Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Prince of Tennis, only original characters created for better narratives.
A/N: As of today, all chapters have been re-written for a better experience and to convey the story I always wanted to. I've loved experimenting with Tezuka's stoicism because if he keeps up those characteristics into his twenties, there could be a deeper psychological foundation to write about. I tried to keep the core of Sakuno and Tezuka's personalities, so hopefully this works.
The past 2 weeks in the company seemed lighter than before. Tezuka signed the last of the agreements in a better mood than usual. It's as if everything hit their climax already, and now was the time for things to settle.
His biggest concern, now a non-issue, was his wife would have hostile reactions to some of the normalized company culture.
When he was younger, he'd visit his father at work often and noticed when he became a teen, he received more attention from women then before. It took him time to learn about gender dynamics in the workplace.
The men saw him as competition, the women liked a pretty face, and the irony was almost delicious because Tezuka was attracted to someone no matter their gender.
When he started coming in everyday when his father became ill, it was established he was like a model. Being the boss, he minded his actions and ethics. He never responded to any advances, nor did he pursue anyone.
Similar rules existed for men; he wouldn't go out to drinks with them when invited. He spent time with his staff in two ways: company events and afternoon walkthroughs in the office.
Once Sakuno stated her intentions to join the workplace, he felt his efforts were under siege. Unfortunately, he forgot about the crowds of women near her pod because he was accustomed to it. But she surprised him - she didn't seem displeased, and never mentioned it at home. More shockingly, she didn't say anything about An. He was apprehensive that she would.
The moment his wife looked back, he was visibly shocked to see An. They didn't speak but it undermined him, especially after their conversation at the café. The floor manager claimed An was visiting a friend.
Aside from that awkward moment, she wasn't on anyone's radar. He didn't hear of any bad behaviour or see anything on the bi-weekly employee conduct summation. He was trying to change the workplace culture, but it was proving difficult. It was a relief that his wife wasn't contributing to anything.
He exhaled slowly and pulled his top drawer open.
Nestled in the assortment of take-out napkins was a folding photo frame. Each side was a photo of him and his wife from each wedding. He traced the first picture, the one from their traditional ceremony, then gazed at the other for awhile. They always reminded him of who his life belonged to and never failed to give him purpose.
There was a knock at the door and Oishi called out. "Tezuka, I'm coming in."
He closed his drawer quickly and went through the high priority papers again to make sure all were signed.
"Good morning, Oishi. Is my statement prepared already?" He asked, referring to the press release about the lawsuit.
Oishi hesitated before answering. "Well, yes, it is."
"…"
"It's - Sakuno-chan wrote it – there's notes on the side so they gave me their physical draft instead of emailing, and she..." He walked towards him, handing over the draft.
"…and she?"
Oishi looked at him with pity for time before answering. "It's her last assignment – she resigned to take another job at another company."
Sakuno was here for 2 weeks. Hearing from his coworker that his wife was leaving for another company was unideal. He tried to mask his frustration, and his friend and co-worker chuckled.
"Tezuka, it's alright to angry. She didn't consult you, right? Remember she's human, just like you. I'm sure there's legitimate reasons for it."
"That's not a decision to make secretively." He growled, breaking his pen, and surprising himself at his outburst. His feelings lingered on every opportunity she had to tell him, yet when she talked about work, she gave him basic responses.
What was this unsettling feeling inside of him? He couldn't think straight because his anger coursed through his body. It was good only Oishi saw him in this state – he was a dependable friend. It was unwise to traverse through the office as he was. It would seem like the pressure of the lawsuit got to him.
The ink ran down slowly his hand and spread far. Some ink blotted some papers. He normally signed using calligraphy and hated he came to his senses only when the ink blotted some reports.
Pulling his drawer open, he looked for a tissue or napkin leftover from previous lunches. He slammed the drawer shut when he saw Oishi looking at the frame. Ignoring him, he cleaned the ink off.
"Tezuka…c'mon, you've hidden plenty from her, haven't you?" Oishi reminded him as he took the signed papers from the desk, making sure it stayed clean. "It'll be okay."
He said gently and Tezuka tried to regulate his anger. Focus on the here and now.
The feelings came from how he found out. The most he ever heard from her about work was when she wanted to follow procedures.
"How has the first week been?" He asked as he put on his shirt cuffs.
"It's been nice, a little different." She responded as she brushed hair.
Her inflection toward the end caught his attention.
"What do you mean?" Struggling with his left cuff, he walked over to her vanity desk.
"It's typical, isn't it? Any feedback should go to my boss, shouldn't it?"
After tying a bow into her hair with a white satin ribbon, she took his cuff and put it on for him. He looked over to her open drawer and found the accessories he bought her. They looked unused.
Did he choose the wrong ones?
"I'm the President, I should know what isn't working."
"Right, but it should come to you from your hierarchy, not me directly. Remember, Kunimitsu, we don't have a relationship at work."
He raised an eyebrow, thinking he caught an underlying level of snark, then cleared any expression when she looked up with a knowing smile.
"They're having a small going away party later this afternoon." Oishi said.
"What? Why? She hasn't been here long." Tezuka frowned.
"Goodness, that sounded cruel. I'm taking these to the legal team and my afternoon cleared up. We can go together so you don't have to do it alone."
"That's not what I meant." Clearly Oishi want to hear his explanation.
The company normally hosted staff parties when someone was leaving after years or retired. She was also the only one who left so soon after being hired – he didn't want to encourage other employees to follow suit.
Where was she going?
"Congratulations, Nakamura-chan!"
Blushing, she bowed to her boss, thanking him for everything in the past while. She also thanked everyone else there for their guidance. They didn't have to decorate the pods with balloons, confetti, among other decorations. or buy a small cake, yet they did and kept it a surprise until the last moment.
She wasn't here for long, but her boss informed her of the impact her work already had. The complexity of her work and strategies were inspirational, and she became a role model for a few quickly. As a 'reward', her last assignment was to write a press release for the President.
For reasons unknown to them, it wasn't a reward. She appreciated that they gave her what they considered an honour, though. For someone so new to have that opportunity…it was one of the reasons she was leaving. It wasn't right to get accomplishments this way, nor could she feel like she achieved anything.
In a way, what they tried to keep quiet was what felt the most real – that she became the target of a few because of her increasing popularity. She'd walk past some workers whispering about her, and conversations would stop in the kitchen whenever she walked in.
If only they knew the source of her de-escalation communication style: overhearing how her father handled tough situations when she was a child playing in his office. Then, as she grew older, she had opportunities to refine her thought process because he would wrestle out loud with which lawyers' opinion to go with. Sometimes he'd ask for her thoughts.
Her lifestyle afforded her to move forward quickly, without gathering much work experience.
"This is for you, Sakuno-chan!"
One of her co-workers, Ayako, handed her an envelope. She thanked her and the others and placed the envelope on her desk, promising to open it once she was home. The gathering was peaceful, with her repeating her story she had to make the difficult decision to leave because of complex familial situations, and that her new position allowed her a shorter transit time.
It wasn't a false statement and sadly, she got pity. She tried to convince others that it wasn't a sad tale, but one where her familial duties came first. It would start rumours, especially with being 'unable' to manage her home and professional life, like so many of them had mastered long ago. But rumours were okay, they'd rather have that than jealousy.
The sudden uproar interrupted her conversation with a co-worker. Looking over to the elevators, she found Tezuka walking towards them, with Oishi behind him and off to the side. Suddenly, they were surrounded by nearly the entire floor.
Everyone was competing for attention in different ways, some in flirtatious ways, others trying to talk to them about high metrics of a project in hopes of a budget increase, and some just spewing odd things to get the bosses to look at them.
…The workplace really was like high school.
"Amazing, isn't it? Every time they come down, it's the exact same thing. You'd think they'd learn that's not how they operate."
Her boss came over to join her and her co-worker.
"What do you mean, Manager?" Her co-worker asked.
"These bosses, they want to see loyalty, merit and good-natured fun. Others I've had said that's what they want, but welcome high praise from their workers instead. Then those same workers get elevated, and it causes issues."
Loyalty?
Sakuno avoided watching Tezuka and Oishi get bombarded, and when she felt an uncomfortable sensation, she returned her gaze. Her heart stopped when she saw her husband's eyes were locked onto her. She realized they were slowly making their way towards her.
"Narakmura-san, I believe they're coming to bid you farewell. They always make time for employees who leave the company."
Her boss said proudly.
Butterflies crowded her stomach. She didn't think they'd would learn so quickly. She thought they'd get the news after her shift ended, Tezuka would call to ask what happened, she'd be checked in at the hotel when she told him about it, and that she couldn't come home for a few days because she was helping her father on a few business matters.
It was a perfect plan.
"I know you wanted to keep your departure a secret, but when Vice-President came to check on the press release – amazing work, in such a short timeframe – because legal needed it immediately, I let him know that you were going. I hope you don't mind."
"N-no, not at all…" She murmured.
Every inch they took forward, Sakuno's gaze fell a bit more. She should've enjoyed that two very handsome, popular and well-dressed men were coming to talk to her. But it was intimidating.
By the time they stood in front of her, her eyes were on the ground, and she knew they were there when she saw their shoes. When she raised her head, she saw others around her raising their head too – ah, she realized it looked like she was bowing to them.
She inhaled sharply when she saw Tezuka's controlled intensity, a shimmering anger, and it scared her…it also excited her. He rarely showed any emotion. Her heartbeat accelerated and because she was tongue tied, she couldn't greet him properly.
"We heard you were leaving us, Nakamura-san!" Oishi said, interweaving succinct optimism in his professional tone.
"We wanted to say our goodbyes and show our appreciation. You've been an amazing addition to our communications team, and I wish you well in your next role."
He continued, though Sakuno knew how awkward it was for him to address her so formally. They only saw each other for dinner a few nights ago and it was a fun night.
"T-thank you, Vice-President, you are very kind. I've learned much in my time here."
She softly smiled and he did too. There was an understanding there, and she appreciated it. It was a complete contrast to Tezuka's. He was so still, watching her for too long without a word.
Oishi glanced at him. The office became too quiet.
"President, did you bring down the box? It seems I forgot it." He said as he patted his pockets, cutting through the tension on the floor.
"Yes. I read your press release, Nakamura-san. Good job. All the best in your new workplace."
He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a box. When he handed it to her, it was as if he intentionally wanted to brush his fingers over hers. Sakuno could feel everything he wanted to say to her. She averted her gaze again and kept a straight back since everyone on the floor seemed to be tuned into their conversation.
"T-thank you, President, but I was only fulfilling my duty to the company. It's an honour to have worked here. Without Hiroshi-san as a manager, I couldn't have succeeded."
She knew she surprised her husband because she saw the slight changes of his expression. Now, he didn't have a choice but to engage with her boss, other otherwise it would look bad. Her boss beamed with pride mixed with embarrassment that he was complimented to the bosses. It was a combination of strategy and gratitude, perhaps not a good combination to get herself out of a bad situation.
Oishi and Tezuka turned their attention to Hiroshi and congratulated him for running a high-performing department. Then the competition began again among the others.
Sakuno slowly backed away to her desk and opened the box. Inside, on a white cushion was a small, copper medallion with the company logo and a 'thank you'. Because she opened that one, she opened the envelope to find a thin silver bracelet with a cute pen token, and a card with personal sentiments.
She nearly cried.
"Are you okay, Sakuno-chan?" Ayako asked.
She impulsively hugged her, thanking her from the bottom of her heart for collecting such kind messages. The compliments of the bracelet couldn't ever be enough. Although she could afford significantly better, nothing spoke of more authentic sentiment. Ayako was taken aback but returned the hug and asked that they could keep in touch.
As their happy interaction went on, Tezuka watched her from the corner of his eyes.
"Yes, Sakuno, I'll go along with this. If Tezuka-san asks me, I'll verify that you're doing business on my behalf." Mayuri said.
She frowned as she unpacked her bag and hung her clothes in the hotel closet. "Why would he call you?"
She asked her father sharply.
"…Sakuno, think for a moment. Won't he think you're having an affair?"
She dropped her clothes in horror and nearly dropped her phone too. How could anyone think that?!
"F-father! I wouldn't ever do that to him!"
"You resigned from the company without telling him, made sure it was kept a secret for nearly a week and up until the last moment, and now you're going to tell your husband you need to stay at a hotel for a few days because you're doing business for me. Do you have a driver?"
"…Technically, I do." She whispered.
"Right, so there isn't a real reason you can't go home at night. I'm aware of the hours he puts into work, and manages to come home every night, right?"
She hated admitting her father was right and kept silent.
"So of course I expect him to call me and ask indirectly. You were unhappy to marry him and showed it in your own ways. People can pick up hints quickly, even subconsciously."
She collapsed on the bed, overwhelmed by the revelations of bad decision making.
"You're a brilliant woman but this was a ridiculous decision. Make sure you clear any suspicions immediately."
"...Yeah, I will." She started crying and covered the phone so he wouldn't hear her sniffling.
"I'm sure you're upset, and I'm saying this for the good of your marriage. To have doubts this early will cause too many issues down the road. I hope you get what you need being away, Sakuno."
"O-okay."
"…If you need anything else, let me know. I know it's been very difficult for you, and I'm sorry we haven't been in touch as much as we should've been. Take care, I love you."
"I-I love you too, father."
After she hung up, she cried. It never crossed her mind that she was actively harming her marriage. The only objective in her mind was getting away from her in-laws for a few days. She overheard them saying false things about her to Tezuka. Asking Mayuri about his business needs, which he interpreted as her creating an alibi, was so she didn't need to lie when questioned.
She also thought it was a convenient solution for her husband too. Surely, he wouldn't want to see her after what she did. However, she gravely underestimated his reaction.
They had a decent routine sharing a space. There were moments of comfort, but it's as if they lived very different lives. They didn't do anything together in the evenings, just mediocre conversations at night, and shopping together time to time. It wasn't clear what he felt about her – was she a burden or an obligation?
She tried to make peace with being an obligation because that's how she saw their relationship…there was something unexpectedly sharp when she thought about herself as an obligation. It was hypocritical, wasn't it?
The thoughts made her cry, what kind of a person was she? Her father's words hit her so hard that it was impossible not to scrutinize herself. She thought it would be okay if had an entanglement with another woman, but the more she thought about it, the more it hurt. Not because they shared any love, but because they entered the sanctity of marriage.
When she passed by that confident woman on her first day, the look on her husband's face said everything. What was the point of being married if he was going to see others? She broke it off with Ryoma for this marriage yet…she sobbed harder because she realized that was the other core reason she took another job.
At work, he was a different person. It seemed like he enjoyed the attention he received at work, and most of the workers thought highly of him. She caught the subtle smiles when he walked around the office, and he held himself in almost a happier way.
He gave her so many "love" bites over the weeks they were together, bought her cute things. She began enjoying the routine, but they confused her because it felt like he was overcompensating for what she saw in the office. Why would he mark her?
She didn't want to see him as the objective of others' desires. What a waste of time; she was working towards accepting that he had a secret life that she didn't know about, and somewhere deep down, it's as if she always expected a husband would.
When was she conditioned to think this?
The corporate life intrigued her, it always did but she always worked part time in any role she had. There wasn't an expectation from her father that she take on full responsibilities anywhere, nor did she feel she needed to.
Now, finding somewhere to be for most of the day was almost like an obsession. She spent her free hours in her bedroom, before Tezuka came home and after she did her daughter-in-law duties, to look for the best place where she would be happiest.
But it wasn't about what was out there, it was about her escaping her homelife, her desolation and her loneliness. She didn't have friends or family here – only her cold and honour-bound husband.
When Tezuka finished his heavy bag drills, he checked his phone and found a missed call from his brother, Hajime. He fought off a migraine because being the youngest, Hajime was stereotypical to the role.
He led a carefree life without a sense of responsibility. Their father left Keiko and Hajime a small percentage of the company, which they weren't happy about until they acclimatized to the company allowances, they were entitled to.
That kept them happy.
So, when he saw one missed call from nearly an hour ago instead of many within less than minutes of one another, he knew Hajime was scheming. Unfortunately, being the eldest meant he couldn't ignore this family.
He called him back, slightly huffing.
"Brother."
"Hajime. What do you need?"
"Wellll, just wondering where you and my cute little sister is."
Tezuka blanked for a moment, took his phone away from his ear to check double check the time, and his temper rose when it was indeed nearing 9:30 p.m.
"In rank, she's older than you because she married me." He said through gritted teeth.
"That's stupid. So where are you two? Mother's been going non-stop about not being notified that she wouldn't be in the house and wanted me to call you, to let you know this is inappropriate and disrespectful."
"Thank you for passing on the message, Hajime." Tezuka said with thin sarcasm, which his brother didn't catch.
"Of course, I do my familial duties too, you know."
"We're at the office. We both had urgent matters to deal with."
"…Is that right. I'll let mother know."
"Thank you." He hung up on his brother, tossed his phone on his gym bag and stormed immediately to the ring, looking for opponents.
Today wasn't a gym day but he came anyway because he needed to process his temper in a good way. There wasn't any hope of that now.
The first thought that came to mind was the night she whispered Echizen Ryoma's name in her sleep, the only time he recognized love from her. He ignored it, choosing to trust that it was a distant memory, that maybe she herself left a turbulent past and was working her way to tell him about it.
Where was she?
Where did she get a new job? Was it in Oita?
Was she seeing someone else, of all people the living descendent of the man who killed his father, robbing him of the few years he had left?
All he could see was red.
Once he got into the ring, silencing the people waiting for their turn with a murderous glare, he chose an offensive stance.
He didn't intend to hold back as he usually did, and his last coherent thought was Ryoma.
