"Is it...?!" Tira's eyes widened.

"I...it looks like him..." Chocolat blinked several times.

"Scrawny build...bad hair...sword hanging off his hip...can't be anyone 
else." Gateau smiled slightly.

"Oh..." Marron held his hands to his chest.

Then a voice spoke, removing all doubt.

"What's up, guys?"

"It is!!" Tira squealed.

"Darling! You're alive!" Chocolat ran forward at full speed, only to be 
kept back by Tira.

"Careful! He could still be injured!" Tira cautioned. But her emotions 
caught up with her. "All the more reason to soothe his wounds!" she cried 
as she and Chocolat ran to Carrot.

"So, you're alive." Gateau smirked. "Don't ever do that to us again, you 
idiot!" he said.

"Ni...niisan..." Marron's smile was so wide he felt like his face was 
going to break in half. "Niisan!"

"Guys..." Carrot smiled as the four of them surrounded him. "Sorry I put 
ya through all that..."

"Let me guess. This is some sort of miracle of true love, isn't it? The 
bonds of our love are stronger than death itself, Darling! Is that it?!" 
Chocolat said.

"And our love, Carrot! You didn't forget about OUR undying bond, did 
you?!" Tira cried, so taken with emotion that she forgot to be shy. 
Carrot couldn't help smiling as both sisters glomped him.

"Actually, Big Mama was pissed off that Sacher killed me and made me come 
back...it's not my time. Won't be for at least 70 years," he said.

"Whatever the reason, it's good to have you back, Carrot," Gateau said.

"Niisan..." Marron shook his head, laughing slightly. "Welcome home, 
niisan."

"Aww...guys!" Carrot blushed deeply as they all hugged him at once. "Come 
on, one at a time! I DID just come back from the dead half an hour ago."

"Sorry." The others let go of him.

"Carrot, you have no idea how much we missed you! It was depressing!" 
Tira said.

"Yeah! I got so lonely I was calling Milphey an un-beautiful dolt!" 
Gateau joked. "No, not really."

"Every time I saw a pretty girl, I wanted to burst into tears because you 
weren't there asking her to have sex!" Chocolat cried.

"Father missed you," Marron said. Carrot blinked.

"...He DID?!"

"He really does love you, niisan...no matter how much you argue, he's 
still our father."

"Guys...I...I'm just so sorry I put you all through this...I kind of saw 
what was going on in Eden while I was...missing," Carrot sighed. "Big Mama 
showed me while she explained why I couldn't be dead..."

"Carrot..."

"Darling..."

"Hey, i-it wasn't THAT horrible, it's not like the world suddenly went to 
hell the second you stopped being alive!" Gateau said. "Just...OUR world."

Tira, Chocolat and Marron nodded rapidly in agreement.

"Well, I'm back now! Show me the babes!" Carrot laughed. This time, even 
Chocolat and Tira laughed with him.

When the laughing died down, Carrot looked over to Marron.

"Guys...can you leave us alone for a sec?" he said. "I'll talk to all of 
you alone later. Promise."

Chocolat, Tira, and Gateau nodded and took their leave.

When they were finally alone, Carrot walked over and took Marron's hands 
in his own.

"Marron..."

Marron couldn't speak. Tears of joy streamed down his cheeks as he threw 
his arms around his brother.

"Niisan...niisan..."

Carrot returned the embrace, burying his face against Marron's hair.

"Marron..."

"Niisan..."

"I...don't tell anyone this...but you were the one I missed more than 
anything..."

"Really?" Marron brushed away his tears and looked into Carrot's eyes.

"Yeah...I may not have much to base true love on, but...you've always been 
there for me, never gave up on me even when things got really bad. You're 
my best friend, Marron," Carrot said.

"Niisan..." Marron sniffled. "I...words can't express how much it hurt 
when you died, niisan...it was like a piece of my heart had been torn out. 
I had Gateau, Tira, Chocolat, Milphey, Eclair, father...they're all 
important to me, but you..." He sighed. "You could never be replaced to 
me, niisan," he choked, burying his face against Carrot's shoulder.

"Marron..." Carrot sighed. "My brother...my dear, sweet little brother..."

"Niisan...my niisan..."