Chapter 52: Aching

"So, we're leaving tomorrow at noon. You already packed, Ryoma-kun?" The manager asked the person leisurely sitting by the office chair. They were currently in the training center where Ryoma would frequent.

"Yep, I'm all set," he answered nonchalantly.

"And you told Sakuno-san about it?"

"No. I'm only going to be gone for a few days. She won't even notice I'm gone," He meant to say it as a joke. But of course, his eyes don't lie.

"Hmm… that sounds like a problem. Just tell me if you need anything,"

"I'm okay. Thanks, though,"

Tomorrow is their flight to America to accept the award for him. Of course, he would also go to the stadium to see how the children's progress is. He just wasn't sure if Ryoga would be there, but either way, he would be glad to go to a far place away from all the troubles.

"Oh, you might need to prepare an acceptance speech," The manager excitedly told him. Ryoma frowned. It was a pain to be talking on stage in front of a crowd.

"Che," He could only grunt in annoyance. The manager chuckled as he watched Ryoma type something on his tablet, probably composing a speech.

"Geez… What is going on with you two? I thought you loved each other? Why would you fight over something so small? I thought I told you that a guy's pride is fragile, so you have to be careful who you interact with?" Tomoka drank her pineapple juice in a frustrated manner. Sakuno had contacted her for emotional support because of her rift with Ryoma.

"Why is it that only guys ever get that kind of treatment? We're fragile, too. Maybe more fragile than them," she commented.

"But Ryoma-sama is different. You dreamed of being with him ever since we were twelve. You should work hard for your relationship,"

"I don't know, Tomo-chan. Everytime we talk to each other, it turns into a fight. Frankly, I'm tired of putting up with it. I know he's being like that because he's jealous. But what am I supposed to do? Soichiro-kun is the only friend I have at work. He's been supporting me so much through it all. How could I cut him off just like that?"

"All I'm saying is, try to put yourself into his shoes. Would you want to see him hanging out with some woman? Would you want to see him hugging a random woman whom you've never met?"

Sakuno tried her best to imagine the scenario, but she just couldn't see Ryoma ever doing that. He is undeniably a chick magnet, but he was never one to approach ladies like that.

Tomoka sighed as she watched her best friend's blank reaction. She just couldn't believe that the spark that Sakuno ignited for almost ten years was now crashing down in front of her.

"What do you think I should do?"

"Do you still love him?"

"Of course,"

"That answer doesn't excite me, Sakuno. To be honest, I'm quite disappointed. You've only been married for two years and yet, it looks like you're both already at your limits,"

"Is it wrong that I chose to chase my dream job, Tomo-chan? I'm afraid to think if I made the wrong decision,"

"No, you didn't. It's good that you're doing something you love,"

Sakuno nodded in agreement.

"I hate to be the one to say this, but if you're both just unhappy everytime you see each other, maybe it's time to rethink your future."

"What do you mean?"

"To take a break. So that both of you can experience what it's like to be far from each other–if living without the other would be better or not."

It never crossed Sakuno's mind that she would be separated from Ryoma. Ever since they got married, her mind's made up that they would grow old together. But hearing this now, it might help them realize a lot of things. However, Sakuno was terrified of one day living without ever seeing Ryoma's face. She wondered if she could actually do it.

"Sakuno?"

"Y-Yes. I get it, Tomo-chan," She sipped her coffee.

Tomoka was sad for her friends. She has been Ryoma's fan for the longest time, and being Sakuno's best friend, those were all wonderful times. Seeing them marry each other was the greatest thing a fan and a friend could ever dream of. But now that they're facing a lot of problems as husband and wife, it would seem that it's all for naught.

But even if she wanted to cheer them on and tell Sakuno to hold on for dear life, she couldn't be selfish and watch them self-destruct. She wanted their happiness first and foremost.

"Sakuno, I hope you two find your happiness, wherever it may be,"

Sakuno got even more depressed. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Thinking about yesterday when she got home and Ryoma was gone, when she noticed that his suitcase was gone, too, she couldn't help but call Tomoka. She actually thought Ryoma had run away from home. But hearing from Horio that Ryoma had some business to attend to in America, she felt relieved, but was still worried.

She thought Ryoma had left her for good.

Her phone suddenly beeped, indicating that it received a text message. She tapped the message icon and saw a message from Ryoma himself.

It was a picture of a crystal plaque, and something was written on it. As she zoomed in, Sakuno read the embossed text.

"Sakuno, what is it?" Tomoka leaned over and saw that Ryoma had won an award for his stadium. Sakuno cried in happiness as she tried to type in a reply. Tomoka laughed at her best friend's funny appearance.

"He really is amazing," she mumbled as her fingers continued to type in words that she wished to tell him.

Congratulations, Ryoma-kun!

She sent it.

"Ah, Sakuno. This is a great opportunity to invite him out to dinner to celebrate! And to rekindle your romance," she nudged her shoulders.

"You're right, Tomo-chan. We should do that when he comes home,"

"Yes! That's it, Sakuno,"

The two girls happily celebrated their newfound courage to repair their marriage. It was always nice talking to a friend, Sakuno thought. She was amazed at how Tomoka once suggested taking a break, but then she found an opportunity to deepen their connection with dinner. It might go either way, but Sakuno was willing to try anything not to lose Ryoma.

Ryoma was indifferent during the whole ceremony. He sat with big names in the philanthropy world, but he knew none of them. The only person he could talk to the whole time was his manager.

It was time for the banquet and he was growing uncomfortable seeing all the food prepared for the guests.

"I'm going back to the hotel first," he stood up and was about to leave but his manager pulled his arm.

"No, Ryoma-kun. You have to mingle with other personalities before we go. You should eat some food, too," he handed him a plate full of the most delicious food he had ever seen. But none of it looked appetizing to him. He could feel his stomach hurt, and he knew he could throw up any minute now. But seeing his poor manager's face, Ryoma decided to hang on a little longer.

"Fine,"

They quietly ate dinner together with sponsors, and some were chatting amongst each other. Ryoma was the only one who never uttered a word. Instead, he was focused on his food to care about his surroundings.

After dinner, the both of them returned to their hotel suit to rest. It was a huge room with two bedrooms, and a veranda to view the night sky. The manager opened the sliding door and admired the stars cluttered in the sky, while Ryoma prepared to wash up.

The next morning, his phone beeped. Ryoma lazily rubbed his eyes and his hand searched for his phone. He held it in front of his face and read the message. It was Sakuno asking if he could meet her at the restaurant when he got back.

As he tried to think of something to reply, he heard his manager waking up from the other room. He figured they would need to pack up and leave for Japan immediately and prepare to announce his withdrawal from the next tournament.

Ryoma felt like he was about to throw up. Knowing that he would be disappointing many people made him feel sick.

He got up and was going to do his morning routine in the bathroom. But before he could take off his clothes, he could feel his stomach about to burst, and his mouth couldn't take it any longer that he threw up all of his dinner on the floor. He fell on his knees and with a loud grunt, he passed out.

The manager, who was sleeping in the other room, heard this and immediately ran into his room. He saw Ryoma sprawled on the floor unconscious.

"Ryoma-kun! Are you okay?!" He tried to help him up, and when Ryoma regained consciousness, his eyes slowly opened.

"H-Hospital–" he struggled to get the words out. Luckily, the manager heard him loud and clear and called an ambulance right away.

"Hang on, Ryoma-kun,"

"Ryoma-kun will be back tomorrow. So I need to make sure everything is set," Sakuno planned to invite him out to dinner to celebrate his award, and to apologize once more for what happened with Soichiro. She received advice from Tomoka to prepare homemade dinner instead, but since she was stuck at work today, Sakuno would have no time to do all that.

She settled for a reservation at a five star restaurant. She figured Ryoma would appreciate the place since it's quiet, and no one would flock over him. Sakuno was determined to make it the most romantic night of their lives.

Who knows, maybe we could try for a baby again? She blushed, thinking about how their little one would resemble Ryoma a lot.

As she continued to cook, her mind was full of thoughts on how she would go about her apology to him. It has to sound sincere and honest. She would try to reconnect with him again. It didn't matter if he was jealous. Sakuno would do anything just to make him believe that nothing was going on with her and Soichiro.

The walk home was comfortable. Sakuno would glance at her phone every now and then to check if Ryoma had replied to her, but he still hasn't. She wondered if he was still mad at her that he didn't even get to read her messages.

"I'm such an idiot…" She recalled how she mindlessly kept Soichiro's jacket all this time, and how Ryoma saw them that night. It was making her feel worse the more she thought about it. It was a good decision to seek Tomoka for advice. She needed to know what to do when a husband is jealous. Knowing Horio, he must have been jealous often.

Now all she needed to do was to shower Ryoma with love and attention. She also wanted to make up for the lost times they hadn't spent time together.

She happily skipped towards their house, hopeful for tomorrow night.

The fateful night came, and Sakuno got dressed beautifully. Her yellow dress would suit the ambience of the restaurant quite nicely, and since Tomoka said that she would look sexier with high heels on, Sakuno opted for her black sandals with two inch heels. Looking in the mirror, she looked nice indeed.

After applying a light gloss on her lips, Sakuno stepped out to meet her husband. It was a bit worrying that he still hasn't texted back. He was supposed to fly back to Japan that morning but it was almost seven in the evening and Sakuno hadn't heard from him yet.

She decided to call him. But it seemed that his phone was off. Sakuno panicked. What if he doesn't want to come back to her again? It would be a disaster!

"Mr. Echizen has Gastroparesis," Doctor Tendo said. Ryoma's manager looked disheveled and worried for him. He was currently talking with the doctor that tended to him as soon as he was brought in by the paramedics.

"W-What is that?" he asked.

"It means paralysis of the stomach. It's a functional disorder that affects your stomach and muscles. It means Ryoma's stomach has gotten weak and it couldn't digest food as it normally would. Thus, food would sit too long in the stomach and unable to digest it, and would not be passing through the intestines,"

"Ah… that's why he didn't have such a big appetite these days, and he was losing weight,"

"Did you notice anything that may have been symptoms? Has he been taking any prescriptions?"

"Oh, I'm not sure but he would take medicines from his therapist. I don't know much about it. I bet I could find it in his bag if I have the chance to go back to the hotel,"

"That may have been the cause. Too much intake of certain strong medicines could affect your stomach and other organs. So it would be better to have someone regulate his intake since he seemed to have been overusing it,"

"I see… I would have to contact his wife later,"

As their conversation ended, the manager returned to Ryoma's hospital room.

She sat alone on the farthest dinner table. It was a beautiful night. Twinkling stars littered the night sky, and she was lucky enough to be seated by the large window where she could see everything.

But as nice as it felt, Sakuno felt nervous and confused as to why Ryoma hadn't shown up. She left a message that said to meet her in this restaurant tonight, but he had only seen it, he didn't reply at all. So far, she has been waiting for three hours with nothing but breadsticks and water. She didn't want to eat until Ryoma got there so she held her hunger.

But it was too much. If he was mad at her, he could just say so. There was no need to completely shut her out and ghost her like this. Now that she thought about it, Sakuno felt that it was petty to be mad about her recent blunder. She was beginning to get annoyed and truthfully, humiliated for looking like someone had stood her up.

Well, he did.

Sakuno looked dejected. She weakly took a sip of her water, and decided to keep waiting for him. She kept reminding herself of the determination she felt yesterday.

But the universe was too cruel.

"Excuse me, madam. I'm truly sorry but I'm afraid you're going to have to give up this table if one else is coming,"

The waiter's words sent daggers to her heart, but it was true. Ryoma had never done this before and since it's been three hours, Sakuno was sure that he's not coming anymore.

"I'm sorry," She began to stand up, ready to leave. She has never felt so miserable. As she stepped out of the restaurant, tears began to fall from her eyes uncontrollably. She wasn't quite sure if she was feeling angry or sad. Her whole body was numb. No matter how thick her coat was, she still felt the cold air.

"Ryuzaki-san?" a voice behind her said. Sakuno spun around and saw Soichiro in his casual clothes, holding a bag of takeouts.

"S-Soichiro-kun…"

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, nothing. I just thought I'd grab dinner…"

"Are you okay?" Soichiro noticed the distress in Sakuno's eyes and couldn't help but to be worried about her. Being alone at this hour, wearing a dress and heels as if she just had a date night, Soichiro wondered if something happened between her and her husband.

"Let me walk you home. It's dangerous to be alone," He didn't wait for Sakuno's agreement and just started walking ahead of her. Sakuno wasn't able to decline and just followed him. She didn't have the energy to even talk.

In her mind, she wondered what Ryoma was thinking, and if he was starting to regret being with her. All of the misunderstandings that they encountered must have accumulated in his mind that he no longer wanted to stay with her.

But she remembered his words the night of their anniversary. Ryoma made her promise to never leave him. But wouldn't that apply to him, too? Was it just for her to blindly love him for the rest of her life even when they don't understand each other anymore? Would that be a smart choice, though?

Soichiro observed Sakuno as they walked. She obviously dressed up and applied some makeup for tonight. But no matter how beautiful she looked, her sorrowful expression and the streaks of tears on her rosy cheeks were exposing her misery at home. He felt a sudden urge to do anything she wanted, everything she needed just to take away her loneliness.

He felt brave for a second.

"Hey, Ryuzaki-san. I've been meaning to tell you," Soichiro spoke, making Sakuno look up at him.

"Yes?"

"It troubles me when I see you sad,"

There it is again, she thought. The awkward atmosphere between them that she had managed to brush off recently.

"Eh?"

"I think it's because… maybe I like you,"

Sakuno saw how his face turned to a shade of red as he kept his gaze in front of him. Soichiro couldn't help but confess his truth to her that night. He didn't care anymore. He wanted to make her feel better.

Sakuno's heart ached, and she didn't even know who it was aching for.

"I like you," he repeated.

To be continued.