A.N.: At last, the 6th chapter! It's not much, but I already threw in the charity event. It's not a major climax in the story. I'm just bubbling up the excitement; this is just the start of a roller-coaster ride! Keep supporting the Gokusen fanfic society people! Maybe someday we'll get to see the REAL Gokusen 3…
That's it, then… Read on, folks…
blaine36
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After dinner Yankumi went out to the balcony, breathing in the fresh air. She was really worried about the upcoming charity event, but she trusted her grandfather's judgment. It was still a dangerous act for the whole Yakuza world, but she knew that Kuroda knows what he is doing. He is a wise man, after all.
"Worried about the event?" Uchi came next to her.
"I don't know," she sighed. "I trust what my grandfather thinks is right… But, it's too dangerous! What if something happens?"
"I know a way to keep those pompous civilians' paws off the Yakuza groups," said Uchi.
"Huh?" Yankumi turned to stare at him.
"You, the gorgeous granddaughter of Sakishima CEO. You'll be the belle of the ball."
"Wha--?" Yankumi turned red. "Uchiyama! What are you playing at!?"
"Nothing, just an idea," said Uchi, smirking.
"B-but, you…"
"Heh, you're already pretty, you just have to sway your hips with the music of the rich and stuck-up." Uchi said.
"You! Take that back!" Yankumi punched his shoulder.
"Oh, and I would like to be the lucky man who will take the beautiful granddaughter to the ball, and be the object of everyone's envy." Uchi said, leaning back on the railing, staring at her.
"I…" Yankumi's face, if possible, grew redder.
"What, you don't want me to be your date?" said Uchi. "Still thinking about asking that cop Shinohara, I suppose." He added, just loud enough for Yankumi to hear.
"No! I'm not thinking about him!" And it was true. Yankumi hadn't once thought about the handsome cop for the past days that Uchi kept him company. "It's just that you… you're my student…"
"Not anymore," said Uchi. "It's been four years since I've graduated, Yankumi. I'm already twenty-two. I'm not your student anymore."
"But still," Yankumi gripped the railing. "I don't think I should-"
"Yankumi," Uchi's firm voice cut her sentence. "I won't give up on you. You're the only girl I ever felt this way."
"Uchiyama…" Yankumi looked up to his eyes.
Uchi went off the railing and walked back inside.
"Nobody else will have you at the 7th," he said as he walked away.
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Shin paced around his office, thinking hard. His father expected him to attend the charity event, but he knew that he'll meet the whole Ooedo kumi there, and that is not supposed to happen.
Oh, and there's the fact that he'll have to bring along Megumi too.
Damn! He ran his hand through his hair, frustrated and not knowing what to do. He knew he'll have to invite Megumi before his father does. And that will make things worse than ever.
He picked up the phone and dialed Megumi's number.
"Hello?" Megumi's voice answered the other line.
"Megumi," Shin said. "I… I just want to ask you something."
"Oh, Shin-san, wh-what is it?" Even through the phone she sounded blushing.
"Uh…" Shin never invited women to dates before. "Th-There's an upcoming charity event this November 7th. I'm to represent my father, and I think I should bring a date." He stopped there, not knowing what to say.
"A-and…?"
"Would-would you like to come with me as my date?" Shin brought his fist to his forehead, punching himself for being so nervous.
"H-huh?" Megumi sounded surprised. "I-I don't…"
"It-It's okay if you don't want to," said Shin, mortally embarrassed. "I understand-"
"N-no!" Megumi cut through his excuse. "I'd love to go with you! I really do!"
Shin sighed, half relieved and half mortified. He was saved by the embarrassment of being turned down, but now he had no excuse to get out of taking Megumi to the event.
"Thanks," he breathed. "I'll-I'll see you then."
"O-okay," said Megumi. "Thank you for inviting me."
"Ja ne," and with that, Shin hung up. He put the phone back and ran a hand through his hair, cursing the fate that brought him to this stupid predicament.
"Dammit," he whispered, plopping down on his chair.
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The much awaited charity event grew nearer and nearer. Kuroda's people in the Ooedo district were bustling around, readying the auction items and various forms of buffet. Tetsu and Minoru were going back and forth around Tokyo chasing after various businessmen and handing them the invitations. Kuroda watched these all with a mild smile on his face.
"Kumiko," he called to his granddaughter, who was sitting beside him, drinking a cup of tea.
"Hai, Ojii-san?"
"I arranged someone to take care of your dress for the event," he said, knocking Yankumi off her seat.
"Wha—!? Ojii-san!" Yankumi whined, climbing up from her fall. "You know I hate doing those!"
"I want you to be beautiful in the event, so that I'll be the envy of all the other grandfathers there," said her grandfather.
"B-but…"
"No buts, Kumiko," said Kuroda. "She'll be coming at the 6th. I wish you to be fully cooperative. It's for you, anyway."
"Oooohhhh…" Yankumi sighed.
And sure enough, the woman arrived before the event. She stared at Yankumi through critical eyes.
"So, this you are the Ojou of the Ooedo kumi, ne?" She said. Tetsu and Minoru nodded.
"Hai, she is Kuroda Ryuiichirou's only granddaughter." Tetsu said.
"Okay, then, let's get you to the boutique." The woman grabbed Yankumi's arm and dragged her out of the Ooedo household. "God knows how long this is gonna take."
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Uchi stood in the hallway of the Ooedo mansion, trying to contain his nervousness. He was supposed to take Yankumi to the charity event, and now he was feeling a little nauseous. He wasn't like this with women. That Ooedo Ojou was the only girl who made him this anxious.
Finally, after an hour of waiting, the door to Yankumi's room opened. Everyone watched as the Yakuza heiress stepped out.
Uchi had to hold on to a chair to stop himself from toppling to the floor.
The kumi's jaws dropped, marveling at how beautiful their Ojou is.
Indeed. Yankumi wasn't wearing the usual yutaka she wore to Yakuza meetings and O-miai. Instead, she had on a lovely pink dress that went down around her feet. Her hair was down, though it was held with a shimmering flower clip. She looked down, blushing as the kumi continued to stare at her. Tetsu, however, couldn't take it and fainted right then and there.
Uchi recovered from his daze and walked over to Yankumi, offering his arm.
"Sh-shall we go, then?"
"H-hai," Yankumi took his arm and they walked out of the house, leaving the kumi who was busy trying to revive the fallen Tetsu.
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It was grand inside the huge ballroom in the Sakishima Enterprises building. Shin, however, have seen enough architectural marvels to last him a lifetime, so he wasn't particularly amazed at the décor. Instead, he was fighting a strong urge to yawn as his date chatted beside him over the mild champagne. Megumi's very pretty this night, he had to admit, with that blue dress that flowed around her knees and the nice hairdo emphasizing her already radiant face, but he couldn't quite bring himself to get interested in whatever she was saying. Apparently the only thing Megumi wanted to talk about tonight was the status of various guests in the charity event. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't quite capture his interest as Shin didn't give a damn about who-owns-what.
"That one is Masumori Taeda. His family has owned the Masumori Hardware corporations for five generations. He's the current CEO, although father doesn't think he has any business abilities in him."
All Shin could do was nod and bury his head in the champagne glass to drown an oncoming yawn.
Megumi then proceeded to rattle about how backwards Masumori was in the business industry, but Shin drowned out what she was saying. He was busy thinking if he's going to see anybody in the Ooedo kumi tonight. He hoped fervently that he won't have to meet Yankumi again.
His train of thought was shoved aside when the huge doors of the ballroom opened to reveal a battalion of intimidating members from the Ooedo clan. The whole hoard of party guests froze as the kumi glared down at them through fierce eyes.
Do these guys even plan to act like businessmen for the rest of the night? Shin wondered as the men clad in tuxes walked inside the bar, revealing an even more elite group of gangsters, including Tetsu, Minoru, and the wakagashira, Wakamatsu.
In the middle stood the main man of the night, Kuroda Ryuiichirou. Megumi gasped as soon as he saw him.
"Is that the Sakishima CEO? Wow, he sure looks like a very good businessman with all those bodyguards!"
Shin didn't answer his fiancée. He's more than just a good businessman. And those aren't just bodyguards. Those were the thoughts that ran inside his head as he surveyed the scene.
Kuroda smiled at his guests and walked inside, leading his small procession of thugs to a nearby table. Shin was thankful nobody recognized his presence just yet.
But, unfortunately for him, that wasn't the last of the show. After the kumi came a gangster of a much more feminine physique, clad in a lovely gown and looking for all the world like a goddess. Shin's breath caught in his throat.
It was Yankumi.
God, she's beautiful. These thoughts came rushing in his head. Four years weren't enough to wash away the one-and-only crush he had for his former teacher. And, judging by the situation now, he wasn't sure if he'll ever hope to be able to.
But that wasn't the only thing that made Shin's breathing clamp shut. For his former sensei's arm was wrapped around Uchiyama's, his former classmate and friend. How he managed to be her date for the party Shin didn't know, but he was sure he had a sick feeling at the pit of his stomach as he tried to accept the couple's arrangements.
"Shin-san, who is that girl?" Megumi asked him.
"I-I don't know," Shin lied, and proceeded to finish his champagne, trying to get drunk but failing.
"She looks pretty," said Megumi admiringly. "But that guy beside her looks kind of average."
Judging by the way Uchi acted around the rest of the Ooedo kumi, Shin knew he wasn't average anymore.
His old colleague led the Ojou to the place where Kuroda and company were gathered. The CEO was now starting to chat away with the guests of the party. Yankumi and Uchi stood there, politely making small talk with some of the other young guest.
"Oh, look, dad's finally going to meet Kuroda Ryuiichirou," Megumi whispered as Kotomori Genzo walked towards were the CEO was situated and made greetings with him. Kuroda chatted merrily with him as if they were old friends, a trait Shin admired in the Ooedo boss.
However, he wasn't prepared for the spectacle Kotomori was going to cause. He seemed to be getting along quite well with Kuroda that he started introducing friends to him. And by 'friends' he meant Shin and Megumi.
"Shin! Megumi!" Kotomori-san beckoned them to come over. Smiling, Megumi dragged a reluctant Shin to where his father and Kuroda stood.
"Kuroda-san, this is my daughter, Megumi." He gestured towards his pretty child and Megumi greeted him politely.
"And this is Sawada Shin, his father's representative tonight and my daughter's fiancé." He smiled at a quiet Shin who was trying to stay away unnoticed, but was quite unable to.
"Ah, Shin-chan, it's nice to see you again," Kuroda greeted him cheerily. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"
Tetsu and Minoru, who weren't quite able to contain their excitement, dashed towards a totally unprepared Shin.
"Shin-chan!"
"You're here!"
The two strong thugs enveloped Shin in a big bear hug, almost choking him. Kuroda chuckled as Shin struggled for breath inside the huge embrace.
"My dear men, try not to cut off Shin's air," Kuroda reminded them. Tetsu and Minoru immediately loosened their hold on Shin, though they still had those happy looks in their faces.
"You have no idea how often we prayed to the gods only so you'll show up tonight," Tetsu told him.
"It seems like they heard our prayers after all," said Minoru happily.
"You two… you sent the letter to my father?"
"Aww, we knew your father was too much of a prude to attend the charity event," said Minoru, not quite thinking. "Ouch!" He yelped as Tetsu smacked him at the back of the head.
"Eh, what Minoru meant was that your father was too busy. We predicted he'd let you go instead," said Tetsu.
"You!" Shin hissed. "Didn't you even remember a single word I've said in the bar before you sent the invitation?"
"Huh?"
"At the bar near Keiko University!" Shin whispered just loud for them to hear.
"Aw, we got drunk, Shin-chan," said Minoru offhandedly. "You're here now anyway. There's no point leaving just because you don't want to see her."
Shin glared at the two before sulking back to Kuroda and Kotomori-san. Megumi stared at him confusingly as he stood beside her again.
"You know them, Shin-san?"
"Yes, I was wondering about that too, Shin," Kotomori-san chimed in.
"W-well, um, they…" Shin started to explain, but he was cut off when a surprised voice called his name.
"Sawada!" Yankumi elbowed her way through to him. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm a businessman, baka," Shin mumbled as Yankumi and the others stared at him.
"You are?" Yankumi said confusedly.
"I work at my father's firm, remember?" said Shin. "I'm here to represent him."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Sawada Shin's former teacher at Shirokin Gakuin, Yamaguchi Kumiko!" She bowed at Kotomori-san and Megumi. "Are you his relatives?"
"Shin is my future son-in-law, Yamaguchi-sensei," said Kotomori-san.
"Oh? So, you're engaged, eh? Sawada?" Yankumi said, smiling at the quiet Shin. "I didn't think you'd -grow so quickly! Last time you were all 'I-don't-want-a-girlfriend' crap, but now, look at you! You're already ringing the wedding bells!"
"Shut up about it," Shin muttered at her.
"Haha, don't get shy now, Sawada!" Yankumi said, pushing him playfully at the shoulder. "I'm so proud that you're finally in a relationship! It's so cute to see you go all fuzzy and blushing!"
"I'm not blushing," Sawada protested at Yankumi.
"Of course you are! Uchiyama!" Yankumi reached between the crowd of gangsters and pulled Uchi out of it, placing him in front of Sawada. "Hey, did you know Sawada's already engaged?"
Uchi stared at him. Now all Shin wanted to do was to get out of here before his former friend caused a scene. "Sawada." He said curtly in greeting.
"You're here, then," Sawada said in the same manner.
Yankumi, who was watching the exchange with anxious eyes, cut between them. "Oi, you two. It's a party. You're supposed to act all cheerful and drunk and greet each other like old friends!"
"What's he doing here anyway?" Uchiyama asked.
"I was invited. What are you doing here?" Shin answered back.
"If you didn't notice so far, I'm here to accompany Yankumi. I'm here as her date," Uchi said.
"She doesn't need a date," said Shin.
"Yes, she does," said Uchiyama. "Every girl need's a date."
"She's different."
Yankumi cut between them again before the small talk could go to a full blown fight. "Heeeey… We're in a party, remember?" She said meaningfully, glancing at the small crowd of people who are watching them.
Uchiyama removed his glare from Sawada. "If you don't mind, I'm outta here." He walked away from the crowd.
"Oh, I apologize for him," said Yankumi to Kotomori-san. "I understand why those two can't get along now, it's just too hard for them." She then saw Megumi beside the curious businessman. "So, you must be Shin's girlfriend, if I'm not mistaken?"
"I'm Kotomori Megumi," Megumi reached out her hand and shook with hers. "I'm Shin-san's fiancée."
"Now I know what got Shin to date!" Yankumi said cheerfully. "You're so pretty, Megumi-chan."
Megumi blushed. "Th-thank you, Yamaguchi-sensei."
"No problem, it's the truth! Isn't it, Sawada?" She glanced at the quiet Sawada.
"Y-yeah," he muttered, although he'd rather not admit it.
"See? Oh, you two look perfect together!" Yankumi said. "I'm so happy, Sawada!"
"Don't be," Sawada said irritably. Brushing off his comments, Yankumi smiled sweetly at Megumi and Kotomori-san.
"I'm sorry, but I have to catch up with Uchiyama-kun," she said. "I'll leave you to enjoy the party, then!"
"We won't keep you, Yamaguchi-sensei," said Kotomori-san politely. "Go talk to him."
Yankumi smiled at them again and left, leaving Shin staring after her. Megumi noticed his sullen look for the first time in the evening.
"Shin-san, what's the matter?"
"Oh, n-nothing," Shin pulled his eyes away from Yankumi with difficulty. Megumi raised her eyebrows but said nothing, deciding not to push the matter with him.
Deciding he couldn't just stay put in this place, Shin walked away from the group of businessmen mingling. Megumi called after him.
" Shin-san? Where are you going?"
"I'm going to the men's room," he replied and walked on, leaving Megumi surrounded by the crowd of other guests.
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A.N.: Um, that makes up the 6th chapter of my little fic here. I divided the charity even into two chapters, and the 7th is coming up next. I hope you like where things are going here. I think you can notice that the Shin/Uchi rivalry is livening up!
I need to know if you have any ideas for the story, just to keep me from having a writer's block (it takes months for me to overcome it, y'know). I have a lot mapped up in my mind already, but it doesn't hurt to know what the readers want. This fic, after all, is for Gokusen fans all around.
I hope you like the fic, guys. Thanks for reading! Please take time to type a review after you read, it lifts up my spirits – a lot!
Sayonara!
blaine36