Sorcerer Hunters Fan Fiction ❯ Perpetual Thoughts ❯ The Required Person ( Chapter 21 )

The horse-drawn carriage bumped and shook merrily along to its destination. This area of the Spooner Continent seemed quite desolate; the view from the window seemed to stretch for miles, only occasionally broken by a weak tree, or a couple of clusters of bushes... still, at the end of the journey there was the promise of a town and at that town was a sealed magic that needed inspection. Why Big Mama couldn't have just transported them directly to the town from Eden, Marron didn't know. Why the mission only required he and Gateau, of all people... he didn't know that, either. The view from the window, despite being impressive in its own way, grew repetitive after a while. Marron brought his stare back to the front wall of the carriage. Gateau sat beside him, it seemed as if he was staring out of the window... it had been a long, silent journey. Marron sighed. That noise seemed to stir Gateau into some kinda movement.

 

"Dull, isn't it?"

 

"I barely think that's an observation that needs to be vocalized..."

 

Gateau didn't know if he was being mocked or not. He cracked his knuckles, "... but it is, isn't it?"

 

"... Yes, Gateau."

 

"Still, should be there soon, huh? I mean, it seems like we just go past more and more dust and trees... gotta reach the end eventually!"

 

"Indeed."

 

"I don't get why it had to be us though... I mean... why you and me? I can get why she'd send you on a mission to check out some sealed magic or whatever, but I don't get why I'm on the mission too..."

 

"In the past, she has sometimes sent our entire group on a mission only to strengthen a seal..."

 

A nod, "You're right... I guess that makes less sense than just sending two Sorcerer Hunters, she can send that brother of yours and the Misu sisters off on other missions while we're away, but even so... I don't get it! Didn't she even say that there'd been some sort of request for it?!"

 

"I remember something similar."

 

"What kinda request is that gonna be?! I can imagine it now, some creepy old Parsoner dude, 'one Sorcerer Hunter is too few! Two is the perfect number! Three is too many! Four is far too many, and if you've sent five, then that's more than double! Two Sorcerer Hunters, I need!' or something. You sure get some creepy geezers in places like this. Who'd even wanna go off and live somewhere like this?!"

 

Marron quietly folded his arms, "You cannot change a person's perception of where their home is. Perhaps we would see it as being strange, but for people who have lived here for all of their lives, they would never even think to move..."

 

"I'm not saying anything like that, I'm just saying it's a bit weird... I'd never wanna live somewhere like this."

 

"Some may find the idea of living in the Continent's capital somehow strange."

 

"Yeah, that's sure weird, isn't it? The centre of economy, of commerce, of the population, of the church... man, I hate being close by to all the best markets and shops of the Continent, it's a real drag! I'd much rather live in some dead-end village where you gotta walk a week even to find a local shop."

 

Marron couldn't help but smile. Gateau admittedly had a point, despite a biased one. It probably wasn't worth explaining how some people really did value peace and quiet and coziness over shops and imports and exports... and besides, just how often did Gateau take advantage of the benefits of living in Facade anyway? However, he didn't purposefully want to start an argument, so after Gateau's last point, he remained silent.

 

It had been a few days since anything had last happened in Eden. Marron had been unable to say anything to Carrot about what happened, couldn't think of just how he could describe things to protect what knowledge Carrot may or may not have held... he didn't want to come out with anything suddenly shocking, after all. It could have been easier just to ask Carrot what his knowledge of the situation was, what his feelings were, but somehow Marron found himself speechless whenever he was presented with Carrot. Carrot seemed so determined these days, Marron certainly didn't want to spoil his good mood...

 

When it came to that determination, that was where things became a little less joyful. Carrot would make not-very-well-disguised comments on how great it would be if Marron were to get with Milphey, were to get with Gateau... he even said that, if Marron wanted him to talk to those people, he would do... to say what, Marron didn't know, he didn't want to know.

 

For so long, Carrot had more or less accepted that there was somebody who Marron loved. Occasionally he'd tried to figure out who that person was, he'd never really got anywhere, and that was usually the end of that. Carrot had even said in the past that he didn't want Marron having sex with people who he didn't love! As the carriage had continued along to its destination, that had been the thought that stuck most in Marron's mind.

 

Carrot had quite clearly said that. It had been a long time ago now, but he'd said it and Marron wasn't going to forget something like that. Carrot had said it'd be sad if Marron had sex with somebody who he didn't love; Marron had always taken that as read, happy that his brother shared some kind of similar viewpoint... of course, at the time, Carrot couldn't have realised that he was in fact the person that Marron loved, but... well, surely it didn't matter who the target was, just as long as the sentiment was there. Carrot knew there was somebody Marron loved, Carrot thought that Marron shouldn't have sex with somebody he didn't love, so just why was he suddenly trying to groom Marron into relationships with Gateau or with Milphey?! He'd more or less said that he wasn't interested in something like that, but by now, Carrot didn't even seem to want to listen... he'd just smile and disagree, who wouldn't want to have a nice relationship? If Marron dared mention that he just didn't love Gateau or Milphey, not like that, Carrot would only smile some more and say that you didn't have to love somebody to have sex with them, and besides, feelings might grow. He wouldn't know unless he tried, right?

 

Marron agreed with Gateau, it seemed strange that only two Sorcerer Hunters would be summoned to the town. However, when Big Mama had called the Sorcerer Hunters together to tell them of her upcoming plans for them... when she'd said that Marron and Gateau would be sent off to Yuessis and the other Sorcerer Hunters should wait for the next mission, Marron had immediately looked to his brother, who'd been sporting quite the wide grin. That had been strange. Was he just happy that he didn't have to pack up to go on the next mission just yet, or...?

 

Then, Carrot had been sitting there while Marron had been packing his case for the extended journey and stay. The prospect of spending that time without even the chance of seeing Carrot was almost a painful one, but if it was something that Big Mama had requested, then nobody could argue it. Then Carrot had said that, when Marron returned, he wanted to hear that Marron had been able to have an orgasm by that point. By then, it was public knowledge that he and Gateau would be going on the mission together... was there some sort of connection? Marron wasn't sure. He glanced back at Gateau. Might anything happen during the mission? Marron wasn't exactly making any plans to seduce Gateau, certainly not after how things had worked out in the past, but was Carrot expecting him to? Had Carrot spoken to Gateau about any of this?

 

"Gateau..."

 

"Mmn?"

 

"... Has my brother... spoken to you...?"

 

"Carrot? No, not recently... why, was there something he wanted to say?"

 

"Oh, no... no... nothing..."

 

"Hmn."

 

Gateau seemed genuine, but of course, Carrot might have said something and then asked Gateau to keep it a secret... Marron didn't know if Carrot would act so sneakily, and he didn't know if he and Gateau would conspire behind his back like that, but there was always the possibility...

 

"I suppose if there was something my brother told you in confidence, you would be obligated not to mention it."

 

"No really, Carrot hasn't spoken to me for ages! You sound like you know something. Is there any reason why he woulda wanted to talk to me in the first place?"

 

"I just wondered if he had any agenda for you for this mission."

 

"Agenda?"

 

There wasn't really any reason in sweetening anything for Gateau's benefit... Marron smiled wryly and leant his arm against the window ledge of the coach, "I think my brother has some designs of a relationship between you and I."

 

Gateau raised his eyebrow, "What, he wants us to get back together?! No, he definitely didn't say anything like that... jeez, that's pretty random. Why would he want that to happen?"

 

Marron kept his eye on the passing scenery, "I think he... I think he worries about me. He says he'd like for me to have a normal relationship... whatever 'normal' is."

 

"And he thinks that's gonna happen if you and me got together?"

 

"Either you and I, or Milphey and I. He seems to think that just because we spend a lot of time together, this means that somehow we'd be suited for a relationship... however, if I remember my brother's words, I could say that you were just as suspicious as he..."

 

"Y-yeah, well... I was just curious, you know? Seein' you and Milphey all naked and sleepin' and stuff, isn't anybody gonna wonder what's going on?"

 

"I suppose."

 

There was a silence between them. The carriage continued to creak and rattle... Marron still stared out of the window. Gateau watched him for a few moments. He was speaking the truth when he said that he hadn't spoken to Carrot for a while... but it seemed strange that Carrot would suddenly be such an advocate for Marron's lovelife. He'd been the one who'd attacked first when he'd assumed Gateau of hurting his little brother...! Of course, that had been a long time ago, but... given how Carrot was, it seemed a little strange that he'd be outwardly approving him go forth into sexual relationships. Had something happened between Carrot and Marron to cause this change? Gateau wasn't sure what kind of thing would change between them...

 

Also... Marron never had to have raised the point in the first place. Gateau decided to bite; while they were talking calmly to each other, surely it wouldn't hurt...

 

"So, uh..."

 

"Yes?"

 

"Do you want a relationship?"

 

"Ah...?"

 

"I mean, with me. Or with Milphey I guess. Cause I mean, I guess if you really wanted one, we could at least think stuff over..."

 

"I... I don't desire a relationship, not of the kind my brother would wish me partake in. Thank you, Gateau, but... despite my brother's wishes, I fear I may have to rule against them in this case."

 

"No, no, that's fine. Just... thought I'd ask."

 

Something in Marron's words occurred to Gateau.

 

"Huh, you're going against your brother's wishes? That seems pretty strange for you to do suddenly..."

 

"Well... one time, my brother told me seriously that he didn't wish for me to have sex with somebody I didn't love... somehow that always remained with me, and I... I try to upkeep such a maxim."

 

Thoughts of what had happened with Milphey echoed through Marron's mind. Of course... he hadn't quite been able to help that... he'd been in a fractious mood, he'd just brought his brother to climax under the guise of another, he'd been horny and Milphey had been there and he'd been weak, so weak. Had he really wished to restrain himself then surely he would have been able to, but... he hadn't, and so he'd taken Milphey that time. He hadn't meant to. He hadn't meant to, but perhaps that only went to show how easily such heartfelt promises to oneself could be broken... it was hard to even remember things from that time with Milphey, he'd been in such a hazy mood... all he could really remember was that it had hurt afterward, and that he'd slept quickly... that was around when Kahlua had been involved too, hadn't it? Marron had at least been glad that his first time had been with Milphey, who was a much more understanding person than Gateau, but... aside from that, if Gateau had made him pass out, how much of a cause for concern would that have been...?

 

"You'd do everything Carrot told you to do...?"

 

"Not strictly so. It would just happen that my brother's words happened to echo my own sentiments of the time... sentiments that I continue to feel. My brother would suddenly wish me be more indiscriminate in my tastes, yet... yet I cannot bring myself to change as he would wish me, I think."

 

"Oh."

 

Not much more was said on that subject for that moment, since around the time of the conversation winding to a close, the carriage finally started juddering for going over stony ground; looking out of the window, it seemed that the landscape was now just a little more populated, a few houses stretching out across the view... barely a densely populated area by anybody's standard, but certainly at least an area of population. After a short journey through this area, the carriage stopped; they'd arrived.

 

The town of Yuessis seemed quite a quiet one. A few fields dotted the outskirts of the town, some kind of grassy crop growing and swaying in the breeze... the dustiness of the area made it seem that it wasn't one that received an awful lot of rain. Most of the buildings were sturdy wooden structures, and the inn was no exception; Gateau couldn't help but think, as the two of them entered the building, that Parsoners never seemed to make a conscious effort to brighten up their abodes. You could often easily tell the difference between a Sorcerer's estate and a Parsoner's estate purely on it's aesthetic appeal... of course, Sorcerers often had more money to be splashing around, but... couldn't they at least use a lighter shade of wood? Everything inside seemed so dark. Then again, perhaps there just wasn't a lot of choice of building materials in the Yuessis area... Gateau shrugged to himself. He wasn't a builder, and it wasn't his problem.

 

They met the village chieftain in the inn, a middle-aged somewhat perpetually jumpy kind of man. He'd heard that apparently magic seals could wear off after a while and it'd been a while since the Yuis magic had been sealed, probably at least ten years or so... Marron privately knew that some seals could last for centuries, but he kept his mouth shut. If the man was worried, it was best to put him at his ease.

 

The magic itself was kept in a small shrine to the north of the village. It was enough to walk there, check the seal, walk back... as the evening approached, the two of them decided to take advantage of the café across the road from the inn and take a bite to eat. By that time, Gateau didn't seem best pleased.

 

"Man. Just how long did it take to get here?!"

 

Marron gently sipped at the drink that he'd ordered, "Eight and a half hours."

 

"Eight and a half hours! We spent eight and a half hours getting here and it ended up there wasn't even anything to do in the first place! Why did Big Mama even send us on this kind of mission..."

 

"Not everybody has a working knowledge of how seals of magic work. Some people just tend to go by their intuition. Somebody such as that chieftain... he's the kind of person who could get wrapped up by a forbidden magic so much as protect it. It's best to be safe than to be sorry."

 

Gateau sighed, idly digging into his pie as Marron spoke.

 

"I guess, I guess. But even so... who's idea was it to stick the magic in that shrine, anyway? Why don't they put a signpost on it too, 'hey Sorcerers, here's some forbidden magic you can come steal!!'..."

 

"They needed somewhere to put it. And of course, you commented yourself on what an out-of-the-way town this was... I'm sure there are a lot of easier locations to find kinju for a Sorcerer. If I were to seal a magic I would rather do so here than somewhere else, I think."

 

"The magic's safe now, though?"

 

"The magic was safe from the moment it was sealed. Unless somebody decides to break the seal, and we can't help that if it happens, that magic should be safe for roughly another hundred and thirty years. Give or take a decade."

 

"We better get some payment either from that marshmallow or from Big Mama once we get back, there's seventeen hours of my life I'm not gonna get back. And I think I got cramp in my leg from sitting still for too long..."

 

"We don't have to head back immediately to Eden. I'm sure if there was some kind of emergency, then Big Mama would find some way to take us back quickly."

 

"That's not very reassuring."

 

Gateau didn't want to say it outright, but... aside from the annoyance over Big Mama insisting that they found their own way to the town, Gateau also quietly resented her choice of partner for the mission. It had been quite some time before he'd worked with only one other, and at that time, that one other had been Chocolat; those circumstances had been quite different... and of course, lots of other things had been different back then. That had been before they'd all hung around together as a primary group, before Gateau really knew of Carrot's existence outside of what Chocolat had told him, and certainly before he'd known of Marron's existence... back at that time, those people had only been known through second-hand anecdotes. Chocolat had always said that Carrot's brother was quite pretty, but he'd never quite been prepared for when he had in fact met the younger Glacé brother...

 

Of course, he'd been quite surprised to meet the older Glacé brother, too. Chocolat on her own had been a lot different to Chocolat When Faced With Carrot, but she'd always spoken of him so quietly and so fondly, and Gateau had even started to get just a little bit jealous of this man she always spoke so reverently of... then they met, and Carrot was a girlchasing pervert who didn't even notice that he had Chocolat's wholehearted attentions. Some people just never realised when they had it good.

 

When Gateau had first expressed distaste at being slated with Marron for a mission, Marron's only response had been that "Work is work, Gateau." and Gateau supposed that that was true and that nothing could really be done about personal preference... if they couldn't get on together professionally then that was just their own problem, and given Marron's manner then it probably wouldn't be his problem if there was a clash. Marron seemed annoyingly unruffled when it came to the mission. Didn't he have any kind of feeling toward the situation at all?!... However, that was a terribly immature point of view to be taking, Gateau realised this. He couldn't help being just a little annoyed anyway, though.

 

"So how long do you think we'll stick around here?"

 

Marron looked up, "Ah... in this town? Well, we should check with the chieftain to ensure that he's comfortable with the magical seal. We can only tell him of how we checked it, of how there's little danger... we can finish up that business tomorrow. After that... we can only check for when transport may next be in the area."

 

"I dunno, I think I'd rather walk somewhere than have to put up with another one of those damned carriages..."

 

"Also-..."

 

Gateau glanced up from his plate, watching Marron's indecision. He really did look quite torn as to whether he would say what he'd been going to say or not... Gateau put down his fork and nodded for Marron to continue, "Go on...?"

 

"Well... it depends on how quickly you wished to return to Eden... only, my brother... felt the need to tell me that, apparently, somewhere north of this town is a more mountainous region... and apparently there's... well... there's a hot spring resort... but I think he may have told me that with an ulterior motive."

 

"What's ulterior in a hot spring?"

 

"What isn't ulterior about a place that requires the public removal of one's clothes, especially when my brother may be planning for you and I to return as a couple...?"

 

"Oh. I guess I see your point. Well, yeah, I guess it'd be better to go back to Eden quicker and all... I dunno though, it's always nice to go to a resort. It'd probably help this leg of mine, too! But it's up to you, if you're not comfortable going somewhere like that then we don't gotta."

 

The attraction of the hot spring was something of a double-edged sword, in any case. The thought of the relaxation that tied in with such a place was very appealing - after such a long journey to the damned place the thought of going somewhere where he could just soak for a couple of hours seemed very very appealing... the rest and relaxation was very almost the most important angle, but then Gateau remembered who he was with, and he realised that he probably shouldn't seem too eager to go to such a place. Marron, however, seemed nonplussed by Gateau's point of view.

 

"Well... we can come to a decision once our work here is finished, I'm sure."

 

"Yeah. Sounds good."

 

A decision reached, the two of them fell silent. Marron continued to eat and drink and deflect the conversation quite normally, but Gateau couldn't help but think... but wonder... was that an uncomfortable silence? He didn't know if he was waiting for Marron to say anything, and he didn't know if the fact that he didn't know if he was or wasn't was something worrying in itself. Why should he have worried about Marron saying anything or not!?

 

Glancing around the quiet café... it was, for all comparisons to the dusty town outside, quite full. Presumably all the locals came to that establishment when they were fed up with the monotony of everyday Parsoner life. Seemed that that night was a popular one. The people who filled the seats and occupied the tables all seemed so... dejected, somehow. They were quite plainly Parsoners, looking as if they were carrying the weight of the world on each and every one of their shoulders...

 

Gateau realised that that train of thought was more or less heading towards "Nobody in this room is as good-looking as the person sitting across the table from me at this moment," and that thought annoyed him. Annoyed him that he would think something like that in the first place. Annoyed him that he couldn't deny that thought, even after thinking about how much it annoyed him.

 

Of course, it wasn't exactly a hard comparison to make. Plain and dowdy stereotypical Parsoners compared to the cool and collected beauty of Marron Glacé? No competition.

 

Tapping the blunt end of his knife against the table, Gateau irrationally wondered how Marron could sit there so easily and remain so quiet. Both at once there seemed to be so much to say, then nothing to say at all... surely there had to be something left between them to say? Not all pauses had to be silences, did they? Even if there had been disagreements, that didn't mean that there always had to be arguments... after all, they'd made it to the town in once piece, hadn't they? That had been at least one of the things Gateau hadn't been looking forward to on an eight-hour carriage journey with Marron. If they started arguing four hours into the journey then there was nowhere to escape to, and Marron was not a person who liked to give up on an argument... the silence had been almost painful in its intensity at first, but... that was better than an argument.

 

"So Carrot wants you to have 'normal' relationships now, does he?"

 

Marron glanced up and then back down to his place, "Ah... it would seem so."

 

"I wonder why that is..."

 

"I told you. He worries about me."

 

That didn't seem like an entirely valid argument. After all, Gateau often worried about Eclair, but he never thought that her getting into a relationship was the solution to anything...! Gateau wasn't entirely sure how she would react to a suggestion like that, really. Since when was forcing yourself into a relationship the answer to any kind of problem?

 

Carrot did realise that his words probably meant that Marron would actually force himself into something, didn't he? Gateau felt a vague sense of annoyance. Whatever Carrot thought it was he was doing... well, he probably meant it well enough, but didn't he understand his brother at all? At least from Gateau's observances, Carrot had far too much influence over Marron's actions to be able to suggest something so light-hearted. Carrot would only have to suggest he didn't like Marron's robe colour, and the next day his entire wardrobe would be replaced... if this was all because Carrot worried about Marron, just what was it he was worrying about?

 

"Yeah, yeah, you said... what's he worried about?"

 

"I think... I think he believes me stressed. I think he believes I would be able to relax were I... were I... able to... to vent my frustrations..."

 

"Frustrations, huh..."

 

Looking up, Marron fixed Gateau with a straight and steady stare, "However, I think you of all people should be aware of how difficult my frustrations can be to cope with..."

 

A shrug, "I dunno, I think you're only bringing it on yourself a bit."

 

Marron said nothing, but his eyes spoke enough. That was his 'how can you suggest such a thing' look, Gateau felt he recognized it. Gateau shrugged again, meeting Marron's gaze again.

 

"Well, it's a problem if you make it a problem, isn't it? If you went at it with a different opinion, then it'd probably be easier. Like... I dunno, see you're eating that bit of cake there. It's a nice cake, isn't it? I mean, I assume it is, I haven't tried it, but... some places are gonna have worser cake and some places are gonna have nicer cake. You know that some poncy upmarket place is going to have better cake on principle, or maybe there's some homemade bakery where it's best... but, uh, anyway. There's cake and then there's cake. You're not gonna stop eating all kinds of cake just so you can only have your favourite kind of cake, right? Well... I dunno how often you eat cake, but... you see what I'm saying, right?"

 

"I'm not sure you can really compare such a thing to cake."

 

"I dunno, didn't Milphey say something like that? Anyway, it-... yeah. I don't think Carrot's got any right to say anything like that to you, but I can see his point a bit."

 

Marron seemed to prickle somewhat, "And who might you suggest I go with? What decision might you want to make for me?"

 

"... You don't need to get all prissy all of a sudden, no-one's gonna seriously make a decision like that for you!"

 

Feeling that that was a sensible (and true) point to make, Gateau tried to ignore Marron's stare afterward. Marron could be quite the predator when he wanted to be, but Gateau was quite determined to make sure that the mission worked itself out without any violent arguments, accusations, propositions, or worse. Gateau quietly concentrated on his food, hoping he could come up with deflections for Marron's questions or statements before he even asked them.

 

"You could make a possessive decision."

 

"Uh?"

 

"My brother seems to wish me choose between Milphey and yourself... would you really wish me choose Milphey?"

 

Gateau leant on caged fingers, "We're not the only two guys on the Spooner Continent, Marron. Whoever you choose, you should choose for more reasons than 'these are what my brother decided for me', right? Besides, you said yourself you didn't want that kinda relationship. Hey, though... we should get back to the inn soon. Startin' to get pretty dark out there... and besides, we should get some sleep to decide if we wanna go to the hot springs tomorrow, right?"

 

"Ah... un."

 

Before Marron could say much more, Gateau was already pushing his chair under and making his way away from the table. Marron could stay for a while or he could follow, Gateau didn't particularly mind either way. As he reached the door of the inn, he heard a chair scrape across the floor... probably Marron. He didn't stop to wait up for him.

 

The street outside was quiet and dark; a few buildings showed light in the windows, but generally the atmosphere seemed quite dark and quiet. Compared to that, the thought of heading off to the hot springs tomorrow seemed so infinitely desirable... it didn't matter that Marron was the only person to go with, that didn't have to have any bearing on things. Surely Marron could appreciate the benefits of a hot springs just as keenly as Gateau himself did?

 

He shook his head as he thought of what Marron had said. Glancing behind him, it seemed he was still alone on the street... ah, Marron had probably stopped behind to pay. Gateau felt slightly guilty, he hadn't meant to land Marron with the bill... well, if he complained afterward then Gateau was willing to compensate him. Expenses on such missions should be shared, after all.

 

However...

 

To make a possessive decision...

 

You couldn't ask that of somebody! Did Marron want him to make a possessive decision? Did he want Milphey to make such a thing either? Gateau wondered how Milphey would react if he knew of the situation. He often seemed to get involved in their tangled relationships... and of course, Milphey was quite close with Marron these days. It seemed that, if anybody, Marron should probably go with Milphey... they didn't have the same potted history as Marron and Gateau, and it at least seemed that they got on nicely... nicely enough to share beds while naked, if nothing else. Hadn't Milphey also said about how Marron trusted him, or something? Well, trust in a relationship was always good. If Marron was going to force himself into anything then it seemed a better idea for him to force himself into something with Milphey.

 

If nothing else, that then meant that it wasn't Gateau's problem anymore. There was a certain kind of freedom in that.

 

As Gateau made his way up the staircase of the inn, he wondered just what it'd be like if Marron did get with Milphey. Understandably he'd been somewhat jealous in the past, but... well, he'd probably be just a tiny bit jealous now, he couldn't help it if there were still feelings and crap left over. He'd liked Marron for, what, a couple of years now? Such an interest couldn't be expected to meet such an abrupt ending, even after Marron's strange behaviour there were still going to be at least certain things left over...

 

If it could all become Milphey's problem, though... well, perhaps he could handle things better than Gateau himself had done. Maybe Milphey could do the things that Marron wanted. Maybe he could tie Marron down and fuck him unconscious, or whatever it was. Yes, Gateau thought as he walked into the bedroom; if Marron picked anybody else, then it wouldn't be his problem anymore. Therefore he wouldn't have to worry about it, things could easily sort themselves out in a distant sort of way, and maybe once Marron had calmed down a bit they could return to the kind of friends they'd been before any of the weird stuff had happened. That seemed a nice enough thing to hope for.

 

Switching on the bedside lamp, Gateau looked the beds over. After a moment's deliberation he picked the one on the left, supposing that, when it came to beds, there was little preference. He'd been in the middle of taking his jacket off when the door opened and closed, Marron making his return.

 

"Oh, you're back. Welcome back."

 

"Thank you. I was just finding out some information from the locals... apparently the mountain village is about a mile and a half away from here. Quite a few people stop off at this town before continuing on further... it seems that it's quite a popular destination. Quite recently built, too... it sounded quite attractive."

 

Gateau nodded, sitting on his bed and pulling his shoes off.

 

"Sounds cool. So, you up for that? We don't have to go."

 

"Would you like to?"

 

"Sure I'd like to."

 

"Then, we'll go."

 

There was a 'clunk' as one shoe hit the floor, "What, just like that? What about what you want to do?"

 

"I have little preference either way. Both returning to Eden and going to the hot spring sound beneficial... and that said, it seems that it'd be a nice idea to take advantage of the resort while we're close to it. After all, we don't often get the chance to visit such places, do we? If my brother and the others were here, I doubt we'd even be having this conversation..."

 

"Heh, you're right. They're pretty excitable when it comes to places like that. Well, I'd be pretty sad if you said there was no way in hell you'd ever go, so I guess I should stop pressing the matter, huh?"

 

"Hmn."

 

Marron's small noise sounded amused, somehow. Well, that was that settled, the rest of the evening could be spent resting easily and looking forward to relaxing come tomorrow... Gateau pulled off his other boot, then went over to his pack to get his nightshirt before taking off his trousers. There was little point in tempting fate, even with something so innocent as getting undressed for sleep. The light of the room was pretty low in any case... still, Gateau changed quickly. He found himself in bed before Marron, and quietly cursed his speed; Marron was still unbuttoning his robe. Supposing it was the right thing to do, Gateau stared pointedly to the side.

 

"It's so disturbing?"

 

"Huh?"

 

"Me, getting undressed. You look uncomfortable."

 

Gateau folded his arms, "I just didn't want to look like I was ogling or anything else you might get mad at me for! It's just getting undressed and stuff, there's nothing meaningful in it!"

 

Slipping his robes off, Marron nodded his agreement.

 

"Exactly. There's nothing to be ashamed of in a meaningless situation. And other than anything else... surely we are both quite used to each other in this fashion, wouldn't you agree?"

 

"That's something I'd rather forget about..."

 

"I see."

 

The conversation fell silent as Marron finished getting changed. Gateau was quite sure there was room for some kind of snide comment in there somewhere, but none came... he was glad of that. He didn't know if he expected a sarcastic comment for every situation from Marron, but... more often than not it was better to be prepared for the worst. Nothing being said, Gateau found himself idly watching Marron, instead.

 

He did have to bend over like that to find his nightshirt, didn't he? He could have got it out beforehand, could have set it out neatly on his bed, could have just quickly moved from everyday clothes to his nightshirt, but no, he had to walk around naked and stick his inviting little ass out in the air like that. Idiot, why did he have to do things like that? It was only going to make Gateau think about how Marron still at least had a body any self-respecting fancier of such things would happily kill for, no matter what his fruity little head contained... not only that, but as far as things went, Gateau did quite have intimate knowledge of that lithe and sexy body... well, his luck. Marron's rear looked quite round and soft, at least from that angle. Needed to be grabbed, possibly with 'hooba hooba' sound effects. Would have been amusing, anyway.

 

Oh... Gateau wondered if he'd imagined just a slight wiggle of the hips. Surely he had. Marron wasn't a hip-wiggling sort of person. Still, what lovely hips...

 

With a slight growl, Gateau fell back onto his pillow and rolled over to one side. It was just indulging in temptation to watch like that; alright for it being a meaningless situation, but it was only going to devolve into something undesirable if he let his thoughts run away with him. It annoyed him enough when Marron made pointless and sniping comments, didn't it? If he didn't want to put up with that kind of attention from Marron, then even less did he want to put up with it from his own mind. He took a few deep breaths, and closed his eyes. Sleep. Sleep was the important thing at the moment.

 

Nightshirt in hand, Marron stood up and glanced over his shoulder. It seemed that Gateau wasn't looking any more... a slight shame. Stepping back over to his bed turned the bedside lamp off before pulling the fabric of the nightshirt over his head, pulling his hair out from underneath that, and slipping into bed. He shuffled down under the covers, pulling them up to his neck.

 

"This bed is quite comfortable..."

 

"Mmm."

 

It didn't seem that Gateau was in the mood for light conversation. Marron closed his eyes and shifted around a little further, "... Good night, Gateau."

 

"Ah? Mm. Night."

 

Silence.

 

Marron opened his eyes again, not that there was an awful lot in the room to see, especially without any source of light... he rolled onto his back, facing the ceiling.

 

Was it a good idea to suggest anything to Gateau? After all, of course, he had already said that he wasn't seeking that kind of relationship... it was true, he wasn't. If anything, a relationship like that could surely only serve as a distraction to the thoughts that truly held him...?

 

Carrot's happily determined expression flickered through Marron's mind.

 

To serve as a distraction...

 

To have a 'normal' relationship...

 

Normal...

 

Nothing serious had really been said on the subject (apart from Carrot's enthusiasm), but... the more Marron thought about it, the more hopeless things felt. Carrot wanted Marron to have a normal relationship. Normal compared to what? Well, anything was normal when compared to lusting after your brother, wasn't it... wasn't that what Carrot was implying? Marron wondered if he was reading too much into the situation. That was possible, he didn't know if Carrot really looked at his feelings so deeply to reach that kind of conclusion, but... that had all come about after that time the other day... on the bed... with the fingers... and the kissing... there had been that... they'd kissed! Carrot had kissed him! Not the other way around! Surely there had to be something there for that to have happened in the first place...?

 

Why would Carrot have kissed him...

 

Why would Carrot have kissed him and then said such things afterward? Kissing him... asking for confirmation of his feeling, and Marron had been very aware of what he'd said at that time... and then suddenly pulling away and talking about things and people that weren't even involved!? Saying it'd be a good idea to go after Milphey or Gateau... why? Why would he suddenly say that? He'd said such different things in the past...

 

Perhaps...

 

Perhaps he'd been... scared...?

 

Marron felt like he should have said something. Carrot had kept saying that Marron should speak up if he was uncomfortable - of course he wouldn't, of course he wouldn't be uncomfortable in a situation like that! Had Carrot thought he might be? That depended on how much he suspected... if he'd thought Marron would be uncomfortable, if he'd kept insisting it... then obviously he would have thought that Marron might have been uncomfortable, in that situation...

 

As much as Carrot had been concerned about Marron's comfort, Marron felt he could have been more attentive to his brother's own feelings. At the time it had been too easy to be swept away by things, who needed words or thoughts when you had the sole object of your desires, such as they were, on top of you and you were holding them and they were kissing you and oh... but there could have been time to ask... even if it had been only a breathless whisper, "Are you scared?"... that was the kind of situation that could scare Carrot. After all, in the past, he'd been so skittish at Milphey touching him... though, things were slightly different now. Marron could still easily recall how Carrot had been that time when he and Milphey had teamed up on him... Carrot had thought it only Milphey, even now he had little to say on that situation and even less in the way of suspicion... Marron wished he had the courage to say something about that. Say that he knew Carrot, knew how to touch him, knew how to make him squirm...

 

For quite a few years now, Marron had been haunted by the knowledge that his feelings were wrong, that they were terrible, that they were disgusting... he wanted his brother, and somehow the idea that his desires were so wrong only served to heighten his desire. What was there more wicked than indulging in temptation? He wanted Carrot to have that certain kind of anger, wield that certain kind of punishment... Marron's thought process derailed as his mind's eye cooked up exactly the kind of punishment Carrot could serve. Even pain would be welcomed if it was from Carrot...! A bruise could be healed, or it could be held with the knowledge of it's origin, other people could see it and show concern and be entirely unaware... if his feelings were wrong, well, he couldn't help them, could he? He'd bravely bear the pain for something that brought him such stinging pleasure... Carrot could do what he wanted. If he were to accept Marron's feelings, then there would have to be no more deception. If he were to accept, but in that perverted kind of way... Marron's breath caught on a shudder. Carrot could use him in any way he wanted. If it brought Carrot happiness, he'd put up with anything. To be able to be whatever Carrot wanted... whatever Carrot needed...

 

The fact that it seemed that Carrot now wouldn't even touch him was a far more painful thought than any other.

 

It wasn't as if Carrot ever had regular need to touch Marron in the first place - days could go by without any physical contact, that was just how things were. They'd never had much of a physical relationship in the first place, though Carrot would occasionally grab Marron's arm or ruffle his hair or whatever... if it happened accidentally then it was enough to seize the moment and treasure the contact for as long as the memory remained, but...

 

Asking for such contact... and being refused...?

 

He'd thought it'd be better if he didn't hug Marron.

 

Better in what way? What was 'better' about refusing physical contact to somebody who requested it!? Marron would have been the first person to admit that he rarely ever asked for such a thing - if things like that happened then he'd treasure them, but he didn't go out of his way to seek them and when it came to asking...! There'd only be one person he'd ever even want to ask... surely there would be no reason for him to refuse... but he had done...

 

Marron rolled over onto his stomach, clutching the pillows to him. He felt displaced; it was hard to remember that he wasn't in his bedroom in Eden with Carrot sleeping only a few meters away... he was many miles from Eden, many miles from Carrot, and he was so terrible that even his own brother didn't want to touch him. What was he supposed to do? What could he do? If he were to have a normal relationship with somebody, might Carrot decree him worthy again? Would his joy at Marron being in a relationship be worth a congratulatory hug? Would it be worth pretending to deflect his feelings to another to make Carrot happy? Perhaps it would be better if Carrot considered him normal...

 

It felt bad enough to daydream of the wicked things Carrot would do to him normally, but at that moment, the thought of Carrot being there and holding him gently felt worse. Perhaps it would be better to daydream of shameful things, at least those could be thought of with a detached emotion... better to think of the things that could never be, in the knowledge that they had never been, either. The thought that Carrot might not even want to hold him platonically ever again was too terrible a thought, and it hurt to think of it. Especially more so that it could be true...

 

Well, 'ever again' was a long time. Maybe by the time they were middle-aged, those sorts of things would be forgotten. Could Marron wait until he was that age? Was that exaggerating the situation? He closed his eyes. There wasn't anything that could be done about the situation at that moment, and sitting there thinking about how hopeless it all was could only serve to devolve his mood further. Perhaps it'd be better once he and Gateau returned to Eden - maybe Carrot could have had the chance to think about things a little, and maybe pass off his decisions as being silly. Perhaps his mental defence mechanism could blur out the fact that they'd kissed... after all, even so far back as that trip to the beach, things had happened while Carrot was conscious... conscious but twisted. He didn't remember anything from that, as far as Marron knew. If he did, surely he would have said something...

 

"... Mmn... Marron?"

 

"Ah-?"

 

"You okay?"

 

Marron froze momentarily, "Y-yes, why would you ask...?"

 

"Could hear you sighin' and makin' noises a bit. Figured either you were gettin' a cold, there was somethin' up, or you were trying to get a quick one under the sheets before you slept. Figured it wouldn't be the third one."

 

"Oh... I... I was just finding it hard to sleep, somewhat."

 

"You too, huh?"

 

"Mm."

 

He'd presumed Gateau asleep from the moment their conversation had dried up previously... of course, if there had been any indication to Gateau having not been able to sleep, Marron felt he probably wouldn't have been aware of it. Thoughts of Carrot pervaded his mind too neatly for that... sighing, Marron wondered if Carrot seriously did want him to take up a relationship with somebody else. How would he ever be able to concentrate on such a thing? Even in the past, it had only been ever to deflect his thoughts of Carrot...

 

Of course, perhaps that was Carrot's own current motivation...

 

"... Gateau...?"

 

"Mm?"

 

"If... if you were talking about something serious... talking about it with Eclair... and at the end of the conversation, she wished for you to hug her... would you?"

 

A momentary pause.

 

"Hug Eclair?"

 

"Yes. If she asked you."

 

"If she asked me? Well, sure. Why wouldn't I?"

 

"... I was just curious."

 

"Oh..."

 

Another pause; it seemed that something had occurred to Gateau.

 

"Look, Marron... did something happen between you and Carrot?"

 

"No."

 

Quite a sudden answer...

 

"It's just, it seems pretty sudden that Carrot would want you getting in a relationship and stuff... seems kinda weird that he'd suddenly be all excited about that, too. Why would you wanna know about me and Eclair if it wasn't gonna be something to do with you and Carrot? Unless you're genuinely interested in her relationship with me..."

 

Marron stared at the dark outline of the bedside cabinet, shifting over to rest on his side rather than entirely on his front. Perhaps he really was that transparent; there really was no other reason he'd want to ask Gateau of Eclair, really... and it was quite perceptive of Gateau to pick up on that so quickly.

 

"I see. Indeed, my brother's motivation seems... somewhat mysterious..."

 

"Did he want to hug you or something?"

 

"... I... I... wished for him to hug me. We'd been talking. I... I had an irrational urge to feel his embrace, to be assured of his warmth... yet he refused me. He thought it would be better if he did not embrace me. I-... I can't help but wonder... even now, a few days on... why wouldn't he...? Why would he refuse? When it was something I specifically asked for... quite what was better about refusing...?"

 

Gateau rolled onto his back, "Huh, that's a bit heartless, isn't it? Cute little brother wants a hug, treasured older brother says no... wonder why he said that."

 

"That is what I... what I cannot help but wonder..."

 

If it wasn't one thing with the Glacé brothers, then it was another. If it wasn't Carrot all edgy about something or other that Marron may or may not have done, it was Marron obviously upset about something Carrot may or may not have done. Gateau couldn't help but be curious, wonder just what had happened between those two... Marron's silence was speaking more than his words, though his words were pretty interesting too. Quite obviously something had happened, but Marron probably wouldn't be saying just what it was...

 

The blank tone to Marron's voice was as painful to hear as anything. Marron could be quite introverted when he wanted to be, but just because his voice didn't let anything away didn't mean that nothing was happening there inside him; better to hide emotion sometimes, obviously. In his case, a lot of the time.

 

"... Gateau...?"

 

"Mmm?"

 

"... What... is it like...?"

 

"What's what like?"

 

"... Being an older brother."

 

Gateau let out a noise of amusement, "Probably a lot like how it is being a younger brother to that one of yours! I dunno though, can you really explain what something like that's like?"

 

"I... I understand. Though... your feelings for Eclair. How do you feel towards her...?"

 

"How do I feel? Well... I'm always happy she's around, of course. I mean, after what happened with her and Sacher I'm gonna be, ya know? Hmmn... I guess I worry about her more than I should, always tellin' her to be careful if she wants to go down to Facade or whatever... I tend to go with her a lot. It's not like much is gonna happen in the capital or anything, but... I'd rather be able to keep an eye on her sometimes, ya know? Not that she wouldn't be able to escape from a bad situation if she got in one, she's gotta be as strong as me and if not then only by a little... so... I guess it's worrying even when I don't have to, but I mean that in a good way. I'm always thankful she's around to worry about. So can't you say that's a lot like you and Carrot? You sure worry about him a lot."

 

"Mm... you're right... I always worry about him. I worry about him at the moment, worry about what he's doing, how he is, if he's alright... tonight, if he has a nightmare, I won't be able to be there for him. If he mentions on our return that he woke from a nightmare, then... then he would have been alone, and I-... I think I would feel responsible, somehow."

 

"Hey, you don't need to feel bad about something like that! Can't help being sent on a mission, can you? You said it yourself, work is work and all of that..."

 

"Even so..."

 

Marron's voice dropped to barely a whisper, "... am I... really so terrible that he would not want even to touch me...?"

 

There was a slight pause. Gateau frowned, though Marron couldn't see that... it seemed that something Carrot probably said without thinking had deeply affected Marron, again. Gateau wondered just what he could say to something like that... he didn't know what Carrot woulda been thinking to have decided something like that, and he probably didn't even see it as some big betrayal like how Marron obviously did... and of course, it was pretty telling that Marron would make a big thing of it in the first place. Anybody else, it wouldn't really matter, but because it was Carrot...

 

"Marron... I'm sure he didn't mean it as some big personal slight, or anything! Carrot never seemed like a majorly touchy-feely guy like that anyway. Maybe he just wasn't in the mood for a hug, or something. I dunno. I'm sure it's nothing bad!"

 

Not that Gateau knew anything of what had happened before that which may have influenced it, but Marron wasn't going to tell him anything about that either. He didn't have to know.

 

"Gateau...?"

 

"What now?"

 

A pause long enough for Gateau to look up in preparation to asking Marron what he was going to say, but then Marron spoke.

 

"If... if there was... a kiss... between you and Eclair... how would you react...?"

 

"A kiss? You mean like, on the cheek or something? Well, I dunno... I've probably kissed her before but not really for a while... heh, it'd be a bit weird, I think. Why, you didn't ask Carrot to kiss you too, did you?"

 

"N-no..."

 

Gateau seemed honestly convinced that Marron meant a platonic kiss. He didn't pursue the matter; he didn't want discuss it so fervently that he'd tell Gateau about such strange things between he and his brother...

 

Somehow, Marron found himself quite keenly missing Milphey at that point. Milphey would sit calmly and listen to Marron's problems, even if they involved strange things to do with Carrot... he'd say something wise or something humorous and whatever he said, it'd probably help even if only a little... he'd smile and he'd probably hold Marron for a bit, maybe they'd even fall asleep together. Give the others something to talk about come the morning.

 

As it was, both Milphey and Carrot were somewhere else entirely on the Continent. Marron shifted in his bed; was there really anything he could ask of Gateau? He couldn't tell him of much, not without revealing too much of the situation. He didn't want to ask anything too forward of him, either... Gateau still seemed generally concerned at times, but Marron wasn't stupid and knew that asking too much would probably send the both of them into a negative mood for the remainder of the mission. If nothing else, there was that return coach journey they'd have to endure... Marron had no intention of spending that time verbally sparring with Gateau.

 

Nothing more was said between Marron and Gateau for the night; Gateau presumed that Marron wasn't going to say anything more, and so drifted off into sleep. Once he heard Gateau's deeper breathing, Marron felt safe that he wouldn't be asked anything else. All that was really left of the night was for he himself to fall asleep...

 

Marron didn't know if it was because it was late, because it was dark, because he was sleeping somewhere he wasn't used to sleeping or even because of Gateau's occasional snores, but he found it difficult to get to sleep. His mind kept drifting over the conversation with Gateau just previous... more than that, it kept getting caught on matters of his brother. Not even recent things - just little things that Marron remembered, that seemed to hurt to remember... just quiet memories. He and his brother relaxing under that tree in Facade. That day had been nice, hadn't it? Him and Carrot, spending time nicely together... then Gateau had appeared, so had Salad, but... at least for that morning, it had been wonderful... but really, any time spent with Carrot usually held some benefit.

 

"You have to stop."

 

Nobody would have questioned Marron's love for Carrot. Anybody would love their relatives, wouldn't they? Marron remembered vague things Milphey had said in the past, asking if Marron would deny his love for Carrot... of course not, no, never! Something like that could never be denied!

 

"He would rather you had somebody else."

 

He could have said it back. The situation had lent itself to the emotion and Marron hadn't been able to say anything but that he loved Carrot... he'd told Carrot... he'd told Carrot he loved him, that he couldn't love anybody else...! Whether Carrot had entirely picked up on the connotations of that or not Marron didn't and couldn't know, but he hoped, so fervently he hoped... though he wasn't entirely sure if he hoped that Carrot had, or if he hoped that Carrot hadn't; the former held so much... the latter was frustrating, but at least easily so. If Carrot really was still clueless, then... then... then there could still be hope...

 

"Niisan... it's so painful..."

 

In more ways than one. There was the base pain that naturally came with the feelings of wanting your brother. Wrong, terrible, sinful, perverted, everything that Marron had spent nights thinking of in the past. He was used to such things. They were so terrible but they were things that he couldn't help but feel, therefore he felt he could live with it, despite the perversion. What was the alternative? To not love Carrot?

 

Was that an alternative that had to be realistically thought of...?

 

"... Niisan..."

 

Was there really anywhere else it could lead? Marron didn't know if he could stop protecting and looking after Carrot, promise of self-gratification at the end or not... it was ingrained into his soul almost literally, he wouldn't stop protecting Carrot. However, feelings and duty didn't have to run alongside each other... was it even possible to consider looking at Carrot in a different way?

 

Maybe Carrot would get a girlfriend. The thought randomly popped up in Marron's mind; maybe Carrot would try to get a girlfriend to show Marron what 'normal' and 'proper' relationships were like. Maybe he'd even start up with double-dates or other such horrific things... though, the thought of a double-date wasn't entirely terrible, it at least gave the excuse of being with a girl to go on a date with his brother... even if Carrot would naturally spend the whole time flirting up a storm with both girls, probably. No, thoughts like those were best left alone.

 

Rolling over onto his stomach again, Marron pressed his face closer to the pillow. He felt like he was doing something wrong... moreso than he usually did. What was he thinking of, of his brother and dating...? This was his brother who almost certainly rejected his deep-seated feelings! The brother who now was determined to find him a romantic partner!

 

What did he want to think of, though? The thought of giving up on Carrot, of relinquishing the brotherly protection that was synonymous to his own feelings... that thought occurred to Marron's mind only a little less frequently than the thought of Carrot dying. It wasn't as if he'd ever assumed that Carrot would easily accept anything to do with his feelings... more than anything, he'd rather his feelings weren't known. As long as his feelings were secret then they could at least carry on... and Gateau and Milphey - even Carrot - had thought that Marron should confess all to his secret love. Nobody would ever be able to resist him, they all said! Marron was quite sure Carrot would make a hearty attempt at that, though. Even if the reaction wasn't volcanic in its magnitude, Carrot would probably try to cultivate that it wasn't a very good idea to want your brother into Marron's mind...

 

The thought of Carrot dying was one of those thoughts kept in a protective little bubble. If Marron ever thought about that then there was at least the comforting thought to fall back on - if Carrot died then it'd almost certainly mean that Marron had failed in his protection, and so likely by that point wouldn't be around to see Carrot's death anyway. It was so ingrained on Marron's thought process; if Carrot had to die, then he was almost certainly going to go first. To Marron's mind, that was a comfort.

 

To give up on him was a similarly connected sort of thought. To give up on Carrot? For Carrot to be anything less than a hundred percent of Marron's full attention? Even considering it seemed strange.

 

"It must be considered."

 

Marron didn't really notice as his thoughts started to become a little more abstract for fatigue crawling through him.

 

There was another world, wasn't there? A world everybody else had talked about... to go into that world meant to not love Carrot, didn't it? At least not in that way... was that world worth giving up such feelings? Ah, but that was the very definition of that place, wasn't it... to give up on the childish things... to embrace the adult things... to do the things that adults did, to dream the things that adults dreamt, to let go of the silly things that seemed so important during the younger years...

 

Another world...

 

A world where his love for Carrot would be naturally regulated, would not be so powerful...

 

A world where he could crave normal things, like a normal person...

 

Another world...

 

A no... ther wo rld...

 

Eventually, Marron slipped into a fitful kind of sleep.

 

****

 

If the world was the world as it was, and Eden was somewhere like heaven, then the very topmost point of Eden had to be somewhere quite special indeed. Somehow it was different ... Eden was quite tall, tall enough even to reach the skies, to reach the heavens... and Big Mama was a goddess, so it made sense that her abode would be somewhere between heaven and earth.

 

The world surrounded Eden, and Eden was its own self-contained place. People came from afar to visit the main branch of the Stella Church... so many people! Most of them were unaware of how they were watched. Many admired the architecture of the building, but few looked to the top of the spire with a purpose, to see that one highest point, that place where... it seemed that somebody watched from?

 

The room itself was invisible to those on the ground below, but for its sole occupant it was quite cozy. The floor was somewhere beneath layers of blankets and mattresses, the only area of carpet visible being that in front of the door. The windows were open wide, and unless one sat by the stone of the wall and peered down to the city below, all that was visible was the sky outside and the clouds that seemed so nearby. The room itself was so high up, the clouds were indeed quite nearby... it was all quite relaxing. The soft bounce of the mattresses, the slight whisper of the wind reflected off of the walls... the fact that Marron was naked except for a collar that held a chain that bound him to a lower part of the wall did nothing to detract from the scene. Indeed, Marron himself was quite relaxed; he lay back on the pillows, arranged in a nest around him. He stared out of the window, listened to the wind, the sound of far-off voices it carried...

 

There was an entire world outside of that room. So many times he was told of this world, could hear parts of it, could even see people walking around if the sky was right and the air was clear... as he shifted around to a more comfortable position, his chain rung slightly. That chain prevented him from leaving the room, but more than anything it was only really to display his captured state. He wouldn't have left the room under his own choice, in any case.

 

It was enough to be able to sit and watch the sky. To watch the sky, to be able to dream... to be able to dream of all of the things that happened beneath the sky, to know that he was but one person beneath that sky, but also beneath that sky was another one person... and that one person was who he hoped for so fervently... so fervently with the knowledge that they hoped for him also. He waited, and his waiting would be rewarded after enough time had passed.

 

Time passed both quickly and slowly in that place. Day and night would come and go, the sunshine illuminating the white of the room and lending it's wonderful warmth... the night bringing stars to the sky, the moon, other such things that could be watched for hours... hours could pass quickly, hours could pass slowly. Carrot would turn up when he felt like it, and no counting the hours since his last arrival could help that fact. Sometimes Marron would get quite impatient - there was nobody else who he stayed in that room for! It was for Carrot's benefit, it was on Carrot's request... so couldn't he hurry up and visit?

 

Marron liked to think he was aware of Carrot's visits right from the moment he set foot on the lower staircase. Like some kind of loyal pet Marron would sit up suddenly, ears pricked and ready to receive those little sounds that proved that somebody was coming to visit... the tapping of footsteps up the staircase that could only grow louder, sound as if somebody was running... and somebody was running... yes, that had been the kind of sound he was waiting for! Marron pulled himself up to his knees, the chain running over his shoulder as he knelt eagerly. The sound became louder, louder... then the sudden rattling of the doorhandle, the sound of the door pushing against the carpet... and then Carrot was standing there, and he was smiling. He'd arrived. Marron quickly crawled over to him and hugged him firmly around the waist as the door was closed behind them.

 

"Niisan! Niisan, you came!"

 

"Ahaha, yes, yes..."

 

It was hard to resist something like that when it was presented so clearly. Marron was already nudging his fist against Carrot's crotch, picking and pressing at the zip of his trousers... Carrot smiled, "You're pretty eager today, aren't you?"

 

"It's been a while since you last visited..."

 

Carrot's tone became slightly apologetic, "I know, I'm sorry... there were things that happened, but you probably don't want to know about those, do you?"

 

"No, no. They don't matter."

 

Suddenly very focused, Marron busied himself with the unbuttoning and unzipping of Carrot's trousers, quickly and quite expertly removing his belt; with a swift movement those lower garments were pulled to Carrot's ankles, with a few further movements (and a little help from Carrot) they were removed entirely. Carrot laughed softly, "You don't wanna hear about the interesting things I was gonna tell you?"

 

Marron was knelt again, "I could care less about the things that happen outside of these walls..."

 

A contented sigh, "You never change."

 

"No."

 

There was a momentary silence as Carrot leant forward and picked at Marron's collar. There was a small metallic sound, and it fell from Marron's neck; if he really wished to escape the room then he indeed could have done by that point, but that was barely in his own interests. Carrot was right when he said that Marron never changed - the statement was truer than the two could know. Marron didn't change, though Carrot did, subtly... one could tell the years advancing on Carrot, his more muscled build, the slight facial hair... he was starting to look older. That was a disease that came from being in that outside world, wasn't it? Marron remained young and beautiful, and if his needs were childish then he embraced them as being so. It was a wonderful arrangement. Marron couldn't really remember how or why it had started, but somehow it had, and therefore he was happy.

 

"You like being here like this, don't you?"

 

"Of course, niisan."

 

"Shame it's only a dream, isn't it?"

 

"Yes, niisan."

 

"Still. While we're in a perfect kind of place, it's okay if things like this happen, right?"

 

In another situation perhaps Marron might have asked 'things like what?', but when he was laid out against a bed of wonderfully soft pillows at the top of a spire that broke into the clouds, there wasn't really any question of what was to happen. Carrot was pressed against him now, holding him down, kissing him... there seemed something wonderfully real about the way his lower half was naked, and pressed against Marron. The shared warmth, the fact that it was Carrot... those were things he'd perhaps grown used to, but only in a very wonderful way. Even their legs seemed to fit together nicely. He waited for Carrot for as long as Carrot bid him wait, so once Carrot appeared there really was no reason to wait anymore...

 

Kept like a bird in a cage, Marron could only be happy for his significance. Nobody had managed to drag him out into that world, and in that way, he was different. It made him different, it made him special. Perhaps Carrot hadn't had the will to stay behind also, but that was okay, since he visited from time to time. It was quite a childish thing to cling to, wanting to remain beside the first person you ever loved for as long as was possible, but... when that person didn't argue then there wasn't anything wrong with it, was there? The others could visit if they wished, but... Marron didn't long for their company as he longed for Carrot's company.

 

He didn't need to see them like how he needed to see Carrot.

 

A little nudging, a little shifting... Marron delighted in the fact that Carrot was now hard, and this of course in turn helped his own arousal. Carrot's erection pressed against his skin, was currently against his thigh... Marron let out a sound of amusement.

 

"Niisan... I think you've longed for this as much as I have..."

 

A kind smile, "Of course I have! Coming here means I can always get what I want... doesn't it? People outside of here, they're always wanting things and conditioning things and it's pretty tiresome after a while. I know I can come here and say that I want you, and I can have you. 'Cause you always want me, don't you? So... it's not something that has to be complicated. I like that."

 

"Thank you, niisan. Oh, I would that the rest of your life seemed so simple..."

 

Carrot brushed Marron's hair to behind his shoulder, "It's okay, really it is. It just makes things seem an awful lot nicer when I come to visit here, doesn't it?"

 

"If you say so..."

 

For a moment, Marron seemed indecisive somehow. Carrot pressed himself to Marron again, silencing his unfinished sentence with a soft kiss. Indecision came from doubt, and doubt could lead to undesirable emotions... but Carrot's lips were soft, Carrot's lips were warm, and his kind smile afterward vaporized any worry Marron might have had, about anything. No, in a life with so much and so little in it, what was there to worry about? Emotions were fleeting things, and they passed by as quickly as time did.

 

Sex was another thing that came and went quickly, and that was something Marron wished could last longer. Not that Carrot was too quick or anything, neither he himself, but when he found himself face-down against the mattresses and being pounded harshly against the soft material, he felt all too aware that the pleasures he felt were fleeting. When one spent as much time desiring such things as Marron found he did, the actual act in itself could barely ever be enough. Some times went by quicker than others; some involved tickles and torture and foreplay, sometimes Carrot couldn't hold back his passions. Both were good, in Marron's opinion... and as Carrot gripped around his chest and thrust forth again, again, Marron didn't feel in a position to argue.

 

Anything felt good in that kind of situation. The very setup of the room was like some kind of massive bed, and that only lent itself to be useful... it didn't matter if Carrot's movements were quick, if he pinned Marron down and took him without a moment's hesitation... as Carrot had said, it was a dream, and it was Marron's dream. It could only feel wonderful.

 

Remaining on all fours as Carrot sat up to a kneel behind him, Marron felt his buttocks firmly held apart by Carrot's thumbs. Still was the addicting, continuous movement... it seemed that Carrot wasn't in the mood to be gentle this time. That was alright. There would be other times, and this was good also... Marron felt like he wanted to remember past occasions of more loving encounters, but the nature of current thought meant he could remember little. There was that feeling of having been in that situation before, but was that only an illusion created for the moment, or a truth he couldn't bring himself to remember? Currently Carrot's cock was sawing in and out of him without reprieve, and he didn't really care. Memory, past experience... things like that, they didn't matter. Not compared to things like that.

 

After not too long, Carrot's movements changed. From gently holding with his thumbs, his fingers suddenly gripped harshly around Marron's lower hips. He fell forth against Marron as he held him tightly and hunched roughly against him; he wasn't far from climax, and since it was with Marron it meant that his own wouldn't be far away either. When one didn't have too much to do with their waking days, one could spend time conditioning themselves into being the perfect bedroom companion for their loved one... Marron could hold back his orgasm at Carrot's request, and he could also, to a point, induce his release if Carrot requested it. Of course, some times were better than others, but really, when he had Carrot hooked over his shoulder and growling into his ear, never mind the blatant physical stimulation, it wasn't going to take much to tip Marron over the edge. Carrot's hand groping haphazardly between his thighs would do a pretty good job of that, though... Carrot was just as preoccupied as Marron was, but he still managed to wrap his fingers around Marron's erection and hold it to some kind of stimulation as he continued.

 

Carrot's gasps and cries were the best thing to concentrate on, in that situation. The feelings all together were wonderful in themselves, but those ragged gasps, that harried breathing... the hoarseness of Carrot's voice from only being able to say things like 'hahhn' and 'aghnnn' and other such noises... how could anybody resist those? Eventually Carrot came and therefore caused Marron to also, a strangled cry and brutal movements brushed aside by a sudden lethargy that washed over the two of them in matched waves. Carrot could only nuzzle himself against Marron's neck, "... It's great to see you again, too."

 

"Yes... yes, niisan..."

 

"... You wanna hear about things outside now...?"

 

Marron considered this. Carrot was still inside him, pressed against him, wrapped around him... did he really want to hear of things Carrot had been doing outside of his own immediate sphere of influence? Not really. He said so.

 

"I'd rather you didn't tell me, niisan."

 

"Oh? I thought you woulda been interested..."

 

"My interests only run so far as you, niisan."

 

Carrot nodded, "Exactly... I mean, there was this hilarious thing that happened with Gateau the other day, maybe you really had to be there but it was pretty funny... you sure you don't wanna hear about stuff like that?"

 

"If you could tell me while excluding any reference to other persons in your life, I may listen. Otherwise, I do not wish to hear."

 

Pulling away from and out of Marron, Carrot's expression softened as he fell back against the pillows.

 

"Okay, okay. What do you wanna hear, then?"

 

"... Did you miss me while you were gone, niisan?"

 

"Of course I missed you!"

 

"You could spend more time with me here if you wished. Did you ever cry yourself to sleep to think about me?"

 

"Come on, I know how much you love me... why would I wanna cry about that?"

 

"You could always stand to spend more time here. Might there not be nights when you miss me? Might there not be nights where you are so lonely, and you touch yourself to think about me?"

 

Carrot knocked against what part of Marron he could reach from his current position, it happened to be his lower leg.

 

"Why would I really need to touch myself when I could just get you to do it for me?"

 

"If you came here more often I could believe that your patterns followed your arousal..."

 

"I come up here a lot!"

 

"Not as much as you could do. Niisan, I trust I am your only one...?"

 

There was no hesitation, "Of course you are! Why would I need anybody else when I've got you? Nobody else could love me as much as you do! Besides, I know how much it'd hurt you if you found out about anybody else. I'm sure you'd be able to tell those things, wouldn't you?"

 

Marron rolled over onto his back, "Yes, niisan. I'm glad you have... respect, for my loyalty."

 

"Of course!"

 

That answer came accompanied by a wide, happy smile. There wasn't any doubt in that expression, in Carrot's manner in general... those thoughts were comforting ones. He didn't doubt Marron's loyalty. Of course, when locked in a room away from the outside world, one didn't really have any chance to be physically disloyal, but when it came to things like that one could always be physically disloyal while mentally loyal and then the opposite could probably be true as well, but as it was Marron was physically loyal and mentally loyal and while he worried that perhaps Carrot wasn't so in return, when his brother smiled at him so lovingly like that, he couldn't bring himself to think any doubtful thoughts.

 

Besides, if Carrot didn't speak of the outside world, then surely that was better also... strictly speaking, Carrot could have done anything in that outside world, and if he chose to lie truthfully enough about the things he did then Marron would be entirely unknowing... that was acceptable against the alternative. Marron honestly didn't want to hear about the things that his brother did in the outside world - those were things that he did with other people, things that he did that he couldn't do with Marron... those things would only serve to inflame jealousy and other unwanted feelings. While they spent the time together that they could spend together, it was better to spend that time happily, wasn't it? Ignorance was, after all, bliss. And if Carrot didn't speak of infidelity of any kind, then Marron could bring himself to believe that Carrot was entirely loyal to him.

 

After all, would there be any reason why he wouldn't be? Was there any reason why he'd even want anybody other than Marron? Carrot often spoke of Marron's beauty, of how wonderful he was, of how much he loved him... compared to that, was there anything that anybody else could give him? Marron picked himself up from the pillows and crawled over to Carrot, hovering over him momentarily before gently lowering himself down onto Carrot's body. He pressed his head against Carrot's chest, wrapping his arms around the same and then his legs to Carrot's legs... this was answered by arms wrapping around his shoulders in a protective hug. That was nice. Sex was brilliant, Marron treasured the feeling he retained from having been taken by his brother just a few moments before, but... to be able to hug afterward, that was the best thing. Even after something like that, Carrot would still accept him. How could he doubt his beloved older brother...

 

There was a difference between doubt and confirmation, however. Marron smiled to himself, closing his eyes as he spoke.

 

"Niisan... you do love me, don't you?"

 

The hug turned into a brief squeeze, "Of course, you don't have to ask something like that!"

 

"I like to hear it from you, though..."

 

"I know you do, I know you do. I'll say it as many times as you want."

 

Marron shifted his head to be able to smile up at Carrot, "I wonder how many times that would be..."

 

"Well, as many times as you want, that's something only you can know!"

 

"Might you ask for a specific number?"

 

"If you came up with a number I'd only try to say it more times than that..."

 

"Mmmm... three-hundred and ninety-eight thousand."

 

Carrot looked comfortably shocked, "Ehh? I couldn't say it that many times, I'd lose count!"

 

"You said you'd say it as much as I wanted you to... besides. If you lost count, I'd only make you start again."

 

"Then it'd be more than three-hundred and ninety-eight thousand..."

 

"That's true. Maybe a larger number, then..."

 

"No, no!... How about something less specific?"

 

"In what way, niisan?"

 

"Umm... how about I say 'I love you' until... until..."

 

Marron watched Carrot's thinking expression. He looked like he was honestly thinking about this... that was amusing. It was a nice conversation to have. Marron smiled happily, "Until the end of time? Until the end of eternity?"

 

"How about until you get sick of it?"

 

He said that with a knowing smile on his face. Marron returned that smile, leaning up a little to press a kiss against Carrot's lips.

 

"Nii-san... even if you said it three-hundred and ninety-eight thousand times, I wouldn't get sick of it."

 

Carrot's mood changed subtly with that, moving to press Marron against the pillows once more, keeping their bodies close together and his tone to a sensual growl.

 

"Even if I said it that many times, it wouldn't stop being true."

 

"Oh... oh, niisan..."

 

"See? I... love you here... and here... here too... then here... and of course, here..."

 

Moaning continually, Marron could only lie back and take his brother's physical demonstration of all the places he loved Marron. Carrot interspersed his words with harsh kisses, kissing at Marron's forehead, his temple, his ear, his cheek... reached his neck, Marron gasped sharply. He never wanted such a sentiment to stop being true... such a thing could never be proved false... could it? Carrot's kisses only served as further proof, of his feelings and of Marron's own... no, he could never love anybody else as much as that, he was sure. Nobody else would be able to make him shudder merely from a light kiss, could they? Then Carrot reached his nipples and those kisses were not light, and Marron's eyes closed in concentration of feeling.

 

"... here too... I love these, and here, and here, and over here... across here..."

 

"Niisan... niisan, niisan... ah-nnn... AHN..."

 

The pause in Carrot's movement caused Marron to look up in vague curiosity, "Nii... san?"

 

Any worry he might have had at Carrot's actions stopping was vanquished by the very look on Carrot's face; that smile, no-... that smirk... that was the smirk of somebody who had what they wanted, who knew what they wanted, and knew very well how to get it... and of course, that smirk was the kind that, when directed at he himself, made Marron weak at the knees. As he was lying down, it made him feel weaker in some places and stronger in others... how could even just a smirk provoke such a reaction...

 

"Nii... niisan..."

 

"You love all of those places too, don't you?"

 

"... I love it when you touch them..."

 

"Pervert."

 

"For you, niisan... because of you..."

 

A pinch of the nipples made Marron cry out, "AHN!"

 

"I know... I know..."

 

"You... you don't... mind...? Do you, ni... nii... san?"

 

A pause between the question and the answer as Carrot took the opportunity to lean down and nip at Marron's nipple, teeth somewhat sharper than fingers... that caused a more elongated noise, and when the bite turned to a suck, the cry turned to a lengthy moan. Would Carrot ever, ever mind...? Not in a situation such as this. Not in a dream such as this.

 

"How could I mind? S'one of the reasons I love you, after all..."

 

"You love me for being perverted...?"

 

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

 

"... You make me perverted..."

 

"Well, that's a good thing now, isn't it. All the places that I love you... all the ways in which I love you... I wonder how many ways you love me, hm?"

 

"Ah..."

 

"C'mon, you're usually so eloquent..."

 

"I couldn't describe something like that...! I wouldn't even know where to begin... wouldn't know how to speak those words... niisan... can it really be something so deep yet so simple?"

 

"I dunno, can it?"

 

"That I would love you with every part of my existence... that it should all be expressed so entirely... niisan... I love you..."

 

Carrot smiled, "Well, I guess that's enough, isn't it? Let's do some of that expressing stuff."

 

Little more was said beyond that point; the physical expression of love was just as potent as the vocal expression of the same, if not that bit more intense for the deep feeling it stirred. Carrot would take Marron again, and possibly again after that; after a while it seemed pointless to keep track of such things, there just really wasn't any point in keeping count of the amount of times he'd been kissed, been touched, been groped... besides, it was a dream, Marron felt quite happily aware of that. Carrot could claim him as many times as was necessary due to that, and that was only a good thing, wasn't it? Eventually he would lapse into unconsciousness, he'd wake up and the situation would be different... but to find himself locked in his cage for the benefit of his master, he could only delight in that fact. He'd treasure things as they were while they were like that, and also treasure their memory once they were over.

 

What could there be in life that could be seen as unpleasant in the face of such memories...?

 

Marron had the feeling that there was something wrong with the situation, something that would indeed set in as being worrying, but... at that moment, in that place, being with that person... how could there be anything to worry about at all...?

 

****

 

"... Uhhnn..."

 

The sun rose with little announcement into the sky, and the sunlight eventually reached the window, spread across the room, nudged Gateau into some state of being awake. The light was just that little too bright to let him stay asleep... he groaned, rolling onto his back.

 

He looked up at the ceiling. That was not his ceiling. He sat up suddenly - this was not his room! Where was he?... He looked around for a few moments longer, saw Marron still sleeping in the bed opposite... reality and recollection filtered back to Gateau's mind. Of course, they were still on that mission, weren't they? Damned backwater villages. Gateau scratched at his neck... it seemed a little strange that he was awake before Marron, but sometimes things like that just happened.

 

"Uhhuhhnnn..."

 

Gateau frowned, glancing across at Marron once more. Sounded like something was going on there... probably a dream, or something. Was there much point in going over to him and waking him up? Just because he himself was awake didn't mean he had to disturb Marron's rest, not if he was caught up in something... and besides, how often did Marron get the chance to sleep in? Usually he was up pretty early to start his meditation again...

 

Stretching, Gateau supposed he could leave Marron just for a little while longer. They had to go see that village chief, and then of course they'd make their way to the hot springs, but... it looked to be pretty early outside, there was no reason to really do anything quickly.

 

"... nnhnn..."

 

Marron was being pretty noisy, though. Gateau had never had Marron pinned down as somebody who snored or anything, but he was certainly making some kind of noise... maybe he talked in his sleep? Gateau didn't feel he'd spent enough nights in Marron's company to be able to draw such a conclusion.

 

"... nhhhn... ni... hnnn..."

 

Climbing out of bed, Gateau wondered just what it was Marron was thinking about to make such enthusiastic noises. Well, dreams were dreams and sometimes you didn't even remember what you dreamt about the moment you woke up; Gateau put that thought to the side, and decided to settle with more mundane things, like getting dressed. Where had he put his trousers...

 

"Umnmnn... 'san..."

 

"Huh?"

 

"... nnh... ii... sa... n..."

 

Well... it was fairly obvious who Marron was dreaming about. As to what he was dreaming about... with an eyebrow firmly raised, Gateau supposed he probably didn't want to know. Alright for somebody talking in their sleep, but... Marron sounded quite enthusiastic there...!

 

Still, you couldn't control what happened in your dreams. Just because Marron was enthusiastic about something while he slept, that didn't mean his thoughts would be echoed once he woke up. Gateau pulled his shirt on. After all, he himself had had many dreams in the past that he'd only realised the strangeness of once in the world of the living...

 

"Umnmmn... mnmnmm... nmm... mmn..."

 

And given Marron's tendencies, Gateau didn't feel he'd be surprised if Marron's subconscious cooked up anything strange between the siblings. Carrot seemed to be on Marron's mind so much of the time, after all...

 

On Marron's side, he was indeed still asleep, but reality was starting to filter through. The land of clouds and towers and pillows... that seemed to fade, but that was acceptable. He felt warm, he felt comfortable... the bedsheets around him felt wonderfully soft, he snuggled around in them. Idly he wondered where the bedsheets had come from, but that probably wasn't important. No, but... the feeling of being loved so intently by his brother, the happiness they shared together, the joy of such little things... what could be argued with? He loved Carrot. Carrot loved him. How wonderful things could be...!

 

Marron found his eyes opening, his vision seeming momentarily blurred. He blinked a few times... he was on his side, and from his line of sight he could see the window of the room. Quite sunny, wasn't it? The view out of the window was strangely devoid of treetops and greenery, something that you could always see in Eden...

 

Stretching, Marron sat up in bed. He blinked again. Looking around, he saw Gateau nearby, finishing up the task of getting changed... Marron frowned sleepily, rubbing at his eyes.

 

"... Nii... san?"

 

Gateau looked up, "Good morning to you too. And I'm Gateau by the way, not niisan."

 

"Ah... n? Ah-..."

 

"Sleep well?"

 

The warmth of Marron's briefly contented mood dropped suddenly. That warmth, that joy, that love... he had flashes of things he could remember, hints of things that Carrot had said... such romantic things! And also, the things they had done... ah, but... then again... that setting... that circumstance... such a thing could never quite seriously be real...

 

Marron's expression fell, "I... I had a dream..."

 

"Yeah, sounded like it. You were pretty gone there for a bit! I'm glad dreamin' about Carrot can make someone happy, if I had a dream with Carrot in I'd be pretty scared!"

 

"Niisan? How-... how would you know my dream was of my brother?!"

 

"'Cause you were lying there going 'niisan niisan' since I woke up! It's gonna be pretty obvious, really. Still, sounded like you were having a good dream, that's better than having a nightmare, right? Anyway, it seems like it's pretty early... you wanna go see that village chieftain guy while we're up, or did you wanna stick around for longer? Either's good."

 

"Ah-..."

 

Running a hand through his hair, Marron tried to get his thought processes back on track. Gateau was right, they were still on a mission and they still had work to do. Attractive as the thought of staying in bed and thinking about the dream he'd just had was, there was little way to explain such an attraction to Gateau, and such a thing was barely productive, in any case. There was a mission, it was duty. He felt compelled to at least seem like he'd want to do the most dutiful thing... and of course, perhaps checking the magical seal up at the shrine could take his mind off of thoughts of being taken so wonderfully by Carrot in cloud-pillow paradises. Tempting as such thoughts were, there was nothing that could be done about them, and no place for them to lead; a satisfaction created by a dream was only a false one, he'd have to face reality eventually...

 

"Well?"

 

"I'm thinking, Gateau. Ah... well, I think we should get to the shrine as early as possible... the sooner we can convince him that the seal is safe, the sooner we can leave this place. After all... did you not wish to visit the nearby resort...?"

 

"Haha, well, that was my ulterior motive. Get out of here quick enough, have more time to spend relaxin'! Always good. So, uh... you wanna meet me downstairs? I'll leave you alone to get dressed. Wanna stretch my legs a bit. Maybe get some breakfast at that café place..."

 

"Ah... yes..."

 

A smile and a wave of the hand, and Gateau was gone from the room. Marron listened as he retreated down the outside corridor, made his way down the staircase... he sighed gently. That was a relief. If Gateau hadn't have gone of his own accord then Marron would only have tried to send him on ahead through persuasion... such a dream of Carrot didn't come without disadvantages, and Marron hadn't quite wanted to let Gateau be aware that he'd woken up with an erection. Of course, such a thing could be seen of as normal sometimes, but there was normal and then there was normal and whatever Gateau thought, Marron didn't want any comments of any kind from him. What bits of his body chose to do was his own business, was it not?

 

Marron sighed, lifting the sheets away and seating himself into a cross-legged position. Best to clear the mind of perverted thoughts. Such things wouldn't get him anywhere. Clear the mind... focus on the atmosphere of the room... the steady rhythm of his heartbeat... his breathing... reality was only grounded in perception, anything else was unnecessary...

 

As far as meditation went, Marron managed to lower himself into quite a calming kind of trance. Sometimes it was hard to reach that mental state, but perhaps the calm he'd felt from waking up lent itself to the situation... his eyes were closed, and his body and mind were at some kind of synchronized peace. Yes. His body and his mind were as one... control of one led to control of the other...

 

The image of Carrot's smiling face occurred to his mind quite randomly, and that was something that wasn't controlled, and also something that brought loss of control to both the mind and body; after all, who could help their feelings? Marron couldn't, and the cry he let out on his meditation being so subtly disturbed might have disturbed anybody around to hear it. Suddenly was the rush of feeling of Carrot, of wanting to be near him, wanting to protect him, wanting to hold him, wanting to keep him, the pure feeling of wanting him, and that was a more potent need than any calm blank thoughts could protect against. Mind and body could be one all they wanted, but when the mind couldn't stop thinking of Carrot and it felt like the body's sole purpose was to serve Carrot in any way that was possible...

 

Opening his eyes, Marron found himself pressed back against the pillows and the headboard of the bed, arms clenched tightly around his chest, hands tightly pressing to his shoulders. His breathing was rapid all of a sudden, and he'd developed a sudden keen headache... he breathed deeply for a few moments, trying to sort himself back into some kind of order.

 

He had at least managed to dispel his erection. The end justified the means, didn't it?

 

That headache would be annoying, though.

 

A short while after that, Marron eventually joined Gateau in the downstairs area of the inn. Gateau seemed generally pleased to see him, but Marron didn't feel the sentiment... he wasn't in a good mood at all anymore, and Gateau quickly sensed this.

 

"You're here at last! I was beginnin' to wonder what'd happened! Wondered if maybe you'd gone back to sleep..."

 

"I had... things to take care of."

 

"If you'd wanted to sleep some more I wouldn'ta stopped you! You're lookin' kinda ruffled..."

 

"I'm fine, Gateau. Now, I... ah, Chieftain Els. You arrived early to meet us...?"

 

Glancing across the room, Marron quickly picked out the face of the chieftain. He sat in quite a tight position, his legs tightly together and his hands on his knees... he appeared to be looking back and forth across the room with the frequency of almost a nervous tic... he looked up suddenly on hearing his name mentioned, "YE-YES? Yes? Ah! Sorcerer Hunters. The Sorcerer Hunters from yesterday. You're here. That's good. Ah... ah... we'll be going to the shrine then?"

 

He leapt up from his seat with too much enthusiasm, almost tripped over another chair in his way, and quickly pushed past Marron and Gateau to reach the front door of the inn. He turned around to see if he was being followed, and found himself only watched (and not only by Marron and Gateau). He glared around at the townspeople, "As you were...! Ah, Sorcerer Hunters. Let us go!"

 

Gateau and Marron shared a look. Sighing, Gateau started walking forward.

 

"Well, I guess we gotta go, right?"

 

"... Yes."

 

The shrine being only at the edge of the populated area, it didn't take too long to reach. Enclosed in a little garden, the shrine seemed almost decorative in its purpose... Marron gazed on it with amusement as he remembered Gateau's comment from yesterday, they might as well have put a sign up advertising its presence... still, it wasn't as if there seemed to be anywhere else in the village where a sealed magic could easily be hidden. So out of the way there wasn't even a Stella Church... the nearest one was at least an hour away, Marron had learnt. He couldn't help but wonder just how religious a town such as Yuessis could be... of course, it tended to vary from person to person. Some people perhaps couldn't care less, some people perhaps made regular visits to that nearest Stella Church. You couldn't really make such a sweeping judgement on the entire town.

 

Els stood in front of the shrine, "Here, here, check in here! And all around it! You can't be sure something won't happen!"

 

Marron walked over to the front of the shrine, "You really don't need to be so worried about the magic, Chieftain Els. The seal placed on it is already strong, my magic can only strengthen it. We did already have a look yesterday..."

 

"I want to see with my own eyes what you do! The last time the Yuis magic got out, it was terrible! Terrible!"

 

Having little to do, Gateau stood to the side alongside Els.

 

"Powerful, is it?"

 

"Oh, oh yes! Terribly so!"

 

"What's it do? Summon dragons of fire from the earth, or something? Heh, maybe that's how come the place is so quiet..."

 

"No no no no no! The Yuis magic... it summons a plague of boils and warts upon those unfortunate enough to be caught under its influence! The Sorcerer who was here last... we were all afflicted! He could only stand and laugh! It was only when he was dispatched by some Sorcerer Hunters that we became healthy again!"

 

Gateau raised his eyebrow, "Ya know... I'd think myself pretty fortunate if I was bein' attacked by a Sorcerer who only wanted to do somethin' like that! Things like that go away eventually, right? You try fightin' golems and zombies and magic that could brainwash you or kill you or suck out yer essence... now that's difficult power to beat!"

 

"The people became so very restless... as the rightful Chieftain of the town, they wanted me to do something about the Sorcerer! But I... I... I couldn't...!"

 

"Okay, okay, we don't need a potted history of the town, thanks. The Sorcerer's gone now, right? Sounds like some kinda joker more than anything."

 

"He said he was going to turn us into frogs and lizards and pigs and then eat us!"

 

"Okay, okay! Okay! Sorcerer's gone, my beautiful assistant here is going to make sure the magic's safe. No more pigs or warts or lizards, we promise. Unless of course someone comes along who can break Marron's seal, but... well, if that happens, you can't really blame us now, can you."

 

Marron quietly kept his ear on the conversation as he closed his eyes, reaching out and concentrating in order to link with the sealed magic. Indeed it was quite sturdy in its own magic kind of way, Gateau was right - unless somebody came along with a purpose to break the seal, it was safe. Not that that would exactly calm Els, but it was all he could do to make sure it was safe.

 

It seemed a strange kind of magic in the first place. Out of all the kinds of magic that Magic Engineers could come up with, somebody came up with such a benign kind as that? Gateau had spoken of the Sorcerer who'd unleashed it being a joker... probably the person who'd made it in the first place was also. It just seemed strange... but magic itself was a strange phenomenon, it couldn't really be argued with.

 

So as it turned out, Marron and Gateau spent about half an hour at the shrine, proving to Els that the seal wouldn't suddenly just fall apart. It seemed that he was quite a pitiful figure, really... he really wanted to be a good head of the town, but after the last time, it seemed he'd lost the favour of most of the townspeople... in the end, you couldn't really blame him for being so enthusiastic in making sure that the place was safe. If the seal did break, then that meant that his status was irreparably broken... and though Gateau argued that there were probably better things a person could find to worry about, Marron quietly argued on Els' behalf, just slightly. If it was his life and pre-determined post to be the town chief, then he could only work on that job with all of his heart, couldn't he? If that was the one thing he had to focus on, then surely the thing he'd be most worried about would be the destruction of that duty... as they'd walked away from the shrine, Gateau had shrugged, supposing that Marron had a point. But people could be more relaxed in their duty too, he figured.

 

It was early afternoon by the time the two Sorcerer Hunters were packed up and ready to move on. There was nothing more they could do to convince Els, there was no more reason to stay in the village... Marron had been quite surprised at how eager and quick Gateau had been to pack his case and be ready for the off. He knew Gateau was quite excited, but...

 

Well, who wanted to stick around a crumbling dull town when there were hot springs to visit? Marron had found himself having to make a conscious effort to keep up with Gateau's pace.

 

"A mile away, huh? Well, we can walk that pretty fast if we try, right? It's probably more than a mile from Eden to the middle of Facade, and we're always going there, aren't we? It won't take us long!"

 

"Gateau, Gateau... I hardly think you'd like to spend your time at the hot springs tending to blisters..."

 

Gateau slowed down at that point, "I guess you're right. Hmmn, we're probably gonna get there pretty early, though... I don't know, sometimes it can be more fun to go into a hot springs at night, don't you think? Then you can do all that stargazing crap while relaxin'. But going there during the day is good too."

 

"Well... the resort is quite well equipped, from what I managed to gather around the town. We could easily spend time doing other things before going to the main hot springs... and if you wanted to, we could spend a night there. I doubt you'd want to be travelling anywhere after spending time in the springs, and we received our payment from Chieftain Els..."

 

"Yeah? That's a point. Yeah, I guess we could do that! You wouldn't mind spending another night out, would you?"

 

"From what I heard, the resort is quite respectable. I'm sure it could only be pleasurable to stay there."

 

He didn't want to say anything to Gateau, but the thought of spending a while at the hot springs resort became more and more appealing to Marron with each passing moment. Primarily from his thoughts that morning... his dream had been wonderful, but his thoughts afterward hadn't been so agreeable... his headache had eased off over the course of the day, but he still felt quite sluggish when it came to the thought of having to actually do anything. Checking on the seal had been about as much as he felt he could manage.

 

People always said to him that it would be best for him to relax, didn't they? Marron was sure he could recall quite a few people saying such things in the past. If anybody had seen him that morning, then certainly they'd probably recommend a helping of relaxation...

 

Marron wasn't really sure what he could do, not if he really thought about it. He'd tried to keep his more worrying thoughts out of his mind, concentrate on the mission in hand, keep up a suitable face so that Gateau wouldn't suspect anything of him... but as they fell back into silence for the walk to the resort, Marron found his thoughts wandering once more.

 

"... I wonder if he misses me."

 

Another slight selfish thought to think of, but... Marron folded his arms, gazing ahead pointedly at the path they had to follow. It was almost a nice thought to have... the thought of Carrot back in Eden, knowing that Marron wasn't around, knowing that Marron was so far away... perhaps he missed him? Perhaps the time spent not in Marron's company would help open Carrot's eyes to how much he really missed the company of his little brother when he wasn't around? If the feeling of loss was really so keen, then the only solution would be to stay around Carrot all the time... wasn't that a solution? Wouldn't that work? Marron felt guilty if his absence would cause Carrot any kind of negative feeling, but... as he'd thought quite a few times before, he couldn't help the mission, and... and also, if perhaps it did cause Carrot to think in a different way... perhaps a little pain could be justified if it had a positive reaction in the end.

 

It seemed a logical thought that Carrot might miss Marron, though. With each step that he took, Marron couldn't help but think about... just a little... more than a little... he missed Carrot. He couldn't keep track of Carrot's behaviour when they were so apart like that, he wouldn't be able to keep an eye on him, be able to watch him, be able to make sure he was safe, make sure he wasn't doing things that perhaps he shouldn't...

 

Might Big Mama have sent him off on a mission? It was possible. In Gateau and Marron's absence she could easily send Carrot and the Misu sisters off on some mission or another...

 

What kinds of missions? What places? How long would they be gone for?

 

What if something happened?

 

It wasn't as if Marron didn't have faith enough in the Misu sisters not to protect Carrot - it was that in itself which was also a concern. Not that there was any reason why now would be a perfect time for Chocolat to make any kind of move, but then again, all it would take would be for Tira to go off scouting or finding out information, and Chocolat and Carrot would be on their own...

 

Well, they'd been on their own some missions in the past, hadn't they? Quite a few times Chocolat had arrived afterward all beaming and smiles, telling of just how far she'd gone with Carrot, when, where, how... sometimes she went into quite surprising detail, given the fact that nothing had actually happened. She had quite the active imagination, and as far as annoying Carrot and Tira (and silently Marron himself) went, Chocolat had that down pat.

 

At least, Marron assumed that nothing had ever actually happened. Carrot was still quite insistent on the fact that he was a virgin, still moaned and wailed on that point... maybe if anything had happened with Chocolat he'd want to forget all about it, but then again, Carrot's feelings seemed so genuine... he'd even count Chocolat, wouldn't he? Even if it was a situation he didn't like, he'd at least be able to admit his sexual status, wouldn't he? After all, he at least classed situations with Milphey under his history, and he seemed quite embarrassed to admit those...

 

Basically, Marron didn't like the thought that there could actually have been things that Carrot might have done with people that he himself might have been unaware of. If Marron hadn't followed Carrot at Euran Island, anything could have happened - and as it happened, quite a lot had happened though not quite as far as Carrot might have liked, as far as Marron could tell... but Carrot hadn't really been in the right frame of mind to recall such things at the time. Anything could have happened.

 

That was probably the worst time for things, but while going along that line of thought, nobody could really call Carrot exactly untouched, not by any stretch of the imagination. There had been those women on Euran Island... and then there had been various missions and events in the past, opportunities that Chocolat probably wouldn't have passed up on even just a little, even once or twice Carrot had ended up kissing Tira...

 

Well, that was just strange. Tira had been quite blushy and shocked at the time, but really, anybody would be if they'd ended up being randomly kissed, wouldn't they? Marron could quite clearly picture Tira's expression of that time in his mind. Could remember Carrot's, too... he'd been quite shocked, hadn't he? The both of them had been. Marron too. Why had a plan of Carrot's had to have ended up like that... though, as far as things went, Marron didn't know if he could exactly class Tira as a rival as such. She seemed generally protective of Carrot, but given the dynamic of the group, even Gateau would be protective of Carrot in a pinch. They were all close, of course they were all going to be protective of one another!

 

Of course, Tira had never spoken of how she'd put her life on the line for Gateau's benefit or anything, but... well, the drama of the situation was always a factor and maybe it'd just sounded a pretty thing to say at the time.

 

She'd give her life to make sure Carrot was alright?

 

Well, Chocolat probably would too.

 

They both would?

 

Marron certainly would.

 

How could they say such sentiments so truthfully... what was it that made those two so determined to protect Carrot also? When it was the strongest thing that Marron felt, the feelings of having to protect Carrot, having to look after him - the feeling that he could never ever want to purposefully hurt Carrot... how could they echo even a similar sentiment?! Did they try to undermine his own personal maxims?! In any case, the Misu sisters spent a lot of their time routinely beating up on Carrot. That seemed a strange way to express one's love, other than anything else...

 

Just what kind of rivals might he have for Carrot's affections...

 

For a while, Marron had regarded Milphey as a vague kind of threat. He was always pouncing on Carrot, groping him, making kissy faces at him... nevermind that Carrot never reacted favourably to that, just the fact that he would so constantly get so close to Carrot served as an annoyance to Marron...! And then there'd been that time with Milphey and Carrot that only Milphey had mentioned... Marron still wondered about that. Apparently little had happened, but... even just a little was enough...

 

Though, to consider all the things that might have or could have happened with other people, it couldn't be denied that quite a bit had happened between Marron himself and Carrot, though of course Carrot was unaware of most of it. Times and memories that could only be thought of alone, experiences that only he could remember... sometimes, Marron wondered if there would be any worth in telling Carrot of the things that had happened. Carrot's reaction would be one of those things he wouldn't be able to judge until it actually happened, but... if his mind made the link between his body feeling so good and the fact that it had been Marron making him feel so good... perhaps there could be a positive outcome?

 

Marron didn't like the thought that he'd essentially been sent away from Carrot so close to the events of the other day; it was enough to feel mentally distanced from his brother, but to be quite blatantly physically distanced also...

 

Well. That brought the thoughts back full circle, didn't it? Perhaps Carrot would miss him. Perhaps Carrot would have the chance to think on things in a deeper kind of fashion. Perhaps, at last, the evidence would all click in his mind - he'd realise Marron's thoughts and feelings, realise the reasons behind his actions... perhaps realise a similar kind of feeling in his own mind...?

 

Chancing a vague gaze up towards Gateau... well, he still seemed determined enough to continue on the journey. Marron wondered what kind of thoughts were going through his mind at that time.

 

Similar feeling...

 

Gateau had been quite taken on Marron for a while, hadn't he? Expressing such loving sentiments... and those feelings had to have had root in events that had happened in the past. How could one realize how quickly they fell for somebody? Somehow, Gateau had ended up with feelings for Marron, and for a very short while, it seemed as if they might have been able to be requited.

 

Thinking of it in that kind of way, Marron felt quite guilty. When it came to the basic definition of feelings, there seemed very little different between Gateau's feelings for him, and his own feelings for Carrot... both were love, were they not? Or at least, Gateau had said he'd loved Marron. He said he'd loved Marron, they'd been somehow together for a while... hadn't that been giving Gateau a kind of false hope? Marron had never meant to lead Gateau on, but... he hadn't been able to help it, either! He couldn't help it if, in the end, he just didn't want to give himself to somebody like Gateau... and it seemed that there was nothing Gateau could say to dissuade such a mindframe. Even proclamations of love only served to incense Marron's anger further...

 

Could that not also be a comparison? It didn't matter how much Gateau had feelings for Marron, if he wasn't willing to return them then that was that...

 

And Carrot? What of his feelings?

 

Surely he had to realise that Marron's feelings were the most powerful he'd ever felt for anything before... surely Carrot had to realise the depth of Marron's feelings, the purpose, the driving force...! Surely he could bring it upon himself to lend some kind of gratification upon somebody who loved him so wholly, so totally, so entirely...!

 

Though if the returning feeling merely wasn't there, then... then what could be done about that...?

 

The hot springs village, when they reached it, was indeed quite favourable. Certainly more modern than Yuessis, in any case. The actual hotel attached to the springs was a tall building, not as impressive as the one at that Yobai place they'd visited all that time ago, but still a legitimate effort when one considered the surrounding countryside. Further on was only mountains and behind was only bare plains and occasional small towns and villages. The village of Kaesis, as it was called, seemed to be a small haven in the overwhelmingly dull atmosphere of the surroundings.

 

Marron and Gateau were greeted at the Kaesis hotel by a kind-looking young woman in an intricate maid's uniform. Marron could quite notice Gateau ogling her... he let it go, perhaps he found her attractive, and it wasn't his business who Gateau found attractive or not in any case. She happily recited information on the resort, Marron allowed Gateau to pay more attention than he did. Gateau could cope with the decisions of what to do, the bill, all those sorts of things... even as they walked along the main corridor to their room for the night, Marron still felt preoccupied, and Gateau noticed. He didn't say anything until they reached their bedroom.

 

The room itself was quite impressive. Probably at least twice the size of the rooms back in Eden, but still only with two beds in... the entirety of the back wall of the room was devoted to large glass doors that opened out onto a white balcony on the outside. The beds were large and pink, their sheets and blankets frilly and decorated in a variety of ways. Small lights studded the three remaining walls of the room, and above each bed was a larger light, held up by gilded metal prongs and controlled by a switch just above each respective bed's accompanying cabinet. The walls themselves were a dusky pink, separated to a darker rose in the middle by a white banner that went across the room. The banner itself continued on this motif, small roses printed in a continual pattern across it... it seemed to be the kind of room where no expense was spared. Even the main light was a modest chandelier, which Gateau noticed as he looked up and around the room... he was quite clearly impressed. He dashed around the room as he spoke.

 

"Wow... this place really is impressive! Hey Marron, check this out! All those little lights along the walls... I wonder how they did that... I guess maybe magic somehow? Huh... well, I guess if people use magic in this kind of fashion then it's okay... oh look, we've got a balcony! How cool! Ooh... hang on, is that-... wow, I wonder if they meant to have the view look directly out onto the hot springs. You could get a pervert just sit around on the balcony all day and ogle the wome-... ooh, and you really could... wow... though I guess it's either the view outta this side or the view outta the other side that isn't so pretty. I guess they figured people could live with something like that. Oh, but man! These beds! How many blankets and sheets and frills do you need? Not complaining or anything, hell no. Mmmn, looks real soft... let's see. Oh, I shouldn't really jump on a bed like that with my boots on, should I... here I go-OOMPH! Ahahaha! Oh man! Marron, try out the be- oh, you're already sitting on yours. Well, don't you think it's real comfy? You totally couldn't compare those beds back in Yuessis to here, could you! Jeez. I want to take it home with me. I wonder how subtle it'd be to walk out of here with a mattress or several... oh, come on. Smile a bit? Hey Marron, you even listenin' to me?"

 

The blank expression on Marron's face when he looked up gave no sign of comprehension to Gateau's words, but obviously Marron thought it'd be more polite to at least give the impression that he'd been listening.

 

"Ah? Oh, oh yes, I agree..."

 

"Hmmn, you weren't listening at all... you've been preoccupied all day! We came here to relax, you know? So it's okay to let go of whatever's worrying you just for a few hours! Is it really something that can't wait until we get back to Eden, hmn?"

 

Marron's voice was quiet, "... It is something that... could either change or stay the same... on the return to Eden... and I couldn't say which I would prefer it to be..."

 

That seemed a strange answer. Gateau frowned, rolling over on his bed to sit up on it. He looked at Marron for a few moments, but Marron didn't look back... currently he was leant on the very edge of his bed, hands crossed over his lap, staring down at, it seemed, the door of the room. There was just something in the way that he sat... he seemed to be almost slumped, in a way.

 

"Uh?"

 

"Ah? Ah, that is... ah... there's... it's nothing."

 

"You wouldn't be all ah-ing if it was nothing, would you?"

 

Silence. That probably wasn't a question Marron wanted to reply to, but the lack of response was quite telling... Gateau sighed, supposing he couldn't get Marron to say anything if he didn't want to - and besides, with half of the things Marron came out with, did he even want to know what was getting at him so much this time?

 

That was a slightly callous way to think, perhaps... but Gateau still couldn't help but wonder just how much of Marron's moods and confusions were his business anymore. There was the desire to make them his business, but... that was a path that couldn't lead to fruition. Gateau knew he'd only find himself tangled up in strange things again. He had no desire for that...

 

Gateau got up from his bed, "Well then! It's starting to get just a little bit dark outside... gonna be sunset soon, isn't it! Why don't we get out there already? I've been looking forward to this all day! No point in putting it off if we're going to be leaving only tomorrow, is there? C'mon!"

 

Before he could offer any kind of resistance, Marron found himself being pulled by the wrist back to a standing position and over to the bedroom door. Gateau eagerly locked the door behind them, and proceeded to continue to pull Marron along. Marron felt he could have protested, he was perfectly capable of walking from the hotel to the hot springs area himself thank you very much, but then again, he wondered if raising his voice was worth it in any way... if Gateau wanted to be overenthusiastic, then Gateau could be overenthusiastic. Marron didn't want to end up blighting his mood in any way.

 

The hot springs themselves were divided into several areas. There were the obligatory women's baths and men's baths, as well as a combined bath for those who wished to bath as a couple or family group... from then on, there were several smaller baths carved into the natural grooves of the mountains. Large areas sprouted off into smaller alcoves, and it was into one of these more private areas that Marron and Gateau eventually picked to relax.

 

"MMMmmmmmmnnnnn... oh... man, that's good."

 

Marron watched and listened to Gateau with a vague kind of amusement as he lowered himself into the hot waters. Obviously they seemed to be pleasing to him... Gateau held still for a moment, then opened his eyes from where he'd closed them, leaning his arms on the side and grinning up at Marron.

 

"You coming in, or what?"

 

"Ah... ah, yes..."

 

Nodding his agreement, Marron joined Gateau in the hot spring.

 

There was always something undeniably pleasing about that initial rush of getting into the water. They'd of course washed beforehand, but that was different... Marron found himself holding his breath before he even realised it, the heat catching from his feet up to his neck, spreading throughout him and feeling wonderful. He closed his eyes as he let the waves of heat overcome him momentarily, only able to think of one word as he gave himself over to his feelings...

 

"... nii... sannn..."

 

There was silence for a few moments as the two of them adjusted to being in the hot water, shifted to find a comfortable position, just took in the atmosphere of the place... despite the lonely surroundings, the springs were quite busy and popular, and there were the sounds of chatting and laughing from all directions... there was a spring on the rocks up higher, as well as a few separated ones down below... on the same level was a larger spring, and that had been quite full... it was on thinking of that that amused Gateau into speech.

 

"Heh... we certainly turned a few heads as we came in here, didn't we?"

 

Marron glanced up at Gateau, "Ah...?"

 

"Oh, come on. Even walking through a men's bath, people are gonna notice strength and beauty when they see it, right? You can't say you didn't see all those eyes on you..."

 

"... I... I couldn't say I specifically noticed..."

 

"Jeesh, you're blind. Still, I don't blame all those guys for lookin', I mean, someone'd have to be blind - like you - not to notice when you walked past! Don't worry though, if anybody tries anything as we get out, I'll punch their lights out before they can even blink. Don't want some pervert getting their mitts on you, do we!"

 

"Ah... no..."

 

"Still, at least we got somewhere a little quieter than those main areas. If we'd stayed somewhere like that then I bet someone really woulda tried something on you! Then again... heh, I bet someone could have pretty good fun in a spring... I wonder how many people have ever done perverted things in a spring? I mean, there's a mixed one back down below, that's just asking for it really..."

 

"Gateau, don't suggest something like that. I'm sure there are rules against such a thing."

 

"Of course there's gonna be rules, doesn't stop people from breakin' them, does it? Hmnn, when we go back to bed I should check out from the balcony, see if I can spot anybody at it. I bet I do."

 

"You'd really do something so shameless..."

 

"Hey, if people are gonna do it in public then there's no harm in watchin', is there? You can't say you're not curious."

 

"I wouldn't want to watch something like that!"

 

"Bet you would."

 

"Gateau...!"

 

The warning tone in Marron's voice was obvious, but Gateau felt silently accomplished that he'd managed to tease more than a few ambiguous words out of Marron's mouth. Even if it involved annoying him, that was at least a more casual mood... Gateau laughed gently.

 

"Okay then, maybe you wouldn't. But still, no harm in lookin'. Hey though, maybe we should go back over to the washing area..."

 

"Why? Would you like to cleanse yourself further?"

 

"I'd just like to get a chance to scrub your back! You can't properly get all the places on your back if you're only washing yourself, right? I bet I could get to all those spots you couldn't reach."

 

"I'm sure I cleaned myself as thoroughly as I could manage, Gateau."

 

"Not saying you didn't, but wouldn't it have been fun to see how people woulda reacted? As I said, there were a bunch of people staring at us anyway, so we coulda at least given them something to talk about! Heh, I wonder what kinda things they woulda thought about us like that..."

 

"People can come to their own conclusions."

 

Marron seemed to have his arms folded under the water. Gateau smirked, leaning back against the nearby rock wall.

 

"Sure they can, but it's always fun to play with their expectations a little too."

 

Another silence. Despite Marron's somewhat conflicting moods, there didn't seem to be anything uncomfortable about the silence... it was enough to just close your eyes and take in the atmosphere of the spring for a few moments. Lie back and concentrate on the water against your skin, the warmth, the feeling of ducking down just a little lower... the sounds coming from above and below, occasional splashes and screams... people seemed to have such a good time at a hot springs. Even if Marron was in a bad mood, he had to admit that the atmosphere was nice...! Gateau spoke with his eyes closed.

 

"Hmn, it'll be fun once we get back. We can tell everybody about how we went to the Kaesis hot spring resort! I mean, even Carrot mentioned it to you, didn't he? If the amount of people here are anything to go by, then this place has gotta be pretty popular..."

 

"It would seem so."

 

"Don't you think the others would be jealous to know we'd been here?"

 

"Probably."

 

"Maybe we should come here more often. I mean, the journey from Facade to here is pretty painful, but... I'm sure if we asked Big Mama real nice when it was coming up to one of our holidays, she'd agree to transport us quickly over. Man, that'd be nice... being able to come here quickly... I think this is the kinda place everybody's appreciate. And how quickly do you think Carrot'd dash off to the mixed gender baths? Man, we wouldn't be able to stop him. That'd sure piss off Tira and Chocolat. Of course, Chocolat'd probably be getting off real quick over being able to share a bath with Carrot... ah, I dunno. Maybe it's better the other guys don't come here after all."

 

"Chocolat would indeed act so shamelessly..."

 

"Only her? C'mon, you know what Carrot's like. He'd manage a few 'accidental' gropes before getting kicked out and banned, I'm sure."

 

The previous suggestion that Gateau had made, the two of them going back to the washing area for a little light backscrubbing, cropped up momentarily back in Marron's mind. It had been a long time since he and Carrot had had that kind of bath... he had hazy childhood memories of Carrot helping pour water over his back before lifting him into the bath... that had been how long ago it'd been, that even lifting had been involved...! Still... Carrot, washing his back... him, washing Carrot's back... either thought was a pleasing one.

 

Likely Chocolat would want to do something like that far more eagerly, but... perhaps Carrot would be scared of such a thing, and accept if Marron asked.

 

Even more likely was that Carrot would probably be running around, asking random women if he could scrub their backs... but that didn't have to figure in a simple fantasy. As far as imagination went, Carrot would be happy enough to scrub Marron's back, and that was enough.

 

Gateau sighed loudly, "Haahn... okay, okay, I bite. Marron, what is wrong?"

 

"Ah?"

 

"You keep zoning out all of a sudden with a sad look on your face! Plus you've been in a quiet mood all day, I know you're quiet anyway but I'd like to think I know the difference between 'normal' quiet and 'there's something up' quiet! If it's 'cause of anything Carrot said, just ignore it, he's being an idiot. Who cares if he said he wanted you and me to get together, or whatever? It's not gonna happen, and just 'cause he wants it to isn't gonna make it. I mean, he wants to bed half the women of the Spooner Continent, and that's not gonna happen, is it? He probably thinks he's doing the right thing, but... I dunno, I woulda thought he wouldn't be so thoughtless when it came to you."

 

"... Thoughtless...?"

 

"Suggesting things that are gonna be hard for you to do, but you'll wanna do them anyway 'cause it's him. If it's 'cause he wouldn't hug you... well... I dunno, hug him when you get back, twice as hard. Surprise him, it'll be funny."

 

Marron couldn't find himself amused at such a thought. His expression only fell; this caused Gateau to reach over with a slight splash, and nudge Marron's chin up with his forefinger.

 

"Smile, okay? I'm sure that, whatever it is, it can't be that bad, can it?"

 

For a couple of moments, Marron deliberated on whether he should say anything or not. Gateau was clearly concerned in some way, even if it wasn't something that could be explained easily... anything to do with Carrot, he'd probably try to pass off quickly. Some people had less respect for certain people than others, and Gateau to Carrot was one of those examples. Was there any way to express the emotions Marron felt and have Gateau take them seriously...? Something then occurred.

 

"... The person who... it is that... I had... feelings... for..."

 

"Oh, this mysterious person you love? Them again?"

 

"Don't be so dismissive. I-... You always recommended me talk to them, did you not?"

 

"I probably said something like that, yeah... I mean, I still say if you went up to someone and entirely offered your feelings to them, there'd be no way they could turn you down! Okay things messed up between us a bit, but... if you were honest and truthful it'd be good, wouldn't it?"

 

Marron ignored Gateau's sardonic tone, "I spoke to them."

That was certainly a development. Gateau blinked, genuinely curious.

 

"... Oh yeah? What did they say?"

 

"I-... I didn't speak... entirely clearly to them... it seems that I can't be straightforward with such a subject. However, through the things I was able to say, the things that I didn't say... I cannot say quite how they interpreted my words, but... if they understood my words, then they are only continuing to ignore my intent. If they misunderstood... if they misunderstood, then I cannot understand how...! The way I behaved on that day... the things that I said... the things that I did... surely they must have realised...!"

 

"When you say 'not exactly clear', just how subtle are we bein' here?"

 

"... At one point, they asked if I loved them..."

 

"And what did you say to that?"

 

"... I said that I loved them more than anybody else in the world... that I couldn't love anybody more than how I did them..."

 

Gateau raised an eyebrow, "Okay, that's more a blatant kind of being subtle... and you still think they didn't get it, after saying something like that?"

 

"From the way they have acted I can only wonder... little has been said, and it frustrates me. I don't understand how they could keep silent, but at the same time, I cannot bring myself to say anything... if they are indeed unknowing of my feelings, then I don't wish to say anything that would shock them. If they however do know... if they do realise... if they are aware of my feelings, then why can they not say something...! Acting as if nothing happened... talking as if I could so easily transfer my feelings... I-..."

 

For just a moment, Marron started to get a degree more emotional. He seemed to catch himself on that point, suddenly silencing himself... Gateau wasn't sure what to say. He still held by his belief that if Marron confessed truthfully to a person then no person in their right mind on the entire Continent would be able to resist... when it came to the mysterious loved person, Gateau had always felt that Marron's fears had little founding in reality. Who would resist him?

 

Of course, there were always those bizarre thoughts, those 'perhaps it's Carrot?' thoughts, but... for the moment, Gateau was willing to give Marron the benefit of the doubt. It wasn't really important who the person was at the moment, it just mattered that there was somebody, and they'd had some kind of reaction to Marron... a reaction that wasn't favourable? Whoever the person was, they were an idiot. There was also that kind of 'how dare they make Marron so upset' kind of feeling, but Gateau wasn't sure what such a protective thought was, or where it originated from, so he ignored it.

 

When Marron next looked up, there was a horrible empty look in his eyes.

 

"... When did it turn into something so painful?"

 

"Uh?"

 

"To 'love' somebody. When did it turn from revelling in the joy of having the privilege to know them and be able to be involved in their life... to being something that feels so painful almost every moment of every day...? When did it turn into something that could almost be said to bring more pain that it does joy...? I would not say I was not joyful to know them, to know him... I could only be thankful... but every moment that I worry, every possibility I would wish not to happen... each possibility seems only more painful than the last, and the despair only adds to that. Knowing there are so many things I can never do..."

 

His expression fell somewhat, "... Could something with so many negative expressions... even... still be called... 'love'... anymore...?"

 

Gateau just stared at Marron, unsure of what to say to that.

 

"... Do you still say you love that person?"

 

"I could never stop loving them."

 

"Then it's still gotta be some kinda love, right? Even if it's painful. I don't think it's possible... or at least, it's pretty improbable, to have a kind of love that didn't even have a little bit of pain to it at some point. Even the greatest of lovers are gonna feel nervous before they ask each other of their feelings, aren't they? So... I dunno if I'm exactly a person to ask, but... if you've still got feelings for them, then you've still got feelings for them. If you think there's any kind of love there at all, then you probably love them, still. I think. But as I said, don't go quotin' me on any of that."

 

Marron just stared at the water in front of him. Even if it was painful... perhaps that was a valid point. Nobody ever said that the path of love ran smoothly, but then again, did they ever reckon with as many bumps and obstacles as Marron felt he was facing... he sighed gently. As much as skirting around the situation brought slight result from Gateau, it wasn't... it wasn't as good as when he spoke to Milphey about things. About anything. Milphey would be able to talk at length about such things, would be able to really get into Marron's mind through his spoken comments... he seemed to have quite a talent for that, and with each continuing moment of wanting to say something, Marron could only miss that with a keener feeling.

 

Nobody could give a specific answer without a specific question beforehand, after all.