Title: Pink Author/Artist: MK Pairing: Sawada Shin x Yamaguchi Kumiko Fandom: Gokusen Theme: #29, The Sound of Waves Disclaimer: I don't own Gokusen. I am falling for Jiro Ueda at the same time as Sawada Shin though. >_> It becomes dangerous. Shin had come to find that spring had all sorts of things tied to it in the Kuroda household. Kumiko, Kyo and several of the kumi would cry while watching dramas and spout cheesy slogans about things like "the glory of youth" and "our salad days" or "spring is the season of love". Tetsu grumped his way through it, shoulders slouched and face set in a permanent scowl, though Shinohara came to dinner more often. Grandfather however, sat on the back porch with his pipe. The old man took a long, deep puff and blew it out slowly between his lips, staring up at the trees of the backyard. "Aa, spring. We should view the cherry blossoms." It didn't take much for the idea to catch on. What Shin had previously associated with drunk salary men and blind-date-parties was suddenly something else entirely- a tradition this family had kept up for decades, and would likely continue in the future. Of course, Shin was still a lower-kumi member, and so was required to help prepare for the outing. Minoru was giddy through the process"Aaah," he'd swoon over slicing the octopus, "Tako~". Tetsu was customarily a little sour, more than he had been in the past, but Shin understood it almost perfectly. Of late, Shinohara had seemed happier, having an easier time dealing with Tetsu, while Tetsu seemed to becoming accustomed to the attention, he would later get mad at himself for it. It was actually kind of funny, except that Shin had gone through a stage where he wanted to hit himself every time he thought about Yankumi. So he let it be and waited it out. Well, there was also the small fact that Grandfather and Kyo had accepted him into the family and Kumiko had finally realized what he had been getting at for almost a year. Not that it kept jumping to the front of his mind at awkward moments. "We'll have to bring a lot of sake, andoh, melon juice" The cooking alone took a few days of advance preparation. They had to buy all sorts of extras, keep Kyo away from the drinks until the actual outing, and beyond that, Shin had no idea how they were going to find a spot for at least a dozen dangerous-looking yakuza members to gather in public and watch the cherry blossoms. Apparently, he had nothing to worry about. The morning of their outing began early; fast showers and no time for training. Minoru and Shin loaded baskets and coolers with food while Tetsu did last minute prep on different parts of their meal. Some things had to be hot, some cold, others kept steady on the way. He shouldn't have even given a thought to location- if a powerful yakuza group wanted to sit somewhere, no one was going to argue with them, and beyond that, long-standing tradition usually meant people knew how best to do things. Of course they had a spot picked out and kept clear. Large blankets were laid out in a long row and food settled down the middle in a long train. The Ooedo Clan was a sight to behold in formal dress, cheeks pink with drink and voices loud and boisterous. Even Kumiko was done up differently. She had been dressed formally for graduation, and both times he had seen her in costume as a yakuza Ane-san, but not like this. Previously she had been very formal, or heavily made-up, partly to help disguise her identity. Today was something like the Yankumi he saw normally, and partly someone he had never seen before. Her hair wasn't in pigtails or down, or pulled into the low bun he associated with blood and business. Instead it was back and up, but loose, falling a little and held casually with a large, antique clip. He hadn't asked where it was from, knowing even just a little about her parents. It was that same respect she showed by not asking him about his mother, and why seeing Yuta always made him happy, shy and sad. His father he could hate freely. His mother was a case outside of all logic. Grandfather (and it felt good- to call him that) had called for attention, and the group quieted down. "A toast!" he started, "To spring, the Ooedo Clan, and to your Ojou and Red Lion!" Shin jumped a little and felt Yankumi do the same, but everyone raised their glasses (or bottles) and cheered "Kampai!" before taking a swig. The cherry blossoms drifted down on and around the group, and one settled gently into his melon juice. He looked down at it for a moment, then shifted his gaze to Kumiko on his right. She glanced up and smiled at him. "It's good, isn't it?" she asked, gesturing to the group. "This?" "Mm." "Aa." It was good. His head was full of the past, the present and the future, and empty, too, making room for all this. It was good.
Text file Source (historic): geocities.com/yankumisensei/gokusenfic
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