"Good to see you today Kaito-Kun, how are you?"
"I'm doing good!" The small 7 year old grinned at the doctor as he sat down at the desk in the office, he had been coming to see the man almost every month for ages, he knew the routine.
"Good to hear, how are your dreams?" he asked getting straight to the point.
"They're not bad dreams…"
"But are you still there?"
"Yes..."
It was always taken the same way. The doctor would frown as if something was wrong with him. Why didn't he understand, their just dreams there was nothing wrong with him, "Are they always the same?"
"It's the same place, but we do different things."
"We?"
Kaito grinned, "Sir Didymus and I went playing with the Fireys, they don't try anything on me."
"And Sir Didymus is?"
"He's my knight, I knighted him when he protected a young horned…thing, from the fairies. I also told him to stop people crossing the bride of the bog of eternal stench!"
The doctor frowned, and Kaito didn't understand why, why was it he disliked his kingdom so much, maybe it's an adult thing? The teacher didn't like him telling the others about it…
He then just nodded and stood up. "Alright, why don't you wait outside for a bit while I talk to your mummy and daddy?"
Kaito nodded and bounced off his seat. He never understood why the man asked about his world, but he was so used to it he didn't question it. He ran outside and smiled up at his mum and dad, "He wants to see you again."
"Alright Kaito." His dad said stroking his head, his dad never seemed to want to come but his mum had caved into the teacher's insisting. They both walked in and Kaito sat on a soft chair grabbing some crayons.
He had been drawing before when he was waiting for the doctor to finish. So far he had done Sir Didymus, his young knight, the Fireys and the small brown horned creature he met last night. He'd have to ask him his name next time he saw him. He was just finishing a drawing of a person; he wore a black vest with a white ruffled undershirt, and his pants where grey with black boots. His hair was the same as Kaito's but he looked older. His eyes where different too; while Kaito's eyes were a pale blue tinted with the faintest purple this person's eyes were dark purple, almost black. There was a lighter colour there but Kaito didn't use it. He knew what colour it should be.
He was just adding glue to it, putting a small amount of glitter on it, when he noticed the door to the office was slightly open. He looked over to the desk and seeing the receptionist lady was talking happily on the phone. He knew she wouldn't be interested in anything else for some time so he slipped off his chair and snuck over to the door carefully leaning in to listen.
"…really a worry to be honest, most children may still keep fantasy in their mind but he doesn't think of anything else."
"I don't really see how it's a problem." Kaito's dad said, as out of Kaito's vision his mum nodded.
"Yes, well it wouldn't be if he wasn't so set on it being real, he may never let go of it. You need to teach him the different between fantasy and reality, that none of it exists."
Kaito's small eye widened and he slowly moved back from the door. It was real wasn't it? All his friends…all that time. It must be right? But…his dad wasn't disagreeing, and then there was that boy who was telling him it wasn't real in school, Kaito had thought he was jealous.
Quickly, hearing footsteps, Kaito hurried to the chair just in time for his mum to come out of the room smiling at him as he gathered his pictures together.
"Are you ready to go home, hun?"
"Y-yeah." Kaito said walking to them.
Toichi watched Kaito closely almost worried a moment, then he took Kaito's hand with a smile and led him home.
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That night when Kaito was sent to bed he took up the pictures and sat on his bed looking through them. His mind was racing as he went through them then he got down on his knees and hid them under his chest of drawers. He got up dusting the glitter off his hands then he jumped into bed. He reached over to the bedside light and with a click it sent the world into darkness and he settled into his quilt and closed his eyes.
"My King…"
Kaito's eyes opened and he looked around. The room was as he left it, his beautiful four-poster bed was in the centre of a stone room part of his castle. He sat up and looked at a small creature holding a fruit bowl. Kaito sat up and glanced in the mirror at his reflection, a person looked back at him, and he was at least 18 years old. His eyes were both dark purple and his around his eyes were patterned in a way that reminded him of a barn owl.
His reflection didn't bother him and he reached out taking a peach from the bowl, he was wearing a very loose white blouse. "Thank you Hoggle." He said taking a bite as the small dwarf creature put the bowl down.
Kaito chewed thoughtfully as he looked out the window. All his doubts were gone from his waking life and he knew exactly what was going on.
"I'm losing my grip Hoggle." He muttered frowning darkly. "When I'm awake, my mortal world half is doubting all this. If he unknowingly destroys it…" Hoggle shuddered.
"What will you do sir?"
Kaito frowned even more as he strode to the window. "There's nothing to keep him here, the labyrinth's losing to the world…fantasy is so hard to a child being told the truths of the world."
"But you know we're real sir?"
"Of course I know that much, it's just I may have to take dangerous measures to protect the labyrinth from being disbelieved, though not from myself."
Kaito sat down frowning into his hands, Hoggle staying close. He was one of Kaito's most trusted servants and Kaito didn't want him to get hurt in all this.
"…I'm going to have to lock off the labyrinth."
Hoggle physically jumped in shock, "C-Close the Labyrinth? But sir you said yourself that without human in you, you wouldn't be the peaceful King you are!"
"I know." Kaito said frowning, "But the only way for the labyrinth to survive 'reality' is for it to be sent into chaos. Chaos is the only thing to stop order taking over. For the duration of this I want you to stay outside the Labyrinth and live on the edges."
"A-Are you exiling me?"
Kaito looked at Hoggle kindly. "It's for your protection Hoggle, I don't want me to do anything to you I would regret when I've returned. I'm going to perform the spell anyway right now. I want you to tell everyone that I have gone mad, that I'm a different person now. You'll also all call me something different if you use my real name. Refer to me as Jareth and ONLY use my name in the biggest emergency."
Hoggle looked torn between duty and his conscience, and Kaito knew he wouldn't be able to do it without encouragement. He held up his hand and a crystal ball materialized in it, inside it wasn't clear like his usual ones but was a black swirling cloud.
"THAT'S AN ORDER, YOUR EXILED!" And with a feeling similar to a large pit digging itself down his chest he threw the ball to the ground and it exploded making Hoggle run away top speed. The mist spread everything it touched turning worn and unkempt. Quickly as the mist spread Kaito materialized a second orb in his hands, a clear flawless orb. He closed his eyes a moment feeling torn but this was the only way. He then opened them again and resigned to what he must do to protect them in the long run. Kaito focused all his energy at the ball. He could feel something leaving and as he did he was slowly growing faint until the ball held a white cloudy mist and he fell to the ground the crystal disappearing before it even fell.
The instant that the labyrinth Kaito closed his eyes the 7 year old Kaito shot up in his bed with a small yell as if he was hurt though he didn't feel anything. He frowned as he touched his chest that being the centre of the odd feeling but nothing was there. He frowned a bit more then lay back down, not realising that for the first time, he didn't remember his dream.
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After that day Kaito had changed. He stopped telling everyone about his 'dreams' and eventually stopped telling people things altogether. No matter what his dad tried to do to boost his confidence Kaito grew quiet and withdrawn, his confidence that was overflowing when he was younger was all but gone. His grades all kept up and he practiced magic with his dad but he was too quiet to go on stage with him. A year after his change his dad died in a horrible accident sending Kaito further into silence.
Worried that staying where they were might be what's making Kaito so silent and unable to stay in the house without her husband with her she gave it to Jii and moved Kaito to Beika. Toichi's old student was more than happy with her moving close by and she and her husband visited often. They also sometimes brought their son, eight year old Shinichi.
She had hoped that Kaito would have opened up to someone his age but it didn't seem to work. He sat on the couch quietly watching Shinichi who was happy enough left alone reading. Kaito attended the same school as Shinichi, but not much changed. Kaito practiced magic late at night in his room when he couldn't sleep and went to school focusing on doing well. Though he exceeded in gymnastics and running sports he never entered the tournaments offered to him.
He didn't seem to have many friends either to Chikage's knowledge. He mainly stuck with Shinichi him being the only person he knew at the time of him entering and due to that he knew Ran slightly but that was about it. He was 15 now and he was still just a quiet shy boy
Today, Kaito had gone to school after a small 'goodbye' to his mother and walked up alone. He never said it aloud but he always tried to go to school with Shinichi, he felt calmest when with Shinichi.
He wasn't in such luck today so he walked up the path alone. He was looking down so he didn't see the figures at the edge of the alley until they shoved his arm sending him onto his side, making him yelp with surprise as his side hit the pavement scuffing his blue blazer.
"Well, well, look who's on his own today!" A large figure loomed out of the alley casting his shadow over Kaito, behind him two others were leaning on the walls.
"M-Motou-san." Kaito muttered as he started to get up, Motou was a last year and a rather infamous bully, but no one he preyed on ever told up on him.
Motou smiled as he put a large foot on Kaito's back forcing him back down. "You know I'm short on money for tonight at the arcade…"
"I-I don't have anything on me."
"Search him Rokuro!" One of the others, a girl shouted. Motou obliged grabbing Kaito by the back of his collar dragging him up and plunging his hand into Kaito's pocket pulling a wallet out. Kaito's eyes widened.
"Ah no, you don't want to-"
"You going to stop me?" Motou asked cruelly dropping Kaito, "Now scram and no squealing."
Though part of Kaito wanted to stay and see what happened most of him feared for the retaliation and he got up grabbing his bag and ran as fast as he could down the road his heart pounding for what would come later.
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"Kaito your la…what happened to you?"
Kaito walked into the classroom later than usual. He didn't take time to clean himself up so the side of his uniform was still dirty, "Nothing Shinichi," Kaito lied. "A bike rider knocked me and I fell, he said sorry and all though."
Shinichi frowned but nodded slightly. "Alright, go get yourself cleaned up I'll tell the teacher."
Kaito nodded then taking his bag from his back placing it at his desk he turned to go
Shinichi's eyes widened when he saw a clear forced imprint of a shoe square on Kaito's back before he left.
Shinichi knew that Kaito wasn't on good terms with the older students but the thought that he had 'that' kind of trouble didn't sit well with him at all. He stood up and walked over to Ran who was talking to Sonoko.
"Ran! Kaito's not well so I'm going to check on him. Will you tell the teacher?
"Of course I will, is something up?"
"I'm sure it's not that bad." Shinichi said hoping it himself, "I just want to check on him."
"Alright, hurry back though?"
"Got it." Shinichi said waving behind him as he walked out.
Their class was the last one on the corridor. Around the corner were the changing rooms, the gym then the supply cupboard and after that the toilets. They were the closest ones so Shinichi turned around the corner walking calmly to them. He stopped though when he heard something, clearly a punch. He then broke out into a run and turned the corner taking the entire bizarre scene in in an instant.
The first thing he saw was the back of the unmistakable figure of Rokuro Motou only his short hair wasn't its usual black but was instead neon pink. Across from him the other side was his two flunkies and there was something on the floor. Shinichi's stomach tightened when he saw the 'something' on the floor roll over evidently winded, it was Kaito.
"Bet you thought it was funny?" Motou growled grabbing Kaito by his collar.
"N-no…I didn't mean for you to o-"
"Rigging a wallet with dye then going my way!" he ignored Kaito and threw him backwards so the other two grabbed either arm. "You should know not to play around with me!"
The next moment happened over a few seconds but it may as well have dragged over 10 minutes. Motou pulled his arm back as Shinichi ran from around the corner. The boy holding Kaito saw him and went to run to him dragging Kaito down slightly. Shinichi was half way there when Motou's ringed fist connected with its new target, almost square in Kaito's face. He girl yelled dropping him and bloodspots flew everywhere. Shinichi about saw red as he swung his leg at the boy running at him, his leg smashed him in the side sending him into the wall and he fell onto the supply cupboard door opening it inwards. Motou turned from Kaito his fist still dotted with flecks of blood and he ran at him. Quickly Shinichi kicked up a football that had rolled out of the cupboard and it hit Motou in the face knocking him down then bounced hitting the left over girl her falling too.
By now Shinichi could hear footsteps from a mixture of students and teachers but he ran right to Kaito rolling him over carefully, "Oi Ka-…"
Shinichi's stomach clenched. Kaito's left eye was closed tightly and there was blood coming from the closed lid slowly going down his pale skin. Even without medical knowledge he knew that was far from good.
Kaito flinched slightly his eyes almost opening, "Kaito don't!"
He stopped looking panicked but listening. "S-Shinichi?"
"…you have a cut above your eye, it's just to stop blood getting in…"
"Where am I?"
Shinichi frowned slightly, "We're in school, Kaito what's wrong?"
Kaito…
"O-oi Kaito wake up!"
Kaito!
"KAITO!"
"KAITO!"
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Kaito's eyes snapped open as he looked around. He was sat in a stone throne leaning on one arm his foot on another. His outfit felt tight on his body and in his hands he was holding a cane. He looked around at the room seeing it was a complete mess. No one was there but all over the room there were small sized helmets, spears, and other things.
After looking around confused he slowly got up walking to a broken mirror that decorated the wall. The shards were all over the floor and they cracked under his foot. He looked at his reflection in the parts still on then stared. His outfit was frankly bizarre but the first thing he saw was his eyes. While his right eye was his normal pale violet his left eye was a deep purple, it was starting to scare him.
"Your highness!"
Kaito jumped then spun around looking for who spoke, then he looked down and almost yelled when he saw a squat ugly looking creature before it. It was only to the height of his knees wearing a large helmet that doubled its height. It also had curled goat horns on the side of its squashed pig like head and was wearing an old looking set of leather armour with rags of red or patterned fabrics roughly tied to its belt that held a rusty looking sword. It bowed to him before it stood up so quickly its tall helmet almost sent it backwards from the balance throw.
"Y-Yes." Kaito said to the creature. If the stammer was unusual the thing didn't react to it.
"The exiled dwarf is here to see you, he told me to tell you 'Kaito' before you kick him out. Shall I throw him to the bog?"
"Wait!" 'Whatever it is it knows my name,' "Send him to me!"
Kaito blinked at the sudden authority in his voice just then but the goblin thing took it as normal nodding then scurrying off. Soon after another creature walked in, this one vaguely familiar, again it was short and squat only this one's head was far larger than the others. It was wearing something more like clothing in comparison to the other thing before with a few odd trinkets handing of its wrists and bag.
"…you are?"
The thing frowned slightly though it didn't seem angry. "Hoggle, you knew me years ago."
"I did?"
"Yes, I was one of your servants. You are Kaito, the Goblin King."
Kaito gazed at him. "N-No I'm Kaito Kuroba!"
"Yes and no." Hoggle said. "You're a human known as Kaito Kuroba in your waking life yes but when you slept your mind was free to pass between realms to here, the labyrinth."
Kaito looked around the room. "But I've never been here…"
"You have, you blocked it from your mind to stop the world becoming 'inexistent' while you were young. Now it's strong enough to hold itself up but that also broke the spell you put on yourself. But something went wrong; you put your consciousness in here."
He reached into a pouch at his side and pulled out a crystal ball with a small amount of greyish smoke.
"This 'was' what held your waking self from remembering here, but something you unleashed when you had no control corrupted it. Now both your selves will leak into each other again, that would explain your eyes."
Kaito looked like he was about to fall down. "B-but my eye was fine this mor-"
"It would have been but something would have happened in your world so it happened exactly as your body here was affected, both worlds run in line with each other. For example, if you were to injure yourself now by breaking your wrist now while your other self is asleep something could have happened to make that wrist broken too."
Kaito stared in the mirror a moment longer at his eye then looked back to Hoggle, "How do you know all this?"
"You told me." Hoggle replied walking up behind his king. "Long ago, you told me of the emergency measures that you would do as a last resort. You exiled me to the borders of the labyrinth so I wouldn't be harmed. And you also told me how to make you return if you were needed."
"Needed?" Kaito asked quickly spinning to him, "In what way?"
Hoggle sighed, "This is the thing I feared for. You told me there was a chance you would forget everything and I'd have to recite this…the land is in danger Sir. Something has been corrupting both us and you."
When you sealed yourself away from your Labyrinth self you allowed the human side of yourself to pull back making you not a tyrant…but you certainly did as you pleased more. It's been like that for perhaps 30 years, time moves differently when the world is disconnected from your life. About 27 years ago though starting in the far South of the beyond land, the unknown land, it started to change. A great shadow began to pour into the land. I was worried at first as I saw it coming from where I had started to live and I wondered if I should call you back but looking in the crystal you left I saw you were not ready so I waited. Over time it grew closer but the current you, who I referred to as Jareth didn't care."
Kaito blinked at the name. Jareth. It was what he used as usernames and character names in games or in an arcade. Could this be where it came to mind from? As he wondered Hoggle began to frown sadly to himself.
"But only a few months ago that changed. Creatures of shadows came out and entered the labyrinth bypassing the walls and corrupting the creatures inside. The Fireys, which who though a pain in the backside, who are normally playful in their own way became truly violent and Sir Didymus has gone missing." Kaito felt an unexplained pang of worry. "So I have been calling to you since then though you weren't ready. We won't survive without a leader."
"But…what can I do?" Kaito yelled throwing his arms up. "I'm just Kaito, I'm not some king!"
"Yes, you are sir. " Hoggle said though he looked scared. He then reached in his pocket and pulled something out, a plain, clear ball of crystal. "You told me to give this to you."
Kaito eyed the ball then seeing the fear in the creature's face slowly took it. As he touched the ball it grew warm in his hand and something fell from it, catching the light in the room and shining brightly as it fell to the ground. Kaito stared then held out his hand catching some running it between his fingers. Though it was glittering it felt like soft, fine sand.
"That's your power." Hoggle explained, "Acts of magic let it out. The land was once covered in it from your powers and that protected it but now it's fading."
"But…I don't know what to do-"
"Kaito"
Both Kaito and Hoggle jumped as a voice echoed around the room, a voice which Kaito knew instantly,
"Shinichi…"
"Someone is trying to wake you, you'll leave here soon." Hoggle said. "Your powers will awaken themselves soon, but they may control you at times and Jareth may take control."
"He'll what!" Kaito yelled indignantly. "You never said-"
"As long as you're strong enough to control yourself and have confidence you won't be in danger."
"Kaito please wake up"
Kaito paled. He wasn't brave. He wasn't self sure. He wasn't strong. He knew despite the dwarf's idea of him he wouldn't be as simple. But he could feel his boy slipping, like the stone floor beneath his feet was slipping away and he could hear two echoed voices yelling.
"Kaito"
"Try to remember us your highness"
"Please wake up,"
"We need you,"
"…you need me." a third silky voice said as Kaito finally blacked out.
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In Beika hospital, a doctor stood beside Chikage and Shinichi reciting his notes on a board. Chikage being the boy's mother was allowed in and as he had saved him from worse damage and as the head of police who he had called has requested it Shinichi was let in with her.
"He's actually very lucky." The doctor said glancing at the sleeping boy in the bed. His body was bruised and cut and over his left eye was a large patch. "The cut was near the bottom of his lid and we were able to clean it. And though his eye was hit his vision won't be affected. Though there's something strange." Chikage sat up slightly and the doctor hasted his explanation. "No, no as I said nothing that will affect him…it's just his eye seems to have changed colour. We can't see any way it's effected anything though so there's no reason to risk doing damage by trying to fix it…"
"I understand, thank you." Chikage bowed her head slightly along with Shinichi.
"Well, he should be awake soon. Once he is we can do a few last checks and you can take him home."
He then left leaving the two of them alone. Chikage sighed slightly in relief and sat back in her seat as Shinichi walked over to Kaito taking the seat beside him.
"Kaito…" Shinchi stared over his friend's face then chest, taking in the bruises and cuts over it. Why didn't Kaito tell him? Didn't he trust Shinichi? Or was he too scared, "Kaito please wake up." He wanted Kaito to tell him himself…
"…Shinichi?"
Shinichi and Chikage looked to Kaito quickly, his right eye was slowly opening and looking around unfocused. He must still think he was at school.
"I'm here." Shinichi said next to him, "So is your mum. You're in the hospital."
"Hospital? What happened?"
"They got your eye Kaito," Chikage said with a small shake in her voice. "They said you'll be fine it will just…look different."
For some reason Kaito's one visible eye widened at this information "…was right." He mumbled to himself but before Shinichi could ask what he meant a nurse walked in to the room.
"Ah Kuroba-kun you're awake, how are you?"
"I'm alright." he said slowly sitting.
"Then if you'd like to get up carefully and come through to the side room, you may both wait outside."
Shinichi helped Kaito to his feet and soot next to once he was sure he could stand went back to get his and Kaito's bags. He went over to the window picking up his own filled like new bag and Kaito's thinner more scruffy bag and went to leave until he saw something odd on the bed sheets. A small pile of what looked like glitter. He placed the bags down and kneeled down beside the bed and ran his fingers over it. it was odd, not like the glitter you would find in a craft store it was soft and seemed warm. As he was running it between his fingers however wondering if he had a small bag to put it in it seemed to dissolve and faded from his hand and when he looked to the bed it was gone.
"Shinichi-kun?"
Shinichi blinked hearing Chikage calling him and quickly grabbed the bags again hurrying, out, "Probably nothing important,"