This Text file is old! In a 🏛️Museum, an unsorted archive of (user-)pages. (Saved from Geocities in Oct-2009. The archival story: oocities.org)
--------------------------------------- (To 🚫report any bad content: archivehelp @ gmail.com)
>

Title: Trial and Error
Author: MK
Pairing: Sawada Shin x Yamaguchi Kumiko
Fandom: Gokusen
Theme: #17, Kilohertz
Disclaimer: I don't own Gokusen, but today I watched and re-watched the 
Kindaichi 3 ending theme and used it to corrupt at least two people. 

	This was dangerous.  Shin leaned back in his chair and took careful notice 
of the looks being exchanged between the others.  They were going to do 
something weird.  They had been dancing around wanting to ask him something 
all night, and finally he decided to get it over with.

	"Oi, just ask me already."  Minami, resident skirt chaser, looked him 
straight in the eye and asked what had apparently been on their minds since the 
previous evening but had remained unvoiced.

	"Do you have a thing for Yankumi?"

	Ah. Now that he had only half been expecting.  "Yeah," he said slowly, "I 
do."  Minami looked like he had expected it, but the others seemed surprised.

	"You" Kuma's face broke into a wide grin, "That's awesome!"  

	"Have you made a move?" Uchi looked far too interested, so he scowled 
and lied.

	"No."  Really, that should have been the end of it.  Really, he should have 
known better.  



	He had taken to foregoing a shirt entirely while training.  The one he 
normally wore had disgustingly permanent sweat stains, and had begun to smell 
regardless of how many times it was washed.  Wearing just a loose pair of pants 
had the dual benefits of keeping him cool and making Yankumi's head swivel 
back and forth between whatever she was doing at the time and his training.

	Shin had his own version of the power of youth, and had found that 
despite how remarkably oblivious Yankumi could be, some parts of her were very 
much in tune with the message he was trying to communicate. 

	On the other hand, it had the major drawback of Kyo teasing him during 
training because he knew full well what Shin was doing.  Of course, it was doubly 
good for the training because he had to work hard to keep his head cool and 
rational against those comments.  

	This particular day Kyo was working him harder than usual, but thankfully 
he was past the being knocked repeatedly to the ground stage.  The focus of 
training was mostly dodging blows and reading his opponent.  Most of his brain 
was completely focused on the fight, but part of him

	Part of him was becoming increasingly fascinated by Kumiko at the back of 
the house in shorts and a tank top.  He didn't see that very often.  

	Then, two things happened at once.  One was that the doorbell rang. The 
other was that Shin hit the dirt.  "Oi, Ojou! Some punk kids are here to see you 
and Red Lion!"  Shin picked himself up off the ground and Kyo shrugged by way 
of apology. 

	"Focus next time," he said.  "We're done for today."  Uchi ambled over as if 
this wasn't his first time in the middle of a Yakuza compound and smacked Shin 
on the shoulder, then wrinkled his nose.  

	"Ew man, you smell. Get washed or somethingwe'll hang out with 
Yankumi."  And admittedly he was feeling pretty gross as the sweat dried to his 
skin and more built up underneath the top layer.  A bath might just be a good 
idea.  

	

	Someone had taken his clothes.  It wasn't like when Minoru replaced them 
with fresh ones while he was washing, it was just that his clothes were missing.  
He was sure he had brought a clean set in with him butthere by the door, where 
they should have been, was only a towel.  Shin scowled.  He had a pretty good 
idea what had happened.  

	He wrapped it carefully and tied a knot in the excess, then slicked back his 
hair, headed into the main room and leant, dripping, over Noda.  "My clothes."  

	He did not look directly at Kumikothat would be giving in and letting 
them win.  Instead, he glared down at Noda, who grinned up at him wickedly.  
"What about them?"

	"I'd like to know where they went." 

	"Psh, clothes.  Get over them; you won't need them so much."  Minami 
walked a dangerous path, and Kuma, knowing Shin the best, remained silent.  

No one, however, could surpass Uchi in his complete disregard of danger.  
He reached out and tugged at the bottom of the towel.  "Ah, relax! We've already 
seen you in the loin cloth at the school festival*," he tugged a bit more and Shin 
kept a resolute grasp on his towel, "Even Yankumi!"  
	Words were not necessary.  He turned from Uchi, who was clearly a lost 
cause, and focused the weight of his stare on Kuma, who had the unfortunate seat 
next to Kumiko.  If that wasn't awkward, he wasn't sure what was  her face was 
bright red.  

	Kuma folded easily.  "Other side of the sliding door!"  Shin gave him a 
slight smile and, because Noda, Uchi and Minami couldn't see, a quick wink at 
Kumiko.  Her face exploded, and he felt good padding barefoot to get his clothes 
back.

	

	They had stayed for dinner, chatted up Oji-san and edged carefully around 
Kyo.  It was fun to see them again, though a little weird like this.  He hadn't quite 
expected to ever live here himself, let alone to have these people visit openly, 
knowing as much as they did.  

	Eventually they left, and he let out a low breath.  Yankumi had yet to look 
him directly in the eyes since their earlier prank.   

	"They really like to tease you!  I'm going to miss them next year."  And she 
really would, he knew. There would be other classes for her, and new students, 
but none of them would ever be the same as 3-D and her first experiences as a 
teacher.  She was good like that.  

	"They like teasing you," he replied with emphasis on the last word.  "They 
know how I feel."  

	"How youfeel?"  He turned to face her and she looked surprised, unsure.  

	"Aa."  

	"About"

	"About you." 

	"Oh."  

	That was probably as much as she could take for one night.  He reached 
out and pulled her into a hug, holding her close against him and tucking her head 
in next to his.  It was likely written all over his face in permanent marker  he just 
had to find a way to get it out in some language she could understand.
	
	Later.  Just then, simply holding her was pretty nice, too. 

*This is a reference to a later volume of Gokusen not scanlated at the time of this 
fic. Give it awhileImpossibility is working on it.  [march 2005]

Text file Source (historic): geocities.com/yankumisensei/gokusenfic

geocities.com/yankumisensei

(to report bad content: archivehelp @ gmail)