AUTHOR'S NOTE
If you aren't familiar with "Karei Naru Ichizoku", it's a popular TV series that aired in Japan, but is actually based off a novel and has been remade several times into film. It takes place in the 1960s and is about a wealthy Japanese family headed by Manpyo Daisuke, the owner of Hanshin Bank. Daisuke is burdened by a terrible secret regarding his son, Teppei, whose main ambition in life is to gain his father's affections and successfully expand his grandfather's steel company. But Daisuke only sees the idealistic Teppei as a threat to his own plans, as he is trying to keep Hanshin Bank from being absorbed during an attempt to merge smaller banks with large state-run banks. Also, Daisuke resents his father, Keisuke, and sees Teppei as fulfilling Keisuke's legacy. So Daisuke unscrupulously sabotages Teppei's attempts to advance the Hanshin Steel company ("this town ain't big enough for the both of us", you know?). Moreover, this whole time, Daisuke has let his scheming, malicious mistress, Aiko, tyrannize the family in her pursuit to further Daisuke's interests at the expense of their individual happiness. While this is enough to pit Teppei against his father, Teppei especially resents the mistreatment of his mother, Yasuko, who is constantly harassed by Aiko and even Daisuke. Despite Teppei's attempts to rise above the destructive family cycle of greed and selfishness, he simply can't outwit his father's underhanded schemes to destroy Hanshin Steel. Then he discovers the dark secret that explains why Daisuke has never loved him - there's a good possibility that Teppei's real father is his grandfather, Keisuke. After losing his company and realizing that he will never be able to receive Daisuke's approval, Teppei makes a fateful decision. After his death, a blood test proves that Teppei was Daisuke's real son after all.
While writing this story, I did my best to research names, places, and setting. However, it wasn't easy finding information about everything that I saw in the show, so I may have made some mistakes. If you spot any, please feel free to let me know in the comments.
"Ascent" takes place during the events of the last episode, when Teppei calls his family for the last time on Christmas Eve. It is mostly from the perspective of his wife, Sanae, who becomes deeply troubled by her husband's unannounced absence. Everyone tells her that Teppei will be fine... but only Sanae can understand the despair she heard in his voice that night he called home.
CHAPTER I: Heaviness
December 24, 1968
"Merry Christmas."
She waited for him to speak again, but the line went dead.
As Sanae put the receiver down, she clutched her chest with one hand. This was the first time Sanae had heard her husband's voice in days. His work had completely occupied him since the trial, and on several occasions he never even came home for the night. But when the morning of Christmas Eve came and she had heard nothing from Teppei, she had begun to worry. Just hearing his voice on the other end of the phone, she felt a wave of relief.
But in between the long static silence, she had perceived her husband was trying to tell her something. He had gone through so much after all, risking everything by filing a lawsuit against his own father and simultaneously trying to find ways to rebuild Hanshin Steel, which by itself seemed like a monumentally impossible task. Now that he had lost everything, even the chance to simply reveal the truth of his father's misdeeds, Sanae wondered if his last glimmer of hope was completely gone.
A voice deep inside was telling her that Teppei was in trouble - the worst kind of trouble.
He won't be here tomorrow, that's why he wished me a Merry Christmas, She realized.
Sanae felt her eyes sting as tears began to spill over. Hastily, she wiped them away. Tarou was playing in the living room and she didn't want to alarm him.
Teppei hadn't told her where he was, but Sanae wasn't going to wait for him at home any longer. She was already running through the places he might be - his office, Tsurunoya - when she left the room and found her mother, Mrs. Ookawa.
"Mother, I apologize but I have to leave tonight. Can you watch Tarou for me?"
"What?" Mrs. Ookawa asked in surprise, "Where are you going?"
"I'm afraid that something is very wrong with Teppei. I must go find him."
"Why should you be the one to go look for him?" Mrs. Ookawa asked, "Isn't there anyone else that can do it? What about his family?"
"They wouldn't understand." Sanae replied, dropping her troubled gaze to the floor as she thought of Daisuke Manpyo. That man would actually be pleased if Teppei killed himself.
Mrs. Ookawa, after studying Sanae's plaintive expression, recognized a spark of her husband's determination and placed a comforting hand on Sanae's arm.
"If you must go, then go. Don't worry about Tarou."
Sanae hugged her mother gratefully, fighting tears once more. But she put on a brave face, clenching her teeth and smiling as best she could when her mother looked into her eyes.
It didn't take her long to pack her belongings. She didn't know how long she would be gone or how far she would go, but she packed lightly because she wanted to leave as soon as possible. She would visit Fusako first, and then catch the train to Kobe. Teppei had friends there who might have seen him since his dismissal at Hanshin Steel.
Sanae managed to unzip her red knitted dress and changed into a simple black wool skirt and ivory-colored turtleneck with flower embroidery on the sleeves.
After she pulled on her black dress coat, Sanae went once more into the living room where Mrs. Ookawa was sitting with Tarou. The little child seemed oblivious to what was going on, showing Mrs. Ookawa an early Christmas present Sanae had allowed him to open that night.
"Tarou, Mama will be back in a little while. You'll be staying with my family here... remember what papa told you."
"Mama, will Papa be home for Christmas?" Tarou asked. He had been missing his father's presence over the past few weeks.
Sanae smiled, "I don't know, Tarou. But we'll try to spend New Year's together, alright?"
Tearfully, Sanae hugged him close. Mrs. Ookawa watched her daughter turn away quickly and rush out of the room so Tarou wouldn't see his mother crying.
.::::::::::.
Carrying her leather duffel bag in one hand, Sanae came to the entrance of the Tsurunoya restaurant where Fusako Tsuruta worked. There were people in the street everywhere, chatting and celebrating beneath the warm glow of scarlet paper lanterns and yellow street lights. Customers were pouring in and out of Tsurunoya and Sanae was beginning to wonder if it were even possible to meet with Fusako when she would be so busy with customers. As Sanae was about to turn to leave, she heard someone call her name through the din of the crowd.
"Sanae-san, is that you?"
Sanae looked around until she spotted the elegantly dressed Fusako standing at the entrance of Tsurunoya. Outfitted in her traditional kimono, Fusako walked towards Sanae with short, graceful steps, an inquiring look on her pleasant face.
"Fusako-san," Sanae exclaimed in relief, "Forgive me for distracting you from your customers."
"It is alright, we are well staffed tonight and I was taking a short break." Looking at the luggage Sanae was carrying, Fusako asked, "Are you going somewhere tonight, Sanae-san?"
"Yes, I am travelling to Kobe," Sanae said, "but before I go, I wanted to ask you if you have seen Teppei at all during the past few weeks."
"No, I haven't seen him… are you worried about Tecchan, Sanae-san?"
"Well, yes." Sanae replied, "He called this evening and wanted to talk to Tarou, but he didn't say where he is. I know he has gone through a lot these past few weeks and may need some time alone to process it, but…" Sanae trailed off, not sure whether she should express her fears openly with Fusako. As if sensing what Sanae was about to say, Fusako said confidently, "Sanae-san, I know Tecchan well. He is my brother, after all. He is someone who would never give up on anything, no matter how impossible the odds. Tecchan will be fine and he will return." Fusako finished with an encouraging nod.
Sanae smiled appreciatively. But the pit in her stomach was still there, as if she were waiting in a hospital for the doctor to give her bad news. Fusako may have known Teppei well, but apparently she did not truly know Sanae. If she had, she might have understood that Sanae's intuition was what drew Teppei to her in the first place.
"Before my father died," Sanae said, "my mother said to me… 'Father will beat this sickness and quickly become elected!' Every time she said that, I felt a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach," Sanae placed a hand over her abdomen and looked at the wedding band on her finger, "Every heartbeat was painful and my body was restless. But I covered it up with a smile. When father was sick, there was nothing I could do to help him but stay by his side. Now Teppei is gone. I don't even know where he is and the heaviness is here again."
Sanae stared at the cobblestones on the street beneath her black suede shoes. She hoped that Fusako would understand what she meant. As she looked up, she saw that Fusako was smiling.
"I'm glad that Teppei has someone like you, Sanae-san. You are a good wife."
"Thank you," Sanae said softly, bowing her head, "I've kept you long enough. Good night, Fusako-san."
"Good night, Sanae-san."
As Sanae began the long walk to the train station, she once again heard Fusako calling her name.
"Sanae-san," Fusako said as if she was remembering something, causing Sanae to turn around, "Tecchan used to say that he enjoyed going to Tamba-Sasayama when he felt overwhelmed or upset. If you can't find him, then don't worry - he is probably hunting in the mountains."
.::::::::::.
"Please, everyone take your seats," a worker at the train station called out.
Walking down the aisle of the high-speed train, Sanae sat down in an empty seat and placed her luggage on the floor in front of her. Not long afterwards, the train rolled forward with a slight jerk and began its long journey through the countryside.
It was 10 pm, and Tarou was surely in bed by now. She hoped that he would be fine without her. They were so often together, and he had already been missing Teppei dearly in the last few weeks. But she wouldn't be long, she told herself. All of this would be over soon.
Sanae placed a hand over her stomach instinctively as if she was going to be sick. It was useless to rationalize. As she rested her head against the vinyl seat cover, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. Soon the lights of the city turned to effervescent streaks as the train departed Tokyo, bringing her closer to Kobe and whatever lied in store for her there.
That's all for now! So have you heard of "Karei Naru Ichizoku"? I would actually be surprised xD Anyways, feel free to let me know what you think of the story!