Title:

Lost and Found

Author:

Fucked if I Know

Characters:

Yankumi, Shin, Uchi, Noda, Kuma, Minami, OC, Various others

Rating:

Teen, for language and violence.

Spoilers:

Gokusen Live Action Drama Season One

Summary:

When Yamaguchi Kumiko took on the task of molding the class of 3-D, she was expecting to have a few rotten eggs. What she got instead was a crowd of rowdy, delinquents, with no actual direction in life. She takes on the task of shaping these teens up, showing them that in this world friends are a necessity, life's not easy, and that no one's opinions matter but those who care about you. Of course, she was not expecting to deal with the new kid. His attitude is twice as bad, and his mouth is little more than reckless. He seems to give not only her, but the entire faculty the cold shoulder, but he also manages to nip out of trouble whether involved or not. What secrets are he hiding from not only her, but all of 3-D?

Disclaimer:

All recognizable material (characters/concepts/etc.) belongs to the copyright holder(s) of said material. I don't make money from writing fanfiction and don't claim to own any of the copyrighted material. Violation/infringement of copyrighted works is not intended. Original characters and some of the plot are all that I own.

Chapter Three

After school had let out, the group had decided on making their way to the local karaoke bar in hopes of bringing Kuma out of his sudden despondent mood. They were crossing the bridge that hung over the Sakura River when they noticed the crowd lingering about. The pauses simultaneously, eyebrows furrowed as they watched the other Shirokin students leaning over the railings and pull back, laughing meanly at whatever was down there.

"Oi, Uchiyama." One of the male's called, a grin on his face."Come 'ere."

The group looked at one another, silently communicating their sudden curiosity with single glance. Slowly, almost hesitantly, they made their way towards where everyone was gathered, and they peered over the railing.

"Wow, she's crazy." Minami commented, stifling the sudden bout of laughter that came to him as he took in the scene before him.

Kuma though, was left speechless by the sight that met his eyes. There was Yamaguchi-sensei, searching through the filthy water of the Sakura River for the bag that he knew she would never find. Her powder blue suit was dotted with black spots from the murky water, though she didn't seem to notice that fact.

Shin gazed upon the sight with detachment. He recalled her words from earlier, her persistence in trying to convince them that she was indeed different, that she was nothing like the other staff members that had already written them off, and her she was trying to prove her point.

He almost thought her pathetic.

They watched as she picked sifted through the murky water, found an object, and discarded it after realizing that it was in fact, not what she was looking for. It was only when she had locked on to the thin string hanging limply from a branch jutting out of the water, and tugged on it so hard the branch snapped and sent her hurtling into the murky water that they said anything else.

"Aren't you insane?" Uchi called out to her. Three of the five chortled in amusement at her commitment to the task.

"It's too early to play in water." Noda teased loudly, hoping she'd hear the sarcasm in his words.

"If that's a teacher, I could be one too." Minami told the group, nudging his friend. The comment resulted in a round of laughter from the group, though most of them had little to no idea as to why she was searching through the filthy river water.

Shin sucked in a breath, releasing it mere moment's after he'd regained his composure. "Ikuzo." He commanded, voice piercing through the boisterous laughs and gaining the attention of the group.

Minami, Noda, and Uchi bid goodbyes to their friends, and lead the way to the karaoke bar, still laughing at the sight behind them. Shin followed after them, though he turned to look back, noting that Kuma had yet to move from his position. "Kuma." He waited for the other teen to look at him, before nodding towards the others. "Ikuzo."

Kuma switched his gaze back to the scene for a momentarily, before nodding and moving to follow his friend.

"Wow. She's serious about finding that bag. Such passion!" Fujiyama-sensei stated. Both her and Kawashima-sensei had left the office as the sun was beginning to set. They made their way across the bridge, coming to a stop when they noticed their co-worker below, sifting through the water.

"What an interesting teacher!" Kawashima-sensei remarked with a brief smile.

Beside the two women stood Asakura Tetsu, along with his friend Tatsukawa Minoru. The two watched the Ooedo successor with slightly wide eyes, both wondering why she was down there. "Ojou..."

"I wonder what she's doing?" Minoru began curiously. "It seems like she's looking for something. Shall I go help?" He asked, and then without waiting for an answer flung a leg over the railing, almost as if to jump down there and run to her aid.

"Don't!" Tetsu ordered, placing a hand on his companions arm. "If we get involved. she'll be in trouble." He went on to say, trying to reason with the man. "That's the path she chose."

Even as the curious crowd began to disperse, Yamaguchi-sensei continued to look. She hoped she'd be able to find the bag Kuma had told her about before morning, so that she would lose neither him nor Shuuichirou.

When the sky had began to darken the teens exited the pool house, and made their way to the karaoke club. At least three of them excited. Once they got to their booth the party began, though Shin himself could tell that Kuma was having a hard time trying to forget what he had witnessed and enjoy himself.

The larger teen was distant at best. Constantly biting his lip guiltily, and unable to answer questions asked of him. Shin could tell that he was worried about the rookie teacher.

"Don't worry about that teacher." Shin told the other teen while his other companions were focused on the song they were currently singing. Jumping around on the cushioned seats to the beat of the song.

"But..."

"You don't have to believe her, that teacher." Shin went on to say, though he knew that that wasn't the only thing bothering the larger youth. "And the new guy, Shuuichirou...he'll get over it, I'm sure. He doesn't seem like the type to actually hold a grudge."

Kuma but his lip. The words did little to reassure him, though he felt he could trust his friends words, "Un." Then he turned away from Shin. After a moment of contemplation he reached out to grab a microphone, and immersed himself in the music, trying to leave his guilty conscience behind.

Early the next morning, minutes after the sun rose found Kumai Teruo sprinting through the town, making his way towards the Sakura River overpass. He peered over the railing trying to catch a glimpse of the tracksuit clad woman.

When he saw no sign of her, he slammed his open palm on the metal railing and then made his way to the slope that led towards the water. He craned his neck to the right, nothing. Then he turned to the left, his eyes widened. There she was, still sifting through the water. 'I believe what Kumai and Shiraga said.' Her words from the previous day echoed through his mind. 'It's a teacher's duty to believe students.'

He watched as she panted, swiping an arm across her forehead. There were newly formed bruises under her eyes, and her eyes themselves were bloodshot due to lack of sleep, or so he assumed. The woman slouched forward, prepared to continue on with the search, as if she hadn't been there all night. "Yaaaah!" Kuma cried in a sudden fit of disbelief. He moved in her direction, charging through the murk liquid.

Yamaguchi-sensei looked up at the sound, surprised. She watched her student propel himself through the water and towards her. He came to a stop a few feet before her, hands settled on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Kumai." She murmured, still surprised by his arrival. "Don't just stand there and pant. You look for it too." Then she bent over, fingers landing on the rocks below, still searching for the brightly colored bag. "As things stand, both you and Shiraga will be seen as thieves. You'll get kicked out."

Kuma looked down at her, his face angry and guilty at the same time. "Are you dumb or what?" He asked, not moving an inch.

"Whatever. Just look for it." The woman instructed, moving to the other side of the river.

"There's no way you'll find it." He went on to say.

"Don't give up." She encouraged, her voice just as determined as it had been yesterday when she'd declared her belief in the two teens.

There was a moment of silence before Kuma cried out, "I lied. It was a big fat lie!"

Yamaguchi-sensei paused in her actions, then she slowly straightened and turned to face the boy.

"I stole it."

"Kuma!" A voice suddenly roared. Two sets of eyes swiveled to focus on Shin who stood at the bank of the river. The teen was currently glaring at his friend, and in one swift motion he had propelled himself forward until he was standing beside the larger teen, gazing at the woman defiantly.

"Shin." Kuma murmured bewildered by the sudden appearance. He turned to address his friend.

"What are you saying?" Shin hissed, shoving at the larger teen's shoulder. "Do you know what'll happen if you tell such a thing to a teacher? You'll get kicked out! Shuuichirou too!"

"I know." Kuma sighed, hanging his head.

"No, you don't!" Shin then turned to address the teacher, his features harsh and unforgiving. "Oi! You believe us? You're our teacher? Huh?" He sneered, pacing towards the woman who stood silent. "Don't make me laugh! We don't believe what teachers say. Going through this charade," He continued moving even closer to her,"forcing Kuma to confess...You'll turn him in won't you? And Shuuichirou too, regardless of the fact that he's only just arrived? You'll get rid of them to save the school's reputation, won't you?!"

Yamaguchi-sensei stayed silent, though her gaze shifted towards the angry teen.

"Say something." He snapped, irritated with the look she gave him.

She ignored him completely, instead looking over his shoulder at Kuma. "You really did it, ne? And...what about Irie?"

"Kuma!" Shin tried to stop, knowing that his friend as willing to admit to the crime.

Kuma looked at his friends back, and then switched his gaze to his teacher. "Shuuichirou...he had nothing to do with it. It was all me." Shin looked back at his friend, disbelief evident in his brown orbs. "The Head Teacher dropped it near the bathroom. That bastard has always picked on us, so I decided to get back at him."

"I see." Yamaguchi-sensei released a puff of air. Then she moved closer to the boy and said, "You've done enough. Let's return the money."

"I don't have it."

"You don't?" She blinked, startled by the information she'd just received. "Don't kid around. It's five hundred thousand yen. You spent it all?"

"It was taken from me." Kuma denied. "Those guys took the money to settle the fight."

"The money is gone." Shin piped up, from his position behind the two. "What are you gonna do? Sell Kuma out? And that new kid as well?" He paused, letting the words sink in. "If you do that, I'll never forgive you."

"I will...get the money back."

The two gaped at their teacher. "You have no chance against them!" Kuma declared, shaking his head at the proclamation.

"I said I'll get it back!" Yamaguchi-sensei retorted loudly. "But before that..." She paced forward, stepping closer to the heavyset teen."Kumai. Let me hit you once."

"Eh?" The boy gaped, only for the woman's fist to meet his jaw powerfully. He was sent flying backwards, landing flat on his back in the filthy water. Both him and Shin gaped at the woman. surprised by the fierce movement.

"Don't ever do something rotten like stealing!" She ordered. "You guys are a disgrace to delinquents." She paused, letting her words sink in. "Making fun of teachers is fine. Getting into fights is fine. But don't do anything cowardly! Be delinquents with pride and dignity." Then she turned, ready to make her way towards the the place where the thugs were. "You two. Get to school quickly." She walked away, her face set into a determined scowl.

"Tou-san. Kaa-san." Father. Mother. "I've decided." She murmured to herself. "I'll take on these guys until the end. I'll be a teacher to those outcasts."

Below, with their feet still submerged in the liquid Shin decided it was time to speak. "Kuma. You go on ahead." Then he turned, and began sprinting after the woman.

In a warehouse not too far off from the Sakura River sat a group of men. They were laughing, smoking, gambling. Each having a good time, though all of that came to an abrupt halt when the sound of banging echoed throughout the area.

From their positions in the chairs the could see the door. A tremor ran through the metallic structure after every 'boom', and the occupants got to their feet, hesitant to move any closer.

Finally after what seemed like hours, the door fell off it's hinges. The bang that it caused resonated throughout the abandoned warehouse as the door dropped to the ground, revealing a petite woman with her hair loose carrying a sledgehammer.

The woman's searing gaze focused on the members of the ragtag group of criminals, and slowly she moved forward. Each of her steps slow, and measured.

"Oh, just a girl. I was scared there for a second." One of the men dismissed as she stepped closer. The other guys laughed, patting each other on the backs.

The leader of the group stepped forward to address her., watching as she moved towards the desk where a yellow bag sat. "Who the hell are you?"

Instead of answering she picked up the bag, turning it this way and that as she examined it. She set it down after a moment, moving to the side so that she could look all the men in the eyes. "I'll take back the five hundred thousand yen that was in the bag." She ignored the laughter that her statement received. "You took it from a Shirokin student named Kumai, didn't you?"

"Oh, that brat we played with that night..." The leader hummed, causing the others to grin and chortle with laughter.

"Wasn't the money a bit much for just playing around?" The female retorted, her tone just a bit harsher than it had been two minutes prior.

"Don't you kid around!" The leader growled, advancing towards the woman. He made to grab at the collar of her sweatshirt, though he was stopped when the woman latched onto his outstretched arm and twisted it behind his back roughly.

The group gaped at her for a few seconds, before another charged at her recklessly. This one was grabbed by his jacket and tossed over the aluminium desk that sat just behind her. The other men moved forward, ready to defend themselves, though they came to a halt when faced with her deadly glare.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Me?" She asked, her eyes steadily becoming darker and more sinister. She advanced, causing all the men to step back, terrified. "I'm the homeroom teacher of the student you played with."

Thirty minutes later found Sawada Shin charging into the very same warehouse, wondering why that woman, that stupid, stupid woman would go alone. He stopped at the entrance surprised to find the door knocked off it's hinges. His brown orbs swept across the area, searching for any evidence of live. His breath caught in his throat as his eyes fell onto the pile situated by the aluminium desk. There, piled on atop another, sat a pile of men, groaning in pain with their bodies littered with bruises of varying sizes.

"As you all know, there's been a theft at the school." Headteacher began, his voice echoing throughout the gymnasium. "We already know who did it. We can hand them over to the police. However, out of the spirit of leniency, if the thieves reconsider and return the money, I'm willing to simply dismiss them from school and leave it at that. 3-D Kumai Teruo, Irie Shuuichirou." All eyes turned to the two, each with a different emotion shining in their orbs.

"Come forward."

Shuuichirou gritted his teeth, then shoved past Kuma angrily, making his way towards the stage. Kuma followed behind, his head hung low. Both Head Teacher and Washio-sensei met them at the foot of the steps leading towards the stage. "Now, apologize for your crime that offended everyone and ruined the reputation of the school." Headteacher ordered, folding his hands behind his back.

"Do the right thing, since you're leaving the school." Washio-sensei said, offering some advice of his own. Then he placed a hand on Kuma's shoulder, turning him so that he faced the crowd. He did the same thing to the redhead, who glared at the offending appendage situated on his shoulder. He pressed down with force, attempting to push the two to their knees. "Kneel down!" He barked, noting the two teens refusal. He kicked the back of Shuuichirou's knee, following the same course of action with Kuma.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing?!" Uchi growled as he, Noda, and Minami pushed forward ready to defend their friends. Even if they were doubting the redhead's loyalty, he was still apart of 3-D , and 3-D stuck together regardless. All of 3-D pressed forward, each of them running at either Washio-sensei or Headteacher.

Shin, who had stood at the door, raced forward. He shoved through the crowd, only coming to a stop at the edge of the stage which Headteacher had fled to.

"I'll kick all of you out!" Headteacher snapped, pointing at the rowdy group congregated at his feet.

"Don't lay a hand on my students!" Yamaguchi-sensei's voice echoed over the chaos, causing everything to come to a halt. All eyes turned to her form, surprised by the outburst. She glided forward, the crowd dispersing around her and made her way toward the stage where Head Teacher was waiting.

"Why is she dressed like that?" Fujiyama-sensei asked softly, eyebrows furrowed.

"Headteacher." She addressed, her voice cordial. "I found this..." Here she held up a yellow bag, similar to the one Headteacher had described the day before.

"What's that?" The man asked, shifting nervously.

"It's the money bag you were in charge of, isn't it?" Yamaguchi-sensei observed.

The teachers rushed forward at that, each of them wanting to see the bag with their own eyes. Headteacher himself stepped off the stage, and made a grab for the bag. "Where was it?" He questioned, opening it.

"The trash can, the one near the boys bathroom."

The man was silent for a moment, his eyes rolled skywards as he went through the events that had transpired during the week. "That day..."

"That day?" Yamaguchi-sensei repeated loudly, eyes innocently wide.

"Ano...well...no...uh..." Head Teacher stammered, not knowing what to say.

"So that means it was you mistake after all." Kawashima-sensei piped up, folding her arms beneath her breasts with a smirk. "Correct?"

"Well, that's so, isn't it?"

"What's he saying?"

"Kumai-kun." Washio-sensei called, moving towards the teen. "Irie-kun."

"Well, it's nothing to worry about. Everyone makes mistakes." Yamaguchi-sensei placated with a wide grin. She moved toward her group of students congregated at the bottom of the stage, patting they're shoulders. "Okay. Come on. Go back. Come on now. Back to your classes."

"But the money..." Kuma murmured softly as he approached the woman.

"Urusai." Yamaguchi-sensei ordered gently, avoiding his eyes. "Are you trying to embarrass me?" She then turned towards the stage, and moved towards the microphone.

"Yamaguchi-sensei! Chotto matte!" The Headteacher called up to her, wondering what she was doing.

She ignored him, instead bringing the microphone to her lips. "Alright, you guys. Now listen carefully. Indeed, the 3-D students are a hopeless case. Demo, I happened to become the homeroom teacher of that class." She paused, her orbs flitting across the faces of each of her students. "This must be fate."

"Well said!" Kawashima-sensei praised from her place in the crowd.

Yamaguchi-sensei and Shin made eye contact for a brief moment before he turned away, leading his his group, as well as the rest of his classmates back towards the classroom.

"No matter what happens I'll make sure everyone of you graduates."She promised loudly, causing the footsteps to come to an abrupt halt. Most of the students turned to her, eyes shining with various emotions.

Disbelief, anger, apathy, guilt, relief.

Though there was one that was evident on their faces;

Hope.

Shuuichirou, back turned to both the woman and the group let out a scoffing laugh, recalling a time when he had heard such promises, and the result that came afterwards. He shook his head, slamming the door's of the auditorium open, "It'd be a cold day in hell before I believe that, lady."

Sawada Shin was inclined to agree with those vehement words as he too exited the auditorium.

MayYourBaconBurn: Ah, thank you so much for the praise, I really appreciate it! I apologize for the late reply, I've been busy trying to get things together for the fall and whatnot, so updates may be sporadic, so...once again sorry. Oh, I'm following the Live Action Drama, it's different from both the manga and the anime, but I do plan on incorporating bits from the manga, and possibly the anime.

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