Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any of its characters.

A/N: It's been awhile. This is one of the stories I don't want to take to many chapters to finish so hopefully it'll be done by mid year next year! As always, I'm open to constructive criticism!

To be perfectly honest, Sakuno liked her new residency when only she, her husband and maid were the only ones in it. Her in-laws were…a handful.

Sakuno used the excuse of grocery shopping many, many times in order to leave the house. Her mother-in-law, Shizuka, would question why the help couldn't go themselves and Sakuno had to remind them her husband had given them two weeks leave.

The house help were the lucky ones.

The amount of attention both Keiko and Shizuka needed was ridiculous. So far, Sakuno had been asked on multiple occasions to complete minor and major errands for them. Then they would want to her to sit with them as they gossiped about their friends and family.

Sakuno was guilty of being involved in such matters now and then but it was rather boring when not knowing the subjects being spoken about. And this was possibly the worst way to learn about her extended family members since nothing nice or complimentary came out of the mouths of the other two.

By the time the evening came to a close, she was exhausted. After completing her nightly rituals, she collapsed onto the bed and groaned.

"…What is plaguing your mind tonight, Sakuno?"

Sakuno startled and fell off the bed.

"…Are you alright?"

Tezuka's voice was filled with concern, and slight confusion, as he assisted her back to the bed. She was a little sore, and her ego was bruised, but that was it. How could she not have noticed her husband on the bed, attempting to sleep? It was embarrassing.

"I-I'm fine. Thank you."

He stared at her for a while before settling back into the bed and didn't ask any more questions. Sakuno turned on her side and silently sighed. She hadn't been getting proper sleep since it was awkward and uncomfortable to be sleeping on the same bed as her husband.

The first night marked their relationship negatively for obvious reasons. Ever since then, there wasn't a moment where she didn't feel the large burden of being a wife. She wasn't ready; especially not to a man she didn't love.

This time of the night was hers to drift away to a happier season, a time when she was with Ryoma. In these memories, she was able to fall asleep peacefully and prepare for yet another day.

"So then…we truly can't see each other anymore?"

It wasn't her usual style to speak softly, especially during rainy days – they were her favourite and she enjoyed them quite openly. Sitting in a café with a book or a good friend during a rainy was the best. But today was a dreadful day. It was a day to end everything although…

"We've spoke about this before, An."

The petite, blue eyed woman looked up towards the clouded sky. She watched the rain drops as they steadily fell faster.

"We could be friends again, Kunimitsu."

"That's all we should have been."

There was a sudden feeling of tightness in her chest. It hurt – his words hurt. People couldn't help who they fell for and in her case, she couldn't help falling deeply in love with Tezuka Kunimitsu. But she never spoke of her feelings nor did he his. The charade of being friends was kept for two years.

It was as though something terrible would've happened if they acknowledged their attraction to each other. They were there for the other during hard times and she was there for him when his father passed away. She was repaid by being told about the marriage contract between the Ryuzaki & Tezuka family. It was Tezuka senior's last wish to see his son, his heir, married to his best friend's daughter.

This was eight months ago and in Tachibana An's opinion, eight months was too short to be notified of marriage plans not involving her. But she was not going to accept defeat so easily because that was not in her nature.

She harboured no ill feelings towards his wife but if the rumours she heard were true, then Tezuka Sakuno had a long-time lover before this sudden marriage. And Tezuka was not in love with her – An knew he married Sakuno because of obligation as the eldest son of the Tezuka family.

Why should two people who did not love one another spend the rest of their lives together? An returned her gaze to Tezuka, who sat across from her in the coffee table and spoke what was on her mind.

"Kunimitsu, I love you. I have since the first time you spoke to me during the summer festival. This marriage is a sham and you know it. Why will you spend your life with a woman you do not know and care for? It's obvious - "

"Stop."

Her eyes widened. He had never used that forbidding tone on her before.

"Sakuno is my childhood friend and now my wife. I owe her a happy life for accepting my father's wish. We need to accept what's happened and move on with our lives. Seeing one another is not healthy and again, I am a married man now. My life belongs to my wife and her alone. I hope you understand."

And with that, he paid the bill and walked out of the café, leaving his former lover near tears.

Once he settled into his car, the thoughts and words he wanted to voice spun around and around in his head.

An was right. She always was. Her straightforward and stubborn nature is what attracted him to her in the first place. Then he learned more about her and thought he found another person he could consider close to him. He did not foresee the mutual attraction and the guilt he felt for doing what he did to her was unfathomable.

But these were thoughts he couldn't linger on. It was in the past. Now he had to move on with the decision he had made. Turning the key in the ignition, he turned away from the café's parking lot and drove home to his family and wife.

Sakuno tried her very best not to be impolite but these in-laws of hers were really pushing it.

Yoshida Shizuka and Keiko were almost the embodiment of every source of annoyance in the world. Sakuno had done nothing but be a maid to her new family for the last two weeks. There weren't any moments she had solely to herself in which she could have called her own mother or friends to complain about the two.

Keiko was very short-tempered and specific about everything. If something was not done right, she would throw a tantrum. What had made this somewhat endurable was that she was a highly educated woman and could hold an intelligent conversation if not in a bad mood.

If only there were some perks to Shizuka, Sakuno's mother-in-law. There wasn't. It's as if she was testing Sakuno at every moment and wanting her to snap. Based on how she spoke about others in a manner which indicated manipulation, Sakuno did not want to give her the gratification of losing her own temper.

"Sakuno, call Yuda and tell her to return my rings. I don't wish to speak to her after the disrespectful way she spoke to me."

The young woman placed the dirty cup Keiko had placed in her hands to put away, on the table and took a deep breath.

"Mother, to involve me in your conflicts with your friends is something I hope you will not continue to do. I have been asked to do nothing but constant chores for you and at the moment, I refuse to indulge you anymore. Please excuse me."

It was times like these that Sakuno wished her husband was here. The women tended to behave in front of him. Hajime, who was sitting in the corner, reading a book, looked up and smirked at her.

Sakuno turned and left the sitting room for her bedroom. It was late and she wanted to sleep early – she was beyond exhausted. What was said was very rude and without a doubt, she would never hear the end of it. But presently, it did not matter.

Shizuka watched her leave with narrowed eyes. She turned to her children and to no surprise, Hajime left the women to make his silly moves on the maid, who constantly rejected him.

"How impudent of her to say such things, Keiko. Does she not realize where she is? This is my home and I will not be spoken to in such a manner. This is a sign, darling, that my daughter-in-law will be nothing short of a nuisance."

Keiko scoffed and finished painting her last toe nail before speaking.

"She's impolite and lazy. I told her to clean my jewellery and when I looked them over, there was some dirt on the inside on my bracelet. Do you think Kuni-kun will allow her to father's inheritance?"

"Darling, that land and that fortune belongs to all of the children of the Tezuka household, not a stranger. Kunimitsu will see the 'value' of this wife soon, if not in the next few days."

"You'll find her asleep - how can see sleep after saying such unpleasant things? Especially after all I did to make her feel part of our family!"

Tezuka watched his step-mother carefully as she cried in the arms of his half-sister. Keiko did not exchange pleasantries when he arrived home but informed him of Sakuno's unacceptable behaviour. They reiterated what happened earlier in the afternoon when Shizuka asked for her to call a friend for a favour.

"And do you know what she said? 'I'm not your servant!' She then stormed to the bedroom and stayed in there ever since. How can she stay at peace after saying such things to your sister and I?"

Shizuka continued to cry, coughing at odd times.

"Will you be doing anything about this, brother? Surely you will not allow such behaviour in this household?"

Tezuka did not say a word, simply entered his personal study to drop his briefcase before loosening his tie.

"This is how conflicts commence, brother. I truly hope that you do not pick the words of your wife, a woman you haven't spoken to in years prior to your marriage, over your flesh and blood."

Keiko called out as she consoled Shizuka.

Tezuka had excused himself before Hajime had the chance to say his two cents. It had been a very long day and the last scenario he ever wanted to see was his step-mother crying over Sakuno's behaviour.

He opened the door to his bedroom and as Shizuka said, Sakuno was in a deep sleep. For some time, he stood in the doorway, watching her – the peaceful aura around her was something he did not recognize. She always seemed to be tense.

The odd behaviour after their marriage was attributed to a strange environment and entering the role of a wife to man she hadn't spoken to in many years. Surely she would adjust with time. It's been five months since their wedding day and Tezuka was beginning to think the arrangement was completely against her wish. And for the first time, he suddenly felt awkward near her.

Entering the bedroom, the man walked into their closet to pick a comfortable outfit and quickly changed. It was incredibly tempting to fall onto the bed next to her…

Then he remembered the hesitation he felt when he entered the room, as though he was intruding on a scene not meant for his eyes. For the past eight months, he thought she would have had some feelings for him otherwise why would she agree to the marriage?

"Ryoma…"

Sakuno rolled over and albeit it being small, she smiled.

Ryoma…?

Tezuka frowned then exited the room to continue his work in the study.

Sakuno startled.

Her breath and heartbeat stopped monetarily before relaxing. She woke from a nightmare but did not remember what it entailed. Turning over, she almost jumped when seeing Tezuka sleeping whilst facing her.

When did he come into the room? And how long was she asleep for?

Glancing at the electronic alarm next to Tezuka, she saw it was three in the morning. Goodness! Now her sleep cycle would be abnormal for the next few days.

She sighed and returned to her sleeping position in hopes of quickly falling asleep. After fifteen minutes, the realization came that it was impossible. She turned over yet again to look at her husband, Tezuka Kunimitsu's face.

As she studied his features – his long face, wavy brown hair, sharp chin – she noticed minor cuts in the process of healing and tiny bruises near the bottom of his right eye and cheek. Without meaning to, her fingers automatically grazed the injuries out of concern.

His eyes opened, shocking her and she would've almost fallen off the bed yet again had Tezuka not grabbed her wrist.

"That is a bad habit."

"T-thank you…"

Yet again, an awkward silence filled the air as the two tried to sleep but could not.

"Uh, erm, um, K-Kunimitsu…why do you have injuries on your face?"

She asked, genuinely concerned. There wasn't any reasonable reason why those marks were present and Sakuno hoped with all of her might that he wasn't involved in any dangerous matters.

"I do boxing after work every other day. My attention was not at its fullest and my opponent managed to connect a strike."

"O-oh…" Wait a minute, wasn't his passion in tennis? "Do you not play tennis anymore?"

From what Sakuno recalled, Tezuka was playing tennis on an international platform for the past five years. There were many moments which passed before Tezuka spoke.

"After the death of my father, I retired early from the game. His company was entrusted to me. Making toys for children was a passion of his and…I did not want to abandon his success. If I picked up a racquet again, my priorities may shift agin."

Sakuno wasn't sure what to say. His father passed away about a year ago, a month or so after Ryoma's father and cousin…they were involved in the same incident. She never approached Tezuka to give condolences and it was a constant topic of disagreement between herself and her father.

But…to hear Tezuka took such a large burden upon himself and that he acted in a responsible manner after such a tragedy surprised her and she felt a new respect for this man. Ryoma had fallen apart so much…but she shouldn't be comparing the two. It was unfair.

Guilt washed over her for so many reasons. The first that she compared her past lover to her husband and that she never bothered to speak to him when the crisis occurred. As a wife, she did not know what to do but as a childhood friend, she slipped her hand into his.

As much as he tried to hide his shock, Sakuno could feel his body slightly tense then she turned to lie on her back, hoping the flush in her cheeks was not visible.

"Eto..Kunimitsu, do you have any background on business?"

"…I have a diploma in Japanese history."

"…I thought so. Do you spend time in the study to catch up with work then? You never really were the business type."

Sakuno chuckled, thinking how out of place he must be at the office.

"Um, staying at home is not what I would thought it would be…would you mind, if it's not too much trouble, that is, um…would you mind if I came into the office with you?"

Nothing but silence ensued.

"T-that is, I have a major in communications with a minor in international business. I hope that I can be of some help…"

After consideration, Tezuka nodded his approval. "I wouldn't mind."

Sakuno, elated that she did not have to spend any more time than necessary with her in-laws and that she could put her degree to use, smiled genuinely for the first time in months. She sat up in bed,

"Please take care of me!"

Tezuka gazed at her then nodded. Content with the new challenges coming her way, she let her herself fall backwards and sighed.

"Good night, Kunimitsu."

"Good night, Sakuno."

He gently tightened his hand around hers before falling into a deep sleep.