True
Confessions 7:
Yankumi tried to remember
the last time she had visited an onsen and came up painfully blank. She
couldn’t remember her grandfather ever taking her to one. However, ever
optimistic that it couldn’t be that bad (the brochure had looked quite nice and
enticing with its colorful pictures) – she began to pack her small suitcase
with much gusto. Part of her happiness could also be attributed to her daring
move on the rooftop at school today and the fact that she had managed to do
something she had never thought she could pull off. Maybe she ought to try that
with Shinohara sensei – catch him off guard and kiss him too.
But won’t that be
cheating on Shin?
She froze in the middle
of folding a t-shirt, eyes widening in shock at her thoughts. Since when had
she begun to assume that Shin was that important or close to her to warrant
being cheated on! They weren’t a couple, so she owed him nothing. Besides, this
was all done for fun…right?
Shrugging lightly, she
began to hum the theme song to ‘The Wife of Yakuza’, feeling so much more at
ease with her decision. She needn’t worry too much about it. Shin was a young
man who had his whole future ahead of him. He already had a beautiful girl in
the wings and a promising career – whatever that might be. Maybe it was wrong
for her to take advantage of his youth like this, but she couldn’t deny that it
was a bit of a thrill to be this ‘intimate’ with him as well.
She chuckled as she
tossed another t-shirt into the already bulging suitcase.
Yes, it would be so easy
to give herself to a guy like Shin, but Yankumi had the feeling that there
would always be the stigma of once being teacher and student long after he had
graduated and moved on. There was really no need to look for a deeper and more
meaningful relationship with him. It just wasn’t going to happen.
Meanwhile, watching her
from the safety of the living room, Kyou, Tetsu, Minoru and Sawara observed the
gamut of expressions on their Ojou’s visage. One minute she looked thoughtful
and somber and the next she was smiling and humming to herself. They weren’t
sure of what to make of it especially since she had come home that afternoon
with a very wide grin on her features. The only other time they had seen her
that happy was when Shinohara sensei had hugged her. However, they knew that
the lawyer was out of town for a business meeting and that ruled him out of the
equation. So what was the reason for her happiness? And just where was she
going anyway?
Finally allowing his
curiosity to get the best of him, Kyou walked towards her. “Ah, Ojou! It looks
like you’re going somewhere…?”’
“Onsen,” she replied with
a grin, holding up the brochure to his face. “I’m going with my students for a
day and night. It’s going to be great. It’s not too far from here...about a
thirty minute drive by bus and…”
Kyou gasped in horror at
the news and then fell to his knees before her. “Don’t go, Ojou! At least let
one of us accompany you!”
“Idiot,” she chided with
a light frown although it was quickly erased. “I’ll be fine…”
“You do not understand,
Ojou,” Kyou explained. “An onsen is a dangerous place to be, especially with
young men running around with their hormones going crazy!”
“And are you speaking
from experience, Kyou-san?” she remarked dryly, now trying to lock up the
suitcase that didn’t seem to want to cooperate with her. She decided to sit on
it.
The man had the grace to
flush at being caught, but shook his head and looked determined. “I will be
your bodyguard, Ojou. Don’t worry, we’ll be discreet…”
“No one is following me,”
she said loudly, making sure the other men heard her. “I’ll be fine. If I can
deal with my boys on ordinary school days, what could be so hard in dealing
with something as simple as a trip to an onsen!”
And now
twelve hours later and staring at the scene before her, Yankumi realized that
she had perhaps spoken way too hastily. She had definitely not foreseen
this happening.
“Hmm…what are you going
to do, Yamaguchi sensei?”
“And it’s not like you
can chase them all home,” Kawashima added, looking quite pretty in light green
Capri pants and a white halter top. “They didn’t come together.”
Yankumi groaned and sat
on her haunches perhaps hoping that if she squeezed her eyes shut tight enough,
the whole scene would disappear completely. But to her chagrin, that familiar
sing-song voice wouldn’t quit talking and it was getting louder by the second.
“Yamaguchi sensei,” Ayumi
cried out in delight as she ran towards the women. “What a surprise to see you
all here! My friends and I had just stopped by to enjoy the springs ourselves
and lucky us, you brought the boys!”
All twenty-five of
your closest friends?
Yankumi thought with a low growl reluctantly admiring how good Ayumi looked in
a pair of tight white shorts and a simple pink t-shirt. Her long legs seemed to
go on forever and Yankumi felt even more hot and uncomfortable in her plain
blue tracksuit.
It was obvious that this
had been planned by the young model – how she had known was still a mystery.
However, Kawashima was right. It wasn’t as if they could all go back home now.
The trip alone had almost taken them a long and rather bothersome hour. The
girls had come on their own and it was now up to them to make the best of the
situation. Needless to say, the owners of the ryokan were quite thrilled
at the sight of so many visitors. They had never had this much business in a
long time and having a celebrity as part of their clientele was an added boost!
Yankumi stole another
wary glance at her students and had to bite back a scream of annoyance as she
watched them chatting up the girls with enthusiasm. At this rate, she was bound
to lose them all before the night was over! This was supposed to be a moment
alone with her boys, to share in the memories they had created over the past
three months. Now, she would have to share the moment with twenty-six other
girls. Just where in the world had Ayumi found them anyway? Some modeling
agency? They all certainly looked that way.
“You’re making angry
sounds,”
“I don’t care! If anyone
gets into any trouble, Kyoto-sensei will have my head!” And even worse, that
man may not even let them graduate. She flashed Ayumi a quick smile, walked up
to the group and clapped her hands sharply. “All right, everyone! Listen up!”
They stopped long enough
to face her, although it took quite some time to get their complete attention.
Yankumi noticed that Shin was off to the side and on his own…until Ayumi joined
him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered something into his ear,
causing Yankumi’s finger nails to dig even deeper into her palms. She refused
to acknowledge the slow heat that was rising from the pit of her stomach as
jealousy while she forced herself to focus on the restless young men. And why
did she feel this way to begin with? Hadn’t she told herself that Shin had more
opportunities with girls his age?
“Everyone,” she began
loudly, shaking her head quickly to erase her troubling thoughts. “I’m aware
that this is a fun time for you…since you now have companions to keep
you…company.”
Someone whooped in
delight and it got everyone laughing. Feeling her temper rising again, she
barked out coldly. “Shut your traps up and listen when someone is talking,
brats! Damn it! Didn’t you learn anything at all in the past three months!”
That got them sobered up
quickly including the teachers who were still not quite used to seeing this
side of the usually bumbling woman. Yamaguchi seemed to become a whole other
person whenever she exploded like this. It was almost…frightening.
“If any of you get into
any trouble here, I’ll make sure it’s a night you’ll never forget!” she
continued, now pacing up and down with a serious look on her features. “We
teachers will be keeping an eye on you!” She ignored the soft groans from the
other women. “And if we catch anyone breaking the rules, you’ll be sent home,
got it?”
“Yeah, yeah,” they all
mumbled with sullen looks of disappointment or defiance on their features.
“Yamaguchi sensei?” Ayumi
called out with a wave of her hand.
Yankumi didn’t feel like
responding to the girl, but ignoring her would be too obvious. “What is it,
Hayasaki-kun?”
“Is it okay if the boys
and girls sleep together?”
What the…!
“Yes, yes, please!” Many
of the boys cried out, all moving towards their flabbergasted teacher in
earnest. “We’ll be good boys! We promise!”
“There’s no need for
that,” Shin suddenly said firmly but yet loud enough for his voice to reach
everyone. This in turn, caused his classmates to glare at him in disbelief.
What the hell was he talking about! This was the opportunity of a lifetime
to…eh? Was he winking at them? The sly dog!
It was clear that the
boys knew what Shin was up to, although the females didn’t. Yankumi, assuming
that they had become quiet because of Shin’s commands, grinned in appreciation
and silent gratitude. She knew she could count on Sawada in tough situations
like these.
“That’s right,” she said
with hands on hips. “You don’t need to sleep with the girls. You all have your
own bedrooms and you can stay there until it’s time for dinner or breakfast.”
Several groans and whines
rang out again, but Yankumi was already making her way towards the reception
desk. Explaining the situation to the okami quickly, the older woman
nodded in understanding, showing the teacher the layout of the rather large
inn. The girls would have their quarters in the West wing of the inn while the
boys took the East. Luckily, they had large rooms enough to house almost twenty
people. Yankumi, personally, saw to it that the boys and girls marched off in
separate directions, suffering their mumbles and complaints with a grin on her
face.
She proposed each teacher
to stand guard in the hallways for at least an hour, but to her chagrin,
“Geez, I thought they
were here to help me,” Yankumi grumbled as she sat down on the bench. She got
to her feet again, remembering that she hadn’t even unpacked her things yet.
The women who worked in the inn would have taken her belongings to the West
wing. And realizing she’d have to sleep with twenty-five other women, Yankumi
groaned and began the dreaded walk towards her room.
Without a doubt, this was
definitely going to be a very long day.
“So
what’s this brilliant plan of yours, Shin?” Kuma asked as all the boys sat
around the long, low table with their gazes trained on the dark-haired boy
sitting at its head. Shin kept silent for some time, his head lowered in
thought. If he knew Yankumi well enough, he could guess that she’d be stubborn
enough to remain outside their quarters for the rest of the night if need be.
It wasn’t as if he really wanted to be with the girls, but this was for his
friends and they just needed to have some fun.
He made a mental note to
remind Yankumi about that word.
“We’ll wait,” he began
quietly and lifted his head to pin a steady gaze on some of the boys who had
begun to complain again. “Let’s do as she says for now. If she sees that we
aren’t causing any trouble, she’ll begin to relax and by evening’s end, she
might even be too tired to notice what we do anyway.”
“Oooh, so you’re saying
we should make her drunk then?” Uchi asked with a smirk, rubbing his hands
together.
“No,” Shin replied a bit
too sharply. He wanted Yankumi to himself this evening and couldn’t risk the
chance of getting her drunk and besides, he also had Ayumi to deal with. He
still had to try to get rid of the girl without causing a ruckus. He gave an
inner sigh of exasperation. “Look, you guys, just do as I say, okay? Trust me
by the time the night is over, you can all have fun with the girls. Just
promise me that none of you will get into any fights.”
The boys exchanged wary
looks and shrugged. “Hey, we don’t go looking for trouble,” Noda replied. “They
always seem to find us.”
“Well, don’t just go
anywhere that’s going to get you in trouble. The last thing I need to hear is
Yankumi preaching to us,” Shin said, causing the boys to laugh in agreement.
“But we still don’t know
how we’re going to slip out of her way,” Kuma said with a pout but had to smile
as Shin placed a hand on his shoulder to squeeze it gently.
“Leave Yankumi to me,” he
said enigmatically. “And you guys can deal with the rest.”
As luck
would have it, the older women had separate rooms, although adjacent to the
girls, so Yankumi was able to unpack her things in private. She could hear them
giggling and laughing through the thin walls as they talked about the boys
unabashedly.
She smiled softly to
herself as she eyed her plain black bathing suit, feeling a slight pang of
wistfulness at the knowledge that she had never really had a female friend to
share such memories with. Maybe if her parents had been alive, things could
have been so much different. She could have become more feminine and able to
relate to the girls a bit more. She eyed the sleeping Kawashima, wondering how
the woman could sleep through all the noise.
She was just about to
pull out her towel, when a light knock on the door ushered in Ayumi and two
other girls already dressed in the ryokan’s
light blue yukata which was provided to all guests.
“We are going to the
onsen now,” she announced with a smile. “But then again, we don’t really need
permission from you, do we?”
Hardly waiting for
Yankumi to reply, they spun on their heels and at Ayumi’s firm command of
‘Let’s go, girls!’, she could only watch with growing trepidation as they began
to file out of the room.
Shit! She had forgotten
to find out if the baths were separated or mixed!
Picking up the brochure,
she thumbed through the pages quickly and then gave a sigh of relief as she
noticed that it was indeed separated. So there was no chance of the boys or
girls meeting each other. However, she wouldn’t put it past her boys to do
something sneaky like going into the girls baths! Deciding that sitting around
and doing nothing wasn’t going to help, Yankumi changed into her bathing suit
quickly before slipping into the pale blue outfit. She followed the girls at a
safe distance, unconsciously stiffening each time another male guest at the
onsen stopped to wave or chat with anyone of them. She wondered why she cared
so much since they weren’t really under her care to begin with. But she still
felt responsible for the young women, after all, they too could be students in
her class…if she was teaching an all girls school, that is.
They finally reached the
two sets of stairs, one leading to the female baths and the other to the male.
Yankumi could already hear the loud screams from the male section and it didn’t
take a genius to know that the boys were already making themselves at home.
“Aww,” one of the girls
whined. “Why can’t we go take a peek at the? That stupid teacher’s still in her
room, she won’t catch us.”
“Yeah, Ayumi, let’s…”
They all began chanting softly as Yankumi began to grit her teeth in
irritation. If those girls dared to…!
“Not now,” the red head
said with a wide smile. “Maybe later.”
Whew! She’s got a good
head on her shoulders that girl, Yankumi thought with a nod of approval, watching them all
file down the stairs and towards their baths. “She’ll make a fine girlfriend
for you, Shin.”
“Really?” came the soft
question which had her jumping in surprise. She spun around quickly and all but
squeaked at the sight that met her gaze. Her breath caught in her throat and
the world seemed to be spinning a bit too fast. Closing her eyes quickly, she
took a deep breath and then opened them again to take in the rather delectable
sight of Sawada in nothing but a white towel around his waist.
His hair was plastered to
his scalp and hung in damp ringlets against his forehead and flushed cheeks.
She had always thought Shin to be on the slender side, but seeing the broad
shoulders which seemed to glisten with a combination of water and sweat had
Yankumi swallowing tightly. Her fingers itched to touch that smooth chest – a
far cry from Kyou’s hairy one which she had seen on more than one occasion (not
by choice) - and the dusky nipples which stood out proudly. It tapered off to lean
hips covered by the white towel which wickedly hid what she so longed to see…
“Eeek! Get away from me!”
she suddenly shrieked, more out of horror, confusion and dismay at where her
thoughts were leading her. In her distress, she struck out a fist and winced at
the contact it made with the flesh of his stomach.
“Damn it, Yankumi,” Shin
wheezed, his knees almost buckling in pain as he glared at the flustered woman
before him. “What are you trying to do? Kill me?”
“Sor…sorry! You shouldn’t
have sneaked up on me!”
“I didn’t,” he
complained, straightening himself up again albeit slowly. “I was going back to
the onsen. I had to get another set of towels. Shit…” His stomach felt like it
was on fire. He wondered if he’d be able to survive training with her at this
rate.
“I’m…I’m sorry,” she
began again, waving her hands about, not sure if she wanted to touch him or
not. She was afraid that if she did, she’d do something she was bound to
regret. Damn it! Why did he have to look so good! “Are you okay?”
“No,” he replied flatly,
regaining some of his composure. “And why were you mumbling to yourself?”
“Mumbling? I wasn’t
mumbling.”
“Something about she
being a good girlfriend to me.”
“Oh…ah…that…” She cleared
her throat and nodded firmly. “I was just saying how wonderful it was that you
have such a good girl like Ayumi waiting in the wings for you. She’s
really…what? Why are you staring at me like that?”
It was an intense look
that was making it extremely difficult to breathe but she was going to stand
her ground. She couldn’t allow him to keep making her feel this weak all the
time.
“So you really don’t mind
if I hang out with Ayumi?” he asked slowly.
“Of course I don’t!” she
replied a bit too quickly. There was a sinking sensation in her stomach that
she couldn’t place a finger on at this time. “She’s good for you and she’s…”
“So you wouldn’t mind if
I kissed her or spent all evening with her, would you, Yankumi?” he asked
again, leaning closer to trace the outline of her lower lip with a finger. “You
won’t get jealous?”
“Jea…jealous?” Dear gods,
but her voice sounded breathless and barely audible. The scent which rolled off
his body was too damn intoxicating. “What makes you think I’m jealous?”
Someone was coming up the
stairs. Someone was going to catch them here and it was going to be all over.
If he kisses me here
now…I think I’ll…I’ll…
But to her immense
dismay, he pulled away with an unreadable expression in his eyes. It was as if
he was shutting himself away from her and she didn’t like it – not one bit. “No
reason,” he finally replied with a light shrug. “I guess I was assuming too
much.”
Wait…Shin…I didn’t
mean…
“See you around,
Yankumi.”
He walked away with a
light wave, hardly looking back to see the disappointment now etched on her
features.
Yankumi...he called me
Yankumi and we were alone. She sank to her haunches and closed her eyes, wondering why that
little ‘blunder’ would cause her to feel this dreadful ache in her chest. In
her self-pitying state, she failed to see the young woman who had been watching
their exchange from the shadows, slowly make her way back to the baths.
Dinner
was a boisterous affair and after the initial moments of awkwardness between
the boys – who were on one side of the room and the girls on the other –
several drinks and hot plates later, had everyone mingling and either singing
off key or watching the antics of their classmates on the mock stage which had
been set up. Yankumi forced herself to laugh and clap with the others, although
each time she glanced towards a certain young man, her good mood evaporated
faster than steam in winter. Shin had barely looked at her all evening and
seemed to be having a great time with his friends. And why shouldn’t he?
“Would you like some more
sake, Yamaguchi sensei?” came the sweet voice beside her. Hardly paying much
attention to who was offering, Yankumi held up her cup and accepted with a
light grunt. She brought the full cup to her lips and drank it in one fell swoop,
perhaps hoping that it would dull some of the frustration she was feeling at
the moment.
“It’s hard, isn’t it?”
the voice continued beside her. “It’s hard to be in love with someone and not
know if they feel the same way or not.”
“Yesh,” Yankumi replied, kicking
herself inwardly at how slurred the word had sounded. She hadn’t even had that
much to drink yet. “I was like that with Shinohara sensei,” she continued with
a firm nod. She lifted her cup again and was glad to see that her hostess
wasn’t questioning her decision to drink herself into a stupor. More sake was
poured and Yankumi drank thirstily.
“So you do love Shinohara
sensei?”
“Of course I do,” Yankumi
replied with a frown as if that was the dumbest question asked. “He’s wunnerful
and schweet and caaring. I…love him…”
“More than you love
Shin?”
Shin…I love Shin?
“What are you talking
about? I don’t love Shin. He’s mah student and a good one at that!” Damn but
she was beginning to get a headache.
“Well, I love Shin,
Yamaguchi sensei,” the sweet voice continued quietly. “But he doesn’t seem to
love me. What should I do?”
Yankumi placed a hand
upon the girl’s shoulder and nodded softly as if sympathizing with her plight.
“You should tell him how
you feel,” she advised. “You should…look him in the eye and say…’I love you,
Shin!’ like that. Don’t be like me…and hide your feelings…let him know…”
The girl smiled warmly
and nodded in agreement. “You’re right, sensei. I should be true to my feelings
and let him know. Thank you, sensei! I knew I could count on you.”
“No problem…” Yankumi
whispered now holding her head within her hands. The music was becoming too
loud, the laughter too annoying. All she wanted to do was lie down in her
comfortable bed at home and never get up again.
“Shin!” A loud voice
suddenly cried out, causing Yankumi to lift her head with a low groan. Everyone
else in the room had fallen silent as well at the loud cry and all attention
was now focused on the beautiful red head standing in the middle of the room.
What…what’s going on? Yankumi thought with mild panic,
her heart beginning to pound so much faster in her chest. What is she
doing…?
She watched in horror as
Ayumi knelt before the bemused dark-haired boy, watched as those slender hands
reached out to wrap themselves around his neck, pulling him closer. Yankumi
felt as if a bowl of icy water had been doused on her as their lips met. It
wasn’t a gentle or chaste kiss, but one that seemed to be filled with passion
and meaning. Ayumi pulled back gently and making sure everyone in the room heard,
she announced it boldly.
“It’s official, Sawada
Shin. We can hide it no longer. I hereby accept the offer to become your bride
once you graduate.”
Someone’s cup fell to a
million pieces shattering the stunned silence that had filled the room. And
hardly realizing she was the one responsible for it, Yamaguchi Kumiko spun on
her heels and fled out of the room.
Notes: The end of this tore me up for
some reason. On one hand, Yankumi running out from such a scene would be
considered too OOC for her. But then going back to read through this, I figured
it wasn’t such a bad idea. I think that even though she continues to deny she
has feelings for Shin, it’s obvious that she cares a whole lot more than she
lets on. She’s still a female at heart and should have spontaneous ‘girly’
moments, ne/lol/