Author's Notes:  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

Chestnuts and Cherries By Annie-chan Chapter Nine:  Truth and Lies

Cerise sighed.  How did this happen? she thought.

She was at the present moment sitting in a chair in a room in an inn near the center of town.  Across from her sat Carrot Glace, and behind Carrot, standing against the wall, was Marron.  When they had first laid eyes on each other out in the middle of the street at the marketplace, neither Cerise nor Marron knew how to react.  Cerise, on the inside, was pleased as punch to see Marron again, but she was also anxious.  What if Viande found out he was here?  Worse, what if he found out that she had gone with him and his brother to speak privately?  She just knew he would get the wrong idea.

Marron had seemed taken aback at seeing her.  It was obviously as much of a surprise for him as it had been for her.  Although, she had an unexplainable feeling that he had been seeking her out, and had just not expected to see her in the street.  Both had looked each other over awkwardly, not saying a word for the first few minutes while Carrot stood there looking lost.  Then, suddenly paranoid that someone would see them and know instantly what was going on, she had shooed the brothers into an alleyway and asked if there was someplace to speak without unwanted observers.  A few minutes later, they had ended up back here.

Carrot seemed the one calmest in the situation.  He was just along for the ride and expected Marron to take care of things.  However, neither Marron nor Cerise could find many words to say.  They weren't even looking at each other at the moment.  She felt no bitterness toward Marron, of course, as she was the one to make the decision to part ways.  She could sense no bitterness from him, either, his silence seeming to be more a product of apprehension than anything else.  It seemed that he wanted to see her, but didn't know what to do or say now that he had.  He loved her, yet she was married to another man and four months pregnant with that man's baby.  Anyone would be at a small loss for words, if not a complete loss for words, if they found out something like this.  Marron expected she would be married to Viande, but that didn't mean he'd be happy to see her so.

"Well?" Carrot said, making them both look at him.  "We came here to talk privately, or at least you two did, so are you going to talk or just sit in silence all day?"  Marron lowered his eyes a bit, perhaps a little embarrassed.

Cerise sighed.  "Yes, Marron…do we have anything to speak of?  If not, I think I should go.  I would love to stay with you a while, but I don't want to risk any suspicions that may reach Viande's ears."  She wanted to stay with him more than a while, but she knew she couldn't.  She hoped her voice didn't sound too clipped or forced.

"I don't want you to go back to him," Marron said quietly, not meeting her eyes.

"Y'know, I should have done this in the first place," Carrot said suddenly.  "I'll leave you two alone."  With that, he left the room.

Cerise heard the door click shut, then looked up to Marron again.  He hadn't moved from his spot against the wall, and his gaze seemed trained on the tabletop in front of her.  "I know you don't want me to go back to him," she said quietly.  "In fact, I'd rather I could stay with you, but it wouldn't be wise.  He would kill you, and you know that.  To spare your life, I'm willing to be with him.  It's why I…left you in the first place."  She looked him over yet again.  He was still thin and wiry, his hair perhaps a tad longer, but his white clothes had vanished, replaced by pitch black with a little gold trimming here and there.  She wondered if this had any significance.

"I've been looking for you these past two years," he said after a moment, still not looking up at her.  "I had the idea in my head to find you, then fight Viande to get you back.  But, the moment I saw you out there, everything in my head seemed so rash and foolish, maybe even stupid.  Like you said, he won't give you up easily, and you're better off with him.  You have a good home and social station, plus a husband that won't leave you alone.  I live a transient life, going from place to place with little or no warning.  Yes, I call Saint Hordic Mountain "home", but I'm hardly ever there.  And, my line of work is very dangerous.  I could go on a mission one day and never come back.  I'd rather spare you the same pain I felt when my mother left this world."  He paused a moment, then continued.  "You're right, Cerise.  It wouldn't be wise, and I'd rather let you live a more consistent and secure life than what I have to offer you."

She had listened to him in silence, watching him.  There was something in his voice…he was forcing the words, knowing he should say them but wanting so much not to say them.  He was lying to her.  Now she knew what Carrot meant that Marron couldn't tell a lie to save his life.  If you just listened to his voice, it was obvious.

"Marron," she began, "I don't think you really mean that."  The smartest thing would be for her to accept his words without question and leave, but she hated the idea of him lying to her.

Marron's shoulders dropped a little, as if he had let out a breath he had been holding.  "I know," he said, resigned.  "I was never good at not telling the truth."  He finally looked up at her, and she almost balked at the darkness she saw in his eyes.  She was sure it hadn't been there before.  "I was partly telling the truth, however.  I do believe that it is best you stayed with him, and that my intentions are irrational, but I don't care.  The truth is, I want to tear him apart for taking you away, but I won't.  I suggest you do what's wise and leave before I change my mind."  There now was a bitter edge to his voice, but it wasn't directed at her.  More, it was directed at himself and Viande.

She didn't move.  "Why are you so restrained, Marron…?" she asked slowly.  "Your brother once told me that you were prone to fits of rage if you loved ones were threatened, and that even you had a hard time controlling them.  Why so calm now?"

He looked away again.  "I'm not all sure, myself," he answered.  "Perhaps it is because if I followed through with my impulses this time, I would sentence you to a harder and less certain life than you have right now, and I don't want to do that.  Please…go, Cerise."

Again, she remained where she was.

Silence reigned for a few minutes.  Eventually, he pushed himself up off the wall and walked over to a bed.  He and Carrot were sharing this room while they stayed in Sucra, and there were two twin-sized beds.  He sat down on the one nearest Cerise, bending his knees and resting his heels on the part of the wooden frame that stuck out about an inch from under the mattress.  He rested his folded arms on his knees, his head bent forward, making his hair fall over his face.  He still didn't say anything, waiting for Cerise to make the next move.  Finally…

"Marron…do as you wish.  If you want to take this up with Viande, I won't stop you.  I don't want to stand between you two if you are going to have a fight.  I don't want to lose either of you, but…it should be fair.  I would just get in the way."  She took a deep breath.  "Viande has been my best friend since I was a child, and I don't want to see you kill him any more than I want to see him kill you.  But…I won't make your decision for you."  She stamped her foot a bit.  "Oh, I sound so stupid!  I'm not making any sense!"  She stood up and walked over to him, sitting down next to him, ignoring the way he tensed up slightly as she did so.  "Do you get what I'm trying to say?  I don't want to lose either one of you, but I will, be it you or him.  If you walk away or get yourself killed, I lose you; if you go up there and kill him, I lose him.  Don't let me interfere in this matter.  I'll only make it worse."

He turned his head toward her, looking at her through his long black hair.  "I may be the worst liar in the world," he said, "but I can also tell a lie from a mile away.  You're being awfully mature and levelheaded about this, Cerise."  He was blunt and to the point.  He didn't feel like making it sound pretty at the moment.

She stared back at him, speechless for a moment, then turned away, adopting a similar position to his as she felt her eyes sting.  "All right, I admit it.  I want you to fight him.  He's my best friend, but I love you.  I want to be with you, and he took me away.  If you kill him, I would quickly forget any sadness I would feel from seeing him die."  She sniffed, rubbing at her eyes to keep the tears from falling.  "I'm a horrible person for feeling like this!"

He shook his head and sighed, "No, you're not a horrible person.  You're only human, Cerise.  Everyone finds themselves in a situation like this once or twice in their lives."  He put a hand on her shoulder.  "In the back of my mind, I knew pursuing you was a very selfish thing, but I did so anyway.  There's no shame in giving into one's weaknesses every so often."

She sniffed again and blinked several times, feeling the hotness and stinging in her eyes subside.  She put her feet back on the floor and leaned against him, laying her head on his shoulder.  He put an arm around her hesitantly, and she accepted his half embrace readily.  "If…if you win this," she said quietly, "will you be a father for my baby…?"

She felt him nod.  "Of course I will," he answered just as quietly.  Again, they sat in silence, Cerise leaning against him with her eyes closed, Marron deep in thought, deciding if he should follow through with his desire to battle Viande or not.  Finally, after nearly an hour of contemplating, he stood up.  "I better go find Carrot and let him know where I'm going."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Viande put the book he was reading down.  This was very odd.  Reading was one of his preferred pastimes on quiet days like this, but he hadn't gotten very far at all today.  In the past half-hour, he had read this one paragraph maybe ten times, and he still couldn't remember what he had just read.

"Something's not right," he muttered to himself, sitting forward and laying the book down on the small, low table in front of him.  "Something's…wrong."  An uneasy feeling was nibbling at his brain, but he couldn't place it.  He hadn't forgotten anything, and had gone all the way around the house to make sure.  He didn't have anything to do that needed immediate attention, so that wasn't it.  Many times, his thoughts had fallen on Cerise, but he waved it off.  She had just gone down to visit the marketplace.  There wasn't anything to worry about; she did it all the time.  If she was somehow hurt, there were many people who knew her and would offer assistance.  It wasn't just her station that they recognized her for; she had gone out of her way to be a genuine friend to the villagers.  Many of Viande's Sorcerer relatives turned up their noses at this, but propriety be damned, as far as he was concerned.  Cerise could do whatever she pleased with her fellow humans.

Unless, of course, those fellow humans were Sorcerer Hunters.  Before, he hadn't given Sorcerer Hunters much thought, knowing that his family—or at least his immediate family—wasn't doing anything that would merit the Sorcerer Hunters' attention.  But, since that little fiasco two years ago, he had felt a distinct dislike toward them:  not just the five involved, but the whole lot of them.  He supposed it was childish to hold a grudge against the entire organization for one squad's misbehavior, but he didn't really care.  Sometimes, he wished Cerise hadn't talked him out of killing that tall one with the long black hair.  He was the one that had caused the most trouble.  But, no matter.  That one had been sufficiently dealt with.

What is this feeling? he mused over and over again.  I can't figure it out.  Not knowing the source of what was bothering him was something that annoyed him most.

A knock sounded at the door, and he stood up.  Crossing the bedroom floor, he took hold of the door handle and pulled it open.  A maid stood there.

"I beg your pardon, Milord," she said, "but Milady has returned, and she brought someone along to see you."

"Oh?" he said.  "Where are they?"

"They are coming in a few minutes, Milord.  She said for you to wait here."

Viande nodded and dismissed the maid.  That was a little odd, bringing a guest to the bedroom.  Wouldn't it be more acceptable to bring them to the tearoom?  Still, if she wanted to receive this guest here, he didn't see the harm in it.  He went back to the chair he had been sitting in and waited.

Soon, he heard her footsteps in the hallway outside, heralding her approach.  The doorknob turned, and he stood up as she entered.

"Cerise," he smiled affably.  "Welcome back.  I hear you brought someone to see me?"

Cerise averted her eyes and nodded.  "Yes…he's right here…" she said so softly that he almost missed it.  Was that a note of guilt he heard in her voice?  Impossible!  But, still—

When said someone stepped into the room behind Cerise and came around her so he was standing in front of her and to her right, the smile quickly left Viande's face.  He hadn't seen this man for over two years, but he recognized him instantly.  They stared each other down for what had to be only a few seconds, but it seemed like hours for Viande.  He finally shifted his gaze back to Cerise.  She was looking at him again, but shrank away when their eyes met.  Viande felt a feeling of anger and betrayal welling up within him.

"What is this…?" he hissed, unsure if his anger was directed at Cerise or the Sorcerer Hunter.

"This," said the Sorcerer Hunter coldly, "is your last day alive."

To be continued…

Author's Notes:  Hmm…it may just be my imagination, but this chapter seems a little short.  Ah, well…not every author can write big long chapters.  Some of my friends have chapter stories with really long chapters.  I, on the other hand, prefer the shorter ones.  Like I needed to tell you that.  I'm sure you figured that out on your own. ^_^;;  Length aside, I hope you like this chapter!  Let me know what you like or don't like (be nice, though, if you have complaints) in a review or an email to mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!