Memories of a Scholar: Mother

by Contrail

Disclaimer: All recognizable Breath of Fire characters belong to Capcom. The exact events described here-in are of my own invention.

Notes: Momo is about 8 years old in this story.

Momo stirred and woke as the sun's rays struck her face. Stretching, she rose and padded over to the wardrobe on little bare feet. She opened it up and peered in, selecting a blue dress with a large white collar to wear. She dressed and stuck her feet into her shoes, then slipped through the door of her room and down the hall to the kitchen. She wandered in to see what the housekeeper was making for breakfast, only to be shooed gently out after snitching a fingertip of batter from the berry muffins. Giggling and licking the batter off her finger, Momo continued down the hall and quietly entered her dad's lab.

Watching her dad work was always fascinating. The way he could take broken machines and put them back into perfect working order was little short of magic in her eyes. And her dad said that with time and training, *she* could do it, too! Of course, she had to be quiet when she was in here, so as not to get him upset, but she didn't really mind that much. Getting to watch the mysterious process of 'repairs' was more than enough to make up for that inconvenience.

She walked up to the large table cluttered with tools, parts, and papers that her dad worked at and perched herself on a stool so she could see what he was working on. A small, copper-colored robot lay there, half-disassembled with little bits of it strewn here, there, and everywhere. Still, she thought it looked rather cute. Her dad continued to poke and prod it, not seeming to notice her presence until he turned a little bit towards her and asked quietly for a screwdriver. She selected the one he wanted out of the mess and handed it to him.

Momo watched for a little longer, then quietly asked, "Did you get this when we went to town? It's cute."

Her dad looked down at her with a bit of a smile and nodded. "I haven't seen anything quite like it before, so I'm still trying to figure out how it works and how to fix it."

Momo nodded back and went back to watching. The large grandfather clock against one wall ticked off one minute, then another. Finally, Momo cleared her throat and asked tentatively, "Um, Dad? Can I ask you a question?"

Repsol tousled Momo's hair a little, a puzzled smile on his face. "Sure, little bunny. You can always ask me any question you have, no matter what."

Momo nodded, still looking a little uncomfortable. She took a deep breath. "Why don't I have a mom?"

Repsol just stared at his daughter, caught unprepared by this question. I suppose I should have known she'd ask about Elena someday, he thought to himself, but I didn't think it'd be this soon... Her eyes, he saw, were the same color as her mother's. The red of her hair was his, but the triangular nose and something of the shape of her face were Elena's... And the ears, of course... Most of the time he could see Momo as herself, but at other times the resemblance to Elena (poor, dead Elena, who he hadn't been able to save, not with all his knowledge...) was so strong that it rendered him speechless.

Momo, not sure what to make of her father's silence, stumbled on. "I met some kids in town, and they asked me why my ears were so funny looking, if my mom had looked like me. I said I didn't know and I didn't have a mom, and they laughed at me. They said everybody had a mom..." Her story trailed off, her expression distressed.

Repsol managed to break out of his reverie and scooped Momo onto his lap, holding her gently. "You had a mother, but... she died."

"Died? Like the wounded bird I found lying on top of the tower?" Momo asked. She'd tried to nurse it back to health, but one morning she'd checked on it and it wouldn't move or anything. Her dad had gently explained that the bird had been too weary to work its way back to health, and its spirit had flown away to a better place.

He nodded. "You were very young at the time, which is why you don't remember her."

"Oh." Momo was silent for a long moment. Then, quietly, "What was she like?"

"She was gentle, kind, and very beautiful. She was always trying to feed the animals near the tower, and playing nursemaid to injured ones. You take after her in that. She looked a lot like you, except her hair was lavender and some of her features were more strongly rabbitish. And yes, she's where you get your ears from. I met her when I was younger, and was travelling the world. She lived in a small village of rabbit-people like herself, and came with me when I left it. We loved each other very much, she and I, and she loved you more than I can tell you."

Momo hugged her dad, and said, "I wish I could've met her..."

Repsol hugged Momo back and kissed her on the forehead. "I wish you could have, too..." They shared a few quiet moments like that, then the smell of cooking berry muffins began wafting into the lab. "Well, little bunny, we should go eat breakfast."

"Yeah!" Distracted by the thought of breakfast, Momo squirmed out of her father's arms and hopped down to the floor, then headed for the kitchen at a rocket-like pace only a child could manage. Repsol smiled fondly after her, and followed at a more reasonable pace.