Title: The Best
Author: MK
Pairing: Sawada Shin x Yamaguchi Kumiko
Fandom: Gokusen
Theme: #15, perfect blue
Disclaimer: I don't own Gokusen. I know this is sounds like a pretty happy theme, 
but am I the only one who associates it with insane, murdering pop-idols?

	Graduation.  It meant that for once during an assembly they actually got to 
sit on chairs, but it also meant stiff necks, boring presentations and rambling 
speeches.  The Head Teacher was giving him strange looks that probably meant 
he wanted Shin to read some previously prepared speech as valedictorian instead 
of what he had to say on his own.  
	
	Mostly, he was looking forward to going home with Kumiko.  Home. Not 
an empty, dark apartment or his father's cold, shriveled house, but an open space 
where something interesting was always going on; where she was.  

	They had actually been lucky to make it here in time.  Kyo had wanted to 
come along, and Yankumi had to forcefully deny that request-which took some 
doing.  Eventually they had made it here, and followed the other third year 
students as each class filed into their seating section.  Of course, 3-D did it with 
jaunty waves and a few winks at other people's sisters, but they generally 
managed.  

	The presentation of diplomas was boring.  They had to wait through the 
first three classes before their own class, and then the head teacher asked him to 
come up on stage and make his valedictorian speech.  With his back turned to the 
audience, sure enough, Kyoto-sensei tried to hand him a different speech.  "Here, 
Sawada, read this so you don't embarrass the school.  You-"

	Shin brushed him aside and stepped up to the mic.  It wasn't that he liked 
hearing his own voice or anything - he'd just as much prefer not to have to talk 
up here at such a boring event, but there were some things that needed to be said.  
And he guessed he deserved it.  

	"You've probably heard of 3-D," he started out, "And you're probably 
surprised to see us all graduating today.  Every single one of us."  He looked out 
at the parents sitting there, many of them with uncomfortable looks on their 
faces.  "I'm not here to gloat, or tell you that we've showed you that you've under-
estimated us.  I'm here to say thank you.

	"A lot of it is because of Yankumi - Yamaguchi-sensei --  she's what made 
this school interesting and worth-while.  It wasn't just math and following the 
rules with her, it was seeing when something needed to be fixed, and 
understanding us-all of us, for who we were.  She gave us these dorky handouts 
on the first day asking us to write a bit about ourselves, and in a day or two she 
had it memorized-favourite foods, everything. All these stupid little details that 
no one really cared about. 

	"But it worked out.  Yankumi's not afraid of anything, and definitely not 
us.  So it works.  

	"Oh yeah-and just to tell you; we graduated. All of us."  He made a face at 
the head teacher and left to stage to scattered clapping, but Yankumi and 3-D 
looked happy, and Fujiyama and Nakashima were bumping their shoulders 
against hers where they sat.  He gave her a little smile.  

	Graduation had its high points, afterall.  



	At home, Kyo grinned at him.  "You made an embarrassing speech?"  Shin kept 
his face calm.

	"A little bit, yeah."  And Kyo laughed deeply before nodding at Kumiko.  "It's 
ready," he said to her, and she broke out in a wide smile.

	"Alright then!  Come on!"  He barely made it into his indoor slippers before she 
and Kyo dragged him off to the hallway where the room he usually stayed in was.  Tetsu, 
Minoru and Oji-san were waiting by the door, all smiling broadly.  

	"Open the door, already!" 

	Inside was something phenomenal.  They had decorated, moved all his furniture 
properly into place, unpacked most of his things.  So far he had been living out of his 
boxes.  There was some new furniture, too.

	"Do you like it? We painted the walls the same red as Ojou's-figured 
anyone with hair like yours had to like that colour!" Kyo laughed again and Shin felt his 
face break out into that awkward, embarrassed grin they brought out in him far too often.

	"Thank you," he turned and bowed to them, "No one has ever done anything like 
this for me before."  And Tetsu gave him a sharp look.

	"Don't get too excited-we still have graduation dinner to eat."

	"And I can tell everyone about that embarrassing speech you made!" Yankumi 
chimed in.  Minoru seconded that quickly.  

	"Oi, Kumiko! Don't go saying unnecessary things!"  And as he chased her out of 
there he caught sight of the look on Oji-san's face and felt for the first time very much at 
home.