Chapter one: Eternal Memories

a/n: unfamiliar words in italics are being spoken in Japanese.

“She's not coming back is she.”

“No, she's not.”

Shiro looked down at his daughter, three years. It had been three years since he last saw her, and now here she was right next to him, beautiful dark chestnut coloured, slightly wavy, hair cut into a bob framing her small chubby cheeked face. His daughter, iie, our daughter, he thought as he looked at the picture of his wife.

“Why?” He looked down. “Why did she have to die. Mum, she wasn't bad. She never did anything wrong. I thought only bad people got punished. So why did she have to leave me?”

The pain and guilt that he felt as his 6 year old daughter spoke those words weighed heavy on his heart.

“Sometimes things happen, good or bad, because they are out of our hands.” He crouched down beside her and held her hand tightly. “Your mother was a good person, and what happened was an accident, but I promise you, she loves you and even now she's watching over you, so you'll never be alone. And I'll be here with you too.”

“Promise?” The girl held out her little finger, just like her mother.

“Promise.” He said as he wrapped his finger around hers.

He turned, surprised to see his mother standing behind him.

“Oka-san, what are you doing here?”

“What does it look like, I’m paying my respects to your wife. I may have disapproved of your marriage to her, but I did not wish for her to end up...” her eyes flickered down to the small girl clinging on to her son's hand. Light brown skin, with dark brown hair, and matching dark almond shaped eyes, the child was dressed in the traditional black yukata and hakama. It was the first time she'd seen her grandchild. “...like this.” The child looked up at her, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and curiosity. 'hmph' she thought 'she reminds me of Shiro when he was a child'

“My granddaughter, I presume.”

“Yes oka-san, this is Sora. Sora this is your grandmother.” Sora hesitated, looking up at her father for reassurance, before taking a step forward.

“Are you really my grandma? Did you know my mother well? Its just that I've never seen you before, and mum always told me not to talk to strangers no matter what.” It was a simple question, yet it was one that shocked Mrs Takata.

“Yes I did” she knelt down in front of her grandchild so that they were face to face. “Honestly I did not treat you mother very well, I guess I was stubborn and stuck in my old ways, and that's why even though we are family, you've never seen me before.” She glanced up to her son before continuing, “I regret my past actions and the fact that now I can not apologise to your mother personally, but I want you to know that I am sorry. And that from this day on you will be fully recognised as a member of the Takata family, and that if anyone says otherwise, they will have me to deal with. With this promise I wish that you forgive, and accept me as you oba-san.”

The child smiled brightly. “Mum says you should always accept a persons apology.”

Mrs Takata laughed “Your mum is a wise person.” She stood to face son. “Shiro, I hope you can also forgive me and your father.”

“Oka-sama of course I can.” There was no hint of hesitation in his voice, if anything the past month had taught him life was too precious to waste holding onto bad feelings. He hugged her briefly. “I've already made all the necessary arrangements for Sora to come live with us in Japan.”

“Good, it's time for her to come home, and to learn about her Japanese family heritage. When we get back I’ll arrange a meeting with the council.”

“Sora sweetie, why don't you go say your last goodbyes to your mother.” She nodded her head, as he reluctantly let go of her hand and watched as she went to her mothers picture.

“The family council have already been informed of the incident?” Shiro asked.

“Yes, an investigation has already started your father is trying to track down any leads as to who did this. But the child -Sora- she remembers nothing?”

“No, they found her screaming next to her mother's dead body. She was covered in her mothers blood shaking,” His voice began to crack with hatred for the people who did this to his family. “She was taken to the hospital, she wouldn't talk for days, she was barely eating or sleeping because of the nightmares.” Memories of his daughter thrashing in her bed screaming flashed through his head. “I think it was too much strain mentally, for a child her age, because one day she woke up and just forgot the whole thing. The last thing she remembers now is her mother taking her to the park. So I decided it was in her best interest to tell her the truth about the accident, and her mum being run over. Even so, I just didn't want to press her for details.”

“I understand, know that we will do everything possible to find out who did this, we've already started to use our contacts with the police to track down any leads.”

“Arigato oka-san.”

“Why don't I take Sora for a bit and give you a chance to say goodbye to Alicia.” She went over and took Sora by the hand gently, whispering a few reassuring words, before escorting her out of the room.

Shiro turned to face his wife for the last time.

As he looked at her picture many fond memories of Alicia flooded his mind. The first time he meet her in London. Their first date that eventually lead to him kissing her in the rain. Their love for each other had grown so quickly that when his time in London was coming to an end he could not bare to part with her, so instead proposed to her and married her, going against his families wishes.

They didn't understand how he had come to love her so much but she was his soul mate, his everything. He remembered the night he had told her who he really was, and look of pure acceptance on her face, that made him feel stupid for ever keeping it from her. But when she fell pregnant, things had changed. Not his love for her, no, that would never change even now. Alicia had always had a strong personality, and had never let his family's disapproval of her get to her. But she refused to have her child brought up in a hostile environment, having experienced that in the past herself, she knew the effects that had on a person. They were afraid for their child, afraid that she would grow up in a family that did not accept her, that’s why they had made the decision to live separately, and that’s why he had only seen his daughter twice before today, once at her birth and again a few years later. And yet here they were.....

“Alicia my love, sleep peacefully knowing that you protected our daughter, and that she is safe with me. I promise I will keep her safe from harm. Everyday I’ll tell her stories of you and me, so that you will always be a part of her life. I love you” He whispered the words softly, making no effort to stop his tears from falling.