CrowsXGokusen FF – words 2,163 (about)
Everything happens for a reason
Part 5: New Plans
"Okairi!" Minoru and Tetsu called as she kicked off her shoes in the entrance way.
"Tadaima!" she answered back, still smiling after her afternoon with the guys. Admittedly, it had been more fun that she would have expected, just hanging around the city. They had stopped in a diner-style shop later in the afternoon and gotten a bite to eat, so she wasn't really hungry like usual. It had been surprising to her, but she had actually found interacting with Hiromi, Mako, and Pon to be relatively easy and comfortable once they had cleared up their initial misunderstanding. Like she had noticed before, her classmates reminded her in general of her family; that in itself was comforting. For Yamaguchi Kumiko, the infamous 'problem child' of multiple schools, this was as close to making new friends as she had come in a long time.
"Guess who's back?" Wakamatsu grunted from where he lounged in an adjoining room.
"Who?" Kumiko asked, peering over the heads of her more than excited younger 'brothers'. Suddenly, a familiar face revealed itself from around the corner and everyone winced as Kumiko yelled, "Kyo-san!"
Grinning cheekily at his charge's greeting, the rumored "young-boss" of the Kuroda Family waved casually in acknowledgment and motioned for the girl to join him in the kitchen where he was already working on pulling something together for dinner.
"When did you get out? Did we know you were getting out?" Kumiko gushed as soon as Kyo had resumed chopping vegetables.
"No, they released me just this morning for good behavior," he explained with a wink. Kumiko looked suspiciously at him, but then chose to ignore any implication he might have been making for the opportunity to plague him with questions, and details about what he had missed.
"So, what was it like being on the inside? Is it true they make you share a cell with rivals? I got kicked out of Mishiro by the way, but otherwise you didn't miss much. I'm at Suzuran now. But really, how did you keep from going nuts in there? What did you do to pass the time? Did you get into any fights?
"Good behavior, good behavior I said," Kyo sighed, amused. "And no, I didn't have to bunk with anyone too awful. Just some weird foreign guy… Wait a minute! Why did you get expelled, and how are you going to an all boys school?" He paused for a moment before apparently noticing something. "And what happened to your hair?" It was Kumiko's turn to sigh.
"It was just some of the male sempais giving me a hard time, so I gave 'em a hard time back! I guess they were just all talk in the end anyways… And Grandpa's the one who signed me up for the new place. It's closer to home, and I've already started to make some new friends!" she explained excitedly. Kyo still looked unconvinced, but dropped any further protests in favor of interrogating her about these so called "friends".
"So… What are these people like? The ones you hung out with?" he asked after she had explained about her afternoon, knowing from personal experience the types of boys that peopled the infamous School of Crows.
"Ok, I guess. Being there is nice; it's a lot like being at home." Kyo frowned, not sure he liked the comparison. "Hiromi is kind of like the kumichou of my homeroom, and his goal is to be the boss of the whole school. His two friends, Pon and Mako, are like his second-in-commands. Mako's kind of weird and Pon talks too much," she made a face, "but they seem nice enough. And they asked me to hang with them, which turned out to be pretty fun."
"Good for you, Ojou!" Wakamatsu called, coming in to help with the meal. She smiled in response.
"Thanks!" Seeing Tetsu and Minoru peering around the door frame, she bounded over and flicked them teasingly on the foreheads before dashing upstairs to her room. "I'm gonna get changed!" she yelled as she slammed her door behind her. Quickly stripping off her plain black pants and jacket, Kumiko donned a pair of loose green cargo shorts and beige graphic-T before running back downstairs. She rushed excitedly into the large room where they had their meals; tonight, everyone would eat together in celebration of Kyo's return.
Kumiko slowed down upon approaching the table and retained a controlled demeanor as she took her place on the floor at the corner of the table, at her grandfather's left hand. Kyo carried in a serving dish and set it down before quickly taking the seat at the kumichou's right hand. When everyone had settled, they looked to the boss, who paused, then clapped his hands together and bowed his head.
"Itadakimasu."
"Itadakimasu!" everyone chorused in response, before reaching for the food in a mad scramble that was typical of meals in the Oedo household. However, it wasn't too long before the chaos calmed and everyone was busily eating. Kumiko smiled as she slurped up her noodles. She had forgotten how good Kyo's cooking could be. Looking across the table, she grinned and gave him the thumbs up. Next to her, her grandfather cleared his throat.
"Kumiko," he began. She turned to look at him instead, as did Kyo. "How was school today?"
"Great Grandpa!" she exclaimed, elaborating about her afternoon with her new friends. When she had finished, Ryuuichirou nodded and appeared lost in thought for a moment before turning to speak with Kyo.
"It seems to me that Kumiko will have some extra time on her hands while attending Suzuran. When she is not engaged with her new friends, I would like you to take her with you in your evening duties." Kyo glanced at Kumiko and then back at his boss.
"Is there something going on, sir?" he asked carefully. The Kumichou sighed, looking slightly troubled.
"While you were away, there have been a few minor incidents around our borders that I'd like you to look into now that you're back," he explained quietly so that only the young master and his granddaughter could hear.
"What kinds of incidents, sir?" Kyo pressed.
"Nothing extensive, but a few of the businesses on our territory have been harassed by some unidentifiable thugs. Right now, it is still unclear if they are members of a rival family. I sincerely hope they are not. However," he paused and took a sip from his glass, looking around at his men who were continuing to eat hungrily, "if they are, or if they are simply some young troublemakers who need handling, it is our duty to assure our neighbors of our protection." Kyo nodded, understanding but still concerned about one aspect of his assignment.
"And Ojou?" he asked quietly. Ryuuichirou glanced at his granddaughter once again, smiling at the expectant look on her face.
"This will be an excellent opportunity for Kumiko to gain some experience, and I see no one more fit to instruct her than you Kyotaro."
"Yes boss," Kyo replied, also looking at his charge. He could see in her eyes that they shared similar excitement at the prospect of the work ahead of them. Inside, Kumiko was doing a happy dance. Yes! she cheered silently to herself. Making new friends AND getting to spend time with Kyo every evening… This ROCKS!
"Not so fast Kumiko," her grandfather admonished, almost able to see her imagination rocketing into overdrive. "Would you like to explain the state of your hands to me?" Kumiko glanced at the appendages in question and grimaced at the light, but still visible, bruising on her knuckles. Looking bashful, she nervously raised her head to meet her grandfather's stern gaze.
"Self-defense?" she offered meekly.
The next morning, Hiromi made a point of waiting in the shadows near where he had run into Yamaguchi the previous day. The mystery of the new transfer student was becoming a nice way to occupy his free time. He hoped that today, if his intuition was correct, the boy would emerge from the same area and direction as the previous day. It turned out he didn't need to wait very long. After only a few minutes of standing and casually observing the street, Kirishima spotted a Suzuran uniform supported by a familiar scrawny kid with chin-length hair. The only difference was that today, Yamaguchi was walking with a different Yakuza.
This man was tall and wild looking, with a fierce looking scar that stretched across his left eye and a bone-chilling grimace that seemed permanently etched onto his face. Something about him made the 2B leader shiver in spite of himself. As he watched, the scarred Yakuza and his classmate stopped several yards away and seemed to be finishing up a conversation. A few moments later, the two bumped fists in a friendly goodbye before walking in different directions; the Yakuza man back into town and Yamaguchi towards Kirishima.
As the smaller boy approached, Hiromi stepped away from his shadowy wall and fell in step beside his recently acquired friend, who hid a slight grimace. Did he see Kyo? Kumiko wondered nervously, but her classmate gave no indication that he had and she slowly relaxed. Decidedly cheerful, she turned to him slightly and issued a small wave with an accompanying greeting.
"Ohaiyou, Kirishima-san!" she offered politely, still subconsciously trying to make up for her rudeness the previous day. The taller boy chuckled.
"Didn't I tell you yesterday to just call me Hiromi?" he said playfully. "We're friends now, so skip the formal talk."
"Right, right," she muttered, smiling a bit. Hiromi coughed slightly, as if clearing his throat.
"So did you get in any trouble with your family?" he asked. At the boy's confused look, he elaborated. "You know, for fighting?"
"No, I pulled your line," Kumiko smirked. The boy raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Self-defense, right?" she reminded him.
"Right," he laughed as they walked through the school gates. Inside the school grounds, the pair quickly met up with Mako and Pon before heading to the corner of the property where the rest of the class was waiting for something.
"Class meeting," Honjou whispered to Kumiko as they approached. "Hiromi's idea. He wants us to have them regularly, to keep us all on the same page. Though they're boring as fuc-" He cut himself short at a glare from their leader and Kumiko couldn't help but chuckle. Pon stuck his tongue at her.
"Alright guys," Hiromi said once everyone was gathered. "As a result of yesterday's fight, class 2A has joined our ranks." There were a mix of cheers and jeers to this announcement, and Kirishima paused to let them die down before he continued. "There's still a long way to go though before the school is ours. We'll take on 2C next, and if negotiations don't go as planned," he glanced at Pon and Mako, "2D will be next. Then the only thing in our way will be the seniors."
"What about Rindaman?" someone called from the back of the group. Hiromi paused and Kumiko took the opportunity to roll the unfamiliar name around in her mouth. Rindaman? she thought, puzzled. Never heard…
"We'll take him down as well when the time comes," the leader continued calmly. There was a rustle of uncertainty at his words.
"Not even Genji could best him though," someone muttered in disbelief. Kirishima frowned.
"Forget him!" he snapped, and the group fell silent again. "Leave Rindaman to me and focus on the task at hand."
"Rindaman?" Kumiko whispered to Pon, who still stood next to her and looked vaguely worried.
"Third year monster," Honjou explained quietly. "He doesn't participate in the war, but the school is still unconquered with him as an independent. The closest person who ever came to ruling this school was Takiya Genji, a fearsome dude who graduated last year. He fought Rindaman several times, even the day he graduated, but could only land a couple hits at most. The guy's inhuman…" Pon trailed off as his gaze lit upon a student entering the grounds.
Kumiko glanced behind her and saw students fleeing in all directions in the wake of a mountainous boy, clad in the school uniform, who stepped hesitantly through the school gates. Something in his eyes seemed sad to her as he watched everyone run from him. With an expressionless look on his face, he walked up to the building and disappeared inside.
"That was him," Mako said softly, coming up on Kumiko's other side.
"Rindaman," she breathed, acutely aware of the dead silence that had fallen over the school and the grounds alike. I hope we meet soon, she thought pleasantly. She wasn't naive in thinking she wanted to make friends with this kid, just determined. And when the Oedo Family's granddaughter became determined about something, she usually got her way.