Chapter 10: A Peek into the Past

Nowaki nervously sat in front of his computer as he sent the last message to confirm his biological father to call him through Skype. He ran his fingers through his hair, fiddling with his turtleneck, he waited for the beeping from the computer, indicating that Benjamin was calling him. Exhilaration traveled through his body, his heart beat faster and his eyes were glued on the screen. Biting his lip, he grew restless from waiting. It was only a minute or so but he was so nervous. His cup of green tea was lukewarm from sitting through his initial typed conversation and he didn't want to finish the rest of it.

His cell phone rang in the background but he chose to ignore it. All of his contacts had different ringtones so he knew that this one was his senpai. Normally, he wouldn't get annoyed from a phone call but he was waiting until Benjamin's call in a little bit. Eventually, he would call Tsumori back when he was done with his call, he had all day to return it. He hoped he would hurry along a bit faster but at the same time, his nerves were rising as each second that passed on.

The moment the beeping started, Nowaki jumped on his seat on the couch as he patted down his hair before he accepted the call. He gulped when the image of the photo Aikawa gave him appeared before his eyes.

Those sparkling blue eyes and that big smile, Nowaki knew this was the right man. He hesitantly waved at him while Benjamin gave Nowaki the most enthusiastic wave he could muster. This leveled out some of Nowaki's nerves and he laughed slightly at the older man's antics. Now he knew where he got some of his enthusiasm and the smile everyone said was so kind.

"Um.." Nowaki rubbed his hands nervously. "Should we talk in Japanese or English?"

"Japanese." Benjamin said in finality when he asked. "Your voice is less rough than I expected but it suits you well. Let me introduce myself," He pointed to himself."I am Benjamin Jones, it's a pleasure to meet my new son. I have two wonderful daughters with a grandchild on the way. I live in the outskirts of New York since I cannot stand living in the middle of traffic central but I love my simple home."

Nowaki bit his lip before he answered. "I am Nowaki Kusama. I got the last name from the orphanage I lived in and I was named on the day they found me during a typhoon."

"Wait...you were left in a typhoon?" Benjamin's eyebrows furrowed. "How is that possible? Why were you left there?!"

Nowaki put his hands up, he assured Benjamin. "Well I was wrapped in plenty of blankets and the head of the orphanage managed to find me before the storm got any worse. He was surprised I didn't get pneumonia from staying outside in the cold for so long but the caretakers were happy I was alright."

"That still doesn't assure me son." Benjamin let out a relieved sigh nonetheless. "Honestly, you just gave me my first heart attack and we haven't even gotten deep into this conversation yet."

Nowaki tried not to show his amusement, his hands relaxed on his lap. "I will not promise not to cause any heart attack inducing worrying. It's an unavoidable thing."

"That is true." Benjamin nodded his head. "At this old age, all I can do is worry about my kids."

Nowaki blinked back the tears gathering in his eyes, biting the inside of his cheek, he averted his eyes for a moment. The simple implication of his inclusion with Benjamin's daughters brought him so much delight. He didn't think the fantasies of when he was a child came true in a sense, his father accepted him without batting an eye. For a moment. he thought he was dreaming and this wasn't real.

"I-I'm sorry..this is all so overwhelming." Nowaki stared into his father's eyes. "I didn't expect all of this to come out so well. The other orphans I have encountered when talking with Aikawa-san while waiting for her in her office had...less than happy results. I'm still in disbelief that you want to get to know me after getting contacted that you have a son after all these years."

Benjamin smiled gently. "Nowaki, don't worry, I am thrilled to get to know you. My daughters wanted to meet you but they were busy and couldn't come to this skype call. You can send me a good picture of yourself through the mail so I can frame it on my wall or I can come visit you." He let out a blissful sigh. "It has been such a long time since I walked through Japan so I wouldn't mind staying with you."

A tear rolled down Nowaki's cheek and felt embarrassed on such a reaction when his biological father was handling this better than him. "Really?"

"Of course! I always wanted another child!" The older man insisted. "Not that I love my daughters any less but the more the merrier!" The man moved the laptop to another location and Nowaki saw the various photos behind Benjamin. "Now, what do you want to know about me?" Nowaki tilted his head as he drew a blank which caused Benjamin to laugh.

Nowaki blurted out without thinking. "Who is my mother?!"

If anyone knew about his mother, it was his biological father. Unless, he forgot all about her after all of these years so his search would go back to square one. Well, he could always send his DNA to get tested and maybe he could find her in that manner. Although, he didn't know if her DNA was in the database at the DNA testing facility. It wouldn't hurt to try this option though.

Benjamin's laughter ceased immediately at the question, he rubbed his hands while he thought about it. "Well...your mother, I know for a fact that I was with one woman in Japan. After I tell you her name, I'm not so sure you want to meet her at all."

"...Why not?"

Benjamin coughed into his hand. "Nowaki, I don't know what to answer you with. I mean...she became a celebrity during the time I met her. She didn't even want anyone to know about us when we were still somewhat together." He saw Nowaki's pleading expression as he sighed, he was always weak against his children."Kiddo, why did you have to do that face? Her name is Megumi Adachi,"

Nowaki's eyes widened as the name ringed through his head, finally he had a true name to his biological mother. "Megumi Adachi?" It didn't take him long to memorize it but this wasn't the name he expected.

Benjamin nodded his head. "At this point, I'm sure she is already married. Back then...we were in a serious relationship but I had to leave with my unit. I asked her to marry me and move to America but her family intervened." Nowaki stared at him in shock. "I didn't know she was pregnant with you. If I knew, I would have fought harder to bring the both of you to America. Although...on the day I left, she didn't come to the location I told her so we could talk."

"Oh...then her family shielded her away from you?"

Benjamin shrugged his shoulders. "I was never a favorite choice in the eyes of her family. They wanted her to marry a nice Japanese boy, a gaijin wasn't their example of a good son-in-law. The fact I was in the military, where at any time my unit would be called back to America was another issue. Although, I can't speak for them, I never got the chance to talk to them when Megumi tried introducing me to them and they denied even seeing me."

Nowaki frowned. "I see..."

"I think you can try talking to them yourself, Nowaki. You are her son and you have the right to see her."

Nowaki ran his fingers through his black hair. "I don't know...I do want to meet her just to know what she's like but knowing her family didn't even want to speak to you," He averted his eyes. "They might have abandoned me on purpose because I am your son."

Benjamin bit the inside of his cheek, he found some validity in Nowaki's statement. His son deserved more than such an awful start to his life, he thought Megumi's family protected their own but to abandon an infant during a storm. He just didn't understand them at all. Maybe if Nowaki didn't have his blue eyes, he would've passed as any other man's son.

"I'm sorry."

Nowaki turned his gaze to Benjamin when he said. "No, no, don't apologize. We don't really know why I was left at the orphanage, maybe she wanted me and they didn't want her to keep me."

Benjamin rubbed his wrinkled hands. "Son...let's be honest here. If Megumi wanted you, she would have left her family with you in her arms. I left her my home number when I still lived with my parents in America, she had many opportunities to call me and maybe arrange you to come to me. I could always come to Japan and talk to her myself."

"No," Nowaki stated. "I will talk to her myself. She will have to answer to my face as to why she left me at the orphanage. Thank you for offering but maybe seeing the face of the son she left behind might have her explain herself."

Benjamin nodded his head. "You have a good point there. Anything I had with Megumi ended when I left Japan. You on the other hand, you are her flesh and blood, she has to answer your questions without running away."

"Do you..know where her parents lived? That might help Aikawa-san to locate her for me."

Benjamin rubbed his chin, "Well, they lived in this home which was in their family for generations." He told Nowaki the address, the younger man typed down the address on his laptop.

"Thank you, I think this address and name will really help her." Nowaki let out a deep sigh.

He felt lucky that Benjamin received him so well. The man welcomed him through his voice and overall demeanor, he was willing to visit him in Japan. Yet, he wanted to know everything he could possibly know about himself so the questions he had as a child were answered.

He remembered when he was old enough to understand, one of the staff told him the whole truth. Providing the blanket and basket with a small hand written note, the letters almost ineligible due to the water. The birth certificate was bent, ripped almost to the middle, his name and the name Megumi were on the paper. After he entered high school, he tried finding the clinic but found it closed down due to the head doctor moving to another town.

This was one of the factors of him almost halting his search and convincing himself to not do anything else. To remain content in the fact that at least he had a birth certificate.

He wanted to thank Aikawa for all of her detective work with the very little clues of his birth certificate, what the note provided, and a sample of his DNA sent to get matched up with anyone. It was probably luck that Benjamin's DNA was in Japan or Aikawa would've had trouble locating his father. His mother would have been the easiest to find but the lack of clues but a damper on the search.

The moment his father revealed his mother's full name, Megumi Kanno, this made the search that much easier. Aikawa had a whole name, they had an address, he didn't know if he was ready to see all of this through yet. He hoped with all of his might that there was a misunderstanding and Megumi wanted him.

His hands clenched into fists, he needed to remain strong. He couldn't assume anything until this was all set and done.

"You are more than welcome to come here for the holidays." Nowaki looked up at him in surprise. "Unless you want to wait until you get your visit with Megumi over with."

Nowaki smiled lightly. "I'll wait until after I meet her. I don't expect a family reunion between everyone but I just want the comfort to know everything no one could answer when I was a child."

"Understandable," Benjamin grinned. "So...tell me about your life so far."

Nowaki's eyes brightened when he recalled the happy days at the orphanage. He hinted at the fire that occurred at the orphanage, as expected, Benjamin grew instantly alarmed. Asking him questions on how he made it out and if he got injured in the process. Nowaki assured him he was alright but he swore he felt his burn marks hurt when he told his white lie.

He spent most of the morning learning about his younger sisters. Benjamin even showed Nowaki pictures of them, it seemed big smiles ran in the family. Funny and embarrassing stories which broke any tense atmosphere after mentioning Megumi.

Nowaki had not laughed so hard after such a long time.

"Why didn't you answer me the other day?" Tsumori asked while he leaned against Nowaki's cubicle, his voice was playful but on the inside he was annoyed at Nowaki ignoring him.

He had the perfect plan on taking Nowaki out on the town. There was a new club that opened up that he was sure Nowaki was going to enjoy and maybe they would enjoy warming a bed in each others arms. Those plans were ruined when Nowaki didn't answer his call, he actually had a night in for the first time in weeks. He just wasn't in the mood to party in his foul mood.

Nowaki turned around with a slight smile on his face. "I'm so sorry, senpai. I was talking to someone overseas and our call managed to extend far longer than I expected. I didn't even realize our call had exceeded five hours." He couldn't wait to talk to Benjamin again, next time his half-sisters might make it to their call.

"Overseas?"

Nowaki nodded, his smile turned into a full blown grin. "Yes. Benjamin was more than accommodating to me and didn't make me feel nervous at all. I can't believe he stayed up just to talk to me for that long. He told me he was supposed to wake up early for something he had to do."

"Who's Benjamin?" Tsumori almost felt himself grow hot in jealousy, someone was trying to take Nowaki away from under his nose.

"He's my father," Nowaki answered in joy, "Ah, I never told you I found my father did I?"

Tsumori let his body lose the tension, for a moment he thought he lost Nowaki to some foreigner. "Oh really? So you finally found him, that's really good news. You talked about how it took you forever to find him from that investigator you hired."

"I know! I planned to visit him next year on vacation. I am also going to meet my younger sisters and maybe my niece or nephew." Nowaki explained, he locked eyes with Tsumori when he inquired. "Why did you call me in the first place anyway?"

"I only wanted to ask if you wanted to go with me somewhere, nothing too important." Tsumori lied without batting an eyelash, "We can always go this weekend."

Nowaki smiled sheepishly. "I can't, I have to go out of town to visit one of my old friends from the orphanage. She invited me to go to her wedding and I already promised I would make it. Maybe next time?"

"Of course," Tsumori nodded his head, he hid his displeasure underneath his mask.

Nowaki's phone rang, reaching out his hand, he hovered over the receiver when he told Tsumori. "I'll talk to you later?"

Tsumori said yes before he left, going straight to his own desk, his hands clenching his blazer. His co-workers busy in their own conversations didn't notice the angry expression on his face.

All of this work he put into obtaining Nowaki Kusama better pay off.

He didn't want a boring night in his bed the moment he caught him.

The next morning, Benjamin ended his call with his daughter, Alison, his eardrums were still recovering from her screaming in happiness. His daughters never ceased to surprise him. They were asking so many questions about their older brother that he almost ran out of things to say. He repeated his personality and looks twice. Leaving out the mystery of Megumi abandoning Nowaki at the orphanage, his conversations with Alison and Jane went smoothly. He was surprised they didn't ask for a picture of their older brother to place in their own photo albums or in their living room.

Although, he had to send a copy of the family picture to Nowaki one of these days. The moment Nowaki stepped out of his plane on his visit, they would all take a new one before they went out to eat. Nowaki must have wanted to ask about it, he would send it through skype or an email the next time they had a chat.

He got up from his seat and stretched up his arms above his head. He walked over to the fireplace, the pictures of his family were displayed for anyone to see. An array of his daughters in their many stages of life and his wife were in almost all of them. His son-in-laws were in the most recent additions to his wall, he already imagined Nowaki's pictures over his fireplace.

The one thing he wanted was to have some pictures of Nowaki as a child. The possibility of Nowaki having any pictures as a child were slim. He didn't know if orphanages took pictures of their children but maybe a school photos throughout the years might pop up in Nowaki's possessions.

Benjamin picked up the picture of his late wife, his finger trailed over her face, a smile formed on his face. "You would have loved Nowaki, dearest. He is too much like me that it is pretty scary. You might have teased him more than you did with me."

Her smiling face brought him so much peace, it took him a while but he grew to accept her passing. He always felt her presence in his home, everywhere he went he imagined her making a cheeky comment about someone.

It was as if she never left him.

Nowaki didn't mind his chatter about meeting Lily, he was entranced and didn't once interrupt him. He assumed Nowaki humored him but he saw a lot of himself in Nowaki after their conversation. When he realized they entered into a comfortable way of talking to each other, he was surprised. It was as if Nowaki grew up with them all along and wasn't across the globe in another time zone.

Hearing his son talk about his job, he knew Nowaki was passionate about it. He had some difficulties like most jobs but overall he loved working with children. Nowaki explained how his life in the orphanage made him see past the exterior of the children in his cases and he helped them out to the best of his ability. He was behind the scenes, he knew their jolted feelings and rejection.

It didn't take Nowaki long to assure him that he didn't have anything to feel bad about. He didn't know he had a son but it didn't leave Benjamin any less guilty about this whole situation.

There was a lot he didn't know about his son and he looked forward to learning more about him.

TBC