Of Accounts and Workers

(A/N: Hello everyone, thank you for reading my stories in your spare time and I appreciate your reviews, whether they be good or bad. This story is considered a sequel to 'New Guy, Familiar Face'; of those who read up to the final chapter, this story takes place between the proposal and the actual wedding between Retsuko and Haida. It also has characters from Season 2, but I'm still doing Retsuko x Haida; however, there will be a chapter that explains how Fenneko and Haida were close prior to Season 1. Hope you like the story and read it at your own pace; if you want to request a story, please PM me and I'll see what I can do. Enjoy the story!)

Chapter 1: The First Day

It was early in the morning in Tokyo, with the sun's rays slowly rising from the eastern horizon and brightening the city at a turtle pace, also prompting the flowers in beds, pots and tilled soil to bloom in a slow, gracious pace. The birds roosting around the city ruffled their feathers to loosen their little muscles, before they chirped happily at the sun greeting them a beautiful morning. As a few birds chirped on the roof of an apartment building, there was slight movement inside Apartment 509: The sun's rays was looming in the room, showing a Guitar propped against the wall, a pile of dirty work clothes next to the bathroom door, a few boxes of take-away food and a double bed with a large bulge under the covers close to the white pillows.

The bulge moved, when an orange head popped out from the covers and onto the right pillow, revealing a female Red Panda named Retsuko, smiling in her sleep. She then scratched her nose in her sleep, when another bit of movement under the covers revealed a male Hyena named Haida, who rested his head on the left pillow and was also smiled in his sleep. It wasn't long when Haida's phone went off, before the said owner slumped his paw on his phone, before waking up in a tight squint and yawned himself awake. As Retsuko woke up, Haida said softly "Morning, Rage-Bear." Retsuko squinted at her fiancé and replied in a sweet smile "Morning, Bass-Boy… Did you sleep well?" Haida nodded at his fiancé with a gentle smile, before they shared a gentle peck on the lips and an affectionate nuzzle on their noses.

Retsuko then made a big yawn, before she sat on the edge of the bed in her black underwear, looking down at the floor with a great look of accomplishment on her face. She still couldn't believe that Haida proposed marriage to her last night and that she happily agreed to be his future wife, but the heart-shaped diamond ring resting on the bedside table reminded her that it definitely happened.

Haida then rested his head on Retuko's right shoulder and asked in a flirt "Did YOU have a good sleep, my gorgeous raging demon?" Retsuko glanced at Haida with a gentle smile and replied "More than you think, honey." They then shared a gentle kiss, with Retsuko cupping her left paw on Haida's right cheek, before breaking it off and looking at each other in attraction. They then got out of the bed and went to get ready for their shift, since Ton would chew them out for arriving late.

When it was time to depart, Haida was behind the wheel of his Mustang as Retsuko sat on the passenger's seat, smiling as her tail whapped the seat pleasantly. As Haida waited at a red light, he asked Retsuko "So realistically, what do you think are the chances that our co-workers would congratulate on our engagement, even though we didn't mention it already?" Although Retsuko had the same thing, she was used to this scenario over the years and replied matter-of-factly "Well, knowing Fenneko and Tsunoda, I'd say, at least when I go into the Women's Locker Room, it's generally a guarantee."

Haida made a soft chuckle and noted as the light just went green "Fair enough… Though Ton would reasonably likely to chew us out too." Retsuko made a slight snicker, before she replied "Maybe so, but we aren't just going down the aisle in the afternoon right off the bat!" Haida chuckled, knowing THAT was definitely impossible to even do. Neither of them weren't planning on their wedding, but they decided to plan on saving money for their ideal home and their honeymoon too.

After Haida parked in the Multi-Storey Carpark, they went into the lobby of Chairman Trading and took the elevator to the Accounting Department. As they stopped at the Women's Locker Room, Retsuko looked up at Haida and said "Well… here's my stop, honey." Haida then looked down at his fiancé and replied "I'll see you a bit later in the office, Retsy-Bear." He then went on his knees and shared a gentle peck with Retsuko, who replied "I miss you already, Haida-Bear." They then made an affectionate nuzzle before Haida went off to the Men's Locker Room.

Retsuko then took a deep breath and exhaled, before she entered the Women's Locker Room with a calm expression; to her irritation and admittedly a hint of joy, everyone else in the Locker Room immediately swarmed over Retsuko to congratulate her for being engaged. Amongst the swarm of female Co-Workers, Kabai was exclaiming in her usual tone "This is a real big step, Retsuko! I mean, it was bound to happen eventually, but I wish you and your future hubbie a delightful life together!" Even Fenneko was hyped for her best friend to be engaged with Haida, hence her eyes sparkled with amazement.

Just as Retsuko changed into her work uniform, her alarm on her phone warned her it was almost time for the work day to begin. Knowing Retsuko's weekly schedule by now, the rest of the female Co-Workers stood aside to let Retsuko get on with the 'extra work', as they prefer to call it. Retsuko then bowed to her Co-Workers in thanks, before she rushed to the Accounting Area like a bat out of hell to 'tidy' Ton's Desk.

Even though their bond had developed ever since Ryo joined up a few months back, Ton still treats Retsuko like she was his biggest rival, quoting that "…women do much better cleaning than men do, so get to work on my desk, Calendar!" Retsuko then personally admits that quote wasn't actually untrue entirely, but still thinks that he should clean it himself with a throbbing vein on her forehead.

As she reached Ton's Desk, she was surprised to see a small bouquet of Lilac Flowers, Cleaning Spray with a washer and a spare Humidifier container already on it. On a hunch, she turned her head to Ryo's Workstation and saw him setting up his laptop, aware that Retsuko would have a little difficulty this morning with her engagement and all. With her astonished expression turned to gratitude, she proceeded to put the flowers in the vase, wipe down the dirt on Ton's Desk and replenished the humidifier with time to spare.

After making a relieved exhale, she turned to occupying her workstation, but not before sharing a hi-five with Ryo for helping her pre-emptively. As she sidled over to her station, she asked Ryo "So Ryo, have you heard the news lately?" Ryo drummed his fingers on his desk with his lips pursed and replied innocently "No… I didn't go online last night or early this morning. Why?" Retsuko then wore a broad smile and her lips trembled in immense joy, still happy that she had gotten engaged.

She then showed Ryo her ring and said "Ta-da! Haida had proposed marriage to me and I heartily agreed to be his wife!" Ryo then made a warm smile with his eyes closed and replied "Oh, seriously? Well, for whatever it's worth, I wish you and Haida a deeply enamouring life together." Retsuko blushed at Ryo's deeply kind-hearted statement, before she turned on her laptop just as the other Co-Workers came into the room.

After being congratulated by the male Co-Workers, especially Ookami, Retsuko caught the scent of freshly made Mocha with a Blueberry Muffin, before she instinctively closed her eyes and contacted her lips with her mystery man. After breaking off their tender moment, Retsuko opened her eyes, which were glistened with sparkles and said romantically "Haida-Bear…" Haida then replied in the same tone as his fiance's "Retsy-Bear…" Both Fenneko and Ryo glanced at the couple and closed their eyes with warm smile, pleased that they showed their affections even on their shift. Haida then placed the cup of Mocha and Blueberry Muffin on Retsuko's desk before he proceeded to his station, sharing a fist bump with Ryo as he rounded to the right side.

The uplifting atmosphere was then shattered when they heard heavy footsteps coming into the room, which everyone knew that Ton woke up on the wrong side of the bed… again. Ton then stomped by Haida's station, who shared an irritable glare with Retsuko, who has a feeling that the big swine would throw something on them, just like always. As Ton sat on his desk, he did a thorough check for any signs of dust that was on his desk, but was subtly impressed that Retsuko had cleaned every inch. As he was about to ask Retsuko for some tea, the kettle whistled in the kitchen, which Ryo excused himself as he headed for the general direction. Even Ton's eyes whitened in absolute astonishment at Ryo's pre-emptive notion, when they heard Ryo whistle 'Feed The Machine' by Nickelback in the kitchen.

Fenneko then noted with her eyes whitened "Damn, you've got to give Ryo some credit, he's efficient when it comes to keeping a tight lid." Both Retsuko and Haida nodded their heads silently, when Ryo came out a few seconds later, holding a tray of Tea with Honey and a Croissant stuffed with Raspberry Jam. He then placed them in front of Ton and said professionally "Here's what you desire, Mr Ton. God knows you need some form of relief in this stressful job."

Retsuko, Haida and Fenneko looked at Mr Ton's desk and witnessed him making a slight attentive nod at Ryo before taking a sip of his tea. Like always, his pink skin shone into a deeper toned blush as the heavenly drink Ryo made went down his throat, before he puts the cup down on the tray. With a relieving exhale, Mr Ton asked Ryo "Okay I have to say it: If you were here the same time as Calendar got enrolled into the department, I wouldn't have got her through so much work. Hell, I wouldn't even be surprised if you were the big shot and you'd still retain your personality." Ryo then made a shrug with a gentle smile, pleased that Ton had praised him so highly; however, his praise weren't nearly as high as Retsuko's, who personally admits the exact same thing and wished she should've contacted him when they were still in college.

She was then cut out of her trance when Ton yelled at her, but in a less strict tone "Calendar, front and center on the double; Fenneko and Haida too!" As quick as a bullet from a railgun, Retsuko, Haida and Fenneko zipped over to Ton's Desk beside Ryo, who he needed to talk to him as well. Mr Ton then grabbed his Driver and explained as he cleaned it "We're getting a New Hire into the department, since one of our numbers is leaving due to marriage." The 4 Co-Workers turned their heads to see a female seal working on her computer with a pure, glittering aura surrounding her.

Ryo then turned his head back to Ton and inquired "Sir, am I to take that the New Hire is reasonably likely to be a College Grad?" Ton nodded as he cleaned the Driver's Grip, before noting "As it happens, he's graduating from the same college you went to… Grade A student and all that crap, y'know?" Ryo puts his paws in his pockets and nodded, personally noting it would be good to have some graduate from his college working in the department alongside him.

Ton then turned his attention to the group and told them seriously "Now listen, I need you four to whip up this newbie to tip-top shape when he arrives. I want to keep this department well-kept like clockwork, so train him as best as you all can!" Both Haida and Fenneko shouted in sync "RIGHT! AYE-AYE SIR!" Retsuko turned her head at Haida and Fenneko and said a little late "Oh right, aye-aye to that!"

Her poor attempt to keep an optimistic expression shifted quickly to subtle fear as Ton pressed the head of his Driver on her left cheek. He then warned her "Careful, Calendar… I don't want you to muck things up with the newbie coming, so keep professional around him and we can all get along." Retsuko then, with a subtle wimper, nodded in absolute understanding before Ton puts his driver away in his Golf Bag.

When it was Lunch Break, Retsuko was miserably eating her snack with Haida, Fenneko and Ryo at the table, wondering if Ton knew about her engagement with Haida. Ryo then noted to Retsuko while having his Corned Beef and Lettuce Sandwich "Look, Retsuko, if you want some help with tutoring the new hire coming, you can always ask me. I DO have experience in College after all…" Retsuko then replied after having a bite on her snack "I appreciate the help Ryo, but that's not what I'm concerned about…" Haida's and Ryo's right ears twitched in sync at the depressed tone of Retsuko's voice and looked at her in concern.

With a sigh, Retsuko explained to the two boys and, as though she hardly cares personally, Fenneko "I'm just worried on Ton's reaction if he finds out about the engagement… If anything, he'll probably force me to work up until the dead of the night as 'punishment'." Retsuko lowered her head down sadly as her tail slumped on the chair, when she felt a gentle paw holding her with a thumb stroking her little paw slowly.

Retsuko opened her eyes a little, before they widened while wearing a blush as she saw Haida's right paw holding her left; she then rose her head without changing her expression and saw Haida looking at her with a gentle, comforting smile. Retsuko then slowly changed her expression into a sweet, gentle smile with another blush across her muzzle, deeply happy that Haida is there to comfort her as best as he can.

Then, like a drop of a hat, Haida moved his chair over to Retsuko's and gave her a gentle cuddle with his head on her right shoulder, which she giggled as cute as a baby. They didn't notice Fenneko snapping a photo of them, looking pleased with herself; they also didn't notice Ryo sharing a fist bump with Fenneko, as though he went along with her actions.

Haida then let go of Retsuko as she proceeded to eat her snack, when a familiar voice yelled at her "Hey there Retsuko! That's not looking good for you!" Kabae's nose was literally pressing against Retsuko's face, which the latter was freaked out with wide, whitened eyes. She then made a nervous chuckle and replied "It's not big of a deal, Kabae… I don't get a lot of calories this way." Kabae then moved her head back and pointed out "Snack are tasty, that's all and sure, but you'll pay the piper if you're my age if you consume too much." Retsuko then made an uneasy sweat drop, not sure what to say back to Kabae since she made a seriously valid point.

Fortunately for her, Kabae turned her head to Ryo and gasped in surprise at seeing his nearly finished Corned Beef and Lettuce Sandwich. She then asked Ryo with utmost praise "Are you really eating a Corned Beef and Lettuce sandwich?" Ryo nodded at Kabae as though it wasn't really a problem to him personally. Kabae then hopped and jumped around the table, which most people on the floor would mistake it as someone was using a slow-paced jackhammer.

She then exclaimed in idolism as she hopped and jumped around "None of my kids like to eat Corned Beef Sandwiches and my hubbie isn't a fan of it either, so I keep them in plastic containers until they were badly expired in the freezer." Ryo was a little surprised at that statement, before he replied casually as he focused on his last bite "That's a shame… I don't like to waste cooked food, even when I was in the hospital. It makes the effort of cooking in the kitchen null and void if you refuse to eat meals, even if they were just simple dishes." Kabae then stopped completely in mid-air, before she zipped over to the table and looked at Ryo with admiring eyes.

She then said softly, as though she was at home already "So, you're saying that if I were to give you some salad right now, you'd eat it without a second thought?" Ryo nodded with his eyes closed, when Kabae got out a plastic container with some home-made salad and placed a serving of it on Ryo's Plate with a pair of Chopsticks, before placing another serving on Retsuko's plate, much to the latter's confusion. Kabae then told Retsuko first, before gently noting to Ryo second "Go on and eat my home-made salad, I won't take no for an answer./ I hope you'd like my home-made salad; don't fret, I didn't put any alcohol on it, so no need to fear for an allergic reaction."

Both Red Panda and Tabby Cat nodded at Kabae, with the former wore a fake smile as the latter nodded with a broad smile. Kabae then rubbed Ryo's head gently, getting him to close his eyes and purr like a little kitten, before she left for the Women's Locker Room. Ryo smiled a little more for a few seconds, before his mouth slowly turned neutral as he turned to the shocked faces of Retsuko, Haida and Fenneko. Retsuko then first asked Ryo "Hey Ryo?" Haida then continued before Fenneko inquired last "Did you…/ Just purr?"

Ryo then rubbed the back of his head with a gentle smile, as though he just got a very flattering comment from Rosie, since he didn't mention his 'petting spot' to his Co-Workers. He then admits to them "Yeah… Generally, if you pet a cat on their head, they tend to purr since it's more or less a sign of affection… Until now, the only ones who knew about it were Richard, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Rosie and, as you just saw, Kabae." The three Co-Workers stared and blinked at Ryo from the statement, before they looked at each other.

When it was time to clock off, Retsuko, Haida, Fenneko and Ryo went to the Elevator in their casual clothing, when they saw Washimi and Gori enter the same elevator. As the doors closed and they were rode down to the lobby, Gori asked Retsuko demandingly "Retsuko, are you getting married?!" Retsuko backed away from Gori in fright at the sudden outburst, which Haida held her by the shoulders as Washimi held her close friend back. Retsuko then replied in an obviously intimidated tone "Uh… Yeah? Haida proposed to me just last night with a very gorgeous ring and I accepted it so heartily." Retsuko then showed them the ring Haida proposed to her last night, which even Fenneko was in deep awe at how beautiful it is.

Fenneko then noted in deep admiration at Retsuko's Ring "Holy Crap… I don't have much interest in marriage, but that ring would say otherwise, even for me. It can't be easy to get a ring like this in ANY jewellery store…" Haida then replied "That's because it's not a normal ring: It's one of the two matching rings from my grandparents on their wedding day a month after the Holocaust. THIS one is from my Grandmother, with an 'L' etched on the inside that's short for 'love'."

Retsuko looked up at Haida with whitened eyes and took off her ring and checked the inner ring more closely to see an italic 'L' etched just opposite of the heart-shaped jewel. Despite learning of the ring's background, Retsuko smiled broadly with welling tears as she puts it back on her finger, when the elevator stopped and opened at the Lobby. She then walked paw-in-paw with Haida back to the Mustang, when she asked her fiancée "Haida, where's the other ring by the way?" Haida's tail suddenly went rigid when Retsuko asked him that question, before he heaved a sigh as they were by the Mustang.

With great reluctance, he admits begrudgingly "The other ring… is with my younger brother, over at Shibuya College. God knows where he keeps it, though I doubt he would tell me…" Retsuko was surprised at Haida's dislike to his younger brother, when they rounded to the front of the Mustang. Retsuko then asked Haida "Well, can't you ask your parents about the ring?" Haida then leant on the hood of the vehicle and replied unamused "To tell you the truth, I seriously doubt they would give it to me. They had this stupid idea to give us boys either ring and whoever got hitched first will get them both."

Retsuko smiled at Haida, though he knows his fiancée enough that she was seriously pissed at the dumbass 'idea' from Haida's parents. Haida then lifted Retsuko up to the hood and placed her on his lap, which she brushed her head on his chin affectionately before sharing a gentle kiss on the lips. Haida then gave Retsuko an affectionate nuzzle on the nose, before asking her "What about your family, Retsuko? Do you think they'll be fine with it?" Retsuko then made a false smile and replied "Oh… I think they would be happy conclusively. Mom would be a little difficult to convince, but I'll manage."

Haida then smiled at his fiancée, before carrying her into the vehicle and placed her in the passenger's seat while kissing her neck affectionately, making the recipient giggle cutely with her tail whapping the seat quickly. He then backed his head away as Retsuko looked at him romantically, before they put on their seatbelts as the former turned on the Mustang.