Anime/Manga/Drama: Gokusen.

Disclaimer: Don't own it, duh.

Pairing?: Slight ShinKumi, for it would be impossible not to xD

Title: The plan.

Summary: Enter, the amazing, perfect plan by 3D to set their class leader up with their homeroom teacher! The plan has been double-checked, and labelled perfect, though, accidents still tend to happen whenever you (least?) expect them.

The plan was more thought through than any of their earlier plans. In fact, they'd even double-checked it a couple of times, and decided it was perfect. It just had to be perfect, for the sake of their leader. Sawada Shin had helped about every single person in 3D out of some serious shit once, and now it was time to return the favor. The only pointer that could possibly be found was that… well, they only hadn't told him about the plan yet.

Step 1:

Subtly mention teacher-student relationships every now and then.

Stage: Shirokin Gakuen, in the classroom of class 3D. Time: during homeroom class, given by subject #1, of course. Way: well, er… we thought we'd just figure that out when the time has come. There's nothing wrong with that, right guys? Uchi wrote down. The other guys in the classroom nodded. They weren't sure if there'd ever follow a step two, but they weren't the guys to really plan everything out, so they decided to just see how it went.

Finally the time had arrived. Shin himself wasn't there yet, but maybe that was just for the best. He'd probably be sleeping through the class anyway, and if he wasn't he might suspect something. Yankumi entered the classroom, enthusiastic as always and immediately her eyes fell on the empty chair in the back of the classroom. It was the time for the class to pretend to be in the middle of a ´casual talk´.

"But you remember that girl from the electronics shop, right?" Uchi asked Kuma. He nodded, and so did some of the other students. Everyone was gathered around him, so their conversation was hard to miss, even for the dense teacher in front of the classroom.

"She was working there part-time, my mother apparently knew her." He continued. Yankumi came closer now. "She went to a co-ed school, and fell in love with one of the male teachers there." He said, grinning smugly.

"Oh, how good it must be to be a teacher!" Someone shouted. "The girl you're talking about looked so hot! I envy him." Someone else said. "How old was that guy?" A third person asked.

"Well, she was seventeen years old, and he was twenty-five, so they were only eight years apart. That's not so much." Uchi said, nodding wisely. "But, they had a secret affair for a few months, and then she graduated, so their relationship became open. Now they're married and she is studying." He said.

"Wow, what a cool story. Only for that you'd become a teacher, right?" Noda asked, grinning at the thought of high school girls falling in love with you. Even though this conversation served a higher purpose, there was nothing wrong with thinking like that.

"Stop talking about such stupid things." Shin's voice sounded from behind them. Everyone looked at him over their shoulders and sweat dropped. Shin looked annoyed… very annoyed.

"Oh, why Shin? Do you perhaps think there is something wrong with teacher-student relationships?" Noda asked, winking at him. Shin twitched, before he sat down at his chair and lay down on his table.

"Not like I care." He said, and some people sighed. It meant he wasn't really angry at them, didn't it?

"Of course it's wrong!" Yankumi shouted. "How could that teacher start a relationship with that girl? It would have destroyed the precious band they had as a teacher and student. I can't possibly agree with such behaviour!"

End of step 1:

Results: Failed.

"So… What should we do about step 2?" Minami asked, sighing. It was his turn to write another step down, because at first they had thought that the first step would be enough. Now they had to think of a second step, and Uchi was tired of writing, so he had left it to him. And no matter how you looked at it, this was a hopeless case.

"Did you guys see Shin-chan's face?" Kuma asked depressed. "Even though we tried to help him, we only made it worse." He sighed. "Isn't there anything we can do for him?" Noda scratched the back of his head.

"Hey Uchi," He said after a while. "Do you really know someone who married his or her teacher?" He asked. Uchi looked at him surprised.

"Yeah, I do. It was about nine years ago though; they're twenty-six and thirty-four now, but they're still together and they even have two children. If I'm not wrong the man is still a teacher." He said, thinking deep.

"How about… arranging a meeting with them and Yankumi?" Noda asked evilly.

Step 2:

Set up a meeting between subject #1 and example couple.

Stage: Shirokin Gakuen, then afterwards in a little café downtown. Time: During Math class from Yankumi, the last period of that day. Way: A secretly arranged meeting, we just have to get subject #1 to go along with the example couple, and make sure subject #2 doesn't do anything stupid.

"Hey, who are those people?" Minami shouted through the classroom during Math class, in a voice that was so obviously acted it made his classmates grunt. In any case, they continued the play like it was supposed to go, and all run to the windows to look outside. Shin looked up surprised. Thank heaven that guy could be pretty dense sometimes as well.

"Oh, those are my neighbours!" Noda shouted surprised. "I wonder what they're doing here."

After some very bad acting, a Shin that was getting more suspicious by the minute and a very chaotic Mathematics lesson, Yankumi left with the two visitors. The class decided by now it was time to leave, and maybe follow them if they could. Before they could get away though, Shin stood up and walked to Noda's desk.

"What are you guys planning?" He asked, his eyes sharp and hostile. Noda smiled nervously and looked at his friends, who were shaking their heads in a very obvious way. Shin looked at them as well, and in a split second he stood near Uchi's desk, his hands both on the desk. He breathed out calmly. Then he walked away.

"Shin-chan, where are you going?" Kuma asked. Shin looked back at him, sending him a very intensive death glare.

"I'm going home. I don't care what you guys are up to, as long as I can stay out of it." He said calmly. The guys looked at each other, and controlled their tempers. It really was the best if Shin didn't know anything about it until the mission succeeded. In the end he would definitely be grateful.

At the same time, in a small café near the school:

"So, just to summarize this all:" Yamaguchi said. "You two admire my way of teaching, because Noda has told you about me?" Smiling, the two nodded. "And you have been a teacher as well?" The man who was still smiling nodded again. "Okay, up until here I get it." Yamaguchi said happily.

"What we believe," The woman spoke. "Is that all teachers should be as passionate and emotional as you. That's definitely one of your good traits." Yamaguchi nodded proudly.

"Thank you very much." She said.

"How is your love life?" The woman suddenly asked. She didn't know any other way to bring the subject up, and Noda had told her it was very important that she told his teacher, who had told them she was Yamaguchi-sensei, a few things. Apparently it all served a greater purpose, and she was happy to take a part in it. She only had to make sure the teacher would admit her feelings, and if she got the chance prepare her to confess, or to be confessed to.

"Er, I…" The young woman stuttered. "Why are you asking such indecent questions?" She then muttered. Her cheeks were colouring a nice shade of red.

"I'm sorry." She said. "But I was just wondering… such a passionate person of you must have someone she likes, right?" She asked. Yamaguchi blushed, an image from Shinohara-sensei shot through her head.

"Well, there is this person I like." She said, scratching the back of her head. "But I don't think he really likes me as well. At least, I'm not sure." She quickly added. The woman in front of her started smiling happily. 'She already admitted she liked him.' She thought. 'Now I only have to prepare her for confessing.'

"But that's amazing!" She said enthusiastically. "And besides, I'm sure he'll like you too, why are you still hesitating? Don't let him slip away, confess to him while you still have the chance!" She said, getting carried away in her role. Now Yamaguchi stood up and pumped her fist in the air.

"You're right." She said. "I'll go to him now, tell him that I love him,"

"You do that, girl." She said smiling.

"And then I'll kiss him, and ask him 'Shinohara-san, do you want to go out with me?' Yosh!" Yamaguchi said, and ran away.

"Wait!" She called out but the teacher couldn't hear him anymore. "It's supposed to be Shin, not Shinohara…"

End of step 2:

Results: Big problems.

"We're very sorry." Noda's neighbours said as they simultaneously bowed. "We thought she liked your classmate, but it turns out there's someone else that she was in love with all the time, and we encouraged her to confess to him." The woman continued. "I'm really sorry."

"So, does anyone have an idea for a step 3?" Minami asked. Noda sighed, and pulled the piece of paper towards him.

Step 3:

Make sure subject #1 doesn't confess to obstacle #1. No matter how.

Stage: Wherever she plans to do it. Time: Whenever she plans to do it. Way: We could follow her or something but we have to stop her in every way possible.

"Hey, guys, what are you doing here? School has finished, like, 20 minutes ago." Shin said when he came walking past Uchi, Noda, Minami and Kuma, who were hiding behind a corner close to the teachers room. They turned around simultaneously, putting their pointing fingers to their lips. He raised an eyebrow and came a little closer.

"What are you guys doing?" He asked.

"Er…" Kuma replied very intelligent.

"Well," Minami said, not doing under for him.

"about that." Noda said. "We were just, er…"

"checking out Fujiyama's new mini skirt!" Uchi finished brightly. Shin didn't look very convinced. Maybe this was because Fujiyama wasn't anywhere near. Maybe it was for another reason though, who would know?

"Step 3: Make sure-" Shin started questioning, and immediately Minami folded up the piece of paper so Shin wasn't able to read it anymore. "What was that?" He immediately asked, but the guys shook their heads defiantly. After a few minutes, a half-way beaten up Minami and Kuma, who had jumped in to protect him, the whole story explained by Noda and a very annoyed Shin, the last called talked again.

"Where is she now?" He asked.

"We're waiting for her to leave the teachers room." Noda replied. Shin raised his eyebrow.

"But she left the school almost 25 minutes ago." He said confused. "Why are you guys waiting for her to leave when she's already left?" The stupefied looks on the faces of his friends told him enough, and he ran off to the place he thought she might just be if the worst had already happened.

'Please, let her think about this a little longer, one more night, a few hours are enough.' He thought frantically, but he didn't expect this. Yankumi could be a pretty straight and simple woman; actually, she was like that almost all of the time. When she had made up her mind, she wouldn't hesitate any longer, and head for her target. And Shin knew how Shinohara thought about this. He'd reject her.

He arrived at the riverbank, near the bridge. It was a place he always used to go to when he was bored, or had something on his mind, and he had found out she had started to do the same when she was feeling depressed about something. He sighed in relief when he saw no one was there; not yet.

Of course she could've also headed straight home to go to her room and cry. Kyo had told Shin this happened every now and then as well. He thought she wouldn't go home this time because she'd have to face her family then, but you never knew. It was best if he quickly checked, just to be sure.

In record time he arrived at the Ooedo group's house, but she was not there either. When he ran away again he heard Tetsu screaming something after him. For a split second he wondered if he had been overreacting, and making everyone there worried, but decided to just look for Yankumi first. You never knew what that woman would do if the love of her life dumped her. If possible, he had to stop her from confessing to that man, at all costs.

He wondered where Shinohara-san lived, as he ran past the riverbank once more. He almost hadn't seen her, for her figure looked so small, as it was curled up. She sat very close to the water, hugging her knees. He silently tried to approach her, but as he had expected from someone who had grown up in a family like hers, she looked up at him before he got even within a 10 feet range of her.

Immediately she stood up, wiping the tears of her face. She smiled, in a way that was probably supposed to resemble the clownish smile that she normally put up in front of the class. Even Kuma wouldn't fall for this one though, it looked truly pathetic.

"Sawada, what are you doing here?" Yankumi asked him. "Aren't you supposed to be at home, you'll have to be up early tomorrow for class right?" He raised an eyebrow at her. She might be trying to not-look-sad, but this was a really weird attempt.

"Yankumi? It's Friday today, there's no school tomorrow." He stated, deciding to not ask her any questions yet.

"Oh, I see." She said, smiling goofily. Only a few seconds later her smile broke down and she dropped to the ground, putting her hands in front of her face to start crying again. Because he had already expected an outburst like this, Shin was right next to her in no time. A bit clumsily he patted her back, waiting for her to tell her story. She hiccupped.

"I knew he didn't like me. I knew it, I knew it all along." She said, wiping away her tears again, but they kept flowing. "I don't understand why I had to make him tell me, I didn't want to know." Shin stroked her back absent-mindedly. What could he possibly do now that it was already too late to help Yankumi?

"I just wanted to live while pretending he liked me too." She said sniffling. "I was okay with lying to myself, if it was for the sake of not being rejected by Shinohara-san." She had already analyzed it pretty well herself. Shin wondered if he should add anything. It would probably be better not to lecture her or anything, she was already sad enough.

"It's better to live your life, facing the truth, right?" He asked her. "Not to pretend things are better than they are, not lying to yourself." He stopped talking, and pulled his hand back as well. Yankumi looked up at him.

"I always keep lecturing you guys and I can't even live my life honestly myself." She said, sniffling again. "I feel so pathetic."

Shin had acted out of instinct; you could not possibly call this a reflex or anything along those lines. Immediately after she had said that he had put her arms around her, and though they were both sitting on the ground, hugging her closely. He could feel Yankumi freeze in her movements, small as they had been.

'Live your life, facing the truth, not lying to yourself.' Were thoughts that shot through Kumiko's head. Her crush on Shinohara-san wasn't the only thing she had lied about to herself. She put her hands on Sawada's back, hugging him back weakly, and she buried her head in his shoulder. But living life without pretending that things were better than they are would be hard. She closed her eyes. Maybe it was indeed the right time she to stop thinking and talking about that second lie as well. If she had to tell it one day, she preferred it to be today, right now.

Author's Note: Yes, this is the end. Bear with it, this is the way I had it in mind, Shin and Yankumi hugging at the riverbank, so this is the way I decided to write it down. There won't be a sequel to this one, but I might write other ShinKumi fanfics sometime soon. Cya!