CHAPTER TWELVE
October 28, 2006
Tokyo New Crown Star Hotel
Minato Ward, Tokyo, Japan
Ryo looked at Dee in question.
"Please?" Dee pleaded in English. "I need some time to process this. I always said I never wanted to know. I never wanted to find out who was the monster or monsters who left me in an alley alongside a garbage dumpster. I never wanted to know who my biological parents were." He shook his head. "But I know now."
"They weren't monsters," Dafydd assured Dee, also in English.
Ryo decided that while he still held onto Dafydd's phone to send the picture to Dee's phone. He'll let Dafydd decide what else to share since he'll have Dee's number on his phone. He was hurt at first, but then he realized he knew why Dee had to be alone and would give it to him, for a little while anyway. Along with the picture, because he also had a good idea why Dee requested it.
If it helped Dee reconcile his feelings with the night's huge discovery, then he had to let Dee have his space for a while. Ryo believed he knew Dee well enough to know when exactly was the right time to call a stop to Dee being alone. He also knew his husband enough to know he wouldn't be completely alone as long as he had a phone nearby. Then the more Ryo thought out it, he realized that he needed to work his way through his own shock of discovering that his distant cousin who he had intended to finally get to know better was married to Dee's twin brother, and knew Dee's biological family.
"Our parents loved both of us very much," Dafydd was saying to Dee, "and Papa was heartbroken when he lost you both. To this day, he still wonders what you would be doing if you were alive. You had two parents who loved you very much. When you are ready, I will tell you what we know about what had happened on that day we lost you and Tad."
Dee nodded. "Thank you. Excuse me." He squeezed Ryo's arm and gave him a small, watery smile. "Ryo, tell Obāsan that I'll be back before karaoke. I'm sorry for running out for a while, but I need to. I can't continue the party like this."
"Let me know if you need something, Dee," Ryo said as Dee started to walk away.
"I will."
As Dee quickly left the terrace, Momo asked Ryo, "Do you have a room at this hotel for the night? Or are you going back to Kamakura after the party?"
"We've been staying here since Thursday," Ryo replied. "Will you be staying here tomorrow night too?"
"Yes, we are. It was most generous of Akira-san to give us two nights in such a nice hotel," Momo said.
"We are staying in Tokyo until Friday, so tomorrow we will look for another hotel," Dafydd commented.
"Do you not like this hotel?" Ryo asked.
"Oh, we like this hotel very much, but staying here until Friday will put a big dent in our savings that I would rather not spend," Dafydd said. "Especially because I know Momo will hit up Harajuku and Ginza while we are here."
Momo giggled. "You worry too much, Dafydd. I want to go shopping but we will not be broke." She gave him a flirty smile. "I plan to get some new clothes for work. It is important to dress my position at times. Just as it is yours. There are times when the Lead Detective can't get away with wearing a hoodie."
Ryo had to smile at the exchange. It reminded him of discussions he had over the years with Dee, only back then, he was the one not so willing to spend money unnecessarily and preferring to save it. Lately it seemed Dee was the one hesitant to spend, wanting to save. Ryo did understand that now that they were rich, that it did not mean go crazy and spend more than they were getting, but he also knew that they were able to spend more money than they were used to now. He was also amused that it seemed Dee's brother had the same preferred fashion sense for work when he could get away with it.
"Momo, did my grandmother tell you that when the twins were born, my other grandparents gave me and Dee a hotel chain as a gift?"
"No, she did not," Momo replied, looking stunned.
"That's some gift!" Dafydd exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock.
"They recently bought this hotel a couple of months ago, so they did not get to do the name change yet, but Dee and I own this hotel. We have a penthouse on the top floor that we decided to make our Tokyo apartment. I love being with my grandmother but I don't want to impose on her all the time."
"I understand," Dafydd said. "That is why we finally bought a house when our twins were born. Until then we lived with my father. His house seems to be always full. He remarried and had more children, and now even has some more grandchildren. Momo and I chose to have our own place and give our rooms in my father's house for visiting relatives."
"Sometimes my grandmother's house can be like that. Anyway, being that it looks like you're now much closer family than we thought, I want to offer you a room upgrade and you can stay as long as you like. It's on me and your brother."
"We couldn't!" Dafydd exclaimed. "That's not why…" He looked horrified that someone could consider it to be his motive.
"I know why you did it, and I know our money isn't the reason," Ryo assured him. He leaned against the wall and folded his arms. "All the facts do say that Dee is your lost twin. Hell, even I can see it's him in the photos, but we should make absolutely sure. Especially before you go to your father. I am going to convince Dee to a DNA test."
"It might be wrong of me, so if Dee chooses not to know the results I will respect that, but it's already being worked on," Momo said.
"What?" Ryo asked, surprised.
"Once we had enough facts, mostly learning how Dee was found as an infant in Manhattan, I called a friend at work. With Dafydd and Dee both being in law enforcement, Hana could pull their DNA samples to match them. We have worked with the NYPD before, so it won't be the first time and raise flags requesting a DNA sample. She will have to pay a visit to Dafydd's father and get a sample from him. She promised she'll be discreet," Momo explained.
Ryo stared at his cousin, who it just dawned on him, was now his sister-in-law. "I guess there's advantages to working in Forensics."
"Yes, there is. She'll get it done as soon as she can and get back to me, but it's better than waiting until we get home or having them pay to get a test around here."
"I would say that's covered then. So, I'm not taking no for an answer. Momo, we were already family, but you are my sister-in-law. Let us do this for you."
Momo looked a little stunned, as if she also just realized the change in her relations to Ryo. "If you insist," Momo said, hesitantly. She glanced up at her husband.
"Besides," Ryo stared, now looking at Dafydd and speaking to him, "you have a brother you never knew but spent your whole life wanting to. With all of us in the same hotel, we could make time for you to start doing that."
"He makes sense, Dafydd," Momo said.
"He does," Dafydd agreed. "Okay, we'll take your very most generous offer. Thank you." He bowed to Ryo.
"We'll have to work on that," Ryo said, amused. "I need to speak to my grandmother and check in on Dee. He'll have enough time to be alone by then."
"Did he really not want to know who his parents were?" Momo asked.
"You heard what he had always believed of his parents. He was found in January in an alleyway by a dumpster. He figured his parents didn't want him and left him there to die. To him, his parents were monsters, horrible people, and he never wanted to know who could do such a thing to a baby. Especially since the baby was him."
"Buy Dafydd told him they weren't monsters," Momo stated, looking disturbed that someone could think such a thing about her father-in-law, who she obviously knew very well.
"We know that now," Ryo agreed. "But all his life until tonight, that is what he believed, and now he needs time to switch his mindset." Ryo started to smirk as he gazed at his new in-laws. "Daisuke?" he asked. "Dee's birth name is Daisuke? That's what the 'D' stands for?"
"Yes," Dafydd replied. "Daisuke Fujioka."
"Holy crap!" Ryo exclaimed and started to laugh. "Dee's more Japanese than I am!" he stopped laughing. "Oh shit, Dee's more Japanese than I am." He slapped his forehead as he gazed upward at the sky for a moment.
It was all such an incredible thing to happen and all the facts behind it were just as incredible. To think, Dee's twin brother had been in his family even before he had met Dee. And now this new realization on top of everything else. It was overwhelming, but for him, it was a very good thing. Especially learning that Dee's biological parents could never consider dumping Dee as what had happened, and that something beyond their control took their beloved infant son away from them. There was a man still mourning the loss of his son on the inside. That had to be a terrible thing to deal with for all these years, and Ryo vowed he would do everything he could to finally relieve that man of the pain.
Momo started to laugh at her cousin's reaction. "Only by a little bit, if any. Or do you keep forgetting that your Australian grandfather was an Aoki?"
"My mother kept saying she was half-Japanese, so it's in my head, but I know my grandfather was Japanese-Australian." Ryo shook his head again. "Holy crap, Dee's Japanese! And bloody Welsh!" He looked at Dafydd. "No American at all?"
"He's only American because he lived there most of his life," Dafydd said. "I went to school in New York, hoping to have a chance to run into him. Meanwhile he was in Yokohama at that time. I never had a chance."
"It's a much better not having the chance than if he was really dead, wouldn't you say?" Ryo commented.
"Yes, you are correct. It is."
"You seem awfully calm for someone who found his long-lost brother finally," Ryo observed. "I mean, even I'm having a small freak out over this."
Momo giggled and gave him a teasing look. "Are you sure that you're not freaking out over learning your husband just might be a tad bit more Japanese than you are?"
"Momo," Ryo warned and laughed again. "That's just a small part of it. I mean, geez…." He stared at Dafydd. "It's all just so unbelievable. It's as if life as Dee and I knew it changed tonight, and it will never be the same again. Even more than getting all that money from my dad's parents. This is what is going to change us drastically."
"I don't think it sunk in yet. I mean, I know Dee is my twin brother, but I'm still not believing I finally found him. It seems unreal. And at a party I tried to talk Momo out of going to." He ran his hand through his hair, very much like Dee did. "I'm sure it'll hit at some point, and it will be like a bomb hit me."
"I'll be there for you," Momo assured him.
"I know you will be," Dafydd replied, giving his wife a loving smile.
"Speaking about being there for your spouse," Ryo said, "let's go pull my grandmother to the side and let her know what's going on."
As they headed back to the ballroom to find Akira, Ryo called the front desk and arranged for a new room for Dafydd and Momo. He managed to get them one of the best suites in the hotel and told them they could change rooms that night once they got the key card from the front desk.
OoOoOoO
After checking in at the table of honor, Ryo discovered that his grandmother was not there. Satomi pointed to the dance floor with amusement. "Look at the dancers, Ryo," she said.
Ryo turned to get a better view of the dance floor and shook his head. "I should have known better," he sighed and then smiled. "It is something else she has in common with Mother." As his relatives who had met Maria agreed with him and laughed, he turned to Dafydd and Momo. "Dee's mom loves to dance. She's the reason that Dee can pretty much dance to anything. That woman will always be dancing. If they ever should put her in a wheelchair, she'll be rolling over us."
Tsubasa added, "And if Obāsan needs a chair too, we'll really be in trouble."
Ryo sighed. "We'll definitely have to keep them away from each other if there's dancing involved."
"We already have to," Nobu added, amused, making everyone laugh more.
"Ryo-san," Dafydd said uncertainly. When Ryo gave him his attention, he said, "Are you sure it's okay to tell your grandmother? Shouldn't that be Dai… Dee's job? I mean, he might want to be the one to tell anyone, especially for the first time outside of us."
"Oh, if I know my husband, someone already knows. And she's probably giving him an earful right now, but since he's also stubborn, I should tell Obāsan because she might have to back Mother up in getting Dee in the mood to come back to the party. And get to know his brother more. Besides, he probably also knows I'm going to tell Obāsan to explain his disappearance. He won't mind."
Ryo knew that his grandmother had become the second most important woman in Dee's life, and that he saw her as the grandmother he never had. Which made her the second person after Mother that Dee would want to know anything eventful that happened in his life.
He waited until the song ended and then having Momo and Dafydd to wait for him, he went on the dance floor to get his grandmother. "Obāsan, I need to talk to you," he said, putting her arm through his and guiding her off the dance floor. "I also upgraded Momo's room. Would you please join us as we change their rooms?"
"What is this about?" She looked at Ryo and studied him, and then she looked over to Momo and her husband who looked so much like her grandson-in-law that she feared, even knowing Dee as well as she did, she could mix them up at times. "Is there a reason you suddenly upgraded the room?"
"Yes, Dafydd has something to do with the room upgrade, and you probably will not be surprised either, but we need to speak to you alone."
"Is Dei all right?" Akira asked, looking concerned. She suddenly looked as if she wanted to find Dee to give him comfort and support. To Akira, Dee had become more than her grandson's husband. He had become one of her grandsons. When she had told Dee that he was an Aoki before the wedding ceremony, she had meant it. As far as Akira was concerned, Dee, like Ryo, was an Aoki and part of the family that she loved so much.
"He will be," Ryo said.
Akira allowed Ryo to guide her out of the ballroom with Momo and Dafydd following. Outside the ballroom, Ryo asked, "Will it be a big inconvenience if we get you in your new room now?"
"We did not have time to unpack except to change from our travel clothes. By the time we got into Tokyo and got over to the hotel, the party already started. So, we grabbed quick showers and changed our clothes," Momo replied, indicating the pretty dark blue cocktail dress that must have cost a small fortune.
Ryo wasn't great with picking out designers for women's clothes, but he was certain it was by some designer. They usually left that ability to Diana and J.J. when it was needed on the job. Outside the job, Ryo never thought it something important he needed to know. Judging by the design, he did dare to guess it had to be a famous Japanese designer, because the dress was more in the Japanese cut than of European or American design. Her shoes, Ryo knew were Prada. Meaning that she not only spent quite a bit of money buying gifts to bring to the party, but she also put a small dent in their savings to have something special to wear.
It also meant that they did have a nice amount of money in the bank but Dafydd just liked to save money and watch the amount grow. He could identify with Dafydd on that, even if lately Dee had been the one less likely to spend a small fortune on little things for himself. On the other hand, Dee was also most likely the one to loosen the purse strings a little when it came to Bikky and, to be honest, Ryo could not blame his husband now that they were in a position to give their son more than they had already provided for him. But Ryo also believed that Bikky needed the learn the value of money at the same time.
Dafydd was in a dark burnt orange suit and mustard yellow shirt that were of better quality but definitely was bought off the rack. Dafydd most likely had paid enough for it, but not anywhere close to how much Ryo had dropped for the blue pinstripe suit he was wearing. He had to smirk as he noticed that the silk tie which was in a perfect knot when he first met Dafydd was now loose and one tug away from becoming completely undone. Just like his twin, Ryo mused.
Dee had originally wanted to dress in business casual, knowing it was a big deal to Akira and that many of their guests were going to dress up for the occasion. Some of the older females had arrived wearing kimono, and even Akira was in one of her better kimono, as she would for special family events. It was the reason Ryo insisted that business casual wouldn't be good enough and insisted that they wear one of the new suits they had bought while shopping in Shibuya. The suits were also off the rack but they did have to withstand some measuring and come back to pick up their suits later before leaving Shibuya.
"We really weren't going to fully unpack anyway because we were thinking we would only be here until Monday morning," Dafydd added.
"That is also true," Momo agreed.
They went down to the lobby to pick up the keycard for their new room and then up to Momo's and Dafydd's room, which was one of the standard kings, and was located in the second building. The ballroom started in the main building and crossed over the 20-foot gap between both buildings to the roof of that building. The main building was taller by a few floors, including the penthouse and had more expensive accommodations, along with apartments that were leased out for long and short term.
The second building, attached to the main one by not only the ballroom on the roof of one of the wings, but by bridges going between both buildings on certain floors, had the economy and standard rooms. Also on the first floor of the wing with the economy rooms, there was a small onsen for use by guests. It was nothing like the one they went to on Enoshima Island or the one they heard about in Obaiba, but it was nice. If they didn't have their own spa tub in the master bathroom, along with the hot tub on the patio next to the conservatory, Ryo would have been tempted to use the onsen one of the days they were in Tokyo. The reason for the onsen was because the economy rooms only had showers in the rooms, so the onsen gave the guests a chance to take a bath if they wanted.
Dafydd's and Momo's room were among the block of standard rooms which were in the other wing of the U-shaped building that Akira had booked – and had paid for, insisting on not only paying but not accepting the discount that was offered. She said if she ever needed just one or two rooms, she would consider at least the discount, if not the complimentary stay, but with the number of rooms she had blocked for the party, it meant those rooms would not be available and the hotel would be losing out on business if she did not pay. Akira did accept discounts on the ballroom use and catering facilities, but again, she still insisted to pay.
Inside the room, they sat down and Dafydd offered Akira and Ryo a bottle of water. Ryo turned it down but Akira accepted with a smile.
Momo looked at Dafydd and Ryo. "Maybe you would like something much stronger than water?" she asked, and with a wicked grin, added, "And I don't mean Japanese coffee."
"No thank you," Dafydd said. "I need to stay clear-headed tonight. I need to remember this night forever. No matter which way it turns out."
Ryo let out a heavy sigh and then a grunt. "If I do, it won't be just one, and yes, I need to remain clear-headed too, to make sure Dee doesn't do anything stupid."
"So, is there a reason why you look so much like my grandson's husband?" Akira asked.
"Yes, Akira-san. There is," Dafydd said with a slight bow and then drank from his bottle of water.
"I am aware of the many personal questions you were asking me and the family about Dei. Not that we minded if you were hoping to do good with it," Akira said.
"Forgive us," Momo begged, bowing from her seat, and blushing. "I know it was very rude of us to ask such questions about someone we just met, but we had to know at least if Dee was raised by his biological parents, and then once we found out how he was found and raised in an orphanage by Mother Lane-san, we could not help asking more questions. We meant no harm."
Akira reached across to pat Momo's hand. "It is okay. Considering the circumstances, you were not rude." She smiled as Momo looked up at her. "Besides, you were always the straightforward one out of the females on my side. It is one of the qualities that I have always admired about you. You remind me much of myself and my daughters, especially Ryo's mother. Do not change, and do not ever apologize for being who you are."
"Thank you, Akira-san," Momo said with a smile.
"I think we're about to get to the part where I will insist that you and your husband start calling me Obāsan, just as the rest of my grandchildren and great-grandchildren, even if they are so by marriage," Akira said with a warm smile. "No matter which way tonight goes," she paraphrased Dafydd's earlier comment.
"I don't know how much good it did," Dafydd said looking down. "I looked for so long to find my brother and now that I found him, I fear he will reject me."
Akira gave him a kind smile and then remained silent for a few seconds, thinking, filling the pause by drinking some water. "I think," she started, "that it's a shock for poor Dei. Probably the last thing he expected when he planned this trip was to find his biological family. Especially since he was not inclined to look for them all his life. I think after all the shock wears down and he accepts it – and he will, if I know Maria – he will be happy to find out he's not so gaijin after all. Not that I ever saw him as such, but now it's official."
Momo and Ryo laughed.
Akira gave Dafydd a wicked grin. "Remember that not only his mother, but he will also have me to deal with if he tries to pass up this wonderful gift that he was given tonight."
"You would really do that?" Dafydd asked, amazed at the elder woman talking to him.
"How could I not?" she asked. "As I just said, this is a gift for Dei, and for you and your family, Dafydd. I don't know your father yet, but I can understand the pain of losing a child. Parents should never outlive their children. There is a part of me that will forever grieve the loss of Ryo's mother, no matter how happy and content I am otherwise with life. To lose an infant is another level of grief. It won't take away the decades of pain tucked inside your father over losing one of his sons, but we can work on filling that hole that is empty with finally knowing the man his child had become." She smiled warmly at Dafydd. "Chances like this do not happen often, and I will remind Dei of that when I get my chance."
She paused again for another drink of water. "You need to understand his side and let him have his moment before making him see the truth for what it is. For one, the reason Dei never wanted to know his biological family is because of what he believed they had done to him as an infant. He probably also has this silly notion that by gaining a biological family will mean swapping out the family he has always known. He just needs to get past that he has more than just Mother and Jess as parents," Akira said. "He should know better by now after raising Bikky the way you and Dei are," she added to Ryo, referring to how they never wanted to replace Bikky's mother and father, but rather be two additional parents to love and nurture the boy. "Ryo, are you planning on going to be there for your husband?"
"I will, but I'm thinking he might need someone else more after he's done speaking to Mother," Ryo said. "Obāsan, I know you're wanting to know all the details, but could I convince you to speak to Dee now? He's had enough time to brood and hopefully is talking to Mother now. I'll be there as soon as I get the in-laws settled."
Akira stood up and hugged Ryo. "You don't have to convince me. Of course, I will talk to Dei." She started to leave the room and stopped to look back. "I still expect details from all of you later." She smiled and left the room.
Momo had been packing their travel clothes and toiletries they had used into their suitcases. She sat on the bed when she was done. "Is Akira-san and Dee actually that close?" she asked.
"Yes, they are. They adore each other, and they became closer during the time Obāsan spent with us after the twins were born. I had company missing her after she left New York. Dee and Bikky both were as miserable as I was to see her leave. After Mother, Obāsan is the woman that Dee respects and trusts the most."
"She is more like grandmother than grandmother-in-law?" Dafydd asked, changing into English to make sure he got his question across.
"Yes, she is. And being as she is an authority figure that Dee respects, she is the best one to talk to Dee after he talks to Mother," Ryo said. "Have you been sending Dee anymore photos you might have there on your phone?"
"Yes, I sent him everything I have on my phone. I sent a few while you were talking to Akira-san in the ballroom," Dafydd answered.
"Good," Ryo stated with a satisfied nod. He was amused at how his family always mentioned that Momo never had any photos of her family with her, even on her phone whenever she showed up at a family event, only for her mysterious husband to finally show up with her, and having not only photos of their family as it was now, but many photos of his family before he lost one of his fathers and twin brother. Meaning he had taken the time to scan his favorite photos to have with him everywhere he took his phone, which would be almost everywhere. He smiled encouraging at Dafydd. "Come on, let's get you in your new suite, and then see how your brother is doing."
Despite his worries, Dafydd had to smile. "My brother. My twin brother! He's here! Everyone thought I was crazy, but I was right. I was right and I finally found Daisuke." His eyes started to water again, and despite his fears of being rejected by that brother, one could see the pure joy and excitement of finally finding his brother. Momo hugged him and kissed his cheek, smiling with happiness, too.
"I'm sorry to inform you, but I'm going to have a lot of fun with that," Ryo said with an evil smirk.
"With what? My twin's name?"
"Oh yes. While we go upstairs let me tell you how it was because of Dee that all my friends and co-workers call me Ryo. Before I met him, I went by my first name, Randy, and was only Ryo to my Japanese family." He picked up a suitcase from the bed. "Now whenever someone calls me Randy, it feels strange. Unless it's coming from my father's family and even sometimes then. And it's all Daisuke's fault." He started to laugh. "Daisuke Fujioka. That's a great name!" he exclaimed sincerely and making both Dafydd and Momo smile brightly. Ryo already had seen the family pride Dafydd had, and that included his family name. "I'm going to make sure he knows it." He winked at Dafydd and Momo, the smirk turning into a warm smile.
Momo and Dafydd laughed and followed Ryo out of the room, each with a suitcase. Dafydd also had their carry-on and Momo had her purse. On the way to the suite, Ryo told them in greater detail about when he had first met Dee, and how Dee had figured he was Japanese and insisted on knowing his Japanese name and started to call him Ryo.