Karma

Eikichi crossed his arms on the low table in front of him and buried his face in them as he groaned.
Tsuneo shook his head at his partner and nudged the plate of rice crackers he had been eating over to him. “What happened?” Eikichi had just finished closing down the shop and come upstairs - he assumed it had something to do with that. Since he hadn’t heard any yelling from downstairs in the restaurant before he had come up, it was probably only the usual work headache for him.

“Got a large group that came in right at the end,” Eikichi muttered into his arms. He turned his head and looked at Tsuneo pleadingly. “Why do they always have to come in right when I think that I can start closing up? It’s like they plan this.” He sighed tiredly and grabbed one of the crakers.

Tsuneo reached over to rub his back sympathetically. “At least now you can relax?” It had been a very calm night so far in the house for once. Even Himari hadn’t fussed much over getting ready for bed , and had been sitting in her pajamas coloring singled-mindly at the living room table. She had looked up for a split second when Eikichi had come in, then gone back to her crayons. His partner muttered something that sounded like assent just as sharp clack came from their daughter’s end of the table. Tsueno glanced over just as she finished to setting down the crayon she had been using and held up her coloring book to examine it with a critical intensity that was incredibly adorable. He was about to ask her what she was doing when nodded to herself, then leaned over to poke at Eikichi.

“Daddy? Daddy!” she poked him again when he didn’t answer right away, “daddy!”

“I heard you, princess,” Eikichi muttered as he straightened up and looked over at her. “What’s wrong?”

Himari immediately held up the page she had just been working on so he could see it, “look!” she demanded, and leaned around her coloring book so she could see Tsueno, “you too Papa!” “I see it, I see it,” he said as he smiled. Eikichi was practically beaming at her. “That’s amazing, princess!” he said and reached over to ruffled her hair, “look at you, you’re improving so much!”

It was very nice coloring for a five-year-old and he nodded along with his partner, “it’s really good sweetheart.” Though he wondered if the bright purple elephant with yellow legs and spots was a product of her own imagination or something from the anime her coloring book was from. She looked so happy that he didn't want to question it.

Eikichi let out a massive yawn as HImari went back to coloring, and Tsuneo frowned at him. “Are you really that exhausted?” he couldn’t help but ask. He had thought that it was just Eikichi’s normal dramatics, but he was starting to think this was one of the times where he was being serious. “If you need to get to bed then I can…”

That got him an almost scandalized look. “I’m not an old man!” he protested, “come on, who do you think you’re talking to? I’m just a little tired because we got a couple big orders in over the last few days and then this big group tonight so…”

“So you should get someone to help out,” Miyabi had ghosted up behind them, and set a cup of tea in front of Eikichi. “I know you said that you didn’t need it, but if the workload is getting to you this much, then it would be helpful to have a second pair of hands around.”

Eikichi immediately sat up straighter, “I don’t need any help!” he insisted, “I’ve never needed any before now! I’ve been keeping up with everything just fine on my own.”

“You were just complaining about how tired you were,” Tsuneo reminded him. “If you’re getting that many more customers, it makes sense to hire someone to help out.” He looked over at Miyabi as Eikichi sputtered something, “can we afford it?”

“I think so, if we tweak the budget a little,” she said as she sat down on their partner’s other side, “I noticed it earlier when I was checking it. It would take some adjustments, but it might be worth it if more people are noticing us. If we can get orders done faster…”

Himari choose that moment to remind her mother that she was next to her too. “Mommy, look,” she said as held her coloring out for inspection.

“I see it, sweetheart.”

“My father managed to keep up with everything for years,” Eikichi finally managed to get out. Tsuneo sighed, about to remind his partner that he had been helping his father at the restaurant since high school, when he glanced over at the TV and the words froze in this throat. He had been watching the news before Eikichi had come up, but had lost interest in what was actually on screen once his partner was there. He didn’t even know what story they were covering. Just that the building behind the reporter was one he was very familiar with. He had worked there

until last year.

He grabbed for the remote control, knocking the volume up a couple notches, heart in his throat. There were people there he knew, and no matter what bad blood existed between him and the teachers, he didn’t really wish ill on most of them and the students were entirely blameless.

“.....arrest came as a complete shock to most of those that attended the school,” the reporter was saying. “Police have said that…”

“Tsu-chan?” Eikichi’s confused voice went over that of the reporter.

“Isn’t that…Shujin?” Miyabi’s voice trailed off and he realized there was quiet from the rest of the family.

“Ye...yeah,” he said, not looking away from the screen. “I’m trying to figure out why…” he trailed off, and no one asked him what he meant, mercifully.

His firing from Shujin had been a mess, and one that he didn’t like to think about. That didn’t mean he had ever wished ill on most of the school. He still knew some of the kids that went there. Whatever had happened there was bad enough for the school to be on the news. If any of them were in trouble….

“....was a respected member of the faculty, which has created a sense of unease in those connected to the school,” the reporter was still speaking. For a moment he almost couldn’t comprehend those words. So it hadn’t been a student or a major disaster. He let out a breath at that clarification, but didn’t relax entirely But something had drawn the news there, and they won’t be showing this level of interest in a minor scandal.

And there was only one Shujin teacher he could think of that deserved to be arrested.

For a moment, he dared to let himself hope. Maybe the asshole would finally pay for what he done, and get him away from the kids he had no reason being around. But he hadn’t heard anything about him actually be under investigation, and Prinpcial Kobaykawa would bend over backwards to hide anything that would disturb the precious reputation of his school. Even if it meant throwing his students to the wolves to accomplish it.

Then, almost as if someone had answered his silent plead, a familiar picture popped up on the screen next to the reporter.

“Kamoshida Suguru had previously been lauded for his success with the school’s volleyball teams and was one part of the National volleyball team that won gold at the Olympics, which is adding to the shock of his admission.”

For a long moment he just stared, and then he snorted, a short chuckle leaving his lips as he smiled bitterly. “They got him,” he said softly, a strange mixture of relief and vindication running through him. “They actually got him.”

Kamoshida had been Shujin’s darling, and Tsuneo had never been certain how much of people brushing away the concerns and accusations he had leveled at the man had been because they honestly didn’t believe him or because they didn’t want to believe him. Or, a part of him had always wondered, if there were other people that thought that even if it was true, it was a small sacrifice for the school’s reputation. Certainly that was Kobayakawa’s thought process. The Principal had been the one that had brought Kamoshida onboard, and once he had started to achieve results Kobayakawa had been more than willing to turn a blind eye to whatever else he did.

And the Principal had known damn well that Kamoshida was going after the students. Tsuneo had suspected something when Kobayakawa had tried to wave away the initial concerns he’d brought to him about Kamoshida. He had known for sure the day he had been fired, when he had faced the principal and realized he wasn’t facing a man outraged by the abuse a teacher had been accused of. He was facing someone scared of being caught.

Now though, it looked like Kamoshida had finally tripped himself up. Make a big enough mistake that even Kobayakawa hadn’t been able to shield him from the results of his actions.

He frowned a little at that realization. What could have happened in that case? Tsuneo had a sinking feeling that it had to involve one of the students and, happy as he was to see Kamoshida go away, he didn’t want to be with that kind of cost.

“Hey,” Eikichi leaned around him to stare at the screen, “that’s the as…” he trailed off and glance fearfully back at Himari who had started repeating everything they said recently. Miyabi wasn’t pleased about everything their daughter hadn’t been leaning because of that. “He’s the guy, “ Eikichi said with careful pronunciation, “that got you kicked out of your old school ,isn't he? That name sounds familiar.”

Slowly Tsuneo nodded, realizing for the first time that even though Kamoshida had loomed large in his life for a while, those closest to him had never even seen the man.
(It was something of a blessing.)

“That’s him,” he said absently, “they managed to catch him, finally.” The last sounded bitter, and he hoped that Himari wasn’t picking up on. She was too smart for her own good sometimes.

“Hey, come on that’s great news!” Eikichi threw an arm around his shoulders. “Now you don’t have to stress out about him being there, right? It’s karma! He’ll have to pay for everything he’s done, including messing with you.”

“That is probably true,” he said, “but..”

“Who is he?” Himari piped up, looking around at all of them. All conversation stopped, and Tsuneo could only stare at his daughter for a moment.

“He’s, um,” he tried rapidly to think of a way to distract her from this. He wasn’t even going to try to explain the complications and pain that Kamoshida had brought to people. Really, he didn’t want her to ever have to know anymore about the man.

“He’s no one you need to worry about,” Miyabi said firmly as she stood. “Especially since it’s time for you to go to bed, young lady.”

Himari looked for a moment as if she was torn over whether she should be offended more over being told not to worry or having to go to bed. Eventually the looming threat of bedtime seemed to win. “But you said I could stay up late!” She protested, “and I’m not done yet!”

“It is later now,” her mother said patiently, “and you can finish tomorrow. That’s what you promised me, didn’t you? That if we let you stay up late, you would go to bed when we asked you again?”

“But…!” Himari tightened her grip on her crayon as her her face scrunched up. For a moment they held their breath. She had been so good tonight that he had hoped she would just head off to bed instead of fighting them for once. But then she slowly opened her hand. “Fine,” she said grumpily, “but only if Papa reads to me. You promised!” The last was directed at him as she stared at him accusingly.

He had, he realized, said that he would read a bedtime story to her if she was good tonight. Maybe that was the reason she hadn’t been fighting as much. “I...did,” he said slowly. Miyabi glanced at him worriedly, “that’s true, sweetheat. But Papa is…”

“It…” he glanced back at the TV, where they were covering a different story. For as large as the story about Kamoshida loomed in his own mind, it would only be a minor curiosity to almost everyone else in the country,“...it’s fine. I did promise after all.” He smiled at his daughter. “Do you have a book ready?”

He went after Himari as she jumped up, babbling something excitedly. After one last glance back at the TV, he resolved to put it out of his mind for the time being, and focused on his daughter.

~*~*~

A while later, he shook his head as he watched the later news run through the story again. So he hadn’t misheard the ‘turned himself in’ part of the arrest. That meant that the victims wouldn’t have to testify...right? Which he was grateful for.

At the same time, it was the last thing he would have expected from Kamoshida. “I thought you were happy about this,” Eikichi flopped down next to him, a can of beer in his hand, “you had a shit-eating grin for a second there. Don’t tell me you actually feel sorry for him now?”

“I’m happy he got caught,” he said and glanced over at his husband, “but that was not a shit-eating grin.”

Eikichi gave a short little laugh and grinned at him, “yeah it was, babe,” he said “I saw it remember. I know you don’t like to gloat, but it can’t hurt once in a while.” He held up the can he was holding, “come on, a toast to karma finally catching up with the asshole?”

Tsuneo stared at the can for a long moment, before he heaved a small sigh and smiled at his partner, “you know that gloating is bad, right?” he said, even as he held up the can of beer he had been drinking and clinked it again Eikichi’s can.

That got a chuckle from his partner, “like you’re afraid of being bad,” Eikichi said teasingly. A few moments passed in companionable silence. “So…” his partner said after a while, “if you don’t feel sorry for the guy, why were you frowning about?”

Tsuneo swirled the liquid in his can around for a moment as he considered how to answer that. “He turned himself in,” he said at last, “he wasn’t arrested. It doesn’t even sound like there was an actual case before the threw himself at the police.”

“You’re mad he finally had a crisis of conscious or something?” Eikichi waved that away. Tsuneo couldn’t help snorting, “That’s the problem,” he said, “I can’t see the man I knew having a real crisis of conscious, or turning himself in like that. It wouldn’t even be because the school pressured him to do it either. Not when Kobayakawa is as deep into this as he is.”

“You’re worried about whatever the hell could cause them to throw him under the bus?”

“I guess that’s one way or putting it,” Tsuneo said half-heartedly, “I just...want to know what was bad enough they felt this was the best course.”

“It might have been his own idea, if he thought he was about to get caught,” Miyabi had come into the room while they were talking, and took a seat on the other side of him. “Even if the principal was backing him, if he was scared that there might be enough to have him arrested he could have turned himself in before they came for him. He might can a little good will by pretending he’s sorry for it,” Miyabi shrugged, “or he’s just hoping to get the better deal by going first.”

“Oh, I get it!” Eikichi gestured with his drink, “you mean he’ll throw his boss under the bus about know about it!” He smirked a little and nudged Tsuneo a little “You think he would do something like that?”

Tsuneo just snorted, “I think both he and Kobayakawa would throw their own mothers under the bus if they thought they would get away with it,” he said. “So it’s possibility. But it would still mean that someone found out something. And was willing to go to the police rather than taking the rewards and commendations that they would have been throwing at them and their family.” There was still a sour taste in his mouth when he remembered that some of the parents had actually been aware of what was happening, but chose not to make a fuss just because they thought their children would gain the promised benefits if they just put up with the abuse. In their eyes it was ‘only’ three years after all, and not worth risking their family reputation if they dared to reveal what was really going on.

Only three years, he thought disgustedly, ‘only’ because they aren’t the one that has to put up with it. It’s not like the memories are just going to magically disappear once those three years are over for them. He recognized the building tension in his shoulders and forced himself to relax.. Since he’d been forced out of Shujin he’d tried to make peace with the fact that he there was a limit he could do about what Kobakaway was doing, especially with the parents not wanting to do anything. It was just hard to forgot about sometimes, when he remembered the damage it would cause.

Miyabi laid a hand on his arm, a jolt back to reality.

“It might not have been that bad,” she said comfortingly, “all it would take was one student who refused to be quiet and play along. Someone who didn’t care about the ‘incentives’ or promises he was giving and was willing to speak out against him. After a certain point, even what the Principal himself could do would be limited. And you know the more people he tried that on, the more likely it was going to happen at some point.”

Tsuneo closed his eyes for a moment, considering that and let out a breath before looking back at Miyabi. It wasn’t like this was the first time he had considered Kamoshida’s abuses in that light. He just hadn’t put it into words until now.

“I can think of a least a couple of students who would do something like that, just from when I was there,” he said slowly, “ones who don’t need his help to get anywhere and would have lost it if he tried to do anything to him,” he shook his head, “but those are also the students that I know he would have been far too scared of to lay a hand on.”
Tsuneo shrugged, “Kamoshida’s a bully, a cowards, and I still regret not breaking his face - but he’s not an idiot. He doesn’t go after the students he know will raise hell if he lays a hand on them. Instead he keeps it to the kids on the volleyball team that need his approval to much to speak out, and the ones who’s spirits he knows he can break.” He let out a breath “Maybe he made a mistake somewhere along the way though. He’s an arrogant asshole, and I did not like the look on his face when he realized that Kobayakawa was willing to ignore everything to take his side.” He ran a hand over his face. The thought of Kamoshida simply having overstepped and messed with a student that was more than he couldn’t handle was a comforting one. If that was all it was, then he would rest easy knowing that Kamoshida had just been brought down by being an idiot. “I just wish I knew…”

His sentence ended with a startled sound as Eikichi threw an arm around his shoulders. “Tsu-chan, I know you still feel guilty about leaving all the kids over there alone with the bastard, and I get it. You’re one of the best guys I know because you really care about them,” he gave a little squeeze, “but it’s over now. You can’t really change anything that’s happened, and he’s gonna pay now.” He gave him a grin, “it’s not like you to get all moopey anyway. You’re doing good with the kids at your new school, right? So stop letting this guy get into your head! You really don’t have to think about him that much, you know? That’s what he wants you to do.” Tsueno stared at him for a moment then sighed, before allowing himself to smile.

“I guess he really isn’t worth that much of my time, not anymore,” he forced himself to say. He knew, somewhere deep inside, that there was a part of him would always regret leaving the students he was supposed to be looking after alone with an abuser. If he had held his temper for just a few moments longer he would have been there to remind Kamoshida that someone was watching him.

Yet, Eikichi was right too. This wasn’t something he could go back and change. He had learned what that sort of wish would cost. Fretting over what might have happened, and the man that he really would rather forget, wouldn’t do him or the kids he was supposed to be helping now any good. He should just focus on what he could deal with now. Kamoshida was being dealt with after all. “We’ll just have to see what happens with him,” he said, “and since you actually have good advice today, I guess I should go along with it.”

“It’s not like it’s a rare event!” Eikichi said with a false drama to it that made all of the laugh.

“But I still think I should have hit him,” Tsuneo felt the need to add.

“As satisfying as that would have been,” Miyabi said, gesturing with the hand that wasn’t currently occupied with a can of beer he didn’t remember her bringing in, “that really would have gotten you arrested.”

Tsuneo glanced at the table where he was sure he had left his own can. “Miyabi, that’s my drink.”

“Mine now, dear.”

He felt himself relax, really relax, for the first time since he had heard the news, and was just grateful that he had the two of them with him.

It also made him remember something from long ago.

He hadn’t wanted to bring it up to the rest of his family and worry them, but Kamoshida had tried to intimidate him.
Once.

When that had failed, the man had fallen back on his other favored tactic - whispered rumors. He supposed that the ‘Tsuneo-sensei doesn’t like Kamoshida-sensei because he’s jealous of him’ was what he had expected to pop up. It just occurred to him after listening to the rumors that they were all talking about what Kamoshida had done in the past. His volleyball career. His Olympic gold metal. From a dispassionate distance he could see why people thought that he would be willing to cause because he didn’t get the sort of attention and praise that those accomplishments brought them gym teacher.

But if you compared their lives now, how they were living at the moment….he wondered what Kamoshida thought that he would be jealous of.