Chapter 50: Distressed

For the remainder of her shift, Sakuno did her best to avoid any situation where she would be alone with Soichiro. It wasn't just because of Ryoma, but also because she doesn't want him to think that she was okay with his subtle actions like that. Whether it was intentional or not, it would be a mistake to keep interacting like that, at least to her. Wherever he was, Sakuno made sure to turn the other way. It was strange that she was avoiding her closest friend at work, and if she's not careful, this could be a big problem.

After work, she was preparing to go home, but then she spotted the jacket Soichiro lent her. Sakuno took it out of her locker and tried to chase after him, but the staff said that he had already clocked out long ago.

"It can't be helped. I guess I'll return it tomorrow," She sighed. Noting that it would only be right to wash the jacket before returning it, Sakuno shoved it in her bag and was about to step out of the locker room, but she heard a few girls talking on the other side of the room.

"They've been married for more than a year already. Why doesn't he ever visit the restaurant?"

"Maybe they're one of those couples who only married under a contract,"

"I wanted to meet him, that's why I befriended Ryuzaki,"

"I guess she really is useless,"

Sakuno leaned onto the wall weakly. How could she be too naive to even think that she deserved to have genuine friends.

"I thought the Chef and Ryoma Echizen are friends?"

"You don't think that's why Ryuzaki got to be promoted, do you?"

Sakuno's hands were shaking, her fingers gripped her bag tightly so that her knuckles turned white. She resisted the urge to reveal her presence in the room. After all, all they said was the truth. But the part where Ryoma had something to do with her promotion was news to her. If it was true, then what worth does she have?

In the end, she silently exited the restaurant without anyone noticing her, and walked home until her legs could no longer take another step. She sobbed as those painful comments kept haunting her mind.

Sakuno doesn't know which was worse. The fact that her so-called friends were just fake, or that she was still living under Ryoma's shadows.

Her phone vibrated and saw that Ryoma had replied to her message.

Be careful on your way home.

-Ryoma

Sakuno bit her lip, unable to think of something to reply to his message. Her feelings are all over the place and it was ruining her well-being. That day, she had just decided to make it up to Ryoma and to patch things up, an imaginary crack in their marriage. But then, that scene with Soichiro happened, and that conversation she overheard from the restaurant shook her resolve. That day, she looked forward to coming home. But now, she dreaded facing him.

She opened their front door and saw her husband lying on the sofa, his eyes closed but he held his phone close to his chest. He waited all night for her to come home, and it made Sakuno feel a mix of emotions. It was surprising that Ryoma still waited, even though he was as tired as her. At the same time, she despises herself for feeling resentful of the fact that Ryoma is a big factor in her career, and she can do nothing about it.

She took out a blanket from the closet and covered him with it. Sakuno sat on the floor and stared at his sleeping face. She wasn't sure if she should wake him up. It was tournament season and the prince was quite busy with training and press conferences. Sakuno wanted him to get all the rest he needed.

Ryoma chased the neon ball that was zooming past his side of the court. He could have easily hit it back to his training partner, but in the moment he swung his racket, Ryoma felt his wrist ached and in just a split second, he dropped the racket, as did the tennis ball on his feet.

He panted heavily, desperately trying to understand what happened. He was the Prince of Tennis, missing a hit wasn't in his vocabulary at all.

"Are you okay?" asked his opponent. Ryoma bent down and picked up his racket. He was expressionless, speechless. But nonetheless, he was panicking inside.

"Yeah," he said.

"Should we continue?"

Those were one of the rare moments Ryoma wanted to tap out and rest. He shook his head to decline his request. The guy was visibly disappointed and confused, because Ryoma was the guy who never got tired of playing. But he nodded and retreated to the shower room, leaving Ryoma alone in the court.

The prince silently walked back to the bench and drank his water. He felt his wrist throbbing, and he realized that it would be impossible to heal the injury in time for the tournament. It was unbelievable how timely it happened to him. Many people would be disappointed in him, including his brother, his parents, the Seigaku regulars, and his wife.

"Ryoma-kun, are you okay? I heard from your training partner that there was something wrong. Is your hand okay?" His manager ran towards him, a fresh towel in hand.

"I'm alright," he answered. But in his mind, he had already made a decision, and he knew it would be a huge blow to his career but it couldn't be helped. He took on a nonchalant attitude towards it.

He won't be joining the tournament.

Of course it would be a waste, and he would be looked at with disgust by the people. But it is what it is. His wrist could no longer take the stress of the ball's impact.

"We better get some ice on that. It's swollen," he stood up and was intending to go to the pantry, but Ryoma spoke.

"Manager–" he started, stopping the older man in his tracks. He turned around and faced him.

"What is it, Ryoma-kun?"

"I don't think I'll play in the next tournament. I won't be joining," he said. The manager didn't flinch or gasp, he understood why Ryoma needed to say it. If it would save his wrist from further injury, it would be best to sit this one out. Of course, it would be a huge loss, because knowing the prince, it would be an instant and sure win.

In the end, he smiled at Ryoma.

"Okay. Well, cheer up," he patted him on the shoulder. Ryoma wasn't even that sad but seeing the manager be this kind was making him tear up a little. To be honest, it wasn't any different from when he went on hiatus.

"Then, I'll head out first," he stood up and headed to the shower room. The manager ended up picking up the stray tennis balls and Ryoma's racket. He shook his head in defeat, but was relieved that Ryoma was okay with his decision.

Tezuka was in the middle of training when he heard his phone ring in his bag. He decided to ignore it since it's unethical to answer a call in training. He is a man of discipline and technology will always be the least priority in his mind. Whether his mother might be the caller or not, he must finish his training course for that afternoon.

But he recalled that he gave Nanako his phone number. What if she needed help with her groceries again? Or she couldn't order in a restaurant without a translator? The Echizen family might think badly of him if he didn't help her, right?

Without appearing excited or whatnot, Tezuka slowly lowered his racket, and made it seem like he was just about to drink his electrolyte drink. He walked to his bag and fished out his phone.

To his surprise, it was an unknown number. Tezuka felt a bit disappointed but nevertheless, he answered.

"Yes?"

"Is this Tezuka Kunimitsu? The former captain of the Seigaku tennis club? Ryoma Echizen's captain?"

It was a lot of questions but he nodded to each.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"I'm Ryoma Echizen's manager. I would just like to ask about the rehabilitation center that you have previously gone to, and if you would be willing to give some kind of inspiring words to him. You see, he may not say it to me, but I know Ryoma-kun's stressed about his wrist. I don't know what to tell him. I was hoping maybe you do know…"

The manager's voice sounded soft but naive. Tezuka knew of his identity through Nanako, and of course Ryoma had mentioned him.

Regarding his request, Tezuka would be glad to help. After all, he's still Seigaku's pillar of support.

"Sure. We can talk about it in person. Let me know when we can do that,"

"Thank you so much, Tezuka-kun! I'll text you soon,"

The conversation ended. He never imagined he would be seeing Ryoma after almost two years since his wedding. It was nostalgic thinking about his injury. But now that it was fully healed, he has been doing his best as a pro. Knowing that Ryoma is going through the same experience as he did back then, Tezuka felt determined to help him heal.

He sent a text message to Nanako, saying that he would meet Ryoma soon. After a while, Tezuka saw that Nanako had replied.

Thank you. I'm sure he'll be pleased.

-Nanako.

Tezuka wondered if it would be too presumptuous of him to invite her to fly back to Japan. He sighed and decided to return to the court.

It was another ordinary day at the restaurant. The place was packed with the usual customers enjoying their dinner. The kitchen was busier than ever as well. One after another, different types of food were being sent out and served without a minute to breathe.

Sakuno was in charge of frying things to perfection. It would need absolute focus to handle boiling oil and there is no room for mistakes, as per the head chef. Sakuno was trained for years, after all. So there's no problem.

Except her problem was the tension and awkward atmosphere between her and her co-worker, Soichiro. She admitted to herself that he hasn't done anything wrong, so why is she acting so differently now?

"Ryuzaki-san!"

She was so preoccupied with thoughts of him that she didn't notice Soichiro approaching her from behind.

"Ryuzaki-san!" he repeated, this time louder. Sakuno heard it at last, and spun around. She didn't expect to see his face up close to her so she stepped back in surprise, spilling oil all over the counter, and the worst part is some of it landed on her hand.

"Ow!"

She shrieked in pain as the hot oil burned her skin. Sakuno dropped the tongs, and Soichiro, who was panicking, pulled her away from the pot and into his chest.

"A-Are you okay? I'm sorry!" He quickly switched off the burner and checked on Sakuno's hand. She couldn't suppress the pain that tears just started rolling down her cheeks. The staff were momentarily shocked by the accident but they instantly regained composure. The head chef clicked his tongue, seemingly used to the accidents happening in the kitchen.

"Ryuzaki, you're not being careful. Your hands are the most important part of you! Soichiro, you know well not to surprise anyone working in the kitchen, right? Both of you, get out of here! Tend to your wounds, Ryuzaki," He might have sounded harsh, but it was rush hour and they couldn't afford to stop now. So, after kicking out the two, the chef covered Sakuno's station and worked double time.

Back in the staff room, Soichiro offered to treat Sakuno's hand. She had no choice but to let him, since she couldn't bandage her hand with one hand, right?

"Thanks…" she muttered without looking at him.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault you got hurt,"

"N-No, I wasn't careful,"

"No, it's my fault. I couldn't help but talk to you after you kept avoiding me. I don't even know why, but I guess I wanted to apologize if I did something wrong. But I realized I should have just waited until after work. If you don't run away, that is," he chuckled, as he continued to wrap bandages on her hand. He noticed how soft Sakuno's hand is even though she always works in the kitchen.

Sakuno could feel his hand holding hers as he focused on what he was doing. She mentally slapped herself. She wondered if she was actually attracted to him, but that was impossible. She doesn't look at him that way at all. Maybe she was overthinking about his kindness towards her and all. That was the reason why she was avoiding him. She doesn't want any misunderstanding.

Realizing that she may have caused unnecessary trouble to him, Sakuno felt lighter, as if the worries she used to think about vanished. Now all she wanted to do was to restore their friendship. She felt bad for making him feel that he did something wrong to her.

"I'm sorry for avoiding you. You did nothing wrong. I guess… I was just stressed," she finally smiled at him, and that was enough for Soichiro.

"You're never an inconvenience, Ryuzaki-san. We're friends," It hurt a little to say that they were friends. He wanted more, honestly. But seeing her reaction now, it seemed like an impossible dream.

After all, she's married to a tennis star.

Sakuno got home late that night, and to her surprise, Ryoma was wide awake and was sitting on the porch.

"I knew something happened," He was staring at her bandaged hand. Sakuno was intending to hide it from him, but it was too late. His eyes are sharper than anyone else's. He walked over and grabbed her arm. Ryoma observed the neatly bandaged hand of Sakuno, and she winced in pain as he tried to touch the burned spots.

"Anyway, let's go in first," he pulled her inside. Sakuno felt embarrassed over her mistake, and also, she was still thinking about Ryoma's connection with her work that she couldn't look into his eyes anymore. Her mind was in a whirlpool these days.

"Ryoma-kun, I'm fine. Don't worry about it," She tried to pull away from his grasp but he was too strong. Sakuno was led onto the sofa and sat down. She watched as Ryoma put his jacket on and clutched his wallet.

"Let's go to the hospital and get your hand checked," he extended his hand to Sakuno, waiting for her to take it. But the girl was confused.

"I'm okay. It has been treated at the restaurant. We don't need to go,"

"You have a doctor at work?" He asked innocently with wide eyes. Sakuno blinked at his ignorant question and she wasn't sure if she should answer it sarcastically or not.

"No… Soichiro-kun did,"

"Oh, is this Soichiro a doctor by any chance?"

"No,"

"Then how can you be sure that it's been treated properly?"

"I…" Suddenly, she couldn't find the right words to reassure him.

Ryoma sighed. He has known Sakuno to be very trusting to others. But that's besides the point. Injuring the most important part of your job is the worst thing that you could do. Ryoma knows he shouldn't speak about that considering his own injury, but Sakuno has been dreaming of being a chef. The least he could do was to get her hand treated the right way by professionals.

"Let's go to the doctor, okay?" He pleaded. Sakuno didn't want to leave the house since she's too tired physically and mentally. But how could she convince Ryoma? He has always been stubborn.

"Ehhh… I don't wanna go. Instead, why don't I make you something to eat?" Sakuno smiled sweetly at him. He cupped her red cheeks and kissed her lips. Sakuno blushed even more as she stared into his golden eyes.

"No. We'll go now," he said with a stern voice.

"Ryoma-kun! I don't want to go out," She hid her hands behind her and shook her head.

He grabbed Sakuno's arm in anger. Ryoma was beginning to get mad at the thought that she doesn't treat her injury a big deal, and that she trusts her friend's treatment over his judgment. For some reason, the latter was even more infuriating for him.

"Okay, you're starting to annoy me. Just get off the couch and let's go!"

His words came out a bit harsh, and Sakuno couldn't help but feel threatened. She fought to free her arm.

"Y-You're hurting me, Ryoma!"

"Why are you being stubborn?"

Sakuno pushed him away from her quite strongly, making him let go of her. Ryoma stumbled backwards and accidentally sat on the coffee table. He used his injured wrist to support his body weight but it was too painful.

"Ow–"

Sakuno seemed to be surprised at his reaction that she tried to help him up, but he slapped her hand away.

He stared at her in shock. Without much thought, Ryoma blurted out the first thing in his mind.

"You listen to other people but me. I'm so tired of this," he removed his jacket furiously and stomped off. Sakuno was too shocked to even go after him. It would seem that he was seriously mad this time.

Sakuno would be staying home for recovery as per the chef. She stayed in bed while Ryoma got ready to leave the house for his training. They haven't spoken a single word to each other ever since their fight. Neither was apologetic, and they each have their own anger pent up.

He carried his bag out of the bedroom and closed the door without a word. Sakuno expected him to at least say goodbye, but it seemed that he was just as angry as her.

When she finally heard the front door beep indicating that it was automatically locked, Sakuno let out a tired breath that she has been holding since that morning. Things with Ryoma have been tense lately that she felt like walking on eggshells around him.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. She wondered if he forgot something. Sakuno slid off the bed and checked the door cam. But to her surprise, the person she least expected to come had appeared out of the blue! Sakuno hurriedly opened the door and greeted her visitor.

"T-Tomo-chan!" She couldn't believe her eyes as she stared at her best friend and the child beside her. They haven't seen each other in a long time and Sakuno couldn't recall how Haru looked before.

"Hi, Sakuno," she finally greeted.

"So… um… what brings you here today?" Sakuno served refreshments and snacks to Tomoka and Haru in the living room. While the two adults talked, Haru had an interest in Ryoma's game console that he started playing it.

"Ryoma-sama called me, saying you need company. It's not that I couldn't refuse him. But I really just wanted to see how you're doing," she awkwardly admitted. Sakuno could feel her heart swell at Tomoka's sincere words.

"He did?"

"Yup. He thinks you're too stressed from work that you need some time to cool off, and someone who can help you cheer up. That's why we came!"

Sakuno missed the kind of smile that only Tomoka could give. It was refreshing and although it was nostalgic, she felt renewed with her. But thinking that Ryoma contacted Tomoka for her sake was definitely not like him at all. If things go well today, Sakuno took it upon herself to apologize to him one more time.

But right now, it would seem that a reconciliation is due.

"Tomo-chan… I'm sorry for not coming to see you all this time. I guess my insecurities got to me and before I knew it, I ruined our friendship. I'm really sorry," She was beginning to get teary eyed, and Haru would turn his head from time to time to see why his aunt would sob.

Tomoka smiled weakly at her.

"Sakuno. I don't blame you for wanting to protect your own feelings. I was never mad at you… well, maybe a little bit. But I was prepared to wait forever for you to see me, and I hoped everyday that you would feel better and more comfortable with me. I guess your husband was the key to our reunion, after all," She chuckled lightly, admiring Sakuno's tear stricken cheeks.

She, on the other hand, could not help but giggle at her remark. It was so unlike Ryoma to do something like this, but she was thankful for the opportunity. Looking back at it now, Sakuno felt ridiculous for running away from her problems, and how easy it was to solve it.

"I'm so sorry, Tomo-chan. I've become toxic towards the people I love, and I just hope to make it up to you. I'll do anything," The two girls held hands and Tomoka comforted Sakuno. Being friends with her again was enough, but of course, she had planned a lot of things they would do together!

"Well, Sakuno. I've got all sorts of things we can do!" She happily chirped. Sakuno laughed and nodded. But her thoughts were cut off with a realization.

"Tomo-chan, where's the new baby?" She asked.

"Oh…" Tomoka knew that the question would come up, and she wasn't entirely avoiding the subject. Sakuno would eventually find out, after all.

"I… lost the baby shortly after it was born,"

Her answer earned a shocked gasp from Sakuno. Suddenly, all her problems seemed small compared to Tomoka's. She felt terrible having lost all the times when she should have consoled her friend.

"W-What?"

"So, I guess in a way, we're on the same boat,"

Sakuno embraced Tomoka as tight as she could. There was no comparison to what her best friend had to go through, Sakuno could just imagine the hurt it caused.

"You've been through so much, Tomo-chan," She could feel the girl's soft sobs and that her shoulder is now damp with Tomoka's tears.

She hadn't cried this hard ever since she lost the baby. Tomoka hugged Sakuno, wanting to let her know that she's fine with it. What matters now is they're reunited.

"Sakuno, we're going to get through this together, right?" She felt Sakuno's determined nods.

"Of course, Tomo-chan. Friends forever," They both laughed amidst their pain, and decided that they could either spend the day crying over the past, or that they're going to order pizza and play to their heart's content.

Just like old times.

Around four in the afternoon, Ryoma had just gotten home. He could already hear the faint laughters inside. He smiled softly, hearing Sakuno's cheerful voice. He missed the kind of Sakuno who was always smiling.

As he opened the door, Tomoka greeted him with a ladle in hand.

"Welcome back, Ryoma-sama! We're preparing supper," she chirped.

"Eh? But you know that Sakuno can't help," he frowned.

"No, no. She's in charge of telling me what to do, like a chef! Don't worry, I'm not letting her do any heavy work," She whispered at the last part, and Ryoma reluctantly agreed.

"Welcome… back," Sakuno was intending to greet Ryoma with her newfound energy, but recalling their intense fight, she had trailed off. The prince had noticed this and awkwardly nodded in acknowledgment. The awkward atmosphere was making Tomoka uncomfortable so Ryoma was the first to break away from the scene.

"I'll wash up," he walked off. Ignoring Tomoka's words that Haru has been sleeping in their bedroom, Ryoma stepped into their room silently. He was greeted by the dark interior, only a small night light was lit beside Haru's side of the bed. He slid on the bed, careful not to disrupt the child's sleeping form, and was finally able to relax every bit of his muscle.

He didn't have a training schedule that day. He didn't even break out a single sweat. But lately, being with Sakuno was more suffocating and harder than the times he spent hitting a neon ball repeatedly until your heart gave out from exhaustion. He just feared that he might get tired here more than in the courts. He had to get out of the house to avoid giving her unnecessary headaches considering she would stay home for the whole weekend. Ryoma decided he would drop by the training center to help the other players in the meantime. That was fine, right?

He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

"Sakuno. What's up with you and Ryoma-sama? Did something happen?"

"Hmm… it's complicated. I feel like lately we're not always on the same page with each other. It's getting harder to talk to him,"

The two girls sat on the dining table, peeling vegetables while they talked.

"But why?"

Sakuno thought for a moment. It wasn't like they've gone tired from each other, but more like they're not compatible anymore, at least not right now. But it's just her own thoughts. Sakuno told Tomoka a bit about her injury at work and how Ryoma was forcing her to go to the hospital even though Soichiro had already tended to her.

"You know, Sakuno. You might just be clueless about your husband,"

"What? Why?"

"It looks to me that Ryoma-sama was jealous of your friend,"

"What? That's impossible!"

"He's a guy–No, he's human! Of course he's going to be jealous. But more importantly, considering you haven't been spending time together lately, he might have wanted to take care of you. I know you're all for being independent and all, but sometimes, being cared for feels better,"

"Oh…"

"So, if I were you, accept the care that he gives, no matter how late in the night it might be. I understand you, though,"

Sakuno nodded, realizing more about Ryoma's point of view. In her mind, there would be no reason to be jealous of Soichiro. She would never fall in love with anyone else. Ryoma was the love of her life!

"But it's going to be okay, Tomo-chan. We're not always like this," Sakuno smiled as if trying to tell her that they were not having a lot of problems in the past years. Though she's not an expert in marriage, Sakuno was aware that fights and misunderstandings are all part of it, and that it fixes itself in no time, as long as they still stick together at the end of the day. Tomoka let it end there, noticing that Sakuno understood her point.

Seeing that the two boys are sound asleep in the bedroom, they went ahead and ate dinner. Tomoka lets Sakuno know that they can't stay for much longer but promises to stop by every now and then. Sakuno willingly agreed since she had the whole weekend off work. And if you ask her, it would be much more comforting around her usual friends.

"You should get Haru. I can put these away," Sakuno began to clean up the table, carefully setting aside Ryoma's dinner. While she was busy in the kitchen, Tomoka went inside the bedroom and found Haru sleeping alone on the bed. A wall of soft pillows surrounded his body to prevent him from falling off the bed. Tomoka looked around to see where the prince had gone and she heard coughing inside the toilet. She didn't know why she was nervous to keep waiting for what might happen to the person inside. She wanted to leave right away, but something was telling her to wait and see.

Ryoma woke up feeling an intense headache. He ran to the toilet and threw up most of his lunch from earlier, and looking at the sink, he knew that something was wrong with his body. He was terrified at the sight that he immediately rinsed it with running water. He coughed, as he observed his face in the mirror.

He frowned at how distressed he looked. Maybe this was the reason Sakuno has been aloof around him, or maybe she hates him now. Because even he could tell that he's not the same person he was back then.

Ryoma could feel his stomach hurting, like it was being twisted from the inside. He was about to hurl again but noticed someone's presence outside the door. His senses were too sensitive to miss the person's sound of breathing.

"Who's there?" He opened the door and found Tomoka carrying Haru. She had a shocked look on her face, her eyes were wide as she forced a laugh.

"R-Ryoma-sama. We were just about to leave," she said.

"Oh," He closed the door behind him and guided the two out of there. If looks could kill, Tomoka would have murdered Ryoma's back. She could have just been imagining things, but there is definitely something wrong in this house. She's going to have a talk with Horio when they get home.

As Sakuno watched Ryoma carrying Haru on his back while they walked to the train station, she couldn't help but tear up. She doesn't even know what had shifted then, or how they came to this point in their marriage. It was only two years, and yet they're self-destructing. If only there was a way to communicate with each other without having to fight.

To be continued.

A/N: I apologize for the long delay. There was too much going on at work (had to illustrate a bunch of images for five books) and it was hell! Anyway, as I go through that stressful part of my life, I enjoy listening to Kaze-kun and his songs. It keeps me in a positive mood.

Also, many might find the recent happenings to be boring, but these things need to be written. They will go through real problems, and I think I want them to experience it. It might sound evil, but this is life.

Lastly, I always appreciate and enjoy reading reviews/comments about my works. So, please keep it coming :)