Attack on Tira

Tira heard the familiar voice behind her and it set chills up his spine. "Tira." The voice said as it had many times. Usually it was just before saying, "Whip my brother back into shape" His eyes twinkling with amusement. Now the voice was intimidating and she knew it was meant for her destruction.

Tira twirled around to the voice and it was Marron. IT was the Marron that they had all grown to despise. It was a familiar face that was not familiar at all. This face was cold and heartless as any sorcerer she had ever seen. She tried not to let her fear show. Why did she try to come here? Could she possibly hurt Marron?

She had come into the forest in full battle mode, prepared for whatever approached her. "You have hurt one two many innocents, Marron. This has got to stop." She snapped her whip threateningly, but Marron held no fear in his eyes. He looked down at his right hand and from behind his back he pulled a whip.

He looked at the whip for a long moment, studying it as if Tira was no longer there. Then his black eyes met hers. "The whip-your weapon of choice. You use it well, and hurt so many-including my brother." He snapped it once and continued on. "You used it on Carrot ferociously for many years. Sometimes he deserved it. Other times he didn't. I often wondered how you could be so cruel to one you proclaimed to love. Perhaps you whipped him-punished him not because he was a pervert, but because you could not hold his attention."

"That is not true. You are not doing this to me, Marron. I refuse to let you disrupt my mind." Even as she said this, Tira's face filled with tears. She had been hard on Carrot while they were growing up-but she loved him! Marron knew this!

"He wanted so many girls and you could not handle it. You beat him over and over and over again…" He snapped the whip with each "over" repeated. "He was just being a man. He was being himself and he was whipped daily for it. How can you love him, Tira? How can you love him and do that to him?"

"You jerk! I've had enough!" She jumped up in the air and cracked her whip. Marron withdrew an ofuda and threw it at her, striking her and sending her to the ground.

"Now, Tira, for all the pain you have caused it is time you were punished." Imitating Tira's own movements, he attacked her with the whip. "It's time to take your medicine!" He cried out. Tira dodged out of the way and stood on her feet. Marron struck again.

"Marron!"

"Don't call me that, you knave. Call me your king!" Tira was so stunned at Marron's words that she hesitated before flipping and was struck in the leg with the whip. She fell hard to the ground and Marron laughed.

"Marron, how could you? I love Carrot as much as you do and you know it!" Tira heard her own words from Marron's mouth being thrown back at her. Those were things she had said to Carrot while beating him. Surely she couldn't have been that hard on him.

Tira stood up and this time when Marron struck, she struck as well, wrapping around his whip with her own and disarming him. Marron looked stunned for a moment and Tira knew she had the upper hand. She grabbed the second whip with her other hand. "Now try it." Tira growled.

Marron stood there glaring at Tira. Neither of them made a move. Finally Marron brought out an ofuda. "Until we meet again, Tira dear." He did his regular disappearing act and Tira dropped both whips. Holding her tear-streaked face in her hands he fell to her knees.

"Oh god, Carrot. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for ever hurting you." She sobbed loudly and her words were almost intelligible. "I swear I'll never whip you again. I swear it."