This was the start of a Yankumi/Tetsu story, but turned into just a reflection on how Yankumi feels being torn between her two lives and what she's giving up to become a teacher. I might extend it into a "Tetsukumi" story later, though I'm not sure.
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Out of the Nest
By
Sorceress Pluto
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The life of a yakuza is more than chivalry and strong family values. Sometimes it involves putting life on the line in activities that push the definition of legal. Sitting among her comrades and subordinates around a hotpot, Yamaguchi Kumiko found it easy to forget the dangerous side to her life. After all, she was now consumed full time with the challenging task of teaching a bunch of third year high school students all the lessons of life and love and manhood before they graduated in little more than a month. The general workings of the group, their protection racket bullied out of businesses and the loan sharks shaking out money out of the poor and hard of luck, did not bother her, but neither was she loath to lend out a hand if the need arose. How many times, after all, had she dropped by the local hostess club to dispose of a few rowdy lurkers? But this made her nervous.
The small branch members of the group, those that did not actually live at the Oedo household, had been busy the last few weeks collecting stolen cars off the streets of Tokyo and the neighboring cities. Not just any old rusted Suzuki, but luxury cars. Acura, BMW, Mercedes. Anyone stupid enough to leave their car within sight no longer had one the next morning. There was a great demand for them in China, enough that the Triads there had decided to make a move and form alliances with the yakuza groups in Japan. Currently an uneasy alliance existed between the two hereditary enemies.
That night the Oedo men had arranged the exchange, bringing 24 of the newest stolen cars to an abandoned warehouse near the docks to be loaded onto the Chinese merchant ships. A few well-placed bribes and they would make it out of the harbor with no trouble, leaving the Oedo group with some strong connections in the upper class gangster world and a hefty amount of cash. Yamaguchi Kumiko or Yankumi as she had come to think of herself, sat alone at the low table next to her grandfather. She was supposed to be grading the latest math test, but marking red X's over scribbles and profanities did not require much concentration and she found her attention instead drifting off to the Oedo men off at work. Tetsu was with them though Minoru remained behind to coordinate the inventory. Right now they would be just arriving at the warehouse, a train of luxury vehicles arriving at 5 minute intervals to throw off any suspicious police . . .
Finally she set down the papers with a sigh. The distraction had passed by too quickly and now she was left only to worry. Like her precious students, she couldn't stand to let them out from under her protection while she sat twiddling her fingers, doing nothing. In the old days, she would have been in the lead of them all, or right behind Kyo-san at least. But it was her own choice, to give it up.
As if sensing her inner toil, Oji-chan offered her a some sake that seemed to have been sitting beside him just for this purpose all evening. She lifted her cup with both hands and held it out, waiting until both their glasses were full before toasting and drinking it back. The alcohol and Oji-chan's presence soothed her a little and he filled their glasses again.
"Don't worry, they are good men and they know what they're doing. They'll be back soon enough, you can't coodle them forever."
She knew what he said was true, but she drank the next shot anyway. They sat like that for what seemed like forever, until the bottle of sake was half empty and the gravel outside still devoid of the approaching sound of footsteps. Yankumi stood up and stretched a bit, walking back and forth, each return trip punctuated by a not so casual glance out the window. She was tired now and would have to wake up early in the morning for school, but she was just on edge enough to be unable to sleep. Oji-chan had already drifted off and she brought a blanket to cover him, putting away the partially empty bottle. Sitting on the edge of the porch, she wrapped her arms around her knees and stared into the darkness.
It was after three when they came home. Some sported a few cuts and bruises; there had been a small scuffle when some of the men just couldn't hold their tempers, but it was quickly broken up and the transaction was a success. She held back tears that she didn't know had been pushing at the back of her eyes, greeting them with a smile and an "Okaeri". Still Tetsu didn't understand why she hugged him or waited until they were all safely back in their rooms before retiring for the night.
In the morning, she headed back to school again, sat in front of the same classroom of unruly children. But perhaps if she seemed to watch them a little more closely, reprimand them a little more harshly, it was only because she was afraid of they day when they too would graduate and emerge from under her wing.
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