IMPORTANT NOTE TO READERS: Unfortunately for you, I went backwards through the story and made some changes. They're minor, but if you don't read them then parts of this chapter will make zero sense to you. I apologize profusely for doing this, but I truly believe it makes the plot just slightly more interesting and allows me to set up some great scenes in future chapters. (stay tuned!) Anyways, if you want to fully appreciate this chapter (which I think is a really good one) then could you please begin re-reading the story from chapter 4? Again, I am SO sorry for asking you to do this…

CrowsXGokusen FF – 2,218 words (about)

Everything happens for a reason

Part 6: True Men

Break time in the early afternoon was quickly becoming Kumiko's favorite part of the school day, and for one reason: because that's when things finally got started. There was little to do during classes but sit and wait for them to be over. But once they were…

To put it simply, Suzuran students did not enjoy being cooped up in a classroom for most of the day, and by the time a break came around, everyone was feeling a bit punchy; often literally. At the bell, chaos was unavoidable as what felt like the entire school emptied itself onto the grounds, every guy eager to let loose some pent up energy. Kumiko waited at her desk for the ruckus to clear slightly before making her way downstairs and out, keeping her eyes out for Hiromi and the gang.

When she spotted them in the corner of the yard, Pon quickly motioned her over with a grin. Returning it with one of her own, she hurried over to them. At almost the same time she reached her new friends, so did a small group of boys, all of whom seemed slightly older than the second years. Things are about to get interesting, her instincts screamed at her.

"Kirishima," one of them spoke to the class 2B leader, skipping any formal greeting. "You've done it this time!"

"And what is it I've done exactly, Fukagi?" Hiromi challenged. Kumiko blinked, confused. Fukagi? she thought. Wasn't that the guy…? Suddenly she spotted a familiar face peeking out from behind the speaker and it clicked.

"You're gonna pay for messing up my cousin's face the other day," the older boy continued. Hiromi sighed, seemingly bored by the conversation.

"He just got what was coming to him, and I was even courteous enough to let him attack first," he replied evenly. Kumiko frowned and bit her lip in an attempt to stay silent. It offended her sense of honor to see the demoted class 2A leader having his older relative argue with the man who beat him up.

"It's not like it was an unfair loss," she muttered under her breath. Unfortunately, her words were not missed by the senior Fukagi.

"What did you say, bastard?!" he growled, taking a threatening step forward. Kumiko felt herself seethe at the insult.

"Just what I meant, asshole!" she shouted back. Beside her, Honjou let out a small groan. Ignoring him, she continued, "Your idiot cousin was even too chicken to fight bare handed, and Hiromi still bested him! How can you even call yourself a man? Cowering like that behind a bigger guy…" she accused the younger boy, crossing her arms in disgust. He flinched slightly and turned his bruised face to the pavement in embarrassment while the guys accompanying the Fukagi's shifted uncomfortably at her words. Kirishima quickly stepped in between the two as the upperclassman growled threateningly.

"Either way," he stated calmly, "we're not planning on fighting the seniors just yet. Why don't we save this argument for a later time." Mako and Pon stiffened as Fukagi sidestepped their leader and grabbed a hold of Yamaguchi's shirt collar.

"It won't be so easy to get rid of us after everything you're little friend just said," he barked. Kumiko raised her eyebrows and coolly detached herself from the rather weak grip on her clothes.

"Then let's settle this now," she offered, gesturing around her vaguely. "I'm not about to back down from a scumbag and his loser cousin if they've got the guts to challenge me!" Before she could take a step forward, she felt Hiromi's hand on her shoulder and glanced up apprehensively.

"Make sure you know what you're doing," he murmured softly. "Taking them out won't affect our standing with the rest of the seniors since he isn't a class leader and was also the one who initiated the challenge, but this Fukagi isn't as weak as his 'loser cousin'. We'll back you up if you need it, Yamaguchi." She felt somewhat surprised and something akin to a warm feeling flared briefly in her gut. Glancing behind her, she saw Mako and Pon nod in agreement, their faces serious. Cracking her knuckles, she turned back to her opponents and motioned for them to begin.

Fukagi twitched his head in a signal for his men to attack. As two, much larger guys came up on either side of her, Kumiko evened out her stance for the best defensive position. The seniors smirked at her, pausing for a split second before coming at her from opposite sides. Kumiko dropped easily to avoid the simultaneous punches and shifted her weight to her left foot, preparing to launch an angled kick at the attacker on her right side. Seriously? she thought, unimpressed. Their moves are so predictable, this almost isn't any fun.

A sickening snap could be heard as her foot connected with the underside of the boy's jaw, propelling him several feet into the air, and backwards a considerably distance. Before he could land, she had already disarmed the other man by tripping him while he stumbled from his earlier misplaced hit. As he fell, she shot a single punch to the side of his head and sent him flying sideways into the wall that enclosed the school grounds. Wiping her hands as if she had touched something dirty, Kumiko turned to face Fukagi.

The senior stepped forward in front of his remaining guys, shaking out his shoulders in preparation to fight. At least you've got the guts to face me, she thought, amused. But no matter.

"I'll finish this with one punch!" she declared with a smirk, holding up a single finger as if to prove her point. Fukagi roared in fury at her insulting hand gesture and charged, swinging his fist in a wide and powerful punch that may have actually hurt had it hit its intended target. As it so happens, it did not. With a grin, Kumiko ducked under the offending arm and revealed her signature move: a single punch to the solar plexus. Her hand moved so fast it was difficult for onlookers to understand what had happened.

From the dirty window of a third floor classroom, Hayashida Megumi watched with appreciation as his classmate slumped forward over the much smaller student's arm and crumpled to the ground, unconscious. With a jolt, he realized that the fighter now exchanging high-fives with Kirishima and his cronies was the same kid he suspected of knocking out the 2A student with a single hit the previous day.

Maybe he's worth finding out about after all, he admitted to himself grudgingly. Megumi knew that sooner or later, this new kid would come looking to him for a fight. They all did in the end. And it was up to him to teach them their limits. None of them know what true fighting is, he thought wearily as he turned away from the window. They're all the same, and none of them understand. Only when they have something to truly fight for will they begin to.

The trio shook their heads in disbelief as Yamaguchi turned and flashed them a bright smile.

"No problem!" she exclaimed. Holding her fingers in a peace sign, she waved if front of her face momentarily before turning her back on the rest of Fukagi's crew who appeared stunned and temporarily incapable of movement, even if it was to help their fallen leader. Marching away from them and up to Hiromi's side, Kumiko smirked at their similarly blank expressions.

"Something the matter guys?" she asked with raised eyebrows. They all shook their heads in unison. "Well then," she continued with a shrug, "I'll be back in a few!" Without a backward glance, she strolled towards the building at a casual pace.

"Where're you going?" Pon called after a moment of recovery.

"Bathroom!" she shouted back, before disappearing inside. Around the two groups of boys, a crowd had started to form so the three friends split and headed off to a more secluded section of the grounds. As they squatted on the pavement, Honjou was, as usual, the first to break the silence.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin', guys?" he asked excitedly. Hiromi looked up, almost as if he knew what Pon was going to say, while Mako appeared lost in thought. "That Yamaguchi might be able to take on Rindaman." Kirishima frowned and opened his mouth but Pon cut him off. "Just think about it! I know you've been looking for a solution to that problem anyways… Yamaguchi may be it." The leader closed his mouth in a grimace.

"I'll think on it," he decided. But something tells me Yamaguchi may not be so keen on the idea…

Of all the problems I COULD have had in going to an all boy's school, why is this the only one that actually manifested? Kumiko asked herself in exasperation as she ran up yet another flight of stairs. Cautiously, she pushed open the nearest bathroom door and then promptly closed it again with a shudder. Racing down the hall to the next door, she fumed in irritation. Spotting the men's restroom sign ahead, she hurried her pace. As she paused outside the door, she realized that this was the last bathroom in the whole school that she hadn't checked. Crossing her fingers and saying a silent prayer, Kumiko eased the door open and peered inside.

To her surprise and delight, this bathroom was not filled with rowdy smoking boys, or bullies harassing the freshmen, or even guys using the room for what it was originally intended. Well, she realized, make that ALMOST… The bathroom was only occupied by one person who, turning away from the wall as he zippered up the front of his pants, spotted Kumiko in the doorway and raised his eyebrows.

"Sorry," she said, slightly embarrassed at having caught the boy off guard. Without saying anything, the huge and very menacing-looking student crossed to the sink at the opposite wall and began rinsing his hands. It was only then that she realized who exactly he was.

"Ahhhh!" she exclaimed as he turned towards the door, "You're Rindaman!" The giant blinked in response. "My friends pointed you out to me," she explained quickly, "My name is Yamaguchi Kumiko; I just transferred here. Yoroshkun-onegaishimasu." With that, she bowed slightly, as did a surprised Megumi.

"This seems to be the only empty bathroom in this school," she commented awkwardly. Megumi paused as he walked towards the door.

"Nobody ever comes in here except me," he said quietly.

"Really?" she exclaimed. "Perfect!" He blinked once more before slipping past her through the doorway and out into the hall. But before the door could shut behind her, he changed his mind on a whim and was back.

"I saw your fight earlier," he commented, making her pause on her way to one of the stalls. To his surprise, the transfer student whipped around with a huge grin on his face. My mistake, I guess, Hayashida thought to himself disappointedly, for thinking he wouldn't be the arrogant type.

"I just can't stand guys like that Fukagi," Kumiko explained animatedly. "People like him don't know how to fight without relying on weapons instead of their own strength. A true man doesn't cower behind others either. They both needed to be taught a lesson." She held her closed fist out in front of her in gesture and smirked. Megumi was again surprised, but for a different reason.

"And the fight was to teach them some manners?" he asked skeptically. Yamaguchi thought for a moment, looking for the right way to phrase a response.

"Sort of. It was a more serious fight, since it was for a reason. Usually I only get serious about a fight when I have something to truly fight for. Otherwise it's all just fighting for recreation." Kumiko shifted uncomfortably as she finished speaking; she still desperately had to use the toilet. Noticing his kouhei's discomfort, Megumi nodded both in acknowledgement and parting, and left the bathroom without another word.

Surprisingly, he might not be just like all the others, he admitted to himself. In fact, the large boy found himself actually agreeing with much of what Yamaguchi had said about fighting. Perhaps, having him around would be a nice change? a small voice inside of him suggested quietly. Perhaps, it's time you made some friends. Shaking his head as though it would clear out the nagging voice in his mind, Hayashida returned to his own quiet, private section of the third floor.

Yamaguchi Kumiko, huh? he thought with a snort. What a strange name.

It was late but not too late by the time Kyo and his young charge set out for their newly assigned nighttime duties. The clan had just finished dinner, and Kumiko felt no regret whatsoever leaving Minoru and Tetsu behind to finish their homework.

"It can't hurt to at least try and make yourselves smarter," she told them scathingly as she sat down at the entrance and pulled her shoes on. "The Oedo family doesn't need any dumb subordinates." Leaving the two forlorn boys at the doorstep, she and Kyo hurried off into the growing darkness.