Brie's Tokyo Tryst (Submissive in Love, #1) (11 page)

Brie got up and went to the altar, terrified
of doing something wrong and offending his extended family in some
way. She swallowed down that fear as she knelt gracefully and
stared at the picture of Master Nosaka on the altar. While she
remembered vividly how cold and hurtful those eyes could be, in
this picture he was smiling slightly and his eyes shone with
pride.

She took a pinch of the incense and sent a
silent message to the man. “Thank you for raising Tono to be such
an honorable person.” She sprinkled the incense into the flame and
took another pinch. “Thank you for teaching him your skill of
Kinbaku.” She let the incense burn and took a final pinch. “And
thank you for finding me worthy of your son.” Tears pricked her
eyes as she sprinkled the incense into the fire and watched it
smoke. She stared at the still body beside her and said with
conviction, “Although we cannot be together, I promise I will do
everything in my power to support your son now and in the
future.”

As she bowed one last time, Brie whispered,
“Thank you for sharing your talent of singing, too. It is a
charming side of you both that I never suspected.”

When she returned to Tono’s side, Sir got
up. She watched as he paid his respects. This quiet, reverent
ceremony was beautiful in its simplicity. It allowed those who had
known the deceased to reflect on memories of him in the safety and
warmth of the place he’d called home.

When everyone had offered incense, the
priest finished with more chanting. The ceremony ended once he was
done, and most of the people in the room left at that time. Brie
watched as Tono handed each person a small box before they walked
out the door.

She whispered to Sir, “What’s he doing?”

“He is giving a thank you gift to them.”

An older woman touched Sir’s sleeve and
gestured that they should follow her. Sir guided Brie down the
hallway and into a dining room with a low-lying table laden with
Japanese food.

Just like in the States, food played a
central part when people passed away. Those already seated at the
table spoke in quiet tones as they waited for Tono to arrive. Brie
discreetly took hold of Sir’s hand under the table and squeezed
it.

As soon as Tono entered, the level of
conversation became livelier. Plates were passed out and people
used chopsticks to help themselves to the feast. Brie looked
dubiously at the food, realizing that most of what was on the table
was seafood. How could she possibly navigate the meal without
offending anyone?

Tono noticed her hesitation and offered
several suggestions about what she would find appetizing. He
winked, telling her, “As long as you do not put it on your plate,
you are not expected to eat it.”

She took a rice ball and a little of each
food he’d suggested, and settled back to eat it, grateful for Sir’s
insistence that she practice her chopstick skills at the hotel. It
allowed her to observe those at the table now without worrying
about embarrassing herself.

Brie found it easy to pick out Master
Nosaka’s siblings. They all had similar features and the same stoic
expression. Despite their serious demeanor, the discussions were
animated and several times the entire table broke out in laughter.
She desperately wished she knew even a little Japanese so she could
savor the stories they were sharing together.

She glanced in Mrs. Nosaka’s direction. The
woman had a cross look on her face, but Brie noticed she was
staring off into the distance, as if lost in old memories. If she
would have welcomed it, Brie would have given her a hug.

Instead, she turned to Tono and asked, “How
are you doing tonight?”

He gave a tired sigh. “Still in shock,
unable to accept that he’s really gone.” Tono looked thoroughly
exhausted and emotionally beaten.

“You should get some rest after the meal,”
she suggested.

Tono snorted, sounding insulted when he
replied, “No, tonight we stay up and watch over my father.”

Sir replied smoothly, “Of course, Nosaka.
Brie was just expressing her concern for you.”

Tono nodded and then explained to her, “This
is my last night with my father. I gladly give up rest.”

After dinner, they went back into the room
with his father. One woman was already there, standing beside the
body, talking softly. The three of them sat down quietly, so as not
to disturb her, Brie and Sir sitting on either side of Tono.

The sound of the woman’s voice was light, as
if she were recalling happy memories, but near the end her voice
became raw and anguished. Brie couldn’t bear her pain and looked
down as a tear fell into her lap. She glanced sideways at Tono.

He sat with a rigid back, his eyes focused
on his father. Multiple people came to talk with Master Nosaka
throughout the night, as if he were still alive, and Brie found it
touching. However, Tono never moved, his gaze never wavered.

At predawn, the price of his vigilance made
itself known when he tried to shake off the exhaustion. Brie got up
and whispered to Sir, asking permission before she slipped her hand
into Tono’s, willing her energy to flow from her into him.

Tono closed his eyes, not outwardly
acknowledging the contact, but he held on to her hand tightly. They
remained that way until hours later, when his mother beckoned to
him to speak with her outside the room.

His movements were stiff as he got up to
speak with her. Tono returned a short time later with a small box
in his hand. “Thank you for your company, Sir Davis, Miss Bennett.
Please return to your hotel room and rest if you can. We’ll meet
again at noon. There are things I must take care of before the
funeral.” He handed Sir a card with directions and gave Brie the
gift.

“Can I help in any way?” Sir asked him.

“No. This is my honor and duty. Please
rest.” He bowed to them before leaving the room.

Brie was surprised when they arrived hours later and
saw the funeral home swarmed by journalists. “Poor Tono! Why can’t
they leave his family alone?”

Sir said with a frustrated sigh, “It’s
unfortunate, but must be endured.” He opened the car door and held
out his hand. “Come, Brie.” They ignored the cameras and flurry of
questions, some in English, as they sought to find Tono inside.

To Brie’s relief, they found him with his
father, whose body had been placed in a casket. She was surprised
to see young children in the room. The smell of incense filled the
air as the priest spoke and people paid their final respects,
leaving flowers in the casket.

Afterwards, the casket was sealed and rolled
away with silent reverence. “What’s going on, Sir?” Brie whispered
as people began filing out of the room.

“They’re going to cremate Master Nosaka’s
body while we wait.”

She glanced behind her, shuddering at the
thought. It seemed so…final.

Tono joined them, smiling curtly at Brie.
Was she the only one who saw the agony behind those chocolate-brown
eyes?

“It’s a shame the funeral was publicized,”
Sir told him.

“Yes, it has my mother in an unpleasant
state. I reminded her that last night was undisturbed, but it seems
to be of little comfort to her now.”

The room he led them to was expansive, with
plenty of seating and large amounts of food set out for the
mourners, but eating was the last thing on Brie’s mind. She thought
she spotted Chikako across the room and asked Tono, “Is that your
partner from the studio?”

“Yes,” he answered. “Many people my father
worked with are here to pay their respects today. They were like
family to
Otosama
, so I invited them to attend the funeral
despite my mother’s objections. Funerals are meant for the living,
not the dead.”

“And who are the children?” Brie asked, as a
tiny girl with pigtails walked past.

“Part of my father’s side of the
family.”

“You have adorable relatives,” Brie
complimented, waving to the little girl, who giggled and waved
back.

“Please partake of the food while I defuse
the confrontation about to take place,” Tono growled under his
breath as he headed towards his mother.

Brie wasn’t interested in eating, so she
watched the other people in the room, wondering what their stories
were and what role they had played in Tono’s life. One thing that
struck her was the respect they all showed Tono. It was gratifying
to see.

After he’d neutralized the situation, Tono
disappeared from the room.

“Brie, go after him. He’s almost at his
breaking point,” Sir commanded.

She hurried out to the hallway and followed
it down until she found Tono leaning against a wall, his eyes
closed. The pain he was suffering rolled off him in tangible
waves.

“Tono,” she whispered as she approached.

He opened his eyes, shaking his head. “I’m
not strong enough for this.”

“Then you can lean on me today,” she
offered.

He laughed miserably. “Today I can handle.
It’s the countless days ahead I can’t face.”

Brie felt certain that once he was far from
his mother, he would regain his peace. “How much longer do you plan
on staying, Tono?”

“You don’t understand, do you? As the only
child, it is my duty to care for my mother.”

“But you can’t,” Brie protested. “It will
crush your spirit to remain here with her.”

He closed his eyes again. “The moment I got
the call that my father was dying, I knew what lay ahead for me.
This is
not
the life I wanted, but it is the one I must live
out.”

Tono smiled down at her sadly. “The only
consolation I have is that by not collaring you, I did not make
this your fate as well.”

“Oh, Tono…”

He said with conviction, “It’s better this
way. I understand that now.”

“But I don’t want this for you!” she
cried.

Tono took her forcefully by the shoulders.
“What I
need
is your understanding and support for my
decision.”

Brie bit her lip and nodded. “You have my
unwavering support, Tono. You always will.”

“Good,” he said, releasing his hold on her.
“Then go back home and start on your new film. It would bring me
joy to see your career grow. Make me proud, Brie.”

Tears of love and gratitude ran down her
cheeks as she hugged him. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“But you must.”

They walked back to the room in silence.

When they arrived, the attendant was
directing people to a new room. Brie left Tono’s side as he helped
to escort his relatives out of the room. She made her way through
the crowd to rejoin Sir.

“How did it go?” he asked.

She wiped away the remnants of her tears.
“He’s staying in Japan, Sir.”

“I assumed he might.” As they followed
behind the large party, Sir told her, “Keep an open mind, Brie. The
Japanese culture holds many meaningful rituals we’re unfamiliar
with in the West.”

She assumed he was talking about Tono’s
choice to stay, but realized he wasn’t as soon as she entered the
new room. She paused for a moment, taken aback by what she saw.

Brie stared at the white ashes of Tono’s
father, tears coming to her eyes.

“As acting members of Tono’s family,” Sir
explained, “we will be helping to separate his bones from the
ashes.” A gold tray lay across the middle of the receptacle that
held the ashes. On it sat a beautifully decorated urn, one Brie was
certain Tono had painted himself.

As she watched, the family members began
reverently picking up bone fragments with special chopsticks and
putting them into the urn.

“Come, Brie,” Sir commanded, handing her a
set of the chopsticks. She steadied her hand as she stood beside
Tono, and helped in the ritual, silently thanking Sir for his
earlier lesson when Tono nodded his approval as she carefully
deposited a piece of bone into the urn.

Everyone participated, even the children, as
the family made sure Master Nosaka’s remains were lovingly
retrieved and placed in the vessel. Afterwards, the lid was placed
on the urn and handed to Tono.

His mother grabbed it from him and held it
to her chest, her fingers turning white from her deathlike grip on
it—the first outward sign of her grief.

Tono escorted his mother through the crush
of reporters and took her to his car, but before he drove off he
came back to Brie and Sir.

“I will never forget the honor you paid my
father today.”

“It was not only for him, Nosaka.”

Tono bowed to Sir. “
Domo
.”

Brie was surprised when Tono suddenly
embraced Sir. The two men hugged each other, both familiar with the
grief of losing their fathers.

“May I?” Tono asked him afterwards, turning
to Brie.

“Certainly, Ren.”

Tono took Brie in his arms and held her
tenderly for several moments before the obnoxious clicking of the
cameras became too much. “Thank you,” he whispered when he let her
go.