-In Which New Teachers Are Introduced And Onizuka Eikichi Is Late For The First Day Of School-
"Something has to be done, Mrs. Sakurai."
"I know." The aging chairwoman's voice was soft and serious, her back to the vice-principal so as to not betray her expression. "Measures have been taken."
"What measures?" Nervous sweat was beading over Uchiyamada's face. "How can we open the school like this? The students will be in danger- the parents will- our retirement-"
"I've already made the necessary calls," Sakurai said firmly, gazing out her window. "Everything will work out."
That thought brought a small smile to her face. This latest manifestation of the so-called "curse of Holy Forest" could prove to be too much for even her brave young champion… and yet, with the right support and proper backing, she had no doubt that young Onizuka could prevail.
Perhaps he could even save the school for good.
The auditorium was fairly rumbling with student grumbling and complaining, steel chairs shuffling over a scratched floor as they fought over seats. The yearly assembly was greeted with nothing but disdain from the majority of the student body, and yet the board insisted upon it with more and more vigour each passing year. After all, how else would new teachers be introduced? A simple letter to the parents? That would never do, not for the exalted students of Holy Forest Academy.
That was a load of crap, and everyone knew it. But even the cheapest private academy in the area had to keep up pretenses.
Kikuchi Yoshito stared at the ceiling absently, arms crossed tightly over his chest. Another year begun. Class Four had assembled without a word, sitting in obstinate silence until the news was broken. Until their messenger returned.
And without the slightest of warnings, there she was; Kanzaki Urumi, lips curved, eyes alight and dancing. Yoshito met her gaze, questioning, and was answered with a sly wink.
"Well? Well?! Who is it, Urumi? Who'd they stick us with for homeroom, dammit?" Yoshito had the good sense to lean back before Murai Kunio launched across his lap to stare the blond girl directly in the eyes, the veins in his tanned face dangerously close to bursting.
"Kunio, darling, take your blood pressure medication." Urumi tweaked his nose, then leaned back in her chair, ignoring the boy's angry grumbling. The entirety of the class had gathered round her since her appearance, and were waiting with bated breath for her pronouncement. "Well," she observed with a touch of theatrical melancholy, "it is a new year, and as they say, a new year is a new beginning…"
"Urumi-!" Half the faces had gone grey in horror. The school wouldn't have been so stupid as to give them another teacher. They would reduce any other teacher in the academy to tears and suicide within a week, and the board had to know that by now. They were the infamous Class Four- and with teacher-killer Urumi on their side again, how could they dare…?
Urumi laughed lightly, sweeping the long blond hair from her face with the artful twist of a finger. "Honestly, to see your faces… They've given us straight back to Onizuka-sensei, just like we knew they would."
The exhalation of relief was audible; even Miyabi relaxed a bit. Their mission of destroying teachers had somewhat lost its importance last year, between the trip to Okinawa and Onizuka's reckless nature. They all had some respect for him, at the very least- at the most, they were friends. More than any of the embittered teenagers had ever thought they could be friends with a teacher.
Kunio grinned, slumping back into his seat and running a quick hand through bleached blond hair. "So they wussed out, huh? Knew they would." His eyes glittered, a certain manic tint coloring his smile. "Might be another good year for us…"
The conversation rapidly turned to something else, something that seemed to involve bottle rockets, and Yoshito returned his attention to the filling stage. Teachers were dutifully filing onto the platform, taking their seats in preparation for the annual assembly. There were some new, nervous faces, one dark-haired man even falling directly over his chair before managing to sit. But as the moments stretched on to minutes, one chair remained conspicuously empty.
"K-Kikuchi…" The quiet voice was laden with worry. "Where's Onizuka-sensei?"
"I have no idea," Yoshito answered truthfully, watching the empty seat with a growing anxiety. "He wasn't fired, though, that much we know."
Yoshikawa Noboru sat awkwardly on the side of Yoshito not occupied by Urumi, shifting slightly to peer up at the stage over Tadaaki's shoulder. A faint smile came to the usually-serious face, one eyebrow quirking. "He probably slept in," he said with some trace of fond humor. "Sat up too late playing Tactics again."
"You lent him Tactics? The man doesn't have enough brain cells."
"Yeah… but he likes the graphics." Noboru smiled up at him, then his dark eyes flitted away to rest on the floor. "D-did you like Tactics?"
"I lost the first big battle and then started playing something else… never went back to it."
"Oh…" Noboru paused, seemingly lost in thought, then was readying himself to speak again when the audio system of the auditorium crackled to life.
"Tell me later," Yoshito said calmly, knowing he wouldn't.
Uchiyamada Hiroshi had thrown himself into his grand welcoming speech with abandon, quoting great masters of literature and scholarly texts left and right. None of his audience knew the source of his boundless joy, nor would any of them care if they did. But it was a new year, a grand new year. The new employees were such a source of pride to him, the cream of the crop of the summer interviews. They were intelligent, well-spoken, from delightfully savory backgrounds- with teachers like those in the workforce, there was no possible way that Onizuka could possibly be a disturbance this year. No, they would keep him in line. Especially that wonderful young man working in the Social Studies department. He would keep him in line. And the Board had assured him those pesky complaints and strange happenings would stop. They had called in the top exorcists in the field, all the way from Kyoto! Nothing could go wrong this year. No. Nothing at all.
"And so," he continued gleefully, "it is my greatest pleasure to introduce the three new teachers that will be joining our Holy Forest family this year. They will stand when I announce them, so their names and faces will become a fond new memory for all you students. First, I am pleased to inform you that our science department has greatly expanded this year! Our dearly beloved Kochatani-sensei will now be instructing you in Chemistry." He extended a hand to illustrate the point, indicating the man the students not-so-fondly referred to as 'Chihuahua'. "For instruction in Biology, our new teacher will be the newly hired Sakurazuka-sensei."
As per his earlier instructions, Sakurazuka stood. He was a tall man, with a kind smile and caramel-colored… eye. Due to some unfortunate incident the man had not wished to discuss, one of his eyes was ruined beyond any reconstructive surgery. He was handsome nonetheless, and would no doubt attract the attention of a great many female students. He did seem to be quite the proper man, though, and would not take advantage… unlike some others he could name.
Uchiyamada forced the unpleasant thought from his mind and continued on. "For your education in the all-important realm of Physical Science, you will be taught by Watari-sensei." The man fairly sprung to his feet, a bright smile overtaking his pale face. He was blond, as well… though strangely enough, the long hair did not appear to be bleached as Onizuka's was. Well, it could be forgiven; the eccentricities of the scientist were well known, after all. And while young Watari Yutaka had admitted to a lack of teaching experience, his amount of experience in the field of science itself had more than secured him a position- as well as some room for forgiving his occasionally odd behavior.
"Finally…" Ah, his coup de'tat. His piece of resistance. The cherry on top of his ice cream sundae. "To aid in your instruction in the Social Studies, as our department is somewhat… understaffed…" Curse Onizuka. Curse him and his degree in Sociology. Curse him, curse him… but everything would be all right… Uchiyamada took a deep breath and steadied himself against the podium. Onizuka would curse him no more… Onizuka would curse him no more…
"Please welcome Tsuzuki-sensei to our learning community," Uchiyamada pronounced blissfully. "He will be teaching Ancient Studies."
Tsuzuki Asato stood firmly from his chair, tripping over a leg in the process. The poor man had nearly killed himself upon entering the stage, but appeared to have no marks or damage. His smile to the students was broad and guileless, his eyes… no, they were blue. They had to be blue, Uchiyamada decided. It was merely a trick of the stage lighting that made them look purple.
"And upon the conclusion of our opening assembly, I would like…" Uchiyamada continued on with his speech, barely even aware of the mass student exodus from the auditorium at the simple word 'conclusion'. Class Four had been the first out, flooding the hallways. It was time for homeroom, after all, and it would be helpful if someone found their homeroom teacher.
"I'll take the kids to the room," Urumi decided, waving the majority of the class to follow her. "Boys… go get Onizuka-sensei… and for God's sake, make sure he's half sober."
The small group that had banded together for Onizuka's defense last year still remained closely knit. There were only six of them in the core group, but it had been enough to save the former gangbanger's job more than a few times. Now five went to find that same man, and presumably throttle him within an inch of his life for screwing up something so easy as an assembly, while their lone female member went to hold down the fort, so to speak.
Kunio led the charge up the stairs to Onizuka's 'penthouse', followed closely by Tadaaki and Kouji. Yoshito and Noboru held up the rear, mostly to accommodate for Noboru's shorter legs and asthmatic tendencies. When the top of the stairs was reached, the five burst into the once-closet expecting exactly what they found.
Onizuka Eikichi, twenty-three years old, Scorpio, teacher extraordinaire, holding a Playstation controller in one hand and an empty cup of ramen in the other, fast asleep on the floor in front of his couch.
"Oh, for the love of friggin' God." Kunio snatched the controller from Onizuka's slack hand and banged it roughly against his skull. "Wake up, you jackass! You missed the assembly!"
Yoshito took the controller and went about saving the game Onizuka had fallen asleep during, marveling silently at one man's luck. Here he was, dead to the world, and he'd managed to stumble his way through the fourth battle. Idiot's luck, after all.
"Assembly?" Onizuka blinked at them blearily, rubbing his eyes with one fist. "Wha'… what th' Hell are you guys doing here?"
"It's the first day back, dimwad," Kunio informed him. "Get dressed. I never wanted t' see you half naked, an' I'm gonna have to gouge out my eyes now."
"Aah, you know you want it."
"WHO wants WHAT, you freakin' BABOON?!"
"Oh, just get him dressed, Kunio," Kouji placated hopefully.
"OVER MY DEAD BODY!"
"He likes t' see me naked. Runs in the family." Onizuka was waking up, and the result was a wicked sparkle in his eye.
"YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY MOTHER, YOU HORNY APE!"
"Yoshikawa… you lent him this, right?" Yoshito eyed the screen with frustration. "Was he playing off your save or something? The memory card doesn't have a formatted slot…"
Suddenly, the controller was lifted lightly from his hands. Yoshito watched in bemused silence as Noboru's light fingers danced over the faded buttons, black eyes focused and glittering in concentration. "The memory card isn't standard issue," he pronounced quietly after a moment. "I'll just save it over Teras Kasi… I don't' need that save anymore."
Yoshito watched a moment more in silence, then let the slightest of smiles come to his face. "You really like games, don't you." It wasn't a question, more of an observation. The memory card was littered with saves from vastly different games; RPGs, first-person shooters, dating sims, platform games, sports sims… He had seen Noboru's game collection only once, and the memory still astounded him.
"Yeah." His smile was returned, if shyly. "Just something to do… I guess I never really had much to do."
"Because you never had any friends."
The bluntness of that statement obviously startled the smaller boy, his eyes flashing wide in astonishment and then quickly darting to the floor to avoid his gaze. It was true, after all… there was no reason to disguise the fact of the matter with flowery words or metaphors. Noboru had always been the quiet kid who the girls picked on and nobody talked to.
Until Onizuka had come along.
Yoshito dwelled on that thought for only a moment, then shrugged it away. A lot of things had changed since the beginning of last year. Noboru had, he had, Kunio had, Urumi had… the entire class had changed, one way or another.
"Yeah… I never had friends." Noboru's agreement was quiet, contemplative.
"Well, 'had' isn't 'have'," Yoshito amended matter-of-factly. "And all your new friends are game nerds too. So you're in luck." With that, he turned for the stairs, ignoring the ruckus behind him as Kunio and Kouji tried to get their teacher dressed.
And so he missed the bewildered smile that brightened Yoshikawa Noboru's face. "I guess it isn't," he agreed with a whisper.
"Yoshikawa! Get his feet!" Noboru barely caught the sneakers Tadaaki flung in his general direction, ducking instinctively to avoid the blow.
"Stop GRABBING me, you DISGUSTING FREAK!"
"But I can't see!"
"That's because your goddamn shirt is over your face! Shit, Yoshikawa, put those shoes on, I'm gonna pass out from the stink!"
With a small chuckle, he joined in the fray.
New friends, huh…
"Something has to be done, Mrs. Sakurai."
"I know." The aging chairwoman's voice was soft and serious, her back to the vice-principal so as to not betray her expression. "Measures have been taken."
"What measures?" Nervous sweat was beading over Uchiyamada's face. "How can we open the school like this? The students will be in danger- the parents will- our retirement-"
"I've already made the necessary calls," Sakurai said firmly, gazing out her window. "Everything will work out."
That thought brought a small smile to her face. This latest manifestation of the so-called "curse of Holy Forest" could prove to be too much for even her brave young champion… and yet, with the right support and proper backing, she had no doubt that young Onizuka could prevail.
Perhaps he could even save the school for good.
The auditorium was fairly rumbling with student grumbling and complaining, steel chairs shuffling over a scratched floor as they fought over seats. The yearly assembly was greeted with nothing but disdain from the majority of the student body, and yet the board insisted upon it with more and more vigour each passing year. After all, how else would new teachers be introduced? A simple letter to the parents? That would never do, not for the exalted students of Holy Forest Academy.
That was a load of crap, and everyone knew it. But even the cheapest private academy in the area had to keep up pretenses.
Kikuchi Yoshito stared at the ceiling absently, arms crossed tightly over his chest. Another year begun. Class Four had assembled without a word, sitting in obstinate silence until the news was broken. Until their messenger returned.
And without the slightest of warnings, there she was; Kanzaki Urumi, lips curved, eyes alight and dancing. Yoshito met her gaze, questioning, and was answered with a sly wink.
"Well? Well?! Who is it, Urumi? Who'd they stick us with for homeroom, dammit?" Yoshito had the good sense to lean back before Murai Kunio launched across his lap to stare the blond girl directly in the eyes, the veins in his tanned face dangerously close to bursting.
"Kunio, darling, take your blood pressure medication." Urumi tweaked his nose, then leaned back in her chair, ignoring the boy's angry grumbling. The entirety of the class had gathered round her since her appearance, and were waiting with bated breath for her pronouncement. "Well," she observed with a touch of theatrical melancholy, "it is a new year, and as they say, a new year is a new beginning…"
"Urumi-!" Half the faces had gone grey in horror. The school wouldn't have been so stupid as to give them another teacher. They would reduce any other teacher in the academy to tears and suicide within a week, and the board had to know that by now. They were the infamous Class Four- and with teacher-killer Urumi on their side again, how could they dare…?
Urumi laughed lightly, sweeping the long blond hair from her face with the artful twist of a finger. "Honestly, to see your faces… They've given us straight back to Onizuka-sensei, just like we knew they would."
The exhalation of relief was audible; even Miyabi relaxed a bit. Their mission of destroying teachers had somewhat lost its importance last year, between the trip to Okinawa and Onizuka's reckless nature. They all had some respect for him, at the very least- at the most, they were friends. More than any of the embittered teenagers had ever thought they could be friends with a teacher.
Kunio grinned, slumping back into his seat and running a quick hand through bleached blond hair. "So they wussed out, huh? Knew they would." His eyes glittered, a certain manic tint coloring his smile. "Might be another good year for us…"
The conversation rapidly turned to something else, something that seemed to involve bottle rockets, and Yoshito returned his attention to the filling stage. Teachers were dutifully filing onto the platform, taking their seats in preparation for the annual assembly. There were some new, nervous faces, one dark-haired man even falling directly over his chair before managing to sit. But as the moments stretched on to minutes, one chair remained conspicuously empty.
"K-Kikuchi…" The quiet voice was laden with worry. "Where's Onizuka-sensei?"
"I have no idea," Yoshito answered truthfully, watching the empty seat with a growing anxiety. "He wasn't fired, though, that much we know."
Yoshikawa Noboru sat awkwardly on the side of Yoshito not occupied by Urumi, shifting slightly to peer up at the stage over Tadaaki's shoulder. A faint smile came to the usually-serious face, one eyebrow quirking. "He probably slept in," he said with some trace of fond humor. "Sat up too late playing Tactics again."
"You lent him Tactics? The man doesn't have enough brain cells."
"Yeah… but he likes the graphics." Noboru smiled up at him, then his dark eyes flitted away to rest on the floor. "D-did you like Tactics?"
"I lost the first big battle and then started playing something else… never went back to it."
"Oh…" Noboru paused, seemingly lost in thought, then was readying himself to speak again when the audio system of the auditorium crackled to life.
"Tell me later," Yoshito said calmly, knowing he wouldn't.
Uchiyamada Hiroshi had thrown himself into his grand welcoming speech with abandon, quoting great masters of literature and scholarly texts left and right. None of his audience knew the source of his boundless joy, nor would any of them care if they did. But it was a new year, a grand new year. The new employees were such a source of pride to him, the cream of the crop of the summer interviews. They were intelligent, well-spoken, from delightfully savory backgrounds- with teachers like those in the workforce, there was no possible way that Onizuka could possibly be a disturbance this year. No, they would keep him in line. Especially that wonderful young man working in the Social Studies department. He would keep him in line. And the Board had assured him those pesky complaints and strange happenings would stop. They had called in the top exorcists in the field, all the way from Kyoto! Nothing could go wrong this year. No. Nothing at all.
"And so," he continued gleefully, "it is my greatest pleasure to introduce the three new teachers that will be joining our Holy Forest family this year. They will stand when I announce them, so their names and faces will become a fond new memory for all you students. First, I am pleased to inform you that our science department has greatly expanded this year! Our dearly beloved Kochatani-sensei will now be instructing you in Chemistry." He extended a hand to illustrate the point, indicating the man the students not-so-fondly referred to as 'Chihuahua'. "For instruction in Biology, our new teacher will be the newly hired Sakurazuka-sensei."
As per his earlier instructions, Sakurazuka stood. He was a tall man, with a kind smile and caramel-colored… eye. Due to some unfortunate incident the man had not wished to discuss, one of his eyes was ruined beyond any reconstructive surgery. He was handsome nonetheless, and would no doubt attract the attention of a great many female students. He did seem to be quite the proper man, though, and would not take advantage… unlike some others he could name.
Uchiyamada forced the unpleasant thought from his mind and continued on. "For your education in the all-important realm of Physical Science, you will be taught by Watari-sensei." The man fairly sprung to his feet, a bright smile overtaking his pale face. He was blond, as well… though strangely enough, the long hair did not appear to be bleached as Onizuka's was. Well, it could be forgiven; the eccentricities of the scientist were well known, after all. And while young Watari Yutaka had admitted to a lack of teaching experience, his amount of experience in the field of science itself had more than secured him a position- as well as some room for forgiving his occasionally odd behavior.
"Finally…" Ah, his coup de'tat. His piece of resistance. The cherry on top of his ice cream sundae. "To aid in your instruction in the Social Studies, as our department is somewhat… understaffed…" Curse Onizuka. Curse him and his degree in Sociology. Curse him, curse him… but everything would be all right… Uchiyamada took a deep breath and steadied himself against the podium. Onizuka would curse him no more… Onizuka would curse him no more…
"Please welcome Tsuzuki-sensei to our learning community," Uchiyamada pronounced blissfully. "He will be teaching Ancient Studies."
Tsuzuki Asato stood firmly from his chair, tripping over a leg in the process. The poor man had nearly killed himself upon entering the stage, but appeared to have no marks or damage. His smile to the students was broad and guileless, his eyes… no, they were blue. They had to be blue, Uchiyamada decided. It was merely a trick of the stage lighting that made them look purple.
"And upon the conclusion of our opening assembly, I would like…" Uchiyamada continued on with his speech, barely even aware of the mass student exodus from the auditorium at the simple word 'conclusion'. Class Four had been the first out, flooding the hallways. It was time for homeroom, after all, and it would be helpful if someone found their homeroom teacher.
"I'll take the kids to the room," Urumi decided, waving the majority of the class to follow her. "Boys… go get Onizuka-sensei… and for God's sake, make sure he's half sober."
The small group that had banded together for Onizuka's defense last year still remained closely knit. There were only six of them in the core group, but it had been enough to save the former gangbanger's job more than a few times. Now five went to find that same man, and presumably throttle him within an inch of his life for screwing up something so easy as an assembly, while their lone female member went to hold down the fort, so to speak.
Kunio led the charge up the stairs to Onizuka's 'penthouse', followed closely by Tadaaki and Kouji. Yoshito and Noboru held up the rear, mostly to accommodate for Noboru's shorter legs and asthmatic tendencies. When the top of the stairs was reached, the five burst into the once-closet expecting exactly what they found.
Onizuka Eikichi, twenty-three years old, Scorpio, teacher extraordinaire, holding a Playstation controller in one hand and an empty cup of ramen in the other, fast asleep on the floor in front of his couch.
"Oh, for the love of friggin' God." Kunio snatched the controller from Onizuka's slack hand and banged it roughly against his skull. "Wake up, you jackass! You missed the assembly!"
Yoshito took the controller and went about saving the game Onizuka had fallen asleep during, marveling silently at one man's luck. Here he was, dead to the world, and he'd managed to stumble his way through the fourth battle. Idiot's luck, after all.
"Assembly?" Onizuka blinked at them blearily, rubbing his eyes with one fist. "Wha'… what th' Hell are you guys doing here?"
"It's the first day back, dimwad," Kunio informed him. "Get dressed. I never wanted t' see you half naked, an' I'm gonna have to gouge out my eyes now."
"Aah, you know you want it."
"WHO wants WHAT, you freakin' BABOON?!"
"Oh, just get him dressed, Kunio," Kouji placated hopefully.
"OVER MY DEAD BODY!"
"He likes t' see me naked. Runs in the family." Onizuka was waking up, and the result was a wicked sparkle in his eye.
"YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY MOTHER, YOU HORNY APE!"
"Yoshikawa… you lent him this, right?" Yoshito eyed the screen with frustration. "Was he playing off your save or something? The memory card doesn't have a formatted slot…"
Suddenly, the controller was lifted lightly from his hands. Yoshito watched in bemused silence as Noboru's light fingers danced over the faded buttons, black eyes focused and glittering in concentration. "The memory card isn't standard issue," he pronounced quietly after a moment. "I'll just save it over Teras Kasi… I don't' need that save anymore."
Yoshito watched a moment more in silence, then let the slightest of smiles come to his face. "You really like games, don't you." It wasn't a question, more of an observation. The memory card was littered with saves from vastly different games; RPGs, first-person shooters, dating sims, platform games, sports sims… He had seen Noboru's game collection only once, and the memory still astounded him.
"Yeah." His smile was returned, if shyly. "Just something to do… I guess I never really had much to do."
"Because you never had any friends."
The bluntness of that statement obviously startled the smaller boy, his eyes flashing wide in astonishment and then quickly darting to the floor to avoid his gaze. It was true, after all… there was no reason to disguise the fact of the matter with flowery words or metaphors. Noboru had always been the quiet kid who the girls picked on and nobody talked to.
Until Onizuka had come along.
Yoshito dwelled on that thought for only a moment, then shrugged it away. A lot of things had changed since the beginning of last year. Noboru had, he had, Kunio had, Urumi had… the entire class had changed, one way or another.
"Yeah… I never had friends." Noboru's agreement was quiet, contemplative.
"Well, 'had' isn't 'have'," Yoshito amended matter-of-factly. "And all your new friends are game nerds too. So you're in luck." With that, he turned for the stairs, ignoring the ruckus behind him as Kunio and Kouji tried to get their teacher dressed.
And so he missed the bewildered smile that brightened Yoshikawa Noboru's face. "I guess it isn't," he agreed with a whisper.
"Yoshikawa! Get his feet!" Noboru barely caught the sneakers Tadaaki flung in his general direction, ducking instinctively to avoid the blow.
"Stop GRABBING me, you DISGUSTING FREAK!"
"But I can't see!"
"That's because your goddamn shirt is over your face! Shit, Yoshikawa, put those shoes on, I'm gonna pass out from the stink!"
With a small chuckle, he joined in the fray.
New friends, huh…