Disclaimer: The Sorcerer Hunters are still not mine, I'm just borrowing them for a bit. I'll give them back. Eventually. Ari and Reven, however, are my own original characters. And any OOC-ness in any of the Sorcerer Hunters is there because it suits the story. Don't bother telling me that it's there, because I already know and I'm not changing it.

Wrong Turns

Part 3: Tira

Tira woke when the shaft of sunlight spread across her face. She lay there for a moment, blinking to try to clear the dry, grainy feeling out of eyes swollen from too much crying. Her entire body hurt from fatigue, and she had been stretching her remaining reserves of strength far too thin in the last couple of days.

Carrot was gone. It wasn't just a bad dream. She would never again wake up to find the lazy idiot snoozing away while the rest of the Sorcerer Hunters got ready for another day of travel. She would never again hear Marron asking her to whip his brother back into shape. Nor would she ever be able to chase after him with Chocolate to keep him from flirting with other girls, or hear his voice, see him grin that goofy grin…

But lying in bed cursing fate and crying until your eyes felt like they'd been coated with sand never helped anyone. Besides, Tira Misu had patients to check on. Gateau's burns were probably completely healed by now, but she needed to make sure that he didn't have a fever or any other complications. She also had to bring Marron his breakfast, and make sure that he ate it, and she had a feeling that Chocolate would need her after she was finished. They still hadn't talked about it yet.

Speaking of her sister, Chocolate's side of the bed had not been slept in. The covers were far too smooth to have been used the night before by her older sister, who tossed and turned in her sleep all the time. And she never made the bed in the morning, especially if Tira was still asleep in it. Tira hoped that Chocolate hadn't gone too far from Onion's house. She really wanted to talk to her sister, but she didn't want to have to go looking all over Mt. Saint Hordic for her.

Tira got up and mechanically went through her morning routine. She dressed and pulled her long pink hair back to splash cold water on her face, not paying attention to how pale and sickly she looked in the mirror. With Carrot gone, it didn't matter anymore if she was pretty or not.

It was still early, so the hallways were deserted. Tira wasn't expecting to see anyone yet; Dota and the Haz Knights, minus Mille Feuille, had all gone to the village's temple to help Big Mama prepare for Carrot's funeral. Mille had stayed behind for Ari's sake, since he was the only person that she knew in this place. He was probably still asleep too.

When she entered the kitchen, Onion Glace and Chocolate were both passed out at the table, a large, empty jug of sake between them. Chocolate had buried her face in her arms on the table. Onion was leaning back in his chair, snoring loudly. Tira's expression softened when she saw the tearstains on his unshaven cheeks. Then she turned around and silently left the kitchen again to go to the linen closet.

Onion might have pretended not to care about his elder son, but he too had been hurt deeply by Carrot's death. He had literally collapsed when Mille told him what had happened. He had to be carried to bed. Then he'd spent the previous two nights consuming vast amounts of sake. Mille joined him the first night, and Chocolate drank with him the second night. It wasn't helping, but at least Onion was aware of that. He had promised Tira that he would cut back after the memorial service today.

Back in the kitchen, Tira draped a blanket over each of them, pausing briefly to turn Chocolate's head so the redhead could breathe a little more easily. Very gently, she stroked her sister's temple, brushing long strands of hair out of her face. Chocolate stirred, but did not wake. Tira managed a faint smile before she quietly turned away to make breakfast for Marron.

When her stomach rumbled, she made a little extra for herself. And she decided to make a tray for Ari, too. Mille had asked her to be kind to the girl, to believe him when he told her that it really wasn't Ari's fault that Carrot was…

Tira sighed. It was so hard not to be angry with her, but she was trying not to hold Ari responsible. Tira knew that Carrot wouldn't like it if they blamed Ari for his death, and not just because she was a pretty girl. From what little she'd seen of her, Ari was polite, shy, and very quiet. She washed her own dishes and kept to herself, for the remaining Sorcerer Hunters had made it obvious that she was not welcome among them. Hardly anyone spoke to her, except for Mille Feuille.

It wasn't fair that only Mille was willing to give her a chance, Tira decided. Maybe she should make more of an effort to be nice to the poor girl. But every time she looked at Ari, she saw again the last vision she'd had of Carrot as a unicorn, melting into something else as the flames from Marron's spell closed around it. It was an image that would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life.

Behind her, Onion shifted in his chair, groaning. Tira turned to look at him, afraid that she had awakened him, but he still appeared to be sleeping. "I'm sorry, Apricot…" he mumbled, his arm twitching, as if to ward off a blow. Then, with a sigh, he leaned back in the chair and began snoring again.

Tira smiled sadly and turned back to the porridge on the stove. Suddenly, she realized that it was boiling and on the verge of burning. She gasped, lifted it off the burner and onto the cooling rack.

"Phew! That was close," she muttered underneath her breath. "I hope it's still okay."

It stopped boiling after a moment. Tira sniffed it cautiously, then took a small spoonful, blowing on it first so that it wouldn't scald her tongue. She nodded, satisfied that she hadn't burned it too badly, and ladled it out into three bowls.

She set one bowl on each of the two trays, turned to leave the kitchen, and paused. Would Marron mind having a little company while he ate? The mage had been so quiet and withdrawn, but he might be ready to talk about it now. If he wasn't, that was fine. She just wanted to spend a little time with her friend, a person who understood her grief and felt Carrot's loss just as deeply, if not more, than she did.

With a shrug, she set her own bowl on Marron's tray and set off toward Ari's room to deliver her tray first. If the mage didn't want her there, she could always carry it out to the garden instead.

Strangely, Ari was not in her room when Tira knocked on the door. She was puzzled for a moment, but then decided that Ari had probably gone out to the garden or something, so she shut the door and continued on down the hallway.

It was awkward balancing the two trays on one arm to free her right hand, but she somehow managed it, and tapped on Marron's door. She wasn't expecting an answer, but she waited a moment anyway for politeness' sake.

"Come in," Marron called softly, his voice muffled by the door. Tira nearly dropped the trays. That was far better than she'd hoped for, considering that today was the day that they would all say goodbye to Carrot forever…

Resolving not to think about that now, she gathered her scattered wits and opened the door, peering in timidly. Marron turned to look at her from the cushioned seat under the window.

"Good morning, Tira," he said quietly. He was still a bit more pale than usual, and there were dark circles under the hollows of his eyes, but he seemed all right.

"Marron!" she exclaimed. "I didn't think that – "

"Shh," the mage said, lifting a finger to his lips. "Don't wake her." He gestured toward the bed.

Don't wake her? That was the last thing she had ever expected him to say. All she could do for a moment was stare at him in surprise. Didn't he like Gateau? Who was this woman sleeping in Marron's bed? She followed his gaze, and received another shock: it was Ari. The girl was sound asleep, curled up on her side with the blankets tucked up to her chin.

"I kept her up late last night, talking," Marron explained with an amused smile at Tira's blush. "She eventually fell asleep trying to answer one of my questions, so I let her have my bed."

"Oh," Tira said uncomfortably. That made sense, but … why had he gone to Ari instead of her or Gateau, or even Mille, if he needed to talk? It almost seemed like a betrayal of their friendship, and she found herself hoping that Gateau didn't know anything about this. It would only hurt him if he did.

Then something else occurred to her that made her cringe inwardly. Marron had obviously forgiven Ari, and judged her worthy of his respect and friendship. He had done what no one else had been able – or, more accurately, willing – to do. That shamed her deeply.

Marron had been Carrot's brother; Tira was only his friend, however much she had wished for more. If the mage was willing to forgive something like that so quickly, then what did that say about the rest of the Sorcerer Hunters, treating poor Ari like something that had crawled out from under a rock?

"I brought you both something to eat," Tira went on hesitantly after a moment.

Marron smiled and took the proffered tray from her. "Thank you," he said, and glanced over at Ari. "She probably won't wake up for a while, but I think I'm hungry enough that it won't go to waste."

Tira smiled and pulled a chair over to sit by him. "I'm not surprised," she said softly. "You haven't eaten very much lately."

Sadness darkened his golden eyes for a moment, and he looked away. "I know." He sighed and picked up the bowl of porridge. "Ari convinced me to take better care of myself, though. I don't think that Niisan would be happy if I starved to death."

Tira nodded gravely. "No, he wouldn't be," she murmured sympathetically, though privately a pang of jealousy had her wincing. What was it about this strange girl that had got through to him where his friends could not? How many hours had Tira sat at his bedside, trying to encourage him to eat? What had Ari said to him during their long talk? And why couldn't she, Tira, have said whatever it was?

Tira studied him covertly as he ate, marveling at how much he looked like Carrot. If the mage cut his hair, got a nice, healthy tan, and wore Carrot's clothes, they'd look like twins. Except for Marron's golden eyes, anyway. They had always been the major physical difference between the two brothers, at least to Tira.

Those golden eyes caught her attention now. He had noticed her scrutiny, and she couldn't quite stop a blush from spreading over her cheeks.

"What is it?" Marron asked, raising one eyebrow.

"N-nothing," she stammered, turning away. Her face was positively flaming now. She'd know the dark-haired mage for years, and she'd always thought that he was handsome. He had never affected her like this before … so why now?

A slender hand reached out and touched her chin, gently making her face him again. For a long moment, Marron stared into her eyes, his expression serious and intent. Tira could do nothing but stare back, into the golden eyes that seemed to absorb and become her entire world in an instant.

Then the fingers on her chin fell away, and his eyes released her. She came back to herself with a start, gazing at him in wonder. But he only sighed, as if troubled.

"Tira," Marron said heavily, with something very like regret in his tone, "I'm not Carrot."

It made sense, in a horrible, stomach-churning way. Tira's world came to a screeching halt at those soft words. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think. She could feel her hands clenching on the edge of the chair, and looked down to see her knuckles turning white under the strain of her grip. They blurred under the onset of sudden tears; her shoulders shook with the effort it took to suppress her sobs.

"I'm sorry," he was saying. "I can't be what you need."

Suddenly, she could move again. As if that statement had been what she was waiting for, she leapt up from the chair and blindly fled Marron's room. The tears clouding her eyes overflowed as she ran. She paid no attention to where she was going. All she wanted was to escape the sadness in Marron's eyes, the brutal accusations from her conscience.

Marron was right. He knew her too well. And she had almost been selfish enough to hurt them both by trying to see Carrot in him, to transfer the feelings she'd had for the elder brother to the younger. Of all people, Marron did not deserve that. It just wasn't fair, neither to him, nor to herself.

Tira ended up in the garden. She stood for a few minutes, gasping and sobbing in mingled shame and distress, until she noticed that Gateau had been sleeping on a bench not far from where she stood. He was awake now and peering up at her out of sleep-fogged blue eyes. His expression quickly changed from weary to concerned the longer he stared at her.

"Tira?" he said, his voice rough, as if with disuse. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"Nothing," she said, ducking her head to hide her tears. "I-I'm fine."

Gateau snorted. Tira jumped at the sound, realizing that he was now standing right in front of her. He reached out and tilted her head back, brushing her tears away with his other hand. "These say you're lying," he told her calmly, showing her his wet fingers. He stepped away from her and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well? Are you going to tell me what upset you?"

His stern expression was spoiled by a huge yawn, but Tira didn't smile. She could hardly look at him. "I-It was Marron," she said thickly, wiping away fresh tears. "He told me that … that he wasn't Carrot."

Gateau was quiet for so long that she was afraid that she'd angered him. After all, the blond man had been pursuing Marron for several years to no avail. Nonetheless, this was like infringing on his territory. The silence stretched for several moments, playing on her frayed nerves until she wanted to scream.

"Oh, Tira," he said finally, gathering her to his chest. He buried one large hand in her pink hair, cradling her head with such gentleness that her eyes prickled with yet more tears. "You poor thing. This is hurting you more than we've seen, isn't it?"

At those words, the tight control she had over her emotions snapped. She buried her face in his chest to muffle her sobs. It didn't help that Gateau kept stroking her hair, crooning soothing words to encourage her to let it all out. It was so unlike the big man to be so patient and comforting, but it was what she needed more than anything, and for that, she was grateful.

It was only minutes later that Tira cried herself out, though it felt like hours. She didn't step away from the comfort of Gateau's embrace, nor did he show any sign of releasing her yet.

"I'm so tired," Tira murmured against his chest.

"I think we all are," Gateau replied softly. "None of us has slept well since … it happened."

Tira pulled back a little to smile up at him. "Thank you, Gateau. I needed that."

He smiled back at her. "Any time," he promised, giving her one last squeeze before he let her go.

"I hate to interrupt," Mille Feuille said solemnly, and they both turned to look at him, "but it's time."

Tira sighed, feeling some of the weight that had been lifted from her shoulders ease back to its favorite resting spot. She had no idea how she was going to get through this. How could she say goodbye to the only man she'd ever truly loved?

More than that, how could she say goodbye to her best friend? The one who had saved her so many times, the one she'd laughed with, cried with, and fought along side (and sometimes with) for so many years?

Then Gateau touched her arm gently, and she looked at him, seeing the dark circles etched under his eyes for the first time. "Come on, let's go," he said wearily. "It's going to be a long day."

Tira nodded. Of course. Gateau would be there, and so would Chocolate, and Marron, and Mille, and Big Mama, and all of the other people who mattered to her. They would help her get through this ceremony, just as she would help them. She could do anything as long as they were with her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The memorial service was very beautiful. Since they were unable to recover Carrot's body from the wreckage of Peach's castle, a simple stone marker was carved with his name and set up next to Apricot's grave.

As expected, Dota was a complete mess, crying so hard that she could barely stand. Unable to do much else, she clung to Sirius. Big Mama recited Carrot's eulogy, praising his bravery and dedication to his friends, family, and the common people of Spooner. Then Onion said a few words, and even Mille Feuille made a short speech in Marron's place, since the mage was too overwrought with grief.

Tira and Chocolate clung to each other's hand as they stared at the small stone marker. It was all that was left of Carrot. Neither sister spoke. Their eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Tira looked up once to see Marron standing with Ari. She frowned when she noticed that the dark-haired mage was holding the girl's hand like a drowning man clinging to a lifeline. Ari had her head bowed, but every once in a while Tira noticed that she would wince, as if Marron was squeezing her hand too hard.

Tira hoped that he was. She didn't care how petty she was being; the girl did not belong there. Ari had caused this. It was all her fault!

Suddenly, Mille Feuille caught Tira's attention, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. His amber eyes were fixed on her almost pleadingly, and she relented, returning her gaze to the stone marker. It was possible that Marron had asked Ari to come for some reason, whether to expiate her own guilt, or just to keep him company. She would respect that - for now.

The entire population of the Sorcerer Hunters' hidden village came to pay their respects. The children were told that they were there to say good-bye to a great hero. They stayed solemn and silent throughout the service.

The Haz Knights were all there, helping Onion keep his composure while the speeches were given. When Onion's turn came, he was pale, his face pinched and drawn, but his voice was steady as he spoke about his elder son. After the ceremony, he excused himself and quickly walked away from the graveyard.

Cinnamon Tea, one of the Haz Knights, followed him slowly to make sure he'd be all right. Everyone else stayed for a bit longer to talk to friends about the tragedy and how much they would miss Carrot.

Eventually, everyone began filtering down the mountain toward the Stellar Church, to make offerings of incense and food to Carrot's spirit. His former teammates stayed to bid a private farewell. Ari stayed because Marron still hadn't let go of her hand yet.

"Kuso," Gateau muttered after a long moment of silence. "I can't believe he's really gone."

"It's like a bad dream," Tira agreed, "only I can't wake up."

Suddenly, Chocolate's hand tightened on her sister's. Concerned, Tira looked at her. She was glaring at Ari. "What is she doing here?" Chocolate demanded coldly, her blue eyes glinting like steel.

Tira winced inwardly. Trust Chocolate to pick a bad time to become observant. None of the Sorcerer Hunters wanted to have their last moment with Carrot tarnished by bloodshed. Couldn't this wait until later? Carrot was what was important now, not Ari.

Marron turned from the stone with Carrot's name on it to face Chocolate. "I asked her to come," he replied calmly, his golden eyes hard. "Is there a problem?"

Chocolate hissed and withdrew her hand from Tira's, pulling on her dominatrix hat and reaching for the coiled length of wire at her belt. Ari's eyes widened. "How can you ask me that? You know as well as I do what happened, and why. How can I honor my Darling's spirit with her here?"

"Whoa, Chocolate, calm down!" Gateau said, but was ignored.

Marron pulled Ari behind him protectively. The girl looked at him, frowning worriedly, but said nothing. Her eyes returned to watching Chocolate pace toward them. "You will have to go through me, Chocolate."

This was definitely not good. Tira was not certain that Marron would be enough of a shield if Chocolate truly wanted to kill Ari. But she couldn't betray her sister and step in now … could she? Even if Carrot wanted her to?

The redhead's blue eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in disgust. "You're protecting your brother's murderer, Marron," she said pointedly. "You might want to rethink the logic behind that."

"It was an accident," the mage retorted. "Even I can understand that." He turned to smile at Ari, who simply looked back at him with wide brown eyes. "Besides, she has promised that she will bring Carrot back."

Gateau seemed unsurprised by the announcement, but Tira looked from Marron to Ari in astonishment. She could bring Carrot back? Hope flared painfully in her breast; Tira wanted so much to believe that it was possible, but she didn't know if she could afford to let herself.

"It's true," Ari spoke up, moving around Marron to confront Chocolate. "I can do it."

"I've heard of those spells," the elder Misu said dismissively, crouching into her fighting stance. "If you use them, Carrot will come back to life, but it won't be my Darling anymore. Just a shade wearing his form, free to wreak havoc on this world. You don't think that I'll let you do that, do you?"

"No, it's not a spell," Ari said, taking a step forward. She kept her hands at her sides in plain sight of the redhead. "I can change the past. I will make it so that I never fall through the Gate. Marron will save his brother, and you will never even meet me!"

Chocolate stared at Ari, and Tira could see the same hope she felt flickering deep within her sister's eyes. "How is that even possible?" she asked as if she too was afraid to trust Ari's words.

"I'll go back through the Gate I fell into," Ari said gravely. "I can manipulate time in this realm from the other side, then come back and make sure that I can't fall through it again. I swear that I will do everything in my power to change what happened, regardless of what it takes."

"Ari, I thought I told you that it's too dangerous!" Mille Feuille interrupted suddenly, stalking angrily up to her. The Haz Knight was holding a large, leather-bound book under one arm, but Tira forgot all about that in the next instant.

Ari whirled on him, her eyes flashing desperately. "Mille-san, please! I can't just leave it like this when it's my fault - "

Mille raised an eyebrow, effectively silencing her. He glanced at each of the Sorcerer Hunters in turn, then back at Ari. "Ari," he said quietly, "how many times have you manipulated time through a Gate?"

The girl stiffened, her face draining of color. Tira held her breath for the answer, sure that she was not going to like it, that the irrational hope would be firmly squelched by it.

"How many times, Ari?" Mille repeated patiently.

"None," Ari whispered, looking away. Then she straightened and glared at him defiantly. "But that doesn't mean that I can't do it. I've watched Reven-sensei hundreds of times, and I have an affinity for Gate-work." She turned to Marron. "I will change the past for you, no matter how many times I have to do it."

Marron nodded, serenity and confidence radiating from him. "I believe you," he told her.

Tira smiled at the relief in Ari's expression. The girl was taking responsibility for her actions, and for that, Tira admired her. It was not an easy thing to stand up to Chocolate and Mille Feuille.

Mille sighed, exasperated. "You're going to do this no matter what I say, aren't you?"

"Yes," Ari said firmly.

The Haz Knight threw his arms up in the air, hefting the large book with ease. "I don't know why I bother when none of you are going to listen to me," he complained, and suddenly seemed to remember that he was still holding the book. "Here, Ari, this came for you."

Ari frowned, puzzled. "But who would - " She broke off on a gasp, taking the book from Mille with trembling hands. "This is Reven-sensei's journal…"

To be continued…

Author's Notes: This was another very hard chapter for me to write. I feel like a total bully now. Ah, well. There is a point to this, I promise. I wouldn't pick on poor, innocent Tira if there were no reasons for it. Any comments/ suggestions/ whatever so far? Am I doing okay with this, or is there something that needs to be worked on? Please let me know! So far I've been getting good feedback, but I'm not sure if that's only because you're being nice by not saying anything. I know it's hard to say much because I haven't posted it all as of yet, but if anyone sees any grammar, spelling, plot or other kinds of problems, PLEASE point them out. I won't be angry. I'll probably be extremely grateful.

Anyway, to my reviewers from the last chapter:

Fala: Thank you! I knew you would be a good person to ask if I'd gotten Gateau's character down. My primary inspiration for his character comes from the manga, where he actually gets some lines and a past, unlike in the anime. I also look at what other fanfiction writers are doing, and their perspectives on him. I still don't particularly care for Gateau, but I tried to remain neutral and not let that show. I'm glad it didn't. ^_^

Amanda: Thank you! I'm glad you like it so far, and I'm sorry I made you wait so long. It wasn't intentional. ^_^

BluePard: Thank you! I can see why you have those concerns, and though it pains me, I can't say anything yet. I'll give something very important away if I do. As for the POV switching thing … I hate just sticking with only one character in my stories. It's so limiting. I have to explore what everyone is thinking and feeling, or I'm not happy with it. I would be very pleased if you would just stick with me for the rest of this. I sincerely hope that you are not disappointed with the results. ^_^

Thanks to everyone for reading! Please leave a review.

~ Lady Cianyin ~