Sorcerer Hunters Fan Fiction ❯ A Brother's Love ❯ 03 - The Illusion ( Chapter 3 )

~Chapter 3~

 

 

 

Night had fallen over the Spooner Continent by the time Celery had pulled away from his brother's sudden embrace and had undertaken the prior business of going to get Marron. His rampant hunger satiated for the time being, Radish was in one of the other rooms, the one he'd prepared for what he'd planned to do.

 

Celery walked up the stairs and along the corridor at the top of the stairs; the room with Marron in was the furthest one along, the one at the end of the corridor. Celery reached into his trouser pocket, making sure that the key was still there; it was, he nodded to himself.

 

Part of him didn't want to have to go and get Marron; part of him wanted nothing to do with the whole business, but... more than that, it was something that Radish wanted, and therefore couldn't be ignored.

Radish... Celery felt slightly numbed as he thought of his brother. Less than half an hour ago he'd been shuddering in his brother's embrace, but here he was, still going to get Marron...

 

He wouldn't have minded had it not been for his brother's words during that time. Radish had held him down and taken him as he usually did, Celery hadn't minded, again, as he usually didn't... usually, Radish at least spoke of his brother's beauty, spoke of whatever deluded love he felt he had at the time... it hadn't been like that this time, though. This time... this time, Radish had stroked his hair, and wondered what it'd be like if it was longer... if it was black, instead of purple... if his eyes were that stormy lilac-blue instead of green... what if he wore a robe instead of a cape, what if he was Marron, and not Celery?

 

Well, Radish hadn't spoken that last suggestion, but Celery felt that that was what his brother was implying. All the comparisons so suddenly... he felt empty. He'd had sex with his brother, but his brother had been having sex with some kind of dream... it didn't help that he kept saying Marron's name. He barely touched Celery as he took his own pleasure, and when he was touched, it was always under some comparison, under scrutiny... of course, Marron would do this in such a more graceful way... and he wouldn't react like that, he wouldn't do that, he'd do this instead...

 

Celery knew better than to mention any of this, though. After all, Radish didn't have to do any of that. Celery was grateful enough for the relationship as it stood, and after all, it was only one time; most of the times before, Radish had been happy enough with Celery, and called his name in passion as Celery had called Radish's own... it was probably just a phase his brother was going through. At that moment in time, he couldn't have Marron, so he'd have what was available... the person who would never say no... the person who'd never say if he was uncomfortable with what Radish did, the person who'd never say so when he felt he was being used, even if just a little bit...

 

Celery felt listless and looked sullen as he approached Marron's room. Behind the door, that was where the person Radish felt he wanted was... the person who's name Radish had cried out... Celery opened the door.

 

Marron was still asleep when Celery walked in; he approached the bed, glancing out of the window as he did so. The moon was large in the sky and shone in through the window, creating sections of light and sections of shadow in the room. Marron's head lay mostly in light; when Celery stood next to him, it caused a little shadow over his body. Marron shifted slightly, "N... niisan..."

 

Celery just watched him. Maybe he was dreaming of his brother... he thought back to the events at Qeran. It'd been brutal, what Radish had done... but he himself hadn't done anything to stop his brother, either. He was just as at fault as his sadistic little brother was, no matter how much he liked to think himself above his brother's brutal tendencies. Radish was usually brutal, he usually blew up whole villages and towns... this time it'd only been four people, what made this time worse than all those others when hundreds of people must have died?

 

Celery supposed it was his part in their deaths. Usually he stood to the side while Radish did what he wanted; this time, he'd been talking to the people before they died, he'd got to know them, even if only a little bit... they were totally trusting of him, so trusting that they followed him into an inferno... and now they were dead...

 

Marron rolled from his side onto his back, his eyes seeming to twitch a little, although they didn't open.

 

Celery supposed he saw what his brother liked about the young mage. He certainly was very pretty, and if that was all that Radish was after, then Marron certainly filled the criteria.

 

"I'm obviously not beautiful enough for him..."

 

The other things that Radish seemed to want... they weren't things that Celery could give. Radish wanted to get to know this person... he wanted to have a mysterious relationship and learn about this person as they went on, he... Celery didn't know how to describe it, but Radish obviously wanted someone who wasn't his brother. Who wasn't as close, who he didn't know as well... Celery supposed that that was a compliment of sorts in a strange Radish sort of way, but it didn't feel like it. Just to make his brother happy, he'd try to do anything... but he couldn't do this, what Radish suddenly wanted, he could only help alongside it. And helping alongside it still didn't convince Celery that it was the right thing to do. Disturbing so many lives just for one of Radish's mood swings... but that was what always happened. Radish had a craving for fire, so he blew a village up. How many lives were ended there? And how many lives out of the scope of that village were disturbed by the deaths of those that Radish had killed?

 

Celery's face darkened as he thought. It was wrong, it was all wrong. Other than Big Mama and the Sorcerer Hunters, there wasn't really anyone to say "No", but that didn't stop his own conscience telling him that it was wrong... Radish wasn't the kind of person to listen to such things like conscience, conscience and reason, such things that he deemed unimportant.

 

Celery sat himself gently on the side of the bed, wanting to be gentle as he woke Marron up. He didn't want to suddenly earn Marron's anger, even though he felt like he deserved it.

 

He shook Marron's shoulder gently, "Marron... Marron? Marron, wake up..."

 

"Ni... nii... san..."

 

Celery sighed, "I'm sorry, I'm not your niisan, but... I want you to wake up anyway..."

 

Celery touched his fingers to Marron's forehead, "Wake up, Marron..."

 

Marron's eyes opened slowly.

 

"Wh... who..."

 

He blinked himself awake, gazing levelly up at Celery, looking neither happy nor sad for that sight once he focused. Just emotionless.

 

"... it's you."

 

Celery nodded, "I'm sorry I'm not the person you wanted..."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"You were saying 'niisan' in your sleep."

 

Marron rolled over onto one side, turning away from Celery, closing his eyes again. His voice was cold.

 

"Yes, well. What do you expect? I... miss him."

 

Celery nodded, "I don't doubt that... I... apologize for my brother's actions. He's... he can be hasty when he wants to be. And stubborn. He..."

 

"I don't need your apologies. You're as much at fault as your brother is; you could have saved them, you could have saved my brother... and your brother could have left me to die, but he didn't... why did you wake me up? I was trying to sleep for what seems like such a long time... all I could see was... niisan..."

 

Marron trailed off quietly, blinking the shaking view through sudden tears away from his eyes before then regaining his distant briskness. "What do you want?

 

Celery tugged on Marron's shoulder until he rolled back onto his back. Marron did so reluctantly, looking at Celery with a begrudging air.

 

"Marron, you might not count my apology as counting for anything, but... I am sorry, despite what you might think. I rarely agree with the things that my brother does... I especially disagree with what he wants to do following this..."

 

Marron frowned slightly, "What do you mean?"

 

"I can't tell you... it's my brother's business, unfortunately. But... if you want to talk about anything, feel free to talk to me about it... I'll listen."

 

"I don't need to talk to you."

 

Marron glanced away. Celery sighed.

 

"My brother didn't put me up to this. I really want to know what you're feeling. I know you get angry, like how you were angry earlier, but... being upset... are you upset? You don't have to hide your tears, not if you're upset. You don't have to hide them from me."

 

"I don't have to show them to you either."

 

Celery felt guilty. Marron obviously didn't feel like opening up to him, and he didn't blame him, either. He was genuinely curious as to how Marron felt, though.

 

"... I'm sorry. I just don't like to think of people suffering in silence."

 

Celery put his fingers to Marron's forehead again, causing a "What are you doing?" from Marron. Celery quietly ignored Marron's spoken thoughts, concentrating instead on his inner thoughts, thoughts that he couldn't hide from a prying mind.

 

"I just want to know what you're really feeling. What are you really feeling?"

 

Celery saw an image of Carrot in his mind. A momentarily overpowering feeling, just the feeling of Carrot...

 

"You miss him..."

 

More images, images that came and went with increasing frequency. Celery just sat there for a moment, his eyes closed; Marron's eyes had also closed somewhere along the line. All Celery could feel was of Carrot; he saw images of Carrot as a child, Carrot and someone else... Celery realised that the other child was Marron. Not as graceful and beautiful as now, but certainly cute. The cute child got picked on by other children; those memories seemed somewhat darker to Celery, as if they were in shadow. Celery supposed that they weren't memories that Marron cared to recall; the darkness seemed to lift when Carrot entered the memories, though. He entered the memories and made them brighter again.

 

Celery let himself feel Marron's thoughts and memories for a while longer, seeing things that were important to Marron, feeling what was important to be felt. Eventually, Celery decided he'd seen enough, and retracted his fingers, his eyes slowly opening. Marron's did too.

 

"... I can't explain what I'm feeling. Perhaps that explained better than my inadequate words could."

 

"You... knew what I was doing?"

 

"I'm not stupid, Celery. You were reading my mind."

 

Celery paused. If Marron knew what Celery was doing just then, it'd make his next job that bit harder... still, he didn't have to make any reference to that. There was reading someone's mind, and then there was putting something into it, two different things... he just sighed, trying to look kindly.

 

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to know what you were feeling."

Marron nodded, "I know. If I really didn't want you looking through my mind, then I wouldn't have let you."

 

"You... have that power?"

 

"I've studied it enough to know what to do should the circumstance arise."

 

Celery narrowed his eyes slightly.

 

"I... I see..."

 

He decided to make a last-ditch effort, feeling suddenly hopeless as he suddenly did. Marron might not fall to his persuasion... and Radish wasn't even here. Might Radish unknowingly trigger Marron's anger?

 

"As much as you love your brother, I love mine. Understand that."

 

Marron understood.

 

"I can't disobey him. He has the potential to be so angry... I can't disobey him. I don't agree with the things that he does, but I can't disobey him... do you still understand?"

 

Marron did.

 

Celery closed his eyes, not caring that Marron knew what he was doing. He needed to go deeper, and that required more concentration...

 

"... you understand me... if I said that... I could somehow take you back to being with your brother, would you believe or understand me?"

 

The first thing that Celery felt was hope; before feelings of 'No, you'd be lying' occurred, there was hope. Only a brief moment, but enough for Celery to latch himself onto and exploit.

 

"Marron, I want you to come with me, and trust me..."

 

Celery reached out with his mind, touching him tenderly through his mind.

 

"... trust me, and don't forget... don't forget that hope..."

 

The hope felt so elusive, but Celery could feel it... barely, but it was still there... in his mind's eye, he could see it as something that shined, almost. In his mind, he reached out to touch that which shined, he thought of what Marron had thought of before, thoughts of his brother... as Celery spoke to Marron's mind, he also thought of Carrot, wanting to placate him into a position of trust.

 

"... he'll always be in your mind, won't he, Marron?"

 

He would.

 

"... if he could be in more than that... if he could appear in front of you again... you want that, don't you?"

 

Marron wanted Carrot to be alive. More than anything else, he wanted Carrot to live.

 

"Don't hold back, Marron... what else do you feel? What else do you want? Are you content to just have him live, even if he didn't know of your existence, or..."

 

Marron wanted Carrot to live and be aware of him. He wanted to be aware of Carrot. A quick thought occurred, Marron never wanted to leave his brother's side. Thoughts came and went as quickly as each other; Marron wanted to always be with his brother. He always wanted to be beside him. He never wanted to leave him. He never wanted his brother to be in danger; he wanted to be able to help him, no matter what. He wanted him nearby; he wanted him close; he wanted him. He loved him. The thoughts seemed to slow to a stop with that one thought that insisted itself upon Celery's mind; Marron loved Carrot, that was the deepest point Celery could feel.

 

Celery opened his eyes, looking at Marron. Marron seemed... his eyes were opened, but they seemed dulled. Celery wasn't sure how to describe it, but Marron as a whole seemed suddenly hazy.

 

"I... I love him, Celery... the person I'll... always love... niisan..."

 

"He's dead, Marron..."

Marron would kill the people responsible for his brother's death and then die himself; whether he died or whether he was killed, or whether he killed himself, he didn't care. In Celery's mind, one thought stood brighter than any of the others; Marron wouldn't and couldn't die, not until he'd avenged his brother.

 

"Would you let me take you to a dream world, Marron? A world where you could be happy with your brother? Where he could still exist for you... even if it was only a dream?"

 

"What", "yes", "no" and "maybe" floated around in reply.

 

"Follow me downstairs if you agree."

 

Celery wordlessly stood up and made to leave the room; he heard Marron follow him. With his heart sinking as he went, he knew that Marron would follow him. He hoped that Radish would at least keep to his side of the plan.

 

He left the room and went down the stairs; Marron followed him still. At the bottom of the stairs, he turned left, into the room that was there. Marron followed him; Celery closed the door.

 

At first, everything was black. All was darkness. Nothing was visible, but Celery knew that Radish was in the room.

 

"Well, oniisama?"

"Radish, please, be gentle with him... I know that might be impossible for you, but at least try. Don't hurt him..."

 

"Hey, hey, maybe I shoulda gone and got him myself! Sounds like you're getting a little too over-protective of him, oniisama... you hate this idea though, don't you? I can feel it in your words when you speak to my mind... you've not done anything weird to him to turn him against me or anything, have you?"

 

Radish prodded in Celery's mind until he felt satisfied that no, Celery hadn't done anything like that.

 

"Maybe you hate this idea 'cause you want him for yourself..."

 

"Radish, no! It's not like that... I admit that Marron is beautiful, but myself, I... I could only..."

 

Radish felt the feeling of 'I could only ever love you', and smirked, even though he knew his brother couldn't see his facial expression.

 

"Okay, okay, I forgive you. Now, where is he?"

 

"He's standing to my left."

 

Radish nodded and reached out. "Ah, there we are."

 

He stepped backwards carefully; he had the room's layout memorized, but still hoped that he was leading Marron to the right place.

 

"Marron, can you hear me?"

"You killed my brother."

 

Radish paused. This was true.

 

"Oiii, oniisama! You were supposed to calm him down! He still knows I killed Carrot!"

 

"He's not trying to kill you, though. I think this is as calm as he gets."

 

Radish supposed that that was also true, and brought Marron to a kneel on the floor. Radish knelt in front of him, feeling the floor, feeling the marks he'd embedded into the floor. He was in the right place.

 

"You hate me, don't you?"

 

"You killed my brother. I can't forgive you for that."

 

"Why don't you kill me right now?"

"... I want to..."

 

Radish suddenly felt the images and memories that Celery had felt earlier, but somewhat freer than Celery had felt them. He looked as much as he wanted to, and then closed the connection.

 

"He's the only one you want, isn't he?"

 

"Niisan..."

 

"The only one you can think about, the only one you want..."

 

Radish took a deep breath, putting his hands on either side of Marron's head, his fingers on Marron's temples.

 

"You always think about him. Even now, he's all that you think about. Even now, even then... all the time, all day and every day... he's what you think about, who you think about, who you worry about... who you dream about. Who you thought and dreamt about. All those scrumptious thoughts in there, Marron... wet dream after wet dream about the hallowed niisan, right?"

 

Radish abruptly felt something different; something that burnt suddenly, something that almost made him remove his hands from Marron's head; the feeling burnt inside, but almost felt as if it was physically burning... that was impossible, though. Radish kept that in mind.

 

"Oniisama, help me here... he's still angry, in his mind..."

 

Celery sighed audibly, "I'd expect so."

 

He stepped forward, standing behind Marron. He dropped to a kneel, his hands on Marron's shoulders, draping over them. He pressed his forehead to the back of Marron's head, Radish could feel his brother's presence vaguely through Marron's mind.

 

"Marron... remember your thoughts from before..."

 

Radish tried to calm himself, "Remember him. You felt safe with him, didn't you? Always safe with your older brother... it's true, I killed him. That makes you angry, doesn't it?"

 

Celery worked to restrain it, but Radish still felt Marron's anger flare.

 

"Angry... you're still angry... I don't want you to be angry anymore, Marron... I don't want you always thinking about him, I don't want you to be angry at me because of what I did..."

 

Radish paused, feeling Marron's anger still burn. He smiled sadistically.

 

"He died because of you, Marron."

 

The anger was suddenly extinguished, replaced by a feeling of confusion. Confusion, worry, guilt.

 

"He died because of you. I saw who you loved, I felt that you loved Carrot more than anybody else... I don't want you to love him. I want you to... I... Carrot had to die. If you didn't love Carrot so much, he'd still be alive at this moment. That love of yours is what brought on his death... and isn't your love so forbidden? And looked what those feelings caused, Marron!"

 

Radish heard Celery's noises of exertion; keeping Marron restrained seemed to require a lot of power, this seemed to be exhausting Celery, and quickly.

 

"Oniisama, are you alright?"

 

"Please, Radish... try to be quick, I... his anger... his anger, his sadness..."

 

Radish pressed his forehead to Marron's forehead, his hands dropping to Marron's shoulders; he felt Celery's hands there, and linked them to his.

 

"Stop being angry, Marron. I know you hate me, I know you hate this, but you're hurting oniisama, and I hate that too... you wouldn't want to make me angry, Marron. I can be scary when I'm angry."

 

"I don't CARE, YOU KILLED NIISAN..."

 

"Ugh..."

 

Radish pulled his head back for a moment, collecting his thoughts. If that was Marron's anger, and Celery had him restrained... if the two of them... if their combined power still caused Marron's anger to be such, he dreaded to think what Marron's unleashed anger would be like.

 

"Oniisama, are you alright?"

 

"Ye-yes..."

 

"Dammit, oniisama's being hurt... I can't forgive that... oniisama, I'm going to do it now..."

 

A pause from Celery.

 

"Radish, not if it's going to be too much for you..."

 

"Hang in a little longer please, oniisama... I can do it, but only with your help. I can do it if it's with you... besides, it's what I always planned to do, so doing it now is only making it happen a little quicker... I can't make him any more calmer, he's so angry now..."

 

"Use it, Radish... use that anger... that flood of emotion..."

 

"I plan to, oniisama. I plan to."

 

Radish's voice died down within Celery's mind, he felt a sudden intense concentration; he concentrated alongside his brother, and suddenly, all was darkness. Even within his mind.

 

****

 

"Marron, you don't need to worry anymore."

 

Marron turned around suddenly at hearing that voice; suddenly he was somewhere different... the place was dark, as if at night. The place was... some kind of street? It wasn't anywhere that Marron recognized. The place was deserted, even the houses around didn't have lights on inside. There was silence, not even the wind in the distantly visible trees; the only sound was the voice which he heard, and his own heartbeat.

 

"Nii... niisan?"

 

Suddenly in front of him; it was indeed Carrot.

 

"Niisan! Niisan? ... Niisan, you died..."

 

Carrot seemed to smirk, just walking to Marron. He didn't stop when he reached Marron, forcing Marron to walk backwards, until he backed into the wall nearest to him. Marron frowned, "Niisan, what...?"

 

Carrot's voice was thick as he worked his fingers against the catch of Marron's robe.

 

"I know what you want. I know what you want... I'll give it to you."

 

Marron's heart beat quicker when he felt his brother's warm lips against his neck. "Niisan... niisan, what are you doing...?"

 

"Marron, surely you know..."

 

Carrot's hands worked on Marron's other buttons and catches now. He worked swiftly, slipping one hand underneath Marron's open robe.

 

"You feel so cold, Marron... let me warm you."

 

Marron threw his head back against the wall, body tensing.

 

"Niisan, you... you can't, you... you died, what are you doing... here?"

 

Silence as Carrot kissed along Marron's neck, down to his collarbone, stopping before he went any further.

 

"Maybe I wanted to do this to you. Is that a crime? You're so beautiful, little brother... and I know you want it. All your deepest dreams and fantasies... they're all with me, aren't they? You only think of me when you touch yourself... and damn, how often do you do that?"

 

Marron felt himself blush, "Nii-niisan... d-don't..."

 

"Hush, Marron. It's every single time you can, isn't it? When we're in a forest, when you can escape for the precious few minutes you need... when we share a room, you do it in quiet, hoping I can't hear you... when you're awake and everyone else is asleep, because we've got you doing guard duty for the night... it's a good thing no-one ever attacks us, a great help you'd be, hand between your legs and gasping my name..."

 

Carrot nudged his leg between Marron's two, separating them. He smiled sadistically, "Well, it's true, isn't it?"

 

Marron stared intently at the floor; Carrot wasn't talking like this, was he? He felt like there was something wrong with the situation, something he had to remember... but all he could think of was Carrot... Carrot, and the embarrassment he felt...

 

"Niisan... niisan, I'm sorry..."

 

"Don't be. I don't hold it against you... I always knew when you were jerking off when you were in the next bed on... you'd be so quiet, but you'd gasp when you came, and worry if I heard... it doesn't matter, I heard. Maybe I'd get myself off thinking about you too. How about that?"

 

Carrot pulled his hand out of Marron's robe and let it drop down, "You touch yourself there, don't you?"

 

"Nii... niisan..."

 

"You always wished it was me touching you there like that. Well, now, it is, isn't it? I don't mind, Marron. Marron, I want to touch you there... I want to make you scream my name... I want to make you come, Marron. You're always getting yourself off over me, it's always me... don't you want me to?"

 

"Niisan, this is wrong, you... this can't be... you... you died, I remember it..."

 

Carrot kissed against Marron's neck again, causing a gasp.

 

"What do you remember?"

 

Another kiss.

 

"I... I remember the fire..."

 

"Did you see me die?"

 

"N-no..."

 

"What feels more real? The memory of that fire, or my touch?"

 

Carrot's fingers trailed up to the sash that kept Marron's robe together; he picked and pulled at it with those fingers, letting it undo and fall to the floor. Marron's body kept it trapped against the wall, as he shifted, it fell. Marron's robe fell fully open; Carrot pressed Marron's upper stomach with one finger.

 

"My touch... like this..."

 

Marron closed his eyes tightly, his breathing suddenly heavy as Carrot slipped his hand underneath the edge of Marron's trousers and took hold of his erection; part of him wanted to argue; Carrot had died, hadn't he? If he was dead, he couldn't be here like this, doing that... the rest of him didn't want to argue. He didn't want to fight those sudden feelings. He wanted to bask in their glory, let them control him...

 

Marron's body lost it's tense feeling as Carrot's hands brushed over him in a certain way... he shuddered, falling against the wall slightly, "Niisan..."

 

"See, you like it, don't you? Don't argue with what you feel, Marron... just let yourself go... I want to see you let yourself go... I want to have you totally..."

 

Marron half-opened his eyes, gazing at Carrot.

 

"... I want you to have me... niisan, take me..."

 

Carrot smirked, "You can't fight against me, can you?"

 

"I... I wouldn't want to..."

 

Marron gasped as he felt Carrot pull on his trousers, feeling his robe against the back of his legs; he let his trousers be pulled down, he let himself be pushed against the wall, against and down, until he lay upon the floor.

 

"Give yourself totally to me, Marron..."

 

"Y-yes, niisan..."

 

Marron's trousers provided restriction, but didn't stop Carrot's hand from going to his body, touching him in such enticing, wicked ways... he didn't mind. He could never mind. He let Carrot do what he want, content to do as Carrot asked, content to give himself totally. If that was what Carrot wanted... there was no argument.

 

Carrot's fingers felt cold suddenly; he pushed them inside Marron, something on them enabling them to enter without too much friction.

 

Marron squirmed, he hadn't expected that feeling; he felt the fingers make as if to pull out, then enter once more... Carrot shifted his fingers inside, as if trying to stroke something. Marron gasped sharply, "Nii... niisan..."

 

"You don't just want my fingers, do you? You want..."

 

Marron felt Carrot remove his fingers, shift against his body, and press something else against him.

 

"... you want this..."

 

"Niisan..."

 

"... you want me..."

 

"Niisan, please..."

 

"It's what you've always wanted, isn't it?"

 

Marron's hands tightly gripped against Carrot's shoulders, "Always, niisan... what I've always wanted..."

 

Carrot's erection had the same slick coolness as his fingers had had; he pushed so slowly, Marron held on to a deep sigh as Carrot eased himself deeper.

 

Carrot laughed a breathless laugh once he was inside. "And... and you still don't want me to do this? You still want me to stop?"

 

Marron closed his eyes, letting his head fall to the side. "Niisan, d-don't stop..."

 

Carrot pulled back a fraction then thrust forward suddenly, causing Marron to call out. He smirked, lowering himself as close to Marron as he could.

 

"I won't. I won't stop."

 

Carrot seemed to be enjoying himself; he watched Marron closely, watched and savoured every gasp and cry. He loved the way Marron's voice caught on his name, how breathless he sounded...

 

Marron didn't know what to think anymore; he could barely concentrate on anything. He decided it didn't matter; there was still something that was unsure, but he didn't care about that anymore. He was finally subjected to that which he'd dreamt of for so long, and that was the most important thing. That was the only thing he cared about.

 

"Nii... niisan..."

 

"Yes... oh, Marron... god... I love how you feel... otouto..."

 

"Nii... niisan..."

 

Carrot's hands went under the top of Marron's robe again, taking hold of his shoulders, holding them just that bit too tight, not that Marron cared about the pain anymore.

 

Marron sat up suddenly, only to be caught by Carrot, who pushed him down again.

 

"Niisan, I... I'm... so close..."

 

"I'll fuck you until you come... I want to see what you look like when you come... come, Marron... for me..."

 

"It's such a shame it's only a dream, isn't it, Marron?"

 

"W-what?!"

 

"Him, fucking you... it's not really HIM. There IS no him. He doesn't exist anymore. Only in your dreams, Marron... but doesn't this feel so real? Doesn't that feel so good?"

 

Marron said nothing; life and movement seemed to have frozen around him, and suddenly there was only darkness; he was alone in the darkness.

 

"Ni-niisan! Niisan? Niisan, where did you go... I... I need you to..."

 

"There never was a niisan, Marron. This darkness, this emptiness... that is what faces you in the future... there's nobody like that in your life. It was always just a dream that you thought about."

 

Marron's mind and body was trying to adjust to his sudden change in situation. One moment he'd been about to reach the climax he craved, but now... now was just darkness, but his body still strained for that touch...

 

"Nii... san..."

 

"Marron, you have to forget about him... it was just an unhealthy dream... you have to forget about him, you have to stop living in a dream! There was never anybody called Carrot, there was never anybody you called niisan. All that existed was a dream; come back to reality, Marron..."

 

"N-no, I... I don't believe you! I won't believe you! Niisan is... niisan was... niisan... he... he's the person I love. I love him, and... I won't believe you!"

 

"This is the reality that awaits you, Marron. Do you want to be alone in this darkness for the rest of your life? I can't let you live in a dream anymore. I don't want that for you. I want you to live in reality, I want you to enjoy life... I don't want you to have these hopeless dreams anymore. I want you to enjoy life... a true life, a proper life..."

 

"My life with niisan..."

 

"That life never existed, Marron. That was all a dream... a stupid, pointless dream. You've awoken, now... this is your true self. This is your true self, and your true reality. This darkness comes from you being unable to let go of your dream world... there is a world outside of the 'niisan' that you created for yourself... people love you outside of your dream, if only you'll let them..."

 

"You... you're one of those people?"

 

The voice was silent for a moment or two before it replied.

 

"... Yes. I'm one of the people who love you. I love you more than anyone else, Marron... I can't bear to see you live such an unhappy life anymore... I want you to live in reality. Come with me, we'll go to the world outside and live in the sun..."

 

Marron curled up, drawing his knees to his chest.

 

"I don't want to believe you..."

 

"I am your truth, Marron. You have to believe me..."

 

"You... you're not niisan..."

 

"Marron, there ISN'T someone called that. There isn't anyone like that anymore. There never was. The form of that person... they stole you from me... they stole you from me and made you believe a shadow, a lie of your former life... come back to me, Marron. I love you. Come back to me, and be with me once more..."

 

"... who are you?"

 

"I'm the person you used to love. I'm the person who loves you more than anything. I thought I'd lost you forever... but I've found you again... I've found you, but you don't even remember who I am... come with me, and I'll show you who I am. I'll show you who you are. I'll prove to you that I'm someone you knew, and that you're someone I love... just trust me. Trust me, believe me..."

 

Celery couldn't listen to anything more. Marron's defences were crumbling and Radish seemed to have total control; it'd been painful enough to watch the illusion that Radish had created for Marron... something like that was too cruel, but it was an illusion of what Marron dreamt about most, with the person he cared about most... and it'd seemed to work, anyway.

 

Celery stood up, feeling his brother's voice speak weakly in his mind.

 

"Where... where are you going?"

"You don't need me any more for this, Radish..."

 

Silence; Celery took that to mean that no, he didn't.

 

Celery walked around the room, lighting candles as he went. Each candle brought a little more light to the room, but Celery seemed to be the only person to notice the light. Marron and Radish were lost to the world, totally absorbed in whatever it was they were involved in.

 

Candles lit, Celery retreated to the back wall of the room, leaning against it, watching his brother and Marron with slight anger. What Radish was doing... what he was doing... it was evil, he was convinced of that. It seemed to be working, but that didn't matter; it was still evil. Playing with someone's mind like that... exploiting their weakness... it was just the sort of thing that Radish would do, Celery supposed.

Celery quietly cursed the town of Qeran for ever holding that magic within it's walls. He supposed that forbidden magic was called forbidden for a reason, and wondered, not for the first time, why he took such magic into his body, and shared it with his brother...

 

He glared at where his brother was knelt; he was kissing Marron now, Marron unable to fight back, probably not even noticing Radish's motion. He kissed Marron, his forehead firmly pressed against Marron's own... reaching out to see Marron's mind, all seemed in confusion to Celery. He could almost see Carrot's form rear painfully out of Marron's body, such was Radish's destruction. Celery glared for a few moments and then turned away again, in no doubt as to Radish's activity. This was obviously a very delicate time in the operation. Celery didn't want to see any more; he quietly made his way around the walls of the room, then quietly let himself out. Let Radish come and find him once he was ready.

 

****

 

"I still wanna know why Celery and Radish would want Marron."

 

A few days on from that point, somewhere geographically further away, the Sorcerer Hunters wandered through the latest forest.

 

Milphey skipped ahead of the group; he seemed in a good mood, but the good mood wasn't shared by the other members of the group. Tira and Chocolat seemed quiet and distant, they had done for quite some time, Gateau seemed morose and distant under the same circumstance, and Carrot hadn't seemed to stop arguing with Milphey since the journey had started, several days ago. He alternated between hot-tempered silence and arguing, and Milphey seemed to be the only one still willing to take Carrot's mood with his usual good humour.

 

"... I mean, come on, if they wanted him dead, wouldn't they have killed him by now? And as we were saying, if he was like, a hostage, we'd know about it all by now... I don't get it! I really don't get it!"

 

Milphey span on his heel, walking backwards as he addressed Carrot.

 

"I know you don't get it, Carrot-chan. You don't get it, none of us do. We can only guess why they've got him, okay? Just as much as only you can. We can't find out what they're up to until we've broken down that barrier, and we can't break down that barrier until we find Hazelnut Brazil. Okay? So quit complaining, it's not gonna make us hurry up any. Hey, you were so happy because Marron was still alive, right? Can't you still be happy because of that? He's not dead, Carrot! Joy!"

 

Carrot just scowled.

 

"... whatever. I wanna hurry up and get to Hazelnut already... why couldn't Mama have sent Cinnamon Tea or someone? She's so quick when she wants to be... why does it take six of us to find one person?"

 

"Five, Carrot."

"No, six! Tira, Chocolat, you, me, Gateau, Ma-... oh. Yeah, well, whatever. I still don't get why we all have to go, why can't we just stay in Eden until we can go get Marron?"

 

Milphey turned around again, watching where he was going.

 

"What, and you'd rather be languishing in Eden, complaining that you felt so useless because you couldn't do anything to save Marron while someone else went and got Hazelnut? At least going out on this mission keeps you occupied."

 

Tira nodded, "He's right, Carrot... I think I'd rather be out here looking for Hazelnut than in Eden still..."

 

Carrot sighed loudly, "I suppose, I suppose..."

 

He then fell into silence, not sure what to say, content just to follow Milphey.

 

Hands went behind his head as he continued to walk, involving himself in his thoughts a little bit. He thought about what Milphey said. Milphey was right, though... he was happy that Marron wasn't dead, the relief was like nothing else... it wasn't as if he wasn't happy about that, of course not. He was happy that Marron was still alive, but he worried... no-one seemed to be able to come up with any valid reason as to why Celery or Radish would have him... it annoyed Carrot that no-one else seemed to feel like he did on the matter. Why didn't the others feel like he did?

 

Carrot was still sullen as the day went on and night fell; he didn't pick any more fights with anyone however, and Milphey was still in a genial mood by the end of the day. No harm done. On the edge of a forest, a campfire was set up; Milphey got it going with a smile.

 

"Usually Marron-chan would light the fire, I suppose. Well, if I remember rightly, this is at least the last forest we've got to go through. I think the next stop is Hazelnut's place; we're on the edge of Marata. I don't think there are any towns or cities between there and now... if I remember, the place is a small one. Small but cosy... I hope we won't be disturbing anything by asking for Hazelnut's help... a nice family, I wouldn't like to cause them any inconvenience."

 

Carrot looked slightly distant as he gazed into the fire.

 

"Wish Big Mama'd send us word of what was going on or something."

Gateau lay next to Carrot; he shrugged. "Well, you know what they say. No news is good news, and all of that. If Dota appeared suddenly, that's when we'd haveta start to worry."

 

"Un."

 

Gateau just watched Carrot for a few moments more, then sighed, knowing he probably wouldn't get anything more out of Carrot. His mood, and the overall mood of the group, seemed so tense... Gateau was quietly happy for the company of Milphey; even if him and Carrot kept arguing, Milphey was at least someone to keep smiling.

 

Milphey stretched, yawning loudly and contentedly as he did so.

 

"Well! How about some sleep? I don't know about you guys, but I could go for some sleep. Sleep'd feel good. We'll be refreshed and ready to go get Hazelnut, won't we? And start the journey back... but hey, we don't have to think about that for the time being. Right?"

 

Milphey's question was met with quiet mumbled approval from the rest of the group. Milphey just smiled on, "... right."

 

While the rest of the group prepared themselves for sleep, Milphey just sat to one side, watching them. The others didn't seem to notice, but Chocolat did; she wandered over, "Milphey, weren't you the tired one? Don't you want to try and get some sleep too?"

 

Milphey shrugged with a wrinkle of his nose, "It doesn't matter to me if I sleep or not. I just want to make sure that Carrot-chan gets some sleep. He's been a bit highly-strung the past few days."

 

"I guess he's still just confused... we all are, really..."

 

Milphey nodded, "I suppose. Maybe he feels that..."

 

Milphey's eyes narrowed, his face serious as he thought momentarily. Chocolat tipped her head, waiting for him to continue.

 

"Feels that what?"

 

Milphey thought for a moment longer before sighing deeply. "I... I don't know. I just wondered if he thought that, perhaps, he'd let Marron down..."

 

Chocolat nodded, "Maybe. Have you seen Marron when he gets all mad over something someone's done to Carrot? Maybe Carrot's just taking it out on us 'cause he can't take it out on Celery or Radish just yet. I wouldn't wanna be them when Carrot gets hold of them."

 

"I know what you mean."

 

Milphey didn't say anything more; Chocolat smiled, "Well... night, Milphey. Get some sleep soon."

 

"I will. Goodnight, Chocolat."

 

Chocolat wandered over to where the others were, a few feet away from where the campfire was. The fire itself had died down, smouldering embers were all that remained. Milphey kicked out with one foot, shifting one burnt log a little; it crumbled into slivers of ash that picked up with the wind, scattering momentarily. Once Chocolat was down and asleep, the area was quiet; Milphey remained quiet alongside the glade for a while longer before eventually standing up. He glanced around, as if looking out for something, or someone; he walked past the remains of the fire, and past the now sleeping Sorcerer Hunters. He glanced down at Carrot as he walked past, pausing in his steps. Carrot seemed peaceful enough in his sleep, generally quiet, occasionally his breathing seemed to come a little quicker, but it soon died down into a measured pace. Milphey nodded, Carrot would be okay without his protection for a short while.

 

Past where the Sorcerer Hunters slept was more forest, the forest that they'd travelled through previously. Milphey continued until he reached a small intersection, one path leading on to the main path, the other slightly obscured by bushes, leading to a small glade. Milphey walked into the glade.

 

"Mille Feuille, you, are late."

 

Milphey looked up at the voice, but relaxed when he saw the owner of the voice. The Haz Knight Shiffon Cake stood in front of him, a relaxed smile on his face, his arms folded. There'd been amusement in his voice.

 

"Sorry, I wanted to make sure that they were sleeping before I left them."

 

"You don't feel that there's any danger?"

 

"In these woods? No, they're as safe as anywhere else. I can't be watching them all the time, Shiffon. Anyway... you've been to see Hazelnut?"

 

Shiffon nodded, "I have. He's awaiting your visit."

 

"And he doesn't mind us disturbing him?"

 

"He didn't seem to mind when I told him our business. He seemed to know more on the subject that we previously did, but I'll let him tell you about that when you reach him yourself. Let's just say... it seems that we're not the first visitors he's had in recent times."

 

Milphey folded his arms, "Radish and Celery?"

 

"... Yes, it was those two. I'll make my way back to Mamu-sama and tell her of what I learnt; you continue to guide those four. How... how have they been?"

 

Milphey turned his back on Shiffon for a moment as he found a suitable tree to lean against. He found one, and leant against it. He shrugged.

 

"As well as can be expected, you tell Mama that in your report... tell her I thank her, too."

 

"Thank her? For what?"

 

"I just think it was a good idea to get them to go find Hazelnut too. Carrot was complaining earlier, 'why don't we get one of the Haz Knights to go and find Hazelnut?'... I just said that, well, didn't he feel better actually going and finding Hazelnut himself rather than sit around and wait for someone else to do it? He didn't say much, Tira seemed to agree... I know that it might be seen as a pointless exercise, but I see Mamu-sama's reasoning. It's best to keep them active."

 

"And you don't mind being the one to guide them?"

 

Milphey smiled, winking at Shiffon.

 

"Naah, I don't mind. I like looking after those guys, they're fun. Okay, they're a little depressed at the moment, but, well, I guess they're all tense. I don't blame them. And from your side of things, any more word about those two Sorcerers? Any more word on Marron?"

 

Shiffon paused for a moment, "Regarding those two..."

 

He shook his head, "Not really. They're still hiding behind their barricade, and they still seem to have Marron captive. Only..."

 

Shiffon fell into silence; Milphey watched him carefully, he seemed to be faltering, caught between telling Milphey and not telling him. Milphey became a little more serious.

 

"Shiffon, if there's something to tell, I want you to tell me. I'm not one of Mamu-sama's Sorcerer Hunters, you don't have to sugarcoat things for my benefit. I can accept whatever you have to say."

 

Milphey's voice was deathly serious; Shiffon stared at him for a few moments.

 

"I just find it hard to adjust when you act so frivolously... it's not something I'm used to."

 

"Hey, I can't be serious all the time. Gotta have a little fun sometimes, you should try it too... ever tried women's underwear?"

 

Shiffon blinked and ignored Milphey's question, quickly moving on.

 

"... Anyway, as I was saying. Radish and Celery are still within their settlement, and Marron's still there with them... he's still safe, as much as he can be in such a situation. But... a few days ago, well... soon after you set out on your journey with those four, Mamu-sama felt some kind of strange surge, almost. She monitored the situation... it would seem that those Sorcerers are doing something to Marron, or they've already done something... we couldn't tell what it was they did, though. It seemed like some kind of ceremony, that was what Mamu-sama said..."

 

Milphey frowned, "A ceremony?"

 

Shiffon nodded, "Yes. She was so serious when she spoke, she wouldn't even let Dota into the room while she spoke of it to us; she doesn't want the Hunters to know. I speak to you as a Haz Knight, Mille Feuille; you mustn't tell them about this."

 

"Yes, yes, you have my word. She sent them out here to try to relax them, I don't think that such news would serve that purpose. Not even letting Dota know..."

 

"I suppose she thought that Dota might want to tell the Hunters what she knew; even if Mamu-sama said not to, you know what Dota can be like; sometimes she speaks before she thinks."

 

Milphey sighed and nodded, twisting a lock of hair between two fingers.

 

"Mmm, I know what you mean. But... a ceremony? Do we know what kind of ceremony, what was going on during it? Maybe Marron-chan's going to be a sacrifice..."

 

Shiffon shook his head, "Mamu-sama only told us of it after she'd witnessed what she could. As far as I know, it wasn't anything that she recognized as being too terrible, but she seemed awfully quiet; I think she only knows as much as us on that count. She did tell us that, after the surge, something seemed to change, though. We don't know what changed, but something did... and if it was enough for her to notice, then it can't be a good change..."

 

"Those Sorcerers are evil, Shiffon. Nothing with them can be good."

"... Indeed. I don't want to pressure you too much, but I'd recommend moving with some haste. Try and be on your way back to Eden by tomorrow evening... the sooner we break that barrier, the sooner we find out what's going on inside."

 

Milphey stood up, starting to walk to the glade's exit.

 

"And even Kahlua couldn't destroy the barrier... he's a master of magic, Shiffon..."

 

"He's a master of magic, not of twisted bastardizations of it's power. I don't think those Sorcerers even meant to do something that powerful, which is dangerous enough in itself; do they even know the power that they wield? I don't think so. They could destroy a city before realising it was there. The sooner they're dispatched, the better. I wouldn't be surprised if this became a mission for us once you return..."

 

"I know, they do seem pretty bad. At least... if they don't know the power they have, then they might not know what they're capable of either; they might be capable of such amazing destruction, but they might not know how to execute that potential. We have that on our side..."

 

Shiffon nodded, "That's true. Whatever the circumstance, we have to hurry... as I said, I don't mean to pressure you, but... it would be a good idea to move with some speed."

 

Milphey turned to exit the glade, "I'll keep that in mind. Farewell, Shiffon Cake."

 

"You too, Mille Feuille."

 

Milphey heard a slight sound, and when he looked over his shoulder, Shiffon was gone. He nodded to himself, and returned quietly to the campsite to think about what he'd heard.

 

He laid himself down on Carrot's empty side; Gateau lay to the other. Milphey wondered if Carrot would mind... he knew that, usually, Marron slept next to Carrot... but it wasn't as if they thought he was dead anymore; he supposed Carrot wouldn't mind.

 

Somehow, sleep didn't come easy to Milphey's mind. He stared up at the starry sky, his wrist over his forehead. He wanted to know what Celery and Radish were doing to Marron. Shiffon had been right, there had to be something that they were doing, something that called upon the ceremony that Big Mama had seen... more than that, the thought of the magical surge worried Milphey the most. What could it have been that they were doing that meant that there'd be a surge that even Big Mama could feel?

 

Milphey closed his eyes. He was a Haz Knight, he could cope with such things. He knew that, come the morning, he'd have to smile for Carrot once more, pretend as if there was nothing worrying him at all... he sighed loudly. He knew he'd act like that. He always did. Despite that, such situations as the current one never came easy to him.

 

Well, he thought, rolling over so not to face Carrot anymore... it'd be a challenge, at least.