Starting Over

TITLE: Starting Over AUTHOR: Willie J EMAIL: wmj166@msn.com WEB SITE: N/A
PAIRINGS: Marron/Carrot (and yes they are brothers!) RATING: NC-17 for content DISCLAIMER: Sorcerer Hunters is copyright by A.D. Vision. FEEDBACK: Dear God Yes! DISTRIBUTION: List Archives SPOILERS: SUMMARY: This is extremely dark A/U...Carrot and Marron are separated as children.
Warning: This story may contain themes of rape, slash and incest. If any of this may offend you please stop reading immediately.


A/N: Meet the Sorcerer Hunters: Five extraordinary young humans charged with the task of traveling the land in secrecy, hunting down evil Sorcerers--masters of powerful and forbidden magic who use their dark abilities to enslave, to kill the weak and helpless.

Carrot Glace, a lecherous young warrior, without many other talents, save one: the ability to transform into various giant beasts by feeding off the power of sorcerers when attacked by unfriendly magic.

Marron Glace, his younger brother and master of the Eastern magic; always cool, calm and collect unless someone hurts his older brother....then he become a homicidal psycopath.

Tira Misu, an unassuming woman who, when faced with a challenge, presents her rather dominant alter ego, secretly in love with Carrot Glace.

Chocolate Misu, her older sister the more forward of the two and even worse when she's ready to kick some ass with her needle tipped garrote wire. Very obvious about desire for Carrot Glace.

Finally, Gateau Mocha, the muscle of the team with brains; consummate flirt, especially with Marron Glace.

A/N 2: ' ~ ' is internal dialogue

* * *

Chapter 1


Onion Glace left the limo without a backwards glance as he strode into the multibillion dollar company that he was president of, the Church Corp. He rarely bothered to acknowledge the various greetings from the employees in the building and today was no exception.

He was furious. After all his careful plans, that fucking Church bitch was coming to America with her entourage in tow. She could upset almost all his plans if he wasn't careful. He knew there was no way he could get caught; he was too clever for that, but by her presence she could delay operations long enough that it would take him an additional six months to get back on track. After that, I’ll take the boy and say bye-bye to America and hello Sri Lanka, he thought with a smirk.

This will be a long night, he thought with a smile as he strode into his opulent office. His executive assistant, Willow, saw the smile and shuddered as apprehension coiled tightly in her stomach. She knew her boss and his vicious temper and she prayed that he wasn't going to turn his temper on her. Curiously enough, whenever he got this way, he would sometimes go home and come back in a more cheerful mood. Probably went home and banged that cold stick of a wife, she thought cynically as she gathered up her files for this morning's meeting. A cruel smirk quirked her lips at the thought of the coldly beautiful, milady Moss getting mussed with sex.

"Mr. Glace, sir, were you aware that Ms. Church will be arriving within the next week," she quietly asked almost recoiling at the brief, burning fury in Mr. Glace's dark eyes. She blinked nervously.

Onion leaned back in his chair, inwardly amused at the look of fear on her face, as he said laconically, "Why, yes, I did hear. Her secretary called me in the car this morning. I take it that they called here also?" he asked raising a brow and nodding at the acknowlent ent from Willow. "Well then, let's get down to business. We want to look nice when the Boss Lady gets here." He strode to the boardroom with Willow scurrying behind.


* * *


That evening Carrot slowly made his way home from the Misu's household, extremely reluctant at the thought of going back to THAT place. His slender figure shuddered with dread as he prayed as hard as he could that his father was in a good mood tonight. His fingers worriedly twisted at the hem on his too long sweater as he slowly entered the opulent mansion that was the Glace residence.

He looked up to see Moss walking down the stairs and looked away. He never liked looking at her, knowing she knew every dirty thing he had ever done.

Her lips tightened at the sight of her husband's son. Then she smiled slowly, cruelly and said, "He's waiting for you in the room." Watching with coldly amused eyes the shudder that ripped through the slender frame, as he turned and slowly mounted the stairs, his head hanging low. She continued down the stairs, laughing softly, as she went into the kitchen to told the cook to hold dinner back for 90 minutes.


* * *


Carrot stood before the room door, shaking so hard his teeth were chattering. He bit his lip before taking a deep breath and opening the door. Quietly, though he knew silence was futile, he closed it behind him. He ed hed his back against the closed door, staring at the floor to avoid staring at the powerful figure seated on the bed.

"You know what to do boy," came the whisper from the bed.

Carrot nodded his head as he toed off his shoes, unbuttoned his pants and slid them down his slim hips to pool about his ankles. The wicked observer’s eyes were black with lust as he avidly consumed the sight of the beautiful slim body slowly being revealed, waiting with bated breath the boy's naked body to be revealed in its entirety.

Carrot grasped the hem of his sweater and pulled it off revealing his body, his bruised, mottled body to the lustful gaze of the man on the bed.

"Come here," he hoarsely said, nearly salivating at having his boy beneath him, loving the fear on boy's face.

Carrot knew the ritual. He slowly crossed the room and climbed up on the bed, kneeling between the spread thighs of the aroused man gazing at him with hard, cruel eyes. He slowly crept closer and lowered his mouth to the hard flesh in front of him and began sucking on his father's cock.



Some time later, had the room not been sound proofed years ago, a curious listener would have been thoroughly alarmed at the cries of pain echoing through the room and the sounds of a whip cracking against flesh.

* * *


Zaha and his mother sat at the dining table waiting for Onion and Carrot to appear. Onion finally entered, practically bouncing into the room; pleasant satisfaction radiating from every pore as he cheerfully greeted his stepson.

"Zaha, how have you been doing boy?" he cried hugging the tall young man and clapping him on the back. "How's college life, getting any of those cute college girls to put out for you," he asked lecherously, wagging his eyebrows comically.

Zaha laughed at the sight hugging him back. Onion was his idol, always there for him, ready and willing to expend time and money on him. Why just the other day, he’d surprised him with a brand, new fire-engine red Mustang. All his friends were envious of how generous his stepfather was with him.

"Actually, I've managed to get quite a few girls to put out for me," Zaha laughed back at his stepfather.

Carrot sidled into the room, limping slightly as he quietly made his way to his chair, wincing in pain as his sore ass and back made contact with the chair. He looked up into Moss's cold, mocking eyes and quickly averted his gaze.

Zaha and Onion separated going to their respective seats. Zaha took note of how Carrot had winced as he sat down and thought with an inward sneer, ‘What’s the matter pretty boy, daddy rode your ass too hard, you little whore.’ He loved his stepfather; he just had a hard time reconciling this man with the one he knew was fucking his own son. Therefore, he blamed Carrot for tempting him, corrupting him. He despised the boy. But wanted him too. He burned to feel that slim body writhing against his in passion. However, Onion possessed the little boy-whore, and Zaha hated him for that. This ambivalence between love and hate drove spikes of confusion into his soul.

They had their usual quiet dinner, Onion remarking that Stella Church was arriving in America either late this week or the following week.

"And how will this affect us," Moss asked emotionless as they finished their dessert.

"Not by much," Onion admitted, "Perhaps a few dinners with her family, a little socializing. You know the routine."

"Hmm…I heard that she always comes with a large entourage of bodyguards and servants. I heard a rumor that her son was some sort of genius, and was adopted. Is it true that she is single and never married," she asked indifferently, not really caring unless it interrupted her comfortable life and position in society.

"I really don't know about everything else but I do know she's single," Onion replied. "You know it's very curious that no one has ever really seen a picture of her son. The other children that she travels with, the boy and girl, are always photographed at some party or event, but never him."

Carrot sat silently through the discussion, waiting for dinner to end so he could get some rest. His young body ached from the wicked abuse. He and the Misu sisters were supposed to go to the movies in a couple of days and he needed to be somewhat rested up. The sisters were cutting classes at college in order to take him.

Finally, the dinner was over. He didn't move until he saw Moss and Onion get up. Then he carefully leveraged himself out of the chair. H knew better than to cry out loud from the pain riding his body.

"Thank you Moss," he said politely, going through the usual after-dinner ritual, remembering with an inward shudder the first time he forgot. "Dinner was delicious as always."

"Why thank you dear, why don't you go to bed. You look like you had a rather.....hard day," she said with mock concern.

Carrot kept his eyes downcast and his body still as he replied, "Thank you. Father, if I may be excused." He turned to Onion and bowed slightly, wincing in pain.

"Sure, go ahead. Anybody want to catch a movie with me," he said looking around as Carrot limped away.

"Sorry darling, I'll have to take a rain check," Moss said smiling as she turned away aent ent to bed.

"C'mon, I'll watch a movie with you, old man," Zaha answered.

"Oh man, I'll show you old man," Onion cried out in mock anger, then acted as if his back was paining him. "On second thought, I'll show you some other time." And with arms companionably around each other's shoulders they retired to the den to watch movies.

Carrot heard the laughter and wondered just what was it about him that made his father treat him like this. He didn't try to do anything to his precious Zaha, Carrot thought bitterly. Hating the young man fiercely, hating himself for staying, he just wanted to die and get it over with. Wearily he trudged into the bathroom and stepped into the shower stall fully clothed.

Carefully, relieved to be able to voice his agony, he turned on the shower and let the warm water beat down on him, soaking through his clothes. He watched the water turn pink as the water soaked through his blood encrusted clothes. Every now and then he tugged gently to see if the clothes had loosened enough from the bloody marks striping his body to allow their removal.

His waterlogged sweater hung off his body, stretching to his knees. It pulled at his narrow shoulders as he gradually worked his way free from the neck, dropping the sodden material in the tub and pushing it behind him. He gritted his teeth as he unfastened his pants and gently pushed them over his hips. His abused body shook with pain as he twisted his hips and lifted his legs, working the pants off his dully-pulsing body.

Cautiously he maneuvered his slowly stiffening body around so that his back faced the spray of water. Harsh sobs of pain escaped his mouth as the water pounded down upon his lacerated flesh, opened the marks, and allowed the water to cleanse and ease his pain. The water swirling madly down the drain changed from pink to red then slowly back to pink again. One more thing to do, he thought grimly knowing that this would hurt the most. He shuffled forward, leaned forward and placed his forehead against the wall. He took a deep, steadying breath, reached back and spread his cheeks. He almost howled at the stinging pain, watching with glazed eyes as the clear water abruptly turned red, holding this position until the water in the bottom of the stall was clear again.

Carefully, he left the stall and gently patted himself dry taking care that the marks didn't start bleeding again. He reached into his medicine cabinet for one of the many antibiotic creams and smoothed the stuff into the many lash marks covering his body, and got into bed naked, face down. He knew that HE would be along soon to put on more of the cream. He fell asleep, only waking quickly and quietly when he heard someone enter his room. He didn't relax as the figure bypassed his bed and went into the bathroom. The light came on, there was the sound of the cabinet being opened and closed, and the lights went off.

Onion sat beside the bed looking at the lacerated back of his son. He loved the marks decorating the golden flesh. Slowly he worked the cream into the rigid back, making sure he covered each mark with the soothing cream. Enjoying the pained moans coming from the boy, he slowly pulled the sheet back, revealing the naked globes of flesh of the boy's abused ass. He smoothed his hands over each cheek, slowly massaging the flesh, enjoying the resistance he felt in the boy. He parted the cheeks and, bending down, flicked his tongue against the clenched muscle. He smirked at the way the boy tried squirm away from his hateful presence. He chuckled into the torn flesh before giving it one last swipe of his tongue. He put a large blob of ointment on his finger and slowly massaged it into the cringing flesh. Twisted delight suffused him at the sight of the boy flinching, clenching his hands in fear and hatred. He loved watching the boy's impotent rage at what he was doing to his body.

Finally, he finished his ministration to the tortured flesh and pressed a kiss to the back of Carrot's neck as he whispered, "It shouldn't take you more than a week to heal. I'll be back to ride your beautiful, tight little ass next week." He reached back and cupped a tensed globe.

He left. Carrot finally allowed himself to cry. Harsh racking sobs shook the boy as he cried himself to sleep, curled upon himself for protection.


* * *


"Do you think he'll like me?" Marron Church asked his best friend nervously. He was pacing back and forth, anxious about meeting his brother who the Misu sisters were bringing to meet him. He nervously fingered the key around his neck, his only link to a dead woman.

Gateau looked at his usually calm and collected friend and nearly laughed, "Sure, he'll like you. You're his otooto; of course he'll love you. Beside, you know after that meeting we had with Mrs. Misu and her girls how important it is to get your brother away from that sick fuck of a father." He rage grew as he recalled the meeting they had had with the Misu family four days ago.


* FLASHBACK *


"Mrs. Misu," Dota said smoothly into the phone, "You don't know me but I work for Stella Church as her personal assistant. She's very interested in meeting you and would like to know if you and your family are available for dinner tomorrow night?"

"Why, certainly, I wouldn't mind having dinner with Ms. Church after her generous donation to the Cancer Society," Cinnamon replied flattered and excited about attending dinner with the most influential woman in the Western world. Stella Church dined with kings and queen, met with dictators and presidents and she wanted to have dinner with them. She felt faint as they talked. She couldn't wait to tell all her friends.

"Very well then, we will see you at eight tomorrow," Dota said as she finished the call. "Okay, it's all set for tomorrow night."

"Do you think she knows anything," Marron asked quietly, staring out the window.

Stella's eyes softened as she looked at her son. She blessed the beautiful woman that she had met that fateful night, grateful to her for bringing her boy into the world. She was single and childless by choice. She never thought that she would enjoy having children around until her sister and brother-in-law died in a plane crash leaving behind two lonely little children clutching each other. She took them in and found that she enjoyed having the children around. Then came little Marron. So needy and sad after his mother Apricot had died, leaving him alone. He had lost his beloved niisan and now his mother was gone.

Nothing they could do would soothe his frantic cries for his niisan while his mother lay dying. Gateau tried holding him, but the little boy protested his hold crying "You not niisan." He only wanted his niisan. They finally found a cure for him, a stuffed rabbit in the mother's ragged bag. He clutched the rabbit to him fiercely, finally able to sleep.

After his mother passed away, he was even more lost, and dependent on the stuffed animal, rejecting them; dragging it around everywhere he went; talking to it; holding it; sleeping with it clutched in his arms. Her heart went out to the woebegone little boy. She fell in love with his beautiful golden eyes, and she was determined to keep him. After all, she had promised his mother to keep him away from his father, whoever he was, and to protect the little boy. She called her lawyers and they strong-armed the necessary adoption through. It may have been a little questionable, but perfectly legal. She made sure that she covered all her bases just in case the father did come back. She gathered her new family and left America.

Her happiest day was the day they all started calling her Mama; that was when she knew that they were a family.

This was the first time they had been back in fourteen years. She had had people investigating every aspect Apricot's life and it had taken them fourteen years to put together a very disturbing picture about the senior Glace, which she hadn't had the heart to tell Marron yet. Suspicion and innuendo wasn't enough, she needed proof and shped ped that the Misu woman could provide it.

"Don't dwell on it, honey. Whatever happens, we will get your brother away from Onion Glace," Mama said hugging her son tightly to her, glad that he hadn't stiffened up as usual. She smiled down into the normally emotionleses. es. If she was right, she would do whatever she had to do to get that boy away from his father. Even if I have to kill him myself, she thought coldly.

The Misu family arrived at the palatial mansion and was ushered into the living room. There Stella Church warmly greeted them as she introduced them to her family.

"And this is my son," she concluded gesturing to a boy looking out of the window. He turned to face them, his face in the shadow.

Cinnamon squinted, he looked familiar somehow. Her eyes widen and she screamed as he came further into view, "Apricot!"

"No, not her. Her son," was the quiet reply from the boy.

"How? Why?" she sputtered unable to take her eyes off the boy. His uncanny resemblance to his mother caused her to began crying as she walked towards him. She did not notice Gateau and Eclair protective stances to either side to him through the veil of her tears.

She touched his face gently and quickly pulled him into a hug. "You're alive, you're alive. Oh god forgive me, Apricot; I believed that fucking bastard! I believed that bastard! You were my best friend and I believed him," she screamed falling in on herself in despair, clutching her stomach in pain at how she had been tricked and betrayed into giving up.

"Mama," Tira and Chocolate cried out running to their grief-stricken mother.

Dropping to her knees and keening in pain, she rocked back in forth at Marron's feet, unaware of anything but her pain. Marron dropped swiftly down and drew her into his embrace, holding her as she screamed her pain, rocking her, soothing her as she cried convulsively into his chest.

"I looked for you. I swear I did, until he showed me the bodies. Oh god, oh god, he showed me the bodies." She moaned weakly into his soaked shirt. Marron's eyes closed, stunned, as he realized what she was saying.

"Shhhh, it's okay, everything alright. Please stop crying. You're going to make yourself sick.” Comfortingly, he rocked the sobbing woman.

"Go fetch Mille and tell him to bring a tranquilizer," Stella ordered in a whisper to Eclair as everyone watched, riveted to the scene.

"But I believed him," the woman moaned low in her throat.

"You had no choice," Marron whispered against her temple, before pressing gentle kiss there, still rubbing her tenderly. "What else were you supposed to do?" He felt her wild grief slowly easing. He pulled away gently and watched as she tilted her face up. Her eyes searched his face, seeing his mother in every line and plane. Her mouth worked convulsively as she gently traced his features. She smiled slowly, tearfully and pulled him into a fierce hug.

"I'm sorry that I’m behaving like a big baby," she laughed through a tear-clogged throat. "Where's your mother? I’m really mad at her for not coming to me when she left that bastard." Eagerly she scanned the room for her friend.

"I'm his mother," Stella stated quietly stepping forward. Marron braced the stiffening woman in his arms.

"I'm sorry, I mean his real mother," Cinnamon said not meaning any insult, wondering at the tense silence in the room.

"She is my real mother," Marron said behind her. His hands fasten firmly on her suddenly shaking shoulders a she realized her friend wasn't there. "Apricot died fourteen years ago.” She stiffened, breathed deeply, and tried to control herself.

"How did she die?" she asked quietly as her girls ran to her and hugged her to them. Her eyes were steady on Stella Church, who nodded approvingly.

"We almost ran her down when we were here about fourteen years ago. She had apparently been badly beaten and was suffering from exhaustion and lack of food," Mille said as he entered the room.

"She fell in front of the car and seemed very distraught, we put her and the child"—he nodded at Marron—"Into the car and drove home. She died within four days of various complications including internal bleeding…" His voice trailed off.

"She made me promise to hide him from his father, and at the end she tried to tell me someone or something named Mainski. Do you know what she meant by that?" Stella queried quietly.

Cinnamon turned and looked at Marron and smiled. "Before she left, she gave me this locked box and told me to hold on to it for her. She told me that it was to protect the children. So I did."

"Yeah, but if it's locked, how do we get it open?" Gateau demanded with obvious frustration, growing annoyed at the eerie smile on the woman's face.

She walked to Marron and gently lifted the necklace he wore and revealed a key. "Marron's key," she said softly, "Not Mainski."

"Good lord, I should have thought of that," Stella exclaimed looking at Marron and the key he always wore; that he had been wearing for fourteen years, each time replacing the old chain as it broke.

He frowned. "I remember Mama telling me, no matter what, to never take it off, and I've never did."


* * *

"Can we get the box now?" Chocolate asked excitedly.

"Wait a minute," Mille said slowly, "You said that she said that whatever was in the box would protect the children, implying that something or someone was hurting or would hurt the children. Meaning Marron and his brother.” He lifted an inquiring eyebrow.

"I've suspected that Carrot was being abused by his father, and I've questioned him endlessly on the subject, trying to get him to admit or even leave. But he won't or can't leave. It's as if Onion has some type of hold on him." Cinnamon paced back and forth angrily, suddenly noticing the uneasy looks the sisters were giving each other. Her eyes narrowed suddenly, they knew something.

Marron's eyes were glowing with fury at the thought of someone hurting his niisan.

"Mama, I...we—" Tira stopped and glanced at her sister for encouragement. "We don't just think he's physically abusing him, we know." She finished in a shamed whisper, shocking the room into horrified silence.

"We've been trying for years to get him to come live with us. That's why we both work two jobs and moved out just so he could come stay with us if he didn't want to stay with you. But he won't admit anything. He just laughs and jokes away everything. We even tried kidnapping once to get him examined by a doctor, but he came to in the doctor's office and ran out. He wouldn't talk to us for almost a month," Chocolate ended, tears pouring down her face as she hugged her equally distraught sister.

The room was stunned at the lengths the girls had gone through to get Carrot help.

"You could have been arrested and maybe sent to jail," Dota pointed out. They nodded miserably.

"But it would have been worth it if it got Carrot out of that house," Tira said fiercely.

"At least Carrot would be free," Chocolate added equal ferocity.

"My god," their mother breathed at the sacrifices her children were making to free their best friend.

"I'm going home and bringing that box back," she said, "This will end here and now. Tira, Chocolate, you stay here." Quickly she exited the room. They heard the front door open and close, and then the sound of a car starting.

Thirty minutes later she came running in huffing and puffing, lugging the box and placing it on the table.

Marron took off his necklace and tentatively fitted the key into the lock, smiling in relief when the lock clicked open. They opened the box and saw numerous dated tapes and a journal of some sort. Marron realized that these tapes very old. He would have been about three or four years old at the time.

On the top were two letters, one said Marron the other, Carrot.

He picked it up, opened it and read it out loud.

Marron,
If you are reading this letter, it means that I'm already
dead and wasn't successful in getting your brother away
from your father. If I had been successful , this box and it's
contents would have been destroyed and no mention would
have ever been made. You would’ve never find out what
kind of monster Onion is. Never ever trust him, my son,
no matter what promises or lies he tells you.

I managed to make copies of tapes he had hidden.
I don't think he suspects what I've done. But I
needed incontestable proof of his evil.

Look at the tape labeled My Tape. This is the
tape that I made secretly of his atrocities. I
didn't have the guts to watch. And if you have
the stomach for it, watch the rest of the tapes
he made. I'm sorry, but I'm weak and I just
couldn't.

After you watch the tape, do whatever you have
to do, but GET YOUR BROTHER! I can't stress
this enough. You'll see when you watch the
tapes.

I'm begging you son, get your brother.
I'm counting on you to finish my task.
I will always love you,
Your mother.

"I have a really bad feeling about this," Eclair whispered to her brother.

"Yeah oo,"oo," Gateau whispered back as they trailed into the family room with the box of tapes.

As instructed, Marron put “My Tape” in first and sat down. They watched as a six-year-old Carrot hesitantly entered the room with his head down.

They watched as Onion put down his paper and said quietly to the shivering little boy, "Well boy, what it's going to be? You or your brother."

Carrot head lifted up with a jerk as he screamed, "You no touch my otouto, no touch my otouto, no touch him!" before launching himself furiously at the adult. The man casually backhanded the small child.

Everyone winced in horror at the scene, unaware of the true magnitude of Onion's crime.

"Well boy? You or your brother?" Onion asked harshly as he grabbed the tiny boy by the shirt and ripped it off his body.

Their eyes widened in burgeoning horror as they watched Carrot remove his pants and bend his naked form over a chair. There was a concerted rush to the bathroom and garbage can. Sounds of people being sick and the recorded screams of Carrot resounded in the room.

"Turn it off. Turn it off," Eclair screamed from her position in the corner where she was violently ill. When no one could move fast enough to stop the videotape, she grabbed a heavy stone figure and threw it at the TV. The glass exploded, sending fitful sparks flying.

Blessed silence reigned as everyone tried to comprehend what he or she had seen.

"Oh, god, oh god," Cinnamon kept crying seeing the image still in her mind.

No one was safe from the horror they had just witnessed.

"He has to die," Marron said in a daze. "Mama, I have to kill him. You do understand, don't you?”

He went to the locked gun cabinet and, with a jerk, broke it open and took out a rifle and a handgun. Tira and Chocolate silently joined him. Their eyes were wide and dazed also, as they each picked up a gun and started searching for shells, growing more frustrated when their search proved futile. Drawers crashed onto the floor, spilling their contents, but no bullets were to be found. Then providence, or perhaps the cruel face of vengeance, seemed to smile upon them as their eyes lit upon a beautifully worked, and menacingly sharp, silver letter opener. There was a brief tussle before Marron won the battle and seized the normally harmless weapon. Tira and Chocolate whirled around and searched thought a nearby cabinet, and smiled viciously at the serrated hunting knives they found therein. All three headed fhe dhe door on a simple mission: find Onion, skin Onion, kill Onion, get Carrot, hurt everybody that hurt Carrot Ste Stella and Cinnamon came out of their mental petrifacation when they saw their children heading out the doors with knives and a countenances that screamed for blood, Onion’s blood. They ran and quickly stopped them.

"Get out of my way Mama," Marron said in a eerily calm manner. The letter opened gripped in one tense hand.

"Marron, stop andnk fnk for a minute. They'll take you away and you'll never get to see your brother," Stella said softly, hoping to reach the boy shaking with barely suppressed wrath. Cinnamon attempted to reason with her own offspring. Stella signaled Gateau to come up and restrain him.

Unadulterated fury burned through Marron’s body. He couldn’t suppress the horrified shaking that had started upon seeing that damned tape and knowing what his brother had been forced to live through all these. He needed blood: Onion's blood coating his hands. He needed to feel Onion screaming beneath him and writhing in pain as he plunged the knife into him over, and over and over again. Distantly he could hear Mama calling him, telling him that there was a better way to exact revenge. And he listened, snarling, because he wanted Onion to suffer, to suffer and know why.

After Cinnamon had finished they all had bloodthirsty smiles on their faces. Onion was going down.


END FLASHBACK


Carrot stood in his bathroom getting dressed. Relief fillim wim with the knowledge that his father wasn't going to be making any demands on him tonight since he had left for an unexpected business conference. He opened the door and stopped abruptly at the sight of his stepbrother laying across his bed.

He flushed in fury as he snarled, "What are you doing in my room. I thought I told you not to come in here again ever again. Now get out!"

Zaha gracefully got off the bed and paced towards the smaller boy in a way reminiscent of a stalking tiger. Eyes burning with unsettling heat, he backed Carrot against the wall. He leaned in with his lips a bare inch away and breathed, "What are you going to do about it, call daddy?" Without waiting, or allowing, for a response, he crushed the boy against him, delighting in the squirming body. Finally, Carrot manage bre break away. He shoved the surprised Zaha away and wiped his lips in disgust.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? I keep telling you that I don't want you. Just leave me alone," he cried backing away. The older boy advanced and then pounced. He rode the smaller boy down onto the bed.

"Don't do this to me," he begged before Zaha seized his lips and started humping against him. Tears trailed silently down his face as he struggled against the heavier form. His body shook with sobs as Zaha, with an arrested look upon his face, slowly sat up.

"I don't get you," he said coldly, flinching inwardly at the tears on the boy's face, "You've been fucking your father for years and you complain about me? At least I'm not your father…" He faltered to a stop at the sudden fury burning in the wide eyes. Carrot, growling inhumanely, attacked him. The ferocity of the attack forced him to defend himself as he grabbed the furious boy and restrained him.

"Don't touch me," Carrot shouted angrily. "Get out of here! Get out! Get out! Get out!"

"Okay, I'm going." Zaha raised his hands and slowly backed away from the enraged boy. He opened the door and, as he was stepping through, he sneered, "Daddy's little fuck-toy." The pale, haunted look on Carrot’s face drove a spike of nausea into his stomach.

He rested his forehead against the door, listening to muf muffled sobs from the boy. He wondered why he always tried to hurt him when he only wanted the boy's love and affection.

He was really starting to dislike his stepfather.


* * * *


Carrot laughed as Tira and Chocolate dragged him into their car. He had had a wonderful day, soaking up good times and memories to tide him over during the dark periods of his life. They couldn't ever know the truth. He could never tell them, for he knew he would lose them forever. No one would want to be associated with filth like him. Therefore, he kept his silence and played the jesting clown, hiding his pain.

He whistled as they coasted up a long driveway to a huge palatial mansion. His eyes bugged out at the impressive sight.

"Good god! Who the hell do you know living here?"

Tira and Chocolate giggled at the flabbergasted look on his face as Tira parked the car.
"Guess who we met a couple of days ago?" Chocolate said in a singsong voice.

"We met the Church family," Tira answered excitedly unable to wait for Carrot’s response.

"Hey, that was my news," Chocolate complained good-naturedly slapping at her sister.

Carrot laughed as he watch the sisters get into a silly slap fight in front of the house. Oh, he needed times like this, he thought, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. The sisters always acted so silly around him that he couldn't help but laugh.

They got out of the car and strode up the stairs.

"We met them a while ago and Ms. Church gave us a standing invitation to come over anytime. Besides there's someone we want you to meet. We think you'll like him," Chocolate said mysteriously.

"Oh, a mystery man," Carrot said smirking, "Which one of you is sweet on him?" He grinned wickedly as glanced between the two sputtering sisters.

"You idiot, neither one of us likes him like that," Tira said with a little moue. "Besides, I kinda got my eye on Gateau." She leaned over and said in a loud whisper, "I think that Chocolate has the hots for Dr. Feuille, though.” She shrieked with laughter, avoiding her sisters elbow jab. The door opened and she darted in followed closely by her yelling sister.

Carrot regarded the large blond man gazing at the laughing sisters rolling around on the floor. He was still chuckling as he looked at Carrot.

"C'mon in," he said, "I think you had better go break them up before they break something.” Carrot sidled past the large man, careful to avoid any contact with him. Not that he was worried, not with Tira and Chocolate there, but betterbe sbe safe than sorry. He knew this from experience.

"Hey girls, is this anyway to behave?" he chided them with his hands on his hips. "And you didn't even invite me to play with you. You know how I like that girl-on-girl action." He pouted, laughing as they shrieked and pulled him to the floor, embracing their beloved friend; giving him comfort and support that they knew he would need in the upcoming hour.

Gateau extended a hand to each of the girls and pulled them up laughinhen hen he reached down to pull Carrot up. Belatedly he heard the girls cry, "NO!" and saw Carrot scrambling away from the extended hand.

Tira keep her hand on Gateau arm, patting it comfortingly. He didn't understand. She watched in sympathy as Carrot flushed and scrambled to his feet with Chocolate's help, warily eyeing the bewildered Gateau.

Carrot instinctively tried to cover up the moment with a smile. "Sorry man, you just took me by surprise like that. Boy, you're awfully large. Say this is a nice home you got. You got some real beautiful things here." Nervous babble fell from his lips as he looked everywhere but at the silent blond in front of him. He heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing a beautiful, older woman coming towards him with a gracious smile. She was followed closely by a smalleond ond girl and a brunette with a cheerful smile gracing her face.

"Whoa mama, look at those hot chicks," Carrot whistled admiringly. The older woman merely smiled at the young man while the two younger ones rolled their eyes. If this is Marron's older brother, I don't think I’ll like him very much, they thought until they looked into his eyes and saw the nervousness flickering in the boy's big eyes.

Carrot almost kicked himself for acting the fool, but he was so nervous and that Gateau fellow had thrown him for a loop, acting hurt because he wouldn’t touch his hand. I didn't need help from him, he thought fiercely, I don't need nobody's help!

"Mr. Glace," Stella said warmly and swiftly corrected herself upon seeing the boy flinch at the name, "Carrot, welcome to our home." She added watched how the boy relaxed upon hearing his own name spoken.

"Chocolate and Tira said that they would be bringing you by soon. We are all quite eager to make your acquaintance," she continued gently to the seemingly fragile young man. It was all she could do to restrain herself from snatching the slender young man in the too-large clothes to her and hugging him. She vowed that he would never g leg leave this house. Not today, not tomorrow, never, she thought, fiercely protective.

"I see you've already met my nephew, Gateau. These lovely young ladies behind me are Eclair Mocha, my niece and Gateau’s younger sister.” She turned and gestured to the intimidating, silent blond girl before turning and indicating the cheerful brunette. "And this bubbly young woman is my personal assistant, Dota, who I don't know what I would do without." She regarded the young woman with a fond smile as a wild blush suffused Dota's face at the compliment.

"Why don't we go into the living room? I'd like you to meet the rest of my household," she added, still smiling. Silent insistence for Carrot to follow filled those congenial words. He obeyed with wondering bemusement.

Carrot was almost ready to wig out. The woman, this incredibly rich woman, was warmly smiling at him despite his ill-advised wolf whistle and tactlessness. He vowed then and there not to act so boorish again around her. She is a lady, he thought, through and through. Add to that the fact that she was introducing her family to him as if he mattered. But, thank god, she didn't know what a filthy creature he was or, he knewwoulwould never have been admitted to the house, much less her presence.

Everyone trailed uneasily after the chattering pair. Stella was trying to keep the boy distracted, and Carrot was simply trying, for once, to be charming to someone. They knew what was ahead and they were prepared for anything but the reaction that followed. Mille sat in one chair aimlessly chatting with Syrus, Dota's fiancé, about what he had no idea. He was tense and nervous about the upcoming reunion between the two brothers, as was Syrus.

Syrus had been summoned in order to gauge the best way to proceed and how Carrot would react. He gave his best advice, suggesting that the boy had probably blocked certain memories, and insisted on being present just in case things went wrong.

Marron was standing with his back to them when they entered, his niisan laughing and at his charming best and his Mama, willing to be charmed by the young man.

Carrot entered with Stella (“Why, call me Stella,” she had asked) attached to his arm. How she had managed to do that without setting off all sorts of internal alarms in him, he had no idea. He relished being able to touch some and not be consumed by terror. Even with Chocolate and Tira, he sometimes found difficult to touch them, afraid of what he didn't know…just afraid.

He noticed the three men in the room. Two of the men were achingly beautiful, but strangers. The third man looking out of the window, teased him with familiarity.

"This is my personal physician, Mille," Stella said warmly, gesturing to the flamboyantly dressed man. She felt the boy tense thercibrcibly relax himself. Her heart wept silently for the pain he had endured. "This is Syrus, Dota's fiancé. He's a psychiatrist," she continued, indicating the other man, who had gotten to his feet and was smiling at them. "But don't let his fancy degrees fool you.” She leaned over to Carrot and mock whispered to him, knowing the others could hear. "He's just as crazy as the rest of us.” She delighted in the chortle of amusement from the boy. That startled, honest laugh suffused his face with a light that his normal amusement never had.

"And finally, and certainly not least, is my son, Marron," she said. Carefully she watched how the boy stiffened at the name. She threw a worried and confused glance at Syrus, who was fully focused on the slender young man.

Carrot, feeling himself tense up at the name 'Marron', forced himself to relax. It's just a name, he savagely told himself, So stop freaking out. He turned his attention back to the longhaired boy. Damn, why would she let her son wear his hair so long. People probably think he's gay or something. Eh, it could be worse. Instead of being below his shoulders, it could be as down to his butt, he thought with an inward smirk.

"Nice to meet…” his voice committed suicide, ending abruptly with a gasp as the man, no the boy, turned around. It couldn't be! Not after all this time!

He paled and then everything and everyone else faded away as he began slowly walked forward. Nothing existed anymore except the golden-eyed boy before him.

Everyone tensed at the coming confrontation.

Slowly, Marron turned around at the sound of the greeting. Wondering how he would feel at meeting his niisan after fourteen years. The hot, protective fury rushing through him totally confused the hell out of him. All he wanted to do was to put his niisan's too slender body behind him and kill everything that threatened him. Everything deliquesced as he slowly began approaching the boy until they met in the center.

Carrot eyes traveled searchingly over the palely perfect face, the golden eyes searching his own, the nose, the lips. He reached out a trembling hand and gently traced the finely boned features, tears running unchecked down his face.

"It's you," he breathed, nearly delirious with joy. The others couldn't hear what he said, but whatever he said caused Marron to widened his eyes.

"Niisan," he couldn't help say. It had been almost fourteen years since he had last spoken that word to his beloved brother.

"Marron!" Carrot cried out and collapsed, unconscious.

The others exclaimed in surprise at the shocking reaction and rushed to Carrot's prone body. Syrus wasn't very surprised. He had reasoned that a number of responses could have occurred; passing out during a stressful situation was only one of them.

Quickly snapping out orders, Stella got Carrot upstairs to Marron's bedroom, it being the closest. Gently placing him on the bed, Gateau backed away, surprised at his own feelings of protectiveness towards the slender figure in Marron's bed. He had initially thought that he would hate the boy for taking HIS place in Marron's life. Even after they had found out about his father, he still possessed an irrational resentment towards the boy, but now all he felt was protective fury.

He wanted to smash his fist in Onion's face for hurting him.

He wasn't alone in that desire.

They all stood back from the bed, talking and arguing about the best way to wake him. Nobody wanted to listen to Syrus, "Excuse me?! EXCUSE ME?! HELLOOOO!? Who's the psychiatrist here," he asked indignantly. As they continued their bickering, the silent figure on the bed listened, feigning unconsciousness. A silent presence flew back down to the others, keeping a watchful eye on the outside world.

~"What should we do," one asked sibilantly in the shadow, muscles shifting restlessly , coiling in the darkness.~

"We do what we have always done: protect the boy," another hissed out, tongue forking uneasily out.~

~"Hey, I don't need protecting," Carrot growled, annoyed at the bossy, shadowy figures. "I've been protecting myself all this time."~

~"With our help you mean," another purred out, casually licking a paw, admiring the deadly claws.~

~"Had it not been for us, you would have died.," another growled out, stalking back and forth of powerful legs.~

~"Don't forget about Beast," another snorted out, hooves ringing on the hard floor.~

~"Okay, okay, I'll admit that if it hadn't been for you all, I'd have died or gone mad," he said and added with a shiver, "Better to die than to wake the Sleeper."~

As one, they froze in fear at the thought of seeing HIM awake. They gradually relaxed, safe in the knowledge that, for now, He still slept.

They had all appeared when Carrot was about ten years old. Onion had given him to two of his ‘friends’ for the weekend. He left little instruction for the demented duo. They could do what they wanted. His only stipulations being that only 15 thin cuts could be made on the boy and he couldn’t be fatally harmed. He hadn’t wanted them to kill him. He had been just paying off a favor to them.

He had left the shaking, terrified boy with them. When he had come back, Carrot was found hiding in a closet, knees drawn up, bloody and keening. Cautiously he had approached the boy and swiftly put him in his car and locked the doors. He had searched through the house until he found the men's hacked-up bodies strewn across one of the rooms. It had appeared, for all intents and purposes, as if some wild, demonic force had torn through the men, ripping and gutting their bodies in enraged frenzy. He had backed out slowly, making sure to cover his tracks by wiping his fingerprints and Carrot's from the place.

He had left and never looked back. He had never thought to ask the boy what he had seen. If he had he would have been shocked and terrified to his core.

HE had appeared, disturbing the demented duo in their play. He had swept through the house like a force of nature, a maelstrom of annihilation, destroying everything in his path, the men and the furniture. But, before he had been able to make his bid for freedom, the Guardians had appeared and he had escaped the only way he could: he disappeared within the boy, knowing they would not dare harm an innocent. The four Guardians had consulted with each other and split. Together, they created 12 smaller guardians to protect the boy. Then they had faded into the deeps of Carrot's mind to resume their guard duty of the Sleeper.

~"Okay, then what should we do," Carrot asked in exasperation, running his fingers through his hair.~

~You wake. We hide. Simple" said one of the shadows, cocking it's head to one side, twitching shadowy wings.~

~"As we always do, until you have need of us," another snarled, muscles flexing under thick fur.~

~"Since it appears that the child is okay, what do you intend to do no?" another asked.~

~"What I've always intended do, once I know that he's happy and safe," Carrot responded in puzzlement. They knew his plans and had discussed them many times.~

~"Why don't you wait and see what develops?"~

~"Why? You don't actually think someone would want a filthy creature like me around do you," Carrot demanded disparagingly.~

The shadowy figures exchanged glances. They had tried, over the years, to convince Carrot that he wasn't responsible for what his father had done to him. He maintained that, since he consented, he was responsible. This had been an ongoing argument for years, and didn’t appear to be any closer to a conclusion.

~"Give them a chance.”~

~"Fine! Don't wake the Sleeper," Carrot said ritually~

He climbed back to the surface, giving the sentry standing guard a nod of thanks before alerting the people standing in the room to the fact that he was awake.

Marron beat the others to the bed. He had only allowed himself to be a certain distance from his niisan. My niisan, he thought wonderingly. Everyone watched in amazement as a gentle smile curved Marron’s lips. Gently, reverently, he touched Carrot's cheek and smiled with unabashed warmth. Marron never showed his emotions!

Carrot opened his eyes to see a pair of golden ones staring down at him with obvious worry and delicate brows pulled down in a concerned frown. He reached up and smoothed his fingers gently over the frown, erasing it. The others were ready to drop to the floor. Seeing Marron easily accept the touch without pulling away was mind blowing.

Marron tilted his head and closed his eyes under the sway of the soft touch. Carrot laughed softly at the look hedonistic pleasure on Marron's face. The others watched the two brothers, slack-jawed. The Church household had never seen Marron react that way with ANYONE, not even his lovers. The Misu sisters never seen Carrot voluntarily reach out and touch anyone, much less another male.

Marron almost purred into the soft caress as he opened his eyes to see the amused glint in his niisan's. He smiled gently. Niisan, he thought, quiet satisfaction radiating from him.

"Are you okay," he asked quietly, not wanting to startle Carrot.

"Yeah, it just shocked me that, after all this time, we’ve finally found each other," Carrot answered, his smile lighting up his entire face. However, Marron saw the darkness in his eyes and wondered why.

"Well, I never intend to lose you again. You're stuck with me, and if you ever decide to leave, I'll be right behind you, following you," Marron said with a smile that lit up his golden eyes. You could get lost in them, Carrot thought dizzily.

"We've been looking for Marron's natural family for almost 12 years. But by the time we started, the trail had gone cold. Your mother covered her tracks only too well," Stella said quietly, not knowing if the boy heard her; he was so focused on Marron.

"Uh huh," Carrot said, not really giving her to much of his attention. He wanted, no NEEDED, to feel his brother against him, to know that he was real, that this was real and not one of his dreams that vanished upon waking.

Marron smiled. He found the focused look on his niisan's face amusing. Never had he had been the recipient of such unwavering attention from anyone, as if only the two of them existed in the world. It was, oddly enough, extremely flattering, he realized.

As Carrot slowly began to acknowledge the outside world, he became aware that Stella had said something, something important.

Pulling back from Marron with a reluctant sigh, he turned his attention to the woman and attempted to remember what she had said.

"I'm sorry, but could you repeat that," he asked politely, becoming distracted again when Marron slowly ran his fingers over the back of han hand before entangling the slender digits.

"Marron," Stella said in exasperation, "Will you please stop touching him so that he can listen to what I'm trying to tell him." She was secretly amused at the intensity between the two boys.

Slowly Marron drew back his hand and settled more comfortably on the bed and, feeling Carrot shift towards him, he lifted an arm and hugged the smaller boy against his side. The rigid tenseness subsided within his niisan's body from the comforting contact.

They turned their attention back to Stella while she waited with mock impatience. The others were stifling their snickers of amusement.

"If I have your attention…Good. Carrot I know that this a shock to you, but there are still things that you have to know for your own protection we believe. Your mother left you a letter, that I feel you should read. We'll wait outside the door so you can have some privacy." She gave him the letter with a reassurimilemile.

Marron looked at her coolly from his seated position and said, "I am not going anywhere Mama, if that letter says what I think it says." An unreadable look passed between them that made Carrot frown and burn with curiosity.

He reluctantly sat up from his position against Marron and watched as the others left the room. Tira and Chocolate gave him worried glances before exiting.

He studied the letter in sudden fear, wildly curious to know why his mother left him behind. An extreme desire to runaway from the somehow threatening letter assailed him.

Marron looked at him amusedly and said, "It's not going to bite you, you know." He moved further up on the bed, resting his back against the heaped pillows.

Carrot started. While still something in him sang with the joy of rediscovering his little brother, the envelope distracted him, picked away at his mind. He looked at Marron, reclining against the pillows and crawled up beside him. Once again Marron put an arm around his niisan's shoulders, hugging the slender form against him. We need to fatten you up, the younger boy thought as he felt the bones in those narrow shoulders.