A/N: This story is manga based. I think she is too weak in the drama and there isn't much yakuza involvement which is why I don't like the drama as much though I do admit I did watch it. And, since I am confessing, I only watched season 1. The reason why I didn't watch season 2 was because it just wasn't Gokusen without Shin. Any inconsistencies from the manga is due to the fact that this is a fan fiction.

Disclaimer: Gokusen isn't mine but this story is.

Prologue

From the time Kumiko Yamaguchi was born until she reached the age of 7, her parents (Yoshio Yamaguchi and Yuriko Inaba) tried to give her the life of an average kid. However, no matter how hard they tried, she was never an average child. She'd rather play soccer than play with dolls, but it was her tendency to get into fights which prompted her mother to say 'You are definitely a Kuroda.' or 'You are just like your grandfather'. She never knew if her mother meant it as a good thing or a bad thing. Mostly because when she tried to ask about her grandfather, her mother wouldn't answer her. The grave look on her mother's face made her look as if she had been hexed. Cast in a spell that would only dissipate as soon as her father spoke as if her father's voice held some sort of power to conjure her out of it.

She hardly had any memory before age 4. Which is the reason why she doesn't remember when she first met her grandmother. She only has one memory of her. Kumiko was playing under her grandmother's watchful eyes when she caught a reflection of her grandmother's face. No one saw except for Kumiko. The look on her face was a mixture of sadness and glee. Emotions at polar opposites met in that gaze and being 4 curiosity commited it to memory and filed it away. Was that the last time she saw her? She doesn't remember, and it didn't matter. Kumiko Yamaguchi was happy.

She was a little bit too independent for her mother's liking. Behind closed doors, her mother sometimes wondered if it was just genetics and despite her best efforts her child will turn out yakuza. Her husband tenderly reassured her that she was taking things out of proportion. 'Kumiko is just a bit more independent than some. But that is a good thing. We want her to be independent. We want her to voice her thoughts. We want her to be able to take care of herself.' He'd say embracing his wife and kissing her forehead.

At the age of 7, Kumiko Yamaguchi's world shattered.

She was supposed to have been with them in the car. However, she had gotten into another fight at school, and she had been grounded. What was the fight about? She couldn't remember. Consequences for your actions, it was always about that. Her parents had warned her. Her parents had said that every action had a consequence and you had to deal with it. The consequences of her fight had inadvertently saved her life. Ironically, the consequences of their actions killed them.

As she walked to the door of the funeral home lined by strangers on either side, she heard rumors. Coded whispers about her family background swirled around which she didn't understand. A word here, a sentence there... nothing made sense. She opened the door and was greeted by a sea of white. Lined in perfect little rows were white folding chairs neatly facing the room's focal point. There, taking center stage, were twin caskets laid side by side.

All eyes were on her as she walked slowly towards the caskets. She didn't cry. She couldn't cry, not right now. There were too many people scrutinizing her every move. She felt on display and she was the freak show they had come to attend. She tried ignoring them as she stood before the caskets. She was too short to see inside. A part of her hoped that it had been a mistake. For a second, she toyed with the thought that someone else's parents lay there. However, she had to know. If there was something her parents taught her was to face her fears. She wasn't going to start backing away now. She had to see.

She took one of the chairs and placed it beside one coffin. She stood on it and looked inside. It was her father. Most people say that their loved ones looked peaceful upon seeing their dead remains. Not Kumiko Yamaguchi. She looked at her father and he looked dead. His eyes were closed but he didn't look like he was asleep. His expression looked forced, manufactured. She climbed down the chair and now positioned it beside her mother's coffin. She climbed up again. Her mother's expression was no better. Her hair was fashioned differently. Her skin looked pale but not like when you haven't had sun by being inside all those winter months. Her skin looked ashen, sickly, dead. She climbed down and placed the chair back. She dusted the seat and sat down.

She was sitting alone on the front seats, her dead parents her only company. The rest of the people gathered in the back as if death was contagious.

She wished she had siblings. She wanted someone that understood her pain. She wanted someone that was mourning with the same intensity as she was, or at least close to it. However she had none, and at that moment she realized how alone she was. It was then that the parade of people trying to comfort her began.

Some of her friend's parents would come and talk to her. She didn't really listen. She put on a fake smile and nodded at whatever they said. She caught one of them saying "You've got to be brave now." What kind of thing was that to say to a child? She felt as if she had been denied her grief with that statement. She had been told she wasn't supposed to mourn. Her eyes which had been expressionless until now had a determined look and a fury to them. And with controlled anger, she glared at the man who had dared made such a statement. The man backed away slowly.

Some of her parent's friends were there too, but they didn't say anything. They would come up to her and looked at her with a pained smile. They patted her head sympathetically. But they couldn't understand. They didn't know what it felt like. They were trying their best but she'd rather they left her alone.

She wondered what will happen to her now. Her heart sank when she thought she might have to live with one of these idiots until they knew what to do with her. She'd be tossed around like a hot potato. She'd always been good at the game. Now, she'd be the hot potato and heavens only knew which unfortunate soul she'd be handed to. She smirked at her own misfortune.

She didn't want to be bothered anymore. She was tired of the sympathetic smiles. She was tired of the knowing glances exchanged by the adults. She was tired of people trying to cheer her up. She wanted to be left alone with her misery.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head and looked up. She saw a man flanked by two other men wearing sunglasses. It was slightly odd. She would have found it funny if the circumstances had been different. Right now, she didn't care. She looked at him defiantly. This expression made the man smile. It took her by surprise but she covered it. Without any preambles he said "I am your grandfather from your mother's side." She had no family and she didn't know what this idiot wanted. "And, I am the King of Japan." She said without inflection. This made the man give a hearty laugh while the two men that flanked him smirked in amusement. "Well, your majesty, you'll be staying at my house from now on. It is not a palace but it will have to do." He said seriously though his eyes were still amused. She blinked slowly and shrugged.

Acclaratory Note: According to the manga, Ryuuichirou's last name is not really Kuroda but Inaba. The clan's name is Kuroda. The confusion arises when, in the manga, they refer to him as Kuroda Ryuuichirou. Whether it was supposed to be Kuroda's Ryuuichirou or some kind of internal yakuza rule that the leader should adopt the last name, it is uncertain. For the purposes of this story, I will take the stand that, though his last name is Inaba, he is so well known as the Boss of the Kuroda clan that his last name has been assumed to be Kuroda. Keep this in mind for future reference.