Remembrance

{a La Corda and Gokusen 2 crossover}

Disclaimer. I don't own LCDO and Gokusen, they belong to the rightful owners.

Note: I used the characters in the Gokusen 2 series {the Kurogin Gakkou Student Tsuchiya Hikaru especially}

Summary: Imagine when characters from a live action tv series turn into anime characters {except for Yankumi, of course}. Go figure if you're curious.

Prologue: Graduation Day

Y: He first caught my attention by being Class 3-D's mood-maker. I used to thing that he was the class leader, but he was not. What made our paths clash was when I told him that hitting teachers is a sign of weakness. To this, he wanted to have a duel with me in class. Later, he even threatened that he'll respect me if I wore a mini-skirt.

But then, he changed gradually. From being a delinquent, he then showed his good side. My co-teachers never believed in him, but I did. I even witnessed once when he was at the shrine with his friends sharing an order of takoyaki. He managed to say his thanks properly. Indeed, he was a good student for me. He will always be one of my precious students.

And now that he's graduating, I wonder what path he'll take. I guided them to make them what they wanted to be, as long as they continue fulfilling their dreams and mine: their dreams of a successful life ahead, and my dream to see them successful, no matter where life may take them. I wanted them to be useful citizens. When I saw him hold his diploma, I was so proud. I had managed to not let him get expelled for a crime he didn't commit.

And I wonder too, if he'll still remember me after this. But if ever they should forget me, I will always remember them, especially him. I wanted him to remember me too for the many times we shared and for all we did for each other.

***

T: I was caught of guard when I first saw her come inside the classroom. I mean, it's so lame having a female teacher around. My friends and I won't be able to pull our pranks to her. It'd be nice to have a male teacher, one who could fight with us. School is boring, and the teachers suck.

However, she was different. She said that fighting a female teacher is a sign of weakness. Of course, I wouldn't fight a female teacher, but she just gets into my nerves. So I urged her to fight with me. But she would not. She wouldn't even fight with me. But she has that air of authority that I wanted to clash with. I always hate teachers, and she's no different from the others. Later, she saw us harassing a citizen who I "borrowed" money from. She held my hand like a police holds a criminal's hand. What grasp! It was so painful she almost twisted my arm. "You're going to pay the interest, aren't you? How about an IOU note? Don't forget that". So much for borrowing money from a victim.

But then, I saw that she was different. She even went as far as to rescue Odagiri from gambling lords by paying what he owed them. She even pleaded for me so that I won't get expelled when I was trying to cover a junior high school girl I caught shoplifting. She was always there to fight for us. When we were battered, she faces the enemies alone, putting them all down with her martial arts skills. She even gave us hope for graduation. She didn't want one of us to be left behind. Due to some circumstances, we were then threatened to be expelled. But she pleaded again, saying that we must graduate, but that she would resign as teacher. She was so selfless, ever unmindful of her own security, just to protect us.

She wasn't that dazzling teacher guys would drool over; she was so far from being one. However, by some miracle, I suddenly caught myself falling in love with her. Her strong personality hides her true beauty, but then again, I was entranced. Her make up was light, and always wore jerseys. Her hair is in two jinkies. And she wore those dorky eyeglasses. She was Megane-chan, Ms. Eyeglasses. But her smile always brightens my day. Our weary, boring mornings would feel bright by her battle cry FIGHT-O, OH! And her enthusiasm fuels our broken spirits. Her wit and intelligence inspires us. But her naiveté about love makes her a butt of jokes, especially during Valentines Day. She always let that day pass her by, without even noticing how important it is for us guys to receive a chocolate, so that come White Day, she'd get something from us.

And now that I've graduated, I still want to think of her as my inspiration. It would seem like a school-boy crush-kind of story. But then, she's way too old for me…I think it wouldn't be right. I'm 18, she's 23. I haven't told her how I felt. But my heart fluttered when she gave me a watch as a graduation gift. She told me to keep it well, as a remembrance. She told me to manage my time well because time is precious. And time is essential. It indeed is. And I need to tell her now before I regret it or before I go somewhere else. I feared that our paths will no longer cross. But then, till we meet, if it really will be us.

***

R: I thought I might be seeing things, but I saw her about to fall in a flight of stairs. I instantly caught her, thanks to some help from the Divine Being. If not, I'd blame myself.

Why haven't I noticed her before? We were on the same grade level; our tie colors are the same. We even had the same department. But fate willed that we meet. I was so glad I met her. She was not the popular girl in school. As I've said, I never noticed her last year. But when we met, things changed. Suddenly, if found myself going out with her from time to time. When I knew that she plays the violin, I was happy for her. I tried hiding my skill in playing the piano, but she found out. But then, I couldn't go on hiding forever. Everybody knew that I was a soccer player. I even played basketball. But during the first selection of the concours, she suddenly didn't have her accompanist with her. She was double-crossed for a reason I didn't want to know. But then, the judges threatened to let her be disqualified since she had no accompanist. Since I've heard the piece she was playing, I decided to come to the rescue. I climbed on stage and played the piano so that she'll not get disqualified. She practiced all this time, and it would be unfair if she can't play.

People think I'm her knight in shining armor. They think that we're "it". I don't know who fed them that idea, but then there are times that we really meet. Coincidence or fate? We do things together too. And I suddenly found myself liking her. Like? Or love? I don't know. I had a previous relationship that didn't last long; she was my first girlfriend. But I never had any more flings with any other girls, even though I know that I had a throng of silent admirers. But she just caught my heart. For some reasons I have no idea, I wanted to see her everyday. And then I even became a contestant of the concours. Of course, she had admirers there too, four to be exact. But I'm luckier. I'm closer to her because we came from the same department. However, I heard that Violin Romance Story. I suddenly felt jealous toward the other guy playing the violin too. Could it be him? Will he take my damsel away from me? I don't believe in such stories. But I still feared. I don't know what she's thinking. I don't know if she feels anything at all either. But I hope that in the end, it'll be me. I'm just hoping, not that I'm really forcing myself to her. But then, my heart beats for her. I think I'm falling in love with her.

***

H: If it weren't for him, I'd be wearing a brace, or I'd be in crutches now, had I fall in that long flight of stairs. I'm so forever thankful for him for saving my life. I know that I can depend on him like I once depended on the magic of my magic violin, but then, I know that he won't be there for me always to guide me. I'm no longer a kid, I know that. But I have a guardian who seems to be watching over me. When it's not Tsukimori {he saved me a couple of times against bad guys and from that broken vase}, he would be my savior. My friends once had that strange look on their faces after he taught me that math problem and his face was so close to mine I feel like we were about to kiss, when in fact, it didn't happen at all. Of course, I knew that math problem, I was just spacing out. I was bothered over something. Yunoki-senpai, perhaps?

When I knew that he can play the piano, I was so happy for him. I wanted to hear him play. And for the first time, I had managed to let him play a piece when I was in the practice room and he was resting after playing soccer. The room I was in had an upright in it.

He was always willing to do things for me. I even feel guilty because he's done so much and I had nothing to repay him. But the only thing that mattered, he said, was that I brought him back to playing the piano. What struck me was that when my accompanist didn't show up {I was double-crossed}, I had no choice but to play. But the judge ordered me to stop since I can't change the rules on my own. When I was so down, that was when he stood up and came up on stage. He wanted to rescue me from that embarrassing situation. He accompanied me on piano so that I'll not get disqualified. Oh, it was so sweet of him to do me that favor.

He's a great person, but I didn't realize that he was that famous. I never had heard of him in my first year in school. Suddenly, after I met him, I was already the envy of every girl in school. It was not my fault I met him. In fact, I couldn't blame Lili. I couldn't blame by teacher too for letting me bring those heavy classroom materials to the Music Department. It was, rather, a twist of fate that we met. The other participants I met them all because of Lili, and I'll be grateful for that.

However, even when we're in the same department, we weren't classmates. I suddenly had wanted to change my room just to be with him. They say that absence make the heart grow fonder. But it gets too boring if I did ask for a room change. I get the feeling of excitement every time we meet in campus, most especially in our department. Sigh…if only he knew of my schoolgirl crush on him. Is it really just a schoolgirl crush? Or is it something else? How do you explain this? I feel hurt when he's with his girl classmates. And why do I ache every time I can't see him? Please, someone tell me…

FLASHBACKS

Chapter 1: Dismissal Time

"OK, class dismissed!" Yankumi announced. The students yelled in delight as they got their backpacks and headed towards the door like kindergarten pupils. It was always good to cap the day with Math classes, especially with Yankumi being the teacher.

Yamaguchi Kumiko, fondly called Yankumi by her students, got her books and went out of the room. She headed towards the faculty room when some students stopped her on her tracks.

"Ei, Yankumi, have a good day afterwards!" piped in the smallest boy in the pack, Takeda Keita.

"Arigatoo, Takeda. You take care too. Oi, and don't go to the pachinko store afterwards, you still have to study for your tests tomorrow, especially in English. Shiratori-sensei is already complaining that--"

"—bah! You don't have to keep on reminding us, Yankumi, we know it already," Odagiri Ryu, a bishie with reddish locks, piped in.

"Oi! Odagiri managed to say a sentence!" exclaimed Hyuga Kousuke, one of his noisy friends.

The others managed to just smile. Then they all bid their teacher goodbye.

***

When she was in the faculty room, Head Teacher Sawatari-sensei eyed Yankumi suspiciously. The monkey-looking teacher noticed Megane-chan to be in a happy mood. So he approached her with that airy mien of his.

"What's with that smile, Yamaguchi-sensei? Did you do anything to Class 3-D to make you this happy? Did you plan of doing something unnecessary?"

"Iie, of course not, Head Teacher. I'm just happy because I have done, with all my sweat and love, to teach my precious students the Pythagorean Theorem this very day. And they participated well."

And standing up, Yankumi raised her hands on the air, forming a fist, like one demonstrating in a rally.

"And I, Yamaguchi Kumiko, shall do my very best, with you all teachers here, to teach the students what is right and just, so that they can all graduate with flying colors and face the colorful future heads held high!"

Another teacher, Baba-sensei, joined her in her charade, but Yankumi just looked at him with her eyebrows knit. Shiratori-sensei just sighed and continued brushing her long wavy hair, rolling her eyeballs at Baba-sensei's obvious but blunt acts to get really close to Yankumi.

***

"Oi, Yankumi, still not going home yet?"

A familiar voice cut off her thoughts. She turned towards the voice and smiled at the person.

"Tsuchiya! Where are the others? Yabuki, Odagiri, Hayato and Takeda? Did they all go to the arcade again?"

The tall guy shook his head. "They all head off to The Hide Out. I decided to just go home and head to the takoyaki store because my Onee-chan wanted some…and I was hoping I can also find you there, Yankumi…"

Yankumi blushed. She then faced her imaginary camera and giggled. She didn't know if Tsuchiya liked her or he was just bluffing. But it's just the same. At least, after that incident with Miyazaki-san, Yankumi could prove her joke worth coming true. Then her unrequited love would be exchanged with love after all.

"Don't tell me you're in love with her!" kidded some of Tsuchiya's classmates

"No, I'm not! She's just a kid. I prefer older women." Tsuchiya remarked with a smirk at Hyuga.

"Older women? You mean me?" Yankumi smiled, the quiver reaching both ears.

The other students backed from their places, their jaws dropped from that shameless remark.

"Oh, don't look at me that way!"

A hand waved over her face. "Yankumi, daijobou? I was hoping to find you at the takoyaki shop because I wanted to ask you to teach me more about our assignment. I can't seem to understand your lesson this afternoon… and it's nothing to do with anything." Tsuchiya sternly answered.

Yankumi slapped her forehead with her usual carelessness. Then she smiled and told her student to go with her to the takoyaki shop.

Meanwhile, one of the store tenders, Minoru, turned a takoyaki from its place, and then ate it while still hot. Their delicacy has never tasted this good lately. Aniki had managed to add something just to let the beautiful Ojou be impressed with his cooking skills. Minoru shook his head. He knew that Tetsu, his aniki, had always been in love with his Ojou. But then, she seems to be always in love with one guy after another, only to experience heart aches and unrequited loves. Moreover, she was also the fourth generation heir to the Oedo household, which is a secret underground group, a member of the Yakuza Gang. But Ojou didn't want to take over; she has her plans. It is because she had always wanted to become a teacher…

Speaking of the devil…

"Oi, Minoru, Tetsu, konnichiwa!"

"Ojou!" the two men greeted her. Then they were caught by their own carelessness. Tetsu spank Minoru's head. Yankumi gave them a nonverbal tick, threatening them that she'll kill them afterwards. But then, Tsuchiya piped in.

"I already knew your secret, remember, Yankumi? Don't worry, we won't expose you …there's not even one okami around here," Tsuchiya added, smiling down at Yankumi and patting her head. Okami is a street word for police, a slang meaning bobby or bob in English.

"A…arigatoo gozaimsu, Tsuchiya. I know I can really trust you. You're really my precious student. I'll give you free takoyaki today, you don't have to pay for it. I'll pay it myself," Yankumi profusely thanked him, letting him be seated in the bench and asking Minoru to pack two boxes for her student, handing him some paper bills. Tsuchiya smirked. What a bribe! He knew that his teacher hates corruption, but it seems like when it concerns her identity, she has to use her Yakuza skills to turn things around.

***

"Kaho-chan, heading home now, eh?" Hihara said as he appeared from nowhere. His kouhai smiled innocently and shook her head. The afternoon breeze swayed her crimson hear and cooling off the sweat from her dainty face.

"Iie. I still have to wait for Tsuchiura-kun. He told me there's a takoyaki shop near the shrine, and he wanted to take me there. He also has something to give me, I don't know. But he said he also has something to say to me. Could it be that important? Do you know what it could be, Hihara-senpai?"

Hihara gave a fake chuckle. Of course not, he wouldn't want to know. He wouldn't want to be his rival's confidant either, especially if the matters concern Hino, the concours' male participants' goddess. Whenever Hino's around, the guys' rhythms become out of sync. She just never fails to delight them all in her own naïveté. Only Shimizu-kun, Hino's kouhai, sees her as the reason for his discovery of the lyric sheet in his heart. With regards to matters of love, he didn't care. All he cared for was dozing off, eating, playing the cello, and then dozing off again.

"Ne? Nandesu ka, Senpai? Did I say something wrong?" Hino asked innocently. If only there is an imaginary hand that would whack Hino's head for her sheer naïveté and stupidity. How could she have not notice that every guy liked her? Hihara-senpai was the most vocal about it. Yunoki-senpai was way too flirty and manipulative, showing only to her his bipolar attitude. Kaji-kun too was way too over-expressive. Tsukimori-kun, though he never showed it to anybody, was becoming kinder to Hino. Did he suddenly fall for her? And then, Tsuchiura-kun, her guy friend from Class 2-5, her ubiquitous guardian angel. Or stalker? But he was always there for her when she needed someone, so he couldn't be a stalker.

Their conversation was cut off when Tsuchiura arrived. The sleeve of his uniform was folded as he pressed something from his arm. Hino, upon seeing him, rushed to his side.

"Are you hurt, Tsuchiura-kun? What's with that cotton on your arm?" Oi, since when did Hino become so concerned for Tsuchiura? Does she also harbor feelings for him too?

"Iie. I'm fine. It's just that there was a free bloodletting activity at the school clinic, and I volunteered. It is, after all, healthy for me and I get to help other people too. It feels good to know that the blood I give goes to someone who needs it," he smirked.

"Oh, that one sponsored by the hospital? Yeah, I planned to donate too, but I just had my teeth extracted, and the phlebotomist said I'd be deferred for a year. Too bad. I have such big, succulent veins," sighed Hihara

Bloodletting 101

For those not familiar with this procedure, its other term means blood donation.

A phlebotomist is a person who extracts blood samples.

Venipuncture means the act of getting blood.

If a person has had a tooth extraction, he is temporarily deferred for a year, since it is also considered an operation, though a minor one.

For a person to donate blood, one consideration is the enormity of the donor's veins. The median cubital vein, that big vein in the center of the arm fold when you flex your arm, usually is the vein of choice. To palpate {another word for feel or touch} that vein, a tourniquet is used. A tourniquet is that rubber band held fast on the arm, 2 - 3 cm above the arm folds, to constrict the blood vessels and make the veins easily seen. To see a vein, it is that greenish network one sees beneath our skins. To feel a vein, it feels bouncy when touched, especially if a tourniquet is used.

A donor can't be given permission to donate blood especially if he has smaller veins for the simple reason that the needle used is big. The rule of thumb is that the smaller the number {or gauge}, the bigger the needle bore. Hence, the gauge 18 needle has a bigger bore than a gauge 25 needle. The blood bag's needle is gauge 18. If it happens that the vein is small, and the needle is inserted, there is a tendency for the veins to collapse, if not in the beginning of the procedure, maybe halfway. A collapsed vein cannot give any more blood. If that happens there is an incorrect anticoagulant to blood ratio. The blood then is rendered useless. Generally, for 450ml blood, 63ml of anticoagulant is needed. An anticoagulant is that additive in the blood bag that prevents blood from clotting. It is so that clotted blood will not be transfused to the patient, as this is dangerous and painful. The donor may also experience in his arm some slight hematoma if the needle is forced through his vein. A hematoma is that violet-reddish discoloration resulting from the leaking of the blood into the interstitial tissues. It helps to put a warm or cold compress. Also, a hematoma would naturally disappear by itself like the bruises one experiences after a bump.

The procedure is a sterile technique. The area is cleansed with 3 changes of iodine solution, alcohol and dry cotton. Of course, the cottons used had to be autoclaved, which is a manner of sterilization or a process of making something 100% germ-free. Then the blood donation takes place. The donor usually is handed with a tension ball for the blood to be pumped to the blood bag. The procedure usually takes 6-10 minutes. After the procedure, the donor is asked to rest or is given a light snack. He is not allowed to go out ASAP, lest he might collapse due to lack of blood, a term in medicine called syncope {pronounced as sin-co-pay, as in pay your bills}, or fainting.

There are many considerations and procedures needed for one to donate blood, pre- and post blood donation, but the author simply can't write all down. It'll take up my space in the computer. For more information, just go to your nearest blood bank center and asked them. It is better that one asks his blood bank medical technologist because each blood bank center has its own protocols in deferring or accepting donors. The procedures the author stated here are some of the general procedures, but then again, it is better to ask. Better yet, if a reader plans to take up a carrier after high school, the course of clinical laboratory science is the course to take {medical technology in some areas}.

An yeong hekeseyo!

Hino let out a sigh. She thought that her friend was in trouble. She'd be worried if something bad happens to Tsuchiura. But then again, why is she feeling this way for her friend, if he really is just a friend? Then, she got hold of his hand nonchalantly, reminding him of his promise. The green-haired heartthrob chuckled as he was amused. Hino did remember. She is like a child who reminds his grandfather of that gift he promised for him for Christmas.

"Ne? We shall go then, shall we, Hino-chan?" Hino-chan? Oh, he's acting too familiar with her now, Hihara thought. But then Tsuchiura still used her surname. Unknown to him, Hino's name in Tsuchiura's phone book list is Kahoko. Mr. Pianist had managed to hide his feelings for her and had called her intimately only in the mobile phone. Tsk tsk….

"Hai!"

"Well, Hihara-senpai, would you like to join us too?" Tsuchiura asked in a friendly tone. He saw Hihara as a rival to Hino's heart, but he was not that dangerous compared to Tsukimori, the Iceberg. The noisy guy smiled and agreed. After all, they were going to a place where there is food. And Hihara loves to eat a lot. Not that he would mind spending so much for it though. He feels that food was made for him, and that an invisible thread connects him to every delicious food on Earth. Well, with that takoyaki stand near the shrine, he heard that it was good. He loves takoyaki, and that takoyaki stand would now be added to his list of fave food shops.

TO BE CONTINUED