Title: Between men Author: MK Pairing: Sawada Shin x Yamaguchi Kumiko Fandom: Gokusen Theme: #9, Dash Disclaimer: I don't own Gokusen, but if I named my laptop Yankumi, should I rename the hard-drive Shin? Shin was good. No, Shin was great. His shoulders hurt, but that was good too, and even just being there, listening to the others talk was -good-. His cheeks hurt from trying to hold back the grin. "Oi, Shin-chan, what did Yankumi want Tuesday? You finally fail a math test?" Shin shorted. "Nah, just a career thing." And a movie, and a walk home. His shoulder twinged, and he held back another smile, looking down off to one side. "Shin-chan seems really...happy," Kuma voiced cautiously. He fixed him with a frown, but it was too late. "Eh? You're right!" Uchi of course didn't know a dangerous situation even when it bit him in the ass. "What's up, Shin?" "Nothing," he scowled. Nothing he was going to tell any of them anyway. "'S not a girl," Noda drawled, "Could it be your beautiful-girl sister?" "Wrong." "Shi-n~" "Ah, could it be something embarrassing? New episode of Masked Rider?!" There was a drawn pause as everyone turned to see Yankumi crouched between Noda and Kuma. "Ah! Yankumi!" 'You!' He wanted to shout at her, shake her, 'It's you!' Stupid. He scowled at her until she stood up to squeeze through them to the front. "Okay guys, you've only got a month left of math, so let's make the most of it!" It was a good thing this was all basics, because he certainly didn't pay attention to the board. When he made it to the Ooedo compound, something was going on. There was a car out front, and sound from the main room inside. Shin quickly changed shoes before entering into what could very well have been an alternate universe. Oji- san sat formally across from another old man and someone who looked old but couldn't be-he came off strangely. Yankumi sat just beside her grandfather with a look of long suffering on her face as the younger man continued what he had been saying before Shin had entered. "I must earn your acceptance! Please fight me!" She didn't roll her eyes, but she was thinking about it, he could tell. And then it clicked. Acceptance? A fight? "Uma no O," he spoke up from the doorway, "I challenge you." "What do you think you're doing?" she asked after he had changed into his work-out clothes. "And what are the terms? Kyo won't tell me!" He smirked a little. "It's a fight between men," was all he could say to her. Let her figure the rest out on her own - payback for murmuring Shinohara's name in her sleep after he had taken a beating saving her that one time. She grumbled a little, but that was really one thing she couldn't argue with; it was too set in her ideals. He turned to Kyo. "Any advice?" The older man gave him an appraising look. "If you win, we'll step up your training." "That's not advice." "It's good enough." "You'll win," Yankumi added. "Probably." Ah, how kind she was... The fight was bare-hands only, no weapons of any kind. They stood opposite each other in the back yard, Oji-san and the other old man on one side, Yankumi and Kyo on the other. She was remarkably calm about the whole thing, hadn't even given him a "Faito! O!" before hand, but maybe she was planning to step in and take over if he lost. He scowled. She wouldn't get the chance. "And...begin!" The training mindset was already in place, his opponent slow, his feet quick to shift. He dove forward and kept Kyo's regular advice in mind: Taking an elbow to the jaw, the man howled and Shin moved in, grabbing his shoulders and quickly driving his knee into the groin. He doubled over, straightened, furious, and Shin moved in for the kill- a sharp, fierce hit to the solar plexus. He was down. Shin stepped back and took a deep breath, but he wasn't even winded. She had doubted him over a fight like this? This guy couldn't have taken on his sister. He offered him a hand up, anyway, and the Uma no O took it, eventually standing. "I will keep my word," he gruffed out, and turned to face her before Shin could stop him, bowing low. "I will officially stop pursuing you, Kumiko- san." Shin slapped a hand to his own face and groaned. Idiot. He'd never live it down, he was sure. She had been elbowing him all night, grinning, and then frowning a little to herself as if mad that she couldn't have done it before him. But during dinner, Oji-san had turned to him suddenly with something interesting. "Your training should be made official. When you graduate, you're welcome to become a live-in member." Yankumi had choked, and he had slapped her on the back while nodding. "Thank you, Oji-san, I'll probably do that." And then he rubbed her back for a moment in a small circle before returning to his meal. Her head swung back and forth between the two of them for a moment, eyes wide before she settled. He smiled into his soup. "Become a live-in, eh?" Kyo mused. "That'll be interesting." Shin didn't even bother with a scowl. "So the real training will start then!" "I can't even tell you to stop sticking your nose in Yakuza business anymore!" Yankumi was sprawled out next to him in the little side room where she did her marking, papers scattered as usual in front of her. He watched her pen drift across the paper. "You're the one who brings it on," he replied simply. It was true. When she got involved in something interesting, he couldn't help but get sucked into it as well. She had that kind of power over him, and she didn't even know it. Would he normally have challenged a member of the yakuza to a duel? Not a chance. And over a girl? He'd told his friends he wasn't interested in girls. They hadn't taken it in any particular way except exactly as he'd meant it - until Yankumi, he just didn't have interest in anyone, really. Well, he'd fight for his sister, but that was different. Yankumi was like a whirlpool, and he couldn't resist. "Are you okay with it?" he asked suddenly. She looked confused. "With what?" "Me living here." The time before she answered felt much longer than it could have been; a heartbeat maybe. "That would be...nice." She wasn't looking at him, refused to turn her head from the papers in front of her. "You're sure?" She made a noise of agreement, and under her hair he thought she looked a little embarrassed. He smiled and shifted closer so their sides were touching. "Good."