Sooo, I first published this story as one long, long oneshot. and I didn't get why there weren't as many reviews as I had hoped. Then it hit me, it was long, which is always good for a story, but crammed. who honestly wants to read a story in one sitting. it seriously hurts your eyes after a while (and I speak from a lot of experience). so I decided to break it up for you guys who don't want to have corrective laser eye surgery later in life. Now, those of you who have already read and reviewed, this is just the same story (for the most part, being the perfectionist I am I am always making changes to dialogue but nothing too major) split up into different chapters for easier viewing.
For those of you just reading this for the first time! this story contains major spoilers for both Ghost Hunt and the 1986 Jim Henson masterpiece Labyrinth. If you have no previous knowledge of either of these I urge you to watch either the Ghost Hunt series, Labyrinth, or Nostalgia Chick's Labyrinth review. or, just wikia the heck out of whatever you aren't familiar with.
Personally this story is (in my opinion which is ALWAYS right) the crown-jewel of all my completed works thus far. And it completely shatters my heart, self-confidence, and dreams of one day being a professional writer when I don't receive reviews for my work. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! Please!
Disclaimer: I'm only gonna say this once so pay attention. I take no ownership for either Ghost Hunt, Labyrinth, or anything else, including music lyrics, in this work of fiction. all rights go to their legal owners. That being said, I do take full credit for this story and being the first to crossover Labyrinth and Ghost Hunt. Do not copy this work without my permission because plagerism is against the law and not fair to me. that is all...
In an unconceivable miracle, there was silence. And this was a miracle for its place of occurrence was none other than the SPR building, on a spring day hotter than usual, with all of its employees nestled within its walls. The rabble usually the cause of shattered silence was sitting silently; apprehensively watching the darkly ominous storm clouds cover the city from the vista of the great window, every nerve in their body standing on end for some inexplicable reason. There were only three out of the entire group who were not like that; and two of them were in their offices, diligently ignoring the outside world in favor for getting ahead in paperwork. The last one, sixteen year old Mai Taniyama sat at her desk: completely and utterly absorbed in the pages of a small, red leather-bound book; the title of which was written in curvy flowing script and gilded over in gold, making it nearly illegible up close and completely illegible from a distance. Mai paid no attention to the world around her; only to whatever fabricated world had been inked on the parchment, with a small smile reminiscent to one someone who knew a special secret might have on their face as her eyes followed the row of script.
Previously, when asked about the aforementioned book Mai had given her characteristic cheerful -and somewhat impish- grin and merely said,
"This is my favorite book. I've had it ever since I was a little girl."
And indeed, though it was obviously well taken care of; the ivory pages had yellowed with age and the spine had numerous cracks running its length as though the contents of the book had -and probably were by all guesses- looked upon often. One of them, no one really cared who; asked what the story was about. Mai had surmised the plot for them as this; the tale was about a fifteen year old girl who selfishly wishes her half-brother away to the goblins one dark and stormy summer night, much as it was that afternoon in the real world, by saying her right words. However, the creatures she had thought of as nothing more than fantasy were real, and they had really granted her wish. And to top it all off; the girl is paid a visit by none other than the king of the goblins himself.
He tries to dissuade the girl by offering her a crystal which will grant her her dreams. Fear of punishment by the parents was the only thing to keep her from accepting it. And so the Goblin King offers her a chance to reclaim the baby. If she can reach the castle in the center of a huge maze within thirteen hours, then she and the babe would return home safely. However, should she fail; the babe would become a one of them forevermore.
And that was where Mai had ended her synopsis to them about it. They bade her go on; to tell them how the story ended, but she shook her head and told them she couldn't. Monk was the only one to ask why.
"Because," she had replied. "the story's not finished yet."
"You mean there's a sequel then?" Ayako had asked.
Mai shook her head. "No, no sequel."
"So there is an ending to the story." John concluded.
"Yes." Mai acquiesced.
"So why can't you tell us the ending?" Monk wanted to know.
"I already told you; the story's not finished yet." Mai replied.
"But you just said there was an ending!" The monk pointed an accusing finger in her direction.
"True." Mai agreed.
"So how can the story be unfinished if there's an ending to it?"
Mai blinked, and blinked again. She closed her eyes, let out a sigh, and let that secret smile languidly stretch across her face. When her eyes opened once more, there was that knowing gleam in their depth; as though she were privy to some sort of charming and well-kept secret they were all completely unaware of.
"Words and characters and stories are not static things." she explained. "They live and breathe and grow as time passes, much as real people do. And so just because a story might have an 'ending' or the words 'the end' tacked to the last written line does in no way mean that their story is completely finished." She answered cryptically, burying her nose in the pages once more.
And that was how they found themselves in their current situation; the members of SPR out in the common room all sitting in stunned silence with only the sound of Mai's pages turning echoing throughout the space. Masako glared at the brunette with disdain, why was she getting all the attention today? That wasn't fair at all.
Putting the sleeve of her surprisingly normal clothes to her mouth -a dark navy short-sleeved top with longer, looser white sleeves coming out from underneath paired with a pair of light-blue skinny jeans and a pair of white converses- Masako tossed her head and said,
"The way you're turning those pages it's like you were trying to commit the entire book to memory; word for word. Is something happening that's forcing you to get rid of it?"
Mai set her book down on its spine and looked up at the medium with some sort of rapt amusement. "No, I already know the story by heart. I just like looking over the pages, and I like the scent of old books."
Masako, as well as the rest of the silent group, looked at Mai in disbelief.
"You don't believe me?" she asked. "Fine, I guess I'll just have to prove it to you." She stood up from her chair and walked in front of the table; facing her coworkers directly. They vaguely registered the pitter patter outside; apparently it had started raining. What a coincidence; as the weather had changed outside Mai had changed character completely inside. Her eyes flashed with some dark, unnamable emotion. Her face was completely devoid of any thoughts and feelings, so unlike how she usually was, as she took a deep breath. And when she spoke, the resounding voice sounded breathy and completely unnatural coming from her.
"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the goblin city, to take back the child you have stolen." Mai was still a blank slate, an emotionless mask to say the least, as she slowly stalked towards them. "For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom as great…" there was a sense of climax in the air, as though the next line would deliver the final blow to the imaginary villain Mai was facing off against. They could almost sense his impending doom, and were eager to see it end when a cold voice rang out.
"Mai, I need tea!" Naru called.
And like that, the moment was gone, the trance was broken, and Mai the strong willed heroine of the story became Mai Taniyama; average girl and ghost hunting assistant extraordinaire. She shook her head, as if ridding her brain of any trace amounts of the heroine's personality; remembering that this was real life and not some fairy-tale story.
"Coming Naru!" she called back, walking to the small kitchenette to reheat the tea she'd made only a half-hour prior and then carrying it into her boss's lair; the door closing behind her.
Masako watched the exchange from behind green-tinted glasses. She stood up and strode over to the assistant's desk, fingers trailing over the spine of the well-worn book. The medium picked it up and flipped through the pages in the beginning until she came upon the "right words" Mai had told them about. She almost laughed aloud; they were simple, but apparently effective. So simple they were easily missed, which was why it had taken her a few minutes to find them. A few minutes in which Mai had not returned from the handsome teenager's office, Masako realized bitterly; that just wasn't fair.
She had just looked towards the gateway leading to said room when it swung open. Mai stood in the doorframe; eyes flashing with irritation, fists clenched by her sides and shaking, and her cheeks flushed as pink as they could get before turning red. Apparently she and Naru had started discussing something -more than likely his manners about when somebody does something for him and the importance of saying thank you and whatnot- and another one of their famous arguments, or sparring matches as the rest of them liked to refer to those as, had broken out. As per usual they had started out quite evenly, Mai had gotten the upper hand for a duration, the word war continued with neither raising their voices; though their irritation was clearly reflected in their word choice, and, if Mai's mood at the current moment was any indication at all; Naru had just won, again.
Eyes cast towards the ground Mai muttered profanities under her breath whilst she slammed the door shut and made to return to her desk to settle down in the pages of her childhood favorite. She stopped short after only a few steps upon seeing Masako's current position.
Mai may as well have been born a redhead in another life; she certainly had the famous, if not stereotypical, redheaded temper.
"What are you doing!?" she cried running over and grabbing hold of the book. "Masako let go!" she urged tugging at her end of the book and snatching it out of the teenage medium's hands.
Masako took a little step back, more than a little disgruntled about just how overprotective Mai was of that little book and still a tad jealous of her spending even a few minutes alone with the guy everyone knew they both liked. She glared at the brunette as she returned to her seat. Mai ignored her and hurriedly inspected it; checking to see if any harm had come to the book and worried that Masako had damaged it somehow. Content with her overview however she quickly turned her back to the group, intent on safely depositing the book in her bag where nothing else could touch it when she heard Masako mutter,
"I wish the goblins would take you away, right now."
From her halfway bent over position Mai lurched up, her back going ramrod straight where she stood; the book still clasped in her hands. Her face went white as a sheet, her eyes impossibly wide -even though no one could see- with fear, and her whole body started shaking all over.
"Masako," Mai ground out in a hushed whisper. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?"
Outside, the storm had fully and completely descended on the city. Lightening flashed, thunder crashed, and without any warning the office was plunged into darkness in a sudden power failure. The high voltage electricity outside flashed violently, illuminating the interior of the space. Lin and Naru came running out to make sure everyone else was okay. The lightening flashed again, this time showing the shadows of strange and slightly grotesque creatures dancing along the walls around them. Mai still had not moved. And then, there came an ear-piercing scream from over in her direction that was silenced as abruptly as it had begun. The lightening flashed, Mai was gone.
And then, there came a tapping at the great window. A bird, some sort of owl, was clawing at the glass, seeking shelter from the storm. The natural entity in question, however, was relentless and refused to be merciful to those unlucky enough to be caught outside while it rampaged through this part of civilization. A particularly large bout of thunder roared, effectively rattling the glass of the great window and shattering it into a million pieces of stardust. The owl flew in and around the room as the shadows continued to dance while deviously malicious cackling filled the air over the sound of the storm. And if any of the members of SPR had bothered to look, they would have seen both hands of the wall clock near the ceiling striking the topmost number; a thirteen which had not been there a few moments before.
Completing its circuit of one lap around the rather large room the owl flew out and was replaced by the shadow of something much larger and possibly more frightening; the shadows dancing around had all disappeared. All the sitting members of SPR stood up at the sight of what stood before them.
It was a man, but one completely unlike any any of them had ever seen before. He stood tall, regal, imposing with an authoritative and almost haughty air. A mop of platinum blond hair sat atop his head in the oddest hairstyle any of them had ever seen. It reminded the three adults in the room of some sort of crossover between grunge and the seventies. Wild and untamed, it was cut in sporadic, uncaring, layers; the strands greatly varying in length with the shortest ones sticking up defiantly against the pull of gravity, the medium ones falling somewhat softly yet not fully falling, and the longest ones trailing down past his shoulders. He had a cold, sharp-featured, angular face with definitive frown lines; obviously he wasn't one who was subjected to happiness very often. There were odd markings around his slanted eyes, making them look all the more exotic; and the oddest set of eyes to have ever come to light. The right iris was a glacial blue; it could probably freeze hell over if its owner had the mind to do so. And the left one being the same shade as the richest, most decadent piece of dark chocolate ever created; but both were a definite accent to whatever look he was trying to pull off. His cheekbones high, his lips thin, jaw strong, and his skin was a pale shade of peach, glimmering still somehow. And his imposing air seemed all the more enhanced by his choice of wardrobe; full-body, armored regalia as black as the depth of space itself with a curved collar cape of similar darkness settled over his broad shoulders.
He regarded the group before him passively; his head cocked lazily to the side, eyes filled with some odd mixture of bored amusement, and the barest hint of a smirk tugging at the corners and playing about his mouth. His left hand stood situated at his waist while the right was extended in proportion to himself in some sort of 'behold' gesture. A slight breeze was blowing, slightly agitating stray hairs, but he made no move to speak.
"Who are you?" Naru asked. The man didn't respond.
Thinking about it and what had just happened drew a parallel to something. Masako thought about it for a moment before it hit her. "You're him, aren't you?" she asked. "The Goblin King?"
The monarch gave a small cross between a smile and a smirk, obviously pleased at being recognized. "Very perceptive I see." He replied with a smooth, almost husky voice with a western accent they couldn't quite place, though the slightly mocking tone did not go unnoticed. "And here I thought the whole world, especially mortals your age would have forgotten about me and my kingdom by now."
"Actually, we didn't even know you existed until our friend told us about a story you were one of the main characters of." Monk offered as an explanation.
"Ah yes, the little wished away one." The Goblin King replied, as if in recognition. He looked back at the group now staring at him. "I suggest you all go back to what you were doing before. The baby is no longer a concern of yours."
"What happened to Mai? Where is she?" Ayako demanded. "Where did you take her?"
The Goblin King put his hands up in mock surrender. "I had nothing to do with her, disappearance. My goblins would be to blame for that one. It seems I can't leave them alone for even a moment…" he trailed off into thought. "At any rate that meant I had to come and see what damage they had done, but I see nothing broken or decimated. Luckily for you they only took the girl."
"But Mai wasn't wished away." Ayako protested.
"This may come as a surprise to you but in all actuality; yes she was." the King objected. "It is the only way a mortal can gain access to the Goblin Kingdom. In short, if she weren't wished away she wouldn't be with my bumbling subjects now."
"Is that why you're here?" John asked. "To tell us this?"
The Goblin King nodded his assent. "Partly, that and; I had another obligation." He looked at Masako. "I've brought you; a gift."
With a flick of the wrist and a swirl of smoke there lay a clear glass orb in the palm of his leather-clad hand.
Masako's eyes flickered from the gift to the king warily. "What is it?" she asked, proud her voice stayed steady.
"It's a crystal," he replied starting to juggle and toss it from one hand to the other and letting it roll over his forearms and back. "nothing more. But if you turn it this way and look into it, it'll show you your dreams." He stopped and held it in the hand he conjured it. "But this is not," here he shook his head slightly for emphasis. "a gift for an ordinary girl who constantly bickers with a screaming baby." The king held the crystal out to her. "Do you want it?"
"Why are you offering it to her?" Ayako demanded.
"It is customary to offer something in exchange for receiving something isn't it?" the Goblin King asked. "She's the one who wished the babe away; therefore, she's the one who has the offer of her dreams in exchange."
"She did what!?" the monk and the miko exclaimed. They, along with Lin surprisingly enough, looked about ready to kill the young medium. Luckily for Masako though, the mythical yet in all actuality real being in the room generously decided to intervene on her behalf.
"Silence." He ordered, and with a wave of his free hand; the three oldest adults collapsed where they stood, deep in an enchanted sleep. The Goblin King turned back to Masako. "Do you want it?" he repeated. "Then forget about the baby."
Masako stood still, violet gaze mesmerized by the value of the gift that was being offered to her. All her dreams -including dating the handsome Naru- whenever she wanted; in exchange for Mai. It hardly seemed a fair exchange for the Goblin King in Masako's opinion but who was she to look a gift horse in the mouth?
"Wait a minute; in the story, the wished away child was related to the girl. Mai and Ms. Hara aren't related at all." John pointed out.
"True," the Goblin King agreed. "but, what's said is said. And now since she is in my castle I am duty-bound to honor the wish." He replied.
"I thought you could only take children." Naru added.
"You were paying attention?" John asked him.
"It's kind of hard not to overhear things when it seems that your speaking voices are synoptic with yelling voices to some people." Was Naru's stoic reply.
"Back to the matter at hand." The Goblin King interrupted. "Is the wished away in question considered an adult by your world's laws?" he asked. They didn't respond, and he took it as a 'no'. "I thought so. There is that factor coinciding with her childish heart. She truly believes in my people; and so she is able to interact directly with them. Those factors allowed her to be taken, and my world has a much different set of rules than your world."
Masako, on the other hand, was still somewhat greedily eyeing the crystal. Her lips parted to say the fateful yes when she felt two things piercing the back of her head.
She turned to see the only other people she knew still conscious staring at her. John with a worried and pleading expression across his face; and Naru with his stoic mask, though she could see the disapproval in his eyes. She felt a little guilty.
"Why aren't you telling me what I should say?" she asked them, slightly confused as to why they were remaining silent.
"It's not our decision." Naru replied curtly.
John nodded in agreement. "Kazuya's right Ms. Hara. We could tell you what decision to make, but one of the greatest gifts God gave us was free will. If you truly care about Mai you'll wish her back, if you don't you'll take the offer. But the decision has to be completely yours in the end. Not mine, not Kazuya's; yours."
Masako cast her eyes to the ground in thought, and it was then her mind conveniently decided to remind her of one other thing Mai had told them about the story; if the offer was taken or the challenge failed, the wished away child would become a goblin for all eternity. She was without doubt that if the situation were reversed Mai would not hesitate giving up her dreams to save her rival. It now also occurred to Masako that Mai had panicked just after the wish had been made, had asked Masako if she'd any idea of what had just been done; two things Masako knew someone would not do if they'd not already known that the words on the paper were just that: words. That the story was indeed terribly real and not just a work of fiction to entertain young children. Mai had known the power that lay in those words. Had had the means to dispose of her rival anytime she wished; knowing full well that they would work without fail, but she had never used them, never said them aloud. Masako's decision had been made.
She sighed resignedly. "I'd love to take the offer of my dreams, really I would." She said slowly, vaguely aware of the shock of the two men behind her. The Goblin King smirked haughtily and victoriously, and held out the crystal for her to take, but Masako held up her hand. "But as much as my dreams mean to me, my friends mean more. I can't take them at the expense of another; I want Mai back."
A look of slight dismay flashed across the Goblin King's features from behind his mask of haughty indifference as he drew his hand back slightly.
"I see." He said tightly. "Such a pity…" he shook his head as, in front of their very eyes, the crystal transformed into a red and black snake. He passed one end of the snake to his free hand concentrating on it, and glanced up at the teenager before throwing the reptile around her neck with no warning whatsoever.
Masako flinched and grabbed at the creature only to find is had become a rope of magician's scarves. She looked at the man, well male being, in front of her in disbelief; he completely disregarded all three of them as he walked past them to the entrance/exit of the office building. The trio looked at where he had just been to see the great window completely repaired; the storming outside now muted to nothing louder than a dull echo to their ears.
"Very well," the monarch brought their attention back to him. "If you wish to have the baby back you must be willing to prove you will do whatever it takes. You must retrieve her yourselves." He told them.
"But how could we possibly do that?" Masako asked. "You said Mai was in your throne room. And unless I missed something in both her and your explanation earlier; that is in your castle, in your world. How would we even get there?"
The Goblin King motioned for them to come forward; to the door he was now standing beside. It swung open and the trio was ushered through the threshold. Where they were now, they belatedly realized, was not the balcony and stairwell of the office complex; instead it was a field of long, long-dead yellow grass atop a windswept hill with a blackened, gnarled, leafless tree overlooking a vast, sprawling landscape.
There, in the hollow below, lay a gigantic maze which stretched out into the horizon as far as the eye could see. Nestled in what they guessed was the very center was a mass of slightly crumbling towers and turrets; the castle within the Goblin City, they presumed.
"Where are we? Why are we here?" John asked.
The Goblin King appeared directly behind them. "You are here in my realm; a world full of magic both good, and not so good. It is the realm of the Goblins, otherwise known as the Underground, and you are here to try and reclaim the babe. To do that, you must reach the castle beyond the Goblin City." He pointed to the mass of towers. "Masako, turn back now; forget the babe and leave while you can."
Masako looked to the king and back to the maze. "It doesn't seem that far." She said, faking bravado.
"It is farther than you think; and time is short." They looked to see an ornate cuckoo clock which seemed to have grown out of the branch of the dead tree the monarch was standing next to. It had thirteen numbers instead of the accepted twelve on its face. He continued, striding towards them a little. "You have thirteen hours in which to complete the Labyrinth. Or else…"
"Or else what?" John asked hesitantly.
The Goblin King's lips twitched a little, they could tell he was suppressing a smirk. "An extended stay in my kingdom."
"How long?" Naru raised a brow.
This time, the lord of the Underground really did smirk. "Oh, not very long." He soothed.
"How, Long?" Naru repeated, grinding the words though his teeth.
The Goblin King's smirk didn't cease. "It's only forever, not long at all." He replied. "Turn back now, while it's not too late." He advised.
"No, we need to get Mai back." Masako rebutted.
The Goblin King shook his head sadly, almost pityingly. "Such a pity." He said fading from view. "Such a pity." The wind echoed his voice.
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