Title: Profound Contract
Author: NausicaA
Disclaimer: Gokusen is not mine…save for the characters that I've created solely for this story.
Author's Note: Just to clarify, this follows the drama storyline mostly and picks up four years after Shin 'went to Africa'. Kumiko's already been to Kurogin, but since I haven't seen the third season, I've improvised her life since Season 2. Just in case there is any confusion, Shin has not adopted a separate persona…he is still irrevocably himself…just a little more kick-ass. He's coming soon, I promise. Kaze is my own creation and useful to the plot….mostly. Also, I've adopted the Japanese way of ordering names, putting the first name last. So, Takeda is the family name, with Shuichi being the given name, etc.
Special thanks to Ayuki who did the beta work for this chapter! Thank you also to lavlilac, J Luc Pitard, darkladyxion959, and ilovereading567; as well as everyone who has been waiting so patiently for the third chapter. I'm so glad finals are over!
Happy Reading!
Chapter 3—First Sighting
Kumiko hadn't been carried in someone's arms since she was seven. It was the first day she arrived to live with her Grandfather, Kyou, and Wakamatsu after her parent's death. She'd torn her hand out of Kyou's and thrown herself to the ground sobbing loudly, refusing to go inside. Kyou had been bewildered, never having dealt much with children before. He'd attempted to coax her in with the promise of sweets, but she'd only cried harder, curling herself into a ball. Then she'd heard a voice, compelling and strong.
"Get up Kumiko."
There was no choice but to look, turning her head up to peer into the face of an older man. The lines of his face showed his lengthening years as he gazed down at her.
"You must get up," he repeated firmly.
She obeyed sluggishly and reached up to rub a fist over an eye, still crying softly.
"That's a good girl," he said, "You know who I am, don't you?" She nodded.
He bent over and held out his hand, "Come with me, young one. It'll be alright." Sniffling, she took his outstretched hand as he led her through the door, Kyou following closely behind.
They'd just reached the stairs when she let out a rather large sob, her knees buckling. Strong arms swept her up instantly and carried her the rest of the way up. Cradling her carefully against him, he let Kyou open the door, and moved forward to lay her on the bed.
Curling up tightly, it took only moments before she was asleep. They checked her over once more and after closing the door halfway, quietly made their way downstairs.
"Kumichou...what are we going to do with her?" Kyou whispered and took the sake cup the older man offered him, sipping from it slowly.
"What else can we do? She is Kaiya's child. I failed in my duty as a father to her; I will not also fail my granddaughter," Kuroda said, his mouth tightening at the edges.
Kyou nodded. "I agree that there is no one else to raise her, that's not what I'm worried about," he said hesitantly.
"You can speak freely with me, my friend," Kuroda laid his hand on the younger man's shoulder gently.
"It's a heavy legacy you carry; one that your daughter fled to escape."
Kuroda held his emotions in, allowing nothing to darken his eyes. He knew he needed to let Kyou say his piece.
Pouring them both another cup of sake, Kyou continued, "You've changed much over the past decade…as have I. I'm not the same as I was when I first came here at the young age of fifteen. Time has shown that power has the capability of attracting trouble as much as it can repel it. Kumichou…sooner or later she'll have to make a choice. Will you let her make that choice with her own strength of character?"
Sipping thoughtfully, Kuroda replied without hesitation. "She will have to deal with challenges in either choice she makes, but it will be hers."
"And if he comes back?" Kyou asked, tone grave.
"Takeda Jun is a troubled young man, and I'm just sorry I let his father down in my handling of him," Kuroda sighed deeply, finishing off his sake in one gulp, "if he comes back, it'll only be for one reason."
"That boy hasn't a single honorable bone in his body," Kyou said heatedly, eyes rising to meet those of his Kumichou. A wordless conversation took place as they stared at one another.
Finally Kuroda broke the silence, setting his now empty cup down; he spoke, "It's been a year since he left us. I spoke with Shuichi. He hasn't been contacted by him since, but we've both agreed that he will come back. Mostly likely just biding his time; he's a very clever young man."
"Isn't that just a nice way of saying what he really is? Devious is the word I'd use," Kyou turned to look at the staircase. "Should we tell her?"
"One day it will be necessary. For now, we'll let her grow up normally—," he stopped at Kyou's deadpan look and winced. "Alright, we'll let her grow up as normal as she can in an all-men Yakuza influenced household."
Both men let out a hearty chuckle, and turned to pour each other another drink. Unbeknownst to them, a young girl stood at the top of the staircase clutching her pillow as she listened to their conversation.
Memories battered at her mind as she slept fitfully, even after the car had stopped and she felt long arms pick her up and carry her from the car up to her bedroom. As she curled into herself, she felt a sense of déjà vu of another day similar to this one. Choking softly, she buried her face in the pillow and willed herself to sleep, falling into a half-dreaming, half-remembering slumber. Tossing and turning, she drifted from one memory to another, all about her grandfather, until she woke with a start. Beads of sweat clung to her back and neck. The last dream she'd had was about the conversation she'd listened in on the night she'd come to live in this house. It was all so blurry.
Words swam through her head as she whispered one name into the darkness. "Shin…"
The sound of his name was like a shot of adrenaline, and she found herself instantly alert. She hadn't talked to him in four years. She'd seen him off at the airport with his friends as he ventured into the unknown, to Africa. Had he come back to Japan yet? Was he married? Did he have children? Somehow the last two thoughts left her unsettled instead of content. It must be because he had been one of her best students that she would always cherish. She missed his advice…and yes, even the way he'd situated himself so comfortably into her home life, her haven.
Sitting up in her bed, she pushed back her hair and listened carefully. The house was silent; everyone was most likely all in bed. Embarrassment followed that thought, when she considered how out of it she must have been for one of them to carry her all the way upstairs without waking up completely.
Feeling uncomfortable and sticky, she stood and moved over to the room's circular window, intending to open it and let in the cool night air—and froze. The moon was bright, and lit up her yard with a vibrant glow, including the figure standing at the gateway of the house. Dressed all in black from head to toe, it was impossible to tell if it was a male or female, as it stood, head pointed directly up at her window. She felt a trickle of uneasiness crawl up her spine and felt her body give a slight shiver as she stared at the sinister image the figure made.
Briefly she wondered if she was dreaming again before common sense and years of training kicked in when the figure took a single deliberate step towards the house. Threatening? Yes. Dangerous? She huffed loudly. That remained to be seen.
Spinning on her heels, she tore down the stairs, almost tripping on the kimono she'd fallen asleep in, grabbed a katana from the mantelpiece and rushed out the front door—skidding to a halt. Walking to the middle of the pathway, she stopped halfway to where the figure had been.
It was dark, much darker than normal and she stilled when she realized that whoever was standing at the gate had left. She growled internally and her hand tightened reflexively on the handle of her sword. It wasn't like her to act without thinking. She was impulsive by nature, but not stupid.
The sign that held the characters of her family's name swung back and forth slowly. Prickles teased at the back of her head as she tensed. Someone was watching her.
Hearing a snap behind her, she whirled around. Kyou and Wakamatsu were standing in the doorway, each with their own katana in hand looking at her with a mixture of agitation and worry. She could have spit. This was not the way she wanted them to find out.
"What…," Kyou began punctuating each word roughly, his eyes sparking with annoyance, "are you doing?" Wakamatsu looked around nervously, scanning the surrounding area.
Now she could have lied, could have made up any excuse she thought would do the trick, but looking into both their eyes, all she could feel was overwhelming resignation…and okay, maybe a touch of nerves. She glanced around the yard again, gaze resting on the gate.
"Ojou!" Kyou snapped.
The feeling of being watched never left; even as she blew past them both into the entrance hall, placing her sword carefully back onto the mantelpiece.
"You're keeping something from us," Wakamatsu stated. He turned and shared a look with Kyou, both their eyes unreadable.
Curiosity and a touch of guilt in hers, she walked over and sat down at the table in the adjoining room, pulling her legs underneath herself. A pot of untouched tea rested on the table, two cups beside it. The green liquid inside was still steaming, and she inwardly winced at the thought of being so distracted she didn't even notice them as she ran by.
Glancing at them briefly as they settled on the opposite side of the table, she noticed they were watching her carefully, Kyou especially.
"That makes both of us then," Kumiko said as she grabbed an empty cup and filled it halfway with tea.
Closing her eyes, she sipped it carefully and sighed deeply, letting the warmth of the tea relax her body. When she opened them, Kyou was still looking at her consideringly and Wakamatsu still looked worried. Amusement seeped a little into her soft brown eyes. As emotionally strung out as she was right now, she loved them.
"You left out a couple things, didn't you?" Kyou asked gruffly. She could tell he was frustrated, only because he cared about her, but darn-it-all, so was she!
"At the time, I didn't want to worry you—", she began, when Kyou cut in.
"You didn't want to worry us? With your safety?" His tone was incredulous.
"It's been a hard week," she stated quietly, looking down at the table before bringing slightly watery eyes up again and continuing. "I know how much you all loved him…both of you knew him before I ever did," she reached up and handed them their tea when she realized they weren't drinking. "I owe you an explanation, though I should have told you right away…probably could have saved myself some confusion as well." She smiled lightly, although it didn't reach her eyes.
"The messenger from the Yoi-gumi." Kyou breathed out.
"Mm, Kaze", she supplied.
Wakamatsu laughed, and both her and Kyou looked at him oddly. He tried to explain and stumbled, "For a messenger…that's…uh…a pretty coincidental name."
Kumiko blinked. "It's not his real name Wakamatsu."
"I know that," he insisted petulantly, and she felt herself smirk into her tea as she took another swallow.
Kyou cleared his throat and moved the teapot to the side after pouring all three of them more. "Kaze then…what else did he tell you?"
"Basically?" She huffed, "Not a whole lot. He was all gibberish and flirting!"
"Flirting?" Kyou's eyebrow twitched.
"Unbelievably. He also mentioned that I should be careful…and that someone might be out to kill me," she said it casually and stared at the inside of her cup. She didn't have to wait long.
Wakamatsu jumped into standing position, "What? Who? We can take em' down!"
Kyou remained sitting and Kumiko looked at him appraisingly. He had his eyes closed, but when he opened them, her own widened at what they saw in there. Worry and anger were the most prevalent, but it was the guilt that surprised her.
"I should have told you about this sooner," he said, his voice was coarse.
"About Takeda Jun?" She asked. The gaze that shot to hers held no small amount of shock.
"Where did you hear that name?" He demanded.
Kumiko shrugged a shoulder, "Kaze said it wasn't his story to tell and to ask either one of you. And here you are, ironically, both of you up at…" she glanced at the clock, "3:36 in the morning. Why?"
Wakamatsu shifted uncomfortably then sat back down. He answered first, "We knew something was going on and were discussing what to do about it when you…" he trailed off, but Kyou picked it up.
"When she flew by like a like a madwoman," and looked at Kumiko. "Ojou, you looked—what were you doing out there?"
She shook her head with disbelief. "No way! You first. Who the hell is Takeda Jun?" Kyou stood up and started to walk away. She blinked before she stood up, about to go after him and drag him back in the room if she had to.
"Kyou!" He turned.
"I'm gonna need some sake for this." She stared at him.
"Sake?" Her face was expressionless before she turned to a cabinet in the corner and brought out a green bottle with white paper wrapping. "That's the best idea I've heard yet today."
They all sat back down at the table again in earlier mimicry of drinking the tea. Kumiko handed them their sake cups before tilting hers all the way back. She gasped and held up the back of her hand to her mouth.
"That's the good stuff," Kyou spoke up, sounding surprised after taking his own swig.
"It's Grandfather's best stash," she replied with a sad smile. Wakamatsu reached out a hand to her shoulder, and looked at Kyou expectantly. Distraction was sometimes all you had.
"I know," he said simply and took a deep breath. "When your mother left to marry your father, your grandfather felt he lost everything. You see, he lost his own wife during their twenties, and Kaiya was all he had. He's a softer man than he used to be. There was a time when he was pushing and training her to be the next Kumichou, and she resisted him every step because she wanted a different life; a different path. She was very much like you, strong-willed and compassionate. When she met your father, your grandfather gave her an ultimatum. She took it…just not the way that Kuroda Ryuichiro expected."
Kumiko broke in, "I know this story Kyou. How is this relevant—?"
"Just listen. Three years later you were born, but you were never told about the years you and your mother were away. A year after Kaiya had eloped with Takeshi, your grandfather's friend, Takeda Shuichi sent his son, Jun, to live with us. At the time he was struggling with another Yakuza group and asked Kuroda to take him in, for safety…for training as well. Jun was nine at the time, and your grandfather always did have a hard time saying 'no' to children…or Takeda-san. Plus, I think he was still hurting from losing his only daughter and wanted a chance at redeeming himself."
Feeling stunned, she tried to absorb everything. Hastily, she held out her empty sake cup toward Wakamatsu who was holding the bottle, eyes still on Kyou. "More." Wakamatsu looked at Kyou hesitantly.
"Ojou…."
"More." And they were pretty sure she meant both of them.
Kyou swirled the clear liquid in his cup and swallowed, "Obviously we don't bring him up much. Those were…trying times." Anyone could tell that wasn't the word he'd wanted to use. "Jun was a precocious child, but even at nine we could see tell-tales in him that worried us. For example," he raised his voice slightly when it looked like she would interrupt again. "For example, we'd often get calls from his school that he manipulated the children into doing things he wanted for him. He also had an unhealthy fondness for others' pain. In summary, at thirteen he was both sadistic and influential. A somewhat troublesome combination. Your grandfather tried to do right with him, raise him like raised you, letting him choose his own path, often offering guidance." He breathed deeply and let it out slowly.
So did she. She crossed her legs and pulled her long dark hair back over her shoulders. "Why didn't my grandfather just send him back to Takeda?"
"He did once; however, Jun came back, saying he'd renounced Shuichi as his father."
"You've got to be kidding."
Kyou kept his face impassive. "Not at all. I don't know what happened between them, but he claimed to be no one's son. I think he was sixteen at the time."
"How long did he live with you?" She inquired curiously.
"Jun left a year before you came to live us, after he turned eighteen. There was an incident. He left after we made it clear that he needed to or we'd make him. He seemed to think he was entitled to take up the position of Kumichou of the Oedo Clan…", he trailed off, eyes going dark.
"And you don't think that's changed recently," she stated honestly.
Kyou leveled his gaze to hers intently. "Kaze mentioned him by name," Kumiko nodded, "If Kaze brought him up, then Shuichi must think he'll try to get to you somehow."
She frowned. "But why?"He looked at her levelly.
"Does it matter? He's unbalanced. Money, power, hurt you, kill you…he's capable of anything." Kyou let a quick snarl escape. "That's it! Wakamatsu?" He called.
"Yes?"
"Find him!"
Kumiko looked between them for a second, confused. "Find who?" She looked at Kyou expectantly, and he had the good grace to look uncomfortable.
She threw her hands up in the air, exasperated, "Someone better tell me soon!"
It was Wakamatsu who finally answered.
"He means…Sawada Shin."
