Disclaimer: I don't own the Sorcerer Hunters. Ari, Reven, Peach Sorbet, and this story, however are mine. Some of the Sorcerer Hunters might possibly be OOC because it suited the story. Any comments/questions/suggestions for improvement are quite welcome. ^_^
There are some mild spoilers for the SH manga volume 10, but it's nothing earth shattering. ^_^
Wrong Turns
Part 6: Mille Feuille (1)
Ari and the Sorcerer Hunters reached the remains of Peach Sorbet's castle at midmorning the next day. The blackened stones were still smoldering a little, and thin dark gray wisps of smoke rose from several places.
"Hey, look, everyone," Chocolate said excitedly, pointing. "Only the castle burned down. Everything else is untouched."
Chocolate was right. The grass around the wreckage was a bright, vibrant green. Sakura trees were in full bloom in the gardens, where roses still blossomed on thorny green vines along the white marble paths. High, meticulously squared hedges blocked the view of the rest of the gardens, but since they were still alive and healthy, the rest had to still be alive to.
The Haz Knight stared around the grounds, taking everything in. "How very odd," he said, frowning.
"Do you think there was some sort of protection spell on the grounds?" Marron inquired as they walked up the pristine white marble path.
"I don't think Peach Sorbet was any good at protection spells," Mille replied. "She might have had someone else do it, but she wasn't exactly very popular in the sorcerer circles."
"Didn't she kill Blackberry Jam's eldest son?" Gateau asked.
Mille smiled thinly. "Yes. That was the reason that we were sent here in the first place."
"Do you think it's a sign?" Tira asked wistfully. She clasped her hands together in front of her chest, gazing at the gardens with her heart in her eyes.
"What do you mean, Tira?" Chocolate replied.
"Do you think that since the gardens weren't burned when the castle was, that we'll really be getting Carrot back?" She blushed, realizing that the others were looking at her. "I-I'm sorry. It was stupid."
"No it wasn't, Tira," Mille said cheerfully, surreptitiously fingering a gold bracelet on his slender wrist. "I agree: it is a good sign."
Chocolate grinned. "Of course, Tira. We'll get him back. Just you wait."
Gateau snorted. "Yeah, the little pervert will be back in no time at all, and just as annoying as he was when he left us."
"Gateau," Marron chided. "You miss him too, you know."
"Yes, but he's still a pervert, and he's still annoying. Nothing will ever change that."
A long-suffering sigh from the black haired mage was his only reply. Mille noted it with approval, hiding his smile. Marron was obviously recovering from his devastating grief if he reacted so mildly to the big man's teasing. It had been a very good idea to allow them to go on this quest to save Carrot, and Mille was glad that Big Mama had approved of it.
"Well," the Haz Knight said gravely, looking at Ari, "you'd know better than any of us where the Gate is."
Ari nodded tiredly. Mille watched her reach into her pocket and pull out a small, green crystal ball. He recognized it as the crystal that Reven normally carried when he walked the Silver Paths. Ari cupped it gently in her hands and it began to glow softly, illuminating the dark shadows beneath her eyes, the weariness in her expression.
"Let's go," Ari said softly, her gaze intent on the crystal. She began to walk toward the fallen castle unhesitatingly.
"She looks exhausted," Tira said quietly to Mille as the others followed her. "Is she all right?"
The Haz Knight shrugged, but he was also worried. "She told me that she's fine. Whether or not it's true … I can't say."
The younger Misu frowned. Mille knew exactly what she was thinking: Ari had better be able to keep her promise. If she didn't, Tira would personally punish her for lying to them all, consequences or no consequences. Mille just hoped that he'd be able to intervene if the pink-haired girl tried anything. He didn't want either of the girls to get hurt. Nor did he want to face Lord Reven if something did happen to Ari.
Ari carried the crystal toward a large, gaping hole in the rubble, and stopped. A long dark tunnel stretched deep into the pile of rock and metal shapes twisted beyond recognition. It seemed like it led far beneath the castle, into the center of the world where unimaginable things lay in wait in the quiet stillness of the dark earth.
Not a pleasant thought. Mille pushed it away, chiding himself as a silly fool. He was a grown man, and a powerful Haz Knight. Maybe he wasn't all that comfortable with going into an extremely unstable tunnel in a pile of debris where a castle used to be, but he didn't need to broadcast that to the others. Besides, Marron was there, and his spells could keep it from collapsing on their heads. He hoped, anyway.
"Please tell me that we don't have to go in there," Gateau said, eyeing the tunnel warily.
Ari's lips curved in a rueful smile. It didn't touch her eyes. "I wish I could," she replied, "but the Gate is down there, and I doubt you will let me go alone."
"Absolutely not," Mille snapped. Why did the silly girl think that he would allow her to do something like that? She knew how great Mille's debt to her was. His butchered hair would have taken years to grow back to its former length if she hadn't done whatever it was she'd done to make it grow back so fast.
Oh, and she'd saved his life, too.
"I agree," Marron said quietly, frowning at Ari as he folded his arms across his chest. "You may need us to help you reach the gate. I can form a barrier to protect us if the tunnel collapses while we're in it."
Gateau shuddered. "Marron, that is not a good image."
"Sorry."
"We're getting Darling back," Chocolate murmured, catching Ari's gaze. "We already told you that we're all going, no matter what the cost."
"That is the point of this, I suppose," Gateau added, still eyeing the tunnel warily.
Tira shrugged. "It's not much different from any of the other times we've gone after Carrot."
Ari sighed. "I am not trying to persuade you to not follow me."
"Then what -" Chocolate started.
"Come on, we're wasting time," Marron interrupted impatiently. "We trust you, Ari. Lead us."
Ari lowered her eyes and nodded. She turned, looking down into the tunnel. After a moment, she took a step forward. The green crystal in her hand brightened, casting emerald light into the darkness. She held it up so that more of the path before her was revealed, much to Mille's discomfort.
The tunnel narrowed considerably a few paces down. The heaps of crumbled stone had settled into haphazard, jagged piles. It still appeared to be passable, but looks could be deceiving. Add the dust clouds wafting out of the hole and the ominous, intermittent creakings as the rubble shifted, and the place resembled something from Mille's worst nightmares.
Ari didn't seem to be bothered by it. She calmly walked inside, letting the wreckage swallow her up. Mille did not quite have her confidence, however, but in order to set a good example for the Hunters, he strode after her as if it didn't really bother him.
"This place gives me the creeps," Gateau said loudly. His voice echoed eerily, and there was a distant rumble of falling rock.
Everyone froze, staring up at the ceiling apprehensively.
Marron pulled an ofuda out of his sleeve as the tremors came nearer and nearer. "Stay close to me, everyone," he said unnecessarily, for the others had already gathered around the young mage. The ofuda glowed blue, and a nearly transparent but unbreakable shield sprang up around them.
Dust sifted through the cracks overhead, running down the sides of the shield. Gateau pulled both Misu sisters in front of him and hunched over them protectively. Mille stood over Ari, grasping her shoulders. The green light from the crystal flickered and almost went out, and Ari gasped.
"What is it?" Mille asked sharply.
"You're hurting me. Let go."
"Oh, sorry!" The Haz Knight hastily released her.
Ari winced and pressed her hand to her heart. "That's okay. Just please don't do it again."
Mille stared at her suspiciously for a moment. She looked back at him calmly, still rubbing her chest over her heart. From her expression, he didn't think he'd be getting any answers from her about it just yet, so he let the matter drop. For now, anyway.
The quakes subsided slowly a few minutes later. Marron breathed a sigh of relief and dropped the shield. The ofuda slowly disintegrated in his hand, falling in small pieces of blue light to the ground.
Only then did Mille let himself relax. If Marron had let the barrier drop, then the danger was averted.
"I think we should all keep our voices down," Marron said then. He didn't quite look at Gateau, but everyone knew that it was directed at the big man.
Gateau flinched. "Sorry," he said sheepishly as he stepped away from Tira and Chocolate.
"Hey, do you guys hear that?" Ari asked suddenly. She had walked a few paces away from the rest of them, and her head was tilted to one side.
Mille exchanged a glance with Marron. The mage shrugged as if to say, "I don't hear anything."
"Hear what?" Mille asked warily.
"It's … singing." Ari took another step forward, as if entranced by the music only she could hear. Her hand lifted again, rubbing absently at her chest. Mille frowned at her, but she ignored him.
Tira raised an eyebrow. "I don't hear anything."
"What is singing?" Chocolate asked, frowning.
"The Gate. I think it's getting close."
"It should be, if you can hear it already," Mille murmured, intensely relieved. Maybe they wouldn't have to be stuck in this underground hellhole for much longer. "Good. This won't take too long. Hey, Ari, wait for us!"
The girl stopped walking, glancing back at them. She glanced at Mille and dropped her hand back to her side. "Oh, it's still a good distance away," she replied, "but I can hear it now."
"Is it a good thing if the Gate is singing?" Tira asked uncertainly.
Ari nodded, pausing again to wait for the others to catch up to her. "That means it's already open, for whatever reason, and healthy."
"Are Gates alive, then?" Marron asked, astonished. "How can that be? I thought they were just doorways."
"Well, they are and they aren't. Yikes!" Ari's boot crunched on a loose stone and started to slide out from beneath her.
Mille took her elbow to steady her. "Are you all right, Ari?"
"Yes. Thanks." Her face was an odd shade of pale green, but that could be attributed to the light from the green crystal. "Anyway, the Gates are alive, but not in the sense that you and I are alive. Maybe it's better to say that they have some awareness of what they are and the things and people that pass through them. It's kind of hard to explain. Reven-sensei would do a better job than I can."
Mille watched Ari's face when she said her sensei's name. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and a swift, pained expression passed through her eyes so quickly that the Haz Knight nearly missed it. From the looks of it, Reven still either didn't know or didn't return her feelings.
Not for the first time, Mille wondered what was wrong with Reven. How could he not see how the poor girl pined over him? Even Carrot wasn't that clueless with Tira and Chocolate, however he might act around them.
Tira must have noticed it too, for she drew Mille aside as they continued on down the path.
"Mille…" She wasn't quite able to meet his gaze.
"Yes, Tira?" He smiled at her encouragingly.
"I wanted to ask you…" She bit her lip, but continued. "Ari's a lot like me, isn't she?"
"In what sense?" Mille asked, keeping his voice neutral. It was a good thing that Tira had found something in common with Ari. It made her more human, and less an obstacle to the pink haired girl's love life.
Tira flushed. "She loves Reven the way I … the way I love Carrot." She swallowed nervously, staring at her feet. "In silence, I mean. She … she hasn't told him."
Mille didn't show it, but he was relieved. "You're right," he told her quietly, glad that Tira understood. "In some ways, she's much more shy than you are. Especially with Reven."
"Why hasn't she told him how she feels?" Tira asked curiously.
Mille shrugged. "Why haven't you told Carrot how you feel?"
"What?!" Tira sputtered indignantly. "That's…that's different!"
"Because it's you?" Mille asked with a smile.
"Can't you be serious for once?" she demanded irately, almost but not quite stomping her foot.
Gateau glanced back at them briefly at Tira's outburst, but said nothing.
"I'm always serious, Tira," Mille replied solemnly.
The pink-haired girl stared at his perfectly straight face for a long moment, opening and then closing her mouth. She turned bright red, muttering something under her breath. Abruptly, she pivoted on one foot and marched off, still muttering.
Mille grinned at Tira's back. It was so much fun teasing her. He couldn't wait until Carrot was back so that he could hit on her and Chocolate again. And of course, Carrot would get his fair share, too.
The Haz Knight's grin faded into a slight smile. He glanced down at his wrist again, fingering the bracelet again. On the surface, it was a simple gold bangle, just like the one he'd always worn on that wrist. That bracelet had broken underneath his armor a year ago, when he'd deflected a blow aimed at his head.
Carrot had bought him the new bangle for his next birthday. Oh, Mille was under no delusions that Carrot had had the idea occur to him naturally. It had been obvious when he'd opened the small, pretty box that Tira and/or Chocolate had had a hand in choosing this gift.
Still, Carrot had been the one to place the box in Mille's hands. That was what counted. That, and the simple elegance of the gold bangle. A delicate vine was etched in the gold, tiny leaves in exquisite detail, curving around the entire bracelet.
Carrot could really be sweet when he wanted to be. It was too bad that he was so uncompromisingly straight, or Mille would have really fallen for him. There were some days that the Haz Knight regretted telling Carrot that he was really a guy, but he supposed it was better this way. The young Sorcerer Hunter would have found that out quickly enough on his own. And it provided hours of entertainment - for Mille, at any rate - with things as they were.
One of Mille's favorite pastimes had always been teasing the poor boy until Tira and Chocolate were so riled up they were incoherent. He really couldn't help himself anymore; what had started out as an innocent game to see what would happen had turned into a near-obsession with seeing how far he could push the Misu sisters.
In addition to his own personal enjoyment, he also had a practical reason behind his crusade to get Carrot bashed over the head by a jealous Misu. He'd done the exact same thing to Onion Glace and Apricot Anzu, Carrot's and Marron's parents.
Apricot had never reacted as violently as Tira and Chocolate did regularly. She'd tried to play it cool, like Onion meant little to her beyond her obligations as his partner. Only when he confronted her directly could he get a rise out of her.
Mille found it hilarious that both Onion and Carrot had reacted almost in the same way to his advances. Like father, like son, he supposed. Carrot had even inherited his father's well-hidden ability to be thoughtful, in his own way.
Mille gave the bangle one last, fond tug, and returned his thoughts to the present, wincing as he reemerged in the odd green light of the gods-forsaken tunnel. He wished they'd find the Gate soon. He was more than ready to bid this nerve-wracking pit goodbye, thank you very much.
The Haz Knight's eyes flicked to Ari as she rounded a corner - and unexpectedly stopped, as she had come to a solid wall of rock.
The others stopped behind her, all staring at the wall.
To be continued…
Author's Notes: Because it took me so freaking long to finish this, I am posting this chapter and the next one today. The last chapter will be up in two weeks or less, since it's half-finished now. I'm sorry about that. Real life conspired to take me away from my computer for a while. ^_^ Thank you to those of you who stuck with me for so long.
My thanks go out to these wonderful people for their reviews (I'd write longer responses, but I'm really tired right now):
Amanda: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. ^_^
Takatome Ichido: Thank you! Reven has nothing to do with Grand Pa. He is my own original character from an original story that I wrote a long time ago, and I'm kinda still writing now. Thank you for all the helpful advice; I'll definitely consider it. ^_^
BluePard: Thank you! ^_^ Do you know how annoying it was to type "Darling" so many times? Maybe I shouldn't have, but I figured that it would be a good way to keep her in character. I might go back and change it later, but not now (too lazy). And I wasn't intending on that being a shoujo-ai reference. Then again, in anime, you can argue any theory you want.