Years later…

"Ah, shit!"

"Tora!"

"What? It's not my fault that this doll is shit."

"I'm not talking about the doll, I'm talking about the curse word you just said."

"But Dad says it all the time, Asahi."

"But Mom says that Dad cursing is not an excuse to do the same."

"Come on, you two, there's really nothing to fight over, right?"

Asahi and Tora Roselei-Yami just shot an upset glare at their brother, Clovis Roselei-Yami, who immediately raised his arms in an attempt to calm his big brother and his little sister down. Despite being the only one of his siblings to have get his father's corpulence and despite being already a bit buff for his nine years, he was always the peacekeeper between Asahi and Tora.

"Okay, as long as you don't destroy a wall in an attempt to make us stop arguing, like yesterday," Asahi replied with resignation, fumbling with his low ponytail. A gesture he always did when he was embarrassed. To be fair, as the oldest, he was always flustered when his younger siblings had to scold him more or less. Be it the kind way like Clovis did or an attempt to provoke him, like Tora often tried. She was already pretty cheeky for a five year old.

"But this was an accident and I apologized!"

"You always apologize too much, Clovis."

"And you not as much, Tora."

"Right back at you, stick-ass Asahi."

"Excuse me?"

"Please, you two, not again."

Clovis looked around him with a bit of despair, waiting for his parents to finally return, while Asahi and Tora already started one of their most famous glaring competition. Sometimes, he had no idea if it was a curse or a blessing that his personality was like a mix of his parents. Asahi was just like their mother on that topic, while Tora had a personality like a mini Yami Sukehiro.

Thankfully they were outside, so even if he got fed up with his siblings again, there wasn't a risk that he'll destroy a wall or something to make Asahi and Tora stop fighting. It already happened a few times before and of course he always immediately apologized afterwards. And got confused when his father complimented is already strong fist, when uncle Luck asked him to fight him with his strength or when uncle Magna and uncle Asta talked about him destroying a wall with excitement.

"My, what is it about this time?"

To Clovis' big relief, Yami and Charlotte came back to their spot, with some picnic baskets, courtesy of auntie Charmy.

"Nothing, I just said shit!"

"Tora!"

"Haha, that's my girl! Too bad others haven't heard it, I wonder what else-"

"Yami, darling…"

Charlottes glance went suddenly dark as she looked at her husband deeply into his soul, making Yami shiver. And her three children. Although, Asahi started to have that kind of threatening glance as well from time to time. But never would he dear yet to look at his own father like this.

"Uh, I mean… You're a bit too young to say things like this, Tora. And… please don't anger your mother."

"Okay, Dad."

Charlottes dark aura disappeared immediately, as she kneeled down in front of her daughter with a kind smile. "My sweet Tora, you have a very wild personality and it is one of your many amazing traits, but I still would appreciate if you don't say cursing words yet. You're too young to even understand what they even mean. I know that I can't stop you for using them, but I would love if you could hold back a bit. Let's agree that you won't use them when you're in public. Is this okay for you?"

"Yes, Mum."

"Asahi, I'm so happy that you're such a caring older brother. I'm so proud of you for that and I know that your father is it as well. But don't forget that your little sister is only five yet. She still has a lot to learn, also from you. And as much as I appreciate how dutiful you are, I also don't want you to become an adult too fast. You're only thirteen, you still have your whole life in front of you and you deserve to enjoy to the fullest."

"I understand, Mum."

"And Clovis. I love how you care so much for your siblings and that you always try to be a diplomat within their arguments. You have a talent for that. But you also know that Asahi and Tora never mean to fight seriously, they still love each other and you. Arguments like this are normal for siblings and you have fun together most of the time, all three of you. Never forget that, my already big boy."

"Okay, Mum."

It was true. Not even three seconds later, Asahi, Clovis and Tora were sitting on the grass, laughing and having fun, under the proud glance of their parents.

Puli had told them once that their children would become handsome men and a breathetaking girl later. Charlotte might be biased, as she was the mother of those three, but she had to agree.

Asahi might have gotten Yamis dark grey eyes, but for the rest, with his slim stature and his long silky blonde hair, he was coming entirely after Charlotte. Young girls and boys around his age were already crushing on him.

Clovis was the only one who inherited Yamis beef and he was rather buff and big for a nine-year old. His blonde hair was short and wild like his fathers and just like his personality, his eyes were a mix of his parents. A beautiful grey-blue.

Tora indeed promised to be a beauty later. Despite being a lot like her father, her frame promised to be more like her mother's. She had beautiful azure eyes and already long black and wavy hair. The Blue Roses already teased that boys would run after her once she's an adult.

A perspective that already awakened Yamis protective father side. And not only for Tora, but also for his two sons. Charlotte was always amused when he was like that.

"Okay, when will Vanessa and Braids finally show up with their little braided princesses? Don't tell me they're going to be late, that would be wild."

"They're not late for the picnic, we're just early."

"Yeah, but that's just because you cut down my dump break to the barest minimum, you Prickly Wife of yours truly."

"DAD!"

Asahi, Clovis and Tora glared at their father with flustered frustration. If there was something that they always agreed on, is that their fathers toilet break stories where highly embarassing for them.

"Did uncle Dumpy said something stupid about toilets again?"

"Cassandra, please don't talk uncle Yami like that."

Said uncle Yami immediately started to groan with annoyed resignation. This was a nickname some brats liked to use, like Finrals oldest boy. But there was one child who called him like that practically every single time.

Cassandra Silva.

The youngest daughter of Nozel and Vanessa.

She immediately run over to them, in her cute black and silver dress, with her rather wild and wavy silver hair and her black witch hat. Her eyes were a metallic purple just like her father's, but unlike Nozel, Cassandra was a rather wild girl. A wild girl who also loved to nap. She was the same age as Tora and those two already had some kind of rivalry. Well, as much as rivals two five year old girls could be.

Cassandra three older sisters and her parents came nearer, Vanessa and Valentina waving at them.

"It's nice to see you all on time, for a change," Vanessa laughed, immediately sitting down, handing a little basket full of delicious Silva pastries to Clovis. His eyes started to shine as he saw the vanilla éclairs in it.

"That's because Prickly Queen over there dared to cut my toilet break to the bare minimum!"

"What is your bare minimum for your long toilet breaks, Yami?" Nozel asked casually, while trying to get his daughter Lavinia from behind him.

Lavinia Silva was a truly shy and adorable eight year old girl. She got Nozels metallic purple eyes and Vanessa deep rosewood hair colour, although her hair texture was more like her father's. Two full braids wiped under her pale pink witch hat. Shy and often hiding behind her parents or her two older sisters, Lavinia also promised to become an amazing musician. Nothing could make her happier than to sing and to play on any instruments, as well as learning to play new ones.

"Hey, Asahi, why so stiff? You're not a Magic Knight yet, relax a bit," Valentina laughed, poking Asahis cheek, while Nymphea smiled at him with a nod before sitting down on the grass.

Asahi only managed to nod a bit, but that was it. He was too busy to not show how much he was blushing already. His father and his siblings didn't noticed this at all. But his mother did immediately.

Charlotte smiled. She already suspected that Asahi might have a huge crush already and that it was one of the Silva twins. But which one, Nymphea or Valentina?

Both of them were such beautiful young girls, especially with those amethyst eyes, just like their mother. But Nymphea and Valentina were still different in many ways.

Nymphea had silver hair, but wavy curls like Vanessa that flowed under her dark blue witch hat. Very much like her father personality wise, Nymphea cared a lot for her family and was also taking her role as eldest seriously. But just like her mother, she was able to be relaxed about it most of the time. She also had a small teasing side, like a much calmer version of her mother's.

Valentina was very different from her twin sister. Pale rosewood coloured hair, straight and silky like her aunt Noelle or her late grandmother Acier, more like Vanessa personality wise, full of joy and easy going. But like Nozel, Valentina cared deeply for her siblings, loved her parents dearly and would easily sacrifice herself for her family.

They were two kind and wonderful girls. Charlotte would understand that Asahi fell for one or the other. But just which one was he crushing on?

Maybe she would ask him when it was just the two of them. They could always talk about anything and everything especially when they were alone together.

"Yo, Bird Braid, have you ever teached your last born brat to call me uncle Dumpy less and less, for f… for heaven's sake?"

Yami was glad that he could hold back the word fuck just in time. Because if he would have said it out loud, it wouldn't have been only Tora to say it with pride but also little Cassandra. Which meant that it wouldn't have been only Charlotte darkly glaring at him, but Vanessa and Nozel as well. And Yami knew from experience that those three glares together was actually pretty scary.

"I would, but Vanessa find it funny and doesn't want that Cassandra stops calling you like that. At least completely."

"Gosh, she got so bold since she started to date you, Bird Braid."

"Yami, that was fifteen years ago. And besides, do you hear me complain that most of the children call me uncle Braids?"

"That's because your braid looks so cool, uncle Braids!" Tora yelled, not focusing fully on Cassandra anymore. "Once I have bangs long like that, I want the same braid!"

"Oh hell no, no braids for you, young lady!" Yami immediately protested, which made all the others laugh, even Nozel.

"Why not?" Tora pouted, crossing her arms and sitting on the grass very inelegantly.

"I refuse to have one of my children becoming another Bird Braid. Only braids allowed will be one like your Prickly Mama, all the others are forbidden."

"Even braids like mine?" Lavinia asked softly from behind her father, pulling softly on her braids, a bit unsure and a bit sad.

Yami immediately calmed down at the sight. "Well… your braids are good too, Nia. No problem, of course. Okay, Tora, you will either got braids like your mother or like Lavinia over there. Or like your auntie Ichika."

"Speaking of, where are Ichika and her little family?" Vanessa asked while already brushing of some dirt from Cassandras clothes. "Is there a reason they declined the invitation? Her twins love picnics."

"Only when it's in the middle of the night," Yami replied with a shrug. "My nephew and my niece have some really dark preferences."

"No wonder with those parents," Nozel commented, while putting Lavinia on his lap.

"Ichika, Nacht, Mond and Sonne took some vacation in the Heart Kingdom. The twins never had been there before," Charlotte answered, brushing some dirt of from Toras little sky blue dress.

"Hey, I was never there as well, I want to go too!"

"Same here!"

"Actually, Cassandra, you were in the Heart Kingdom already," Valentina replied with a laugh. "But you were a baby, so it's not a surprise that you can't remember it. We had a vacation there with auntie Noelle, uncle Asta and our cousins. It was nice, even though you peed on uncle Astas swim shorts one day."

"Don't worry, sweetie, Asta was of course not mad at you," Vanessa immediately said as Cassandra looked like she was about to panic.

"Ah, good. But I still need another vacation there, so that I can have memories this time. And with our tiny uncle, for the fun."

"Tiny uncle, that's the best uncle nickname!" Yami laughed loudly. Asta didn't really grown even after all those years, Noelle was still slightly bigger than her husband. Asahi, Nymphea and Valentina even surpassed him in height with already thirteen years. "Speaking of, where are your siblings and their offspring, Bird Braid, Vanessa?"

Vanessa let Cassandra go join her oldest sisters while answering, "Each Silva family has a bit of a family day today. Asta and Noelle took their day off to visit Kahono, with all three kids. Solid took wife and kids for a shopping trip and I bet that he will maybe regret it this evening. As for Zora and Nebra, they staid at the palace with the quadruplets and their youngest. Mathilda got a cold, but nothing big."

"I still can believe that Braids other sister still got another baby after she gave birth to four at once. Haven't she and Zora said that four was enough?"

"Yami, my youngest niece was born two years ago, there's no need to be still surprised. And like they said, it had been a happy accident. Nebra had been relieved that it had been only one baby this time."

"Not to mention that Mathilda came to the world in only twenty minutes. This was the true surprise two years ago" Vanessa giggled, standing up to join now her husband and to hug him from behind, which made him smile softly immediately. And after a whisper to Lavinia, her third daughter stood up with a shy smile and joined her sisters and the Roselei-Yami siblings at the pond, filled with water lilies.

Charlotte decided to do the same as Vanessa, joining her own husband and hugging him from behind. Yami almost purred, enjoying the embrace.

Nozel and Vanessa truly had chosen a nice place for the picnic. Within the parc of the royal capital, a bit away from where most people usually went, under a willow at a gorgeous pond with a lot of water lilies, it was indeed a peaceful and lovely spot to just be, to enjoy the moment and to relax.

Vanessa had told Charlotte recently that this willow at the water lily pond had been a favourite place of the late lady Acier Silva. So she could only imagine what this spot probably could mean for Nozel. And Vanessa too.

I was a peaceful, sunny day. One could even say a happy day. Of course, perfection didn't exist, but the feeling right now felt so perfect.

The seven children where at the pond, having fun with each other. Nymphea showed Lavinia and Clovis the different water lilies, adding some explanations. Tora and Cassandra picked some long grasses and had start a duel against each other, under Valentinas cheering and Asahis first attempts to calm the little girls down. In the end, he gave up and gave them instead some tricks about fencing, which was actually a hobby of his.

The parents just observed their children, with pride and happiness. Those two couples came from a long way to come to this point and it wasn't over. The way of Life which was still in front of them won't be short. But each hurdle, each pain, each tear had been worth it, thanks to each joy, each laugh, each happy moment like this.

Nozel and Vanessa just had a talk after the war in Spade. A mere coincidence, but without even realizing it, they opened up to each other, fell in love… Vanessa found a man she could love truly and deeply, even though she haven't expected it, which made it somehow even more precious. Nozel broke free from his duties, his yearlong grief and his self-sacrifice which had put him in a dark and cold winter. By meeting Vanessa, he finally stopped denying himself any happiness, allowing him to finally move on from his past pain. They healed and loved together.

Yami and Charlotte were somehow always meant to be together, even though they had a lot of hurdles to overcome before their hearts could properly find each other. Be it individually and together. Yami had been so terribly dense for a long time despite his Ki reading and Charlotte had to overcome many issues with her heart, especially concerning the man she had loved in secret for over a decade. But they found each other, better late than never. Yami embraced his softer side thanks to Charlotte. And Charlotte was finally able to be more open about her feelings.

For both couples, a lot happened during many years. Before they found each other, as well as during and after they got together. But it was worth it.

Everything had been worth it.

They grew stronger thanks to their past experiences, were ready for whatever the future might bring them and gave their children the childhood neither really had themselves.

It was fine. The future could come, whatever it was. They were ready and they were happy.

Silver cats and black roses…

In a way, they had everything they wanted and even more. It was fine.