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

Chestnuts and Cherries By Annie-chan Epilogue:  Something Special

It was a gorgeous spring day, perfect for uplifting her mood.  She had been suffering lately from what the midwife called "postpartum depression".  It felt good to been in high spirits again.  She shifted her new baby in her arms, holding it in a more comfortable position as it dozed in her arms.

She was sitting at the base of a tree in a small wooded area near the Hidden Village, the sounds of the little town nearly drowned out by the sounds of nature.  Twenty feet to her right was a drop-off, and beyond it was a majestic view of the surrounding mountain range.  She would have loved to grow up in the mountains like this, and was glad her children had the chance.

"Mama!"

She looked off in the direction of the village, and saw the little boy who had called out to her running toward her.

"Amande," she smiled and said when he got to her.  "You know better than to run so near the cliffs."

"I know," her son answered quietly, looking down.  Often, a kind reprimand was more affective than a scolding; this boy was so eager to please.  Cerise wondered if she'd be so lucky with her second child, currently sleeping away in her arms.  Probably not.  Nothing so good ever happened twice in a row.

"Now, what's so important that you have to come running to me with the news?" she asked, shifting the baby girl, Maïs, again.

"Papa's been looking all over town for you!  He finally sent me out to look for you here!  He's got something special for you!" Amande said, all in a rush.  He was suddenly excited again.

Cerise sighed and shook her head slightly.  It wasn't her birthday, a holiday, or their wedding anniversary, so this was probably a gift just for the sake of giving it to her.  She told him time and time again that he didn't have to do that for her, but he insisted on doing so anyway.  He was really too kind to her.

"All right," she said, standing up, being careful so as not to wake Maïs.  "Why don't you take me back?  Walking," she added as her son started to run.  The boy slowed to a walk, and she followed.

As she often found herself doing, she realized she was watching Amande closely.  The little five-year-old looked almost exactly like his father, with her blue eyes.  He looked nothing like his surrogate father, and she knew that he would eventually perceive this and question the significance behind it.  He was a bright boy.  It wouldn't slip past his notice for long.  Sooner or later, he would have to be explained to about his parentage and the story behind it.  All she could do was hope and pray that he took it well.  This wasn't a normal case of a father dying and a mother remarrying, after all.

What will he think? she found herself thinking.  What will he think when he discovers or is told that his father took his own life?  Death already disquiets him…it may be a very hard blow for him.

She shook her head hard.  This is no time for such thoughts.  That will be dealt with when the time comes, so no dwelling on it now.

They were at the edge of the village now, and Amande suddenly took off running again.  Before Cerise could call out for him to stop, she saw why he was running in the first place.  He had stopped when he had come to a tall, slender figure about half a block down.  It was Marron Glace.  She quickened her pace as well, though still walking, and had soon come to the two.

"Cerise," Marron smiled softly in that manner that seemed so irrevocably his, pulling her into a firm embrace.  Cerise let herself be held, and Maïs was squished between them.  It wasn't enough to hurt the baby, but it was enough to wake her up, and she gave an indignant whine.

"Aww…" Cerise cooed as Marron chuckled and released her.  "I'm sorry, Sweetie…"  The little girl with the fuzzy black cap of hair blinked in the sunshine.  She recognized the soothing nature in her mother's voice and calmed down, happy not to be squished anymore.

"I'm so glad you're feeling well, Cerise," Marron said, gently touching her cheek.  "You recovered so much faster this time than the first."  He was referring to childbirth.  When Amande was born, the labor wasn't dangerous, but it was very difficult, and by the time the little boy was born, she had been through more than twenty-four hours of birthing pangs, and was thoroughly exhausted.  She had been noticeably weak for almost three weeks after that.  With Maïs, however, the labor was hardly eleven hours, and now, only about two weeks later, had been feeling normal for several days.  Her fears of a repeat experience from the first time were unfulfilled, thankfully.

Cerise nodded, holding Maïs against her breasts as the little girl started to doze again.  "Now, what's this about something special for me?"

Owari

Author's Notes:  There you go, a really short epilogue.  There's really no point to it, except to tie things up.  It's also posted later than I'd hoped, but that can't be helped, unfortunately.  I'm horrible at following my update schedules, and I apologize for that.  I hope everyone likes this epilogue.  Please tell me what you think of it.  If you've recently discovered this fic, tell me how you like the whole thing, if you will.  Let me know in a review or an email to mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!