Disclaimer: Gokusen is not mine. Nor does any of the characters from Gokusen belong to me.
Recap: Yankumi mistook Shin for a pervert over the phone and inadvertently cancelled the wedding. Shin called back and explained. So wedding was back on. Imani finally escaped from Ren, but was told she had to stay in Hong Kong to provide testimony and a statement.
Chapter 11 A Matter of Timing
For the day before the wedding, Yankumi was unusually refreshed and relaxed all thanks to Shin. She was in such a state that she totally forgot all of the woes and cares of the week. She was so happy that she couldn't wait to tell her adopted sister about all of the wonderful things Shin had done for her the previous afternoon. That's when panic set in and all of the cares and woes came flooding back to haunt her. "OH MY GOD!" Yankumi yelled, distressed.
Shin shot up out of a deep sleep in the next bed over, alert and alarmed. "What is it? What's wrong? What happened? What's the matter?"
"I was just thinking how happy I was and how I couldn't wait to tell Imani about all of the things that you did for me and how much fun I had with you yesterday, and then I remembered that I hadn't heard from her yesterday, and I didn't even call her. Plus, I had my phone off so I don't know if she tried to call me. What if she did and didn't get me and doesn't know where I am and is in a state of panic?" Yankumi spoke rapidly.
"Okay, okay, okay." Shin got up and came over to Yankumi and put his arms around her waist. "Calm down, Kumiko. The only one in a state of panic is you. I heard from your little sister while you were in the spa, yesterday."
"But I thought you turned your phone off too." Yankumi wailed.
"I did, but I knew you would be worried about her. So I turned it back on to call her and just in time for her to call me. And she told me to tell you not to worry. She'll be here this evening for rehearsal." Shin rubbed her hair.
Yankumi relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. She'll make it this afternoon." Then she had a sudden thought. "Wait doesn't that mean she is still in Hong Kong? Isn't she supposed to be in Tokyo by now?"
"She said that she would explain when she sees you." Shin lied to Yankumi. "So stop worrying and let us order breakfast and have it in bed. After all, we will be unable to spend too much more time alone together before the wedding ceremony." Yankumi nodded and relaxed.
5 a.m. Hong Kong
Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, Imani woke up panicked and in a frenzy. She looked at the clock. "Dad, please tell me that this is still Thursday."
"Nope, you slept for more than 12 hours." He replied.
"Why didn't you wake me up last night? I wanted to finish giving my statement so that I could leave on the first flight this morning." Imani complained.
"I know. I tried to wake you up last night to eat, but apparently going for more than 12 hours without food, drink, and sleep and expending all of your energy to beat up your kidnapper took a lot out of you. According to the doctor, you fainted due to exhaustion. You and I both know that if your body shuts down for that long of a time, then you obviously are craving sleep. Anyway, you must be starving. I ordered a full breakfast. So eat and get ready, and we'll go to the police station and then catch a morning flight back to Japan."
Imani nodded and shoveled food in her mouth in record time. Her father eyed her. "You do know that that is not good for you, especially after not having eaten anything in a day."
Imani brushed him off. "I'll deal with the consequences later. Now let's pack and get going to the police station."
"I don't think they will be too happy to take your statement at 6:30 in the morning." Her father noted.
"Does the police station ever close? No, so whatever. Let's go." She ordered. They left for the police station.
10:00 a.m. Hong Kong Time
"Okay Ms., er Dr. Harrison, we're all done. You can leave and catch your plane."
"Is the police escort ready?" Her father asked.
The detective in charge looked at her father. "We didn't think you were serious about that."
Her father returned the look of the man and took out his cell phone. "Let's see. I have the police commissioner's phone number on speed dial."
The man blocked him from making the call. "Alright, we'll be ready in five minutes."
Imani looked at her watch. "That will barely give us enough time."
The detective saw the anxious girl and recalled what she had been through. "I'll call the airport and ask them to hold the plane for you two in case you don't make it in time. Do you need to check your luggage?"
Her father shook his head. "We already have our bags packed and checked in. We just need a ride."
Within five minutes, they were heading out of the station. As they walked by the front desk, a police officer called the detective. "Sir, this lady says she is looking for some doctor that saved her kid yesterday. She said you would know about it."
The little girl looked over. "There she is Mommy." They came over to Imani.
"My little girl and I wanted to thank you for yesterday. Can we buy you a cup of tea or something?" The lady asked.
"Please." The little girl asked.
Her father looked at her watch. "At this rate, we won't make our flight."
"I'll call them and tell them to hold the plane a little longer." The detective told her.
Imani looked at the time, put her head down, and shook it. "That won't be necessary. I don't want to hold anyone up. Daddy, you go ahead. I'll catch the next flight, and tell them I'll be late."
"Are you sure this is okay sweetheart?" Her father asked.
Imani lifted her head, smiled, then picked up the little girl from her mother, and nodded. "How often do I get to have tea with such a pretty little sister? Miko will understand."
They nodded and parted ways. She had tea, and they gave her a picture of the little girl and took some pictures together in a sticker photo booth. It was only twenty minutes later, but that twenty minutes meant a lot to Imani.
Her father called her to let her know that he had reached the airport and made the plane. "Good, send everyone my best."
"Don't worry honey. Come straight to the airport. I've prepared something for you, and you'll be able to leave as soon as you arrive." Her father told her.
"What do you mean?" Imani asked.
"I knew that this might happen. So I sent Ken back with the plane. The only reason that we didn't bring the plane in the first place was the need to keep a low profile. Since Ren already found out that you were here, there is no need to keep a low profile. So, Ken should be waiting for you when you arrive, and you can leave whenever you like." Her father explained.
"Daddy, thank you. I love you. If I was there with you now, I would give you a big hug. Please pack my clothes for me and check in at the hotel and explain to Miko what happened, leaving out the relevant details." Imani asked.
"Don't worry I know what to do. And I love you too." Her father replied.
1:30 p.m. Hotel in Tokyo
Kekkon sama looked at her watch. She asked one of her assistants. "Has all of the wedding party members arrived and checked in?"
"Everyone except for the maiden of honor." Ai responded.
"What? Did she call you, or did you get in touch with her?" Kekkon sama asked.
"Yes, I called her but didn't get her at first. She called back to let me know that she was arriving at the airport and should land in a few hours." Ai responded.
"Have a car at the airport waiting for her to bring her here first thing." Kekkon sama replied.
"That won't be necessary. I already have someone waiting for her when she lands." Kenazawa Sensei told her.
"Kenazawa sensei, what are you doing here, and why isn't your daughter with you?" Kekkon sama asked.
"That is what I was just going to ask." Yankumi strode up. "Uncle, it is good to see you." She hugged the tall Asian man. "But where is Imani?"
"Hello Miko. She is still in Hong Kong. She should be boarding the plan right now and should arrive in a couple of hours." He explained.
"What? Why? Why didn't she travel with you?" Yankumi asked.
"Well, there was a little girl that was separated from her mom on Wednesday when we were in Hong Kong. You know how Imani feels about that so she helped the mother to recover her daughter. It took a day for that to happen. As we were leaving this morning, the mother and daughter came looking for Imani to thank her causing her to miss the flight. She sent me a head to tell you not to worry. She really wanted to be here, but you understand." Her father explained leaving out relevant details.
Miko smiled proudly, nodding. "Yes, I do. I also know how grateful that little girl must be to her. I feel the same way. It's okay. I know she'll be here."
Kekkon sama frowned. "Well, if that was the case why didn't she just say so? Why did that guy who answered her phone claim to be her soul m…" Kekkon sama didn't finish because Kenazawa sensei yanked her away out of Yankumi's hearing.
He gave her a sinister look. "Look, Kekkon sama, didn't my daughter tell you not to mention that to Yankumi?" She nodded. "Then you will keep your word, and don't you have enough to deal with getting ready for the wedding without having to stick your nose into my daughter's personal affairs?"
"Y-yes." She smiled tightly and turned to go. She looked around, then pulled out a flask when she didn't see anyone, and took a swig. "I swear the whole lot of them are gangsters." She put the flask away, smoothed out her hair and clothes, and continued on her way. She had only taken a few steps when she bumped into something big and broad. She looked up to find the man with the scar scowling down at her. She stepped back surprised.
Kyou then smiled. "Look, if you want the good stuff that really works, you should try this." He pulled out a flask, opened it, and handed it to her. "Go ahead and take a swig. I don't care about no indirect kiss or nuthin. I ain't a kid, and neither are you."
"I don't know what you are talking about. This is simply headache medicine." Kekkon sama was flustered.
"Right, headache medicine. Well, trust me. This stuff will get rid of what ails you." She looked up at him contemplating. He nodded. "Go ahead."
She took a drink, turned pale, then frowned, and coughed. Once she recovered, she took another swig. Then she whispered to him. "Look, where can I get some of this (she cleared her throat) headache medicine? I need a big bottle, and I'll pay whatever."
Kyou smiled. "Meet me later. I'll get it for you free of charge. Consider it a 'thank you gift' for taking care of our Ojou." He winked at her and left. She stared after him and then also walked away.
Meanwhile, Shirokin 3D were walking around and looking over the hotel. "Shin, man, this place is the best. I've never seen something so ritzy." Noda noted.
"Yeah, but why are there so many people dressed up in costumes? Does the staff have some type of Cosplay Friday where they dress in costumes?" Minami asked.
"No, they are having an anime convention here. It ends tomorrow." Shin said.
"Ohhhh." The other four men replied.
"Well, this ain't too bad." Minami said as they all stared at a girl with a red wig on, dressed in a maid's outfit pass by.
They headed for the ball room where the reception would be and opened it to find it dark, filled with booths and all types of space craft, balloons of anime characters, and other paraphernalia lining the ceilings and walls. They stared at it.
"Dude, isn't this where your reception is supposed to be?" Uchi asked. Shin nodded. "And it is supposed to be ready for a wedding atmosphere by tomorrow?" Uchi shook his head. "That is one construction project that is going to be huge." They all nodded.
"What's going to be huge?" Yankumi asked popping up out of nowhere.
They quickly slammed the door and stood in front of it to block Yankumi from seeing it.
"The … the wedding." Kuma said.
"Y-Yeah." Noda nodded and smiled nervously.
Yankumi looked at the name plate next to the door. "Oh, is this where our reception will be? Can I see it?" She reached for the door handle.
"No!!" They all shouted at once and crossed the hands in front of them, blocking her.
"I mean." Uchi began. "It's a mess in there. It's really scary. You don't want to see it."
"Eh?" Yankumi was anxious.
Shin put his arm around Yankumi and began to lead her away. "What he means is that they are in the process of moving things around and decorating them for the wedding. So it is pure chaos in there. Why don't you wait until it is finished to go look in there? I'm sure Kekkon sama will let you know when it is ready." Yankumi nodded. "By the way, has Imani arrived yet?" Shin tried to distract her by changing the subject.
Yankumi shook her head. "No, but Uncle arrived. He said she should be landing soon, and he has someone waiting to pick her up at the airport. She should arrive in plenty of time."
"Oh, so she got res…" Shin glared at Kuma while the other three hit him on the back of his head and covered his mouth.
"Eh?" Yankumi looked around at Kuma.
"Nothing. Kuma, shouldn't you be preparing for the rehearsal dinner?" Shin asked.
"Oh, I have everything all prepared. The meet is all seasoned, all of my cooking utensils are here, the hotel provided the wait staff, and all I need to do is to begin cooking two hours before dinner." Kuma smiled.
"How nice for you." Shin replied drolly, smirking at Kuma. "Anyway, why did she and Uncle travel separately?"
"Oh, she helped a mother find her lost little girl, and they wanted to thank her. So she missed her flight to spend time with them." Yankumi said proudly.
"Sounds just like her." Shin said and glanced at the other guys to warn them not to respond.
3:00 p.m. Tokyo in an Airplane
"Empress, Tokyo airport says that you will have to land at a private air field a couple of miles away because they do not have a runway where you can land right now." Ken told her.
"Let Daddy know and get someone to be on standby at the private airfield to take me directly over to the hotel." Imani replied.
"Already done, Empress." Ken replied.
"Excellent," she nodded and smiled.
3:00 p.m. At the Hotel
Kenazawa hung up the phone and went to find Kekkon sama and Yankumi to relay the news.
"Will she get back in time for the rehearsal? It is in 2 hours. When does she land? How far away is she? Where are her clothes? Can she be ready? Do we have to start exactly on time? Can we wait for her? I'll tell you right now that I am not going down that aisle until she is here." Yankumi began to panic.
Shin held her hand. "Okay, calm down. I'm sure Uncle has everything under control. She'll be here as soon as she can, and we can start when she is ready." Shin assured her and then turned to look at Kenazawa sensei and Kekkon sama for confirmation. They both nodded in agreement.
"Fine, but as soon as she lands, I want to know. Uchi, I expect you to wait for her and escort her as soon as she arrives to where she needs to be." Yankumi grasped him by the collar.
"Yes Ma'am." Uchi saluted her.
Kekkon sama took charge. "Yamaguchi sensei, why don't we go to the room where the wedding ceremony will take place and let's go for your final fitting for both the wedding and reception gowns? Also, why don't you and the groom practice your dance for tomorrow?" She took Yankumi's arm and led her off, followed by Shin.
3:45 p.m. Private Air Field
Imani stepped off the plane, called her father, and then stopped to find her ride in front of her on a black and silver motorcycle and dressed in all leather. She ran up to him and hugged him. "Tsuchi!" He reached down and kissed her, lifting her up and holding her. "What are you doing here? Aren't you busy? Isn't your deadline today for the new volume?" She asked after they broke the kiss.
"I turned it in early. Your dad said you needed a ride to the hotel. Of course I told him I wouldn't mind chauffer duty. By the way, what took you so long to get back? Was the case that difficult? Or did something happen?" Tsuchi turned on the motorcycle.
"Well, the wheels of justice in this court turn really slowly. The judge was new and thought Ren couldn't really have done all those things since he was a model prisoner in jail, etc. Also the police and others wanted me to provide additional evidence about what happened. Anyway, I'm back now and I'd like to focus on the wedding." Imani changed the subject quickly. Now I know why Dad had me dress in all leather today. Imani thought.
3:47 p.m. Hotel
Kenazawa sensei hung up the phone with his daughter and found Yankumi and Kekkon sama to relay the message.
Yankumi was happy, but then began giving orders. "Uchi, you go outside and look for her and wait until she arrives. Then take her to her room and make sure she gets to the rehearsal room as soon as she can."
Uchi nodded and headed off but then stopped. He turned back. "Ah, Yankumi, I still don't know what she looks like. How will I know if it is her?" Uchi replied.
"She's foreign and one of a kind. She looks like a doll." Yankumi replied.
Shin shook his head. "I'll wait with him and identify her for them."
Yankumi nodded and was about to turn away when Kurogin 3D sans Tsuchi and Shiratori sensei arrived. "Yankumi!" The four boys yelled. Then they all went over to her and greeted her.
"Yankumi, look good, no glasses, no ponytails, and you are actually wearing a dress that fits good on you. You look like a woman." Yabuki looked her over and walked around her.
"Eh? That's because I am a woman." Yankumi responded.
"I know but when you were our teacher you looked …" Yabuki was interrupted by Odagiri.
"You look beautiful is what he was trying to say." Odagiri finished for Yabuki, glaring at him and smiling at Yankumi. "How are you? It's good to see you. It's been a long time."
"You look like you are doing well. You cut your hair in the back and let it grow in the front. It looks good on you. You look so mature and handsome now." Yankumi smiled at him. Odagiri blushed.
Shin turned back to watch the interchange between the two and sauntered over. "Shouldn't you greet everyone?" He remarked wryly.
She looked at Shin and asked. "Shouldn't you be on your way to meet Imani?" Then she looked around him and took his advice. "Shiratori sensei, it's good to see you."
"Yamaguchi sensei, how are you? You look great. You're skin is so pretty. It's practically glowing. Love must agree with you." Shiratori sensei replied. Then she looked around. "Eh, where is everyone else in the wedding party?"
As she asked, Fujiyama sensei, Kawashima sensei, Tetsu, Minoru, Natsumi, Mariko, and other wedding party members came up and spoke. "Kekkon sama, I think there may be a small problem." One of her assistants spoke.
Shiratori sensei ran over to grab Tetsu's arm. "Tetsu san, it is so good to see you again. Eh, but what happened to your leg?"
"Oh, this. This happened when I was preparing for the wedding." He was leaning on a cane.
"Oh, you poor, brave, man, willing to sacrifice yourself for Yamaguchi sensei's happiness." Shiratori pinched his cheek, bat her eyelashes and smiled. "Don't worry. If you need help, you can lean on me." She looped her arm into his.
Fujiyama sensei looked at the two and scoffed. She came over in an instant. "Well, don't you worry. If he needs someone to lean on, he can lean on me. I'm in the wedding so he will most likely be escorting me down the aisle. You don't have to trouble yourself. I'm sure you can make yourself useful somewhere else." Fujiyama took Shiratori's arm off of Tetsu and put his arm into hers and smiled at her triumphantly.
Shiratori sensei stamped her foot and pouted. "Well, it's really no trouble at all. I don't have any duties until tomorrow at the wedding to greet people and have them sign in. I'm sure that since you are in the wedding, you will have too much to do to get ready. After all, it will take some time to make you look young, sexy, and beautiful." Fujiyama sensei's jaw dropped at Shiratori's comments. "Besides, I owe Tetsu san since he saved me. He's my knight in shining armor." She looked away dreamily.
"Well, he was my knight first. He saved me first, and I've known him longer. So you can leave him to me." Fujiyama sensei stood taller and stuck out her chest and smiled at Shiratori sensei.
"Don't you have to get ready for the rehearsal? Surely, you aren't going looking like that?" Shiratori sensei responded.
"Eh?" Fujiyama sensei responded and then dropped Tetsu's arm and leaned closer into Shiratori's face. "What's wrong with the way I look? It doesn't matter since I still look better than you."
Everyone watched the interchange between the two teachers, amused. Ai then remembered why she had come to talk to Kekkon sama. "Kekkon sama, I think we may have an issue. I'm not sure that Tetsu san will be able to walk anyone down the aisle."
"Can we accommodate him in a wheelchair?" Kekkon sama asked.
Ai shook her head. "I don't think so. We had to narrow the aisle to accommodate all of the additional guests."
Kekkon sama looked around and then grabbed Yabuki. "You are almost his height. Come with us to get measured." She pulled Yabuki away, followed by her assistant and Tetsu and Minoru.
Yankumi stayed behind to chat with Kurogin 3D while Shin and Uchi left to greet the maiden of honor.
4:00 p.m. Streets of Tokyo
Tsuchi yelled back to Imani. "We should make good timing unless we run into traf …" He stopped because no sooner had he begun the statement than they exited onto a street that was engulfed in traffic.
Imani hit him on the helmet. "You were saying?" She asked sarcastically. Then she had a thought. "Use the GPS on your bike's panel and see if there are any alternative routes to get there."
Tsuchi nodded and checked. He found one and turned off immediately at a side street.
4:05 p.m. Hotel
Shin hung up the phone with Imani. "She said she ran into traffic but found an alternate route and should be here in about 15 – 20 minutes."
"So Shin, what is this sister of Yankumi's really like? I know you didn't really want to talk in front of the guys, but now that we are alone can you tell me what she is like?"
Shin looked around. "I wouldn't say that we are exactly alone."
Uchi looked around surprised to see Kuma, Minami, and Noda behind him. He scowled. "What are you guys doing here?"
"I'm here to say hello. I haven't seen her in a while." Kuma said. "I don't know about these guys."
"Well, we wanted to see what she really looked like. You see I thought about what Shin said, and it didn't make sense." Noda started. "If she is being stalked and kidnapped by all these guys, and if she has a boyfriend, I figure she has to be a hottie. So, I wanted to see for myself." Noda finished.
"Me too." Minami held up his hand.
Uchi turned around and sighed. "So what does she really look like then?"
Shin thought. "Why should I ruin the surprise? She'll be here any moment. All I can say is that she is unique, and you'll know her when you see her."
4:10 p.m. Back Roads of Tokyo
"Tsuchi, can't you go any faster? We're so close, but at this rate, we'll never get there." Imani complained.
"Hey, I'm not familiar with these streets, and I have to go slow since I don't know what is up ahead. Do you want to drive? If so, be my guest." He pulled over and stopped the bike.
Imani jumped off and smiled. "Really? I thought you'd never ask." She hopped on the motorcycle and gunned the motor. "Scoot back and hold on tight." She sped away with tires screeching.
Tsuchi was thinking. This is what I get for being sarcastic.
4:15 p.m., Front of the Hotel
"So then if you can't tell us what she looks like, tell us what she is like." Uchi requested.
"Like I said, she is just like Yankumi only the opposite." Shin replied.
"But that doesn't tell us anything. Come on give us some details." Minami asked.
"Tell us what work she does. I know that she is a teacher, but what does she teach? Uchi asked.
"Uhm, she is not just a teacher. She is a professor in Mechanical Engineering. You and she share some common interests Uchi. She is in your line of work designing and building houses. I don't know if you heard of the typhoon house project, but she is the one leading that project." Shin explained.
"That's her? Man, now I can't wait to meet her." Uchi said.
4:20 p.m., Front of the Hotel Driveway
Imani pulled up to the semi-circular shaped hotel driveway only to find it blocked by a diesel truck parked perpendicular to the entrance. "I don't believe this." She put the bike in gear and drove to the other side only to find it blocked by a pickup truck, also blocking it perpendicular to the entry. She looked to see if she could pass by. She exhaled, frustrated. "I don't freakin' believe it." She drove up to where the window of the pickup truck was. "Excuse me sir, could you please pull up your truck a little to let me get by?"
He looked at her. "Why don't you go around? I gotta be here because I'm waiting to load my truck with equipment from some convention."
"I understand that sir, but there is semi-truck parked at the other entrance blocking it. There is a wedding starting at 5:00 p.m., and I'm in it. So, I would really appreciate it if you could scoot your truck up or back just a little bit to allow me to pass." Imani asked again.
"What to do? The hotel gave me permission to be here. You'll just have to wait." He threw out a cigarette and rolled up his window.
Imani scowled and then looked around. "Tsuchi, get off the bike, go find my father, and get the key for my room. I'm going to park the bike."
"Imani, don't do anything that will lead to anyone getting hurt." Tsuchi warned.
"Tsuchi, just go do what I asked you, please." She added sweetly.
He went into the hotel, found her father and retrieved the keys. In the mean time, he ran into Odagiri, Takeda, and Hyuga.
"Hey guys, when did you get here?" Tsuchi smiled and greeted them.
"Not too long ago. Where's your better half?" Hyuga teased him.
"She's parking the bike." Tsuchi replied.
"What kind of gentleman are you? Shouldn't you be doing that?" Takeda asked.
He shook his head. "You'll understand when you see."
Front of the hotel 4:23 p.m.
Uchi looked at his watch. "When is she going to arrive? Shouldn't she be here already? Yankumi's going to flip her lid if Imani doesn't hurry up and come."
As he was speaking they heard the loud engine of a motorcycle being gunned and next thing they know they saw a bike come flying over a truck and then land with the rider of the bike skidding to a stop, lean it to one side and put out the kick stand. Finally, the bike rider took off the helmet and shook out her long, wavy hair.
Shin smiled. "Gentlemen, I believe our maiden of honor has arrived."
(A/N): Usually I add a summary to the end of the chapter as the narrator, but this time I preferred to end it here. I liked it this way better. I had originally planned for Tetsu to also confess to Yankumi on that Thursday and then decide against it after he saw the Uma No O get beat, but since I had his leg broken, I thought he went through enough. Instead, I thought it would be nice for the two teachers to fight over him since he doesn't get the girl, Yankumi. So the next chapter will continue just as this one is completed.