"Shiro-sensei? I... I love you." Tonomi Kanzaki gazed up at Shiro, tearstreaks still visible on her cheeks. A beautiful young lady, captain of the dance team, active in the English Club, a girl that nearly every guy in the school had dreamed of asking out. For some inexplicable reason, she had chosen him. At the time, all he could think of was the impropriety of a teacher-student relationship, but in two weeks, that argument no longer held. Tonomi, though easily hurt, was always kind to Shiro no matter what the attitude he'd taken toward her. Her longing gaze seemed to say, "Don't leave me behind, Shiro... don't spoil what we could have... don't turn me away." Before Shiro could respond, he was sitting in Tia Maria's again. "...that's one of the reasons I love you so much." Mariko Kawai said just as his consciousness came about. Mariko. She'd been nothing but sweet to Shiro, understanding him and sticking up for him even more than herself. A wonderfully lovely personality, paired with her soft, beautiful looks, more than made up for the inadequacies in coordination and self-confidence. She smiled warmly at Shiro, a smile that echoed, "Don't leave me behind, Shiro... don't spoil what we could have... don't turn me away." Just as Shiro thought he had a response, the chemistry lab of Furinkan appeared around him and one very angry Sakura Takahashi stood before him. "Because I LOVE YOU, YOU JACKASS!" she spurted. Always emotionally volatile, Sakura was ever more becoming the teenager she had repressed when she became a teacher. Despite this lapse from her previous high level of maturity, Sakura was still very helpful to Shiro, aiding him in covering classes and tutoring him when he found himself lacking in mathematical savvy. She also sported her own beauty, more than most people gave her credit for. Shiro looked into her eyes and took a deep breath, preparing to answer... Then he realized that the object he was about to talk to was a red pen. Shiro grumbled, eyeing the stack of papers he had barely begun to grade. "I really don't need this," he said. Everything was hitting at a bad time. "Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong," he muttered sarcastically. Not that everything was truly going *wrong*. However, finding out in the span of one day that three beautiful women were in love with him only added to the complications involving finishing his own school, finishing the school year of his students, and trying to figure out where to go with his life. Shiro glared down at the papers. "Business first. I have to get these done." He picked up the first paper and laid it next to the key, then commenced grading. After five questions, he let out a bear of a yawn, and glanced over at the clock. It read 2:30. Shiro dropped the pen and sighed in frustration. "How am I ever going to get all this done?" --- Ranma 1/2: Lack of Common Sensei Chapter 30: Realizations LoCS created by Winston Smith This final installment by Falcon --- Sooner than Shiro would have liked, his alarm woke him from his less than adequate three hours of sleep. Another 6:30 AM wake-up call rudely told him to get up, shower and get some caffeine in his system before even attempting to do anything requiring energy or coordination. "At least the weekend is coming. I can sleep in tomorrow," he reasoned. Resigning himself to another day of living on stimulants, he dragged himself out of bed and toward the shower. --- Meanwhile, in another portion of Nerima, Tonomi Kanzaki sat alone, contemplating the events of the previous days. Amazingly, she had made herself a viable choice in Shiro's eyes. It had certainly taken long enough. The man just didn't take subtle hints, it seemed. Ah well, she reasoned; most men were that way. It didn't make her love him any less. She idly picked up her brochure for Sabishii University. They had a dance team; though this was nowhere near her main reason for going, it was a nice bonus. Good learning programs all around, good extracurriculars... all that was missing was one thing; the assurance that Shiro would be there with her. The raven-ponytailed young woman gently laid the brochure on the floor and sighed wistfully. Everything led back to Shiro. Ever since the day she finally admitted to him that she loved him, every train of thought stopped at the growing Smith Station in her mind. Not that this was a bad thing, per se... distracting, yes, embarrassing when she was caught not paying attention, yes. But she was happy. In spite of the knowledge that she might not be the one he would choose, in spite of the possibility that she might be alone after graduation, she was happy. Because right now, for the next couple of weeks, she had him around. His presence was all she could ask for... and usually all she could get. Tonomi got up and began her morning routine, mind focused on her love, and smiled. It would be a good day today. Any day with him had to be. --- Shiro stepped out of the bathroom, feeling cleaner but no more awake. He dressed and walked slowly to the kitchen, prepared to make some of the black elixir of life. To his surprise, Kira was already there, seemingly awake and alert. he stated flatly. his cousin replied. If Shiro were feeling vindictive, he would have responded with a snide comment about her deserving it, but he just wasn't up for that this morning. He remained silent and poured himself coffee as soon as it finished. Kira rustled the newspaper a bit, not really reading. How to break the ice... Shiro gave her a sideways look. She knew damn well he didn't care much about sports. Kira thought for a moment, then tried again. Shiro finished off the coffee, then moved over to the stacks of papers by his attache case. Kira shrugged. Shiro shuffled his papers into appropriate stacks, shut his case, then replied, he said as he hastily exited. After the door shut, Kira sighed. --- Shiro strolled up to the school's entrance, mildly surprised at the lack of commotion. Usually, the students were a bit more energetic when they saw the light of the weekend at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Curious as to what might be going on (or not going on), he stepped inside. A sign marked, "New pool - check bulletin boards for details. Remember, bet early, bet often!" greeted him. "Hmm," Shiro mumbled. He'd never actually participated in one of the pools since he felt he lacked the Nerima instinct and experience, but maybe today would be a good time to start. Maybe it had to do with Ryouga's next trans-Pacific journey, or how long Sakura would last before making a face at Akane's attempt at the Home Ec final. He could go for that one. The contemplative English teacher briskly walked up the stairs to the second floor. He made a beeline for the nearest bulletin board, and there spied Hinako-chan pulling down the very poster he was looking for. "Naughty children, she grumbled. "Don't they know they're too young for this? I'll stop whoever's doing this eventually--" "Good morning, Miss Hinako," Shiro greeted. Hinako looked up at Shiro. "Isn't your room on the fifth floor, Shiro?" "Well, yes, but I wanted to take a look at the bulletin board on my way up." "And just wha-- oh, I know what you were looking for. You're encouraging naughty behavior, aren't you?" Shiro gulped. This wasn't what he needed to start off the day. --- Two floors above, brown hair flared outward as Mariko Kawai flipped it with her hands. As she lightly brushed it back into place, she glanced at the clock. A little early, true, but usually at least one student was here by now. Finished with her hair, she turned to look at her desk and pouted. Two more tests left to give in each class; one over the last couple of chapters and then finals. The chapter tests weren't much of a worry in and of themselves, but Mariko hated finals. Hated hated hated, both as a student and as a teacher. Though she had lots of experience taking big tests, she'd never had to make one out before. Mariko sighed. This wouldn't be a problem if only Yamada-sensei hadn't transferred mid-year. That way she would have had someone to guide her, and also to share the burden. Now, however, she wasn't sure what to do. Mariko closed her eyes and mulled over the options. She could try to go it alone; difficult, but very worrisome. She could try to contact Yam-- no, bad idea. He was certainly happier elsewhere. That left asking someone still at Furinkan for help. Sakura? Well, she was certainly intelligent enough, and they were on good terms before, but with newly added circumstances, Mariko didn't want to push it. Asking the students? Probably a bad idea. Shiro? Social Studies didn't seem to be his thing, but... Mariko nodded to herself. Shiro was the answer. He'd always given her good advice when she needed him before, and she was certain now would be no different. Thus resolved, Mariko opened her eyes and smiled at the now mostly-full classroom. "Good morning, Kawai-sensei," greeted a sophomore girl. "Good morning!" Mariko beamed at the class. "Is everyone ready to begin?" Nods echoed through the room. "Okay. Please turn to page 521 and read starting where we left off yesterday." Still smiling, she read along with the class, looking forward to the rest of the day. --- "Hmm... that's not it. Maybe here. Ah, I was off one page." Rustle. "Yeah, that's the one." Press. "Lamb and basil meat pie, yogurt flavor!" Karou stepped back a bit from her patient, bewildered. "Huh?" "...did I just say what I think I said, Karou?" "Yes, you did. I seem to have pressed the 'Extreme Cravings' spot instead of the 'Energy Jolt' spot. Common mistake among males who have to overextend their arms to hug their pregnant wives. And they think it's the woman's fault." Karou shook her head. "Anyway, at least you're awake. Hinako get you again?" Shiro nodded groggily. "Yeah. Does she always get this proactive when a new pool starts?" Karou shrugged. "She finds new things to go after every day. Were you interested in..." she trailed off as she put her pressure point notes back where they were. "Interested in the pool? Well, I was kind of wondering what was being bet on--" Karou stopped him with a finger to her lips. "Trust me on this. You don't want to get involved in this one." "Why not?" The nurse sighed. "Well, I suppose you'll find out anyway, so better from someone you know than through the rumor mill." Shiro arced an eyebrow. "The pool of the unspecified time period is..." --- "Takahashi-sensei! My pot's boiling over, what should I do?" "Takahashi-sensei! There's smoke coming from below the oven!" "Takahashi-sensei!" "Takahashi-sensei!" "Takahashi-sensei!" Sakura flew around the Home Ec lab faster than it seemed possible, applying appropriate safety procedures. When the smoke cleared, two dishes were ruined and one oven nearly destroyed. Must be losing my touch, Sakura thought as she tried to catch her breath. She hoped the rest of the day held fewer accidents. --- "...run that by me again?" "I said they're taking bets on who you'll pick; Tonomi, Sakura or Mariko." Shiro shook his head. He knew that his unbelievably good (or was it bad?) luck with women had probably been spread through the rumor mill uncountable times, but he didn't realize that so many people worried about just who he would choose. Reading this from his expression, Nurse Karou responded, "I guess you don't realize..." She turned away to readjust things in the room. "Realize what?" Karou smiled knowingly. "I'll leave it for you to figure out, Shiro. You're a smart man." Shiro sighed. Yet another thing to think about. He glanced at the nearest clock. "Oh no, I'm late. Thanks a lot, Karou. I'll talk to you soon, I'm sure." Karou laughed. "Trust me, you will. No one around here goes without seeing me for long. And don't worry about being late. You're covered." "Oh? By whom?" "You'll see." A straight answer today sure would be nice, Shiro mused. --- Shiro finished the ascent to the fifth floor just as the first period of class ended. He spied room 2-F a few feet away, and decided to wait outside the door until the students filed out, since he was sure that his unexpected substitute would be waiting for him to arrive and he really didn't feel like trying to go against the flow of traffic. The students filed out one by one, some turning in each direction. Greetings from the ones who passed him were all smiles. "Good to see you're feeling okay, Smith-sensei!" "See you tomorrow!" Shiro smiled in return and bowed to the students as they passed. When the last one went by him, he went over to the door. "Hey, thanks for covering for..." He stopped dead in his tracks and trailed off as soon as he laid eyes on his replacement. Sooner than Shiro could form a reply, his replacement had her eyes locked with his. "Good morning, Shiro," Tonomi greeted him, a warm smile on her face. "I'm glad you're feeling better." "T-Tonomi?" "That's me," she grinned. "Let me guess, you're wondering why I'm here, other than the obvious fact that I'm trying to help someone I love." Shiro nodded, unable to form a coherent sentence. Tonomi giggled. "I had a free period today. I was walking toward the library when I saw that you weren't in your room, so I went to the nurse's office to check on you. She said you'd be fine, and asked if I could find someone to cover for him. I agreed, and she gave me the lesson plans. I don't think she intended for me to be the sub, but I think it turned out rather well." "The students came out smiling, so I'd agree," Shiro replied. "Thank you, Tonomi. I really appreciate it." "It wasn't a problem, Shiro." Tonomi motioned toward his desk. "Your lesson plans and other papers should be just how you left them. Enjoy class, take care of yourself..." she trailed off as gave him a kiss on the cheek. As she pulled away, she finished in a whisper, "and think of me." With that, she picked up her things and went off to her next class. Shiro let out a deep breath and sighed. Focus. Focus on what has to be done now first, and think about other things later. --- "The total casualties included 40,000 foot soldiers and--" Mariko was cut off by papers rustling and books closing throughout the room. "Did I miss the bell again?" she inquired of the class. A general affirmative murmur rose from the students. She glanced sideways at the clock. "Oh, I'm sorry." The class rose from their seats and began filing out the door. One turned to Mariko and whispered, "At least it's lunchtime, Kawai-sensei." Lunch? Mariko took a better look at the clock. Indeed, it was time for some food. She closed her book and laid it on her desk, then fell in the line that was moving toward the stairway. As she struggled to keep in step with those both in front of and behind her, she thought of how to approach Shiro. It might be a little more difficult with everything out in the open, she thought. Still, she was sure that Shiro would be understanding. Confident, she broke from the line of students when they came to the bottom of the stairway and made a beeline for the faculty lounge. --- "*gasp*... *wheeze*... *cough cough* Oi, can this day get any more exhausting?" Sakura paused a moment to catch her breath, then peered around the lab. One part scorched ovens, two parts dirty dishes and a liberal coating of baking powder throughout made for one incredible mess. "The way I'm slipping today, I doubt I can pull off cleaning this up alone," she muttered. Maybe Shiro could help her; he was free in the coming period. Deciding to let the lab lie unclean for the moment, Sakura made for the peace and quiet the faculty lounge promised. --- "See you on Monday, class, and I apologize for not having your papers graded. I'll be sure to have them done for you by then." Disappointed students groaned and shuffled out the door, still speculating on their test performance. Shiro glanced down at his watch. Lunchtime, with a free period afterward. Maybe that would be enough time to get something done around here. --- Mariko walked into the faculty lounge, brown bag in hand. She sat at one corner of the six-person table and began eating her celery. Munching thoughtfully, she had just gotten around to deciding what to say to Shiro when someone else entered the room. A dust cloud trailed Sakura Takahashi, who looked a lot paler than normal. Mariko greeted her, "Good afternoon, Sakura... what happened?" "More than I ever wanted to deal with today," Sakura muttered as she collapsed into a seat on the other side of the table. "It figures that such a busy, hectic day would come after how great yesterday was." "What happened yesterday?" Sakura turned her attention to her sandwich. "Good things." "Don't worry, I'm sure things will get better soon," Mariko said, smiling. Her pleasantries went unnoticed as Sakura wolfed down her food. Mariko furrowed her brow; usually Sakura wasn't quite so distant. Something must be on her mind, the elder, yet junior teacher reasoned. She popped another chunk of celery into her mouth, then reached into the bag to pull out her next course. A welcome interruption halted her continued nourishment. "Shiro!" Sakura immediately lifted her head and turned around. Both women locked their gazes onto the exhausted English/Math teacher. "Good afternoon, Sakura, Mariko," he nodded to each in turn, then took his place at the corner of the table across from Mariko and beside Sakura. "How's your day been?" Mariko broke the ice. "I'm exhausted. Not much sleep last night, compounded by Hinako getting to me this morning. I'm also worn out mentally... I have so much to do and so little time to do it in; or at least, that's how it feels right at the moment." "Any way I can help?" both women inquired at the same time, prompting them to give a sideways glance to each other. Shiro smiled wanly. "I appreciate the offer, Sakura, but it looks like you have enough on your mind - and your body, no offense intended. Concentrate on your own affairs first... if you're in such a disorderly state as you are now, I'd hate to see your lab." Sakura blushed faintly. He noticed, he cared, even if he didn't have time to help. "As for you, Mariko," Shiro said, then hesitated. "What is it?" "Well, I really hate to ask this, but the best thing you can do for me, if you wouldn't mind, is to give up your free period for a couple days and sub for me while I go back to my school to finalize a few things." Mariko tilted her head slightly. "I didn't know you had to go back before the end of school, Shiro." "I know it's sudden, but it has to be done if I want to graduate on time. Hopefully no one will be too mad about it, but I think it's understandable." Mariko giggled. "Don't worry, Shiro, I'll take care of second hour... uh, when was that again?" "Starting next Thursday. I should be back Sunday evening." "Okay! But, Shiro, could I talk to you about something first?" Sakura grumbled as she finished inhaling her chips. Those two seemed happy enough. Of course the overworked scientist couldn't help out Shiro - she had enough to deal with. Her part in the conversation clearly over, she slinked out of the room. "Talk to you later, Sakura!" Shiro called after her. "Sure," she mumbled halfheartedly. "...I wonder what's gotten into her today? Anyway, Mariko, what did you need?" "Well..." Mariko tried to phrase her plight in a way that wouldn't make her seem so silly. "It's about finals. I don't have a problem making normal tests, but finals are another matter entirely. I've never done one before, and I always hated them as a student, so I wondered if I could get some advice on how to make a final up." "Hmm, that's not too bad," Shiro began. "The best way to make a final, from my observations, is to take most of the general concepts and some specific information from the other tests to form the base. Then, some general concepts and a few specifics from anything you went over between the last test and the final. You could always rephrase questions to make things interesting, too." Mariko nodded. Knowing her, she could repeat that word for word a year from now, so Shiro didn't press her to take any notes. "Hey, Shiro. What exactly is it you have to go back for? Anything in particular?" Shiro nodded. "The biggest thing is an interview with my advisor and an overview from the Academic Standards committee. They have to be sure that what I've done and what I've learned pass for a semester's worth of classes. Granted, the last semester of classes is supposed to be chock full of student teaching anyway, so I don't have too much missing, but it still worries me." "Aww, come on, Shiro, you know you'll do fine." Mariko crumpled up her bag, stood up and walked over to Shiro. "Just stay relaxed and be your sweet self." She pulled him to his feet and gave him a tight hug. Shiro blushed and smiled. "Thanks, Mariko. I'll keep that in mind." As if there weren't enough things swamping it already, he moaned to himself. --- "*sigh* Time to clean this mess up." Sakura made her way to the conveniently-placed janitor's closet at the back end of the lab. As soon as she got to the door, a knock came through the main entrance. "Come on in," she yelled. "Sakura?" Kira slowly opened the door and gasped as she saw the general destruction in the room. "What happened?" Sakura looked up at Kira and shot her a glare that could sink a thousand ships. Kira hesistated for a moment, then stepped in anyway. "Sorry. Want my help?" Kira grabbed a broom without waiting for an answer and began to sweep. "Well, it wasn't the person I was hoping for, but I'll take what I can get," Sakura grumbled. She took a broom of her own and began to sweep the other side of the room. "Say, Sakura." "Don't even START, Kira. No more. I want him to choose for his own happiness." "But what if that not include you?" Ouch. Of course Sakura had considered the possibility, but never that seriously. She'd even put money on herself in the pool, and she hadn't been wrong on one of those in years. Still, it was a possibility that Shiro might pick another girl than herself... or, the way he talked last night, if his memories of Keiko were that horrible, she wouldn't be at all surprised if he chose to be alone. Sakura took a deep breath. "If it makes Shiro happy, I'll accept whatever he decides." "You really love him." Even Kira's lack of Japanese knowledge couldn't explain her phrasing it as a statement rather than a question. She knew. She'd seen it for quite some time now... but only now did she realize that Sakura Takahashi didn't want her help in landing Shiro. "I stay out of it, for him and for you. But Sakura... good luck." Sakura allowed herself a small smile. "Thanks, Kira. I may need it." --- "Eh?!" "That's right, Kanzaki, I heard that Smith-sensei is going to be gone the last half of next week," a classmate told Tonomi through a full mouth of rice. "But he never told me..." "He just told us today in class. Maybe it just slipped his mind in the rush." Tonomi considered this. "You may be right. I'll have to talk to him. But what's going to happen to his classes...?" --- That next week... --- Shiro stepped onto the train that would take him back to his university. "Sure has been a while," he muttered. He took a seat on the far side from the door and glanced upward. Kira stood at the station, waving to him. He returned the wave and leaned back in his seat to relax. It had been how long now? Four months? Didn't seem like it at all. Shiro knew he'd probably get his student teaching done in his final year, but he'd never realized it would turn out so hectic. Everything involving this Furinkan business had been spur of the moment; everything from his initial assignment to the infinite random events to the proposal that Furinkan was so tough that it would count as full credit for the semester he'd missed out on. He couldn't say he argued with that concept. Normal schools should - no, would - be no problem compared to the insanity there. Sure was a good thing that Harumi-sensei, and apparently the entire committee, understood that. Now, all that was left was to prove to them that he'd learned what he needed to about teaching. Unfortunately for Shiro, the burden of proof lay fully in his court, but the full responsibility did not lie with him. Shiro ran a hand through his finally-returning haircut and mumbled. The other half of the test was whether Principal Kunou fully endorsed his efforts. The conference call tomorrow from the committee to Furinkan would seal it. All Shiro could do in the meantime was think about presenting his own case, and answering the questions well enough to suit Harumi-sensei. He idly stared out the window. Train rides sure were good for long bouts of thinking... --- "Okay, everyone huddle!" Four people crowded together in a tight circle around Sakura Takahashi. "Here's the game plan, folks. Shiro's gone for the rest of this week, you all know that. Well, it's up to us to cover him. Now, let's see who can work when... Mariko." "Hai?" "You've got algebra." Mariko sighed. Not her strong suit, but then, neither was it Shiro's. She should be able to pull it off with lesson plans provided. Sakura went through the rest of the list. Tonomi, though technically not supposed to sub, was allowed to take first hour. Karou offered to sacrifice her lunch hour to take third. Kira unfortunately drew senior English, but she accepted since there seemed no better option. Sakura decided to cancel the final week of Organic Chemistry; the students had been through enough pain and should be allowed a break to study. This freed her up to take over one more of Shiro's classes. Sakura rubbed her jaw. "That leaves junior English." "Not me." "I'm full up." "Sorry, no space." The prodigy cursed under her breath. "We have to find someone to help out. Any ideas?" Three heads shook in unison, and one nodded as a counterpoint. Karou piped up, "I know of someone who's free to teach the class, though I doubt you'll like the id--" "Karou, I'll take anyone at this point. We have to cover Shiro or else he'll be in trouble." "Just giving you fair warning, Sakura. I make no guarantees as to how this will turn out." "Spit it out already." "I still say you're not going to like this..." --- Shiro's train pulled into the station just outside the university. He calmly gathered his things for the stay in the dormitory and strode toward his alotted apartment. The remainder of the day was left to letting Harumi-sensei know he was in, and formulating his responses to now unknown questions. He walked up the stairwell of the dormitory, stopping on the third floor. A familiar sight awaited him three doors down. "Good old 309," he said, pulling out his keys. Inside, the room appeared just as he'd left it; sparsely furnished with simply a futon and a desk, one simple lamp for light, and two chairs - one for working, one more comfortable for relaxation. The phone was still on the desk. A simple dial later, he reached his advisor. "Harumi-sensei? It's Shiro Smith. Yes, I'm in town for my final interview. What time are we scheduled to meet tomorrow? ...two in the afternoon? Sure, that's no problem. Of course I'm nervous, sir, I've never had so much riding on an interview. I'll do my best, sir. See you tomorrow." *click* Shiro glanced at his watch. A whole afternoon and evening to kill. Not that there was anything to do in this rut of a college town. Shiro thought for a moment, then decided that was his best course of action. He sat on the floor and began to meditate. --- "So now, class, please turn to page 409." Blank stares. "Please?" A few students opened up their books and obliged. Most just stared out the window or looked blankly at Tonomi. "Come on, class. I'd like to go through some of the things Smith-sensei had planned." The invocation of the missing teacher's name caused a slight few to move even faster, but only instilled more hopelessness in the rest. Tonomi sighed. This was going to be harder than she thought. --- Shiro's thoughts turned to Tonomi. Always the most brazen of the girls that had come to love him, Tonomi had also been the easiest to dismiss. However, the reality was that the "impropriety of the teacher- student relationship" factor was about to go flying out the window faster than a speeding Ranma. Tonomi was, in every way, a viable target for his affections. Attractive, intelligent and very active, she could infuse a new sense of life into his own while keeping him in good mental shape as well. The biggest thing Shiro could see factoring into his decision to choose or not choose Tonomi was what HE planned on doing with his next few years. He could easily go to grad school at Sabishii - they had exactly what he wanted, and that way, they could be together. However, if he decided to stay at Furinkan, he reasoned that a relationship between himself and Tonomi was not viable. It might be possible, but putting both of them through the distance for an indeterminate amount of time didn't seem fair to himself or to her. Using the same distance argument, going to Sabishii would effectively eliminate Mariko and Sakura from the equation altogether. Mariko and Sakura... --- "And, let's see... that means that this equation that I've labeled two, when we substitute in the values seen in equations eight and nine, give us the value here, which I'll call equation twenty-five." Mariko double-checked her notes, then turned to face the class. "Does that make sense?" Snoring and blank stares were her reply. "I guess I lost them... I'm sorry, Shiro, I'm not doing well enough..." --- Mariko was the seemingly random entrant into the Shiro Smith Love Olympiad. From moment one, however, Shiro could tell that Mariko wasn't a bad person, or a stupid person; she was just misunderstood and too harshly judged by everyone, up to and including herself. A wonderful mind rested within that beautiful lady... if only she could ignore her little faults and use it properly. She'd proven over and over again that she was someone to be relied on. >From early on with her constant desire to do her part in the dual-teaching scheme, to her unabashedly putting her heart into saving Tonomi and Sakura from the clutches of Kodachi, to her recent unselfish giving of her own time to take care of his classes, she was there for him. But there is such a thing as too much devotion, Shiro thought. A bit more independence might be good as well. That, of course, could be found in Sakura... --- "ALOOOOOOOOHA! Today, class, we be learnin' to speak English how dey do in de islands!" --- Shiro broke from his meditation with a start. Why the hell had Principal Kunou suddenly appeared in his mind? He shook it off and continued with his previous train of thought. --- "And so, the diagram of this sentence breaks down to this." Karou pointed to the board with a tibia she'd borrowed from one of her model skeletons. "Everyone understand?" Snoring and the repeated tap-tap-tap of fingers drumming on desks greeted her. This must not be how Shiro does it, she thought. --- Ah, Nurse Karou. His first day had had a bit of time taken up with thoughts of her, but Shiro knew that her feelings lay elsewhere. Still, being around her a lot sure would be interesting. Shiro was willing to wager that a woman with her extensive knowledge of pressure points and medicine would be a wonder to have around, but that the drawbacks would be insane. He imagined being forced to turn from a leisure activity to housework with the ease of a touch of a button. ...why was he thinking about Karou anyway? Weren't three women enough to worry about? --- "Could someone help me read this, please?" Silence. "Someone?" More silence. "Anyone? I'll let you help me taste-test the Home Ec final!" One lone guy in the back decided that was worth the effort, turned the page, and began reading. Sakura sighed. The least they could do was pay attention. Why were they all so listless today? Sure, it was Thursday, but she'd thought more than one would show a little discipline. "Come back soon, Shiro..." --- Ah, Sakura. The petite science teacher dwarfed him in book knowledge, so he'd always be learning things if he chose to be with her. Her common sense and knowledge of social skills, however, were largely unknown. Age? Not that important - if Tonomi were a viable candidate, so was Sakura - but Sakura had tended more toward acting like a teenager lately. Variety may be the spice of life, and opposites may attract, but someone with a level head might be more desirable. But remove Sakura from the influence of competition and perhaps her attitude might skew back to where it was. She'd been open to listening when the others weren't around, and was more open about her feelings in private as well. And though Sakura was independent enough, she preferred to keep shut in with her work. Maybe someone more active, like Tonomi... Shiro opened his eyes and stood up. His mind was leading him in circles bigger than the ones under his eyes from recent lack of sleep. "Time to go get some paperwork done," he muttered halfheartedly. Graduation was turning out to be more of a hassle than he'd have liked. --- After school, Tonomi made her way to the presentation room where the English club was to meet. Shiro had left behind a video for the group to watch, thankfully - the dancer was nowhere near confident in her on-the-spot thinking skills to figure out something else. As she moved down the spiral stairs, she noted a lack of people heading to the meeting. Odd, she thought. Generally at least a few hormonal boys came just to stare at her. Not that that was enjoyable for her, but it at least helped Shiro's English club have higher attendance. Tonomi shuffled her things to one arm and opened the door. Inside, she counted precisely three people: Hiroshi, Daisuke and Arimi. Hiro and Dai held their traditional back-row seats, while Arimi was right up front. Tonomi pouted. Where were all those kids? Wasn't this important to them? Arimi called Tonomi over. "Good afternoon, Tonomi. Things not going so well?" Observant, this girl. "Not at all, Arimi-chan. The students for Shiro-san's classes were, by all accounts, all incredibly listless and bored. It didn't matter when Kunou did a little jig with Karou's model skeleton, or when Takahashi-sensei tried to relate diagramming a sentence to an explosion of words. They were utterly lost without Shiro," Tonomi sighed. She knew the feeling. "But finals are coming up, Kanzaki-kanchou. Shouldn't they be paying attention? Doesn't his future here depend on them?" Tonomi hadn't thought of that. Teacher performance could well be completely based on student performance, and with recent attitudes around here... In the athlete's mind's eye, two miniatures of herself appeared over her shoulders. The one on the left sported a pair of horns and a pitchfork, the one on the right, angelic wings and a halo. In her left ear, Tonomi heard, "If the students do badly, Shiro won't be able to come back. You know what that means, don't you? His choices would be down to two - going back to the States or going to Sabishii. Which do you think he would choose if one had love and the other didn't?" Immediately following, the angelic Tonomi made a counterpoint. "But what if he wants to stay here, Tonomi? If you love him like I know you do, you want him to be happy. If he wants to stay here and he's told to not come back, he wouldn't be happy at all. How would you feel then?" Tonomi considered these arguments. While a greater chance of holding on to Shiro would be very good, she'd feel awfully guilty if she sabotaged his chances at something he wanted. In that moment, she made her final decision on the matter. "Everyone, since there are so few people here, I'm canceling the meeting," she began. "However, I'd like to make a request of the three of you. If you like Smith-sensei, and you want him to stay here as a teacher, let all your friends know that they need to give it their all in the last couple weeks of his classes. Yes, even when he's not there. Kawai-sensei, Takahashi-sensei, Nurse Karou and I will do all we can to keep things interesting, but you'll have to help us help you help Shiro." Tonomi blinked. "Er, I mean--" Hiroshi raised his hand. "You mean that we, as students, have to stay more interested in what the substitutes are saying so we learn more and reflect better on his record." Tonomi nodded vigorously. "Gotcha," Hiro continued. "I bet I can get people to pay more attention." "...really," chimed in Daisuke. "I think I'll take you up on that." --- The next day, Shiro reported to Harumi-sensei's office at ten 'til two in the afternoon. He'd always been taught to be ten minutes early to an interview, though for what purpose, he hadn't quite figured out. Maybe it was just to make sure of one's promptness, but the extra time just sitting tended to not do much for one's psyche. Shiro leaned over in his chair outside the professor's office, waiting to be invited in. Being here early did let Shiro go over some possible questions in his mind, but he had determined that the main focus of this interview was going to be the conference call with Principal Kunou to go over his overall quality of teaching and help determine whether or not he did get the full credit for his final semester of classes. And whether or not he got to stay at Furinkan. Shiro sighed. Why were all the important decisions of his future piling up on him at once? He'd been prepared at least to make the decision of "What do I do now," but so far had come up answerless. Now, on top of that, the "What do I do about them," loomed just as soon on the horizon, and was arguably just as important. Shiro chuckled at that thought. "Arguably my foot," he muttered. "Furinkan High School and Sabishii University won't chase me down for not choosing them." One thing at a time. First, the interview, then the life direction, then the women. Priorities, Shiro, priorities, he told himself. That didn't keep him from being in a state of daydreaming about Sakura when his advisor's door finally opened and his name was called out. "C-coming, sir," Shiro uttered hastily. Shiro entered Professor Harumi's office. As he'd expected, it didn't look much different than it had for the past few years. Diplomas on the left wall, bookshelf on the right, desk in the middle with one lone chair facing it. Harumi-sensei motioned to the chair and asked Shiro to sit. He obliged. "Welcome back, Shiro," the older man began. "It's good to see you again. Have things been going well?" Shiro was uncertain as to whether this was simply Harumi-sensei being friendly or whether this was a part of the interview. He was also uncertain as to whether the whole truth would be a good answer or not. He decided to go with the standby answer that everyone uses at one point or another in the situation. "Yeah, fine." "Good to hear it. Now, Shiro, don't be nervous." Right, like that trick ever worked. "I'm sure you've been through many job interviews before, and this is probably going to be somewhere along those lines. Just answer me truthfully and as best you can, okay?" Shiro nodded. "Then let's begin. Shiro, how do you feel you've come along as a teacher?" The half-American thought about this for a moment before beginning his answer. "To be honest, I think I've come along fairly well as a teacher in my chosen field. Though the students can be a bit rowdy at times, as they are in high school, I believe that in my English classes, my knowledge of the material and my attempts to make things interesting for them have turned into a better learning environment for the students, one that they can be comfortable in." Professor Harumi scratched down a few notes. "You mentioned 'in your chosen field'. Why did you specifically point this out?" Shiro winced. "At one point in the semester, I was removed from one English class and given an Algebra class to teach, for unknown reasons. Not knowing the material as well, I couldn't perform well as a teacher in that particular class." Harumi-sensei scratched down a few more notes. Shiro frowned. Not versatile; that was sure to knock him down a notch. "You also mentioned your attempts to make things interesting for the students. Elaborate." Shiro explained the various events he'd put on for the English club, which he'd encouraged and managed to convince most everyone in an English class to go to. He also further explained activities he'd organized for actual classtime. The white-haired professor nodded and hurriedly wrote some more information in the margins on his sheet. "Next question. What's the most important thing you have learned during your tenure at Furinkan High School?" Shiro smiled. That one was easy. "Teamwork, in many different fashions. First, the unorthodox teaching style I was forced into early on, dual teaching. With my companion, I learned that the both of us could come up with ideas and participate in helping the students along without getting in each the other's way. Secondly, teamwork outside the classroom. Since I am not the foremost expert on Algebra, I sought help from another teacher in making up lesson plans and exams. Finally, I learned that teachers help each other out behind the scenes by not only offering moral support to one another, but by covering classes for others when they're needed." Another nod, and more notes. "Next question. Do you think you're a better teacher or a worse teacher because of your past four months experience?" Ouch, this one could hurt. "As I said before, I think I've come along well. The boisterousness of the students has helped me heighten my standards for 'crowd control', as it were, and the students have also taught me how to keep children their age interested in the subject matter." "Final question before the conference call. If there were one thing you could change about the past four months, what would it be?" Casting aside thoughts of carousels, pressure points and psychotic gymnasts with ribbons the length of a Golden Gate Bridge wire, Shiro answered as he thought best. "Nothing. I would say foreknowledge of what I was getting into, but then I wouldn't have matured as a teacher as much as I did." Hoping that wasn't too brief or too generic an answer, Shiro stopped. Skritch skritch. "Okay. It's time for your final evaluation." Harumi pressed the speaker button on the phone, set up communications with the committee, then punched in the numbers for Principal Kunou's office. --- Meanwhile, at Furinkan, the final bell had just sounded, and a group of five very tired individuals headed for the staff lounge. Sakura was the first to get there, as Shiro's classroom was the closest and she had his last class. She immediately flopped down in the recliner in the corner. Mariko was next; she chose a seat on the couch. Kira chose the seat next to Mariko, and Tonomi sat at the table, facing them all. "Where's Karou?" Sakura asked. "She may be stuck in the infirmary for now," Mariko spoke up. I heard rumors about a nasty fight today, so she could be a while." "Bah," Sakura muttered. "Tonomi. Did you invite Hiroshi to this meeting? I wanted to thank him for his wonderful idea." "He really should be on his way..." --- "Looks like I win, Dai." "..." "Come on, you're the one who took me up on the bet. Besides, one box of Pocky for each student in each class of Smith-sensei's wasn't THAT expensive, was it?" "..." "Cheer up, would you? We helped him out, and now Tonomi wants us to see what else we can do. Come on, let's go." "On one condition, Hiroshi." "Hmm?" "No more bets for now." --- "I see. Thank you, Principal Kunou." "No problem, brudda! You be hearing from me in a week about Shiro." Professor Harumi pressed the speaker button again to shut off the phone. Shiro took a deep breath and waited for the verdict. "Well, Shiro, I have good news and bad news." Oh, wonderful, Shiro thought. "The good news is that you passed the interview." Shiro dipped his head in acknowledgement. That WAS good. "So, what's the bad news?" "The bad news is that I am unable to award you credit until passable results come in from your students' final examinations, as you heard Kunou- sensei mention over the phone." Damn. Just when they'd performed poorly on the last round of tests, too. "If their results are passable according to Kunou's standards?" "Then you are free to keep your position, as you have, and I quote, 'been a good brudda overall'. As soon as Kunou-sensei calls me with the results, I'll let you know." Shiro nodded. It all came down to next week's preparation for the exams in class, and out of class. He made a few elementary plans in his mind, and stood up to leave. Just as he got to the door, he heard "Shiro," from behind him. "Yes, sir?" His advisor's expression softened. "Congratulations on surviving Furinkan. You seem none the worse for wear." He raised an arm to the air. "Go get 'em, Smith. I know you can do it." "Thank you, sir!" Shiro bowed deeply, then left the office, a confident smile etched in his cheerful face. One more week. He could do this. --- On Sunday afternoon, Shiro's train pulled back into the Nerima station. Kira was there waiting for him, as he'd expected. She seemed slightly anticipatory... maybe she was getting lonely without him around, he thought. Shiro waved halfheartedly as he stepped down off the train. Kira ran up to him excitedly and threw her arms around him for a tight hug. Wonder what got into her, Shiro thought. he said flatly. She grabbed his arm and forcibly dragged him away from the station. "What are you scheming, Kira..." he muttered under his breath. --- Twenty minutes later, Shiro and Kira made it back to Shiro's apartment. Shiro yawned as he opened the door. It felt later than five in the evening. Long periods of time sitting in one place would do that to a person. Kira followed slowly behind, finally taking a seat at the kitchen's small table. Shiro stretched and groaned. He definitely needed to either sleep or get out and do something, making up exams be damned. But first, the answering machine. Salesman... salesman... wrong number... Kunou, having forgetten where Shiro was going to be... hangup... Shiro heard tapping behind him. He turned to look at Kira, and noticed that her foot was banging impatiently against the floor. Wondering what he was supposed to notice THIS time, he turned back to the answering machine. "Shiro? This is Sakura. Kira told me you were scheduled to get in this evening. I know you must be tired, but can you come over to the school and meet me at seven?" Her voice turned sly as she whispered, "I can make it worth the trip." She then resumed cheeriness. "See you there!" *click* Sakura was right - he WAS tired. However, he had no idea how to get hold of her to tell her "no" - and by the looks of it, Kira wouldn't let him get away with not going. "All right, Kira. I'll go. But I want you to stay out of this." "What you talking about, Shiro? I have nothing to do with this." ...right. "Innocent until proven guilty, I guess. I suppose you're coming along too?" "Of course. I don't want to miss this." Geez, what was she now, a voyeur? Shiro resolved to get whatever it was Sakura was doing to make it 'worth the trip' overwith, quickly, and out of Kira's sight. Why was she tagging along anyway? Or was it dragging him along? His brain was so fried he couldn't tell. "We'll leave in an hour or so. Just give me time to shower and change." His cousin giggled. "Of course. Need to look your best!" "It's more about waking up than that, Kira. In any case, be back in a few minutes." He picked up his suitcase and headed for his room to do his unpacking. --- "Lights?" "Check." "Banner?" "Check." "And dry ice, check. Looks like we're good to go." Rustle rustle. Glance. "Hiroshi!" "What?" "Stay out of the food until Shiro gets here!" "Oh, sorry." --- Less than an hour later, as promised, a freshly-shaven, refreshed Shiro Smith emerged from the bathroom. "Ready to go, Shiro? "Hang on, hang on, let me get my shoes on." Shiro pulled on his shoes quickly. "Ready now? Then let's go." About half an hour later, the subway pulled in to the nearest exit, and Shiro and Kira made their way to the main door of the school. "Sakura's probably in her lab," Shiro reasoned. The pair made their way to the chem lab, where a note addressed "Smith-sensei" was taped to the door. Shiro opened it and read. "...the gymnasium, huh? Sure hope there's no death carousel this time. To the gym!" Soon after, Shiro stood at the double-doors that served as the main entry to the athletic center. No light came through the crack at the bottom of the door, which seemed strange, but Shiro opened the door anyway, knowing Sakura wouldn't back down. Two steps in, the lights abruptly flashed on and a really big "Welcome back, Shiro" banner descended from the ceiling amidst a cloud of smoke. Four tables were lined up lengthwise along the basketball court, each with crunchy snacks, drinks and other finger food. The gathering of people in the bleachers seemed almost as big as the first English club meeting. He walked out in front of the students, amazed that all of them would come here after hours just to greet a teacher. Cheering arose from the stands as he stopped at the center of the court. "I really don't know what to say," he began. Just then, he was whapped on the back of the head. "You could start by thanking us, jackass." Shiro turned to see an indignant Sakura flanked by a beaming Mariko and a worried Tonomi. "Are you okay, Shiro?" "Don't worry, Tonomi, I'm fine... and Sakura? I would have thanked you had I seen you there to begin with." "Oh, I see how it is. I'm too short to notice, especially with the glut of people in the stands to look at." Shiro sweatdropped. "I think you're going a little too far here, Sakura..." "No, that wasn't going too far." She promptly got on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug. "Now that? Maybe that was, but it was fun anyway." Cheers and chants of the old favorite "k-i-s-s-i-n-g" song echoed from the stands, and Sakura could feel the daggers from the eyes of some Not Happy females behind her. Shiro cleared his throat and turned to face the assembled students. "Thanks for coming out to welcome me back. It's very heartening to see this show of support from students that, in all honesty, I wasn't sure I'd be able to handle. You guys have mostly been good people and good students, and I thank you for that as well." More cheers. One girl in the crowd held up a "WE LOVE YOU, SHIRO" sign, which brought a disapproving glare from Sakura and Tonomi. Mariko just kept beaming. Shiro closed his eyes and began pacing back and forth, head lowered. "You may be wondering how my meeting went, since you were all concerned enough to come here tonight," he continued. "Well, the fact is, I don't know where I'll be next year. It may turn out that I go to grad school or back to the States. Or, if things go well in the next week or so, I might stay here." He raised his head. "So if you all band together to do well," he said just as he opened his eyes... ...to see four people sitting in the stands watching: the girl with the sign, Mariko, Sakura and Tonomi. He turned around and noted that everyone else, even Kira, was digging in to the food. Shiro walked up to the three women clustered in the front row of the bleachers. "Nice to know they were listening." Mariko turned to Sakura. "Well, you did say to wait for the food until Shiro got here..." Shiro sighed. "Oh well, they are still just kids, in a way." He looked to his three pursuers. "Anyone else up for some food? I'm hungry too." --- "Well, I'd say that was a rousing success! Even the cleanup wasn't so bad compared to the last lab incident." "Sakura, how was it a rousing success? I didn't get my message across." *whap* "Ow!" "Idiot! This wasn't about you getting a message to them, or have you recently gone blind?" Tonomi chimed in, "Takahashi-sensei, please stop treating Shiro so badly." "I'll whap him when he plays stupid if I want to." Sakura shot Tonomi a possessive glare. Tonomi responded in kind. Mariko stepped forward. "Please, you two, stop it... Shiro, what Sakura was trying to say is that this party was meant to show you how much we all care for you, even the students." "That's right, teaching your classes was hell! Do you have any idea how badly they behave and how little they pay attention when you're not there?" Sakura blurted. "Well, I think I might be starting to..." Tonomi began, "Well, they weren't all that badly behaved, but they were all bored and listless. The first day was bad. The second day, Hiroshi brought in Pocky for them, and they paid a little more attention then, but I'm not sure how much they learned." "I hope you're able to teach them what they need to know by the finals, Shiro," Mariko continued. "I don't know if you want to stay here, but for your own happiness, I want you to have as many choices as possible. I know I'm not the best person to ask, but if you need help, just let me know and I'll be there for you." "Me too," echoed Sakura. "And so will I," added Tonomi. "Thank you, everyone." Shiro hugged each of them in turn. "I'll give it my best." --- And give it his best Shiro did. Through the next week, he felt new energy and put it to good use. Review sheets for every class were made and gone over multiple times to make sure the class knew the material well. Additionally, this served the purpose of helping Shiro himself know the material in Algebra. The night before finals week began, however, he noticed a disturbing amount of incorrectness from the junior English class. Misspellings, words in the wrong place, diagrams that looked more like circles or symmetric lines than the scatterbombs they should, poor grasp of format... it seemed that nearly nothing was RIGHT. Shiro sighed. Whether it was his fault for teaching them poorly or their fault for not putting forth the effort, it was going to come back on him in the end. He put down the stack of review sheets, leaned back in his chair, and sighed heavily. Kira asked, concerned. She seemed genuine, so Shiro gave her a genuine answer. Kira nodded. Shiro shook his head. he replied. Oho, Kira thought. He still hadn't made his choice yet. Probably too much else to think about, poor guy. Shiro digested this and nodded. He stood up and gave her a friendly hug. his cousin responded. Kira blinked. Shiro ignored that and said, Kira turned to walk away, but was stopped by Shiro putting a hand on her shoulder. he said simply. She responded with an according bow. Shiro sat back down and watched Kira walk away, still amazed at her demeanor. Hopefully she wouldn't leak out that he was going to stay in Japan. He'd given serious consideration to going back, but it was like Kira said - he deserved a chance at love, and only his destinations in Japan had that immediate chance. Now if only Mariko were right. "For your own happiness, I want you to have as many choices as possible," she'd said last week. If that were true Shiro would be a very happy man. Unfortunately, it was more agonizing than anything else. But, as it was now, he couldn't allow himself time to think about those decisions. He had a final to write. --- Noon the next day came, and the freshman class had just finished their Geography exam, administered by Mariko. She thought they seemed confident enough about it, but there was a lot of muttering going on. Not sure if it was good or bad, Mariko shrugged, neatly organized the papers, then left for lunch, ignoring the discussion taking place among the students. "Ne, Nabiki, how's the pool coming?" a freshman asked her money-savvy classmate. "For the most part, it's about even so far. About 25% of the bets have been placed for Tonomi, about 35% for Kawai-sensei and 40% for Takahashi- sensei. Tonomi's a little behind, but I expected that - most people seem to think that the whole teacher/student thing will still stick in his mind after graduation." "Who do you think he'll choose?" "If I told you that, you'd bet on her. Why would I do that?" Multiple fingers snapped at that comment. "Oh well, had to try." Nabiki continued, "Seriously though, I'm not sure. It's hard to peg any one of them. If you went by who was most determined, it'd be Takahashi- sensei. If you went by the one who'd be most demure and traditional, it'd probably be Mariko. If you went by who was most athletic and attractive, it'd be Tonomi. Seems clear-cut when you think about it that way, right?" "Right..." "But do we really know what Smith-sensei wants?" Headshakes. "Precisely the problem. Oh well, it's not looking bad whichever way it turns out." For me, that is, was her unspoken addition. It felt rather good to have the last laugh. --- "Hey, Shiro." "Hmm?" Shiro looked up from his intent staring at the junior English final to see Sakura walk into the staff lounge. "How are finals going?" "Well, I think the classes were mostly prepared for them, so they should turn out fine. But this one," he gestured to the master copy in front of him, "is what has me worried." "Which one is it?" Shiro explained the recent plight involving third-year English. Sakura started giggling. "I don't think this is funny, Sakura. My future here depends on the results from these finals, and if they don't understand..." More giggling. "...what's so funny?" "You said junior English, right?" "Yeah." "I think I know what's wrong. Kunou-sensei substituted for it while you were gone." Shiro facepalmed. Come to think of it, their patterns of writing had a familiar tone when read aloud... "That's got to be it. No one else could have taught them how to speak and write this badly. Any ideas on how to fix it?" "Well, you could offhand mention that there are no more overhanging threats of haircuts." "..." "I'm serious! You know as well as I do that Kunou-sensei uses that as a threat all the time!" "You're right, you're right, I'm sorry. I'd just feel kind of silly addressing a class with something like that." "Shiro, Shiro, Shiro. How many times have you been embarrassed while you've been here? And how silly do you think I feel running around covered in explosion residue, or with my hair frizzy from an experiment gone wrong, or with my hand glued to someone else's?" Shiro smiled wryly. "That made you feel silly? Frankly, I was more afraid than anything else at the time, what with people threatening me and staring at me constantly." Sakura chuckled. "Come on, Shiro. You know you had fun." "In a weird, twisted, Furinkan way, yes, I did." Shiro smiled. Sakura smiled back. Their eyes met and locked together for a moment. "Um... am I interrupting something?" Shiro looked away to see Mariko walk in. "No, Mariko, come on in." Sakura shot him a glare. "How are your finals going?" "Well, Geography seems to have gone well. I'm less certain that the History class will do well. It just wasn't as easy to teach." "I'm sure you would have been more prepared had you had the chance to teach it yourself the entire way through, rather than having it dumped on you by Yamada-sensei." "Maybe so, but if they don't do well, I don't know if I'll have much of a future here." Shiro hadn't thought about that. Mariko may well be in the same boat he was, if only for employment future and not graduation. "How did you make out the final?" "As a good overview of the previous three tests and the material covered since, just like you said." "Then everything should turn out okay. Don't worry." Mariko smiled and gave Shiro a quick hug despite the best efforts of Sakura's nonexistent telekinetic powers and horrible looks of death. "Thank you! I know it'll turn out okay." Shiro smiled back, then mused for a moment. "Hey, Sakura." "Hm?" "I bet you're pretty secure in your position, aren't you?" Sakura nodded. "Of course. What would this place do without me?" "Probably have to hire two other teachers to take your place. You'd be sorely missed." A smile was Shiro's response. "Why, thank you. And, speaking of finals, I have one to administer in less than fifteen minutes, so I'd best be going." "Which one is it?" "Organic Chem." "Enjoy. I should be off to this English final as well... hopefully it'll go better since they'll have someone who can actually speak the language administering the listening section." "Good luck, Shiro!" Mariko and Sakura said at the same time, causing them to again look at each other with fairly nasty glares. Shiro stood up and bowed to each in turn. "Here goes nothing." --- That Friday evening... --- Tonomi stretched and yawned. Ten o'clock. It was all over now, except for the ceremony tomorrow. She was out of high school, and accepted to Sabishii University! A happy sigh greeted her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her shiny black ponytail. Tomorrow, she could forget the pleasantries and address her love by his first name. Tomorrow, all his misgivings about her would disappear. Tomorrow, she'd hopefully find out that he'd chosen to follow her to school and they'd be together. It wasn't a sure thing, but at least he'd given her a chance. That's all she wanted. She placed her abalone shell comb gently down by her mirror, then lay down in her bed. Clutching a plushie close, she fell asleep, thinking of her beloved. --- Eleven o'clock rolled around, and Sakura Takahashi was drained. Finals always did this to her, especially the Home Ec final. Not only did she eat too much, but she had to constantly run around making sure there were no disasters on this most critical of all school days. At least it only comes once a year, she reasoned. The petite multitasking teacher yawned deeply. It was time to get some sleep. Tomorrow was graduation, after all. She'd have to talk to Shiro about his graduation, too; maybe she'd make the trip to that, if he didn't object. She smiled and turned out the light, to fall asleep to memories of a tiny violet and the lovable klutz of a man who'd given it to her. --- *click* "And the Mariners win yet another game!" *click* "Tonight on Iron Chef: will the Delacroix of French Cuisine be able to stave off the challenge of the God of Wine? Stay tuned!" *click* "In other news, there was a small riot at St. Hebereke Girls' School today..." Mariko tuned out the television and stood up, stretching. Midnight. She should have been in bed by now, but she reasoned that her part in graduation was to sit there and watch. She could handle that no matter how much sleep she was running on. Speaking of graduation, she wondered how the seating arrangement of the teachers was chosen. Personally, she hoped for seniority. "Then I'd be right next to Shiro," she said in a singsong voice. That would most certainly be the best seat in the house. With this on her mind, she stumbled over to the television, turned it off, then walked back to bed, collapsing in the thought of spending two hours next to Shiro. --- The clock in Shiro's room struck one, and Shiro was unfortunately still awake to hear it. At least finals are over, he thought, failing miserably to cheer himself up. Finals were over, yes, but he had a much more important decision on his mind, one that he was sure would change his life forever. The biggest question, of course, was which decision would change his life for the better, and which for the worse. Generally, he could get a good idea just by thinking things out and scratching out the pros and cons. However, this layer of two decisions seemed to have no enormous drawbacks. Or did they? He decided to get up and write things down for some concrete evidence. Shiro picked up some paper and a pencil, wrote "Where to Go" at the top, then "Pros | Cons" as headers, and "Sabishii" and "Furinkan" on the first two lines. Sabishii University. Pros? He thought for a moment. Tonomi would be there. Big pro; he'd get his chance with a girl that loved him. Grad school would probably mean a bigger paycheck when he got out; however, how long would that take to balance out the years of income that he'd miss? Definitely something to consider. He'd also get the chance to learn more. Learning was always good. Cons? Extra time spent in school and not out in the world, possibly. While learning was a good thing, there was a significant difference between book learning and learning in the real world. He also didn't know anyone who would be there, save Tonomi; though really, he'd been in that situation when he initially went to college anyway, so it wasn't really that much of a consideration. Monetary considerations? He could apply what he'd earned here as a good start; maybe a substitute teaching job or some other employment could help him through. Shiro tapped his pencil. Sabishii wasn't looking like too bad of an option. Now for Furinkan. Furinkan High School. Pros? Along the same lines as Sabishii, Mariko and Sakura would be there, presumably. He was already familiar with the environment, hectic as it was. The students seemed to like him, and the other staffers weren't so bad. It was also a steady paycheck that he was already locked into. Cons? Staying here would unlock another incredibly agonizing decision, that of choosing between Mariko and Sakura. The fact that he was familiar with the environment didn't mean he could deal with it any more easily. He could also see some disagreements with the current leadership, considering his field of study and the Principal's branch of the language. Shiro sighed. Everything was coming up dead even. "So what do I do?" he asked no one in particular. Maybe Kira was right. Maybe it all came down to just following his heart. Shiro lay back down and cleared his mind, waiting for the one thought, the one feeling, the one memory that would tip the scales in one direction or another. --- Seven hours later, Shiro awoke to a phone call. He could hear Kira through his door, Shiro stumbled out of bed and quickly made his way out to the phone. He took it from Kira and greeted, "Hello? Ah, Harumi-sensei! You've got my results? Okay. Mm-hmm. Really? Oh, so that's what he meant! Thank you. I guess I'll see you next week for my graduation, huh? Thanks again!" *click* Kira smiled. Kira hugged her cousin and smiled. Kira grabbed at his arm and yanked him toward the couch. Kira nodded. Shiro shook his head. He paused. A shrug was his response. Kira glanced at the clock. She darted toward the bathroom at light speed. Shiro just groaned. At least he'd have plenty of time to get ready. --- "What to wear, what to wear..." The plight of women everywhere, it plagued three women in particular on this day. Tonomi thought about it for a while, then pouted, realizing that no matter what she chose, she had to wear that ugly cover-all robe over it. Oh well, that made things simple. She chose a t-shirt and shorts at random, slipped them on, then got her robe and other necessities together for her last moments of high school. Sakura and Mariko, on the other hand, felt they had to agonize over every last bit of their wardrobe. Sakura passed on the dress she'd worn for her first trip out with Shiro - too racy for a graduation. She settled on a simple, nonrevealing black velvet dress. Mariko went for the professional look and chose the outfit she'd worn when she'd first come to Furinkan; black blouse, knee-length black skirt, grey jacket. All three made sure everything was just so, then blew a kiss at their respective pictures of Shiro for good luck. All three were confident that this would be their day. --- Later that afternoon... --- Nabiki sat behind her little table, counting stacks of money. The odds were now stacked heavily toward Tonomi, for some odd reason. Maybe something was planned for graduation that she hadn't heard about; possible, but unlikely. She reached up to pull the blind shut when she saw one last customer walk up. He didn't look very familiar. A fairly short man clothed entirely in black, sporting a trenchcoat, long pants and a wide-brimmed hat came forward, placed a very large sum of money on the table, and spoke a name. Nabiki looked up curiously. "You're... sure about this." Even she was a little apprehensive about taking THAT MUCH money. The figure simply nodded. "Okay, your loss." She tore off a slip of paper, scribble down the key numbers, and handed half of it to him. "Good luck," she halfheartedly wished the stranger, then shut the window. The freshly augmented stack of money looked even better than before. Perhaps a new bank account would be in order soon... --- The senior class gathered in a circle for their final moments together before the ceremony. A moment of silence was held for all students to say a prayer of thanks to whatever deity they held a belief in. When that was over, the students milled about a bit, gossiping and sharing memories with each other. Tonomi felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to face one of her girlfriends who'd gone through most of school with her. "Hmm?" "I just wondered, Tonomi; are you going to use your few words in the spotlight to say hi to Smith-sensei?" Tonomi blinked. She'd forgotten completely about that American tradition that Kunou-sensei held to. Each graduate got a few seconds to greet or leave messages for anyone they chose. "I'm not sure, Michiko. I hadn't thought about it until now." "Think about it quickly; the line's moving in front of you." "Oops!" Tonomi quickly shuffled forward to take her place in the increasing line of students who were filing into the auditorium. --- Shiro and Kira walked into the auditorium together, looking for a clue as to where they were supposed to sit. They spotted Sakura in the second row of seats, and immediately made a beeline for her. "Afternoon, Sakura," Shiro greeted. "Hey there," Sakura shot back with a wink. "What do you need?" "How's our seating arrangement laid out?" Sakura tilted her head slightly and thought. "I think it's by seniority. Let's see, Yamada's gone, and he's gone, and she's gone... that leaves you here," she gestured next to herself, "Mariko on the other side of you, and Kira beside her." Shiro nodded and sat next to Sakura, who smiled at him. "Works out well, doesn't it?" she said, inching closer to him. "I guess so." Sakura started. "What do you mean, 'you guess so'? Don't you want to sit by me?" "Oh, sitting by you is no problem at all, Sakura. I just mean that... well... after graduation is over, I want to talk to you for a while." "Sure, no problem! I've got time for you whenever you need it." "Thanks, Sakura, I appreciate it." "Excuse me," Shiro heard from his right. Mariko slipped past Kira and sat in her place at his right side. "Good afternoon, Mariko." "Afternoon, Shiro." She looked up quickly as the organ began playing. "Shh, they're starting. We'll talk later." Shiro nodded and sat back to watch and listen. The whole scene brought back memories from his own graduation four years previous. A happy day, a day of release from the drudgery of high school and into a new world. He hoped the same would hold true for the graduates of Furinkan who were filing into the auditorium. "Sure are a lot of them," Sakura whispered. "You think so?" Shiro replied quietly. "My high school had ten times this many graduates." "Yeah, well, your high school probably didn't let every person have a miniature speech, did they?" Shiro shook his head. "Be prepared for a long sit, Shiro. Hope you like your company," she said with a smile. It couldn't take that long... could it? --- It could. Even getting through the first fifth of the class, after all the introductions and pleasantries, took an hour. Shiro noted that a good chunk of the crowd was looking disinterested or rather sleepy. His musings on the situation were interrupted as the principal announced the next student. "Kanzaki. Tonomi Kanzaki, please come get your diploma." Tonomi ascended the stairs to the stage, as graceful as ever despite the unwieldy black robe. She shook hands with the principal, took her diploma in the traditional fashion, then tucked it under her arm and walked purposefully to the microphone. "To begin, I'd like to thank the rest of the dance team for four wonderful years." Cheers from the crowd. "Thanks to my family for being so supportive of my activities through the years," she continued, then turned to look at Shiro. "And thank you to my newest friend at Furinkan. He's always been there when I needed someone, and I'm grateful for that. I love you, Shiro." Glares from Kira and Sakura clashed with a consensual "Aww..." from the crowd, followed by cheers as Tonomi left the stage, heart aflutter. Tonomi sat in her appointed place in the front row and waited for the other students to finish with their speeches. Michiko tapped her on the shoulder. "You've got him now for sure," she whispered. "I hope you're right," Tonomi responded. --- The rest of the ceremony passed without much incident. Sakura was right, Shiro thought. This had been awfully boring. The students, under instruction of Principal Kunou for the last time, were ordered to stand and walk out to the beat of the recessional march. Five minutes later, when they finished and made their way toward the gymnasium, the rest of the crowd was instructed that they could go on their merry way or go to the reception, whichever they deemed more important. Shiro felt Sakura edge a little closer. "You said you wanted to talk to me?" "Yeah. Mariko, you too." Neither of the women were able to read his tone of voice, but somehow, they both just knew. "I'll go find Tonomi at the reception," offered Mariko. "Where are we going to meet?" "My office, if that's okay." Mariko nodded and scurried off to the gymnasium. Sakura took Shiro's hand and said, "Shall we go, then?" Shiro stood and helped her up as a gentleman should. "Sure thing." --- The walk to his office was interminable. Shiro, still not quite certain of his course of action, was a swirling mass of thoughts the entire way there. He was first reminded of Sakura... of the first time they held hands like this, their adventures on the carousel death trap, of the violet in the park, their moment of bonding when she admitted she'd been acting like a teenager regarding idle rumors, saving her from the clutches of Kodachi... it had been a rather wild ride. She looked up at him and smiled when they finally reached their destination. "You look thoughtful. What's on your mind?" "You," he answered simply. "Aww, that's sweet. So... is this what I think it's about?" Shiro nodded in reply. Sakura let go of his hand and started wringing her own nervously. "Don't worry, Sakura, you have nothing to worry about," he said, looking her directly in the eyes. She smiled at him, the same soft, beautiful smile she'd given him that night in the lab. It seemed that she wanted to duplicate that kiss, too, but before she got the chance, Mariko came around the corner with Tonomi, still in her graduation cap and gown, following behind. Shiro's thoughts went awhirl again. Mariko... her clumsy entrance followed by the emergence of her sweet, loving character and well-hidden intelligence. Tonomi, now on equal footing with the others... her inner strength and her outgoing nature paired with her athleticism and beauty for a very attractive package. Shiro shook his head briefly to clear his thoughts as the two made their final approach. "Mariko told me," Tonomi greeted. "It's time, then?" Shiro nodded and opened his office door. He motioned that they enter before him. Sakura went first, then Tonomi and Mariko filed in after. Shiro took a deep breath before closing his door and walking around to the other side of his desk. As he sat down gingerly, he eyed the three women sitting across from him. To his left, Sakura eyed him gently, waiting for him to make his decision. Tonomi sat directly in front of him, visibly nervous. Understandable, Shiro thought. She couldn't possibly know whether she was going to be chosen. Mariko sat to his right, eyes closed and breathing deeply. Shiro cleared his throat nervously, garnering all three of the ladies' undivided attention. "I... I don't know how to start," Shiro stuttered. Tonomi tilted her head slightly, causing her tassel to change position. "It's okay, Shiro. Take the time you need. We understand." Shiro nodded, then closed his eyes in thought for a moment. Finally, he continued, "You all know what a horribly difficult choice this is. I have here three beautiful women who love me, all of which have been very good friends to me, and all of which have made the experience here at Furinkan tolerable. No, more than tolerable... it's been great." Shiro stood up and began pacing a two step length behind his desk. "Maybe that's the worst part of this. All three of you have been integral portions of my enjoyment here. Without you," he turned his head toward Sakura, "I wouldn't have had people to listen to me while I was down," he turned to look at Tonomi, "I wouldn't have had people to discuss the future with," and finally, he looked at Mariko, saying, "and I wouldn't have had people to encourage and support. All of you are so important to me..." "I've thought about it. I've agonized over it, and I've come to the conclusion that it's not fair to anyone here if I don't make a choice. I owe it to whomever I pick to make their life as enjoyable as they've made mine." Shiro sighed. "I also owe it to myself to give it a chance. I've had horrendous luck in the relational realm in the past... but that's no reason to give up someone who obviously loves me." Shiro paused. "Someone I love as well." Tonomi started tapping her foot nervously. Mariko attempted to relax through her breathing techniques, but failed miserably. Sakura, emboldened by the undying quest for any and all knowledge, asked the question the others failed to form. "Who is it?" Shiro took a deep breath, closed his eyes, then said, "I love you all." Silence ensued. When Shiro finally got up the courage to open his eyes, three pairs of wide ones stared back at him. "...run that one by me again?" Sakura replied. Shiro, relieved that he hadn't been slapped yet, revealed more. "You see, I got the idea from a story I heard once. The guy had three girls in love with him, and eventually, they all followed after him so desperately that they decided to all take him, and share him, so to speak." He looked around the room, pausing briefly to look at each of his women. "So, since I couldn't find any reason why I should choose any one of you over any other..." he trailed off, leaving them to finish for him. Tonomi stood up, an indignant glare on her face. "You..." Mariko joined in, mumbling, "...want us..." Sakura jumped out of her chair and gave Shiro a look that prophesied ten thousand deaths. "...to do WHAT?" she finished. The trio looked to each other for confirmation of their common thoughts, nodded as one, then marched toward Shiro. A few moments, one shattered window and three smug smiles later, Shiro lay on the ground, moaning in pain. Tonomi looked to her compatriots and sighed, "Idiot." "Definitely," echoed Sakura. "He may be an idiot... but he's our idiot," Mariko chimed in. "True enough... true enough. Shall we take him to Karou, or shall I whip up something special for him?" Sakura grinned evilly. "You've got that new pickle-based concoction that Akane made for the Home Ec final, right, Takahashi-sensei? Maybe you should use it," Tonomi suggested. "I sure do, Tonomi. And call me Sakura. After all, we're in this together." The young teacher winked and gestured toward the lab. Two eagerly anticipating young women followed to see what they could do to their Shiro. --- That's how it could have happened. --- But how about this? --- Shiro took a deep breath before closing his door and walking around to the other side of his desk. As he sat down gingerly, he eyed the three women sitting across from him. To his left, Sakura eyed him gently, waiting for him to make his decision. Tonomi sat directly in front of him, visibly nervous. Understandable, Shiro thought. She couldn't possibly know whether she was going to be chosen. Mariko sat to his right, eyes closed and breathing deeply. Shiro cleared his throat nervously, garnering all three of the ladies' undivided attention. "I... I don't know how to start," Shiro stuttered. Tonomi tilted her head slightly, causing her tassel to change position. "It's okay, Shiro. Take the time you need. We understand." Shiro nodded, then closed his eyes in thought for a moment. Finally, he continued, "You all know what a horribly difficult choice this is. I have here three beautiful women who love me, all of which have been very good friends to me, and all of which have made the experience here at Furinkan tolerable. No, more than tolerable... it's been great." Shiro stood up and began pacing a two step length behind his desk. "Maybe that's the worst part of this. All three of you have been integral portions of my enjoyment here. Without you," he turned his head toward Sakura, "I wouldn't have had people to listen to me while I was down," he turned to look at Tonomi, "I wouldn't have had people to discuss the future with," and finally, he looked at Mariko, saying, "and I wouldn't have had people to encourage and support. All of you are so important to me..." "I've thought about it. I've agonized over it, and I've come to the conclusion that it's not fair to anyone here if I don't make a choice. Well, the time for that choice has come." Three pairs of lungs held breaths in anticipation, three pairs of eyes squeezed shut and three pairs of hands folded tightly together in anticipation. Tension built within the room until a tiny clicking sound caused Mariko to open her eyes. She gasped and held her hands against her mouth, completely shocked at the sight in front of her. Shiro Smith stood behind his desk, firearm in hand. "Don't say a word," he muttered, taking a step back. "Bu-but Shiro! What's going on?" Mariko sputtered. Tonomi, eyes wide, obeyed his command. Sakura, however, gave Shiro a defiant glare, pressing her back hard against the chair. "I can't believe I lasted as long as I did," Shiro began. "I was sure someone would see that I wasn't the best teacher in the world, even for a student teacher. I guess the lack of quality here at this hole in the wall place kept me well disguised." "Disguised for what?" Mariko blurted. Shiro stroked his chin momentarily. "I suppose I may as well tell you, since none of you can leave here alive. You probably know well that the American school systems have been lagging behind most of the rest of the industrialized nations for some time now. We're just now trying to do something about it... and where else to start gathering intelligence than from the top?" "So everything you've said and done here is a lie?!" Tonomi yelled, glaring at him the whole time. "No, Tonomi, not everything. I certainly wasn't lying when I complimented you all at various times. It's just too bad that such fine women will have to have their lives ended so early." Sakura pondered for a moment. "So, you really are from America, and this isn't some Chinese conspiracy that Ranma got you into to combat the magic springs there?" Shiro chuckled. "I'm afraid not, dear Sakura." He leveled his pistol at the younger teacher. "Communism is, after all, just a red herring. Like all members of the oldest profession, I'm a capitalist, and I'm going to sell Japan's educational secrets - your secrets - to our government." "Damn, and just when I thought I had it all figured out!" Sakura snapped her fingers loudly. "I'm afraid you're mistaken. Now, Sakura, you know too much. I'm afraid it's time for you to go." He aimed carefully to make his shot do as much damage with as little mess as possible. Just as his finger tensed on the trigger, a knock came at the door. Shiro grumbled, holstered and hid his weapon, and warned the girls to not go anywhere. He then opened the door to see a white-haired man holding a Bible. The man was completely shrouded in a black robe. "What do you want?" he asked the stranger gruffly. "Nothing in particular," the man began, then held out the Bible until Shiro finally took it. "Just a friendly message that the Kingdom of Heaven be at hand." He winked and scurried off. Before Shiro could turn around, he felt a cold ring on his neck. "Freeze, Smith. The jig's up. HANDS IN THE AIR!" Shiro obliged, knowing that he wasn't going to go anywhere any time soon. He knelt, felt the handcuffs being placed on his wrists, then finally asked, "Who are you, anyway?" "Who am I? Why, only the person who knows the most about what goes on around here." Shiro stayed unmoving, hearing the footsteps come around his right side, until finally his straight-forward gaze was centered on Nurse Karou. "Karou? How did you get in here?" She gestured behind the English teacher's desk with her gun. "Secret passage in the picture. I'm glad you held to the stereotype you Americans have of not being curious enough, or else I wouldn't have been able to sneak up on you after Sakura's signal." "I never saw a signal." "That's because the sensor's on my back," Sakura said triumphantly. "Hard enough pressure for a sufficient time, and Karou would get a signal knowing that I was in trouble. We had you pegged a while ago, buddy. Couldn't get a good opportunity to bring you in until now, though." "Ah, there they are," Karou said just before the sirens came into audible range. "Time for you to get locked away, Shiro. I hope you find your stay enjoyable." Three officers came in to lead the now-revealed spy to their car and eventually, to the jail. Tonomi and Mariko stumbled out, still in complete disbelief. "Another job well done, Sakura." "Sure was. How'd you get Kunou-sensei to dress up in that funny outfit, anyway?" "He'd do anything for a plane ticket to Hawaii. You know that as well as I do." Sakura chuckled. "True enough. So... Nurse Karou, in the office, with the revolver? Maybe next time it'll be my turn." "Trust me, Sakura, you'll get your chance someday. When you've been around here as long as I have, you'll understand and you'll know. Maybe you'll even get as good at this as me." The two crime fighters shared a laugh and compared notes on their capture as they made their way to the police station. --- Author's Notes: Sorry to interrupt, but I feel that the story is better finished by the characters, and not by my rambling. You probably need a break from the groaner of a fake ending you just went through anyway. By the way, if you had absolutely no idea what was going on there, you might want to go see the movie "Clue," then read it again. It should be substantially funnier. This last part of Lack of Common Sensei only took me about a week of actual time to write; the problem was simply getting me to do it. All of us have Todd Harper to thank for that - not only for kicking my butt into doing it, but also (and thanks go to Ardweden for this as well) for allowing one week extensions on the one month deadlines. That one week landed during my Thanksgiving break, and the results are what you're almost done with. I'm rather pleased with it, but I want commentary. Please - anyone out there who's read the series, and gotten this far - I want to know what you thought of not only this part as a part, but how it functioned as an ending to the series. By review on the message board or by e-mail to me, it doesn't matter; I just want feedback. And now, the list of thank you's: Raye Johnsen, Spork Prophet, Sonny Taing, Matthew Campbell, Steven Hykes, Nikholas F. Toledo Zu, Trebane, Jeremy Fogelman and Sharyna Tran - all of you contributed to the series, and I thank you for that. Montae McKinney, for setting the tone early by getting rid of Ranma as a main character. "Winston Smith", for starting the series and for allowing me to end it. If you're out there reading this, send me an e-mail or post a review telling me what you thought. Ardweden and Ravi, for being my main proofreaders and sounding boards for my first part, and for being the ones who convinced me to sign up in the first place back at ACen 2000. Myself, the Dread Lord of LoCS Continuity, for contributing five parts and being ready and willing to write this ending. Jesse Ellman, the Grand Poobah of LoCS Characterization, for being my sounding board and/or prereader for every part I've written. Jesse's shot down a couple of bad ideas and pointed out some very real problems I've had with every single one of my parts; I guarantee that the quality of my parts is greater because of him. Jesse, thought not as prolific with parts as myself or Nathan, contributed just as much behind the scenes as I did with actual writing. And finally, Nathan Housley, the High Templar of LoCS Knowledge, who wrote an amazing five parts, each one of which was high-quality and chock full of good characterization and story. Not only that, but he served as a prereader for most of my parts as well, offering logical commentary on my writing. You're good, Nathan, and I'm glad you decided to put your heart into this series like I did. LoCS was better because of it. You've listened to me long enough. But before I leave you in the capable hands of our cast of characters, allow me to thank you, the readers, for sticking with the series through its bumps and potholes. I hope you've enjoyed it and will continue to enjoy what it has to offer. -Aaron "Falcon" Bolner bolnerap@email.rose-hulman.edu falcon815@hotmail.com --- But here's what REALLY happened. --- Shiro took a deep breath before closing his door and walking around to the other side of his desk. As he sat down gingerly, he eyed the three women sitting across from him. To his left, Sakura eyed him gently, waiting for him to make his decision. Tonomi sat directly in front of him, visibly nervous. Understandable, Shiro thought. She couldn't possibly know whether she was going to be chosen. Mariko sat to his right, eyes closed and breathing deeply. Shiro cleared his throat nervously, garnering all three of the ladies' undivided attention. "I... I don't know how to start," Shiro stuttered. Tonomi tilted her head slightly, causing her tassel to change position. "It's okay, Shiro. Take the time you need. We understand." Shiro nodded, then closed his eyes in thought for a moment. Finally, he continued, "You all know what a horribly difficult choice this is. I have here three beautiful women who love me, all of which have been very good friends to me, and all of which have made the experience here at Furinkan tolerable. No, more than tolerable... it's been great." Shiro stood up and began pacing a two step length behind his desk. "Maybe that's the worst part of this. All three of you have been integral portions of my enjoyment here. Without you," he turned his head toward Sakura, "I wouldn't have had people to listen to me while I was down," he turned to look at Tonomi, "I wouldn't have had people to discuss the future with," and finally, he looked at Mariko, saying, "and I wouldn't have had people to encourage and support. All of you are so important to me..." "I've thought about it, no, I've agonized over it, and I've come to the conclusion that it's not fair to anyone here if I don't make a choice. I owe it to whomever I pick to make their life as enjoyable as they've made mine." Shiro sighed. "I also owe it to myself to give it a chance. I've had horrendous luck in the relational realm in the past... but that's no reason to give up someone who obviously loves me." Shiro paused. "Mariko, Sakura, may Tonomi and I have a moment alone?" Both silently nodded and quietly stepped outside. Shiro stood and walked over to the recent graduate, and noticed tears in her eyes. "It's not me, is it," she whispered. Shiro helped her up, then gave her a gentle hug. "I'm sorry, Tonomi. What Nurse Karou told me a couple weeks ago was right - I'd realize it someday." "Realize what?" "That I was important to the students here," he replied. "That's why I have to stay." He looked her in the eyes, a gentle look that would have made her melt under normal circumstances. "And I'm sorry, but I'm not going to put you or I through the pain of a long distance relationship. You'll have enough on your mind already with your new studies; trust me, it doesn't get any easier in college. Besides, you've got lots of new people to meet. Don't worry, Tonomi. You'll find someone else. I'm just sorry that it had to turn out this way." Tonomi simply held him tightly and cried into his chest for a minute. She then looked up at him with tears in her eyes and mouthed, "I love you." "I know, Tonomi. I know." Shiro held her gently until her sobbing subsided a bit, then let her go. She took one last lingering look before solemnly walking out the door, crying the entire way. Shiro sighed. There was no way he could think of to make that go well, but he thought he'd been fair about it. She'd find someone else, he was sure of it. She may even thank him eventually for saving her from the pain of distance, but that was irrelevant now that he had two other women walking back into the room. Each had higher hopes now that one of the possibilities had been eliminated. "I'm sure you've both concluded that I'm staying here at Furinkan," he began. "That decision wasn't very hard once I remembered what Nurse Karou told me a few weeks ago, that I'd realize something eventually. I finally did last night... I realized that I was very important to the students here." "As if it weren't obvious from the party they threw you," Sakura mumbled. "Give me a little credit here, Sakura, I'm a man. We're slow like that sometimes." All three occupants of the office chuckled, relieving a bit of the tension. Shiro paused for a moment and began to think of how to go on. "Please, both of you, understand that this was very hard and took a lot of thinking, pondering and soul-searching. I never once took this decision lightly." Both nodded. "So... which one of us is it?" asked Mariko. "Sakura..." Shiro began. Sakura's heart skipped a beat. She'd done it. Of course she'd done it! She knew all along that he'd choose her. After all, she was a much more logical choice than Tonomi, for sure, and she'd placed an unofficial claim on him before Mariko had ever entered the love quadrangle. Besides, when was she ever wrong on one of Nabiki's pools? Maybe she could cash in her winnings to buy a romantic trip somewhere. The young teacher let her imagination run wild. Everything was settled, and she'd come out on top. "Sakura, I'd like a moment alone with you. Could you please step outside, Mariko?" The brown-haired elder of the two women obliged. As soon as the door clicked shut, Sakura jumped up and threw her arms around Shiro's neck. "I knew you'd choose me!" she giggled. "So, what was it about me that won you over?" Sakura stopped laughing when she noticed that Shiro wasn't responding how she thought he would. In fact, he was crying. "What's wrong, Shiro?" "I'm sorry, Sakura," he whispered. "I didn't mean to lead you to that conclusion." Sakura blinkblinked and processed this. "But... but you said I had nothing to worry about..." He shook his head. "I did say that, but I'm afraid I phrased it poorly. You have nothing to worry about because you're sure to find someone to love quickly, Sakura. You've got the girlish looks, the incredible intelligence and the inner kindness to attract the attention of any man you want." "But I want you!" she countered. "I'm sorry. This was the hardest decision of my entire life, Sakura, and what it really came down to was choosing who I thought I meshed better with as a person. We're awfully different, personality-wise." "But opposites attract! Isn't that what they say?" "And variety is the spice of life," he continued quietly, "but I think stability and an even playing field are more important in a relationship. I'm sorry, Sakura, but that's not what I see in you." Sakura's eyes teared up. "I think I understand... but tell me again why I don't have anything to worry about?" Shiro, visibly upset, restated, "You're sure to find someone quickly, Sakura. You've got the good looks, the incredible intelligence and the inner kindness to--" "Shh, that's all I wanted to hear." She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. "That's what I want to remember." One last time, she buried herself in his arms to cry, though this time she could tell he wasn't exactly an emotional rock either. Then, without a word, she walked out of the room. Shiro dropped to his knees, trying to stop the tears. Mariko, noting that Sakura had left the room, opened the door and peeked in. "Shiro?" Finally, her eyes caught him kneeling on the ground, crying. "Oh, Shiro..." She knelt next to him and put her arm around his shoulder, gently drawing him in. "It's okay. Go ahead." Though he was obviously in pain, Mariko was glad she could be there for him in his time of trouble just like he'd been there for her. Mariko held him there, silently stroking his hair and waiting for him to calm down. A couple of minutes later, he finally did. She offered him a handkerchief to wipe his tears with, and he gratefully accepted. "I'm sorry, Mariko," he began. "The last few minutes have been really hard on me." She just gave him another hug, not really knowing what to say. Finally, Shiro continued, "I guess you could tell from how people have been acting that I chose you." Mariko nodded, and with a gentle smile, said, "I know, and I'm very happy and grateful... but Shiro?" "Hmm?" "I know it hurts, and I know it'll probably hurt for some time to come, but I want you to know that I'll be there absolutely any time you need me to be. Over the phone, in person, whatever it takes, I'll be there, because I love you, Shiro." Shiro allowed himself a smile. "Thanks, Mariko. That's all I could ever ask." "Now, I know you may not like this idea..." "What is it, Mariko?" "How about we go to the reception to take your mind off of things?" Shiro shook his head. "No, I'd rather not. I'd like to have a little time to get myself calmed down and straightened out in my mind first." "What will you do?" A shrug was her response. "Maybe sit on a bench out back for a while." "May I join you?" Shiro nodded slightly. "Sure thing... thanks again, Mariko." He stood up, pulled her to her feet, then gave her a warm hug. Though in his heart he wasn't sure if he'd made the right decision, he felt that things had a good chance of working out. --- Tonomi Kanzaki took one last look at the picture of Shiro on her desk, then placed it face down. One less reminder she had to deal with. She would have been perfectly fine with a long distance relationship... or she thought she would. But she'd be willing to try. "I'd be willing to try..." But he'd made his choice, and whoever it was, she wasn't it. Tonomi walked over to her mirror and sat cross-legged in front of it. Her face and hair were an absolute wreck. She picked up her comb and began to work on her hair. When she was satisfied with it, the comb went back to its original position next to her forgotten university catalog. The mere sight of it made her burst into tears once again. The dancer went over to her bed and buried her face in her pillow. Her future, with no Shiro, would be at Sabishii University. Sabishii... Lonely University... How lonely indeed it would be. --- ~Epilogue: Late September of that same year~ --- Shiro awoke to the familiar buzzing of his alarm clock. He glanced sideways at it. 6:30. Back to the old routine again, he supposed. He made sure he switched his alarm off before going through his morning rituals. The newspaper had been a little light on information, so he decided to check his e-mail. Three new messages. One was from Kira. He gave it a cursory scan and noted that he'd have to respond when he got back, telling her how he was doing and how the first weeks of school had gone. No problem. The next e-mail had a strikingly familiar return address to it. He clicked on it and began to read. From: kanzaki_t@email.sabishii.edu To: smith_s@email.furinkan.k12.jp Subj: Updates Dear Shiro, Hi! It's me, Tonomi. I thought you might be interested in how I was doing here at school. Well, as I'd been told, university is a lot tougher than high school ever was, so I've had to study hard to keep my grades up. I have a decent enough roommate, but we'll see how that works out as the year moves further along. I'm sure this is no surprise, but I joined the dance team. After just a few practices, I can tell we're going to be good. You should come see us sometime when we have a road match near you. Bring Mariko-sensei with you if you want; she'd probably enjoy it too. I heard Sakura-sensei left Furinkan - is that true? Keep me posted on how you're doing, Shiro, especially since that rowdy Ranma and his gang are juniors now. You take care of yourself. Hope to hear from you soon! With love, Tonomi Hmm, seemed that Tonomi was doing well enough. The next mail came from a surprising source... From: s_takahashi@tokyou.edu To: smith_s@email.furinkan.k12.jp Subj: (no subject) Dear Shiro, How are things going at Furinkan? I'm sure they're as busy as ever. Hopefully Kunou-sensei doesn't give it to you too badly with his schedule swapping, but I know you can handle it. Is the science department coming along okay? I heard they had to hire two people to replace me, which really isn't all that surprising. I didn't want to ditch on them, really, but I just felt like I needed to complete my own education before I continued educating others, you know? Shiro chuckled as he read that. She'd be a Ph.D. before she was twenty. Remember what you told me about finding someone? I think you may have been right. Don't want to go into too much detail right now, but there's someone here that I've been interested in, and we get along with each other like lead and chlorine ions in solution. I'm not going to push it, but I'm also not going to let the chance pass me by. Speaking of which, I genuinely hope that you and Mariko are doing well. Send me a mail soon and keep me informed, mmkay? Sincerely, Sakura P.S. Might I congratulate you on putting Nabiki out of business? That was masterful of you. I wonder how Sakura found out about that, Shiro thought. Oh well, even if it were widely known, he didn't care. Not only did he have the notoriety of swindling the great swindler, but he had a good little nest egg started. Shiro closed his e-mail program and looked to the clock. 7:25. He'd be pushing his luck getting to school on time, but that was okay. He hurriedly shuffled his papers together and managed to get his case shut just as a light knock sounded from his door. "Come in," he called as he pulled on his shoes. Mariko Kawai stepped in. "Come on, Shiro, we're going to be late!" "We'll be okay, don't worry." Glance at the clock. "But we should hurry, hmm?" The couple did just that, after a quick good morning kiss. As they rode the subway from Shiro's apartment to Furinkan, Shiro filled his new girlfriend in on the e-mails he'd received. "So, Sakura's got a college boy she likes. I bet he'll be good for her." Shiro smiled. "Yeah. From what little I remember of chemistry, the way she phrased it seems pretty significant. We should keep in touch to see how that turns out." The conversation then turned to Tonomi. "Oh, a dance match? I'd love to go see her perform again. You'd better not forget, Shiro." "Don't worry, I won't." As if she would. The train pulled into the station just as Shiro's watch beeped to indicate that it was 8 AM. Shiro and Mariko groaned together. "Okay, Mariko. You go left from the entrance, and I'll go right. Maybe if we're quiet, she won't notice." Mariko nodded. Hopefully she could sneak quietly past Hinako without stumbling. "Will do." They walked quickly to the entrance of the school. Shiro held up a hand, saying, "Ready?" "Sure thing. Good luck, Shiro. I love you. See you at lunch." "Good luck to you too, sweetheart." She blushed, as she had every time he'd called her that. It made her look even better. Unfortunately, that delay cost them a little too much time, and a very petulent Hinako-chan, five-hundred yen coin in hand, forcefully swung open the door to meet them. "Both of you this morning, hm? Will you two never LEARN?" The couple, caught red-handed, looked at each other and gulped. This was decidedly not the way they wanted to start their day. --- ~Fin~ APB 11/23/2001