Puzzle Pieced -an Osomatsu-san AU-
PART 3.
The train ride home is the hardest part of Choromatsu’s visit to the Matsunos’.
Not because he’s disappointed to be going home (he’s actually relieved to go lie down and decompress), but because on the way back, he has so much to think about. It’s difficult to make sense of everything he was told. He was hit with a lot of information all at once, heavy information.
Even though they were answers he wanted, none of them were anything he expected. The stuff Matsuyo and Matsuzo told him was all so far out of left field, none of it was anything he’d actually considered.
Seriously, how could he have anticipated any of that? A kidnapping, five brothers, people looking for him? It’s like something out of a weird slice-of-life anime or a crazy spin-off of said weird slice-of-life anime. Nobody who didn’t already know about this story would have predicted that was the tale behind his birth parents and his first family.
Half an hour on a train surrounded by strangers is plenty of time for his head to keep spinning.
How were they all in the dark about where he came from? Six abducted, identical children would have made national news, wouldn’t it? At the very least, local news. It would have been a big story in Akatsuka Ward; what about in Denkino District where Choromatsu and his parents live? Would it have made the news that far away?
… What if it did? Satomi and Hiroto may have missed that broadcast, or they might have seen it. What if they did see it? There might have been pictures, of child Choromatsu and those other little boys. Even if there weren’t… well, shit… if the story itself reached their city, and they saw it… they were aware.
He was five when he was kidnapped, and they would have known that the sextuplets from Akatsuka were five. The timing would have been suspicious. His parents are both intelligent people, so why would they have adopted him knowing how sketchy it all was?
Why would they have accepted adopting him without a birth certificate, without medical records and documentation? Did they do any paperwork? Did it even cross their minds how incredibly shady it was?
Did they know? Is that a possibility ― that his parents knew he’d been kidnapped, and adopted him knowing that all the proper procedures hadn’t been followed, knowing that he’d been taken from someone else?
He doesn’t even know what to think about that. It makes his blood run cold to consider that they knew what had happened and they didn’t care. That would have been just as bad as kidnapping him themselves.
… Did they know? he can’t stop himself from thinking, over and over. They’ve told me they were trying to adopt for a couple months before they got me. Shouldn’t they have understood how it works? They knew that they were supposed to get my records and birth certificate and everything else, right?
It’s so complicated, because with all the research he’s done into how adoption works here in Japan, things get more and more confusing. If his parents knew how it was supposed to be done, they would have expected some contact from Choromatsu’s biological family. That’s usually how it happens.
Shouldn’t they have been baffled and on alert when there wasn’t any? How did so many red flags just get ignored?
Maybe because he’s gotten along fine without any of the stuff his parents should have gotten when he was adopted? He was young enough that they didn’t have to register him as adopted, he’s always been Inoue Choromatsu, they could produce their own documentation and everything he needed after they adopted him.
It’s just out of consideration for him and his feelings that they even told him he was adopted. They could have foregone that, because legally, there’s no reason for anyone to know he’s not their biological child, even him.
Did they know? Maybe they didn’t… but… they should have. They’re both so smart. How could they have just missed all this?
His parents have always treated him so well. They love him and try to do what’s best for him and they take care of him even though he’s an adult now. If they knew they’d adopted someone who was taken from a loving family, the guilt probably would have eaten them alive, because they’re good people. If they knew, then how could they go about it all, doing things like spending the day in the park as a family or stroking his hair when he’s sick or telling him they love him?
They should have known… but… he doesn’t think they did.
That doesn’t make it easier to swallow. It does mean, though, that he’s having trouble being angry with them. If they didn’t know, if they were manipulated, then how is he supposed to be mad at them? All they’ve ever done is love him.
God, he’s starting to get a headache. Maybe he should stop at the konbini on the way home, get some painkillers and a drink.
Even though he can’t stop thinking, thinking, it’s all so much… he looks down at the photo in his hand. All the children in this picture look so happy, holding onto each other, smiling and laughing.
His fingers brush over the image of himself again, that little boy in the green shirt hugging around his older brother’s neck. Tucking himself in against Osomatsu, and being held tightly, being protected.
He showed up in my dreams. He always has, just like the others. All those dreams… are they really dreams? Or are they memories?
We were all best friends…
Shouldn’t it have stayed like that?
-
When Choromatsu gets home, he thinks it’s maybe a good thing that neither of his parents are here right now. They’re both at work, they won’t be home until later, so he has some time to himself.
The first thing he does is grab a glass of water and down some Calonal for his headache. With any luck, it’ll only take twenty minutes or so to kick in.
The second thing he does is open his laptop, log into Genesis, and put in a request to speak to one of the site’s investigators. He doesn’t expect them to message back within five minutes, saying that someone is available to speak to him, asking if he’d prefer to be contacted through the site messenger or through the phone number listed on his account.
As soon as he chooses his preference, the site messenger dings with a new notification.
FROM: Sakamoto_Kanna
SUBJECT: New investigation
Good afternoon, Inoue Choromatsu! My name is Sakamoto Kanna, and I’m one of the genetic investigators for Genesis. I’d love to see if I can help you.
Are you available to talk now?
-
Things don’t go very smoothly after Choromatsu’s parents get home, but honestly, they could have gone much worse.
Both Satomi and Hiroto are floored by everything. The fact that he was kidnapped, the fact that they basically adopted him illegally, the fact that he has five brothers… it’s all a shock to them. At the very least, Choromatsu feels a little more secure in that they almost certainly didn’t suspect anything that had happened. It’s hard to fake the kind of surprise he sees in their faces.
Neither of them even know what to say, and Choromatsu doesn’t fare much better. As soon as he feels his anxiety rising, up, up, up, bubbling over so his face is burning and he feels nauseous and he can’t stop shaking, he can’t keep himself from getting worked up. He starts to cry, and he knows he says things he doesn’t really mean to.
Although he’s not necessarily angry with his parents, he’s upset by the whole situation. Now that he has the truth, it’s not a pleasant one, and it’s not pleasant for different reasons than he anticipated. In many ways, knowing that Matsuyo and Matsuzo never wanted to give him up takes so much weight off his shoulders, weight that he’s been feeling for years.
In other ways, it hurts more, because despite loving his parents, he almost feels as if he’s selfish for still loving them. It wasn’t really their fault he was taken away, but he had another family, parents who were in pain for over twenty years because he and his brothers were taken from them.
He feels massively guilty for his frustrated comment of, “You shouldn’t even have me,” before running to his room to cry. They love him and he loves them and that came out wrong.
Though it might be factually accurate that, objectively, he shouldn’t have been kidnapped from his birth parents and given to another family, because tragedies like that shouldn’t happen, it’s not something he meant the way it sounded. Of course they deserve to have had a child in their lives, and he’s happy he is that child.
Everything is just so horribly, horribly turned upside-down right now. He doesn’t know what he thinks or feels.
Before he closes his bedroom door, he hears his mother say, in that mortified voice of hers that always tugs at his heart, “Oh, my God. Did… did we really steal someone’s baby?” That doesn’t make him feel any better.
He’s not sure how long he lies on his futon, his throat starting to hurt because he’s been crying so much. It’s not like anyone can blame him for being emotional, right? A lot of info got dropped on him like a brick wall, his thoughts and feelings are all jumbled up, and he just said some terrible things to his parents when none of this is their fault. They didn’t do anything wrong, all they’ve done is care for him, and he’s so out of order over this whole situation, he lashed out at them. He hasn’t done that kind of thing since he was a teenager; even then, it was rare.
Finally, though, he hears a knock on his door. “Hey, Choro.”
He unwinds his body a bit, spreading out on the futon. “Come in.”
“… Hey, hon.” Hiroto’s voice is soft as he steps into the room, and although Choromatsu isn’t focusing on anything in particular, he notices that his father sets his laptop down next to him on the futon. Then he sits down himself, reaching to run a hand through Choromatsu’s hair. “I’m… I’m really sorry about everything that happened out there. This is stressful, and we get it.”
Choromatsu sniffles and rubs at his eyes with his sleeve. “I’m sorry, Dad… I-I didn’t… I didn’t mean it the way it came out. That was shitty of me to say.”
Hiroto shakes his head. “No, no, it wasn’t shitty. We understand. Nobody’s perfect, and people say things they don’t mean when they’re upset. Apology accepted, but don’t beat yourself up, okay?”
“I’m still sorry… I-I love you guys a lot. It’s just…” He sighs. “What the hell is going on? You and Mom are smart… how didn’t you realize…?”
Hiroto mirrors the sigh, brushing his hair back. “Yeah… I guess we didn’t act very smart back then, huh? And we just haven’t been thinking about it much after we got you settled. But, it’s like I said… people make mistakes when they’re stressed and upset. You remember your mom was in that accident, right?”
“Yeah… the car accident,” Choromatsu says. Although he doesn’t really know what happened, because he wasn’t around then and neither of his parents like to talk about it, he does remember they cited it as the reason they couldn’t have biological children. “She got hurt so bad she needed an emergency operation, and they ended up having to remove her uterus. I remember you told me about that when I was in, like, tenth grade… when I asked…”
“Why we couldn’t have children on our own. Yeah. Well, that happened like a year before we adopted you…” Hiroto shrugs. “All I can say is that both of us were still… grieving the fact that we couldn’t get pregnant, especially being so young. We were trying so hard for adoption, and… kept running into problems. When it finally happened, I guess we were so desperate… we just weren’t thinking about anything that didn’t seem quite right. And you’re not wrong; we should have noticed it. Like I said… nobody’s perfect. There’s no excuse for it, but… I can’t tell you why we made that particular mistake.”
Choromatsu takes a deep breath, and at last he pushes himself up so he can slump into his father’s arms for a hug. He’s grateful that, just like always, Hiroto is there, immediately giving him what he needs. “W-will you tell Mom I’m sorry? I… I heard her say…”
“Ah, yeah.” Hiroto rubs his son’s back briefly before pulling away. “We’re just a little shaken up by the truth, same as you are. As much as we wanted you, we never would have wanted to take you from a family that loved you. But don’t worry… we’re out there talking among ourselves, okay? I’ll let her know.”
He gestures toward Choromatsu’s laptop. “Dinner’s almost ready, so, if you wanna wash up and be down in a couple minutes. But I… get it if you wanna be alone for a little bit. If you’re not down before we’re done, we’ll put a plate away for you. In the meantime, though, we noticed you got a new message on the site.”
“Oh… oh, yeah…” He shifts his computer into his lap, and glances at the site messenger. He’s been talking off and on to Sakamoto-san for the last few hours, giving her information that she’ll need for the search. He hasn’t heard from her since a bit before his parents got home, an hour… maybe two?
Surely she can’t have found anything that quickly, on the same day that she began searching. Still, he should look at the message to see if she needs some information.
“I’ll be down in a little bit,” he mumbles, reaching for a tissue so he can dry his face off. “I-I guess I should try to eat. And I wanna apologize to Mom myself, too. I’m really sorry again, Dad, I just… I-I dunno.”
Hiroto hums as he gets up, giving a brief ruffle to Choromatsu’s hair. “You’re already forgiven, hon. Deep breaths, and focus on something else. Take as long as you need to come down, okay?”
“Okay… thanks… I-I love you guys.”
“Love you too, kiddo. See you soon.”
With that, Hiroto gives Choromatsu a kiss on the head, then quietly slips out of the room.
Rubbing at his eyes, Choromatsu manages to open up the new message. He feels so drained from everything, but he’s shocked into alertness when he reads what Sakamoto-san has sent him.
FROM: Sakamoto_Kanna
SUBJECT: Close family match
Hello again, Inoue-san! Apologies if this comes as a surprise to you, but I was able to find another close family match for you.
I do want to let you know that it’s not the norm to find a new match so quickly, but this is a unique case. As a Genesis investigator, I have access to more databases of DNA results than this site hosts, and I myself was a bit stunned to find something so fast.
As you probably know, Genesis’ database of DNA results is limited to only those who have submitted their DNA to our site. Anyone who hasn’t, for whatever reason, isn’t going to show up. However, one of my first searches was within the Denkino District prison system, because that’s one of the databases I have relatively unrestricted access to.
My search within that system identified a sibling match for you. The match is a man by the name of Nise Osomatsu, who was arrested a few weeks ago. Upon his arrest, fingerprints and DNA samples were taken and added to the police’s database, which is how I was able to find him.
His jail stay was extended from the initial ten days to another ten, and the officer I spoke to is convinced that there isn’t enough evidence to send him to trial. So Nise-san is almost certainly going to be released in three days’ time; more accurately, two and a half, given what time it is right now.
The officer I spoke to notified me that I can contact the jail again anytime, and that if you’d like to speak to Nise-san, we can set up a meeting tomorrow or the following day, depending on your schedule. For identification purposes, though, it will have to be in person rather than over the phone. Nise-san hasn’t been told about any of this, but he will be informed several hours beforehand if you want to set up a meeting.
I know this is all a lot to take in, so I don’t blame you if you need a while to process this. Just try to keep in mind, once Nise-san is released, it might be difficult to track him down again. My advice is that if you want to meet him and pursue a relationship, your best bet is to schedule a meeting tomorrow or the day after.
Let me know what you want to do as soon as you can, and I’ll do my best to set it up for you, okay?
If I don’t get another message from you tonight, have a good evening!
Choromatsu isn’t sure how many times he has to read the message, over and over, until it sinks in. Even when he processes it, it doesn’t fully sink in. He can’t really believe it.
She found one of his brothers already, and despite the fact that he didn’t submit his DNA to the Genesis site. It’s been maybe six hours since he first spoke to her; it seems insane that she has a match for him in six hours.
What is he supposed to think, too, that Osomatsu, the oldest of his brothers, is currently in jail?? Sakamoto-san said the officers think he’ll be released due to lack of evidence… does that mean maybe he’s innocent? Perhaps he was just caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
He almost can’t believe that Osomatsu is the one who was found first. Matsuyo described him as Choromatsu’s ‘partner in crime’ when they were younger, and they look so close in all the photos she showed him. They were best friends, right?
That’s how it always felt in the dreams he’s had. Waking up with tears on his cheeks, feeling like some part of him is gone, like he’s just lost someone important to him. Like he’ll never be the same again.
The sensations from the dreams fade… until he has one again. Then they seem real all over, and so does the body-trembling anxiety of a vague thought that he shouldn’t be waking up alone.
His mind starts to race anew, too many thoughts to even really focus too hard on any one of them. After all, he’s just come back from the first meeting with his birth parents, found out he was adopted because he was kidnapped twenty-one years ago, found out that he has five identical brothers, started the search for them thinking he wouldn’t hear anything for weeks, and now he’s already found one of them… who happens to be in jail at the moment.
He thinks he can be forgiven for being emotional and overwhelmed. This is a lot that’s happened in only one day.
Well, he wants to meet Osomatsu, doesn’t he? This is his big brother. Even if he’s different than when they were kids, even if this is all going so fast… this is what he wanted. From the minute he discovered he had brothers and knew they were still lost too, that became his goal.
One down, four to go. He’s scared and anxious about everything, but he set out to reunite his birth family. Maybe it’s best that he has one piece in place so quickly. It means there’s hope for the rest of them.
Despite trying to calm down, his hands continue to shake as he messages Sakamoto-san back. The sooner she can get him a meeting with Osomatsu, the better. If he’s possibly going to be released from jail in three days, Choromatsu doesn’t have time to be wishy-washy about it.
As soon as Sakamoto-san has messaged him again, he’s on his phone, dialing the Matsunos’ number.
“Hello?”
“Matsuyo? I-it’s Choromatsu. I’m sorry to be calling right now… I know you’re, um, probably in the middle of dinner…”
“Oh… oh, it’s alright, dear. I know it hasn’t been very long already, but, I’m glad to hear from you again. Did you want to talk?”
“Yeah… well, I mean… I-I have some news. I contacted an investigator on the Genesis site to see if they could help me in searching for my brothers.”
“You did? My, that was fast. You said… there’s already news??”
“Yeah. The investigator just messaged me, and I…” He can feel tears in his eyes, and yet, he can’t stop himself from smiling.
“I think we found Osomatsu.”
-
Two and a half weeks.
Two and a half weeks Osomatsu hasn’t had a single fucking cigarette.
And now a bunch of shit is being dropped on him, and he can’t go smoke?
This is torture.
Along with all the other shit going on in his head, and the news the officer on his case gave him, it’s put him even more on edge than he would be at any normal point. In the last ten or so years, the longest he’s gone without smoking is maybe six hours. He’s used to having a cigarette when he’s stressed.
There’s honestly nothing more stressful than being told he’s got a brother he never knew about who’s coming to meet him for the first time tomorrow afternoon.
How the fuck can that even be possible? Tougou’s his father, he’s never had a mother, and he would have been told if he had any siblings out there. Hell, if he had any brothers or sisters, they’d probably be right here helping Tougou and Osomatsu carry out heists. It’d sure be easier with more than two people.
His head is full of all this bullshit, and without being able to smoke, it’s starting to take over. It must be true because the officer was talking about how they ran Osomatsu’s DNA and shit, and that stuff doesn’t lie. But he just can’t believe it.
If this guy really is his brother, how? His father would have known if he had another kid out there somewhere, especially if this guy has the same mother as Osomatsu. After all, the officer said brother, not half-brother, so they’ve gotta have both parents in common.
The other thing that’s bugging Osomatsu is that the officer said birth parents. As if Tougou isn’t his father by blood. That can’t be right, though. Tougou is the only parent Osomatsu has ever had.
Worst of all is that he can’t just chase all these dumbass questions away with a cigarette. Or even with sleep. He’s tired during the day, and then when he’s supposed to be sleeping, he’s wide awake, letting all these thoughts run wild.
He even tries to eat to fill the nicotine void, thinking it’ll serve the same purpose; besides, lately he’s been starving, even more than he usually is. A couple of the usual guards have taken pity on him and given him extras, and he’s eaten it all every time, so he’s pretty sure he’s a few kilos heavier than he was before.
And shit, the headaches. He remembers only having headaches near this level when he’s had sinus infections. It feels like his head is going to split apart, to the point where the Calonal he’s offered barely touches it.
As much as smoking made him cough anyway, he’s also noticed he’s been coughing more after not having any cigarettes. At first he thought he was coming down with something, although he doesn’t have a fever or a stuffy nose or anything else. Another point for how lack of smoking has fucked him up.
Nothing gives him any kind of relief. After the first few days he started getting this weird anxiety, enough to make his breathing funny and make his hands shake and make him nauseous. Combined with his increase in appetite, it hasn’t been a fun ride.
He hates that his mind won’t shut up, too. The guard he met on the first night here mentioned a few days ago that he was able to give Osomatsu some information, at last, on Tougou’s case. It wasn’t good, though. His father is going to trial, where he’ll probably be put away to anywhere from five to ten years.
That won’t happen for a couple months, while they gather evidence and submit paperwork and all that stupid crap. It means that when Osomatsu gets released in a couple days, Tougou is staying in here. He’ll have to be in jail until the trial, then he goes to actual prison if he gets convicted. Given that Osomatsu thinks there’s something like a 99% conviction rate here in Japan if someone goes to trial (Tougou drilled that into his head during his myriad of ‘don’t you dare ever get fucking caught’ lectures), there’s almost no hope.
When Osomatsu gets out of here, he’s going to be all alone.
All the cigarettes in the world couldn’t keep that from feeling like a lead weight on his chest.
He feels sick all the time, even though he’s not, and he’s not sure whether it’s from the withdrawal or from having no Goddamn clue what his future looks like when he gets out of here in less than three days.
“Hey, Osomatsu.” That same guard is here tonight, Ishida-san ― either a tryhard or a newbie wearing rose-colored glasses who thinks he’s bonded with Osomatsu or something. “Up again tonight, huh? Here, got some coffee for you.”
Osomatsu doesn’t respond, though the coffee is taken anyway. The caffeine isn’t anything close to a cigarette, but it’s probably the only thing keeping him from snapping.
Ishida-san shuffles a bit in front of Osomatsu’s cell. He doesn’t push on as usual, seeming to stare inside at Osomatsu. No comment about how shitty he looks right now, no offense at the lack of an answer. The fact that Osomatsu took the coffee and is drinking it might be enough for him. “… I’m glad you agreed to that meeting with your brother.”
Osomatsu huffs. “’S not like I coulda said no. Got no fuckin’ rights in here. What the hell is wrong with this country?”
“Shut up. You know you have rights.” Ishida-san pauses, then snorts as if he’s just heard an unbearably funny joke. “You had the right to remain silent, but I guess you don’t care so much about that one.”
“Che. You’re all assholes. Go back to fucking clown college.”
The guard shakes his head, then puts his hands in his pockets. “I hope you meeting with this guy means you’ve been thinking about your future. Hate to say it so plainly, but your pops isn’t getting out anytime soon. You, on the other hand, are getting out in less than three days. Any thoughts?”
“The fuck do you care?” Osomatsu takes a needlessly long sip of his coffee. He kind of only has himself to blame that his mouth ends up a little burned. “You won’t have to deal with me.”
Ishida-san nods, then gives a shrug. “Sure. There’ll be another troubled, manipulated twenty-something in your place, though. We’ve got no shortage of that. I just hope you don’t end up here again and screw up your life. Be a shame, you know?”
“I’m not some fucking sob story, you jackass,” Osomatsu hisses. He suspects the added bite in his tone is thanks to irritability from not having a cigarette lately… he still thinks he’d be pissed at the implications anyway. “Leave me alone.”
“Yeah, okay. Finish your coffee, try to get some sleep if you can.” He knocks against the bars gently, and although Osomatsu misses it, his encouraging smile looks genuine. “Big day tomorrow. Good luck.”
He heads down to check on the other people in their cells, and Osomatsu snaps his eyes shut as he continues to drink. That conversation did nothing for his nerves.
His thoughts are continuing to run wild, buzzing around in his head, despite the fact that it’s not showing on the outside. He wishes more than anything that he had some private place he could just break down and not have anyone see. Because this is all too much.
Things are unpredictable. And he’s used to that, in a way.
But this time, he’s not going to have his father around, and that’s unpredictable in a way he doesn’t know if he can deal with.
… Maybe if he’s lucky, he can bum a cigarette off this ‘brother’ of his and smoke it in secret. As of right now, he thinks that’s the only way he’s going to get through tomorrow.
