"Meeting Again"
Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) don't own Gokusen. If I did, I would have definitely had more shinkumi, as it is so obvious and they just fit together! I also would not be a college student living on ramen and coffee, while watching reruns of Gokusen. However, as I don't, all I can do is share my shinkumi dreams with anyone who comes across my stories. The characters may be a bit OOC, but I tried to keep with the drama personality as much as I could. This IS FLUFFY!
Author's Note: This is a one-shot that came to me in my Astronomy class while my teacher was talking about something that I should have been listening to. Instead, I was scribbling down this bit of shinkumi goodness. Oh well, hopefully this will come out alright and be worth the "not-paying-attention-in-class" lecture that I got after. Enjoy, and please review!! …….ps I am assuming you all know who the characters are, and this should be mainly dramaverse, but if a bit of the anime slips past, don't hate me. (Set in Season 2 just after Episode 4) PPS please ignore my grammar, I know that I am not the best at that, but I wanted to get this out before my midterm tomorrow.
Yamaguchi Kumiko or Yankumi as she was known to her students; had just finished another long hard day teaching her 3-D class at Kurogin Gakoin. It had been one of those days, well, the last couple days to be honest, but now that Tsucchiya was not going to be expelled, things were looking up. Kumiko looked up, hearing voices, and saw behind her the main group in her class with their leader walking away from the school towards the gates like her. They were all laughing and celebrating Tsucchiya's re-entry to school. Yabuki Hayato (the leader) was at the head of the group, with Tsucchiya Hikaru, Takeda Keita, and Hyuuga Kosuke surrounding him in a weird line, and Odagiri Ryu off to one side. Kumiko smiled, and kept walking.
//well, they certainly are a handful, maybe even worse than my first class, with the original 3-D group at Shirokin, but they do understand friendship and compassion. Maybe this won't be as bad as it looked like. // She thought to herself as she made her way to the entrance. Changing topics slightly, she began to think of her old class, and how much she missed them. //Man, now that was a crazy group. Uchiyama Haruhiko and his quick-to-anger temper; He has done well for himself as what started as building constructor, but quickly went into architecture, and he is now designing buildings and doing well too. I talked with him just before I started here, but haven't seen him in a while. Kumai Teruo (Kuma) and his sweet nature, he was the first one that really bonded with me, I am glad that he is still around here with that ramen shop of his. Noda (Author's note: Anyone know his or Minami's first names? Send me an email if you do! Thanks! We now return you to your regularly scheduled fanfic) and his silly crush on Fujiyama-sensei, as well as his fashion obsession. I still hear from him, he has started designing clothes, and is fast becoming a very popular designer. He sends me some of them now and then, as he says that I need to wear things that are not sweat suits every now and again. Last one he sent me was a short miniskirt/shorts that he said he designed specially for me so that I could both teach and fight in it, and that it might make my students pay more attention to me. I haven't tried it yet, but if my students don't start listening more, I just might. I went out for coffee with him a month ago and caught up which was nice. Minami and his humor, he was always up for a joke, but there for you whenever you needed it, and protective of his friends, as well as chasing as many girls as he could. He finally went to University, and is there now studying with his long-term girlfriend of two years. He told me in his last email that he his saving to buy her an engagement ring. Lastly, there was Sawada Shin. Now, there was a student. The leader of the class, he was the strong but silent type. If you put Yabuki and Odagiri together, you would get Sawada. He went to Africa 3 years ago to help volunteers to build schoolhouses, and then finally went to University there while helping to study Law. He just graduated as far as I know, but he hasn't said whether or not he is coming home. He was the best student I ever had, smart but never showing off, and always giving me a helping hand. He kept my secret when he found out, and didn't hate me when he knew. Instead he became as one of the family, especially when he told us about his parents and their attitude towards him. I know that that the family was sad to see him go, and that they are still in touch with him, just as I am. We email every few days, and call each other quite often. I'll never forget when he left; I, as well as the rest of his friends went to the airport together to see him off. He took me aside and told me that he wanted me to have something. He pulled off his necklace that he always wore, with the hand on it, and gave it to me. He told me that this was his good-luck, and that he wanted me to have it as he would not be there to look after me anymore. Then he said that when I least expected it he would come back and then we would have a talk. I remember looking at him in question, but he just shook his head and have me a hug, startling me quite a bit, but we hugged each other and I could fell the emotions coming off of him, before we let go and he had to board his plane. I have thought a lot about what he said, and what we have talked about in his emails. Every now and then he mentions that he misses me, or asks if I still have his necklace. I wear it every day, and I can't help but feel that I have been branded as his. Whenever his friends see it, they always start hinting that Shin and I are together. I have done a lot of thinking on this topic, and just when I think that the subtle flirtations that he says now and again are in my mind, he goes and does it again. I have to say, I have talked with Oji-san about him, and what I am feeling, but he always says that my feelings will make sense to me when they should, and to just go with the flow until then. I have been thinking about him more than usual about his features, like his dark soulful eyes, or how his nose crinkles up when he laughs. The more I talk to him, the more I have been realizing that I am falling for him. Me, Yamaguchi Kumiko, the heiress to the Ooedo family and high school math teacher is falling for my ex-student Sawada Shin. How could this happen? He is not even here. I am crazy, that's all there is to it. What should I do// Kumiko was startled out of her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder. She had just left the gates, and her students still behind her. She went to turn her face around to the direction of the hand, but was stopped by a finger in her cheek.
"Baka" the owner of the hand said in an amused voice. Kumiko froze, she knew that voice! She turned round so fast her head spun, and saw the owner of the hand.
"S-Sawada!" she stuttered out. "I thought you were calling me Shin, Kumiko" he drawled.
Kumiko just stared at him. Shin looked nearly the same as he did when he left 3 years ago. He was a little more tanned, but he still has those highlights in his hair. He stretched his hand out and picked up the hand pendant that she wore which he gave her.
"Still wearing this then?" "I told you I always wear it" she mumbled, still in shock.
All of the sudden the fact that the man that she had been dreaming about for years was right in front of her hit her and she jumped into his waiting arms hugging him for all she was worth. "It's you!" She cried, a few tears leaking out in her excitement. He swung her around, as happy to see her as she was.
Behind them, Kumiko's students stopped dead, looking at the show in front of them. "Who is that?" Takeda asked, staring at Kumiko. The rest just shook their heads, stunned that their teacher had a male friend.
Shin finally put Kumiko down, and looked into her eyes. Whatever he saw there must have been what he wanted, for he bent down slightly and kissed her. She melted into his embrace, this made up her mind for her… she was in love.
Breaking the kiss, he looked at her again and said, "I had to come home, I could not wait any longer. Kumiko I love you, have loved you since high school. Will you go out with me?"
Kumiko just stared into his eyes, and said the complete truth "I can't imagine anyone I would rather go out with than you. I love you Sawada Shin, and I am not letting you get away now I have you." He smiled at her, and picked up her briefcase that she dropped. Arm in arm they walked off, talking about the old 3-d class and the Ooedo clan.
Behind the happy couple, the current 3-D group was still staring at them in shock.
"What just happened here?" Yabuki asked, picking up his jaw.
"Yamaguchi got a boyfriend" Odagiri said, off to one side, looking neutral as usual, and his attention wavering between his stunned friends and Kumiko and the unknown man. //who is this man, to come in and just sweep her off her feet like that? I know that something is different about her, she is just too strange. Something is wrong about her- the way she fights, sometimes talks, what is it? I want to know. This bears further investigating.// collecting his friends; they started to walk away, talking between them about their odd homeroom teacher and her new boyfriend.
Epilogue:
Kumiko walked into the Ooedo clan's home, calling out "Tadaima" (I'm home) The main group all came running to greet her. Tetsu and Minoru were the first to the door, shortly followed by Wakamatsu and her Grandfather. "Welcome back!" they all called out.
"I have someone to show you." She said, and opening the door, Shin walked in. They all silenced immediately, and grandfather looked at him. "Welcome home Shin, it's been a while." He smiled at Shin, and with that, the rest all jumped up and hugged him, all excited that he was back. Kumiko and Grandfather followed the men taking Shin to the living room. "You've made your choice then. I am proud of you." He told her.
"Yes, I have" she said looking at Shin, smiling at the men crowding him, asking him all about his travels.
"I'm home" Shin mumbled, watching the group, feeling part of a family again.
Author's Note (2): Well, that's that. If you want a sequel, do let me know. I have some tentative ideas, but I don't know if they will come out. Please review, no flames, but feel free to usefully criticize my writing, as I can use all the help I can get. Hope you liked it, and stay posted for another shinkumi fic soon. ;)