Zephyr 17:More Memories
Rose and Tomoyo were watching tv when the dorrbell rang. Nakuru quickly answered it.
To her shock, she found Eriol standing on the doorstep with someone she expected would be the last person her master would stand with.
"Rose!" called Eriol, entering the house.
Upon hearing his voice, Rose excitedly came to him and hugged him.
Tomoyo turned the tv off and looked at them quietly.
"Rose," began Eriol as he carried the lass in his arms. "I would like you to meet your other daddy."
"Hi Rose," whispered Terada, eyes misty.
"Hi Daddy!" Rose cheerfully greeted.
"S-She's beautiful..just like Kaho. S-She's..she's a miracle!" the man whispered. He looked at Eriol uncertainly. "May I hold her?"
Eriol looked at Tomoyo first. She nodded at him encouragingly. He looked back at the hopeful Terada and slowly nodded.
The moment Terada hugged his daughter, tears streamed down his cheeks openly. "I love you Rose."
Later that night, Eriol and Tomoyo watched as Terada tucked his daughter into bed.
"Maybe one of these days, you will meet your big brothers," said Terada, stroking the girl's hair affectionately.
"Big brothers?" Rose echoed, eyes wide in curiousity.
"You have three of them, and they look almost exactly like each other," added the father proudly.
"Triplets?! Cool!" gushed the lass.
He nodded. "I'll take them here together with Mommy Rika to meet you.:
"Oh that would be fun! Now I have a pair of daddies and 2 pairs of mommies!" cheered Rose.
"Huh? 4 pairs?" asked Eriol.
"Yes! My real mommy, Mommy Rika, Mommy Nakuru and Mommy Tomoyo!" she replied.
Tomoyo felt herself blush intensely. "I-I think I'm going to bed. I still have a plane to catch tomorrow."
Rose saddened. "But you will still come back to visit, right?"
She nodded. "Of course, Rose. You are my baby."
"Goodnight Tomoyo," said Terada.
"Goodnight Mommy," bade Rose.
Eriol wordlessly left the room.
Tomoyo exhaustedly sat in front of her computer and switched it on. She then busied herself in typing.
A few hours later, she heard a polite knock on the door. "Who's there?" she called out, not looking up from her work.
"May I come in?" asked a familiar voice.
Her heart raced, but she forced herself to remain calm. "Come in."
Eriol came in, holding a picture frame. "Good evening, Moonlight Blossom. I see you're still at work with your novel."
"One of the curses of a writer. When you get a sudden flash of inspiration, grab it before it fades again." She saved her work. "Anything I can do for you?"
"Tell me why have you been avoiding me."
She looked away. "I'm busy."
"Doing what? Staring at the ceiling?"
"Why-"
"Anyway, I came here to show you something." He gave her the picture frame.
"That's the family picture I saw in Kaho-sensei's room!" exclaimed Tomoyo, looking at the picture. "But wait a minute, if Terada-sensei is holding Rose in this photo, how come he doesn't know that Rose is his daughter?"
Eriol ran his fingers on the picture. "This is a pic Kaho made in the computer before."
Tomoyo took the picture off the frame and saw that it wasn't really a photograph. It was only a print.
"She wanted to replace this with a real one. Taken by a camera, with real people, real smiles..the three of them together for real..not clashed pictures like this one," he recounted. "But she died before Rose met her father."
"I..see.." she said slowly as she put the print back in the frame.
He stood up. "I guess that's all I want to say. Just..take care on your way home, Tomoyo. Please do write often and send me your novels."
"W-Will do." She was beginning to burn with his intense gaze.
"Tomoyo.."
She gave him the diskette hurriedly. "Here is my novel's chapter 6 and 7."
He smiled lamely and took it. "I will read it right away." After one last longing look at her, he left her room.
Tomoyo collapsed on her bed, a raging ocean of emotions inside her. Why could she feel her heart was breaking? Why did she suddenly feel like crying?
"I can't be in love with him, can I?" she asked herself softly.
**to be continued**
Rose and Tomoyo were watching tv when the dorrbell rang. Nakuru quickly answered it.
To her shock, she found Eriol standing on the doorstep with someone she expected would be the last person her master would stand with.
"Rose!" called Eriol, entering the house.
Upon hearing his voice, Rose excitedly came to him and hugged him.
Tomoyo turned the tv off and looked at them quietly.
"Rose," began Eriol as he carried the lass in his arms. "I would like you to meet your other daddy."
"Hi Rose," whispered Terada, eyes misty.
"Hi Daddy!" Rose cheerfully greeted.
"S-She's beautiful..just like Kaho. S-She's..she's a miracle!" the man whispered. He looked at Eriol uncertainly. "May I hold her?"
Eriol looked at Tomoyo first. She nodded at him encouragingly. He looked back at the hopeful Terada and slowly nodded.
The moment Terada hugged his daughter, tears streamed down his cheeks openly. "I love you Rose."
Later that night, Eriol and Tomoyo watched as Terada tucked his daughter into bed.
"Maybe one of these days, you will meet your big brothers," said Terada, stroking the girl's hair affectionately.
"Big brothers?" Rose echoed, eyes wide in curiousity.
"You have three of them, and they look almost exactly like each other," added the father proudly.
"Triplets?! Cool!" gushed the lass.
He nodded. "I'll take them here together with Mommy Rika to meet you.:
"Oh that would be fun! Now I have a pair of daddies and 2 pairs of mommies!" cheered Rose.
"Huh? 4 pairs?" asked Eriol.
"Yes! My real mommy, Mommy Rika, Mommy Nakuru and Mommy Tomoyo!" she replied.
Tomoyo felt herself blush intensely. "I-I think I'm going to bed. I still have a plane to catch tomorrow."
Rose saddened. "But you will still come back to visit, right?"
She nodded. "Of course, Rose. You are my baby."
"Goodnight Tomoyo," said Terada.
"Goodnight Mommy," bade Rose.
Eriol wordlessly left the room.
Tomoyo exhaustedly sat in front of her computer and switched it on. She then busied herself in typing.
A few hours later, she heard a polite knock on the door. "Who's there?" she called out, not looking up from her work.
"May I come in?" asked a familiar voice.
Her heart raced, but she forced herself to remain calm. "Come in."
Eriol came in, holding a picture frame. "Good evening, Moonlight Blossom. I see you're still at work with your novel."
"One of the curses of a writer. When you get a sudden flash of inspiration, grab it before it fades again." She saved her work. "Anything I can do for you?"
"Tell me why have you been avoiding me."
She looked away. "I'm busy."
"Doing what? Staring at the ceiling?"
"Why-"
"Anyway, I came here to show you something." He gave her the picture frame.
"That's the family picture I saw in Kaho-sensei's room!" exclaimed Tomoyo, looking at the picture. "But wait a minute, if Terada-sensei is holding Rose in this photo, how come he doesn't know that Rose is his daughter?"
Eriol ran his fingers on the picture. "This is a pic Kaho made in the computer before."
Tomoyo took the picture off the frame and saw that it wasn't really a photograph. It was only a print.
"She wanted to replace this with a real one. Taken by a camera, with real people, real smiles..the three of them together for real..not clashed pictures like this one," he recounted. "But she died before Rose met her father."
"I..see.." she said slowly as she put the print back in the frame.
He stood up. "I guess that's all I want to say. Just..take care on your way home, Tomoyo. Please do write often and send me your novels."
"W-Will do." She was beginning to burn with his intense gaze.
"Tomoyo.."
She gave him the diskette hurriedly. "Here is my novel's chapter 6 and 7."
He smiled lamely and took it. "I will read it right away." After one last longing look at her, he left her room.
Tomoyo collapsed on her bed, a raging ocean of emotions inside her. Why could she feel her heart was breaking? Why did she suddenly feel like crying?
"I can't be in love with him, can I?" she asked herself softly.
**to be continued**
