Many questions were answered. There's a few left, and they will be answered in this one. There is one large question, however, that will never be answered, and that is Yoro. Who is he? Who is he working for? How did he know Shishio and Shuichi? This will not be answered in this story. I prefer to leave him as a question mark; an enigma. He might appear in my other stories; I am rather fond of him. In fact, he has already appeared in one of my last three works, as those fans of my stories would know. Thank you all for your time and support. I don't think there will be a need for a sequel for this. Thank you all so very much.

CHAPTER 20 (FINALE)

There Shinichi stood there; out of breath, clutching his aching ribs. He looked and smiled softly at the look of absolute shock on Shiho's face from the look of hate and resentment on Sanshriyuki's. Yamakasi grinned to himself. " Five hundred and fifty going once. . ." he called out. ' You were right again, Yorokobi.' he thought to himself softly. ' There really is a show going on for all of us to watch.'

Sanshriyuki looked at Shinichi for a complete second, gazing into his eyes. Shinichi looked back with equal resentment, smirking as Sanshriyuki clenched his fists.

" Going twice. . ." Yamakasi shouted.

Sanshriyuki looked at him.

" Five hundred and sixty." he said.

Sonoko bit her lip and looked sideways at him, but he was glaring at Shinichi, his eyes never leaving him, almost daring him to go a cost higher than that.

" Five hundred and seventy."

Akemi giggled to herself, zooming in on Shinichi's face. " Oh dear, he has been beaten up pretty badly. . ." she muttered to herself. " Looks like he had to meet peril just to arrive for little Shiho-chan's balloting."

" Five hundred and eighty." Sanshriyuki said, face harder than any rock on the face of the earth.

Shinichi smirked.

" Six hundred." he muttered.

The entire room was quiet now; you could have dropped the hole in the middle of a doughnut on the ground, and it would have been heard. Shiho just stood there, looking from Shinichi to Sanshriyuki, her eyes wide with shock and confusion. She bit her lip at the sorry sight of Shinichi's attire. Where had he been for the last thirty minutes? Who did he have a fight with? Or was he just having a wrestle with a hog near some farm? She looked around for Yoro, but could not find him anywhere. She blinked but said nothing.

" Six hundred and thirty!" Shinichi yelled.

" Six hundred and fifty!"

" This is not looking good," Ran muttered under her breath, nibbling on her bottom lip. " I never knew Sanshriyuki had so much money. Shinichi I can understand; he just received a thousand dollars from Old Master Qi for rescuing his priceless Ming Vase and fingering out the culprit. . .he never had a problem with money from the start. Besides the fact that his father is a famous writer and that his mother is an actress, that is."

" Sanshriyuki only can go up to seven hundred and fifty." Sonoko said quietly, and Ran looked at her. Sonoko shut her eyes sadly before smiling at Ran. " He told me he had saved up like mad when he found out about the balloting. Borrowing money from me, working doubly hard at his job, saving up every cent in his allowance. . .it still will only be until the small amount of seven hundred and fifty; he already told me. And he does not want to borrow any more money from me," she added as Ran opened her mouth to argue.

Ran clamped her lips shut.

" Oh." she said. " That's nowhere near Shinichi's, I guess."

" That's not true, actually." Sonoko said confidently. " My sources told me that Kudo blew it off to buy a present for Shiho. . ."

" . . .It's Miyano-sensei." Ran said.

" Right." Sonoko said impatiently before continuing. " . . .He spent most of his money to buy something for Shi- - -Miyano-sensei." she said in a rather exasperated voice as Ran opened her mouth. " He only has seven hundred and twenty dollars left, if lucky, forty."

Ran gasped.

" That's below Sanshriyuki's!" she said.

" Glad you're catching on." Sonoko said dryly.

" But what exactly did Shinichi buy the present for Shiho for?" Ran asked.

" I don't know." Sonoko said. " But apparently he just got it not too long ago."

" How long ago?" Ran asked.

" Five to ten minutes ago," Sonoko said.

" Why would he get it so suddenly?" Ran asked.

Sonoko shrugged. " Beats me. But I got a clue on who he last talked to before he ran off."

" Yeah, a young lady." Ran said. " She told him to go to the basketball courts. . ."

" That was before that." Sonoko said. " He talked to Shiho's sister."

Ran's eyes widened.

Behind them, Akemi started to giggle.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000

" Seven hundred!" Shinichi yelled.

" Seven hundred and ten!" Sanshriyuki yelled.

" Seven hundred and twenty!" Shinichi said.

Shinichi bit his lip. They were getting close to his mark now; he only had a few tens left to spare before he blew all his money away. Sanshriyuki took a glance at Shiho before nodding to himself and looked up at Yamakasi. " Seven hundred and thirty!" he bellowed out.

" Seven hundred and forty!" Shinichi said desperately.

That was it.

If Sanshriyuki went one more mark up. . .

Sanshriyuki could have won.

Many said that he would have if he didn't catch a glance at Sonoko at that moment, he would have bet on the last mark and won Shiho over. But the thing was that he didn't. The two of them stared at each other; something passing between the two of them.

Boy looks at girl.

Girl looks at boy.

A silent conversation took place.

" One!" the announcer said.

Sanshriyuki looked into Sonoko's eyes, and she stared right back.

An unknown tear fell from her face.

His eyes widened.

" Two!" Yamakasi yelled.

He seemed to look at Shinichi, then Shiho, then Sonoko in that split second before shutting his eyes and stuffing his hands in his pockets, a small grin on his face; the first wrinkles of a smile that appeared after such a long time.

Shinichi's eyes widened.

Shiho blinked.

" THREE!" Yamakasi roared. " Shinichi wins!"

There were roars beyond roars and Shinichi looked at Sanshriyuki in awe, staring at him in unflattering disbelief. Sanshriyuki grinned at him. " Just go get her." he said quietly. Shinichi stayed in that position for a moment before grinning.

" Thank you." he said.

He took a step up the stage, reaching Shiho closer and closer with every step. She stared at him, eyes wide. It was when they were noses away when he grinned at her cheekily. " Hello," he said. " Shiho."

She blinked before smiling warmly back.

" Hey." she said.

She stayed silent for a moment before grinning at him fully.

" Shinichi." she finished.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Shinichi brought her outside, a grin on his face.

" Wow, deja vu." he said, laughing as the sat at the balcony once again.

" Yeah." She said, giggling nervously.

Silence.

" Look," he said, catching her hands within his. She looked at his hands for a moment before looking up at him. He grinned at her before reaching into his pocket and placed a small box into her hands. She raised her eyebrows and looked at him in confusion. " It's a birthday present." he explained.

" It's not my birthday today, Kudo." she said.

" No, it isn't." he said sheepishly. " This is for missing your birthday ten years ago."

She raised her eyebrows.

" That's because we didn't know each other." she said.

He smiled rather mysteriously at her.

" Do you really think so?" he said.

When she could think of no answer for that, she opened the box and found a necklace inside, wrapped around a photograph. Glancing upwards at Shinichi, who was now avoiding her gaze, she took the photograph and looked at it before her eyes widened.

" It's my birthday tomorrow." Shiho said. " Will you come?"

" I promise." Shinichi said cheekily.

" Both of you look here!" Shinichi's mother said excitedly, holding up her camera.

" Mom. . ." Shinichi said wearily. " Shiho does not like. . ."

" It's alright." Shiho said, and Shinichi looked at her.

She smiled, blushing.

" As long as it's with you. . .I don't think I mind."

His eyes widened before smiling.

" His name was. . .Shinichi." Shiho whispered.

" Shiho-chan? This is my son. . .Shinichi."

" All along. . .he was right beside me. . ." she whispered, a tear falling from her eye.

" Hi." the boy said brightly. " Can we be friends? My name is. . ."

" Kudo Shinichi." Shinichi said, smiling at her warmly.

Shiho burst into tears. " All along. . .you knew?"

" Not really." Shinichi said sheepishly. " Your sister told me not long ago. . .I ran off to the nearest jewelry store around and bought this for you."

" Shinichi. . ." she said.

He brought her into a hug, feeling her shaking uncontrollably to his touch.

" It's alright. . ." he said soothingly.

" No it's not. . ." she cried. " When. . .how. . .why?"

" I don't think it's a coincidence." he said, grinning at her. He wiped away her tears away lovingly, but they seemed impossible to disappear; continuing to drench her face with salty rain from her eyes. " I don't think it was hooked either. I think it was fate."

" That's so unlike you." she choked.

" As if crying is your style." he said.

She punched him in the shoulder before looking up to meet his eyes.

" Look, Shinichi. . ." she started.

" Yes?" he asked.

" I can't love you if I'm a teacher." she said.

" Oh." he said, disappointed. " I guess. . ."

" That's why I'm retiring." she said, and he looked up.

" What?" he gasped.

" I'm retiring." she said.

Silence.

" So does that mean. . ." he said, and she giggled.

" Yeah. . ." she said softly.

" Mother, what's love?" Shiho asked.

" You'll know that when you grow up, young Shiho." the woman said sadly.

" And when will that be?" Shiho asked.

" What I'm trying to say is. . ." she started.

" This is what Kudo wrote about me?"

Shinichi's Literature Teacher smiled at her. " I didn't think it was about to tell you until a friend of Shinichi's persuaded me to. Despite several grammatical errors, I think it was written very well. Would you like to hear it?"

" Yes," Shiho said, taking the paper from him.

' Love. It is not a word, nor is it a phrase. It is a sign of trust, a sign of respect, and a sign of attraction. No hate is needed inside a relationship. When I looked at her, I saw that all I needed was her touch, her care, and her love.'

" Shinichi. . ."

' She did not smile often. But it was after I knew her as a person when I found out that her toughness was merely an act of resistance; to prevent others from breaking her, from understanding her. I did not want to harm her in any way, but I saw her crumble before me, and I cried tears for her I never knew I could. Her smile could brighten up the darkest of my days, could destroy any hate I was feeling.'

" I. . ."

' It was then when I realized the true difference between friendship and love. It is like sitting down at a beach, or like watching fireworks. You see the beautiful sunset before you, you see the pretty fireworks before you, the one person you first think of is her. Wanting to enjoy it with her, wanting to watch her smile and laugh along with her, and to feel her sweet lips pressed against yours.'

" I really think that. . ."

' I was riding down pathway from school today, and as I crossed the valley past the neighbour school, I looked up at the sky, and saw the beautiful sunset dipping into the sky. It was at that moment when I thought of her. It was like admiring the beauty of the sunset, the majestic colour of it; just admiring it, just enjoying being near or around it. And for a minute or two, I just stood there enjoying being in its presence.'

" I love you, Kudo Shinichi." she whispered, tears falling from her face.

A wide smile fell on his face as he pressed his lips against hers.

" I love you too, Shiho Miyano." he said between choked tears.

' No words are needed.'

Far away, Yoro, Shuichi and Shishio watched them.

" That was beautiful." Yoro said fondly.

" Yeah.," Shishio muttered, lighting himself a cigarette. " I guess I have to live with that."

Shuichi smiled softly. " Yeah." he said. " I guess so."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Sonoko stood at the dance floor, wiping away her tears hastily.

" So much for the best night of the year." she muttered to herself, spinning her heel to walk away when she stopped, eyes wide. There stood Sanshriyuki standing before her, the same emotionless expression on his face, yet there was something different in his eyes that she only saw him project towards Shiho. He lifted up his hand in her direction, a small smile on his face now.

" May I have this dance?" he asked.

From confusion to happiness, she took his hand and they danced across the floor skillfully.

" But what about your date?" she asked softly.

He seemed thoughtful before shrugging.

" I can cancel it, I guess." he said. " She'll understand."

" And if she doesn't. . .?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

He smirked at her.

" I'm sure you can cook something up." he replied.

She smiled back.

" Yeah. . ." she said quietly, pressing her head against his shoulder. " I guess I could."

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

" I thought that you didn't love me back." Shinichi said to Shiho, running his hands through her hair fondly, pressing small kisses on her neck with every word he said. She giggled at that, and punched him in the shoulder once again playfully, pushing him away from her for a moment.

" It was because I was still holding out for him." she said. " I kept thinking that at the end of everything; just like always, when I wanted him the most, he would come for me."

" But he didn't." Shinichi said.

She looked up at him and smiled warmly.

" No he didn't." she said. " You did."

He blushed.

" I don't know who I thought I was kidding, actually." she said heaving a sigh. " Whenever I felt lonely, you were right there by my side. When I was cold, you gave me warmth. When I was bored, you were there to accompany me. When I was hungry, you treated me to food. When I was sad. . ."

" I wiped your tears?" Shinichi said helpfully, and she cocked her brow.

" Sorry." he said sheepishly. " I love Literature."

" So I've heard." she said, unable to control herself, then regretted it soon afterwards.

He looked at her for a moment before gasping.

" You read my composition!" he said.

" Yes." she admitted. " If it makes you feel any better, it was really touching."

" Of course it was, it was directed towards you, wasn't it?" he said.

" That's true." she said.

He caught her eye and the both of them laughed.

"So what are you planning to do once you quit?" Shinichi asked her once they had ceased laughing.

" I'm not sure, actually." she admitted. " Probably further my studies."

" Don't you have an IQ of 200?" he said wittingly.

" I know that, actually." she said haughtily, and he rolled his eyes. " It's just that I always wanted to be a student again. . .eating lunch with friends, chatting about which boys were looking our way, going out to watch a movie. . ."

" I thought you hated that?" he said.

" It would be interesting to fall back in that lifestyle again." she said.

Silence.

" I can't believe you're the little boy from my younger days." she said.

" Me neither." he said.

" Hey, there's something I've been constantly wondering." she said, looking at him in acknowledgment, and continued when he nodded his head. " Why didn't you show up on my birthday?"

He blinked.

Should he tell her?

Oh, what the Hell.

" Your father forced me away." he replied, and her eyes widened.

" My. . .father?" she whispered, and at that moment, they noticed someone standing before them, and they both looked up; there stood Sanshriyuki, his hands in his pockets.

" Sanshriyuki." both of them said at the same time.

He nodded. " Can I talk to you for a moment, Miyano-sensei?"

" Alright." Shiho said, not looking at Shinichi, who was looking at Sanshriyuki. There was something different about the way he called Shiho; it was almost like he was going to break up with her. Well, it was the tone he used actually. The two of them met eyes for a moment. Sanshriyuki smiled at him.

Shinichi blinked before grinning back.

Sanshriyuki brought Shiho behind a pillar.

" Look, Miyano-sensei. . ." he said, scratching his head. " I'm happy for you and Kudo."

She blinked.

" What?" she said.

" You and him." Sanshriyuki said impatiently. " I. . .I don't think I would need to ballot for you anymore anyway. It's. . .not exactly on my top list of things anymore."

She raised her eyebrows.

" Alright." she said.

She made motion to leave when he opened his mouth once again. " Look, I really want to thank you." he said to her. When she said nothing in reply, he went on. " Besides helping me out with my chemistry marks, I thank you for letting me get together with Sonoko. It might sound crazy that I'm thanking you; but you were the main reason that the two of us became friends. It's a long story," he added sheepishly, and she smiled.

" Thank you, Sanshriyuki." she said.

" Welcome." he said.

It was then when they caught eyes when she realized who he reminded her so much of. His features, his looks, his scowl. . .his speech. . .his everything, come to think of it. . .

" Father." she whispered softly.

He blinked.

" What?" he asked, bewildered.

" Nothing." she blurted out. " Nothing at all."

It was then when she smiled; a true smile, one to invite someone to a party, or to invite some long lost back home.

She turned away, smiling softly.

" Welcome back." she said quietly.

Sanshriyuki raised his eyebrows but said nothing.

It was better than he hadn't anyway.

And somewhere inside him; he knew that.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

" Shinichi."

Shinichi turned around and found Shuichi standing behind him, lighting a cigarette. His eyes widened. " Shuichi!" he gasped out. " Shiho's just inside! If she sees you. . .!"

" Relax," he said. " I already sent Sanshriyuki to stall her. I just wanted one final chat with you."

He blinked.

" Oh?" he asked. " About what?"

Shuichi held out a hand for a handshake. " You beat me fair and square, Kudo." he said. " I don't know where I would be going. . .it might be somewhere pretty far. . .but someday we would meet again, and at that we not just meet as friends of enemies or rivals, but as. . ."

Shinichi shook his hand firmly, grinning.

" . . .But as brothers." he said.

Shuichi smiled.

" Exactly." he said.

There was the breaking of glass from the party, and Shuichi nodded. Apparently that was some sort of sign that Shiho was coming, because he hopped back on the ledge of the balcony.

" Goodbye Shinichi." he said.

" Goodbye. . .brother." Shinichi said.

With one final smile, Shuichi was gone, and behind Shinichi Shiho walked in.

" Did you wait for me long?" she asked.

Shinichi continued to look at the pale moon that was haunting the pale skies, and stuffed his hands in his pockets, smiling softly. " No I didn't." he whispered. " Not compared to ten years, anyway."

Shiho hugged him around the waist, and the two of them watched the moon illuminate the skies above.

Behind them, Yoro took a swig of his drink and smiled.

" That's what love is," he said silently. " Just like what you said, was it not, Kudo-kun?"

He put the glass back on the table.

" No words are needed."

EPILOGUE ( SIX MONTHS LATER)

It was not long ago when Miyano-sensei retired did they find out of their Principal's missing appearance. " That's funny." Sanshriyuki muttered under his breath, rubbing his chin. " I swear I saw him at the party just a few nights ago. Or at least, I saw his reflection."

" That's impossible." Sonoko said, wrapping her arms around his waist.

" Either that, or your boy-friend's crazy." Yoro said, appearing from behind the group with Ran. " You can choose either one."

" That would mean Sanshriyuki could be in two different movies, right?" Shinichi said, jumping at the chance.

" He could be the great liar Hitler in Hitler: Rise To Evil. . ." Yoro said.

" Or he could be the delusionist in A Beautiful Mind played by Russell Crowe."

The others burst into laughter at that, and Yoro and Shinichi high-fived.

" Oh shut up." Sanshriyuki muttered.

" Hey, it's a really beautiful day isn't it?" Ran said brightly, changing the subject immediately in case Sanshriyuki did something dangerous. " There's not a cloud in the sky at all."

" Yeah, it is." Shinichi agreed.

Silence.

" Still no idea where Miyano-sensei went to, huh?" Sonoko asked.

" No." Shinichi said gloomily. " I thought she would tell me."

" Oh, I think she would be coming back soon enough." Yoro said mysteriously.

Shinichi blinked. " How do you know?"

" There's a person who has easy contacts to get any teacher enrolled in this school, my dear Kudo." Yoro said, grinning broadly. " And you're looking at him."

" For once, he's not just bragging." Sanshriyuki said.

" Really?" Shinichi said, interested. " Then. . ."

He stopped.

How else could Shiho have gotten directly into this school?

Did Yoro, once again, have something to do with this?

He looked at him, and Yoro smiled.

" You're one mysterious fellow." Shinichi muttered.

" Thanks." Yoro said brightly.

" EVERYONE! GET BACK TO YOUR SEATS!" Takashi-sensei roared at the top of his lungs, probably shattering a couple of ear drums along the way. Wincing, the students sat down on their seats. " We have a new student in our class this year." he said brightly. " One whom I don't think would go unrecognized by a few of you."

It was her.

There she stood haughtily, her lips in a small, smooth smile.

Amid the cheers that were heard, Takashi grinned at her.

" Please report your name." he said.

" Glad to." she said pleasantly, before looking straight at Shinichi, who grinned back at her.

" My name is Miyano." she said clearly, her lips mouthing out every letter; like a kiss. " Shiho Miyano."

END STORY (FINALE)

If the last line sounds familiar, it was the same from the end of my first chapter in Marrying Haibara. How did you like this story? Frankly speaking, I was rather proud of the way this story summarized out in the end. Did any of you suspect that Shiho saw Sanshriyuki as her father; Shishio? I hope that none of you did; I wanted to have a final twist in the end. Lolz. Well, this is the end of this story. For all those who are actually interested in this tiny bit of trivia, the epilogue of the story was actually different. It's supposed to be Shiho ready to go to her next job as a teacher, and as she walks on the way there, her eyes widens. " Shuichi?" she whispers.

But I wanted a more optimistic ending, so I scrapped out that idea. Plus, it seemed kind of cryptic. Well, I want to thank every single reviewer of this story; your reviews really meant a lot to me. And I'm not just saying that. It's like a hot cup of coca on a cold day, or a nice cool breeze on a hot summer day. I love you guys. Thanks for supporting my story all the way until the final chapter. I hope to continue onto other stories if I have the time; but for the moment I would like to just finish off my other story, A Girl Called Anna, a Shaman King fanfiction. Thank you all, once again.

Cheers to every great reader and reviewer:)

Reviewer Shrine: ( Not in Any Order Actually. Does not mean that you're at the bottom of the list means that I thank you the least) SN 1987A, anime-obsession260, Vash, Spydc123, ConanYLX, greatkid4869, YumeTakato, ShinichixShiho, Poisonous Akemi 4869, goldfishlover73, Moo., redgrrl, SockMan, melancholy wife, tall chick, Friend. ' Te-heh' xD, greatkid4869, Bawbiy., Alouete, death88, First Silvera, Ms. Starry-eyed ,..., That Guy, AmazonChick73, kris, Crystal Snowflakes, Fanfic Maniac, Silver Sky Magician, Adilla, ConanYLX, Kayla, Lynn, wayupi, joeshen, tantei, Yamin, KristiexxNguyen, Teresa, Sooner, Neil, H. Ruri, Kippenberger, Great Detective, Ai-San,xtuyet, Sadie Janelle, FoxyFire, Motosuwa-Hideki, Clau, neil, Sacred Aliance, Genjy0-Sanz0, seedees, goldmund, Kisara Koi, mimi and Kaiden Jurei (My FIRST reviewer of this story! Thanks!)