Hey there, all! Okay, an explanation. There is J/S action in this fic, quite a bit of it, but there are also some fun created characters to spice things up. Yay for new characters! Actually, I was bored and had an idea. Hence, I write.
Don't you love it when that happens?
Chapter titles brought to you courtesy of Pam Tillis and her song 'Let That Pny Run.'
Disclaimer: Labyrinth characters are not mine. Big surprise, no?
Devil's Rain
By Lyra Matsuoka
PG-13 (just in case...mwa ha ha)
Chapter 1 : Reckless and Young
I would like to begin by saying very simply that this can in no way be construed as my fault. Yes, I realize that is a difficult thing to believe. Hell, I wouldn't believe me. But I must contend my innocence in this case. Official disclaimer inserted...moving on.
Now that I've officially disavowed all guilt, allow me to say that I still believe in Santa Claus. Yup, I'm that eighteen year old who still writes letters addressed to the North Pole. This is important. The reason? Because I believe in Santa Claus, I also believe in the Easter Bunny, unicorns, witches, sprites, trolls and various other types of mythological figures.
Including goblins.
Hence, the person who said the words was not me. I *believed* they would come and grab me. It was my sixteen-year-old brother who called the Goblin King.
You see? Not my fault.
I'm confusing you, aren't I? Well, for the sake of everyone's sanity (including mine) let's start at the beginning.
**************************************************************
I hated high school. Well, I didn't hate it, but I was so glad to break into adulthood that I choose a college as far away from my hometown as it was possible to get and still be in the continental United States. College was all I had wanted and expected it to be; parties, challenging academics and tons of new people. I joined a sorority, several clubs and the school newspaper.
I was in seventh heaven.
But I missed my family. I wanted to see them again, to hug them and sleep in my own bed. Never underestimate the power of family ties, people. And food, home cooked food was becoming a recurring fantasy of mine. I used to dream about cute guys and Disney characters. I was in need of some honest kick-back time. And so I arrived at home with a smile on my face and a spring in my step.
I shan't bore you with the details of the first few days Thanksgiving break goodness, but suffice it to say that after three days, I remembered why I had been glad to board my plane and run in the opposite direction. Two days after that, my family remembered why they were happy when I had.
My oldest brother and I have never gotten along, so that was interesting. He locked me out of the house, I locked him into the laundry room. He was very resourceful about that...he tried to climb up the laundry chute. It didn't work. But it was amusing. Especially from a third floor point of view. Needless to say, the end of break couldn't come fast enough for Zane.
My next two siblings were fairly wrapped up in their own lives. Ziven, my ten-year-old brother, was into the card game Magic at the time, and that was an incredibly time-consuming hobby. He spent most of his time at the card shop downtown, or holed up with his friends. Zelia, my twelve-year-old sister, had made the cheerleading squad, which meant that she was gone a great deal. I'm not sure what she was doing; I didn't really pay that much attention.
The twins were fairly ambivalent about the whole thing. I wasn't their size, so I wasn't terribly interesting. Zachary and Zena are five, so they preferred relatives who brought presents. Yup, all Z names. A clever theme, coming from people named Tobias and Jan.
My parents were thrilled to have me home, but got sick of insults and locked doors in a big hurry. I say, if you don't want fighting, don't have six children. All the fighting couldn't be pinned on Zane and me; Lia and Ziv had their share of knock-down-drag-out battles. Something about cheerleading briefs in a sink full of water and Magic cards being thrown around the house...
Due to the disharmony in their home, my folks planned a night on the town for the evening of my seventh day home. And they left...drum roll please...Zane in charge. This is a bad idea under any circumstances and an even worse idea when I am home to torment him. Evil? Who, me?
At six o'clock, my mother and father departed for greener pastures. At six fifteen, Lia went to a cheer practice and party and Ziv went over to the neighbors house for his sleep-over. Parents gone, Zane handling the munchkins...what was a girl to do? Grab the couch, the TV, the remote and Chunky Monkey ice cream, that's what. Alan Rickman Movie Marathon, starting with 'Prince of Thieves' and ending with 'Galaxy Quest.'
I was happy. But the twins were not. Children are very smart, and Zach and Zena knew exactly how far they could push Zane. They were not happy to have him playing babysitter. Hey, no one likes a dictator.
I ignored the screaming, the running, the slamming doors. I have had eighteen years of practice. I was not in charge. I even pretended not to notice when Zane was chasing Zena around the couch during the big battle scene.
"Warrior Princess, how about some assistance?"
"Not a chance, Zany-poo!" I trilled back in a sing-song voice, and turned up the volume. An excellent way to piss me off is to call me Warrior Princess. Just because I am six foot even does not mean I am an Amazon Queen. Okay, so it only annoys me when Zane does it. I never claimed that I wasn't perverse. I looked at my watch. 1..2..3..and on the count of four, Zane to came charging into the living room.
"Zora, you are home for a grand total of nine days. Could you possibly move yourself to assist in the day-to-day operations of this house?"
I pretended to think about it. Zach and Zena didn't really bother me, so I could...nah. I smiled and shook my head. Not after that crack about the Warrior Princess. And the incident yesterday where he had run about singing that old 'Zorro' theme song at the top of his lungs...
So Zane glared at me while I watched the movie. Finally he left. Two seconds later, Zach came running in and hid behind the armchair. This was all very amusing.
One thing to remember about large families: everything is handed down. Clothing, shoes, pets. Nothing goes to waste. But I draw the line at sharing my books. They are mine, and this is a well-established fact. There are certain things siblings do not touch, and my books rank in the top ten. I had, however, been forced to leave many of my books at home with the instruction that they not be touched, a sad exchange of literature for freedom. That said, they weren't; except for one. My copy of the play 'Labyrinth' had found its way into Zane's hands. He knew it was my favorite, hence he took it.
What I didn't know was that he had read it.
Zane came charging into the room after Zach and proceeded to chase him around the couch. This was all getting horribly repetitive and I was about to begin 'Dogma'. I did not want to watch said movie with a background of running feet. I looked at Zane and did a double take. I immediately opened my mouth to tell Zach to go to bed. Zane had reached his breaking point. I knew that look well. That look meant that the next water balloon, the next insult, was going to set him off. And Mount St. Helen has nothing on my sixteen-year-old brother when he gets pissed off.
"I wish the goblins would come and take you away!" he said, in a very scary voice. I believe the theory was to scare Zach into running for cover. A sound strategy. The difficulty lay in the simple fact that the audience was made up of a four-year-old who believes in the boogey man and his much older sister who believes in everything else.
Zach and I froze. Nothing was heard but the ticking of the clock. Zane knelt on the couch and leaned toward Zach.
"Right now," he finished in a deadly cold whisper.
I don't scare easily. It has a great deal to do with my 'knowledge is power' mantra. I watch horror movies and 20/20 without blinking an eye. But when my brother said those words, my heart stopped beating. My eyes widened and I slammed them shut seconds afterward and waited. I was fully convinced that the goblins were going to come grab my little brother.
Nothing. Nada. No flashing lights, no blackout, nothing. It was slightly anticlimactic. Zach's lip trembled and he began to cry. He climbed up onto the couch and threw himself at me. I closed my arms around him and rounded on Zane. I was upset that I had allowed Zane to scare me, angry that he had tried, and doubly angry because he had yelled at Zach.
"Very mature, Zane. Really, incredible self-restraint."
Zane ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I didn't mean it."
"And that matters...why? You said you wanted him gone, Zane. And you said so to his face. He's four years old, for God's sake."
Zane slumped onto the couch and buried his head in his hands. With an exasperated glance at his still form, I abandoned the couch and carried Zach upstairs. He was already calming down, and by the time we had reached his room, he was asleep. I tucked him in and stroked his hair for a while. I wondered briefly if he would remember this tomorrow, and decided that he probably wouldn't. When his breathing had evened out, I rose and moved to close the door.
That was when I noticed that Zena's bed was empty.
Thinking she had merely run off again, I searched upstairs for her. She was nowhere around.
When she wasn't upstairs I was annoyed.
When she wasn't downstairs I was worried.
"Zane, do you know where Zena is?"
"In her bed," came the tired reply.
"No, she's not," I sing-songed. Zane hates that. I do it all the time. Zane didn't reply, and I hadn't really expected him too. So I finished checking the main floor and headed down the steps to the rec room.
When she wasn't in the basement, I started to panic. I ran back upstairs, various thoughts forming and discarding in my mind.
"Where is she, Zane?" I demanded. "What did you say to Zena?"
"Nothing! I didn't say anything to her. Not after I put her to bed anyway."
"Was she sleeping?"
"Yeah. Then I came down here to get Zach, wished the goblins would take him away...god, Zora, you don't believe that do you? It's only a story."
"If you are so sure of that, then wish yourself away!"
Nothing. Taboo is not so easily erased, and if Zane had read the play, then there was a tiny whisper of doubt in the back of his mind. Ever heard the expression, don't tease the animals? It's a good thing to keep in mind. I didn't remember.
"I dare you!"
Silence filled the room. Neither of us spoke. There is nothing that my brother hates more than a dare. And he hates them because he feels compelled to take them on.
"I wish the goblins would come and take me away..."
I threw myself at him.
"Don't say it, you idiot!"
My momentum knocked us both onto the couch, and what followed was a pathetic caricature of a WWF special. A lot of tussling, a few headlocks, and a great many quiet threats, but mostly me rolling around and sitting on Zane; hey, it was a fight! And if you're going to fight, fight to win.
I had Zane pinned to the ground when my stomach clenched and I felt the room sway. Zane gripped the arm of the couch. It were as though the air were bending around us, attempting to force us out.
The French doors blew open suddenly. Lights flashed and went out all together. Zane stared in shock and I rolled off of him and rose to my knees. Shadows danced and seemed to giggle. I stood and took a few steps backward. Zane was still on the floor, though he had pushed himself into a sitting position.
It would have been sensible to try and close the doors. Neither of us moved. Zane was far too shocked to walk toward the door, and my suspicions kept me from moving. This was all so very familiar.
"Oh my..." Zane started.
"Goblin King," I breathed.
As soon as I said it, there he was. A swirl of black silk and glitter, and the genuine article stood before us. Spiky hair, leather gloves, the whole shebang. A character out of a storybook was standing in my kitchen, right in front of me. I couldn't think of a thing to say. Zane didn't suffer the same affliction.
"Where the hell?" he demanded. I gaped. No words forming here.
"It's the Goblin King, Zane." I spoke automatically, without any real sense of words.
"Who? Not the guy in your...man, this is rich. Who is this, Zora, one of your college friends?"
"No friend of mine," I muttered. Not in so many words anyway.
"Whatever. Look, I appreciate this little joke, and I hope everyone has had a good laugh at my expense. You can come out, Zena. Joke's over."
"I assure you, Zane, this is no joke. You wished your brother away."
"How did you..."
"But I..." Zane didn't finish, and I knew that he had read the play from cover to cover.
"What's said is said."
I shook my head quickly, looking down. This was not happening.
"Zora?" Suddenly Zane was beside me, clutching my arm. I looked at him and knew what he wanted. He wanted me to say this was all an elaborate prank, like the one's we had pulled in the past. I shook my head and saw his face fall. Zane understood and so did I.
"Where's my sister?" Zane growled, assuming hostility in the face of a force he did not understand.
"In the castle beyond the Goblin City," I supplied, not trying to be helpful. It was a simple fact. The Goblin King inclined his head slightly.
"All right. Whatever, fine. What do I have to do to get her back?" Zane said, stepping in front of me. I shoved him to the side. He was so *not* keeping me out of this.
"Zane, I've brought you a gift."
And there was the crystal. The contact juggling was amazing, but Zane was not impressed.
"I'd like my sister back...wait a second. I wished my *brother* away, not my sister. You can't take someone I haven't wished away."
"They shared a womb once, your brother and sister. They are nearly the same person. One is the same as the other," the crystal was gone and Jareth stood with crossed arms.
"If you want her back, then you must abide by the rules of the wish."
"That's not the line..." I murmured. Zane tensed. He had caught it to.
"You have thirteen hours to solve the Labyrinth, or your little sister becomes one of us forever."
Zane turned to look at me and I felt the air swirl.
//Hold on to him and do not let go!//
I did not question that there was a disembodied voice speaking to me. Stranger things have happened, and I was watching one of the stranger things right now. I reached out and grabbed Zane's wrist an instant before he vanished.
Of course that meant that I vanished as well.
***************************************************************
Wasn't that fun? This is what I call writing and posting on a whim. Party on!
Feel free to leave a comments, feedback, whatever strikes your fancy in the little box!
Peace, Love and All That Jazz,
Lyra
Don't you love it when that happens?
Chapter titles brought to you courtesy of Pam Tillis and her song 'Let That Pny Run.'
Disclaimer: Labyrinth characters are not mine. Big surprise, no?
Devil's Rain
By Lyra Matsuoka
PG-13 (just in case...mwa ha ha)
Chapter 1 : Reckless and Young
I would like to begin by saying very simply that this can in no way be construed as my fault. Yes, I realize that is a difficult thing to believe. Hell, I wouldn't believe me. But I must contend my innocence in this case. Official disclaimer inserted...moving on.
Now that I've officially disavowed all guilt, allow me to say that I still believe in Santa Claus. Yup, I'm that eighteen year old who still writes letters addressed to the North Pole. This is important. The reason? Because I believe in Santa Claus, I also believe in the Easter Bunny, unicorns, witches, sprites, trolls and various other types of mythological figures.
Including goblins.
Hence, the person who said the words was not me. I *believed* they would come and grab me. It was my sixteen-year-old brother who called the Goblin King.
You see? Not my fault.
I'm confusing you, aren't I? Well, for the sake of everyone's sanity (including mine) let's start at the beginning.
**************************************************************
I hated high school. Well, I didn't hate it, but I was so glad to break into adulthood that I choose a college as far away from my hometown as it was possible to get and still be in the continental United States. College was all I had wanted and expected it to be; parties, challenging academics and tons of new people. I joined a sorority, several clubs and the school newspaper.
I was in seventh heaven.
But I missed my family. I wanted to see them again, to hug them and sleep in my own bed. Never underestimate the power of family ties, people. And food, home cooked food was becoming a recurring fantasy of mine. I used to dream about cute guys and Disney characters. I was in need of some honest kick-back time. And so I arrived at home with a smile on my face and a spring in my step.
I shan't bore you with the details of the first few days Thanksgiving break goodness, but suffice it to say that after three days, I remembered why I had been glad to board my plane and run in the opposite direction. Two days after that, my family remembered why they were happy when I had.
My oldest brother and I have never gotten along, so that was interesting. He locked me out of the house, I locked him into the laundry room. He was very resourceful about that...he tried to climb up the laundry chute. It didn't work. But it was amusing. Especially from a third floor point of view. Needless to say, the end of break couldn't come fast enough for Zane.
My next two siblings were fairly wrapped up in their own lives. Ziven, my ten-year-old brother, was into the card game Magic at the time, and that was an incredibly time-consuming hobby. He spent most of his time at the card shop downtown, or holed up with his friends. Zelia, my twelve-year-old sister, had made the cheerleading squad, which meant that she was gone a great deal. I'm not sure what she was doing; I didn't really pay that much attention.
The twins were fairly ambivalent about the whole thing. I wasn't their size, so I wasn't terribly interesting. Zachary and Zena are five, so they preferred relatives who brought presents. Yup, all Z names. A clever theme, coming from people named Tobias and Jan.
My parents were thrilled to have me home, but got sick of insults and locked doors in a big hurry. I say, if you don't want fighting, don't have six children. All the fighting couldn't be pinned on Zane and me; Lia and Ziv had their share of knock-down-drag-out battles. Something about cheerleading briefs in a sink full of water and Magic cards being thrown around the house...
Due to the disharmony in their home, my folks planned a night on the town for the evening of my seventh day home. And they left...drum roll please...Zane in charge. This is a bad idea under any circumstances and an even worse idea when I am home to torment him. Evil? Who, me?
At six o'clock, my mother and father departed for greener pastures. At six fifteen, Lia went to a cheer practice and party and Ziv went over to the neighbors house for his sleep-over. Parents gone, Zane handling the munchkins...what was a girl to do? Grab the couch, the TV, the remote and Chunky Monkey ice cream, that's what. Alan Rickman Movie Marathon, starting with 'Prince of Thieves' and ending with 'Galaxy Quest.'
I was happy. But the twins were not. Children are very smart, and Zach and Zena knew exactly how far they could push Zane. They were not happy to have him playing babysitter. Hey, no one likes a dictator.
I ignored the screaming, the running, the slamming doors. I have had eighteen years of practice. I was not in charge. I even pretended not to notice when Zane was chasing Zena around the couch during the big battle scene.
"Warrior Princess, how about some assistance?"
"Not a chance, Zany-poo!" I trilled back in a sing-song voice, and turned up the volume. An excellent way to piss me off is to call me Warrior Princess. Just because I am six foot even does not mean I am an Amazon Queen. Okay, so it only annoys me when Zane does it. I never claimed that I wasn't perverse. I looked at my watch. 1..2..3..and on the count of four, Zane to came charging into the living room.
"Zora, you are home for a grand total of nine days. Could you possibly move yourself to assist in the day-to-day operations of this house?"
I pretended to think about it. Zach and Zena didn't really bother me, so I could...nah. I smiled and shook my head. Not after that crack about the Warrior Princess. And the incident yesterday where he had run about singing that old 'Zorro' theme song at the top of his lungs...
So Zane glared at me while I watched the movie. Finally he left. Two seconds later, Zach came running in and hid behind the armchair. This was all very amusing.
One thing to remember about large families: everything is handed down. Clothing, shoes, pets. Nothing goes to waste. But I draw the line at sharing my books. They are mine, and this is a well-established fact. There are certain things siblings do not touch, and my books rank in the top ten. I had, however, been forced to leave many of my books at home with the instruction that they not be touched, a sad exchange of literature for freedom. That said, they weren't; except for one. My copy of the play 'Labyrinth' had found its way into Zane's hands. He knew it was my favorite, hence he took it.
What I didn't know was that he had read it.
Zane came charging into the room after Zach and proceeded to chase him around the couch. This was all getting horribly repetitive and I was about to begin 'Dogma'. I did not want to watch said movie with a background of running feet. I looked at Zane and did a double take. I immediately opened my mouth to tell Zach to go to bed. Zane had reached his breaking point. I knew that look well. That look meant that the next water balloon, the next insult, was going to set him off. And Mount St. Helen has nothing on my sixteen-year-old brother when he gets pissed off.
"I wish the goblins would come and take you away!" he said, in a very scary voice. I believe the theory was to scare Zach into running for cover. A sound strategy. The difficulty lay in the simple fact that the audience was made up of a four-year-old who believes in the boogey man and his much older sister who believes in everything else.
Zach and I froze. Nothing was heard but the ticking of the clock. Zane knelt on the couch and leaned toward Zach.
"Right now," he finished in a deadly cold whisper.
I don't scare easily. It has a great deal to do with my 'knowledge is power' mantra. I watch horror movies and 20/20 without blinking an eye. But when my brother said those words, my heart stopped beating. My eyes widened and I slammed them shut seconds afterward and waited. I was fully convinced that the goblins were going to come grab my little brother.
Nothing. Nada. No flashing lights, no blackout, nothing. It was slightly anticlimactic. Zach's lip trembled and he began to cry. He climbed up onto the couch and threw himself at me. I closed my arms around him and rounded on Zane. I was upset that I had allowed Zane to scare me, angry that he had tried, and doubly angry because he had yelled at Zach.
"Very mature, Zane. Really, incredible self-restraint."
Zane ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I didn't mean it."
"And that matters...why? You said you wanted him gone, Zane. And you said so to his face. He's four years old, for God's sake."
Zane slumped onto the couch and buried his head in his hands. With an exasperated glance at his still form, I abandoned the couch and carried Zach upstairs. He was already calming down, and by the time we had reached his room, he was asleep. I tucked him in and stroked his hair for a while. I wondered briefly if he would remember this tomorrow, and decided that he probably wouldn't. When his breathing had evened out, I rose and moved to close the door.
That was when I noticed that Zena's bed was empty.
Thinking she had merely run off again, I searched upstairs for her. She was nowhere around.
When she wasn't upstairs I was annoyed.
When she wasn't downstairs I was worried.
"Zane, do you know where Zena is?"
"In her bed," came the tired reply.
"No, she's not," I sing-songed. Zane hates that. I do it all the time. Zane didn't reply, and I hadn't really expected him too. So I finished checking the main floor and headed down the steps to the rec room.
When she wasn't in the basement, I started to panic. I ran back upstairs, various thoughts forming and discarding in my mind.
"Where is she, Zane?" I demanded. "What did you say to Zena?"
"Nothing! I didn't say anything to her. Not after I put her to bed anyway."
"Was she sleeping?"
"Yeah. Then I came down here to get Zach, wished the goblins would take him away...god, Zora, you don't believe that do you? It's only a story."
"If you are so sure of that, then wish yourself away!"
Nothing. Taboo is not so easily erased, and if Zane had read the play, then there was a tiny whisper of doubt in the back of his mind. Ever heard the expression, don't tease the animals? It's a good thing to keep in mind. I didn't remember.
"I dare you!"
Silence filled the room. Neither of us spoke. There is nothing that my brother hates more than a dare. And he hates them because he feels compelled to take them on.
"I wish the goblins would come and take me away..."
I threw myself at him.
"Don't say it, you idiot!"
My momentum knocked us both onto the couch, and what followed was a pathetic caricature of a WWF special. A lot of tussling, a few headlocks, and a great many quiet threats, but mostly me rolling around and sitting on Zane; hey, it was a fight! And if you're going to fight, fight to win.
I had Zane pinned to the ground when my stomach clenched and I felt the room sway. Zane gripped the arm of the couch. It were as though the air were bending around us, attempting to force us out.
The French doors blew open suddenly. Lights flashed and went out all together. Zane stared in shock and I rolled off of him and rose to my knees. Shadows danced and seemed to giggle. I stood and took a few steps backward. Zane was still on the floor, though he had pushed himself into a sitting position.
It would have been sensible to try and close the doors. Neither of us moved. Zane was far too shocked to walk toward the door, and my suspicions kept me from moving. This was all so very familiar.
"Oh my..." Zane started.
"Goblin King," I breathed.
As soon as I said it, there he was. A swirl of black silk and glitter, and the genuine article stood before us. Spiky hair, leather gloves, the whole shebang. A character out of a storybook was standing in my kitchen, right in front of me. I couldn't think of a thing to say. Zane didn't suffer the same affliction.
"Where the hell?" he demanded. I gaped. No words forming here.
"It's the Goblin King, Zane." I spoke automatically, without any real sense of words.
"Who? Not the guy in your...man, this is rich. Who is this, Zora, one of your college friends?"
"No friend of mine," I muttered. Not in so many words anyway.
"Whatever. Look, I appreciate this little joke, and I hope everyone has had a good laugh at my expense. You can come out, Zena. Joke's over."
"I assure you, Zane, this is no joke. You wished your brother away."
"How did you..."
"But I..." Zane didn't finish, and I knew that he had read the play from cover to cover.
"What's said is said."
I shook my head quickly, looking down. This was not happening.
"Zora?" Suddenly Zane was beside me, clutching my arm. I looked at him and knew what he wanted. He wanted me to say this was all an elaborate prank, like the one's we had pulled in the past. I shook my head and saw his face fall. Zane understood and so did I.
"Where's my sister?" Zane growled, assuming hostility in the face of a force he did not understand.
"In the castle beyond the Goblin City," I supplied, not trying to be helpful. It was a simple fact. The Goblin King inclined his head slightly.
"All right. Whatever, fine. What do I have to do to get her back?" Zane said, stepping in front of me. I shoved him to the side. He was so *not* keeping me out of this.
"Zane, I've brought you a gift."
And there was the crystal. The contact juggling was amazing, but Zane was not impressed.
"I'd like my sister back...wait a second. I wished my *brother* away, not my sister. You can't take someone I haven't wished away."
"They shared a womb once, your brother and sister. They are nearly the same person. One is the same as the other," the crystal was gone and Jareth stood with crossed arms.
"If you want her back, then you must abide by the rules of the wish."
"That's not the line..." I murmured. Zane tensed. He had caught it to.
"You have thirteen hours to solve the Labyrinth, or your little sister becomes one of us forever."
Zane turned to look at me and I felt the air swirl.
//Hold on to him and do not let go!//
I did not question that there was a disembodied voice speaking to me. Stranger things have happened, and I was watching one of the stranger things right now. I reached out and grabbed Zane's wrist an instant before he vanished.
Of course that meant that I vanished as well.
***************************************************************
Wasn't that fun? This is what I call writing and posting on a whim. Party on!
Feel free to leave a comments, feedback, whatever strikes your fancy in the little box!
Peace, Love and All That Jazz,
Lyra