Chapter 11
Winter posed as Velvet snapped a few pictures. The high desert of Vacuo was not the most comfortable place for a photoshoot, but the desolate landscape was breathtaking. Still, Winter's skimpy bedlah left a lot of exposed skin, skin the desert sun was quickly causing to burn. "Did you get what we need Velvet?" Winter asked.
"I think so." Velvet replied. "We should probably take a few more, just in case."
"I guess that would be wise." Winter sighed. She was desperate to cover her exposed skin, knowing that if she did not soon she would resemble a lobster upon her return to Vale, but getting the right shots was most important. It was the job they had come all this way to do, and Winter was going to get it done, whatever personal discomfort it may entail.
"Ms. Schnee, you have a call." One of the assistants shouted.
Winter hated to risk interrupting a shoot for a phone call, but she needed to be reachable at all times. "Alright, bring it over." Winter groaned. It was just going to waste more time. The assistant handed the phone to Winter while another mercifully brought over an umbrella to shield her from the unyielding glare of the sun. "Blake, I'm in the middle of…"
"I know, and I'm sorry, but this is an emergency." Blake declared, her shaky tone making clear the seriousness of the situation.
"What's happened?" Winter gasped. "Is it Pyrrha?"
"No, Yang…" Blake started. She had difficulty finding the words. "We're visiting that orphanage. She saw a kid that...the kid looks a hell of a lot like her sister and is named Summer."
"Oh God…" Winter shook her head.
"She's going back and forth between staring blankly and sobbing uncontrollably." Blake continued. "Nothing I do or say is helping."
"Shit...Velvet and I will be on the next flight home." Winter declared. She lowered the phone. "Pack up now! We're done!"
"But what about…" Velvet started to protest.
"This is an emergency." Winter cut her off. "We need to get home, now." She pressed the phone back to her ear. "Did you call Glynda?"
"Right before I called you." Blake replied.
"Good, she can handle the situation until I get there." Winter noted. "Just keep her together as best you can. I'll be there as soon as possible."
"We'll do our best." Blake promised, sounding less than encouraging.
Winter hung up and began walking toward the vehicles parked nearby. "Ms. Schnee, shouldn't you change before…" One of the assistants started.
"No time." Winter waved her off. "I'll change later."
It took quite some effort, but Blake, Arslan, and a late arriving Glynda managed to get Yang calmed down. She sat in a chair, staring blankly ahead, occasionally tearing up or mumbling to herself, but the worst outburst were behind her. Arslan had put Blake's meetings with the children on hold, telling them Yang was feeling sick to keep them from getting too concerned. With Yang stabilized, Blake and Glynda took a closer look at Summer. She did indeed resemble the pictures of Ruby that Yang had shown them over the years, but it was not a perfect match. Her eyes were the same color but a different shape, and the little girl's skintone was a bit darker. Yang liked to joke with Winter about how she and Ruby never could tan, going straight from pale to burned.
"Just keep calm Yang." Glynda encouraged. "I know how it looks but it's probably just a coincidence."
"No...there's no way." Yang declared. She reached a shaky hand into her pocket producing her wallet. After digging through it she pulled out a creased and faded photograph, handing it to Glynda. It showed Yang and Ruby, both very young, along with their parents. "Ruby at five."
Blake looked at the picture and did a double-take. She poked her head out the door to look at Summer. "God...she's like a clone…" Blake gasped.
"I just...how?" Yang sighed.
"Is it even possible?" Glynda pressed. "You and your sister were very close. Is it possible that she could have had a child without your knowledge? Was she ever away from you for long enough."
"No she...unless...university." Yang struggled. "She left in mid August for an early orientation thing. Money was tight so she stayed there until May. I guess it would have technically been possible but...why? How?"
"Summer's birthday is the 19th of May." Arslan noted.
"You have her birth certificate, correct?" Glynda asked. "Are her parents listed?"
"John and Jane Doe." Arslan shook her head. "Someone went to quite a bit of trouble to hide her parentage."
"Why would that be hidden?" Blake asked. "Even if she was given up for adoption, why not...I just don't get it."
"How could she not tell me?" Yang wept. "When she came home she seemed depressed...but I figured she was tired or just missed her friends. Later I assumed it was because she was already sick...I never imagined…"
"What do you mean sick?" Arslan asked.
"Ruby passed away, cancer." Blake explained.
"Oh...oh my." Arslan gasped.
"We still shouldn't be jumping to conclusions." Glynda advised. "Ms. Altan, is there any way we could find out who Summer's parents are?"
"Officially, no...but…" Arslan hesitated.
"But what?" Yang pressed, her shock and sadness pushed aside by sudden anger.
"Every so often, I receive anonymous calls from a man." Arslan explained. "He checks up on Summer, sometimes sends her gifts. He's also donated generously to this institution. Hell...without his charity that playroom would be empty. Even the playset outside showed up with a note from him."
"Who is he?" Yang asked.
"Like I said, he contacts me anonymously." Arslan replied.
"Could he be Summer's father?" Blake asked.
"Maybe." Arslan shrugged. "He's never said, and when I asked, he refused to give a clear answer."
"Even if he's not he probably knows something." Glynda suggested. "Is there any way we can get in contact with him."
"Yes, actually." Arslan nodded. "He left a phone number to call if there was ever an emergency involving Summer. I really shouldn't give it to you though."
"But you're going to, right?" Yang leaned forward. "Right?!"
"I am." Arslan sighed. "Just...don't say anything to piss him off. If he stopped donating...it would get rough for the kids."
"I'll make sure she's...diplomatic." Glynda promised.
"I just need to know." Yang declared. "I don't care if he's her father. I just need to know for sure."
"Maybe you should wait for Winter to get here." Blake suggested. "You're still pretty emotional and it'll only be a few hours."
"No, I have to know now." Yang insisted. "I...Ruby...why Ruby?"
He sat at his desk, typing away on his laptop. It was the weekend, and should have been a time of rest, but he allowed himself no such luxury. SDC did not have many competitors, his family's company being one of the few. Only tireless work from managers like himself would keep them from sharing the fate of so many other organizations that had either gone bust or been swallowed whole by the Schnee juggernaut. Some advised him to take a break, to rest more, that his obsessive dedication would kill him, but he paid them no heed.
His cellphone rang. He reached for it but stopped his hand short. The phone's screen remained dark. Wrong phone. The one beside it glowed, "Orphanage" the caller. He was gripped by a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach and a knot in his throat. He always had the phone at his side, he had for years, occasionally updating it to a new model but always keeping the line open and the number the same. It should not have been ringing, for he had given instructions that he should only be called in the event of an emergency.
After hesitating briefly, he picked up the phone, swiped across the screen and held it to his ear. "What's wrong?" He asked.
"Uh...hello...nothing's wrong." A woman's voice replied. It was not the one he was expecting. He had only ever called one person on that line, Arslan Altan, the woman in charge of the orphanage.
"Who are you?" He asked. "Why are you calling this number?"
"I'm...this is Yang Xiao-Long." She answered. "I'm Ru-"
"Ruby's sister." He answered for her.
"That's right." Yang confirmed. "So she is Summer's mother…"
"Yes." He confirmed.
"And you are?" Yang asked.
"Summer's father, Yatsuhashi Daichi." He sighed.
"Um…" Yang started.
"This is a conversation we should have in person." He cut her off. "I owe you that much at least."
"O-okay." Yang agreed. "Where should I meet you?"
"My address is 1127 Cliffside Terrace, just north of the city." Yatsuhashi answered.
"I'll come right now." Yang declared.
"Very well." Yatsuhashi said. Before he could utter another word Yang hung up. He looked at the phone for a few seconds before setting it down on the desk. He heaved a heavy sigh. This was not a situation he had foreseen. Part of him was eager to meet Yang, to finally tell someone the secret he had been hiding for so long, but another part of him wished the past would stay buried forever. Like it or not, he was going to have to face what had happened all those years ago.
"I'm going now." Yang declared.
"I still think you should wait for Winter." Blake advised.
"No...no, I can't." Yang shook her head. "I have to go."
"I'll go with you if you like." Glynda offered.
"Well, I'll at least need a ride there." Yang sighed. "I could probably use some psyching up on the way too. Sure."
"I'll stay here, finish meeting with the kids." Blake decided. "If we all just left suddenly it might upset them."
"Good idea." Yang agreed. "I hope I...I hope I didn't scare her."
"I'm sure Summer will be fine." Arslan assured her. "I'll set up a meeting between the two of you when you return."
"Yeah...thanks." Yang nodded.
"Yang, are you sure you're ready?" Blake pressed.
Yang remained silent for a moment. "No, but I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be."
Glynda drove Yang to the address and stopped out front. It was a large manor, surrounded by tall hedges, the sort of place Yang imagined Winter had lived in when she was still in Atlas. There were gates for the driveway and the ornate stone footpath to the entrance, but they were open. Yang asked Glynda to wait in the car and got out, walking up the winding path to the steps. She paused at the base, looking up at the house. This man was wealthy, fabulously wealthy, and his daughter - Yang's niece - was in an orphanage. The thought filled Yang with anger but she took a deep breath and suppressed the emotion. The least she could do was give him a chance to explain.
Yang slowly walked up the half dozen steps and pressed the button beside the door. She heard a buzzer ring inside, followed by the approach of heavy footfalls. The door was opened by a hulking man with short black hair and olive skin. He was a full head taller than Yang and looked strong enough to lift a refrigerator. One look at his face told Yang that he was Summer's father, both sharing some facial features, most notably eye shape. Yang was unsure of what to say, of what to do, but he made the first move.
"Yang Xiao-Long?" He asked.
Yang nodded. "Yatsuhashi Daichi?" She asked.
He nodded. "Please, come in." Yatsuhashi waved, stepping back from the door. He pointed to a room just off the grand main hall with its richly decorated twin staircase. "Make yourself comfortable." Yang was not sure she could do that given the circumstances. "Would you like anything? Coffee? Tea?"
"Given how today's gone so far, I'd say whiskey, but I'd rather just talk to you." Yang replied.
Yatsuhashi nodded and walked into the side room with her. It was a cozy lounge with a number of chairs and sofas clustered around a beautiful stone fireplace. "Please, sit." He insisted. Yang chose a chair and sat down, Yatsuhashi sitting across from her. "I had hoped to meet you one day. Ruby spoke fondly of you, loving, caring, protective, but temperamental. I expected to be struck upon meeting."
"Maybe I've mellowed over the years." Yang forced a laugh. "Or maybe today just has me worn out."
"It can't have been easy." Yatsuhashi sighed. "How is Ruby?"
"She's...she passed away." Yang sighed, casting her gaze downward. Yatsuhashi flinched, then stared at her in stunned silence. "She uh...she was diagnosed with a rare cancer when she got home from college. She...she lived a little more than a year after that. She never told me…"
"I'm...my God." Yatsuhashi gasped. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't be." Yang waved him off. "There's nothing you could have done. All the money in the world wouldn't have saved her."
"I wish I'd been there for her." Yatsuhashi declared.
"Why didn't you ever contact her?" Yang asked.
"After everything that happened…" Yatsuhashi started before pausing. "When she left, she said she needed some space, some time to think about everything. She'd just given up our child. I can't imagine how agonizing it must have been for her. When she never contacted me, I just assumed she'd decided to make a clean break, to shield herself from the pain. When she didn't return to the university in the fall, I took it as confirmation."
"How did it happen?" Yang asked. "How did...Summer happen?"
"Ruby and I met on the first day of orientation." Yatsuhashi answered. "She was being picked on. She seemed a bit quirky, and combined with her accent I guess that made her a target."
"Her accent?" Yang inquired.
"Yes, she had a very distinct Patch accent." Yatsuhashi explained. "She was being teased for being a hick, among other things. I defended her. For the rest of the day she refused to leave my side. We got to talking and she told me she was lonely. She'd never really been away from home before, and even though it had only been a few days she already missed you terribly. That night she stayed in my dorm room, slept in my bed. We talked and I held her. The next night...well...it was the first time for both of us, and we weren't thinking. I suppose I don't have to go any further."
"So...how did someone with all this end up with a daughter in an orphanage?" Yang pressed, making a sweeping gesture.
"I must seem a monster." Yatsuhashi sighed. "Maybe I am. When I found out Ruby was pregnant, I panicked. You see, my family is very wealthy, but they're very strict. If they found out I fathered an illegitimate child, they would have cut me off. At that time I had nothing, just the promise of a share of the family fortune that I would not receive until I graduated. I told Ruby all this. I knew she was poor, and she confirmed that you were already struggling just to put food on the table. There was no way you could afford a child too. If I was cut off, you would have had to support all of us. She didn't have the heart to abort so..."
"So, what, you made her give the kid up?" Yang demanded through gritted teeth.
"No, God no." Yatsuhashi shook his head. "For her...for her I would have given up everything. I loved her...I still do. It was her choice. She didn't want to ruin my life or yours. If she gave up the child for adoption, we could all move on, and hopefully Summer would end up in a good home and have the sort of childhood we knew we wouldn't be able to provide."
"But...but...why didn't she tell me?" Yang asked.
"She knew that if she did, you would have made her keep Summer." Yatsuhashi replied. "You would have worked yourself to the bone to support Ruby and Summer. Ruby didn't want to put you through that. She...only wanted what was best for everyone else."
"She was always too selfless for her own good." Yang sighed. "Judging by the big empty house, I'd say you got your money though. Why not adopt Summer now?"
"I don't deserve her." Yatsuhashi answered. "I failed her and her mother when they needed me most. What kind of father could I possibly be? I did what I could to help her along, donating to the orphanage, sending her little presents, but I could never be her father. It wouldn't be fair to her."
"Bullshit." Yang scoffed. Yatsuhashi sunk in his chair. He did not have the slightest bit of fight in him. "I mean...I'm talking about your reasoning, not your truthfulness." That did not seem to lift his spirits.
"Never being able to be her father is the penalty I must suffer to atone for my sins." Yatsuhashi declared. "I will not be swayed." He paused. "Will you adopt her?"
"I don't know." Yang replied. "It's all...a lot to think about. I only found out today and I...I just don't know. I wanna' make sure she has the best life possible, no matter what."
"And I'm sure you'll do a better job than I've done thus far." Yatsuhashi managed a smile. "Those months I had with Ruby...it was the best time of my life, maybe the only time I was ever truly happy. She was everything to me. Even at the worst of times just one smile could make everything seem right."
"Yeah...she was special." Yang teared up. "I should...I need some time to think about all this."
"I understand." Yatsuhashi said.
"I should go, talk this over with my girlfriend, maybe with my shrink too." Yang declared.
"So you'll be going then?" Yatsuhashi asked.
"Yeah...I…" Yang started.
"Wait a moment." Yatsuhashi requested. He stood and walked to a nearby cabinet. He opened it and retrieved a binder. Yang also stood and approached him. "That year was full of wonderful memories for both Ruby and myself. You should experience them too." He handed the binder to Yang.
Yang opened the binder. It was full of photographs, photos of Ruby that Yang had never seen. "I...I can't take this from you." Yang gasped as she flipped through the pages, quickly scanning the pictures.
"I no longer need it." Yatsuhashi insisted. "Give it to Summer when the time is right."
Yang flipped to the back page. A small, folded paper was slipped into a pocket there. "What's this?" She asked.
"You shouldn't read that now." Yatsuhashi warned. "Wait until you're in a better place, with loved ones."
"Why?" Yang pressed.
"Before she gave birth...Ruby wrote you a letter." Yatsuhashi explained. "She felt guilty for never telling you, and she was afraid that there might be complications, and that she could die. That letter is her apology and her farewell. In the end the birth went smoothly and she never sent it, but I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it. Just...don't read it until you're sure you're ready."
"I...okay." Yang nodded. She closed the album. "Well, thank you for telling me all this. It...it couldn't have been easy." She gave him as strong a smile as she could manage.
"I'm glad I could get it off my chest." Yatsuhashi smiled back weakly. "The weight was crushing."
"See you later I guess." Yang shrugged.
"Farewell Yang Xiao-Long, it was an honor to meet you." Yatsuhashi declared.
Something about his tone, about his expression, bothered Yang. She wanted to say more, but she could not find the words. In the end she stepped forward and embraced Yatsuhashi. He awkwardly draped an arm over her back. After a few moments they parted and he saw her out. Yang slowly walked down the path, back to the street, her head filled with a maelstrom of emotions she could not process. She sat in the passenger's seat beside Glynda. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to break something. But all she could manage to do was stare mournfully back at the manor, at the grim visage of the man standing in the doorway, his shoulders drooping, a sad smile on his face.