Title: Stand By You

Disclaimer: Gokusen characters not mine. Kawakaze Jyuu mine. Shiro mine. :) .

Author's Note: The previous chapters have several typos... to be honest, i've been too lazy to replace them with edited ones. Sorry I haven't replied to the reviews. I really don't know if you're all still reading this, but just in case... I'll reply here. Heheh.

blueprincess16: thank you for reading my work. :) . hope i won't disappoint you!

pyscho-pyro-shrink: thanks for reading the first chapter (hope you'll be able to read this, LoLz) please enjoy :)

Akanishi-San++ sorry about the Japanese words and phrases. I wrote the first chapter a long time ago, when I was still so fired up about using Japanese as much as I could hahah. hope it hasn't discouraged you! I was too lazy to edit chapter1, heheh.

kc: i hope you're still reading this story! I love you for reading and reviewing chapters 1 and 2. :) . why don't you make an account?

FS.Rain:I still haven't decided yet whether Shin will end up with Jyuu or with Yankumi... or whether anybody will end up with anybody for that matter. LoLz . I've already got some ideas, though...

WingedAngelGuardian: i cannot stand flirty girls. :) . thank you for the encouragement in chapter1.

SierralaineWalsh: you and i have yet to find out which girl will have Shin's heart hahahah

nana123: it might just be yankumi and shinohara. ;P .

silentemotions3: thanks, you:)

White Alchemist Taya: he will never admit that he's jealous. Or maybe he will...

---

Chapter Four: All's Well That Ends Well

---

There was an aura of solitude in Shiro's apartment. Jyuu felt it the moment she walked in. It was as though the entire place was filled with thoughts so deep it could suffocate the ordinary person.

When she was led into the living room area, Jyuu wondered again why she was brought there. What could Shiro want to show her? Just as her curiosity was about to make her ask out loud, Shiro told her to sit on the couch while he went to get something from his room. When he got back, he was carrying a brown box that looked like it might have belonged to a girl.

"What's that?" Jyuu couldn't resist asking.

"It was my sister's." Shiro sat on the coffee table, facing Jyuu. He opened the box and took out a picture, which he handed over to his guest. "Look." He pointed to a girl standing next to a young man in the picture.

Jyuu realized the man was Shiro. His hair wasn't bleached like it was now. It was black, and not quite as long. He was wearing a shirt and a pair of jeans. "You looked very different then..." You looked kind, and happy, and normal, she thought. "Is this girl your sister?"

"Yes. Rukko."

Looking at his face, there was no change of expression. But somehow, Jyuu knew that the girl in the picture was dead. Why else would he be showing it to her? She looked closer at the girl's face and was surprised to find that Shiro's sister looked very much like Jyuu herself. "It's uncanny..." her whisper hung in the air. It wasn't in her character to be so silent, but she was so awed by the solemnity of the man in front of her and by the strange likeness between herself and Rukko. "What did she die of?" she finally asked.

"She was sick for a long time. She died while she was in high school." That was all Shiro would say about it.

No wonder... This must be the reason why he takes care of me at Sayuri's. He's treating me like his little sister. Jyuu felt kind of bad that she had to be the one to so strongly remind him of her. "I'm sorry you lost her."

Shiro shrugged. He took the picture from Jyuu and put it back inside the box. "I'm sorry I had to drag you here just for this."

"I'm glad you did." Sincerely. Im glad you did.

The two of them were silent for a moment. Jyuu allowed the room to swallow her. She just didn't want to say anything else. It was as if she had just started to know Shiro more, and it was frightening... the thought that somebody was opening up to her, though not completely. All her life she had kept her relationships external. She didn't care to know about her friends' backgrounds or feelings. She never asked anything personal about them. She lived for herself. She just needed the support once in a while.

But here she was, brought into something that meant a lot to someone else. Horrifying. What bothered her was that despite her fears and selfish nature, she knew she wouldn't be able to resist Shiro. He had just shown her the other side of his character, he had just shared a special part of himself, but he wasn't needy. He was an entity. An enigma. Jyuu was attracted to that. She felt she could be with someone who needed her without clinging too much. And no one else.

---

Shin lifted his head when he heard Jyuu's voice. He watched as she made her way to her seat beside his, chattering all the way.

"I can't go out with you guys tonight, Minami," she was saying. "I have work, remember." She caught Shin's eye. Recalling her encounter with him the night before, Jyuu couldn't help staring at him. Once again, he was Shin the student. Not Shin the friend of the yakuza. What did she expect? Him showing up at school in a suit?

Meanwhile, Shin was also thinking about last night. He wondered what happened after she left with Shiro. He put his head back down and pretended to sleep. A little blank time, that was all he needed to maintain his uncaring attitude. But it was too late. Jyuu had him. Just as Yankumi had him some time ago.

---

"Kuma, have you seen Shin and Jyuu?" Minami asked during lunch time.

The fat boy just shook his head, still eating.

Noda grinned and stood up from the grass. He straightened up and pushed back his hair with his hand. "Shin and Jyuu are on the rooftop."

The other guys looked at him with wide eyes, waiting for him to explain.

"They're just talking," Noda said. "It's best we don't disturb them."

"True, true," Ucchi agreed right away. He and Shin had been close for a long time. He thought it was high time his friend had a female companion. A potential girlfriend, even.

"Do you suppose something's going on that we don't know about?"

"I doubt it, Minami," Noda replied. "Shin's not the type of person who would keep things like that a secret. I mean, if there was something going on between him and Jyuu, we'd know about it as soon as they've gotten it all cleared up."

"I agree," Kuma spoke up. "It would be kind of improper if Shin hides his feelings for Jyuu-chan in front of us. Like he was ashamed of her or something."

Ucchi nodded. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though. Or ahead of them, for that matter... It may be nothing, after all."

"You're right, Ucchi."

The boys all jumped when they heard Yankumi's voice. They saw that she was indeed with them, wearing a wistful expression.

---

"Did you see Kaguro-san after I left?"

Shin nodded slightly.

"Did he say anything?"

"I didn't notice."

Jyuu sighed. Sometimes there was no use talking to this guy.

"Jyuu."

"Hm?"

He wasn't looking at her. Both of them were at the railing, Shin facing out, Jyuu leaning against it. She couldn't see his expression, but she could tell there was something he really wanted to say. She had a feeling she knew what about. "Is it about Shiro?" she finally spoke when Shin stayed quiet.

He still didn't say anything.

"Oi, Shin. What do you want to tell me? Did you call me up here just to shut me out?"

"No." Shin glanced at her lazily. "What happened last night?"

"At Shiro's place?"

"Yes."

"Nothing." Jyuu sweatdropped when Shin looked at her pointedly. "Are you nuts?" she exclaimed when she got what he meant. She shook her head and walked off, intensely irritated. What sort of person did he think she was, anyway? She may have worked as a hostess a couple of times, but she still had her own values. She hurried out of the building and went off to find Noda and the others. At least they didn't think badly of her.

---

Stupid woman, Shin thought, smiling to himself. He hadn't followed after Jyuu, knowing she would cool off soon. In a way, he was glad she reacted that way. He was relieved. Somewhere within him he knew Jyuu wouldn't just lay around with guys, but he wasn't sure before. Besides, they were talking about Shiro, so anything was possible. At least now he knew.

"Sawada-kun."

The red-haired boy tensed a bit. That voice was undeniably capable of cracking his apathy, and he hated that it could. "Nanda?"

Yankumi stood beside him and took a deep breath. She grinned. "It's been a long time since we last talked here." She rested her hands on the railings and looked dreamily at the sky.

Neither of them spoke for a long time.

Then Yankumi broke the silence.

"You're a good boy, Shin. You're a good man."

Shin didn't know what brought that on, but it made him smile.

---

"Hey look! Isn't that the crazy girl Morumi told us about?"

It was after school, and Jyuu was in a hurry to get to Sayuri's with plenty of time to get changed into her customary jeans and shirt. When she heard someone mention a name she was familiar with, she nearly tripped on her own feet. She realized with horror that a group of males was standing nearby, looking at her.

Did they mean me? Her heart beat fast. She clenched her clammy hands.This can't be happening to me.

"You there!" one of the guys called out. They walked over to Jyuu and looked her up and down. "Didn't you use to go to Yazawa High?"

"Yeah," Jyuu answered, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I knew it."

"Soyou're the one who nearly killed Hina," another guy said. "Our friend Tsuyoshi Morumi told us about you. We saw your picture online."

What the fck!? "I have to go." Jyuu tried to push past them, but they blocked her path and surrounded her.

"Where are you going?" the most outspoken of the guys asked with a smirk.

"Move."

"Stop trying to act cool. Why don't you go out with us for a little fun?"

Jyuu glared at him and attempted to get away once more. When someone grabbed her waist, her eyes flashed angrily. Her mind was on the brink of snapping. "Let go of me, asshole," she growled.

Instead of paying attention to her words, the boys got worse. They laughed in her face, pinching and touching her. Jyuu drew the line when somebody carelessly put his hand on her chest. Mustering up all the strength she could in such small space, she punched the first face in her line of sight. The owner yelped both in surprise and pain. Before he could recover, Jyuu's fist hit the side of his head, causing him to stagger backwards.

Several hands gripped her wrists tightly, preventing Jyuu from attacking any of them anymore. Unable to accept such helplessness, Jyuu used her legs instead. She kicked with all her might, making contact with shins and knees and whatever parts there were. She wasn't thinking straight.

Finally, one of the boys got fed up and hit her face hard. The pain stunned her, leaving her immobile for some time. When she regained her senses, the boys were still holding on to her. She glared at those she laid eyes on. "Pathetic. Ganging up on a girl."

Someone hit her face again. "Shut up, bitch."

"Jerk."

Another punch.

It went on like that for nearly thirty minutes. Several times, Jyuu lost consciousness, but she always came to. And when she did, she never stopped mocking them. Every word she said was met with a fist. Just to spite them, Jyuu spit a mouthful of blood in their faces.

At this rate, I'm gonna run out of blood. She struggled to see over the heads of her opponents. Was there no one else there aside from them? They were not very far from Shirokin, but the area was deserted. How unlucky...

"So, is Psycho-Girl finally tame now? What? Have you got nothing more to say?"

I'm not the psycho. I was never the psycho.

"She must have lost all her teeth," another cracked.

"Eat my shorts," Jyuu shot back.

The others laughed, but the one she said those words to got so angry that he knocked his fist on top of her head.

The sound of his bone against her skull was the last Jyuu heard. As the boys scampered off, she sank to her knees and fell face-down on the ground.

Who knew this would happen today?

Tears spilled from her bruised eyes, mixing with the mess of blood on her nose.

I guess there's just no running away from the past.

She closed her eyes as her mind began to black out.

I should've just let her kill me.

---

Time seemed to stand still as Yankumi walked home. She was still basking in the serenity she received from her time with Shin. There was just something about that boy that made her feel calm. As though problems didn't exist. I'll have to cook him dinner sometime soon, to reward him for being so cool.

"NANDA KORE!?" she suddenly yelled. She ran over to the body lying on the ground. "Jyuu! JYUU!" The sight of her bloody face made Yankumi's lips tighten. Who did this to her? She quickly called for help.

Soon after, Jyuu was taken to the hospital. Yankumi couldn't help pacing back and forth in the hallway.

"Oi Yankumi!"

Noda, followed by Shin and the others, went up to their teacher. "How is she?" Noda asked, white-faced.

"Where is she?" For the first time in many years, Kuma wasn't thinking of food. Not even a single bit.

"She's still in there. They've been cleaning her up... and checking for broken bones and all that."

"Is she in real danger?" Minami asked directly.

"I don't know..." Yankumi answered worriedly. "I really don't know."

Through all this, Shin remained silent. He was extremely worried, but it was no good showing the others that. They would just get more anxious.

---

"Where the hell is that girl?" Kaguro grumbled. It was past six o'clock, and the customers were increasing by the minute. The cook was in a bad mood, apparently needing more help than he was having at the moment.

"That girl is going to have it when she gets here," the cook muttered. "If you're not going to fire her, Kaguro, I will."

"Now, now, don't be so harsh. She may have a good reason. But if she doesn't, I'll consider firing her. That might not be a good idea, though... Kyo likes her so." The conversation was cut off when his phone rang. "Hello?"

Kyo coughed from the other end. Somehow he always managed to call whenever his name was mentioned. "Kaguro, Jyuu-chan was attacked this afternoon. She's in the hospital right now." Yankumi had called Kyo and told him to inform Jyuu's boss about what had happened. Kyo, Tetsu and Minoru had wanted to go to the hospital but Yankumi refused to let them. She didn't want to blow her cover with Jyuu yet.

"What do you mean attacked? By who? How is she now? Is it serious?" That girl gets in more trouble than anyone I know. "What the heck happened now?" First, she starved herself. Now, this. Kaguro couldn't help but worry about Jyuu's future.

"I don't know everything yet, but we'll look around for information. I'll even handle this personally. She was beat up badly, and she's lost a lot of blood... Jyuu-chan got a concussion, but I'm told she's just sleeping now."

"What kind of bastard would do that to a girl?" Kaguro kicked at a stool angrily, startling the kitchen staff, including the cook. "Was she... raped?" His employees looked at him with wide eyes when they heard those words. They all wondered who he was talking to on the phone.

"She wasn't, thank God." After a few more questioning and answering, Kyo said goodbye. He promised to call Kaguro if he found out more.

As soon as Kaguro placed his phone back into his shirt pocket, the cook approached him. "Who was that?" he demanded.

"That was Kyo." Kaguro picked up the stool he had kicked and sat on it. "Jyuu's in the hospital." He told them everything he knew and then ordered them to continue working. "We'll have to make do without Jyuu for now."

---

When Kyo told Shiro the news, the younger man didn't say anything. Nobody could tell anything from his face either. Annoyed from his lack of response, Tetsu chided him, "I thought you cared for her, Shiro."

"Bro..." Minoru started to say, but was stopped by a glare from Tetsu.

"That's how it is with you, is it? You take everyone for granted. Why do you always hide what you feel? Are you even human, Shiro?"

"Tetsu, enough." Kyo looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Don't say things you don't really know."

The leader's words caused Tetsu to huff angrily. He himself was worried about Jyuu, so why was Shiro acting so cool about it?

"Why..." Shiro suddenly drawled. His voice was barely audible, but they heard it. "...are you so worried? Is she dying?"

He has a point, Kyo thought. But still... he really is too damned insensitive.

"I guess someone has to be dying... for you to care." With that, Tetsu left the room.

For a moment, Kyo saw pain in Shiro's face, but it disappeared.

You're human after all, Shiro.

---

"Kyaaaaaa! Give that back, Kuma!"

Friday came, and Jyuu was back in her apartment. The boys were there to visit, more like to raid her kitchen, Jyuu thought. "Kumaaa! Those are from my stepfather! Don't eat them all! I haven't even had one piece yet."

"Wow, these chocolates are good," the fat boy commented. "It must be great to have a rich dad."

"Not really my real dad."

"Yeah, but he's a good person," Minami joined in. "So you're still lucky."

"I suppose, I suppose."

"Jyuu..."

"Hm, Noda?"

"Can you tell us what really happened?"

For her own reasons, Jyuu hadn't told them the truth. She felt that once she started, she'd have to dig through a deep pit of unwanted memories. And she didn't want to do that. "I told you already... they were just a bunch of rough kids... I don't even know from what school."

"What color was their uniform?"

"Grey."

"Hmm... We'll have to check that out," Ucchi said. He grabbed a bag of chips and opened it. "You've got so much food here, Jyuu-chan..."

"Believe me, that's only now." Jyuu opened her own bag of chips. "Anyway, forget about those guys. I don't hold anything against them."

"After what they did to you?" Kuma shook his head. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Just forget about it, OK?" the girl snapped.

The boys all looked at her. "If you say so," Noda finally said. "I'm just glad you're OK."

After the attack, Jyuu spent about a day and a half at the hospital. Sadly, her memory about the whole incident remained. Even the concussion hadn't allowed her to forget. Save for some bruises and wounds on her face, she was fine. "But I'm so ugly now," Jyuu complained.

"Since when weren't you ugly?" Shin muttered under his breath. He got a piece of chocolate from the box in Kuma's hand and ate.

Jyuu heard and made a face at him. "Sooo, Shin. How are things between you and Yamaguchi?" She thought he'd get annoyed at her and shut up, but to her surprise, he answered.

"She's a strange woman."

"???" Jyuu's eyes were as large as tennis balls.

Shin was thinking about the time he and Yankumi were at the rooftop. When she said he was a good man. He never did understand that. "I wonder... what's wrong with her."

"W-What do you mean, Shin-chan?" Kuma stared at him.

"Oryaaaaaa! Is this the same Sawada Shin who usually doesn't care about anything???" Noda hooted and tossed a potato chip at their red-headed friend.

Minami laughed. "It's about time you expressed something, my man! So so so, what do you mean about Yankumi?"

Is it this big a deal if he talks? Jyuu got quiet as the others got louder. It was as if the boys were in their own world, talking about things that had been part of their lives for a longer time than in hers.

"Yankumi has been acting different lately."

"Really?" Ucchi said aloud. "I haven't noticed."

"Of course, only Shin would notice something like that," Minami teased.

"Jyuu was right then, he does stare at Yankumi!"

Jyuu tried to smile, she really did. But suddenly her mood turned heavy. Perhaps it was because her head still ached a little. Or maybe, just maybe, she felt out of sorts because the boys weren't paying much attention to her. "Hey listen, you guys."

"Hm?"

"I gotta go see my stepfather for a while. They're leaving for America later." She stood up from the floor and headed for the door. "Just stay here, I'll be back in a while."

---

Armed with a slowly numbing heart, Jyuu marched out of her apartment and headed for the bus stop. Should I go see Russ or not? Her stepfather was approachable, she knew that. But maybe he was busy. They were moving that day after all. "I guess I'll just call him later," she said to herself.

The next few hours found her by the swings at the park. She stretched her arms and yawned peacefully. This was a good kind of solitude. She wasn't thinking about anything. Not about Russ. Not about Shin and the others. Not even about herself. Everything was void. A dull hole of nothingness.

And she liked it.

---

---

Ho hum. I dunno. I've been emotionally dysfunctional for a long time, so forgive me if there has been lack of zest or flavor in my writing. LoLz . I'm not sure if there have been hints of depression in my story, but ah well, you'll forgive me, I'm sure.

Jyuu is just a complicated character, that's all. :) . Not to mention this has been kinda slow. Gomen, gomen :) .

P.S.
Ignore the typos. Didn't bother to proofread this one. It is very hot here, you know. It's up to you to make the connection LoLz .