Disclaimer: I am not the creator of Gokusen, that right belongs to one Morimoto Kozueko. Though I do own Shiraga Ryuuiji and any other character not recognized in this fandom.

---

When Yamaguchi-sensei heard there was a fight she immediately prayed that it wasn't any one from 3-D. When she got outside though, she was met with the sight of a group of high school kids crowding around something.

"The police are here!" One of the teens called, as his eyes landed on the group of adults.

"What are you doing?" Shinohara called to the teens, separating from the group and running forward to apprehend the youths.

"Ikuzo!" The leader of the circle ordered, and then he proceeded to run away from the two detectives.

"Matte!" Shinohara bid, trying his best to keep up with the delinquents.

"Hold on." Kashiwagi exclaimed, stumbling after his partner.

Yamaguchi-sensei, Kawashima-sensei, and Fujiyama-sensei came to an immediate halt near a garbage can. Each of their eyes watching the two detective pursue the teens. Yamaguchi-sensei sighed dispiritedly, and let her brown orbs drop to the cement beneath her feet. Her eyebrows furrowed when she noticed a pair of legs curled up. Her eyes trailed upward, coming to a halt on a familiar, though bruised, face. "Minami!"

The minor looked up at her, an arm wrapped around his stomach.

"Daijoubu desu ka*?" Yamaguchi-sensei went on to ask, her voice mixed with both surprise and concern. She knelt down in front of him, her hand on his knee.

"Ah, you really got beat up." Kawashima-sensei commented softly, crouching beside the ponytail clad woman.

"Daijoubu desu ka?" Yamaguchi-sensei repeated, ignoring the nurse and helping the bruised teen up.

"Leave me alone." Minami murmured, pulling away from the woman and resting his hands on his knees as if to catch his breath. "Ittai*!" He breathed softly, trying not to make any sudden movements.

"Gomen ne, Shinohara-san." Kashiwagi apologized, out of breath.

"Kashiwagi..." Shinohara sighed, resting a hand on his hips and shaking his head.

"Minami, run." Yamaguchi-sensei instructed in an attempt to keep her student out of trouble.

Minami looked back at the detectives before moving past the teachers and sprinting away.

"Oi!" Kashiwagi called, noticing the sudden departure of the teen. He and Shinohara pressed forward, ready to apprehend the youth in replacement of the others they were unable to catch.

They were blocked by the three female teachers, "Wasn't he a Shirokin student?" Shinohara asked, pointing at the figure disappearing over their shoulders.

"Eh? I've never seen him before." Yamaguchi-sensei replied innocently.

"Demo, that uniform..."

"Hmm? He's a total stranger to me." The brown haired woman continued to play dumb.

---

"A gang fight?" Head Teacher repeated, his frown on his face. "You say the student goes to our school?"

"The details are still unclear," Shinohara began, "demo I think the one being beaten might be a student here."

"Eh? How pitiful!" Yamaguchi commented loudly from her position near Kawashima-sensei. All eyes swiveled to her. "Our student is the victim? Poor thing, isn't he?"

"He might be a 3-D student." Washio-sensei murmured quietly so that only Head Teacher could hear, though that attempt failed when Yamaguchi-sensei responded quickly to the statement.

"Ah, it could be." The brown haired woman agreed with a nod of her head. "How pitiful."

"Even if he's the victim, the fact that he was involved in a fight is a problem." Head Teacher informed, his voice stern. "If he was a wholesome student, he wouldn't have been out in downtown at night and gotten involved in a fight!"

"That's normal for today's student." Fujiyama-sensei piped up from her spot at her desk.

"I wonder if he was picking up girls." Iwamoto-sensei queried.

"Or extorting money." Oyama-sensei inquired, leaning back in his seat to look at the P.E. teacher. Then he leaned forward to look at the distracted man beside him. "Ne, Ando-sensei?"

The teacher in question blinked, scrambling to come up with an answer. The result was jumbled speech, causing the Science teacher to let out an amused chuckle.

Head Teacher cleared his throat loudly, bringing all eyes to where the two detectives stood.

"In order to prevent further incidents of this kind," Shinohara began, arms folded behind his back, "we'd like to identify those that were involved."

"If the victim is a student here, we'd like to talk to him." Kashiwagi went on to say.

"Wakarimasu*. I'll take care of it right away." He then turned his head to address the teachers."You understand, everyone? If there's a suspicious student, report him to me immediately. Do you understand, Yamaguchi-sensei?"

"Huh?"

"The most suspicious kids are in 3-D, you know." Washio-sensei told the woman.

The brown haired woman glared at the two men, wondering why they always assumed it to be her students.

"The gang members could also be from 3-D." Head Teacher pondered, laughing quietly.

"What do you mean?" Shinohara questioned curiously.

Head Teacher waved his hands, and then moved to sit at his desk. "It's embarrassing to admit demo...there i one class that is totally worthless."

"Including the homeroom teacher." Washio-sensei added.

"In that class there's a student named Sawada Shin." Head Teacher informed the two detectives. "This kid is pure uncontrollable evil. He was a Chou High before, demo he was expelled in his first year for hitting his homeroom teacher. He transferred to our school after that. So far he hasn't caused any trouble, demo we think Sawada is the ringleader."

"The ringleader?" Yamaguchi-sensei repeated.

"There's also Shiraga Ryuuiji." Head Teacher continued, folding his hands on the desk. "That kid...he beat up an elementary school teacher during his second first year at Azabu High. Of course, he was allowed to stay. Demo...there was an incident that took place just weeks before he came here that was just as bad, if not worse than the first one. He...he could also be the leader."

"Shiraga...Ryuuiji?" Shinohara repeated the name, his brown orbs shining with recognition.

"I suspect that either Sawada or Shiraga, either one of them, was the instigator of this incident as well." Head Teacher murmured, giving his own opinion.

"Head Teacher!" Yamaguchi-sensei called, striding towards the desk purposefully and slamming her hands on the surface of it. "How can you suspect them without evidence? If neither Sawada nor Shiraga had nothing to do with it, how are you going to make it right with them? You're not trying to act like nothing happened, are you? How can you live the Good Life like that?"

"Live the..." Kashiwagi began softly, taking off his sunglasses.

"Good life?" Shinohara finished curiously.

Yamaguchi-sensei flinched, realizing that she'd just slipped up again. She turned to look at the detectives, slightly mortified. "Damn." She hissed quietly, straightening. "Ano...I uh...I saw Takakura Ken's Yakuza movie yesterday. I'm very easily influenced, I guess. That must be..."

Shinohara nodded, as if to say he understood her predicament. Then he turned to face Head Teacher. "Anyway, please call us if something happens."

"Certainly." Head Teacher nodded.

"Arigatou gozaimasu*." The detectives bowed.

"Anatano shigoto ni kanshasu ru*." Both Head Teacher and Washio-sensei thanked, as the taller man stood up to bow.

Washio-sensei stepped forward, ready to lead the two detectives out of the school. "This way."

Yamaguchi-sensei watched them go, releasing a forlorn sigh.

---

"Ohayou!" Yamaguchi-sensei greeted the class cheerily, a bright smile on her face. Though that smile dropped instantly when she caught sight of the classroom. Desks were scattered along the classroom as usual, students either sitting on them, or standing beside the. Items were being thrown back and forth though the air. Students were arguing, and one student in particular was riding his scooter through the classroom, easily maneuvering around the desk and people in his way. 'Easier said than done.' The woman thought, referring to her pep talk in the bathroom.

Slowly, sluggishly she made her way to the podium, where she set her things down. Her eyes scanned the room, taking notice of Shin's empty seat and Minami's bag laid on his empty seat. "Ne, where are Sawada and Minami?"

"No clue." Kuma shrugged his shoulders, tossing the baseball back to his classmate.

---

At the entrance of the school stood both Shin and Minami. They faced eachother, Shin with his usually blank face and Minami with curious eyes.

"Give up on that girl." The dual color haired teen instructed.

"Huh?" Minami blinked, wondering what was going through the other teens mind.

"Wakatta*?" Shin went on, as if he hadn't seen the confusion in his companions eyes.

Minami stepped forward slowly, his face settling into a fierce scowl. He grabbed a hold of the collar of Shin's shirt. "It's none of your business." He growled angrily. "Don't tell me what to do again!" Here he threw a fist at Shin's jaw.

The shorter teen was sent crashing to the floor. Gently he touched his stinging skin, not even trying to retaliate.

"Wakatta, you bastard?" Minami snarled, crouching down, and grabbing his shirt once again.

"Oi!" Iwamoto-sensei called as he rounded the corner, and came to a halt at the bottom of the stairs.

---

"What's the reason for the fight?" Head Teacher asked eyeing Minami's bruised face and Shin's bruised lip.

"Who struck first?" Washio-sensei asked from his position in front of Iwamoto-sensei.

"Answer the question." Iwamoto-sensei instructed, leaning over slightly so that the two boys could see him.

"Chotto matte kudasai." Yamaguchi-sensei stepped in, coming to stand in front of the two. She turned to look between the two, wondering what had happened. "You both have a reason, right?"

Shin refused to look at the woman. Instead his head was tilted to the side, his brown orbs focused on the wall behind Head Teacher. Minami, who stood beside the teen with the slightly bruised lip, rolled his eyes and released a sigh instead of giving the woman an answer.

"Wakatta. I get it." Head Teacher nodded, stepping close to Shin. He pointed two fingers at the teens face, his features serious. "Sawada. If you don't want to be expelled, you'd better write an apology letter."

Shin straightened, his brown orbs drilling into the man's own brown colored irises. He then turned away from the adult, walking out of the Faculty Office with confidence.

"Sawada!" Yamaguchi-sensei called, chasing after the departing boy. He ignored her calls completely,leaving the office as though he had not heard her at all.

The female stopped, then turned back to where the Head Teacher stood. "Why are you only punishing Sawada?"

"You can tell from Minami's face. He's badly beaten up." Head Teacher pointed out as though it was obvious. "That's the proof that Sawada hit him."

"Demo, those are from..." She began, only to trail off as she realized that the information she had would lead to her student getting in trouble. Both Minami and Head Teacher gazed at the woman, the man curiously and the student apprehensively. "No. Nevermind."

"Minami," Head Teacher began pushing the youth towards Kawashima-sensei, "go to the nurses office."

"Leave me alone." The teen hissed moodily.

---

"Sawada!" Yamaguchi-sensei called upon entering the class and noticing that said teen was preparing to leave. "You're not going home are you?" She asked, making her way through the desks and towards the boy.

"There's no way I'll write a letter of apology." Shin announced, turning to the woman.

"You don't care if you're expelled?"

"Expelled?" Both Ryuuiji and Kuma repeated, surprised by the sudden information.

"Doesn't matter to me." Shin replied, ignoring the other two.

"Maybe you don't care, but I do. What about you guys?" Yamaguchi-sensei asked, turning her head to look at her students. "Do you want to see your friend expelled?"

The class stayed silent, most of them knowing how Shin felt about that word. The dual hair colored teen moved towards the woman, a glare on his usually stotic face. "Don't just throw the word 'friend' around so lightly."

"What are you talking about?" She inquired with furrowed eyebrows. "A friend is a friend."

"Like, 'Let's get along because we're all friends'?" Shin retorted sarcastically. He chuckled, a sardonic smile on his lips. "We're not kids. Don't make me laugh." His eyes looked over the woman's shoulder, taking notice of Minami's bruised form.

Yamaguchi-sensei, who was confused, turned to see what had caught the boy's attention. When she saw that it was just Minami she turned back, only to find Shin leaving. "Sawada!" She called once again, not making a move to follow him.

"Shin!" Kuma called, standing up.

"Leave him alone!" Minami snapped, fed up with Shin's attitude. "Even if he gets kicked out, he can always go to another school. He's smart, anyway. Ne? We don't need to worry, do we?"

"What's your damage Minami?" Ryuuiji sneered, focusing his hazel orbs on the playboy. "What the hell's got you so wound up that suddenly you don't give a rat's about Shin?"

"It's not like he gives a damn about any of us!"

"When you really know someone, what they say and what they mean are two completely different things!" The redhead retorted hotly, slamming his palms on his desks. "You should know that, damnit!"

Through all of this Yamaguchi-sensei stood there quietly repeating Shin's words in her head. 'Don't just throw the word 'friend' around so lightly.' Then Minami's own words filtered through her brain. 'Leave him alone!' She looked down at the tiled ground, wondering why most of her students were so reluctant to create bonds.

---

As Yamaguchi-sensei wondered the halls on her way to her classroom the next day she couldn't help but notice three sets of footsteps coming her way.

"So you won't get kicked out." A familiar voice said gently.

"Otherwise, who'd be there to tell us when our schemes aren't foolproof." Another voice teased softly.

From where she stood she could clearly see both Kuma and Ryuuiji, nudging Shin towards the room in which he was required to write his letter of apology.

The taller teen looked back at the two, "Let's go in." Kuma urged, pushing his friend forward. Ryuuiji followed after a small frown visible on his face.

When the two, semi-worried teens exited the room they were greeted by the woman's bright, although tentative smile. Kuma pressed forward not bothering to fully acknowledge the woman and Ryuuiji gave a two salute while winking and followed after the heavyset boy.

The smile on her lips dropped, and she hurried to follow after the two. "Kuma. Ryuuiji" She called, rounding the corner. Both boys paused, one reluctant the other relaxed. "You guys brought Sawada back, didn't you?"

"Shin won't be expelled, will he?" Kuma asked instead of answering the question.

There was a beat of silence as the woman observed the two. "Are you two...worried about Sawada?"

"I don't know if I'm worried, demo..." Kuma began hesitantly,"I know that Shin is not the type to fight without good reason. He was expelled from that other school for standing up for a friend."

"For a friend?" Yamaguchi-sensei repeated with a blink, she then turned her brown orbs to Ryuuiji who shrugged.

"His classmate was suspected of smoking and was harassed terribly by the teacher." Kuma continued softly. "As it turned out, the teacher was mistaken. Demo...the teacher refused to apologize. He said he was suspected because his his day-today behavior had problems."

"So that's why Sawada hit the teacher." Yamaguchi-sensei concluded.

"Shin says it's stupid to call someone a 'friend,' demo...I think he cares about his friends more than anyone."

"He...does it to protect us*." Ryuuiji piped up, his voice unusually serious. "Because of that incident a lot of people look down on him, and think he's evil. They judge him...without knowing the real reason behind it, and so he tries to disassociate himself with us because he feels that we'll get treated better."

The woman gaped at the usually grinning student, wondering how it was he knew that when it'd only been a month since the reunion. Obviously there was more to her students than she knew. The two, taking her silence as their queue to leave, turned and continued on their way down the corridor.

Kuma...Ryuuiji." She called as they approached the steps. "You're good guys, too."

"Urusai." Kuma grumbled.

The woman gave a soft chuckle before moving towards the door that Shin had disappeared behind. She entered the room hesitantly, expecting to see the teen working hard. Instead she found him picking his nails, pieces of paper pushed away from his slouching form.

She moved towards the desk, setting her own books down. She then moved his bag to the side, reaching for the pieces of paper, a pen, and pushing them towards him. "Here. You have to write an apology letter."

"I told you I won't."

"You know that both Kuma and Ryuuiji are worried about you, don't you?" Yamaguchi-sensei asked gently.

The boy stopped examining his nails instantly at the mention of those two names. His brown orbs slowly swiveled up towards the woman.

"Won't you write it for their sake?"

---

Minami raced towards the gates of Shirokin after he'd been informed that Ayumi was waiting for him. He rounded the brick wall coming face-t-face with the auburn haired girl. "Ossu, what's up?" He greeted, smiling widely.

The girl turned to face him fully, bringing her bag level to her chest. "Well, Minami-kun, to tell you the truth...I'm seeing someone else."

"Nani?" The boy gaped, mouth hanging open.

"I didn't mean to lie." She stated, her voice sounding as though she was on the verge of tears. "Gomen ne!" She bowed quickly, and then proceeded to flee from the school.

"Yamete*! Chotto matte, Ayumi-chan!" Minami called after the girl, watching her retreating form, only for it to be blocked by the boys from the night before.

"If you're a man, take responsibility for your actions." The leader told the pretty boy, stepping close.

"Nande?" Minami sneered, pacing forward himself.

"Oi! What are you guys up to?" A familiar voice called out to the boys.

Minami turned his head, eyes coming to rest on Kawashima-sensei. "Come to the supply yard near the river later." The leader of the group murmured into his ear. "You'd better show!"

---

"Nani? Watanabe from Ara High School is calling you out?" Noda asked loudly. All of 3-D began to crowd around Minami after they'd heard the announcement.

"That doesn't sound good." Kuma called out, shaking his head.

"You'd better not go." Uchi told his friend, sighing.

Minami sighed softly, then made his way through the crowd, yanking his arm out of the persistent grips of those who tried to stop him. His steps were unfaltering as he made his way out of the classroom.

Not even ten minutes later did Ryuuiji receive a call. He looked at the caller i.d., surprise written along his features. "Moshi moshi*." He greeted after he'd flipped the device open and pressed it to his ear. He paused for a moment, listening to the person on the other end. "Un, he got called out by Watanabe. From Ara High." Once again he paused and his eyes fluttered over the faces of all the teens in his class. Most of them were shaking their heads, telling him not to give whoever he was talking to anymore information. With a sigh, he opened his mouth to speak, "They're at the shipyard near the river. Matte, Shin, let me-!"

Just as he'd pulled the phone away from his ear, the classroom door burst open to reveal a panting Yamaguchi-sensei. "Minami?" She called out, her eyes scanning the room. The class turned to her, their faces carefully blank. "Where's Minami?" When she received no answer she went on. "No one knows?"

"Watanabe from Ara High School called him out." Kuma told the woman. "So he left."

"Called him out?" The woman repeated.

"His girlfriend was also dating Watanabe." Uchi explained, noticing her confusion.

"The, Minami went to settle the matter."

"Not exactly. He went to kick his because he's mad." Noda denied, shaking his head.

"Kick his ? Where did he go?" She questioned obstinately.

"Beats me." Uchi answered, shrugging his shoulders as if to prove his point.

"You don't have any idea?"

"This is bad." Kuma muttered, rubbing his hand along his head with a frown. "He'll be beaten up for sure."

"Demo there's nothing we can do about it."

"He's determined to go."

"We can't help that."

Murmurs of agreement permeated the class, though Ryuuiji remained silent. His gripped his phone tightly, wondering why none of them would say anything to help their friend.

"What's all this?" Yamaguchi-sensei asked softly, though no one paid her any attention. "'There's nothing we can do?' 'Let him go?' That's all you have to say? And you call yourselves friends?" With every word her voice grew angrier, louder as well. "Why didn't anyone go with Minami? Why did you guys just let him go alone?"

"Do you know who Watanabe is?" Uchi retorted loudly.

"He's the leader of Ara High." Kuma answered quickly for her benefit.

"There's no way we could beat him." Noda continued.

"How pathetic!" Ryuuiji snapped, stopping Yamaguchi-sensei's rampage. "Is that all you're worried about? Getting your faces bashed in, getting bruises? Your friend is out there, ready to fight an entire gang!" All eyes were on him as he ranted, most of them surprised. "How the hell can you call yourself friend if all you guys are concerned about is winning or losing?" He stepped forward, eyes resolute. "I'll take you. I'll take you to where they are."

Yamaguchi-sensei nodded, ready to follow the lanky teen. Though she paused at the entrance, "Uchiyama, Noda, Kumai. I thought you all stuck together. Or is it just that you don't want to be alone? You can't do anything alone, can you?"

"Anything wrong with that?"

"No! That's just it! People can't do anything on their own. That's why they stick together. Stand by eachother until the end, no matter what happens." The woman replied hotly. "Don't abandon your friends. It's okay to be hit and beaten up. Even though you guys are stupid, rude, and hopeless, I believed that you at least had your heart in the right place. Look at how you are right now. I've never been so disappointed. You disgust me. You guys...are really the worst."

With those last few words she turned, walking past Ryuuiji who gave the group a disappointed stare, and quickly exiting the school.

"Where exactly are they?" The woman breathed out, turning her head to the teen sprinting beside her.

"The supply yard near the Sakura River." Was his breathless reply. "We'd better hurry...he isn't alone."

"Nani?"

"Before you came in...Shin called me. He was...different. He'd asked me if I knew where Minami was headed and I told him, I know he went after him." Ryuuiji told the teacher. "That was ten minutes ago. If we hurry, we can get there a few minutes after Shin."

"Where are you off to?" Kawashima-sensei called after the speeding duo.

"Class will start soon." Fujiyama-sensei informed the two.

"You might get an earful from the Head Teacher." The nurse went on to say, cupping her hands around .

Yamaguchi-sensei paused, turning tho address her colleagues. "If you can't protect you students there's no point in being a teacher."

---

The two came to a stop in front of the gates that lead to the shipyard. The woman's eyes landed on the bag that lay just before said gate. From where they stood they could hear loud whooping voice as well as the sound of flesh meeting flesh.

The woman stepped closer to the gate, her brown orbs fixated on the scene before her. She could see Minami's form curled up on the ground, one of the Ara High boys standing over him, punching him with no hesitation. The others stood back a little, grins on their faces as they waited their turn. The leader stood further away,hand buried in his pocket and hip jutted as he watched the scene. "Minami!"

"Oi!" A familiar voice called, and the two watched as Shin rushed in from the other side. The dual color haired teen grabbed the collar of the guy closet to him. "Don't hit my friend!"

"Sawada."

"Shin..."

They watched as he took hits, all the while managing to keep the other boys off of Minami's newly bruised form.

"You wanna fight? Come on!" Shin taunted, his voice guttural and harsh.

"Urusai!" An Ara teen hissed, throwing a kick at Shin's stomach. The Ara teens converged around Shin, one going behind and rendering his arms useless while the others threw punches at his exposed front side.

Yamaguchi-sensei who'd finally had enough with watching, moved back. She used her foot to open the gate, kicking at it until the rusted chains keeping it closed broke apart. "You stay there Shiraga, I don't need you getting in my way." She ordered, moving forward and ignoring any protest the boy gave her. She grabbed a barrel, hauled it over her head and threw the water inside towards the chortling Ara High students.

"What the hell are you doing?" One of the roared, turning towards where the spray of water had come from. All eyes focused on Yamaguchi-sensei, who had the barrel held in her hands as though it weighed nothing.

"Who the hell are you?" Watanabe exploded.

"Me?" She began, her eyes widening slightly. "I'm their homeroom teacher."

From where they lay sprawled on the ground Minami ans Shin gaped at the woman. "Y-yankumi." The pretty boy gaped, barely able to lift his head.

She tossed the barrel towards the group so that it landed before their feet and slowly began to move forward.

"She said she's a teacher. Ha!" With that one statement all the Ara High students began to laugh, finding the situation amusing.

Watanabe gave a brief chuckle, though it stopped a,most immediately. "Get lost!" He snarled, kicking the barrel in a fit of rage.

"Sawada." Yamaguchi-sensei began, ignoring the teens in favor of listing of her students name. "Minami. Go!"The two struggled to get up, using their arms as leverage to push themselves up. "Hurry up and get out of here!"

"Stop your blabbing!" Watanabe hissed loudly.

"Urusai!" The woman snapped boldly, silencing the teen. "I'm really pissed off right now."

From his place near the gate, Ryuuiji shifted from foot to foot. Prepared to run in if things went wrong.

After getting a nod from his leader one of the Ara students paced forward. His footsteps were quick, "You teacher, back off!" Here he reached for the collar of her jacket, and gripped it tight.

Yamaguchi-sensei, who had seen the move coming, grabbed his wrist in a tight grip. Twisting the appendage caused the teen to let go, and she tossed him aside easily. Her pace grew quicker as she approached the boys from Ara High.

One by one they charged at the woman, only to be taken down with either a fist to the stomach, which brought them to their knees. Or a kick to the side, which sent them sprawling on the ground.

"That's a dangerous toy for a kid." She muttered, not looking at the teen who was about ready to pick up a metal pole in order to bring her down. The teen immediately stopped in his tracks, wondering how she'd read his movements when he himself had almost done it unconsciously.

The few that stood behind Watanabe gulped audibly, retreating backwards little by little. "Are you gonna fight?" Watanabe questioned, slight fear in his eyes as she came to a halt before him.

"I'll do anything to protect my students!" She declared resolutely. All eyes widened at the declaration. "You guys ready?" She stepped closer, her eyes even harder than before. The teens, remembering her conviction as well as her fighting capabilities, scattered. The ones sprawled on their stomach, hauled themselves up and followed after their companions.

The woman turned to her students, with a sigh.

Shin who had finally managed to sit up couldn't look her in the eye. With his face bruised he shifted his eyes.

Footsteps approached the group, slow and steady. "Maa~, they beat you guys up real good, ne?" Ryuuiji teased, kneeling before the two and inspecting the damages done to them.

After hauling the two beaten up teens to a grassy heal the woman and the lanky teen proceeded to ted to their wounds.

"I'm gonna start bringing a first aid kit." Ryuuiji murmured to himself as he took care of Shin's bruises. He had refused any help from Yamaguchi-sensei, and although he relented for Ryuuiji that did not come without said teen having to pull out his secret weapon; The Puppy Dog Pout. It also didn't help that the red head had not done his hair that morning and it lay on his head in a curly mess, which made him resemble a puppy even more in the slightly bruised youth's eyes. "It seems like everywhere we go one of us always ends up with a bruise~."

"So you knew." Yamaguchi-sensei began, dabbing the cloth with a bit of alcohol. "That Minami's girlfriend was dating two guys at once. That's why you two were fighting?"

"So what?" Shin shrugged dismissively, causing Ryuuiji to hiss at him to keep still.

The woman turned to look at Shin closely, her brown orbs probing. "You are a good guy after all." She smiled softly, then fixed her eyes on Minami's wounds.

"Yankumi!" Familiar voices called fin the distance. "Shin!"

Four pairs of eyes turned to see Uchi, Noda, and Kuma, decked in what appeared to be football gear. Helmets in their hands, mops and brooms brandished as weapons.

"You guys." Yamaguchi-sensei gaped, standing up.

The boys watched, Ryuuiji with a smile, Shin with a blank face and fond eyes, and Minami with a pained smile. The group of teens continued sprinting towards the recovering bunch, though Uchi stumbled and was sent rolling down the hill.

Kuma and Noda paused, helped the blond up and made their way to their teacher and friend's side.

Uchi came to a stop where both Ryuuiji and Shin sat, trying to catch his breath. "Anataha, Yankumi baka da*." He snapped, as the other two came to a stop beside him.

"Did you think you could take them all by yourself?" Noda panted, leaning heavily on Kuma.

"Actually*~," Ryuuiji sang, standing up, "Yamaguchi-sensei didn't have to do anything! By the time we arrived, Shin and Minami had taken care of most of them. The rest scattered when I burst through the gate."

"You guys..." The woman trailed off, trying to find words, "are too late!"

"Urusai!" Kuma barked, after he had processed the story. "Shin. Isn't this bad? Since you're suspended?"

"That doesn't matter." Shin brushed off easily.

"Bakayaro*!" Minami exhaled with some difficulty. Slowly he sat up, leaning heavily on his elbow. "What if you get expelled?"

Without giving an answer the dual color haired teen, flopping backwards focusing on the sky above him.

"Don't worry. I won't let it happen." Yamaguchi-sensei testified. "I'll protect you guys no matter what. I'm...you're teacher, you know."

---

"What on earth happened?" Head Teacher boomed, his wide eyes focused on Yamaguchi-sensei who stood before him. "Sawada disappears without writing his apology letter, Shiraga leaves before he's allowed to be dismissed, and you leave your class unsupervised!"

"That's..." Yamaguchi-sensei started, trying to come up with a plausible excuse. "Actually, Sawada had a sudden stomachache. Shiraga too."

"Stomachache?"

"Ano, Head Teacher. I told you that I had recommended that they go to the hospital. I think it might be a bug going around." Kawashima-sensei played along, her face carefully forming into a mask of concern for the man. "Don't you remember?"

"Hai." Then Head Teacher stood up, leaning forward to inspect the math teacher. "Yamaguchi-sensei. So then, I assume Sawada wrote his apology letter, right?"

"That's..."

"That's what?"

In the ensuing silence the door to the faculty office slid open to reveal one Sawada Shin. He approached the desk that Head Teacher sat at, ignoring the man's uttered words of, "He's come himself."

"If you can't answer, I'll just ask him. Is that alright?" He pointed towards the teen when the boy was close enough, projecting his voice. "Sawada, have you written your apology letter?"

Shin, instead of answering, threw a packet on his desk, silencing the pessimistic man.

"My, you've written a lot, haven't you?"

Shin gave him a brief smirk, and then he left the office without a word.

With a grin on her face and a pep in her step Yamaguchi-sensei strutted towards her classroom. "Yosh*!" She paused to give a soft, enthusiastic cheer. She entered her classroom with no hesitation, stopping at the podium. "Ohayou."

The class silenced, and so she decided to repeat herself, this time her voice louder. "Ohayou!"

"Ossu." Uchi greeted with a roll of his eyes and a tweak of his wrist.

"Ohayou." Minami acknowledged, attempting to wave his hand, but hissing instead.

"Morning." Noda sighed, his English accented.

"Ossu." Kuma addressed, giving a messy one salute.

"Oha*~." Ryuuiji waved, winking saucily at the woman with a wide grin.

She smiled, ecstatic that she was finally getting somewhere with the group. Though her eyes rested on Sawada last. The teen met her eyes, from where she stood she could see a glimmer of acceptance in those brown orbs of his, and that made her smile widen. "Well then, let's start class."

---

Author's Note: Well...that was longer than I expected for it to be. This chapter has more definitions than usual...

Daijoubu desu ka*- Means 'Are you okay?'

Ittai*- Means 'Ouch' or 'Ow'.

Wakarimasu*- Means 'I understand'.

Arigatou gozaimasu*- Means 'Thank you very much'.

Anatano shigoto ni kanshasu ru*- Means'Thank you for your work'.

Wakatta*- Means 'Got it?'

He...does it to protect us*- No real meaning to this other than Ryuuiji's own reasoning behind Shin's behaviour.

Yamete*- Means 'Stop!'

Moshi moshi*- Means 'Hello'. Though this is a greeting usually used when answering the phone.

Anataha, Yankumi baka da*- Means 'You're an idiot, Yankumi'.

Actually*- He witnessed the fight, therefore he knows what actually happened. The others, don't. It'd be rather awkward having to explain that you're teacher saved you , wouldn't it?

Bakayaro*- Mean 'You idiot!'

Yosh*- Means 'Alright!'

Oha*- Slang, a short hand version of 'Ohayou gozaimasu,' which means 'Good morning'.

Review please~.