Epilogue:

Maia

Maia eased herself down to the bench beneath the shade of the gnarled old tree in the open garden, setting her small basket of flowers next to her with a grateful sigh as she wiggled her toes out of her zori a bit. The relief it gave her sore feet was instantaneous, and her eyelids drifted down as she sagged back in pleasure, idly caressing the top of her swollen belly. It was the height of spring, and the winds were only just beginning to warm up. She would have an early summer child. The thought sent a giddy rush of warmth, excitement and delight through her for several reasons, not the least of which was knowing the tiny person she was carrying would be round and fat and wriggling energetically by the time the harsh mountain winter set in.

...speaking of energetic wriggling...

She allowed herself an amused and somewhat exasperated chuckle at her niece's clumsy enthusiasm as the 10 year-old skipped and giggled and darted from one end of the garden to the other with inexhaustible fervor. She smiled and shook her head, smoothing the front of her kimono as she watched the young girl. Her eldest brother had raised a properly wild little thing. Kayo was as tough as nails and free as a bird, but the child's steps were as surefooted as a cat and Maia knew she needn't worry about scolding the girl for fear she would fall and tear her kimono.

Maia's smile softened in nostalgia as she watched her niece. Stretching her shoulders back, she shifted on the bench to settle herself more comfortably before pulling out the small silk bag tucked into the front of her obi. Rubbing her thumb over the lumpy contents, she tilted her head and gazed at Kayo as she tried to picture her as a young woman. Of course she knew her thoughts strayed to comparing her niece's bright open smile, mischievous naivete, and innate indelicate grace with 'Nina' from four years ago because of the object in her hand, but she also couldn't deny the similarities.

Shaking her head with a laugh, she laced her fingers in the strings of the small pouch and gave herself a half-hearted scolding for comparing her niece to a young man who had been pretending to be a woman. That devious little scamp had done one heck of a good job, though, and she couldn't bring herself to feel guilty over the thoughts. Naruto had risked everything - his masculinity included - to protect them from those horrible people. Looking down at the plain silk bag resting in the palm of her hand, she hugged her belly and silently thanked every one of the shinobi who had worked so hard at deceiving everyone for the sake of keeping them safe.

"Oba-chan?" Kayo asked softly, gingerly placing her little hands on Maia's stomach.

"Ah, I fell asleep with my eyes open again, didn't I," Maia sighed with light humor, smiling at her niece's wide dark green eyes and reaching out to comb the tangles from Kayo's mop of unruly black hair. It would be such a relief when the girl's hair finally got long enough to pin up or braid.

"There's a man here who wants to talk to you, Oba-chan," Kayo said, weathering the treatment patiently and only wincing a bit as one particularly stubborn knot refused to be smoothed out.

"Oh? Who is- Ah! Kakashi-san!" Maia gave the tall man standing a few paces away a surprised and welcoming smile, scooting her toes back into her zori and bracing her arm against the back of the bench in preparation for the ridiculously awkward task of just standing up.

"No, no, no, please don't get up," Kakashi insisted, taking a step forward and waving his hands somewhat nervously.

"Don't be silly, I've been sitting long enough," she scoffed, rolling her eyes at herself as she maneuvered to find the proper leverage to get her unwieldy body to cooperate. Suddenly there was an arm bracing her back, and the next thing she knew she was on her feet gripping a handful of material that felt hardy and thick in comparison to the silk and cotton she wrapped herself in every day. "Oh, goodness, thank you, Kakashi-san," she blinked, letting go of his sleeve as he stepped back. Somewhere in the back of her mind it felt like he had almost flinched away, and she reflexively ducked her head in apology. "You didn't have to trouble yourself, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"Ah, no, it's not you, it's...me," he replied, scratching the back of his head and giving a subtle shrug.

"Hmm...well, you're going to have to conquer that at some point," Maia said with an amused smile and a meaningful look, holding out her hand so the small purse dangled from her fingers. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon after I sent that message."

"Luck was on my side this time," Kakashi chuckled, taking the little bag with a bow. "Thank you for all your help, Maia-san, I know it wasn't easy finding the particular color I was after."

"I'm sorry it took me three years to get it for you," she said, then tilted her head and arched an eyebrow as she looked up at the man. "So, when is the wedding?"

"You and Ino have become far too close," Kakashi drawled, sliding his hands in his pockets.

"I expect to be invited."

"You're going to be waiting a very long time."

"Eloping is not an option, Kakashi-san," Maia scolded. "Now come down here so I can wish you luck properly. Honestly, I don't remember you being this tall when you first arrived here."

"It was good seeing you again, Maia-san, and congratulations," he said kindly, bending over so the petite woman could give his masked cheek a peck.

"You will tell Naruto-kun what that stone is," she scowled, doing her best to cross her arms over her belly.

"Take care of yourself, Maia-san," Kakashi chuckled, turning to leave.

"Kakashi-san! He's going to think it's a topaz!"

"Probably," he said, his eye crinkling with an inappropriate abundance of amusement at the highly serious topic.

And then he was gone. Vanished completely before Maia could get another word out, and she stomped her foot in aggravation. Why did men have to be such fools?! As much as she wanted to, she knew she'd never divulge the details of Kakashi's request in her frequent letters to Ino. But that was all right, because she knew that the moment Naruto showed that stone off after it had been cut and set into what she HOPED was a proper gold ring, the jig would be up. Walking back to the ryokan with Kayo bouncing beside her in a frenzy of curiosity, she wondered just how long she'd have to wait for that invitation.

Three years later, when she sat down to read the hasty excited scrawl of Naruto's letter and glanced into the second sealed envelope the small toad had brought, she laughed and looked down at the little bump her belly was making beneath her obi. Kakashi may have the patience of a mountain, but Naruto was a storm of eagerness. She really had wanted to be there for his initiation ceremony as the Rokudaime Hokage, but the trip was simply too hard in her condition. Well, at least she wouldn't have to wait too much longer for her invitation, and she was determined to get them an absurdly extravagant wedding gift for all the excessive money they were giving her to shop on their behalf.

It was lucky for her that she'd found a perfectly wonderful husband from the traveling merchant family she'd worked with to fill Kakashi's request, so it would be easy to send out a letter to her father-in-law with the picture Naruto had provided. Granted, it wouldn't be easy finding a quality sapphire the EXACT color of Naruto's eyes, but it wouldn't be nearly as difficult as finding a vivid orange diamond the color of tangerines.

END

[ *blows kisses to everyone!* =D

Oh! About that picture that Sai drew... Unfortunately, I don't have a reference, it's just an image in my head. If I had any talent in drawing, I'd sketch it out. But I'm not even going to try, because that would simply destroy everything and probably give you nightmares. XD ]