Chapter 5: Jareth's Story
Early the next morning, Genki and his friends tramped through the forest, pretty much
silently, hoping that Jareth didn't show up. Jareth, however, had other ideas.
After a good solid hour of walking, Genki and his friends reached the edge of the forest.
"It's good to be in the sun again," Suezo said, trying to be cheerful. The rest of the group
just nodded.
"Wait." Jareth strode up to the group, her face set in an unreadable expression.
"Didn't you beat Genki badly enough the first two times?" Hare growled. "We don't
want any more trouble."
"No. Nothing like that." She pulled the Mystery Disk from her bag. "You forgot this."
"I didn't win," Genki said dejectedly. "The disk isn't ours."
"But it is. Go ahead. Take it." She held out the disk. "You need it more than I do. It isn't
the Phoenix, but it may help you along in your quest." She shook her head slowly. "I
suggest that if you want it, take it now… before I change my mind."
"How do we know that we can trust you?" Tiger asked suspiciously.
"You don't." Jareth replied bluntly. "Trust isn't about knowing. Just take the disk. I'm
losing my patience."
Holly walked up nervously to Jareth and took the disk. Jareth said nothing but "There's a
shrine half a mile up the road." She turned to walk back into the forest.
"Why don't you come with us?" Genki called suddenly.
"…Come with you?" Jareth asked quizzically. "I couldn't."
"Jareth…" Zurath said sternly, slithering from the trees. "Why not? They can clearly use
your combat skills to an advantage."
"It… wouldn't work…" Jareth said sadly.
"Why not, chi?" Mocchi asked.
Jareth smiled sadly. "It's a long story…"
"We can listen," Genki said. "Just as long as it's not too long."
A grin cracked across Jareth's face. "I'm afraid it might be. What the hell. I'll tell you
anyway…
"I was always interested in Moo and the mystery surrounding him. Maybe it was that that
made me so susceptible to his control. You see, when Moo was unlocked, I knew it the
instant it happened. Call it a sort of sixth sense. I could tell where he was for some reason
and thus tracked him down with ease. My anger at my surroundings helped to spur me
on, as well. You see, my father was a normal human—as normal as a human can be,
anyway—but my mother was a pixie. I was the only one of my kind, and because of that
everyone around me hated me. Even my father. When I found Moo, he had not yet come
to power. I was sort of a sidekick to him… his second-in-command, even after he had
grown strong.
"Moo is the closest thing I've had to a family. He helped me to seek out those who
tormented me at one point in my life and destroy them. I was unknown to many, but
those who knew of me feared me as much as they did Moo himself.
"And so, it was like that for ages. Destroying towns, and killing their inhabitants…
turning the monsters into members of our own… that was my life. And the saddest part
is, I loved it. I was as devoted to my job as one could get.
"I was there when your hometown was destroyed, Holly. And I was the one who sent
Naga and his troops. I think that was really the reason that I quit my job. I finally saw the
suffering that your friends endured to protect you. You see, Moo and I both knew where
you were. We could have had you killed. That was when something inside me snapped. It
finally got through to me that what I was doing was… wrong. I never thought that I
would see someone so respectable turn against his own flesh and blood. It could have
been the reason that he didn't kill you… that somewhere deep inside him; he was still
your father.
"That night showed me that I was set apart from my colleagues. I was different from
them because I did not hate. Yet I remain tied to Moo. Even now, I know all that happens
to him. We are linked together… until I find a way to break the chains…"
"That's some story," Zurath said when Jareth finished. "I have to admit, I'm pretty
impressed. How do you feel?"
"Great," was Jareth's cold response. "Though you most likely won't be able to tell,
knowing how great I've been at projecting my emotions in the past."
"Yeah," Tiger snapped. "We could tell."
"Oh, shut up." Jareth glared.
"No fighting, chi!" Mocchi shouted, stepping between them. "We have to fight baddies,
not each other!"
A ghost of a smile touched Jareth's face for a second, then it disappeared. "All right. I'll
go with you kids. It seems you'll need all the help you can get, since you won't be
dissuaded. Even though it's impossible to win."
"Then I go too." Zurath pulled himself up, trying to make himself look taller, and
promptly fell over. "Oww… that hurt. But anyway, no matter where you guys go and
what you do, I'm with Jareth."
"And… don't talk about my past. It's strictly confidential information." Jareth glared
around at everyone. "Got it?"
"Got it." Everyone in the group nodded at Jareth, and they all began to walk again, their
spirits decidedly higher.
Early the next morning, Genki and his friends tramped through the forest, pretty much
silently, hoping that Jareth didn't show up. Jareth, however, had other ideas.
After a good solid hour of walking, Genki and his friends reached the edge of the forest.
"It's good to be in the sun again," Suezo said, trying to be cheerful. The rest of the group
just nodded.
"Wait." Jareth strode up to the group, her face set in an unreadable expression.
"Didn't you beat Genki badly enough the first two times?" Hare growled. "We don't
want any more trouble."
"No. Nothing like that." She pulled the Mystery Disk from her bag. "You forgot this."
"I didn't win," Genki said dejectedly. "The disk isn't ours."
"But it is. Go ahead. Take it." She held out the disk. "You need it more than I do. It isn't
the Phoenix, but it may help you along in your quest." She shook her head slowly. "I
suggest that if you want it, take it now… before I change my mind."
"How do we know that we can trust you?" Tiger asked suspiciously.
"You don't." Jareth replied bluntly. "Trust isn't about knowing. Just take the disk. I'm
losing my patience."
Holly walked up nervously to Jareth and took the disk. Jareth said nothing but "There's a
shrine half a mile up the road." She turned to walk back into the forest.
"Why don't you come with us?" Genki called suddenly.
"…Come with you?" Jareth asked quizzically. "I couldn't."
"Jareth…" Zurath said sternly, slithering from the trees. "Why not? They can clearly use
your combat skills to an advantage."
"It… wouldn't work…" Jareth said sadly.
"Why not, chi?" Mocchi asked.
Jareth smiled sadly. "It's a long story…"
"We can listen," Genki said. "Just as long as it's not too long."
A grin cracked across Jareth's face. "I'm afraid it might be. What the hell. I'll tell you
anyway…
"I was always interested in Moo and the mystery surrounding him. Maybe it was that that
made me so susceptible to his control. You see, when Moo was unlocked, I knew it the
instant it happened. Call it a sort of sixth sense. I could tell where he was for some reason
and thus tracked him down with ease. My anger at my surroundings helped to spur me
on, as well. You see, my father was a normal human—as normal as a human can be,
anyway—but my mother was a pixie. I was the only one of my kind, and because of that
everyone around me hated me. Even my father. When I found Moo, he had not yet come
to power. I was sort of a sidekick to him… his second-in-command, even after he had
grown strong.
"Moo is the closest thing I've had to a family. He helped me to seek out those who
tormented me at one point in my life and destroy them. I was unknown to many, but
those who knew of me feared me as much as they did Moo himself.
"And so, it was like that for ages. Destroying towns, and killing their inhabitants…
turning the monsters into members of our own… that was my life. And the saddest part
is, I loved it. I was as devoted to my job as one could get.
"I was there when your hometown was destroyed, Holly. And I was the one who sent
Naga and his troops. I think that was really the reason that I quit my job. I finally saw the
suffering that your friends endured to protect you. You see, Moo and I both knew where
you were. We could have had you killed. That was when something inside me snapped. It
finally got through to me that what I was doing was… wrong. I never thought that I
would see someone so respectable turn against his own flesh and blood. It could have
been the reason that he didn't kill you… that somewhere deep inside him; he was still
your father.
"That night showed me that I was set apart from my colleagues. I was different from
them because I did not hate. Yet I remain tied to Moo. Even now, I know all that happens
to him. We are linked together… until I find a way to break the chains…"
"That's some story," Zurath said when Jareth finished. "I have to admit, I'm pretty
impressed. How do you feel?"
"Great," was Jareth's cold response. "Though you most likely won't be able to tell,
knowing how great I've been at projecting my emotions in the past."
"Yeah," Tiger snapped. "We could tell."
"Oh, shut up." Jareth glared.
"No fighting, chi!" Mocchi shouted, stepping between them. "We have to fight baddies,
not each other!"
A ghost of a smile touched Jareth's face for a second, then it disappeared. "All right. I'll
go with you kids. It seems you'll need all the help you can get, since you won't be
dissuaded. Even though it's impossible to win."
"Then I go too." Zurath pulled himself up, trying to make himself look taller, and
promptly fell over. "Oww… that hurt. But anyway, no matter where you guys go and
what you do, I'm with Jareth."
"And… don't talk about my past. It's strictly confidential information." Jareth glared
around at everyone. "Got it?"
"Got it." Everyone in the group nodded at Jareth, and they all began to walk again, their
spirits decidedly higher.
