Disclaimer: Sorcerer/Bakuretsu Hunters is not mine. I'd like it to be, cause then there'd be a lot more Marron/Gateau stuff. *grinnnn* But alas, I don't own it. Woe be I. Have fun reading!
A.N.- Okay, I was gonna do a first part to this, just on general basis, but then it occurred to me that for one thing, it's be kinda awkward to do a prequel to this thing, just sorta in the way how it's written. Far as I can tell, it makes a fine stand alone. This one's been on the back burner for a while, and because I couldn't think of quite how to start chapter four of Souls Intertwined, Past Reshaped (Not Really), I decided to get this out of the way, cleaning out the clutter, so to speak, while I rolled chapter four around in my head a bit. And I'm gonna let y'all go read now. You can quit listening to me at any time, and start the fic. Really. Honest. I'm gonna shut up now. Real soon. I promise. *Chibi Marron and the rest of the Hunters, also Chibi, go running by* OOOH! KAWAII! *runs after the Chibis, leaving the reader free to start the fic already*
Warnings: Shounen-ai. Fluff. Lots of shameless, adorable fluff. Gaterron. Carrot consuming food, (it's a horrifying picture, ladies and gents! Shield thine eyes if thou art faint of stomach!) Misu sisters in a shopping frenzy, Marron being (momentarily) mistaken for a chick, Glace brothers having a heart-to-heart. Perhaps some sorta-kinda OOC-ness before the first set of stars. I dunno. I can see Gateau taking the stance he does... *twiddles fingers nervously*
ADMISSION
BY:
Maxy Steel
Sunlight streamed in thick, bright columns through the parted curtains, bathing the two occupants of the single bed in it's radiant light, prodding at the eyelids of the light-skinned young man, forcing his eyes into thin golden slits as he woke, a tiny, objecting sound peeping from his throat as he turned slightly, taking his face from the sun's direct path. He became aware of the steady rise and fall of the tanned, muscular chest beneath his own, the soothing thump of his companion's heartbeat against his shoulder, and stopped trying to wake up for a moment, instead tucking his head more under his lover's chin, groping about with the slender left limb draped across the broad chest, seeking out the large hand of his partner, twining their fingers together, smiling slightly as the other man responded, though still asleep, lightly squeezing the hand in his own. A mumbling groan from the bed on the other side of the room disturbed the peaceful moment. The mage's eyes snapped open in alarm, and in a flash, he was on his feet, standing guiltily beside Gateau's bed. Trying his best to appear as if he'd just slipped out of the mattress-and-frame combo that he had supposedly claimed for his own the previous night, despite the fact that he had most definitely not been anywhere near the rumpled tangle of blanket since a few heartbeats after he was certain his brother was asleep. However, his momentary panic went unfounded as Carrot simply snorted in his sleep, rolled over, and continued resting, oblivious. The golden-eyed young man heaved a relieved, if not guilt-tinged, sigh, sinking down onto his own bed, reaching for the white tunic draped over the end board. By this time, Gateau had given up on bothering with trying to snag a few extra minutes of slumber, and was sitting up, leaning over the side of the bed to grab his jeans from where they lay in a crumple on the floor, and tugging them on, all the while glancing over at the long-haired Hunter, who was busy fastening the clasps of his robe. He was reaching for his shirt, groping about blindly at the end board of his bed, the majority of his attention focused on watching the younger man head for the small dresser the room held, when an involuntary sigh of exasperation escaped his lips.
"This is getting ridiculous," he muttered. Marron, halfway to the dresser, stopped, shoulders heaving in a faint mimicry of the muscular man's previous motion.
"I know. I know. I'm just... I don't know how he'll take it," he replied, the familiar words flowing past his lips. The blond man, giving up on retrieving his shirt for the time being, rose and came over to his lover, wrapping thickly muscled arms around the smaller man's shoulders.
"I know you know. But it's been eight months. I know it's weird for me to be the one saying it, but he does have a right to know. He is your brother," he spoke softly, lips almost touching the mage's right ear. The younger man's mouth quirked in a slight, wry grin.
"It is very strange that you're the one saying this. It should be the other way around, when you think about it," he murmured, leaning back against the well-muscled torso of his partner. Gateau's soft chuckle vibrated both their bodies.
"You're right. But I do think that he'll take it better, no matter what his reaction is, if he finds out from you. Not from me, not from one of the girls," he replied, pressing gentle lips to the long-haired man's jawline. "And most definitely not by accidentally walking in on us. Which I'm surprised he hasn't, considering your penchant for sneaking into my bed," added with a wry grin, which broadened at the sour look his partner threw at him. "Hell, I'd tell him myself, but I'm sure he'd get the wrong impression, and take it to mean that we're slipping off to have sex at every opportunity," he finished, grinning at the mirthful little chuckle that shook his lover slightly, before tightening his grip a bit in a gentle embrace. A moment later, he removed his arms, turning the other man to capture the golden-eyed Hunter's thin lips with his.
"You're right, on everything you said," the shorter of the couple commented when they parted, sliding his arms around his partner's waist to stay him while he continued to speak. "But the last thing I want is for him to be angry with both of us," he dropped his voice to a low murmur, still a bit wary of the blissfully snoring third occupant of the room. Carrot hadn't made any more I'm-about-to-wake-up noises, but he was still cautious. His lover returning the light embrace brought the younger Glace brother back around in time to hear his lover's softly spoken reply.
"If he's good enough a man to be related by blood to you, then he won't be," the taller of the couple said confidently.
"But what if he is? What then?" came softly in return. The blond Hunter shrugged a little.
"Then he's not the man I'm hoping he is," was the simple response. The corners of the mage's mouth turned down slightly. "But I don't think that'll happen. Marron, I wouldn't be surprised if he knows already," Gateau continued, grinning a little. His lover blinked several times in surprise.
"What makes you say that?" he questioned, at last breaking the loose embrace, and heading for the dresser to retrieve his brush. His partner wasn't insulted. The gentle manner in which he separated from the older man said that he wasn't offended or otherwise irritated by the remark, only nervous about being caught in a compromising position should his sibling suddenly awaken.
"Remember the Gamuru pit?" the blond Hunter prodded, forcing the midnight-haired man to recall events more than a year past. Marron took up the brush in one hand, carefully guiding it through his sleep-mussed hair.
"Yes, I do. But you know how my brother likes to jest," he replied calmly, plucking at a tangle in his thick mass of hair. Gateau moved back over to his bed, recovering his shirt from where it was stuffed between the end board and the mattress, and pulled it on, the wrinkled fabric stretching smoothly over his taut muscles.
"I may not have known you and him as well back then, but I don't think Carrot is one to joke unknowingly about something like that. Especially if the person is in the room, and is his own brother," he replied persuasively.
"Still, that's not what I'm worried about," the younger man replied. The blond man blinked several times, confused.
"Well, then what is it?" he questioned, quirking an eyebrow.
"You and my brother don't always see eye to eye..." the mage intoned, trailing off, as the rest of the sentence was obvious. The taller man snorted.
"Hell, he and I put up with each other every day already. I don't think this would change things much," he replied confidently. The younger man sighed, shoulders slumping slightly in mock defeat.
"You really want me to?" he questioned once more, running the brush cleanly through the full length of the long strands. His lover nodded his confirmation. "Fine. I will. I know you're right. The sooner it's done, probably the less fuss he's going to raise over it," he announced, setting the brush down. The conversation was over none too soon. Seconds after the brush had landed on the wood surface, making a soft click as wood collided with wood, the door burst open, spilling in Tira and Chocolate, both sisters wanting to know what was taking the boys so long, and to wake the last sleeping member of their group.
"Darling! Time to get up!" the red-headed sister squealed, landing on the bed with a solid thump, bouncing the half-awake Hunter several inches into the air from the force of her over-enthused landing.
"YAAAH! Geez, Chocolate! I'm up! I'm up!" the spiky-haired victim yelled, before being pounced on by the skirt-wearing Misu sister.
"Of course, Darling, if you'd rather just lay in bed and cuddle all day, I wouldn't mind," she added in a sultry tone, snuggling against the currently tank topless Hunter.
"Sister! Come on, let Carrot get dressed!" the pink-haired sister interjected, trying to pull her sibling off the bed.
"You're not dressed, Darling? Ooh, even better!" the elder sister purred, renewing her efforts to stay attached to the frantically struggling Glace brother, her sister's attempts at dislodging her seemingly futile. Through all of this, Marron and Gateau had been watching from the safety of next to the dresser, amused smiles on both men's faces.
"We'll, ah, leave you three alone. Be out getting breakfast, whenever you're done," the muscular man called, flicking his hand at the trio as he ushered the mage out of the room.
"WAIT! Where're you going?! Ya can't just leave me here!!" Carrot screamed, before his tirade was cut off by a squeal from Chocolate, brief silence, then more masculine screaming.
"I was actually expecting them sooner," the blond Hunter chuckled as the pair headed for the small restaurant connected to the hotel they were currently staying at. The younger man seemed a little vacant as he followed his partner. The taller of the pair recognized it for what it was, the younger Glace brother deciding how best to break the news to his older brother, and didn't question the not-so-unusual silence from the mage.
The youngest and eldest of the Hunters had just entered the diner, when there was a resounding crack of wooden door smashing into wooden wall, the source appearing to be the room the three male Hunters had shared. Faintly, under Carrot's screaming and the Misu sisters' shouting, the sound of a whip could be heard. When the trio exploded from the halls of the hotel, the spiky-haired man at the head of the line dove for cover behind his sibling. Gateau just rolled his eyes with an air of "I so do not know those weirdoes!" and headed for the table the now rather surprised waitress had directed them to. Marron pried his brother off his back, and handed him over to Chocolate and Tira's care, both girls promising to "watch over Darling/Carrot" with decidedly evil glints in their eyes. While the apron clad young woman took their order, the black-eyed Hunter declined to flirt with her, only because the red-headed Misu sister had her fork non-chalantly pointed at a rather sensitive and much-needed area of his person. Namely, Mr. Happy. After the woman left, the five sat in relative silence. Not that there was much to discuss at the moment. There weren't any assignments to take care of, and the result of constantly living and traveling together was that they knew of one another's day-today problems. Presently, Chocolate started playing with her water glass, dipping her finger into the cold liquid, then running it around the rim, creating a interesting, melodic, rather annoying-after-the-first-five-seconds noise. Carrot drained half his own cup, so she apprehended it, alternating between adding water from it to her own glass, or pouring water from her cup into his, to get a more varied range of pitches. Deprived of his thirst-quencher, the older Glace brother busied himself with constructing a fort out of his silverware. Occasionally, he tried to innocently sneak Chocolate's fork to add to his creation, and also remove it from where it was potentially dangerous to his person, but only succeeded in having a butter knife brandished threateningly at his reaching hand. Tira watched the two, slightly shaking her head as she sipped her water, determined to be "the good one". Marron was still in deep thought about the problem of the morning, and Gateau was staring unabashedly at the golden-eyed young man. It was a relief when breakfast finally came. For the Hunters, at least. The majority of the rest of the patrons were quickly annoyed by the antics of the spiky-haired young man, who gulped his meal as if it were his last, making a surprisingly loud production out of consuming an omelet and toast. The rest of the group did their best not to look over at the human vacuum. Carrot in a feeding frenzy is most definitely not the most appetite-encouraging thing in the world. Tira, however, had the problem of being situated directly across from the oldest Glace brother, and was finding tearing her eyes away from the horrifying sight difficult. It was also making it hard for her to consume her own food. Carrot downed the last of his toast, then gulped the last of his water, the cup still raised to his mouth as he caught sight of the pink-haired sister staring at him. He stared back at her, around the side of the glass, before his gaze traveled down... to her relatively untouched plate of food. Setting his cup down, he leaned over. The younger Misu sister, not realizing what he was going for, blushed as he stared directly into her eyes.
"Tira..." he started solemnly, black irises holding her ruby ones, even through the lenses of her glasses.
"Y-yes?" she questioned in reply. The dark-eyed Hunter stared at her for a long moment longer, before grinning widely.
"You gonna finish that?" he inquired, gesturing with his fork at her food. Her hopeful dream shattered, Tira opened and closed her mouth several times, before drawing back and smacking the spiky-haired Hunter back into his seat.
"Yes, I am!" she snapped, her glasses glinting dangerously. The tank top clad young man sighed, deflating in his seat a little, his hopeful dream shattered too.
"Oh, Darling. You're such an idiot. You already ate," Chocolate reprimanded, waving her fork at the elder Glace brother.
"But I'm a growing boy!" he objected plaintively. Both sisters rolled their eyes.
"The mentality of a growing, perverted 10-year-old boy, at least," Tira murmured under her breath. Carrot took no notice, his attention now directed to his sibling, who wasn't even half done with his fare. His sibling, who hadn't even touched his food in the last few minutes, seemingly content to push the eggs and pieces of fruit around on the plate a little, the closest he came to playing with his food. Marron raised his eyes after a moment, feeling the hopeful gaze resting on him and his plate. Not even bothering with putting up any sort of resistance, the mage just slid his plate across the table to his brother. With a whoop, the spiky-haired Hunter chowed down on his prize. Everyone pointedly turned their heads away from the nauseating display.
It was amid the relieved sighs that the small group left shortly after, Carrot having consumed anything the others hadn't finished, so long as it was edible. The five wandered aimlessly around town, trying to amuse and occupy themselves while awaiting their next assignment. With that strange instinct that seems to be alive in all females, Tira and Chocolate managed to shepherd their three male companions to the town's collection of bazaar streets. Shops selling a number of strange, unusual, or ordinary merchandise lined the sides of the dirt roads, the brightly colored tents over each merchant dwarfed by the apartment building-like structures rising above. The girls took off, giggling enthusiastically, rushing from shop to shop like humming birds, occasionally pausing for an extended length of time at tents that held items that caught the attention of one or both of the girls. Carrot, Marron, and Gateau followed at a much less frenzied pace, the spiky-haired member of the trio openly intimidated by the crush of shops, people shoving their wares in the faces of those whom they hoped were potential customers. The calmest two of the once five were soon left in the dust by the tank top clad Hunter, upon his realizing that he had the perfect opportunity to sneak off and go chick-chasing. Something caught the blond man's eye, and he paused to investigate, unnoticed by his partner, who continued on down the line. The long-haired young man wandered, paying half attention to the hustle and bustle going on all sides, still gradually steeling himself for what he -hoped- was to be a peaceful conversation with his brother later in the day, as opposed to a violent confrontation.
"Hey, miss! You look like the kind of girl who'd love a pair of earrings!" a booming, cheerful woman's voice thundered, startling the mage as the speaker seemed to appear out of nowhere, grabbing her target's arm and hauling him over to her stand. "I've got diamond ones, emeralds, rubies, just about any color you can imagine!" she announced proudly, waving a hand over her wares. "All hand made by me and my daughter! Surely you'll want at least a pair? I've got gorgeous rings and necklaces too, if you're not an earring type," she continued, stepping far too inside the light-skinned Hunter's space bubble for his comfort.
"Well, actually," he started, trying to politely escape the over-bearing, but friendly merchant. A gasp burst from the lady's mouth before he'd gotten out three words.
"You.. you're... you're a... oh-ho-ho-ho! My apologies, young man!" she stuttered, trying to laugh off her confusion. A faint blush colored the golden-eyed man's cheeks.
"It's perfectly alright--" he began to reply, but was once again cut off by the merchant woman.
"Well, I've got some handsome men's rings and pendants over here, if you're interested. A good-looking boy like you must have the women hounding you like the devil, eh? Or maybe you've got a nice girl who'd appreciate some pretty jewelry," she dove back in, trying to save the sale. The mage tried to suppress a grin at the statement. So close, yet so far off.
"I don't have a girlfriend," he stated truthfully, inwardly chuckling at what Gateau might say in this situation. The woman clucked sympathetically, then snapped her fingers.
"My little girl doesn't have no one either! I bet she'd love to meet a nice, well-mannered, single boy like yourself. Go on over there and introduce yourself," she beamed, directing the midnight-haired Hunter towards a rather petite little thing with large blue eyes, almost the same color as those belonging to the man whom the golden-eyed man had fallen for oh-so-many months past. The girl smiled at him from behind a curtain of dark crimson strands, which she pushed back behind one well-tanned ear. The robe-clad young man smiled faintly at her in return, gracefully stepping over to examine the tray of plain metal jewelry that sat before the girl.
"Good day, sir," the young lady offered, her voice much quieter, less intimidating than that of her mother. "I hope Mama wasn't too frightening. And I hope she didn't embarrass you too badly," she continued, a little sheepishly.
"It's fine," the mage responded politely, eyes sifting over the wares. The absence of anything abnormally flashy indicated that this was the men's jewelry. The girl went back to work on her current piece of wearable art, content to let her customer browse on his own. A flash of gold caught the young man's eye, and he peered at a bracelet made of a trio of braided metallic strands, two gold, the middle strand silver. One side of the clasp wasn't connected to the band, with small connector rings at the ends of each metallic strand, each having a similar twin attached to the disconnected piece of the clasp.
"That's a lover's band," the girl spoke up, noticing her customer's scrutiny. At Marron's questioning look, she lifted the gold and silver colored piece. "This clasp isn't connected, because when someone buys this particular piece, then I add the first letter of your name and that of your partner, and one of four different symbols. Very nice gift for the one you love," she explained, smiling. The white clad Hunter examined the bracelet, silently debating. At length, he nodded to himself, reaching into a pocket in his sash for the money pouch hidden within.
"I think I'll get one," he decided. The girl beamed, softly clapping her hands together.
"Wonderful! Now, pick your letters and symbols," she instructed, pulling out a large tray that had been divided up into small sections. Each section was filled with a little heap of shining letters. The midnight-haired customer selected a "G", an "M", and finally, after debating between the infinity symbol, plus sign, "X", and heart, selected the first of the four. "Great! Now, just give me a moment to customize your purchase," the merchant smiled, gathering up the bracelet, letters, and symbol. She was swift, but well seasoned at the work. In only a few minutes, she handed the shining band, it's attachments firmly secured, in a little cloth pouch to the mage. She accepted the money offered, then bid the young man good day. The younger Glace brother smiled to himself as he tucked the pouch safely into the same hidden space as his money was kept. His timing was impeccable. Just heart beats after he'd stowed the treasure away, Gateau appeared at his side, a triumphant "Ha! I found you!" grin on his face.
"Nice disappearing act. I haven't heard that brother of yours, or either of the girls, in a while. Let's be worried, and try to track them down," he joked. The long-haired man just smiled warmly up at him, and the pair took off in search of their errant team mates.
Carrot had ended up getting caught by his two self-appointed "keepers" soon after he'd left his brother and Gateau in the dust. The spiky-haired Hunter stayed with the two sisters, only on the basis that if he ran, when they caught him again, he'd be secured with rope and dragged around like a toy wagon.
"This is bo~~ring..." he sing-songed to himself, poking at a rack of clothing disinterestedly. He could hear Tira and Chocolate's excited chattering a few feet away, over the numerous garb that the merchant had to offer.
"Darling! Take a look at this!" the red-headed sister called, all the warning before Carrot found himself looking down the shirt of a dark-skinned, big breasted-- waitaminute. Chocolate was asking him to look down a girl's shirt? Nah, too good to be true. After the split second in which it took for these two comments to flash through Carrot's brain, he realized that it was too good to be true, and that Chocolate had a clothed, female-like mannequin shoved in his face. He stepped back a bit, so that his eyeballs weren't mushed against the headless clothing display's neck, so he could examine the clothing attached to the model. A surprisingly flowy pale green mini-skirt, covered with a sweep of wildflowers, and a tank top that dipped low, which was a yellow color the same shade as the green of the skirt.
"It's uh..." the black-eyed Hunter stammered, trying to think of a descriptive term other than "nature-y".
"Isn't it lovely?" the older Misu sister questioned, setting the mannequin down and posing beside it. Before Carrot had a chance to just give "nature-y" a try, Tira showed up, and whisked both her sister and the model back into the depths of the clothing tent. Carrot just blinked at the spot where Chocolate had been standing. Then jumped when Marron, flanked by Gateau, appeared beside him.
"One down, two to go," the blond man snorted. The eldest Glace brother pointed at the clothing racks.
"They're in there, somewhere," he intoned, still in a trance-like murmur. A moment later, he shook it off, and was peering eagerly around the marketplace. "Eeeey... Marron? Cover for me a sec," he instructed the long-haired Hunter. He took off before his sibling had a chance to protest, or even blink. "Oooh, PRETTY GIRL! Wanna date me? I'm-cute-and-sexy-and-great-in-bed!!" was heard from several shops down. "PERVERT!" a girl shrieked, followed by a resounding SMACK! of fist hitting jaw.
"There he goes again," Gateau snorted, folding his arms across his chest. As if by magic, the Misu sisters suddenly appeared at the front of the clothing tent.
"Where's Darling?" Chocolate pouted, starting to stow her purchase away. Tira, also loaded down with more than one bag, nodded, glancing around, glasses flashing and glinting in the midday sun.
"If you stand still for a second, you can hear the sound of rejection," the blond man intoned mysteriously, cupping a hand to his ear. Blinking at him, the girls did as suggested. Faintly, as if it were coming from several streets away, one could hear a woman screaming "PERVERT!" in the distance.
"He went that way," Marron provided helpfully, pointing down the street. The red-headed sister's grip became white-knuckled on the bag still in her hand.
"Darling..." she growled, before taking off with surprising speed, her younger sister on her heels, yelling for her to not rend the missing Hunter limb from limb when she caught him. Once again left in the dust, the blond and midnight-haired Hunters exchanged looks, simultaneously shrugged, then set off after their partners, again, in hopes of somehow rounding up the missing three. Well, what was left of Carrot once Chocolate got done with him, at least.
*****
It had taken a while, but finally, the five had managed to re-group, had left the town, and were pushing to make it to the next town before dark. However, no one had accounted for the patch of forest that reared up in their path. Looked like it was going to be another night under the stars. Not that anyone minded, however. The quiet sounds of the forest, birds calling to one another, the light breeze brushing through the trees, ruffling everyone's hair, was all very soothing to the small wandering group. They stopped off to make camp in a clearing, once it was pointed out that the sky had changed from a bright blue, to a hue mixed of red, blue, pink, and purple.
"I'll go get the firewood," Gateau announced needlessly, turning and heading off into the surrounding greenery. The girls went to work setting up the impromptu fire pit, Marron vanished to fetch provisions, leaving Carrot to watch Tira and Chocolate.
"Carrot! Quit sitting on your butt and get over here and help us! You're a big strong man, aren't you?" the pink-haired sister scolded, noticing her partner's inactivity. The Hunter in question jumped at the sudden comment.
"I'm not that big and strong! Well, okay, one part of me is..." he protested, trailing off with a snickering grin. Immediately Chocolate was by his side.
"Really, Darling? Which part?" she questioned in a seductive tone, wrapping her arms around the tank top clad young man.
"N-no part! What are you talking about, Chocolate?" he stammered, squirming out of her grip. Luckily for him, his sibling appeared back in the clearing, giving him the excuse of going to help his brother prepare dinner. He dodged around the red-head, and sauntered over to his brother. The pair busied themselves with cleaning the fish the mage had collected for a while. The girls finished scraping out the indent in the earth for the fire pit, and left to collect rocks to surround the spot.
"Brother, I need to talk to you. After the others have fallen asleep," Marron suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence. Carrot paused in his task to fix his younger brother with a strange look.
"Is everything okay? Well, okay, if you need to talk to me, then obviously everything isn't okay, but... well, you know what I mean, right? You're not sick or something, are you?" he chattered in reply. At his sibling's shake of his head, he sighed in relief. "Well, that's good... oh, wait. You're not pregnant, are you?" he piped suddenly.
"Excuse me?" the golden-eyed brother inquired, one eyebrow jumping for his hairline. The elder of the pair snickered.
"Kidding, kidding. Okay, but where are we gonna meet?" he asked, gesturing around the rather open clearing. The younger brother thought about it for a moment.
"There's a pond nearby. Did you see it?" he questioned in reply. Carrot looked vacant for a second, then nodded. "Then let's meet there," the long-haired brother decided. His sibling nodded once in agreement, and both went back to their assigned tasks, just as the Misu sisters arrived back, arms laden down with large rocks. Gateau also appeared shortly after, a thick bundle of small logs tucked under each arm. As he deposited the piles beside the ring of stones, the blond man's eyes raised, seeking out those of his lover. The mage's eyes met his, and he flicked his eyes in the direction of Carrot's bent head, a questioning light in his sky-colored irises, before returning to the long-haired Hunter's. The golden-eyed man nodded in response to the silent inquiry. The muscular man smiled, then went back to helping the girls set up the fire.
*****
Carrot lay stretched out on his back, trying to ignore the faint poke of small rocks under his back through the thin mat separating him from the cool earth, listening impatiently for the even breathing of his team mates so he could get up and find out just what was up with his younger brother. He felt the tug of sleep at his mind, and he pinched himself to push the feeling away. Less than an arm's length to his right, Tira turned slightly, her breathing an even pattern. To the black-eyed Hunter's left, Chocolate rolled onto her side, murmuring something in her sleep. Gateau was silent. Cautiously, the spiky-haired young man peeked over at the felled log the team's tallest member had claimed. The blond man appeared to be asleep. Deciding to take chances, Carrot squirmed a little, getting his legs under himself, then quietly got to his feet. Pausing to stretch a little, and make sure he hadn't disturbed any of his team mates, he wasn't surprised to note that his brother wasn't anywhere in the area. Finally, he slipped off into the surrounding brush, feeling strangely off-balance without his sword strapped to his hip. But it made enough noise that it might have woken one of the others. Heart beats after he'd vanished out of sight into the shrubbery, Gateau cracked open one eye.
The moon hung high over head, casting it's luminous glow over the small pond, high lighting the almost still surface, and the hair of the young man who sat near the small body of water. The midnight-haired young man closed his eyes, the quiet sounds of the water lapping at the muddy dirt framing the small pond and the calls of the animals a soothing balm on his nervous mind. At his back, he heard the crashing noises of a figure approaching from within the surrounding forest. Out of habit, a ward slipped into his right hand, on the off-chance that it wasn't his brother coming through the brush. A second later, he was sure of who it was, and had the slip of paper tucked back away by the time the tank top clad arrival had exited the bushes, and crashed down beside him. The two brothers sat in silence for a long moment.
"It looks really nice, huh?" the spiky-haired brother commented, gesturing to the pond, breaking the quiet. Marron nodded slightly, making a noise of agreement. Silence reigned for several breaths longer, before the elder of the pair turned to his sibling, drawing one knee up to his chest. "So~~o... you said there was something you wanted to talk to me about?" he inquired, quirking an eyebrow. The long-haired brother nodded slightly, turning his head to meet his sibling's curious gaze.
"Brother, I..." he started, then halted suddenly, closing his mouth and looking back at the water. The black-eyed Glace brother blinked several times, and turned his head to see what his sibling was looking at. Across the expanse of the clear pond, a small animal was at the edge of the lapping waves, getting a drink. Not seeing the interest value in the creature, he swiveled his eyes back to his younger brother.
"You okay, Marron? You look kinda pale," he questioned, a little worriedly. The golden-eyed brother nodded his assurance, then turned back to his sibling.
"Carrot, do you remember our assignment in Colandia? Lord Regner, the Gamuru?" he asked in return. The older of the brothers got a blank look on his face for a moment, then nodded. "Do you remember the last part of your speech to Lila?" the long-haired brother continued.
"When I told her that you and I should double date with her and her sister?" Carrot blinked, scratching his head. The younger brother sighed a little.
"No, just before that," he replied. Once again, that blank look came over the dark-eyed Hunter's face for several beats.
"The part about you?" he questioned. The younger Hunter nodded. A horrified look came over the tank top clad man's face. "I was wrong about that?! Oh, geez, man, I'm sorry--" he started to exclaim, gesturing frantically. He shut up when his sibling grabbed his shoulders.
"No. Carrot, you were.... right about that," the white-clad brother explained. The spiky-haired man quieted. His sibling sat back, his eyes drifting to the grass. The pair became quiet, staring out over the water.
"Really?" the dark-eyed brother inquired, breaking the silence, tilting his head slightly to the side.
"Mm-hmm," the younger brother affirmed, eyes still fixated on the ground. The tank top clad Hunter blinked several times, then looked back out at the water.
"Oh," he muttered after a moment. Neither said anything else for several breaths. "There anything else?" the spiky-haired brother asked at length. The long-haired young man nodded, raising his eyes to meet those of his elder sibling.
"Gateau and I..." he started, then paused, drawing a quick breath. "Have been together for the last eight months," came out a little rushed. Immediately after, he dropped his eyes again.
"Okay, is that all?" Carrot piped a heart beat later. At his younger brother's nod, he expelled a relieved sigh. "Well! And here I was worried something was really wrong with you," he intoned cheerfully. The golden-eyed Hunter's gaze snapped up to focus on his sibling, blinking at him in surprised silence. Confused, the older brother just stared back.
"You knew?" the white-clad sibling questioned finally. The spiky-haired Hunter chuckled a little.
"Well, yeah. You're my little brother," he replied, reaching over to playfully muss his sibling's hair a little. "Aren't I supposed to know that kinda stuff?" he questioned, quirking an eyebrow.
"Well, I suspected you might know about me. But you knew about Gateau and I as well?" the mage responded, smoothing his ruffled hair, the beginnings of a grin curving the corners of his mouth. The elder brother shrugged.
"Well, okay, I'm surprised it's only been eight months," he conceded. "There's just one thing that's bothering me..." he continued after a moment, the corners of his mouth dipping downward.
"Which would be...?" the younger Hunter questioned, trailing off on a questioning note.
"Why didn't ya tell me before? I'm not that scary, am I?" the tank top clad brother demanded. Thrown a little off guard, the mage paused before answering.
"I was more worried about your reaction to finding out that it was Gateau," he replied calmly. The dark-eyed Glace brother chuckled.
"Okay, that does make sense, 'specially since Musclehead and I don't exactly get along most of the time," he commented, shrugging. "But whether I get along with 'em or not is irrelevant compared to how you feel about him," he added honestly. "Though, Gateau may be an exception..." he muttered. At his sibling's quirked eyebrow, he raised his hands submissively. "Kidding! Kidding!" he cried, though not so loud as to carry too far away from where they sat. The younger brother chuckled a little, bringing a grin to his sibling's face.
"One day, perhaps, you two will get along," the mage intoned. His sibling tilted his face up to look at the moon, shifting about until he was stretched out, using his elbows to prop himself up.
"I suppose I'm gonna have to make the effort, all things considered now, eh?" he grinned.
"Mm. Indeed," the long-haired brother agreed, also peering up at the luminous sphere hanging overhead. The two Hunters sat in a comfortable silence for a little bit longer, before the spiky-haired brother sat up, stretching and shaking the feeling back into his tingling and asleep arms, as well as brushing the grass and dirt from his back.
"We should probably head back. Before someone wakes up and realizes we haven't been around for a while," he suggested, getting to his feet. With a nod of agreement, the white-clad young man rose as well. While he waited for the feeling to fully come back into his legs, he took the time to brush bits of dirt and bark from his clothes. He had barely taken two steps towards the trees, when his sibling caught his arm. "Hey, come here," Carrot said suddenly, pulling his younger brother into a firm embrace. The golden-eyed mage, though a little surprised by the suddenness of the gesture, placed in arms around his sibling as well. "You may be a little different from most other people in this world, but you're still my little brother, and that's the important thing," the dark-eyed brother intoned quietly, his head resting on his sibling's shoulder. The younger of the pair smiled.
"Thank you, Brother. For understanding," he murmured, squeezing the spiky-haired Hunter a little tighter before they broke apart, and headed back for the camp site.
Carrot, with his eagerness to get back and grab as much sleep as possible before the Misu sisters woke and rattled him awake, got a little ahead of his brother before they'd reached the campsite. The first thing he noticed, upon appearing back in the little clearing, was that Gateau was missing. Shrugging, he settled back into his spot between Tira and Chocolate. No need for him to worry about the over-muscled Hunter. After some of the sorcerers he'd seen the tall man take down, something like a simple bandit would be a force that could be taken care of with the blond man's pinky.
"Hey," the aforementioned blond man intoned, stepping out from behind one of the larger trees, catching the attention of the long-haired Hunter, when they were still a few trees away from the clearing. Marron turned, and smiled warmly in greeting, stepping over to his lover. "How'd it go?" Gateau questioned, voice low, reaching out and drawing his lover into a loose embrace.
"Better than I thought it would," the mage replied, also a little quieter than usual, slipping his arms around his partner's waist.
"I take that to mean that you're both still on speaking terms?" the muscular man teased, grinning. The shorter of the couple chuckled, stretching up to press his lips to those of his lover.
"Mm-hmm. And you're supposed to get along with him better," he replied when they parted, a tiny smirk on his lips. The blond Hunter blinked several times.
"Me?! What about him?" he protested. The golden-eyed young man chuckled, laying his head against his partner's broad chest.
"He promised to as well," he assured. The taller man chuckled, taking an arm from around his lover's waist so as to reach up and brush a thick lock of the light-skinned Hunter's midnight strands away from his face.
"Well, if he keeps up his end, then I'll keep up mine," he promised. "Oh, and there was something else I wanted to..." he uttered, trailing off as he took a half-step back, and rooted around in his pocket. The mage watched him with a curious air and a slightly quirked brow, until a small cloth pouch was produced from the confines of the blond man's jeans pocket. Wordlessly, he pulled something out of the bit of fabric, took the younger man's right hand, and slipped something that felt like a ring, it's metal warm from having spent several hours in a pocket, onto his fourth finger. As soon as his wrist was released, the long-haired Hunter glanced down at his hand. A simple gold band adorned the digit.
"Gateau..." he started to say something, but was cut off by a gentle finger on his lips, silencing his words.
"I'm not asking you to marry me... not yet, at least. I saw this at the bazaar, and it reminded me of you. Simple, yet elegant. And beautiful," the taller man explained, something that might have been a blush creeping across his cheeks. However, under the cover of the shady trees, it was impossible to tell. He looked like he was going to continue rambling. Whether is was true or not, it is unknown, since before he could say another word, a pair of thin, warm lips met his, shutting him up.
"Thank you, Gateau," Marron said simply after they parted, smiling up at his lover. He glanced back down at the band. "Aside from that it caught your eye, was there any other reason for getting this?" he questioned, tilting his head slightly. The muscular man frowned thoughtfully for a moment.
"Uhh... happy eight months?" he suggested finally. The mage nodded his agreement at the words. "Oh, and there's something on the inside of the band," the blond man added, gesturing to his partner's hand. Marron slipped off the ring, and stepped to the side, into a patch of moonlight coming down through a break in the tree's thick branches. Holding it at a slight angle, he turned the band slowly until he could see the engraved markings. The lopsided "8" of the infinity symbol caught his eye first, then the first letter of his name, another infinity symbol, the first letter of his lover's name, and a final infinity symbol had been imprinted into the otherwise smooth interior of the band.
"How thoughtful. And coincidental," he murmured, smiling and slipping the ring back on, and returning to his lover's side.
"Did you say something?" Gateau questioned. The mage quirked a grin up at his partner.
"It's fortunate I've got something for you as well," he intoned a moment later, stepping back and reaching into the hidden pouch in his sash. He moved much faster than his partner; Gateau had no sooner watched him retrieve a piece of cloth from it's former place, when he head the soft click of a clasp fastening, and felt the slight weight of a band around his right wrist. He looked down at the addition.
"Wow," was all he could comment, seeing the gold and silver band glinting brightly, even in the somewhat definite lack of moonlight under the tree. A pair of slender arms snaked around his neck, and his lover's lips found his.
"Happy eight months, love," the golden-eyed young man murmured, their mouths just barely touching.
"And here's to many, many more to follow," the blond man returned quietly, slipping a hand up to cup the back of his lover's neck, the other sliding around his waist, pulling their bodies closer together as they kissed again.
*~OWARI~*
Say it with me now, everybody. AWWWWW!!!! Yeah, yeah. I got bored, and the bit with the ring and bracelet just popped into my head, and demanded to be added on to my idea. This one, the whole bit with Carrot for once actually knowing that Marron was "playing for the other team," and that he and Gateau were together, was in response to the number of people who seem to think that Carrot is completely ignorant of his brother's sexual preferences. *pulls out her (in progress) episode guide* In episode one: remember Carrot's speech? The bit about his brother being a "closet pervert" (if you were watching with subtitles. In American it's that Marron "doesn't like girls *insert that cute little squeak thing Marron did right after this announcement*). And in "The First Meeting (A.K.A.- Zaha's Speedo Episode)", he says, flat out, that he knows that Marron and Gateau are going together. The fact that he tells Zaha, who was, at the time, as far as he knew, a complete and total stranger, still confuses and bothers me. But enough about that. Maybe in the manga it's different. Oh, and the bit Gateau says about the ring being like Marron in that it's "Simple, but elegant. (And beautiful!!)" I didn't mean that to imply that Marron is a simplistic idiot. (Maxy's Chibi Carrot: Yeah, that's Gateau's job! ~~ Maxy: *watches as Chibi Carrot streaks away, the rest of the Hunters, also Chibi, a zebra, a cat, and a gas-powered lawn mower on his heels* Ahem. Anyway. I'm gonna go now. Let me know what you think! The review link, e-mail account, or psychic thread (for those of you who hate typing) is always open! Catch ya later! Luv ya all!
-Maxy Steel
A.N.- Okay, I was gonna do a first part to this, just on general basis, but then it occurred to me that for one thing, it's be kinda awkward to do a prequel to this thing, just sorta in the way how it's written. Far as I can tell, it makes a fine stand alone. This one's been on the back burner for a while, and because I couldn't think of quite how to start chapter four of Souls Intertwined, Past Reshaped (Not Really), I decided to get this out of the way, cleaning out the clutter, so to speak, while I rolled chapter four around in my head a bit. And I'm gonna let y'all go read now. You can quit listening to me at any time, and start the fic. Really. Honest. I'm gonna shut up now. Real soon. I promise. *Chibi Marron and the rest of the Hunters, also Chibi, go running by* OOOH! KAWAII! *runs after the Chibis, leaving the reader free to start the fic already*
Warnings: Shounen-ai. Fluff. Lots of shameless, adorable fluff. Gaterron. Carrot consuming food, (it's a horrifying picture, ladies and gents! Shield thine eyes if thou art faint of stomach!) Misu sisters in a shopping frenzy, Marron being (momentarily) mistaken for a chick, Glace brothers having a heart-to-heart. Perhaps some sorta-kinda OOC-ness before the first set of stars. I dunno. I can see Gateau taking the stance he does... *twiddles fingers nervously*
BY:
Maxy Steel
Sunlight streamed in thick, bright columns through the parted curtains, bathing the two occupants of the single bed in it's radiant light, prodding at the eyelids of the light-skinned young man, forcing his eyes into thin golden slits as he woke, a tiny, objecting sound peeping from his throat as he turned slightly, taking his face from the sun's direct path. He became aware of the steady rise and fall of the tanned, muscular chest beneath his own, the soothing thump of his companion's heartbeat against his shoulder, and stopped trying to wake up for a moment, instead tucking his head more under his lover's chin, groping about with the slender left limb draped across the broad chest, seeking out the large hand of his partner, twining their fingers together, smiling slightly as the other man responded, though still asleep, lightly squeezing the hand in his own. A mumbling groan from the bed on the other side of the room disturbed the peaceful moment. The mage's eyes snapped open in alarm, and in a flash, he was on his feet, standing guiltily beside Gateau's bed. Trying his best to appear as if he'd just slipped out of the mattress-and-frame combo that he had supposedly claimed for his own the previous night, despite the fact that he had most definitely not been anywhere near the rumpled tangle of blanket since a few heartbeats after he was certain his brother was asleep. However, his momentary panic went unfounded as Carrot simply snorted in his sleep, rolled over, and continued resting, oblivious. The golden-eyed young man heaved a relieved, if not guilt-tinged, sigh, sinking down onto his own bed, reaching for the white tunic draped over the end board. By this time, Gateau had given up on bothering with trying to snag a few extra minutes of slumber, and was sitting up, leaning over the side of the bed to grab his jeans from where they lay in a crumple on the floor, and tugging them on, all the while glancing over at the long-haired Hunter, who was busy fastening the clasps of his robe. He was reaching for his shirt, groping about blindly at the end board of his bed, the majority of his attention focused on watching the younger man head for the small dresser the room held, when an involuntary sigh of exasperation escaped his lips.
"This is getting ridiculous," he muttered. Marron, halfway to the dresser, stopped, shoulders heaving in a faint mimicry of the muscular man's previous motion.
"I know. I know. I'm just... I don't know how he'll take it," he replied, the familiar words flowing past his lips. The blond man, giving up on retrieving his shirt for the time being, rose and came over to his lover, wrapping thickly muscled arms around the smaller man's shoulders.
"I know you know. But it's been eight months. I know it's weird for me to be the one saying it, but he does have a right to know. He is your brother," he spoke softly, lips almost touching the mage's right ear. The younger man's mouth quirked in a slight, wry grin.
"It is very strange that you're the one saying this. It should be the other way around, when you think about it," he murmured, leaning back against the well-muscled torso of his partner. Gateau's soft chuckle vibrated both their bodies.
"You're right. But I do think that he'll take it better, no matter what his reaction is, if he finds out from you. Not from me, not from one of the girls," he replied, pressing gentle lips to the long-haired man's jawline. "And most definitely not by accidentally walking in on us. Which I'm surprised he hasn't, considering your penchant for sneaking into my bed," added with a wry grin, which broadened at the sour look his partner threw at him. "Hell, I'd tell him myself, but I'm sure he'd get the wrong impression, and take it to mean that we're slipping off to have sex at every opportunity," he finished, grinning at the mirthful little chuckle that shook his lover slightly, before tightening his grip a bit in a gentle embrace. A moment later, he removed his arms, turning the other man to capture the golden-eyed Hunter's thin lips with his.
"You're right, on everything you said," the shorter of the couple commented when they parted, sliding his arms around his partner's waist to stay him while he continued to speak. "But the last thing I want is for him to be angry with both of us," he dropped his voice to a low murmur, still a bit wary of the blissfully snoring third occupant of the room. Carrot hadn't made any more I'm-about-to-wake-up noises, but he was still cautious. His lover returning the light embrace brought the younger Glace brother back around in time to hear his lover's softly spoken reply.
"If he's good enough a man to be related by blood to you, then he won't be," the taller of the couple said confidently.
"But what if he is? What then?" came softly in return. The blond Hunter shrugged a little.
"Then he's not the man I'm hoping he is," was the simple response. The corners of the mage's mouth turned down slightly. "But I don't think that'll happen. Marron, I wouldn't be surprised if he knows already," Gateau continued, grinning a little. His lover blinked several times in surprise.
"What makes you say that?" he questioned, at last breaking the loose embrace, and heading for the dresser to retrieve his brush. His partner wasn't insulted. The gentle manner in which he separated from the older man said that he wasn't offended or otherwise irritated by the remark, only nervous about being caught in a compromising position should his sibling suddenly awaken.
"Remember the Gamuru pit?" the blond Hunter prodded, forcing the midnight-haired man to recall events more than a year past. Marron took up the brush in one hand, carefully guiding it through his sleep-mussed hair.
"Yes, I do. But you know how my brother likes to jest," he replied calmly, plucking at a tangle in his thick mass of hair. Gateau moved back over to his bed, recovering his shirt from where it was stuffed between the end board and the mattress, and pulled it on, the wrinkled fabric stretching smoothly over his taut muscles.
"I may not have known you and him as well back then, but I don't think Carrot is one to joke unknowingly about something like that. Especially if the person is in the room, and is his own brother," he replied persuasively.
"Still, that's not what I'm worried about," the younger man replied. The blond man blinked several times, confused.
"Well, then what is it?" he questioned, quirking an eyebrow.
"You and my brother don't always see eye to eye..." the mage intoned, trailing off, as the rest of the sentence was obvious. The taller man snorted.
"Hell, he and I put up with each other every day already. I don't think this would change things much," he replied confidently. The younger man sighed, shoulders slumping slightly in mock defeat.
"You really want me to?" he questioned once more, running the brush cleanly through the full length of the long strands. His lover nodded his confirmation. "Fine. I will. I know you're right. The sooner it's done, probably the less fuss he's going to raise over it," he announced, setting the brush down. The conversation was over none too soon. Seconds after the brush had landed on the wood surface, making a soft click as wood collided with wood, the door burst open, spilling in Tira and Chocolate, both sisters wanting to know what was taking the boys so long, and to wake the last sleeping member of their group.
"Darling! Time to get up!" the red-headed sister squealed, landing on the bed with a solid thump, bouncing the half-awake Hunter several inches into the air from the force of her over-enthused landing.
"YAAAH! Geez, Chocolate! I'm up! I'm up!" the spiky-haired victim yelled, before being pounced on by the skirt-wearing Misu sister.
"Of course, Darling, if you'd rather just lay in bed and cuddle all day, I wouldn't mind," she added in a sultry tone, snuggling against the currently tank topless Hunter.
"Sister! Come on, let Carrot get dressed!" the pink-haired sister interjected, trying to pull her sibling off the bed.
"You're not dressed, Darling? Ooh, even better!" the elder sister purred, renewing her efforts to stay attached to the frantically struggling Glace brother, her sister's attempts at dislodging her seemingly futile. Through all of this, Marron and Gateau had been watching from the safety of next to the dresser, amused smiles on both men's faces.
"We'll, ah, leave you three alone. Be out getting breakfast, whenever you're done," the muscular man called, flicking his hand at the trio as he ushered the mage out of the room.
"WAIT! Where're you going?! Ya can't just leave me here!!" Carrot screamed, before his tirade was cut off by a squeal from Chocolate, brief silence, then more masculine screaming.
"I was actually expecting them sooner," the blond Hunter chuckled as the pair headed for the small restaurant connected to the hotel they were currently staying at. The younger man seemed a little vacant as he followed his partner. The taller of the pair recognized it for what it was, the younger Glace brother deciding how best to break the news to his older brother, and didn't question the not-so-unusual silence from the mage.
The youngest and eldest of the Hunters had just entered the diner, when there was a resounding crack of wooden door smashing into wooden wall, the source appearing to be the room the three male Hunters had shared. Faintly, under Carrot's screaming and the Misu sisters' shouting, the sound of a whip could be heard. When the trio exploded from the halls of the hotel, the spiky-haired man at the head of the line dove for cover behind his sibling. Gateau just rolled his eyes with an air of "I so do not know those weirdoes!" and headed for the table the now rather surprised waitress had directed them to. Marron pried his brother off his back, and handed him over to Chocolate and Tira's care, both girls promising to "watch over Darling/Carrot" with decidedly evil glints in their eyes. While the apron clad young woman took their order, the black-eyed Hunter declined to flirt with her, only because the red-headed Misu sister had her fork non-chalantly pointed at a rather sensitive and much-needed area of his person. Namely, Mr. Happy. After the woman left, the five sat in relative silence. Not that there was much to discuss at the moment. There weren't any assignments to take care of, and the result of constantly living and traveling together was that they knew of one another's day-today problems. Presently, Chocolate started playing with her water glass, dipping her finger into the cold liquid, then running it around the rim, creating a interesting, melodic, rather annoying-after-the-first-five-seconds noise. Carrot drained half his own cup, so she apprehended it, alternating between adding water from it to her own glass, or pouring water from her cup into his, to get a more varied range of pitches. Deprived of his thirst-quencher, the older Glace brother busied himself with constructing a fort out of his silverware. Occasionally, he tried to innocently sneak Chocolate's fork to add to his creation, and also remove it from where it was potentially dangerous to his person, but only succeeded in having a butter knife brandished threateningly at his reaching hand. Tira watched the two, slightly shaking her head as she sipped her water, determined to be "the good one". Marron was still in deep thought about the problem of the morning, and Gateau was staring unabashedly at the golden-eyed young man. It was a relief when breakfast finally came. For the Hunters, at least. The majority of the rest of the patrons were quickly annoyed by the antics of the spiky-haired young man, who gulped his meal as if it were his last, making a surprisingly loud production out of consuming an omelet and toast. The rest of the group did their best not to look over at the human vacuum. Carrot in a feeding frenzy is most definitely not the most appetite-encouraging thing in the world. Tira, however, had the problem of being situated directly across from the oldest Glace brother, and was finding tearing her eyes away from the horrifying sight difficult. It was also making it hard for her to consume her own food. Carrot downed the last of his toast, then gulped the last of his water, the cup still raised to his mouth as he caught sight of the pink-haired sister staring at him. He stared back at her, around the side of the glass, before his gaze traveled down... to her relatively untouched plate of food. Setting his cup down, he leaned over. The younger Misu sister, not realizing what he was going for, blushed as he stared directly into her eyes.
"Tira..." he started solemnly, black irises holding her ruby ones, even through the lenses of her glasses.
"Y-yes?" she questioned in reply. The dark-eyed Hunter stared at her for a long moment longer, before grinning widely.
"You gonna finish that?" he inquired, gesturing with his fork at her food. Her hopeful dream shattered, Tira opened and closed her mouth several times, before drawing back and smacking the spiky-haired Hunter back into his seat.
"Yes, I am!" she snapped, her glasses glinting dangerously. The tank top clad young man sighed, deflating in his seat a little, his hopeful dream shattered too.
"Oh, Darling. You're such an idiot. You already ate," Chocolate reprimanded, waving her fork at the elder Glace brother.
"But I'm a growing boy!" he objected plaintively. Both sisters rolled their eyes.
"The mentality of a growing, perverted 10-year-old boy, at least," Tira murmured under her breath. Carrot took no notice, his attention now directed to his sibling, who wasn't even half done with his fare. His sibling, who hadn't even touched his food in the last few minutes, seemingly content to push the eggs and pieces of fruit around on the plate a little, the closest he came to playing with his food. Marron raised his eyes after a moment, feeling the hopeful gaze resting on him and his plate. Not even bothering with putting up any sort of resistance, the mage just slid his plate across the table to his brother. With a whoop, the spiky-haired Hunter chowed down on his prize. Everyone pointedly turned their heads away from the nauseating display.
It was amid the relieved sighs that the small group left shortly after, Carrot having consumed anything the others hadn't finished, so long as it was edible. The five wandered aimlessly around town, trying to amuse and occupy themselves while awaiting their next assignment. With that strange instinct that seems to be alive in all females, Tira and Chocolate managed to shepherd their three male companions to the town's collection of bazaar streets. Shops selling a number of strange, unusual, or ordinary merchandise lined the sides of the dirt roads, the brightly colored tents over each merchant dwarfed by the apartment building-like structures rising above. The girls took off, giggling enthusiastically, rushing from shop to shop like humming birds, occasionally pausing for an extended length of time at tents that held items that caught the attention of one or both of the girls. Carrot, Marron, and Gateau followed at a much less frenzied pace, the spiky-haired member of the trio openly intimidated by the crush of shops, people shoving their wares in the faces of those whom they hoped were potential customers. The calmest two of the once five were soon left in the dust by the tank top clad Hunter, upon his realizing that he had the perfect opportunity to sneak off and go chick-chasing. Something caught the blond man's eye, and he paused to investigate, unnoticed by his partner, who continued on down the line. The long-haired young man wandered, paying half attention to the hustle and bustle going on all sides, still gradually steeling himself for what he -hoped- was to be a peaceful conversation with his brother later in the day, as opposed to a violent confrontation.
"Hey, miss! You look like the kind of girl who'd love a pair of earrings!" a booming, cheerful woman's voice thundered, startling the mage as the speaker seemed to appear out of nowhere, grabbing her target's arm and hauling him over to her stand. "I've got diamond ones, emeralds, rubies, just about any color you can imagine!" she announced proudly, waving a hand over her wares. "All hand made by me and my daughter! Surely you'll want at least a pair? I've got gorgeous rings and necklaces too, if you're not an earring type," she continued, stepping far too inside the light-skinned Hunter's space bubble for his comfort.
"Well, actually," he started, trying to politely escape the over-bearing, but friendly merchant. A gasp burst from the lady's mouth before he'd gotten out three words.
"You.. you're... you're a... oh-ho-ho-ho! My apologies, young man!" she stuttered, trying to laugh off her confusion. A faint blush colored the golden-eyed man's cheeks.
"It's perfectly alright--" he began to reply, but was once again cut off by the merchant woman.
"Well, I've got some handsome men's rings and pendants over here, if you're interested. A good-looking boy like you must have the women hounding you like the devil, eh? Or maybe you've got a nice girl who'd appreciate some pretty jewelry," she dove back in, trying to save the sale. The mage tried to suppress a grin at the statement. So close, yet so far off.
"I don't have a girlfriend," he stated truthfully, inwardly chuckling at what Gateau might say in this situation. The woman clucked sympathetically, then snapped her fingers.
"My little girl doesn't have no one either! I bet she'd love to meet a nice, well-mannered, single boy like yourself. Go on over there and introduce yourself," she beamed, directing the midnight-haired Hunter towards a rather petite little thing with large blue eyes, almost the same color as those belonging to the man whom the golden-eyed man had fallen for oh-so-many months past. The girl smiled at him from behind a curtain of dark crimson strands, which she pushed back behind one well-tanned ear. The robe-clad young man smiled faintly at her in return, gracefully stepping over to examine the tray of plain metal jewelry that sat before the girl.
"Good day, sir," the young lady offered, her voice much quieter, less intimidating than that of her mother. "I hope Mama wasn't too frightening. And I hope she didn't embarrass you too badly," she continued, a little sheepishly.
"It's fine," the mage responded politely, eyes sifting over the wares. The absence of anything abnormally flashy indicated that this was the men's jewelry. The girl went back to work on her current piece of wearable art, content to let her customer browse on his own. A flash of gold caught the young man's eye, and he peered at a bracelet made of a trio of braided metallic strands, two gold, the middle strand silver. One side of the clasp wasn't connected to the band, with small connector rings at the ends of each metallic strand, each having a similar twin attached to the disconnected piece of the clasp.
"That's a lover's band," the girl spoke up, noticing her customer's scrutiny. At Marron's questioning look, she lifted the gold and silver colored piece. "This clasp isn't connected, because when someone buys this particular piece, then I add the first letter of your name and that of your partner, and one of four different symbols. Very nice gift for the one you love," she explained, smiling. The white clad Hunter examined the bracelet, silently debating. At length, he nodded to himself, reaching into a pocket in his sash for the money pouch hidden within.
"I think I'll get one," he decided. The girl beamed, softly clapping her hands together.
"Wonderful! Now, pick your letters and symbols," she instructed, pulling out a large tray that had been divided up into small sections. Each section was filled with a little heap of shining letters. The midnight-haired customer selected a "G", an "M", and finally, after debating between the infinity symbol, plus sign, "X", and heart, selected the first of the four. "Great! Now, just give me a moment to customize your purchase," the merchant smiled, gathering up the bracelet, letters, and symbol. She was swift, but well seasoned at the work. In only a few minutes, she handed the shining band, it's attachments firmly secured, in a little cloth pouch to the mage. She accepted the money offered, then bid the young man good day. The younger Glace brother smiled to himself as he tucked the pouch safely into the same hidden space as his money was kept. His timing was impeccable. Just heart beats after he'd stowed the treasure away, Gateau appeared at his side, a triumphant "Ha! I found you!" grin on his face.
"Nice disappearing act. I haven't heard that brother of yours, or either of the girls, in a while. Let's be worried, and try to track them down," he joked. The long-haired man just smiled warmly up at him, and the pair took off in search of their errant team mates.
Carrot had ended up getting caught by his two self-appointed "keepers" soon after he'd left his brother and Gateau in the dust. The spiky-haired Hunter stayed with the two sisters, only on the basis that if he ran, when they caught him again, he'd be secured with rope and dragged around like a toy wagon.
"This is bo~~ring..." he sing-songed to himself, poking at a rack of clothing disinterestedly. He could hear Tira and Chocolate's excited chattering a few feet away, over the numerous garb that the merchant had to offer.
"Darling! Take a look at this!" the red-headed sister called, all the warning before Carrot found himself looking down the shirt of a dark-skinned, big breasted-- waitaminute. Chocolate was asking him to look down a girl's shirt? Nah, too good to be true. After the split second in which it took for these two comments to flash through Carrot's brain, he realized that it was too good to be true, and that Chocolate had a clothed, female-like mannequin shoved in his face. He stepped back a bit, so that his eyeballs weren't mushed against the headless clothing display's neck, so he could examine the clothing attached to the model. A surprisingly flowy pale green mini-skirt, covered with a sweep of wildflowers, and a tank top that dipped low, which was a yellow color the same shade as the green of the skirt.
"It's uh..." the black-eyed Hunter stammered, trying to think of a descriptive term other than "nature-y".
"Isn't it lovely?" the older Misu sister questioned, setting the mannequin down and posing beside it. Before Carrot had a chance to just give "nature-y" a try, Tira showed up, and whisked both her sister and the model back into the depths of the clothing tent. Carrot just blinked at the spot where Chocolate had been standing. Then jumped when Marron, flanked by Gateau, appeared beside him.
"One down, two to go," the blond man snorted. The eldest Glace brother pointed at the clothing racks.
"They're in there, somewhere," he intoned, still in a trance-like murmur. A moment later, he shook it off, and was peering eagerly around the marketplace. "Eeeey... Marron? Cover for me a sec," he instructed the long-haired Hunter. He took off before his sibling had a chance to protest, or even blink. "Oooh, PRETTY GIRL! Wanna date me? I'm-cute-and-sexy-and-great-in-bed!!" was heard from several shops down. "PERVERT!" a girl shrieked, followed by a resounding SMACK! of fist hitting jaw.
"There he goes again," Gateau snorted, folding his arms across his chest. As if by magic, the Misu sisters suddenly appeared at the front of the clothing tent.
"Where's Darling?" Chocolate pouted, starting to stow her purchase away. Tira, also loaded down with more than one bag, nodded, glancing around, glasses flashing and glinting in the midday sun.
"If you stand still for a second, you can hear the sound of rejection," the blond man intoned mysteriously, cupping a hand to his ear. Blinking at him, the girls did as suggested. Faintly, as if it were coming from several streets away, one could hear a woman screaming "PERVERT!" in the distance.
"He went that way," Marron provided helpfully, pointing down the street. The red-headed sister's grip became white-knuckled on the bag still in her hand.
"Darling..." she growled, before taking off with surprising speed, her younger sister on her heels, yelling for her to not rend the missing Hunter limb from limb when she caught him. Once again left in the dust, the blond and midnight-haired Hunters exchanged looks, simultaneously shrugged, then set off after their partners, again, in hopes of somehow rounding up the missing three. Well, what was left of Carrot once Chocolate got done with him, at least.
It had taken a while, but finally, the five had managed to re-group, had left the town, and were pushing to make it to the next town before dark. However, no one had accounted for the patch of forest that reared up in their path. Looked like it was going to be another night under the stars. Not that anyone minded, however. The quiet sounds of the forest, birds calling to one another, the light breeze brushing through the trees, ruffling everyone's hair, was all very soothing to the small wandering group. They stopped off to make camp in a clearing, once it was pointed out that the sky had changed from a bright blue, to a hue mixed of red, blue, pink, and purple.
"I'll go get the firewood," Gateau announced needlessly, turning and heading off into the surrounding greenery. The girls went to work setting up the impromptu fire pit, Marron vanished to fetch provisions, leaving Carrot to watch Tira and Chocolate.
"Carrot! Quit sitting on your butt and get over here and help us! You're a big strong man, aren't you?" the pink-haired sister scolded, noticing her partner's inactivity. The Hunter in question jumped at the sudden comment.
"I'm not that big and strong! Well, okay, one part of me is..." he protested, trailing off with a snickering grin. Immediately Chocolate was by his side.
"Really, Darling? Which part?" she questioned in a seductive tone, wrapping her arms around the tank top clad young man.
"N-no part! What are you talking about, Chocolate?" he stammered, squirming out of her grip. Luckily for him, his sibling appeared back in the clearing, giving him the excuse of going to help his brother prepare dinner. He dodged around the red-head, and sauntered over to his brother. The pair busied themselves with cleaning the fish the mage had collected for a while. The girls finished scraping out the indent in the earth for the fire pit, and left to collect rocks to surround the spot.
"Brother, I need to talk to you. After the others have fallen asleep," Marron suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence. Carrot paused in his task to fix his younger brother with a strange look.
"Is everything okay? Well, okay, if you need to talk to me, then obviously everything isn't okay, but... well, you know what I mean, right? You're not sick or something, are you?" he chattered in reply. At his sibling's shake of his head, he sighed in relief. "Well, that's good... oh, wait. You're not pregnant, are you?" he piped suddenly.
"Excuse me?" the golden-eyed brother inquired, one eyebrow jumping for his hairline. The elder of the pair snickered.
"Kidding, kidding. Okay, but where are we gonna meet?" he asked, gesturing around the rather open clearing. The younger brother thought about it for a moment.
"There's a pond nearby. Did you see it?" he questioned in reply. Carrot looked vacant for a second, then nodded. "Then let's meet there," the long-haired brother decided. His sibling nodded once in agreement, and both went back to their assigned tasks, just as the Misu sisters arrived back, arms laden down with large rocks. Gateau also appeared shortly after, a thick bundle of small logs tucked under each arm. As he deposited the piles beside the ring of stones, the blond man's eyes raised, seeking out those of his lover. The mage's eyes met his, and he flicked his eyes in the direction of Carrot's bent head, a questioning light in his sky-colored irises, before returning to the long-haired Hunter's. The golden-eyed man nodded in response to the silent inquiry. The muscular man smiled, then went back to helping the girls set up the fire.
Carrot lay stretched out on his back, trying to ignore the faint poke of small rocks under his back through the thin mat separating him from the cool earth, listening impatiently for the even breathing of his team mates so he could get up and find out just what was up with his younger brother. He felt the tug of sleep at his mind, and he pinched himself to push the feeling away. Less than an arm's length to his right, Tira turned slightly, her breathing an even pattern. To the black-eyed Hunter's left, Chocolate rolled onto her side, murmuring something in her sleep. Gateau was silent. Cautiously, the spiky-haired young man peeked over at the felled log the team's tallest member had claimed. The blond man appeared to be asleep. Deciding to take chances, Carrot squirmed a little, getting his legs under himself, then quietly got to his feet. Pausing to stretch a little, and make sure he hadn't disturbed any of his team mates, he wasn't surprised to note that his brother wasn't anywhere in the area. Finally, he slipped off into the surrounding brush, feeling strangely off-balance without his sword strapped to his hip. But it made enough noise that it might have woken one of the others. Heart beats after he'd vanished out of sight into the shrubbery, Gateau cracked open one eye.
The moon hung high over head, casting it's luminous glow over the small pond, high lighting the almost still surface, and the hair of the young man who sat near the small body of water. The midnight-haired young man closed his eyes, the quiet sounds of the water lapping at the muddy dirt framing the small pond and the calls of the animals a soothing balm on his nervous mind. At his back, he heard the crashing noises of a figure approaching from within the surrounding forest. Out of habit, a ward slipped into his right hand, on the off-chance that it wasn't his brother coming through the brush. A second later, he was sure of who it was, and had the slip of paper tucked back away by the time the tank top clad arrival had exited the bushes, and crashed down beside him. The two brothers sat in silence for a long moment.
"It looks really nice, huh?" the spiky-haired brother commented, gesturing to the pond, breaking the quiet. Marron nodded slightly, making a noise of agreement. Silence reigned for several breaths longer, before the elder of the pair turned to his sibling, drawing one knee up to his chest. "So~~o... you said there was something you wanted to talk to me about?" he inquired, quirking an eyebrow. The long-haired brother nodded slightly, turning his head to meet his sibling's curious gaze.
"Brother, I..." he started, then halted suddenly, closing his mouth and looking back at the water. The black-eyed Glace brother blinked several times, and turned his head to see what his sibling was looking at. Across the expanse of the clear pond, a small animal was at the edge of the lapping waves, getting a drink. Not seeing the interest value in the creature, he swiveled his eyes back to his younger brother.
"You okay, Marron? You look kinda pale," he questioned, a little worriedly. The golden-eyed brother nodded his assurance, then turned back to his sibling.
"Carrot, do you remember our assignment in Colandia? Lord Regner, the Gamuru?" he asked in return. The older of the brothers got a blank look on his face for a moment, then nodded. "Do you remember the last part of your speech to Lila?" the long-haired brother continued.
"When I told her that you and I should double date with her and her sister?" Carrot blinked, scratching his head. The younger brother sighed a little.
"No, just before that," he replied. Once again, that blank look came over the dark-eyed Hunter's face for several beats.
"The part about you?" he questioned. The younger Hunter nodded. A horrified look came over the tank top clad man's face. "I was wrong about that?! Oh, geez, man, I'm sorry--" he started to exclaim, gesturing frantically. He shut up when his sibling grabbed his shoulders.
"No. Carrot, you were.... right about that," the white-clad brother explained. The spiky-haired man quieted. His sibling sat back, his eyes drifting to the grass. The pair became quiet, staring out over the water.
"Really?" the dark-eyed brother inquired, breaking the silence, tilting his head slightly to the side.
"Mm-hmm," the younger brother affirmed, eyes still fixated on the ground. The tank top clad Hunter blinked several times, then looked back out at the water.
"Oh," he muttered after a moment. Neither said anything else for several breaths. "There anything else?" the spiky-haired brother asked at length. The long-haired young man nodded, raising his eyes to meet those of his elder sibling.
"Gateau and I..." he started, then paused, drawing a quick breath. "Have been together for the last eight months," came out a little rushed. Immediately after, he dropped his eyes again.
"Okay, is that all?" Carrot piped a heart beat later. At his younger brother's nod, he expelled a relieved sigh. "Well! And here I was worried something was really wrong with you," he intoned cheerfully. The golden-eyed Hunter's gaze snapped up to focus on his sibling, blinking at him in surprised silence. Confused, the older brother just stared back.
"You knew?" the white-clad sibling questioned finally. The spiky-haired Hunter chuckled a little.
"Well, yeah. You're my little brother," he replied, reaching over to playfully muss his sibling's hair a little. "Aren't I supposed to know that kinda stuff?" he questioned, quirking an eyebrow.
"Well, I suspected you might know about me. But you knew about Gateau and I as well?" the mage responded, smoothing his ruffled hair, the beginnings of a grin curving the corners of his mouth. The elder brother shrugged.
"Well, okay, I'm surprised it's only been eight months," he conceded. "There's just one thing that's bothering me..." he continued after a moment, the corners of his mouth dipping downward.
"Which would be...?" the younger Hunter questioned, trailing off on a questioning note.
"Why didn't ya tell me before? I'm not that scary, am I?" the tank top clad brother demanded. Thrown a little off guard, the mage paused before answering.
"I was more worried about your reaction to finding out that it was Gateau," he replied calmly. The dark-eyed Glace brother chuckled.
"Okay, that does make sense, 'specially since Musclehead and I don't exactly get along most of the time," he commented, shrugging. "But whether I get along with 'em or not is irrelevant compared to how you feel about him," he added honestly. "Though, Gateau may be an exception..." he muttered. At his sibling's quirked eyebrow, he raised his hands submissively. "Kidding! Kidding!" he cried, though not so loud as to carry too far away from where they sat. The younger brother chuckled a little, bringing a grin to his sibling's face.
"One day, perhaps, you two will get along," the mage intoned. His sibling tilted his face up to look at the moon, shifting about until he was stretched out, using his elbows to prop himself up.
"I suppose I'm gonna have to make the effort, all things considered now, eh?" he grinned.
"Mm. Indeed," the long-haired brother agreed, also peering up at the luminous sphere hanging overhead. The two Hunters sat in a comfortable silence for a little bit longer, before the spiky-haired brother sat up, stretching and shaking the feeling back into his tingling and asleep arms, as well as brushing the grass and dirt from his back.
"We should probably head back. Before someone wakes up and realizes we haven't been around for a while," he suggested, getting to his feet. With a nod of agreement, the white-clad young man rose as well. While he waited for the feeling to fully come back into his legs, he took the time to brush bits of dirt and bark from his clothes. He had barely taken two steps towards the trees, when his sibling caught his arm. "Hey, come here," Carrot said suddenly, pulling his younger brother into a firm embrace. The golden-eyed mage, though a little surprised by the suddenness of the gesture, placed in arms around his sibling as well. "You may be a little different from most other people in this world, but you're still my little brother, and that's the important thing," the dark-eyed brother intoned quietly, his head resting on his sibling's shoulder. The younger of the pair smiled.
"Thank you, Brother. For understanding," he murmured, squeezing the spiky-haired Hunter a little tighter before they broke apart, and headed back for the camp site.
Carrot, with his eagerness to get back and grab as much sleep as possible before the Misu sisters woke and rattled him awake, got a little ahead of his brother before they'd reached the campsite. The first thing he noticed, upon appearing back in the little clearing, was that Gateau was missing. Shrugging, he settled back into his spot between Tira and Chocolate. No need for him to worry about the over-muscled Hunter. After some of the sorcerers he'd seen the tall man take down, something like a simple bandit would be a force that could be taken care of with the blond man's pinky.
"Hey," the aforementioned blond man intoned, stepping out from behind one of the larger trees, catching the attention of the long-haired Hunter, when they were still a few trees away from the clearing. Marron turned, and smiled warmly in greeting, stepping over to his lover. "How'd it go?" Gateau questioned, voice low, reaching out and drawing his lover into a loose embrace.
"Better than I thought it would," the mage replied, also a little quieter than usual, slipping his arms around his partner's waist.
"I take that to mean that you're both still on speaking terms?" the muscular man teased, grinning. The shorter of the couple chuckled, stretching up to press his lips to those of his lover.
"Mm-hmm. And you're supposed to get along with him better," he replied when they parted, a tiny smirk on his lips. The blond Hunter blinked several times.
"Me?! What about him?" he protested. The golden-eyed young man chuckled, laying his head against his partner's broad chest.
"He promised to as well," he assured. The taller man chuckled, taking an arm from around his lover's waist so as to reach up and brush a thick lock of the light-skinned Hunter's midnight strands away from his face.
"Well, if he keeps up his end, then I'll keep up mine," he promised. "Oh, and there was something else I wanted to..." he uttered, trailing off as he took a half-step back, and rooted around in his pocket. The mage watched him with a curious air and a slightly quirked brow, until a small cloth pouch was produced from the confines of the blond man's jeans pocket. Wordlessly, he pulled something out of the bit of fabric, took the younger man's right hand, and slipped something that felt like a ring, it's metal warm from having spent several hours in a pocket, onto his fourth finger. As soon as his wrist was released, the long-haired Hunter glanced down at his hand. A simple gold band adorned the digit.
"Gateau..." he started to say something, but was cut off by a gentle finger on his lips, silencing his words.
"I'm not asking you to marry me... not yet, at least. I saw this at the bazaar, and it reminded me of you. Simple, yet elegant. And beautiful," the taller man explained, something that might have been a blush creeping across his cheeks. However, under the cover of the shady trees, it was impossible to tell. He looked like he was going to continue rambling. Whether is was true or not, it is unknown, since before he could say another word, a pair of thin, warm lips met his, shutting him up.
"Thank you, Gateau," Marron said simply after they parted, smiling up at his lover. He glanced back down at the band. "Aside from that it caught your eye, was there any other reason for getting this?" he questioned, tilting his head slightly. The muscular man frowned thoughtfully for a moment.
"Uhh... happy eight months?" he suggested finally. The mage nodded his agreement at the words. "Oh, and there's something on the inside of the band," the blond man added, gesturing to his partner's hand. Marron slipped off the ring, and stepped to the side, into a patch of moonlight coming down through a break in the tree's thick branches. Holding it at a slight angle, he turned the band slowly until he could see the engraved markings. The lopsided "8" of the infinity symbol caught his eye first, then the first letter of his name, another infinity symbol, the first letter of his lover's name, and a final infinity symbol had been imprinted into the otherwise smooth interior of the band.
"How thoughtful. And coincidental," he murmured, smiling and slipping the ring back on, and returning to his lover's side.
"Did you say something?" Gateau questioned. The mage quirked a grin up at his partner.
"It's fortunate I've got something for you as well," he intoned a moment later, stepping back and reaching into the hidden pouch in his sash. He moved much faster than his partner; Gateau had no sooner watched him retrieve a piece of cloth from it's former place, when he head the soft click of a clasp fastening, and felt the slight weight of a band around his right wrist. He looked down at the addition.
"Wow," was all he could comment, seeing the gold and silver band glinting brightly, even in the somewhat definite lack of moonlight under the tree. A pair of slender arms snaked around his neck, and his lover's lips found his.
"Happy eight months, love," the golden-eyed young man murmured, their mouths just barely touching.
"And here's to many, many more to follow," the blond man returned quietly, slipping a hand up to cup the back of his lover's neck, the other sliding around his waist, pulling their bodies closer together as they kissed again.
Say it with me now, everybody. AWWWWW!!!! Yeah, yeah. I got bored, and the bit with the ring and bracelet just popped into my head, and demanded to be added on to my idea. This one, the whole bit with Carrot for once actually knowing that Marron was "playing for the other team," and that he and Gateau were together, was in response to the number of people who seem to think that Carrot is completely ignorant of his brother's sexual preferences. *pulls out her (in progress) episode guide* In episode one: remember Carrot's speech? The bit about his brother being a "closet pervert" (if you were watching with subtitles. In American it's that Marron "doesn't like girls *insert that cute little squeak thing Marron did right after this announcement*). And in "The First Meeting (A.K.A.- Zaha's Speedo Episode)", he says, flat out, that he knows that Marron and Gateau are going together. The fact that he tells Zaha, who was, at the time, as far as he knew, a complete and total stranger, still confuses and bothers me. But enough about that. Maybe in the manga it's different. Oh, and the bit Gateau says about the ring being like Marron in that it's "Simple, but elegant. (And beautiful!!)" I didn't mean that to imply that Marron is a simplistic idiot. (Maxy's Chibi Carrot: Yeah, that's Gateau's job! ~~ Maxy: *watches as Chibi Carrot streaks away, the rest of the Hunters, also Chibi, a zebra, a cat, and a gas-powered lawn mower on his heels* Ahem. Anyway. I'm gonna go now. Let me know what you think! The review link, e-mail account, or psychic thread (for those of you who hate typing) is always open! Catch ya later! Luv ya all!
-Maxy Steel