began to count the points and finishing said, "Wow, I almost had you, I lost by one point. Are we going to recreate my game too?"

"Sure," Nase stated as a pause occurred in the play of the final two matches. Turning to her far right she then began to place down the stones on the board, making a few comments to the girl before pausing to make another play on the far right board. Several minutes later, as she was just finishing making a few comments to the girl, Nase placed a final stone on the far right board to end the game.

Then turning to Ayase, she began to replay their game as well when the boy said, "Damn, I thought I had you. Four points, that's all. Man, I shouldn't have been so lax on that exchange in the upper right corner."

"No, your decision to pull back there was actually right. Had you pushed in first I'd have outflanked you with plays here and here. We can discuss it more in a moment but I-" pausing to place a stone on the final board, Nase then finished, "have to finish recreating Ayase's game first. Please be patient."

The sound of a Go stone being played drew Nase's attention away then for a moment, and a moment later as she played another stone to end the final game she returned her attention to Ayase. Several minutes passed as the final boy counted up the score, and from behind her Nase heard Akari giggle. Apparently Akari had finished counting the score already. Moments later the final boy said, "Wow, I never thought I'd do so well. I only lost by two points." Smiling broadly as Akari giggled again, Nase returned to commenting on Ayase's game.

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"Thank you very much miss." Giving a slight bow of the head as he said this, Hikaru grinned at the waitress a moment longer before turning back to his bowl of ramen and, reaching for his chopsticks and breaking them apart, prepared himself for lunch.

"You know, I kind of prefer sushi over ramen."

Frowning as he was about to dig in, Hikaru glanced up at Yashiro and said, "You sound like Waya. I tell you, ramen is the best there is."

"Whatever." Yashiro responded as he poked at his lunch with his own chopsticks. It had been a rather boring morning around Osaka, despite their visit to the Osaka Aquarium. While Osaka had many tourist attractions and activities they could explore, Yashiro had to admit that he wasn't really that familiar with a lot of them, and frankly didn't care all that much for the ones he did know. They'd walked around the harbor area for awhile, checked in on some shops, Hikaru had even purchased the most recent Shonen Jump at one of the stores, claiming it'd be good reading material on the train ride home later today. It was strange really to think that a highly respected Go professional, fresh off his run in the Kisei League, was reading manga. Well, to each his own Yashiro supposed.

"I have to tell you," Hikaru broke in between bites, "I've been to aquariums before and all, you know on class trips, but I've never seen so many fish. Then there was that one tank with the huge fish, it was amazing."

"Yeah, the whale shark." Yashiro provided, taking a bite of ramen himself now. "He is the main attraction."

"So, where we going next? Remember though that I have to catch my train in about four hours, match tomorrow and everything."

"Yeah I remember." How could he forget, Yashiro had the same match tomorrow too. "Well we could stop by the Kansai Go Association, maybe play a game or something. You know, a little practice for the prelim matches tomorrow."

"Yeah, I suppose we could do that." Setting down his chopsticks, Hikaru eyed Yashiro calmly, studying him for a moment before adding, "That's the reason you wanted me to stay an extra day isn't it?" It really wasn't a question.

Glancing up at Hikaru, Yashiro paused a moment before setting down his chopsticks as well and answered, "So when did you figure it out?"

"Last night, after we finished playing a few games. I couldn't confirm it until now, but I had a feeling this was why. Something bothering you?"

Pausing again for a long minute, Yashiro then said, "Well… I guess I'm just a little anxious lately, and maybe worried my game's dulled a little bit. I mean I play my sensei every week, I have my pro matches, spend time reviewing matches and even play a few of my friends here from time to time, but at times I think something's missing."

"Like what?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Yashiro replied, "I don't know exactly. For years I've been dedicating myself to this game, training hard, improving. Sensei always praised my originality and my way of seeing the game and it made me feel special, better than the rest. Even so, not many people understood that, especially my parents. I mean that's why I wanted to play in the Hokuto Cup so bad last year. I told you back then about how I needed to do these sort of things, win big tournaments, participate in events that people unfamiliar with the game could understand. Back then, I'd had it all figured out in my head, make it into the tournament, win, and climb the ladder of recognition and accomplishment.

"Then… I played you. I knew from watching your previous match earlier that day that you were strong, but I had no idea until we actually played. Meeting you, Toya, Kurata, it really opened up my eyes some. It's hard to realize that your Go isn't strong enough, to see someone your own age and know that there is that gap in skill. I had never met people like you and Toya before, my age and so adept."

Listening with a slight expression of concern on his face, Hikaru sighed inwardly. He'd suspected this, especially after last night when Yashiro had been so adamant about playing game after game despite all the games they'd played the previous night. The two of them, they were kindred spirits in that they shared that desire. Akira too, all three of them wanted to press the limits of their game, to reach for the Divine Move. Yashiro's strength was impressive, he could push Hikaru enough where it was impossible for Hikaru to take him lightly and not be destroyed. Still, if they played ten games, Hikaru right now would likely win seven of those games, even if more than half of those would be within three points or less. It was partially Hikaru's own skill, but some of it was Yashiro's creativity. He liked unpredictable moves, original and aggressive that forced his opponent to reconsider the board. Unfortunately, on the higher levels, it was like Kurata had said; Yashiro was not yet strong enough to follow through on such moves.

"Yashiro, maybe you're being too hard on yourself. I know how strong you are, and I think that you're selling your own game a bit short. There aren't many players our age that can push someone like Akira and I as hard as you do, even some of the higher Dans don't have that kind of strength. I know it's a long way off and all, but if this is about making it into the Hokuto Cup again then I'll say that having played most of the players who will be trying to get that last spot, you're still the strongest of them by a fair margin. Last year you didn't have the kind of experience you do now. You're playing high Dans in the Honinbo Tournament right now, and you made it into the Tengen Main Tournament. I'm sure you'll do fine."

"But I didn't make it into the Kisei League."

Cocking an eyebrow, Hikaru replied, "Huh?"

"I said, I didn't make it into the Kisei League." Pausing a moment, Yashiro continued, "Both you and Toya did, heck if you don't end up forfeiting that game it could be you playing Ishibashi for the title in a couple weeks instead of Kurata! I know I'm doing well, better than most, but you and Toya keep going higher. It's… frustrating in a way because I like both of you, you're cool to me and all, I can relate with both of you like I can't with the other players here. Toya… well you know about him, he's like a boy king, everyone knows his name. I was even hearing rumors of him back when I started to learn the game myself, some people even compared us around here, so maybe I was a little big-headed, not realizing how good he was. But that's not the worst of it."

"What is?"

Lowering his head for a long moment, Yashiro then lifted it and said, "You are."

"Me?"

"I've been playing Go for seven years now, but you, you've been playing for what, four years or so? Four years and yet you're this strong. Toya at least I can understand, he's likely been playing his father since he was five years old or something."

"Since he was two actually."

Blinking at that, Yashiro let that insane number sink in before continuing, "Whatever. You though, not only don't you have a top pro teaching you, you've never had a mentor period! That's… that's unheard of, and I just don't understand it." Sighing heavily, Yashiro then added, "I don't know, I want to win, to answer players like Hon Suyon, Zhao Shi, Kurata, Toya, even you, but all of you are just amazing. Not to mention that you and Toya play each other all the time, so yeah it's frustrating." Leveling his eyes with Hikaru's Yashiro inhaled deeply. "I don't know if you saw, but they released the first round match ups for the Tengen Tournament. I have Ichyru 9 – Dan."

Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, and I… actually I don't remember his name, some 8 – Dan."

"Yeah, and Toya has Shirakawa 7 – Dan and Ochi got Kurata. It's not going to be easy."

Chuckling at that, Hikaru replied, "Did you think greatness would be? Would you even want it to be?"

Pausing once more as he thought it over, Yashiro smiled and said, "No, I wouldn't want it to be easy. If it wasn't challenging… where would the fun be?"

Smiling broadly, Hikaru replied, "Now you're talking. Hey, we better finish eating before the ramen gets cold. After all, if we want to make it into the Toyota Cup, we'll need our strength for the prelims tomorrow."

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Taking the box cutter in hand, Akira slid the blade down the seam of the packing tape until the box popped open to reveal his Go equipment. The movers had done an excellent job in getting all of his things into the apartment in a timely and orderly manner, even if there were still many things he'd need to purchase before the place was complete.

"Akira, I found the box with your tea cups along with some of the dishes your mother gave you. Where do you want me to put them?" Glancing off to the doorway that led to the kitchen where Hirumi had gone a few minutes earlier, Akira smiled slightly. It had been nice of her to volunteer to help him unpack his things and while he had expected to set the place up himself it was easier with a second person.

Folding the lids of the box shut again, Akira called back, "Just put them in the top cabinet on the far left please! I'll be in the other room if you need me!" With that Akira gripped the box firmly and lifted it up before making his way to his bedroom. Glancing about, Akira then made his way off to the left wall where the desk for his computer had been set per his instructions. The computer and its accessories were absent as he'd left them back at his parent's house for now, not wanting to bother with extra things until after he'd gotten the more essential things unpacked and in place. Setting the box down next to the desk, Akira reopened the box and carefully began to remove the contents, taking out the plastic bags with the Go stones in them first, followed by the bowls and finally the board itself. Flipping it calmly into its upright position as it had been packed upside down, Akira set the board down on its legs next to the desk after sliding the box to the side. Then taking the bags in hand, Akira emptied their contents into the two bowls, replaced the lids on them and set them both down on the board softly. These were most definitely essentials.

"Akira, where… oh there you are. I swear, this place is so big especially for just you. Why'd you decide to get a two bedroom apartment anyway?"

Glancing up from the board Akira answered, "Well other pros will be coming over here to study, so the extra room will be helpful. A lot of Father's students like to go over matches with me now that he's retired and not around quite as much. Besides, in case I have a guest that needs someplace to sleep, I'll have room. It wasn't that much extra a month anyway."

"Oh, I see." Scanning the room once with her eyes, Hirumi then said, "Hey, I heard the news about your father from Kitajima at the Go Salon. Isn't it great, even though he's retired and everything? I know a lot of people were complaining, but I'm sure you're happy for him."

At those words Akira's mood darkened ever so slightly, though not enough for anyone else to notice. Turning to look at his board for a moment, Akira then said, "Yes, it's quite an honor, and father was happy to accept it. Anyway we should get back to unpacking, I'll meet you in the kitchen in a few minutes, just let me finish up here."

Her brow contorting at the somber tone of Akira's voice, Hirumi hesitated a moment, then nodded and turned to leave. It was strange, Akira had seemed like he was so far away just now, even as she stood there watching him. Well, maybe she was just imagining things.

Akira meanwhile reached into the box and removed a dust cloth, and taking a breath began running it along the surface of the board. It was ironic really, he had decided to move out in order to escape his father's shadow, to be his own person, but even doing that was not enough to escape it. At least he hadn't been scheduled to play a game today, but tomorrow when he arrived to play his first preliminary match for the Toyota Denso Cup it would happen, the mountain of reporters asking him question after question in regards to his father. Back when his father had first retired and the entire ruckus arose, Akira had promised to step up and take his father's place, to help fill the void that had been vacated by the best player in the world. Secretly, in a way, his father's retirement had been an extremely happy time for Akira as it had removed his father from competition and from the constant questions and comparisons.

Coming out of the gate Akira had won twenty-six straight games, and yet the interviews and questions had centered around him and his father, or just on his father, the five title holder, exclusively. Not that Akira wanted the fame, or felt his ego required the attention to be focused so much on him, but he at least wanted to be acknowledged for his own strength without people looking upon him as his father's son. Heck, even on the verge of entering the Honinbo League all he heard was how impressive Toya Meijin's son was. While his success over the last year had removed most of that, Akira couldn't help think that it was due to his father being in China and out of the Japanese Go Tournaments.

But now that was about to change. The news had just been released, although Akira had known about it for a few days now. It was one of the reasons he'd chosen to move into his apartment today, to make himself unavailable by phone. He was certain that at the Go Association people were going crazy, demanding to know the how and why of the situation, even perhaps demanding that Japan make some similar move. All because the Korean Go Institute had agreed to offer his father the status of Guest Pro. It meant that if his father accepted, he'd be able to enter any Korean professional tournament that he desired, and his father had accepted.

Normally it wouldn't have been as big a deal, about the same as his father signing a contract with the Chinese League, but the other announcement that had come with it made the issue that much greater. His father had announced that the first tournament he would enter was the Toyota Denso Cup, and the Koreans had already reserved a place for him amongst their seven representatives. So now, when the Toyota Cup began in March, his father would participate under the status of a Korean pro, which meant in layman's terms that Koyo Toya Meijin was playing for Korea against Japan.

Gritting his teeth in anger as he finished wiping the dust from the board, Akira stood up and gazed at the board. In his head he could already hear the questions that would ring in his ears tomorrow. How did he feel about it, why did his father accept it, should the Japanese Go Association give his father a similar Guest Pro status? How would the prospect of having to go up against his own father should he make it into the tournament affect his mindset, and so many more.

Turning toward the door, Akira gave his board one last look and then headed for the kitchen. It was best if he not brew over this turn of events too much, at least for today. He needed to finish unpacking and begin to focus on his match tomorrow. Hikaru would be there too, so maybe tomorrow he'd actually take the lunch break and have something to eat, join Hikaru in the hopes that spending time with his rival might keep the press at bay, even for a little while. He couldn't let this distract him, he had to play, and if the only way to rid himself of his father's shadow was to play and win, even perhaps to defeat his own father, then that was what he would just have to do. But for now, he needed to help out Hirumi.

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Author's Notes:

Wow, this seems to be turning into something of a trend. I come up with an idea for a chapter that should be inserted into the story between two chapters that were long planned and it ends up taking off into a huge chapter. Well it was a good spot for me to begin to reveal a few issues that are going to play a role of some kind in this arc, most notably Nase's return to being an actual pro player instead of just a potential love interest for Hikaru, and the growing dynamic between father and son. It's interesting since these two things are just two of so many different issues, events, and themes that are intermingling within the Tengen Arc, which is why I'm quite certain that this arc will be the longest of them all.

In case you're all wondering about the preliminaries for the Toyota Cup, often international preliminaries and minor tournaments take place on days that are not normally reserved as usual game days. In this case, they're being played on a Friday, while the actual tournament matches would take place on Saturdays and Sundays. Similarly the Shinjin-O tournament will be taking place on Mondays. I'd also like to thank everyone for being so supportive and understanding of my situation, and I will in turn attempt to keep writing as best and often as I am able.

Terms:

Handicap Go (redux): Just to remind anyone who might have forgotten from the manga itself, the reason actual whole points appear in final scores of handicap games is that in such games there is no komi. This is also why in a handicap game a tie can occur.

Osaka Aquarium: This aquarium, whose official name is Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, is one of the largest in the world. It has 16 tanks housing all sorts of marine wildlife found in the Pacific Rim, particularly the Ring of Fire area, holding over 35,000 specimens that represent some 380 different species. The main tank, which represents the Pacific Ocean itself, holds over 5,400 tons of water and is home to an 850-kg whale shark that has been named 'Yu-chan'. It is the largest fish in the ocean (interestingly vegetarian). Other animals include penguins, sea lions, dolphins, jellyfish and lots more. Admission is 2000 Yen.

Now onto questions. If Nase were to make it into the final spot in the Hokuto Cup for Team Japan then she would play in the tournament against Korea and China, likely in the 3rd position. It has been somewhat implied that the final spot is to decide who will be in the 3rd position, and the real issue being who will be 1st and 2nd position.

Wow, you wrote a song to cheer me up! How sweet, I'm really touched, and it even rhymed. Man, you even got me thinking of writing a song to cheer myself up. Hmm, let's give it a shot shall we.

(Music)

He is the author of the Never-Ending Road

And a very good author too

And so we are quite polite

Cause whenever he does write

He will know just what to do

Though at times he may appear

A tad strange or even queer

Still we all must agree

He never will quail

At the telling of a tale

And he never never cries himself to sleep.

What never?

No, never.

What never?

Well hardly ever!

He hardly ever cries himself to sleep!

So give three cheers for the tale that's told

By the handsome author of The Never-Ending Road

Give three cheers for the tale that's told

By the author of The Never-Ending Road.

Ok, so I've done better. Don't worry though, little time was taken in writing that, about ten minutes or so I'd say, which is why it doesn't match syllable for syllable with W.S Gilbert's version (HMS Pinafore, what can I say, I was listening to it while I was writing these notes).

Yes, it's very possible I used the wrong version of a word 'wail' in my author's notes. This is because I don't really proofread my notes except for the Terms section in an attempt to get the information accurately portrayed. If it's not something that a spellcheck would pick up I likely won't find it in my notes. I suppose I could start proofing them too, but then the chapters would take longer to release.

Yes, Ko Yeong Ha lost to Ogata and Hikaru beat Ogata. However Zama Oza beat Hikaru but lost to Ogata, whom as stated above Hikaru beat. The relative strength of a player can vary day to day, why does Kobe Bryant score 81 points while triple teamed one night and score 12 another night with one defender? How can Roger Clemens shut down a top offensive team and then give up 6 runs to a last place team? Everything is circumstance when it comes to competition. When two opponents are relatively similar in strength, skill or whatever, then either one can beat the other on any given day.

Umm, Sato never appeared in the manga. He's an OC (original character) that I created for this story. I've actually decided to expand the scope of his character due to his popularity, as he can fill in roles that other characters were going to before. As for the other thing about my girlfriend and it not being sexism, just let me say that (::Leitbur is tackled out of nowhere by his friends who tie up and gag him for his own good::). Run and hide, Leitbur is very vocal on his beliefs on the usage of words. He believes that if one person is 'allowed' to use a word, then everyone else must be 'allowed' to use it as well or else the word should not be used period. The idea that only certain groups or individuals are permitted to use a word is highly offensive to him as he feels it to be a form of discrimination and prejudice that makes sexism, racism, and all other forms of prejudice moot. Since language is the means by which a person and a people define reality, to have words only some can use is seen as a true manipulation and hypocricy of a people's ability to define their own reality. So run away, lest when he escapes his restraints you are subjected to the five hour lecture with charts, reference material and even power point that will inevitably ensue.

Sorry, where was I? Ah yes, questions. Though it is the new year, the new promotion rules do not take effect until April 1st, when the yearly awards are handed out and the new pros are introduced. Thus until that time Hikaru will remain a 2 – Dan despite effectively being a 7 – Dan.

Oh, a question I seem to have skipped from before. You're right, there is no reason that a woman cannot hold her own in Go against a man. In fact, you may be interested in knowing that in many ways women are more prolific as professional players than men are, even though most of the top pros are still men. This is based not on direct numbers, as men outnumber women in professional Go, but rather that out of the male/female ratio between insei, where the ratio is overwhelmingly male, the comparative male/female ration amongst pros is far closer. This means that while there are far more male insei than female, a higher percentage of the female insei pass the Pro Exam. As to why most top pros are men, this is likely due to the time off many female pros take to have children and take care of their families as culturally in Japan women are still expected to be the domestic homemakers. Also as a note, the fact that Go is a mental game means there's no reason that a young child can't be able to match an older opponent. Akira is proof of that.

Note: I only just discovered this while updating my collection of game records, but Yukari Umezawa 5 – Dan won the Women's Kisei Title at the end of February. This is a woman's only title, and is not subject to instant promotions and such like the regular Kisei title. It should be noted that no major tournament in Japan is Men only.

Next chapter we will be showing the Shinshodan battle between Nase and Ogata Judan. Who will win, who will show up to watch? Before that though we will be returning to China to finish up the last two chapters of Waya's side story, as well as seeing Sato play Kuwabara in his oneshot side story, likely to show up between Chapters 3 and 4 of Waya's side story. My, I'm going to be busy.

As I said above, the reviews were very touching and I appreciate everyone's understanding and support. I'll try to keep my personal life out of these pages though and focus on the story. So I hope you all enjoyed the ride so far and will continue to support and review this humble story. R&R!