Tiger's Eye-
He'd watched it all from the side, hidden in the brush and behind a large tree. How could he even think to face Ringmaster after what he'd done to her? Stupid. Just stupid. 'But I'm sorry. I wouldn't have done it if I'd recognized you.' Sarah was listening to Hawk's Eye's retelling of the terrible day and listening made Tiger's Eye remember, also. He remembered the screams and Fish Eye shaking violently with tears streaming down his face. The panic of the Remless' and how Queen Serenity had so formally offered condolences along with her own army to help search for the murder. It didn't matter. They all knew who the killer was.
Tiger's Eye had seen Hoggle crouching over Ringmaster's bloody body before he vanished with a cackle. Of course it was Hoggle and now, not only was Jareth protecting the evil dwarf from Hawk's Eye's vengeance, but Ringmaster said he was her friend. She spoke up for him and looked at him kindly just for the piddly little bruise Hawk's Eye had given him. The wrenched little creature could have had his throat ripped apart, which was what Hawk's Eye should have done.
Tiger's Eye turned around and sat with his back against the tree, facing away from the large gathering of people. He'd rather look at the forest, anyway. It wasn't often that he had the leisure to just enjoy nature like this. The breeze was cool and the sun was warm on his face. He could smell the birds just a few yards away and, for just a moment, Tiger's Eye wanted to forget everything that was going on around them. He wanted to just sit there and let his senses overwhelm everything else so he closed his eyes and tried not to think that Hawk's Eye and Fish Eye would scold him.
'Doesn't matter. She hates me. I attacked her. If she hates me, then what matters?' Tiger's Eye was, like his siblings, too aware of his own life. He knew he owed everything to Ringmaster and now he'd gone and attacked her. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't afraid. If she rejected him, what would happen? Would he die or just cease to be? Would he turn back into the animal he'd been made from? 'It's not fair! I wouldn't have done it if I'd known who she was!'
Tiger's Eye had just closed his eyes for a only a moment when it happened.
He smelled them in the split second before he opened his eyes. The scents of cinnamon and mint, of ash and salt. The sound soft giggles. Tiger's Eye felt a rush of warmth from behind him and then opened his eyes to see Zirconia's four girls rushing away from the shrine, the one in red holding that little boy under one arm. Tiger's Eye felt his stomach clench. What was his name? Toby? Ringmaster was fond of the little boy, she's asked for him when they'd rescued her. He'd seen Ringmaster holding him in her arms and knew how protective she was of him.
Tiger's Eye leapt to his feet, whirled around, and saw everyone panicking. Several of them had their hands over their eyes and Ringmaster was waving her arms around, calling out, "Toby! Toby!" Jareth looked furious, though he seemed to be having trouble clearing his vision, also. They all were. Hawk's Eye was on both knees, rubbing furiously at his face. He must have been in terrible pain, his eyes were so sensitive. Even Labyrinth's creatures were blinded and Tiger's Eye realized that the warmth he'd felt must have been some kind of tremendous flash of light. What else could it have been?
'I can't just stand here!' Yet, he did. Tiger's Eye felt frozen for a moment. If the Amazon Quartet was here, it must mean that Zirconia knew they were gone and now knew where they were. They were loyal to him, though Tiger's Eye had heard them being openly disrespectful to him. Zirconia had made them take Toby…why? Wouldn't they have captured Ringmaster, if or killed her? Why hadn't they just attacked? They knew their power was great enough to do a massisve amount of damage. 'No time! Ringmaster wants the little boy, so I'll get him back. Maybe she'll forgive me.' Tiger's Eye took off after the Amazon Quartet, but not before he tore off one of his razor blade earrings and dropped it on the ground.
Hawk's Eye was smart, he'd figure it out.
JunJun-
They dashed through the forest and, when the forest became too thick, they went up into the canopy of the trees. They leapt from branch to branch with ease and grace. It was a lovely scene spoiled only by the fact that the little boy would keep screaming and Vesves couldn't seem to shut him up no matter how hard she tried.
Eventually, they left the forest and went quickly through the city until they reached the Dead Moon Circus. It still amazed her that, apparently, none of the Earthlings had noticed the Circus until it had been there for several weeks. Humans never seemed to notice anything unless it was thrown right in their face.
"Can we hurry it up?" Vesves grumbled, still trying to keep a hold of her squirming bundle. "He never stops moving and he's giving me a headache!"
All at once, Vesves and the little boy were engulfed with bubbles. One of the senshi used a bubble defense, as a sort of disorientation strategy, but this wasn't her. The bubbles were too concentrated and too uniform for them to be from that blue haired senshi. Just when the other three stopped the bubbles all vanished and Vesves stood there looking puzzled, but unhurt.
"What the blazes was that?"
Pallapalla blinked. "I think he must have done it." She pointed to the angry little boy. "None of us did it and everyone else was back at that temple, or whatever it was." She patted the boy's head. "Still, he's not really human, is he? He seems different."
"Let me go!" The boy screamed at the top of his lungs. The sound made them all cover their ears, all but Vesves who would have dropped the boy. "I hate you, let me go! I want sissy! I wanna go home!"
"Oh, quiet!" Vesves shook him slightly. "We haven't hurt you, yet. What's all the fuss about? Just pretend it's an adventure."
"I don't want an adventure, I wanna go home!" He glared at Vesves with teary eyes and spat, "Jareth's gonna make you sorry! He'll…he'll…" He started to splutter as he was apparently trying to think of the worst possible punishment. "Jareth'll dip you straight into the Bog of Eternal Stench!"
"Ohhh," Pallapalla laughed. "Sounds scary."
Vesves scoffed. "Oh, look at me quiver."
"You've never smelled it. You'll wish you'd died. Then he'll squash you like bugs and he'll turn you into meat pies and let the fairies eat you!" All the while, he beat on Vesves's arm with his little fists. Very suddenly, the boy stiffened and then went limp as if all the bones in his body had suddenly vanished.
Pallapalla poked at him. "You broke him, Vesves."
"I did not! He broke himself!" She looked offended and just a little embarrassed. She shook the kid again to wake him up. "Hey, brat! What happened?"
"I don't feel good. Tired."
Junjun held out her hands and produced the sphere she'd been given by Nehelenia. It made her feel safer just to have it in her hands. It felt warm and powerful. It reminded her just how much they owed to Nehelenia, but it also reminded her of what they'd left behind. She remembered her family who'd all died before Nehelenia had rescued her. "Let's get him in the Circus, then we'll decide what to do about him."
The others didn't look convinced and Junjun couldn't really blame them. She still wasn't even sure why they'd taken the boy other than it had seemed like a good way to irritate the Trio. Junjun liked irritating them, but she didn't necessarily want to give the little boy to Zirconia. Truth be told, Junjun liked irritating Zirconia more than she liked irritating the Trio. If she could, she'd let Vesves kill that shriveled up thing. Why Nehelenia wanted him around was a mystery. After all, Nehelenia had such good, loyal servants with the Quartet, why would she bother with that bad tempered slug?
They crossed the threshold of the Circus and everything was fine until Vesves stepped across with the little boy still tucked under an arm. He screamed bloody murder. It wasn't anger or fear, as it had been before. This time, he was screaming in pain. His whole body jerked for a long time, until Vesves started to look panicked, then he went limp again. This time he'd lost consciousness.
Junjun hadn't heard a child scream so loudly in a very long time. It was a long, drawn out scream of pain and fear. Junjun had a sudden, terrible flashback.
Junjun saw fire and blood, death all around. A hospital. She in a hospital, next to the fire, listening to a patient right across from her screaming. His legs had been cut off and the doctors were trying to sew the stumps closed before he could bleed to death. To do that, they needed to cauterize the wounds. The hot irons were kept in the fire next to Junjun and one of the doctors rushed back to the fire, pulling out the irons. Junjun saw that the irons were so hot they were nearly white. She hated the color white. The man scream again when the irons were pressed against what was left of his legs and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Junjun had hid under the blankets of her bed, but that wasn't enough and she could still hear the screaming.
"Junjun? What's wrong?" Vesves stepped towards her, distracted just enough for something to hit her on the back of the head. They were all taken off guard when Vesves stumbled forward and her burden was snatched out her arms. "What the…!" They all looked up in time to see a tall, yellow and black blur racing into the Circus. Vesves snarled, "It's one of those twits! Tiger's Eye!"
Dead Moon Circus-
Tiger's Eye-
The red haired one, whatever her name was, let go of Toby as soon as Tiger's Eye had hit her, and Tiger's Eye didn't miss the opportunity. They were powerful, but he was faster. He lowered himself and rushed forward, snatching Toby in mid-air. He kept running forward as fast as he could, into Circus, afraid that if he stopped and changed directions, they'd be able to catch him. At least in Circus, he was fairly certain he could hide from them. They were like Zirconia. They never went down into the lower levels of Circus, not for anything. Zirconia had even had a playroom built for them off to the side of the main level of Circus just because they had nowhere else to go. Those bothersome girls would have gone to the lower levels if they could have, but they didn't so Tiger's Eye figured it would be the safest place for Toby. After all, he might be able to surprise them, but he certainly couldn't fight the entire Quartet all by himself, not when he had a child in one arm and no weapons but his whip.
"Stop him!" One of them shouted from behind Tiger's Eye.
Why bother listening when he should be running? Tiger's Eye increased his speed. He might not be smart like Hawk's Eye or Fish Eye, but he was fast. Certainly faster than any on the Quartet. He was worried that Toby hadn't moved or made a sound since Tiger's Eye had grabbed him. He must have fainted. If Toby was like Jareth, as Tiger's Eye had heard, it was really no wonder that Toby hadn't been able to stand the pain. He wasn't supposed to be here. Tiger's Eye couldn't just take him out, though. If he tried that the Quartet would surely catch them.
Explosions rocked the ground under Tiger's Eye's feet. It was a good thing he had claws on his feet as well as his hands. Tiger's Eye flexed his feet in just the right way to extend his claws and they ripped through his boots, digging into the floor. No matter how much firepower the Quartet threw at him after that it was relatively easy to keep his balance.
'Why would they take him? They must know he's Ringmaster's brother and they don't care. Why should they, they aren't Remless'. What good would Toby be to them? If the Quartet had taken the little boy to Zirconia, then Tiger's Eye would see the point. They would be planning to lure Ringmaster here to kill her. 'No.' Tiger's Eye stopped that thought. 'That can't be it. If she comes back, she'd get all her power back, wouldn't she? Circus would wake up. That's the theory, anyway. On the other hand, Zirconia doesn't know that, as far as we know, which means the Quartet doesn't know it, either.' They couldn't think he was the one Pegasus was hiding in, they hadn't even looked at his dream mirror, yet.
A laser blast of energy shot passed Tiger's Eye, just next to his head. That was entirely too close. The center ring was just ahead. There, Zirconia's ugly platform was raised high in the air above and the man smaller platforms spread out in the center ring. The empty seats for an audience that would never again come to Circus. All he had to do was get to the center ring and he could escape into the lower level of Circus. There was another shot, then another. Both bolts of energy came within inches of Tiger's Eye. He was very lucky until the third bolt struck him in the calf and he stumbled, tumbling to the floor. He didn't, however, let go of Toby and held onto the boy as tightly as he could. The pain was terrible, but familiar. Wasn't it odd to find that pain could be familiar? The feel of their power was incredibly like Zirconia's power when he chose to punish them. Although Hawk's Eye took the brunt of the punishments for them, Tiger's Eye had felt Zirconia's not so gentle touch more than once. This was the same burning, gnawing pain.
He didn't dare let go of the little boy; even as he tumbled and rolled across the ground. If he let go the Quartet would grab him and then it would all be over. Tiger's Eye had to get the boy below, down where he'd be safe from Zirconia and his four foolish girls. Those sweet looking children were fatal. Using his claws again, Tiger's Eye righted himself and leapt to his feet. They were almost upon him, but as chance would have it the blow had made him tumble right where he wanted to be. He rolled once more and let himself fall over the edge of the pit that led down to the lower level of Circus.
Darkness swallowed them and Tiger's Eye had just enough presence of mind to turn over until he was facing upward and Toby was laying on his chest. Tiger's Eye felt like screaming. His leg was burning and throbbing. Above them, Tiger's Eye saw the four silhouettes of the Quartet. Energy bolts from above fell around them like rain. Tiger's Eye had to use his whip to protect them from the attack. Pulling it from where it hung at his side, Tiger's Eye was able to deflect most of the energy bolts, but it became increasingly harder. The pain was starting to get the better of him.
Far above, he heard them yelling and cursing, but their voices faded away more quickly than their attack. The light from the ring above quickly faded into a distant pinpoint and all that was left was the shower of energy bolts that took all of Tiger's Eye's attention to keep Toby safe. Tiger's Eye was hit again, this time in the foot. Just his luck that it happened to be the same leg he'd been struck in before. The pain was so terrible that Tiger's Eye felt tears burning in his eyes.
They struck the ground sooner than Tiger's Eye had thought they would and Tiger's Eye knew he should have died. There was no cushioning at the bottom, no one had ever tempted death by jumping. Something stopped his fall and Tiger's Eye hovered above the floor for a long moment before some invisible force lowered him to the ground. A soft voice whispered in his ear, Get on your feet and run. Come to me. I'm waiting.
It was a compulsion so strong that Tiger's Eye had no choice but to obey. He rolled over, despite the shower of energy bolts, and was set down on his feet. He started moving as fast as he could and was quickly away from the Quartet's attack, running down one of the many corridors of the Circus. He didn't run very quickly, but limped as fast as he could. The pain was mind-numbing, but Tiger's Eye managed to keep moving. At one point, he reached down to touch his injured leg and found it covered in something warm and wet. Blood. It was everywhere. Tiger's Eye hated the sight of blood, so he didn't even try to look at his hand.
Keep coming. Just a little further. My dear, you must be strong. Come to me.
On and on he went, sure that he was leaving a trail of blood behind him. Anyone would be able to follow him. There were dangers down here. Dangers from the Remless' who had become loyal to Zirconia because he could offer them things that the sleeping Circus couldn't. Tiger's Eye was getting sleepy, his vision starting to blur. All he could focus on was the voice urging him onward. He felt a brush of something soft against his face and suddenly realized where he was. "The Center…" He whispered. He knew he shouldn't be shocked. The voice had led him right to the room that housed the soul of the Circus. It was the same room he'd gone to just a short time ago to feed dream energy to Circus. The curtain covered entrance didn't look nearly so ominous as it had before.
Come in, I'm stronger, here.
There was a sound behind him somewhere in the dark corridor. It was enough to spur Tiger's Eye on and he dashed into the room. There was the floating sphere of light in the center of the room. It looked a little stronger now. He swallowed hard and licked his lips, nervously. He knew that Circus was capable of things like this, but he'd never really had much contact with it. Before Ringmaster's death, she had always dealt with Circus. After her death, Circus had gone to sleep and no one had spoken with it since. They fed it, but it had never woken up enough to speak. "Can…Can we stay here."
That child does not belong here.
"I don't have anywhere else to take him. They'll hurt him or kill him." Tiger's Eye spoke directly to the sphere of light and desperately hoped he wasn't being rude. How was one supposed to talk to a god?
He will die if he stays. I can't help you beyond this room. Without my avatar, I can do so little. This room is safe for both of us.
So Tiger's Eye put his back against a wall and slid down until he sat on the floor with Toby on his lap. His leg still hurt and now he couldn't avoid looking at the blood. It was terrible. His pants had ripped and now showed the torn flesh underneath. The blood was even soaking into his boot. The ball of light that was the soul of Circus moved slowly down and hovered over Tiger's Eye's leg, as if it were inspecting the injury. I can help with that, at least. It emitted a glow that warmed Tiger's Eye's leg, seeping down to the bone. The pain faded and his leg was instantly repaired but for a slight throbbing. There. All fixed. It moved back to the center of the room and didn't speak again.
The little boy stirred, but he didn't start fighting as Tiger's Eye had been afraid he that might. He'd seen the furious struggle Toby had given the Quartet, after all. Now, though, Toby just sat on Tiger's Eye's lap and looked up at him with sad, tired eyes. "Where are we?"
"Somewhere safe, I think." There was a rush of feet outside and voices talking to each other. The Remless' were searching for them. Probably, Zirconia had told them that Tiger's Eye was a traitor or something .Well, in a way it was true. He had abandoned the Circus and its people. There was a moment of tense silence for both Tiger's Eye and Toby, before the people outside moved on. "Just rest. Someone will come for us, soon."
Toby started to cry, but it wasn't the screaming hysterics he'd thrown for the Quartet. Now, pitiful tears just rolled down his cheeks.
"Shhh." Tiger's Eye soothed, trying his best to stop the tears. "It's alright. We're safe here. Circus is strong in this room and the bad people won't come here."
His words didn't help and Toby whimpered, "I don't like it here. Please, let me go home."
"We can't leave!" Tiger's Eye looked fearfully at the curtain that protected them from the outside. It seemed like such a feeble protection. "They'll do bad things if they catch us, we have to stay here."
"What kind of bad things?"
Tiger's Eye swallowed hard. He remembered all the terrible things Zirconia had done to them in the past. He remembered Hawk's Eye's last punishment, a punishment Hawk's Eye had taken to protect him. Zirconia was utterly ruthless and if he saw a threat in Toby, then he would kill the child. Tiger's Eye couldn't allow that to happen. "Very bad things. Just stay quiet and we'll wait till help comes." His arm hurt very badly and he was so tired. It hadn't been that long since they'd all slept, had it?
Toby-
Toby didn't like it at all. The whole place was weird and scary, but this was the worst of it all. There was a glowing light in the middle of the room that made him want to be sick. It hurt more than when he'd eaten the cookies and he had the terrible feeling that the ball of light didn't like him. So he pressed himself as close as he could to the strange man who'd taken him and he felt safe. Well…a little safer.
He was tired and that was almost as bad as the pain. He felt like he could sleep forever, but he was too frightened to sleep. Jareth had gone back to Labyrinth. Toby didn't know how he knew, but he knew it was true. That was what had made him faint, before. He'd felt Jareth leaving and, with him, had gone the power of Labyrinth. Toby felt helpless and weak. For whatever reason, Jareth had left him here. Hadn't even tried to save him. What about Sarah? Was she safe? Maybe Jareth had left Sarah in danger, too.
Pressing himself a little closer to the warm body that was holding him, Toby cried a little harder. 'I hate you, too.' He thought, bitterly. Everyone was bad. No one wanted him. He was hurt and scared and Jareth had just left him. Sarah was going to get hurt or maybe she was already hurt. Maybe she was dead. If Sarah was dead, then there was no one left who would love him. 'I hate you, Jareth. I hate everyone.'
Earth-
Rei-
'I never thought I'd be doing the comfort thing.' Yet there she was, standing behind Usagi while she stood in Rei's kitchen with the telephone pressed against her ear, clutching it with both hands. The first thing Usagi had done when they'd found that Toby had been taken, was to call home.
"Mom?" Usagi sat a little straighter when her mother obviously answered the telephone. Her shoulders stiffened and Rei responded by adding a squeezing them just a little. "Mom, is Chibi-Usa there? Yeah, I know she's supposed to be…no, it's nothing to worry about. Yeah. Look, just check for me? I'll wait." She fell silent, but didn't move the phone away from her ear. She did, however, lean her head to the side and rest her free ear on Rei's hand.
'Okay. What should I say? Words of comfort, right? What if Chibi-Usa isn't there, though? That Jareth guy could be lying. I don't trust him as far as I could throw him. If she's not at home, gods, I don't know what Usagi's gonna do.' She had seen Usagi use her full power before, but it was never a pretty thing and Usagi always went through depression afterwards. What would she do in the throws of motherly panic and fury? Her few shows of power were magnificent displays, glorious and breathtaking, but not pretty. If Usagi had been anyone else, if she was at all malicious, what could she do with that kind of power? They wouldn't have to worry about any evil forces, because Usagi would be the evil force and no one would be able to stop her. 'Would we still follow her? Isn't that what this is all about? We were loyal to her first incarnation so we've just followed her into this life. This was all predestined by the first Queen Serenity. I didn't really have a choice about whether I stay with her or not.' But Usagi's hair was resting against the back of Rei's wrist. Usagi's hair was soft and she was still uncommonly quiet as she worried for her daughter.
"Rei, thanks."
"Don't worry about it." Rei let the terrible thoughts escape her. Despite what had happened in the past, she was with Usagi now and that was all that mattered.
"Rei?"
"Yes?"
"What am I going to tell Mamo-chan if Chibi-Usa isn't at home? He'll think I lost her. I'm such a horrible mother."
"No, you aren't." The question hurt, but it wasn't surprising. Who was Usagi supposed to be thinking about at a time like this besides Chibi-Usa and Mamoru? It was natural. That didn't stop it from hurting. "He'll think you everything you could to keep her safe. He'll hold you and kiss you and tell you he loves you." Because if he didn't, if he made Usagi feel any worse than she already did, Rei was going to roast him. Literally.
"You're quiet today, Rei."
"Yeah. Just worried. Ya know." Over her shoulder, Rei could see Sarah and Jareth still talking, the strange creatures that Sarah seemed so fond of around them. Fish Eye and Hawk's Eye hadn't tried anything even remotely threatening in all the time they'd been there and, frankly, Rei didn't think it was a trap. Those two didn't seem swift enough to pull of an elaborate deception like this. Jareth was, though. Rei still couldn't bring herself to trust him. "I thi nk, and I'm not sure, but I think we can trust the Amazon Trio not to hurt Sarah. They aren't too fond of us, but I think they're telling the truth about what's going on."
Usagi nodded, then turned her head to smile at Rei. That smile was like the sun rising and Rei knew she was helplessly enthralled. She would do anything for Usagi, no matter how much it hurt to be around her when she so obviously had room for only one lover in her life. "I'm glad you think so. After seeing what Jareth showed in that crystal, I'd hate for them to still be enemies. I think if we met under other circumstances, we might have been friends." Her smile faded. "On the other hand, they watched us die, so maybe not. Ah! Mom. Yeah?" Usagi's face lit up and she let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. Okay. Sorry if I worried you, mom. No. No. I'm at Rei's. You've met her, yes, the Hino shrine. I'll be back later. Bye." She hung up before she threw her arms around Rei and hugged her tightly. "Chibi-Usa's at home! She's fast asleep in bed." She couldn't help a few tears that leaked out.
"Come one!" Rei snapped, scowling. "This isn't the time to be crying. You know she's safe and sound. That means Jareth was telling the truth, at least about that. He was trying to rescue her."
"What about Hotaru, though?"
Rei was surprised, but hid it. She should be used to the fact by now that not everyone shared her insight. "That wasn't Hotaru. It wasn't even a person. I thought it was a trick by Jareth, but now that Toby's been kidnapped, I'm guessing that the Dead Moon Circus had something to do with it."
Pulling away slightly, much to Rei's disappointment, Usagi blinked at her, as if she were confused. That happened quite a lot. "If she wasn't real, then what was she…er…what was it? Like an illusion?"
"No. An illusion is nothing. Your mind makes up images and sounds. Sometimes, they can be very lifelike and affect reality. Sometimes, many people can experience the same illusion. This was different. This was physical. We could all hear it and see it. It grabbed Chibi-Usa which means it had a corporeal presence." Folding her arms over her breast, Rei went back to the front doorway of the house and looked at Jareth and Sarah over Minako's shoulder. "He's capable of creating it, but there isn't a reason for him to do so. It didn't accomplish anything."
"What is he, Rei?" Usagi had come to stand next to Rei at the doorway and was also looking at Jareth.
In front of them were the other senshi, all of them keeping out of the way. What was going on was really none of their business and Rei couldn't see any reason for them to get involved unless it looked like Sarah was going to be hurt. The others were still upset about Toby being kidnapped, but Rei wasn't even sure if that was their business. He wasn't human. He might not even be the brother that Sarah thought he was.
'Don't be so cold.' Rei told herself. Logic told her that they should keep out of this and let Jareth and the Circus people battle it out over Toby. No matter who won, one potential enemy would be taken care of. 'Sarah's frightened for him and he didn't want to be kidnapped. No matter what he is, he's probably frightened and they might hurt him. We have to help.'
This could all be an elaborate game for Jareth. She could feel, under the power that made her skin itch, that Jareth was angry. He was also frightened, which Rei didn't really understand. If he had as much power as she knew he had, then there was very little that should frighten him. "I don't know what he is. He's dangerous, but doesn't seem actually evil. Let's just be careful."
Usagi nodded and walked away from Rei, moving to stand with the other senshi.
Sarah-
Sarah slid off of Ludo's lap and looked all around as soon as the stars stopped dancing in front of her eyes. "Zirconia? He's your boss?"
"WAS our boss. I keep telling you that. He still controls the Remless', the circus people. He's very powerful." Hawk's Eye stood very close to Sarah, but she was having trouble focusing on that. "That boy, he's your brother?"
"Yes. We have to find him. He's only three. He can't take care of himself." Sarah wasn't aware that she was shaking until she put a hand up to her mouth. She felt cold. "He'll be hurt. They're dangerous. You make them sound dangerous when you talk about them. They'll hurt him." Babbling. She was babbling. Sarah had always thought she was reasonably intelligent and here was she was just standing around babbling. Her legs gave way and someone caught her, lowering her to the ground. It must be Hawk's Eye, he had been standing right next to her. "Toby's just a baby, still. He'll get hungry and he won't know how to find the bathroom if no one will show him. He gets so embarrassed when he has accidents."
Rei was at her side and touched Sarah's face. "We'll find him. We know where the Dead Moon Circus is."
"Dead!" Sarah burst out. "Why is it called that? Why Dead?"
"I don't know, but we will find him. We won't let them hurt an innocent." Rei's words were backed up by her friends behind her, all nodding encouragingly.
"Well," Sarah demanded. "Where is it?"
"You aren't in any condition to go anywhere, yet." Fish Eye said, producing a small jar of white cream. "This is medicine. Will you let me put it on you?"
Sarah nodded and tried to think straight. If she weren't so frightened and angry, she probably wouldn't have let a strange man get so close as to rubbing the sweet smelling cream on her face and all the wounds. Fish Eye was kneeling by Sarah and very carefully using his hands to rub the cream over Sarah's legs and arms, dabbing it gently on Sarah's bruised face. There was absolutely nothing sexual in it at all. Even if Fish Eye did try something, Sarah figured that Ludo was right behind her and Hoggle was keeping a close eye on everything. Not to mention the seven girls just a few feet away. No one seemed to have any idea what was going on. They were talking amongst themselves, though the blonde, Minako, and the tall girl, Makoto, were both keeping an eye on everything around. Rei always watched with sharp eyes. Sarah wasn't concerned about them, they hadn't done anything to threaten Sarah or Toby and they had given Sarah shelter when she needed it.
What worried Sarah was Jareth. She'd never seen him angry and now that she did, she didn't like it.
He stood with his arms crossed over his chest and his head lowered so his chin was nearly touching his chest. He also seemed to be muttering under his breath. No one went even near him until his eyes shot up and he snapped. "You're all going home, now!" He didn't give them time to object before he waved a hand and both Sir Didymus and Ludo both disappeared, presumably back to the Labyrinth. His harsh eyes then fell on Hoggle and Hoggle cowered under his king's gaze. "You, come here."
"Wait," Sarah spoke up. "Why are you so angry with him? He didn't do anything!" Unless Jareth believed the story that Hoggle was a killer and had murdered her in a past life. 'I'm starting to believe this.' Maybe she just wanted to believe it. 'It could be true. If the Labyrinth can exist, anything's possible. But I don't have any kind of power. I don't want that kind of power.'
Jareth didn't answer, but squatted down next to Hoggle and seized him by one of his large ears, making Hoggle wince and whine. Jareth wasn't making any pains to conceal his anger, but did seem to be trying to control it. His voice was very quiet when he spoke. "Hoggle, you will go back to the castle and you will go to the Room of Stairs. You will speak very loudly and say, ' A little help here!' Do you understand?"
Hoggle nodded quickly. "Yes."
"Excellent. I knew I could depend on you." Then Hoggle was gone, too, and Jareth was left rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Ringmaster? Does it still hurt?"
"My name's Sarah. Call me Sarah." Sarah's attention was brought back to Fish Eye who looked up at her from where he knelt. "No. It's fine. That stuff works pretty well, actually. Look, I really have to find Toby." Magic had leaked into her reality and even Jareth seemed powerless. It just wasn't fair. "You must understand."
Fish Eye and Hawk's Eye nodded without hesitation. "You'll be healed soon enough and then we can go. We'll do everything we can to get your brother back. He isn't alone though. Tiger's Eye saw him being taken and followed. He's a good person, he'll do what he can."
"How do you know?" Sarah hadn't seen anything when all that happened and she was looking.
Hawk's Eye and Fish Eye exchanged a look before Tiger's Eye raised his hand and showed a razor blade attached to an earring stud. "He was here and now he's gone. I'll bet my life that Tiger's Eye went after your brother."
Earth-
Makoto-
"It's no good." Ami sighed, pressing the tiny button on the earpiece of her visor. The see-through blue visor vanished at the touch and she looked up at Makoto, sadly. "I can't find anyone in the area. Whoever it was, they were moving very quickly. There isn't a trace around."
"You did your best." Ami was very sensitive, even if not many people realized it. Makoto knew from the rumors around school that most everyone thought Ami was snobbish. She'd had to stop more than a few gossipy cows spreading the tales about cold, arrogant Ami. It was always the girls spreading nasty rumors like that. They were jealous. Not only was Ami the smartest person they were ever likely to meet and she was showing them all up in class, but she was also cute as a button with a sweet disposition. She was absolutely perfect in every way. Ami was just a little shy and afraid of being hurt, so she kept to herself. "Look at Rei." Makoto gestured back to the doorway where Usagi had left Rei. "She doesn't look quiet right, does she?"
Ami followed her gaze and cocked her head thoughtfully to the side. "She does look tense. We can put that down to the situation. I wouldn't like it if all this had happened on my doorstep, either. Plus, her granpa is around here somewhere. She's probably worried about him." She didn't look away from Rei. "Maybe not. She looks quite pale." Ami walked away, making her way towards Rei. It felt strange to have Rei at the back of the crowd instead of at the front with Usagi.
Makoto didn't move. She didn't like this whole situation. Everything was moving too fast and getting out of control. There weren't any clear-cut enemies to fight and she didn't know who she was supposed to be angry at. The Amazon Trio, although there were only two of them at the moment, weren't dangerous anymore, at least not that Makoto could tell. They were treating Sarah's injuries and the remedy seemed to be working. According to what Usagi had just told them, Jareth had returned Chibi-Usa just like he said he had, so he wasn't an enemy. What were they supposed to do? Just hang around?
Sarah pushed herself to her feet and was done with crying. She wiped with face roughly with the back of her hands and looked from Jareth to the still kneeling Fish Eye, then to Hawk's Eye. "Tiger's Eye or not, Toby needs me. I have to find him."
'She can't be thinking of going there!' Makoto thought, alarmed. 'She's just a human, she can't fight them!' If the senshi with all their power couldn't defeat the Dead Moon Circus, then what hope did Sarah have?
"You can't fight." Jareth told her, coldly. "The power of Circus is equal to that of Labyrinth and you will be battling against this Nehelenia creature. I have spoken with one who knows a great deal of this dark queen and she isn't someone you can go against, Sarah. She won't just kill you. She'll destroy you. Devour you. Your mind, your soul, everything that you are. Can you even comprehend that? It's not a death. She'll absorb you and use you and there won't even be a corpse left for Toby to mourn." He glanced at the senshi. "There are others who are better suited for this than you."
"You think I'll just sit on my hands and wait for Toby to be rescued?"
"No." Jareth sighed and, unless Makoto was much mistaken, a smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. "I suppose that would be a bit out of character for you, wouldn't it? To just give in to a force as powerful as a god. Most people would." There was definite admiration in his tone.
Then there was a…person. Just appearing out of nowhere, the person stood between where the senshi stood near the shrine and where Sarah and Jareth stood with the Amazons. Makoto honestly couldn't say if it was a man or a woman, but she did have the sudden urge to run away. It wasn't something she normally had an urge to do and she didn't like it at the moment. Around her, Makoto felt the others tense. Minako, became rigid, her body as taut as a violin string. Her fingers were twitching and her eyes narrowed. If anything, Haruka was even more tense. Her hand was already on her sword and her mouth drawn into a narrow line. She looked ready to attack, but Makoto wasn't sure that would be a smart move.
The person was quite tall and looked like an albino, all white all over. Skin, hair, and eyes. Funny. Makoto had been sure that an albino's eyes were normally pink. This was had white eyes. It was dressed in a white robe that had been draped just right to keep all the necessary bits covered. The person had claws on its fingers and toes, terrible looking things. It looked displeased. Not exactly angry, but certainly not happy. It looked around, glancing only a moment at the senshi and the two ex-Circus members. It's gaze lingered a bit longer on Sarah, then turned to Jareth.
"You sent one of my darling child to me instead of presenting yourself in person?"
Jareth knew who this person was and bowed his head. "I…"
"Would you not prostrate yourself before me? Have you, the dearest of my children, grown arrogant in my loving care?"
"No, master."
That was Labyrinth, then. Makoto didn't feel any better for the realization. Of course they'd heard what Jareth had told Sarah, Ami had made sure of that. Clever Ami was able to use her little visor computer to amplify their speech and she'd told everyone what she'd heard. This creature was Labyrinth, Jareth's master. 'It's…terrible.' It wasn't like any living thing Makoto had ever seen . Not that it was ugly, exactly. She wouldn't call it beautiful, either. It just was. The creature that was Labyrinth moved towards Jareth in a graceful glide.
'It's not walking, it's floating.' Makoto's eyes widened when she realized that its feet weren't touching the ground as it moved. She shouldn't be so stunned by something like this. As a senshi, she thought she'd seen everything that the universe had to offer, but this was a whole new experience. 'I don't know why. It's just a person. Well, sort of a person. Shit. The way Jareth described it, it's like a god, isn't it? What kind of power did it have to change a human child into whatever Toby now was? What could it do if it decided to attack?'
Makoto inched her way closer to Usagi, noticing that Minako was doing the same on Usagi's other side. Even Usagi herself looked ready to fight. She shouldn't have to fight. Usagi just wasn't a fighter, she didn't have the temperament. Oh, she could and she had in the past done great things in the heat of battle. Usagi had died to save not only her friends, but all of Earth. The most amazing thing was that Usagi had never had any doubts about it. She hadn't hesitated. Considering how emotional Usagi normally was, it was astounding that she hadn't broken down on them once it was all over. Of course, that didn't mean she hadn't, it only meant that Makoto hadn't seen it. In fact, Makoto was pretty sure that Usagi had broken down with Rei. No matter how much those two fought, there was no one Usagi trusted more than Rei. Rei wouldn't have talked about it, either. Not something that important. All of that wasn't the point. The point was that Usagi shouldn't have to fight. She was delicate and gentle, just like Ami. Fighting was better left to people like Makoto, Minako, and Rei. Both Usagi and Ami should be somewhere safe far from danger. Especially Ami. Ami more than anyone.
Jareth spoke again, this time lowering his eyes with a great deal of respect that Makoto didn't think was customary for him. "I was, I am, in a state, master."
"Yes, I know. You are distressed and so you should be. You've managed to lose your heir on your first trip out of my boundaries. Within the first hour of being away from me. This wasn't a deliberate lose, was it, my pet?" Labyrinth had, by this time, come to stand right in front of Jareth. It's white hair hung very long behind it, falling nearly to the ground.
"Of course not, master." Jareth protested. "I wouldn't betray you or Toby. He's been kidnapped and I…I simply forgot myself with my fear for him."
"See that you do not forget yourself again." The warning was soft and gentle, but nonetheless still a warning.
"Yes, master." When Jareth looked up, he seemed to be confused. "Master, how are you here? I've never known you to enter this world before."
"By using up a great deal of power. I'm most displeased with you, my pet. This form is an deception." It reached out and ran it's fingers over the amulet hanging around Jareth's neck. "This bauble allows me such limited access here, if I please. The child is lost. I can no longer feel his presence."
Jareth's head shot up and he almost smiled. "Then we know where he is. He's in Circus. Elysian's borders aren't open, it's too busy protecting itself from Nehelenia. Circus is sleeping. I can get him…"
"No." Labyrinth cut in sharply, slashing the air with one long fingered hand. "You will not enter Circus."
"Master, he must be saved. Those who took him may kill him."
"Then a new heir will have to be found. I will not risk you both."
Jareth's eyes narrowed. "Master, I can't abandon him."
"Yes," Labyrinth reached out and put the palm of its hands in front of Jareth's face. "You can." At that, Jareth stiffened, his body nearly jerking as if a jolt of electricity had hit him, then relaxed. His shoulders slumped and his arms hung loosely at his sides. When Labyrinth lowered its hand, Makoto saw that Jareth's eyes, though still open, were glazed and lifeless. It was like looking at a life-sized doll.
Sarah was the first one to react. Considering the history the two seemed to share, Makoto wasn't all that surprised. Sarah was standing, though she held onto Fish Eye's arm for support, and started forward. Fish Eye seemed reluctant to go anywhere near Labyrinth and Makoto couldn't blame him. Fish Eye looked terrified but wouldn't let go of Sarah's arm even when Sarah went to stand next to Jareth and she waved a hand in front of his face. "What did you do?" She asked Labyrinth, boldly. Sarah wasn't afraid, or she didn't act it, anyway. "What's wrong with him?"
Labyrinth smiled slightly, though it didn't seem and entirely happy smile. It was more like a smile would use with a child one didn't especially like. "He is mine. I do with him as I please."
"Yeah, he explained all that." Sarah looked the creature up and down. "You're Labyrinth, then? You're the one that changed my brother."
"He will be a most able king if he is returned to me in time."
"In time for what?"
This time, Labyrinth was definitely amused. "My dear pet already told you." It moved to stand on Jareth's side, opposite from Sarah and Fish Eye. "I heard him tell you. Toby is now tied to me. If he is not returned in just a few hours, he will die. A pity. I was growing fond of him already."
"Then let Jareth help me!"
"No. He would be utterly powerless in the confines of the Circus, without even the small power he has in this world." Labyrinth looked at Fish Eye and over Jareth's shoulder at Hawk's Eye. "Those children of Circus are far too powerful with no one to restrain them. Circus sleeps and the Ringmaster has yet to return."
"Then is she the Ringmaster?" Haruka spoke up for the first time since Labyrinth had appeared. Her voice, as always was strong and powerful. She was often quiet, but when she spoke everyone listened. "Your 'pet'," She gestured with her sword towards Jareth. "He seemed pretty sure that she wasn't. The Circus people think she is. Seems a lot of trouble would be cleared up if you could tell us. You're on the same power level as the Circus, aren't you?"
"Then you know that Circus is the same as I? It is more than just a tent. If I were to lose both of my avatars to whatever threats lurk in Circus, then I would be as helpless as it is. As for you, Sarah," It turned away from Haruka to look at Sarah again. "You are not the Ringmaster, the avatar of Circus. You are human, every part of you. However, that doesn't mean you can't become the Ringmaster. If Circus wakes and finds you a suitable avatar, then you could become so in the same way that Jareth and Toby have become my pets. It's not really difficult."
Sarah swallowed hard and looked up at Jareth, again. He was still staring blankly, straight ahead.
'She doesn't want to do it. Don't blame her, I wouldn't want to, either. Jareth wasn't lying. He really is a slave in the ultimate sense of the word.' Makoto shivered at the thought. To be afraid of losing your free will at the whim of another creature. To be a pet. Jareth hadn't even argued when Labyrinth had called him a pet which meant that he'd accepted it. That seemed almost as bad. How long had he been living like that? Could that even be called living? Worse, could Labyrinth do that to anyone it wanted to? If it didn't give Jareth a choice and it didn't give Toby a choice, what would stop it from turning them all into mindless slaves? It had shut down Jareth's mind without any effort and a careless gesture. 'Go away. Just…just go away!'
Labyrinth laughed and slid its arms around Jareth until it was embracing him. It lay it's head on Jareth's shoulder, but kept its eyes on Sarah. "Does the idea repulse you so much? My dear pet doesn't hate me. I'm not evil. I don't know what evil is. I don't understand good, either. There is want and pleasure. There is pain and grief. Good and evil do not exist."
"That's a lie."
"You are human. Your mind is clouded. If you wish to rescue my other pet…"
"Toby is not a pet!"
"He is mine. If you wish to rescue him, you should hurry. He has only a few hours. Perhaps his kidnappers have killed him already. I really don't know." Labyrinth raised itself up and kissed Jareth's cheek while stroking his hair, affectionately. "This one will return to me. I won't allow him where there is danger. You may want to check your friend. She doesn't look well." Labyrinth pointed behind them all.
Makoto turned to see what was wrong and saw Rei on the ground, unconscious. Ami was kneeling at Rei's side, checking her pulse and trying to wake her to no avail. Usagi rushed to Rei along with Minako. Makoto wanted to, but this was her duty. She was the strong one, so she had to protect them. Distracting everyone was a good way to attack and she wasn't going to let that thing have a chance to do anything.
"It seems she's too sensitive for all this." Labyrinth's white eyes flared with light and then it and Jareth were gone.
Sarah stared at the empty spot where Jareth had stood and her mouth tightened. Patting Fish Eye's arm, Sarah grumbled, "Where's this Circus? I'm tired of all this. I want my brother."
Tsukino Home-
Chibi-Usa-
She was exhausted when she woke up, but the first thing on her mind was Hotaru. She was sure she'd seen Hotaru just before she fell asleep or blacked out or whatever had happened. Back in her own bed in the little attic room, Chibi-Usa looked around and tried to figure out if it had all been just a dream or if it had been real. She remembered very little after falling out of the tree, but she most definitely remembered Hotaru.
"You're crying." Of course, Pegasus was there in the globe and watching her. His voice was as neutral , as it always was, but there was something different about the way he was looking at her.
"Sorry." She scrubbed at her eyes, but her throat felt tight and there wasn't much she could do about that. Hotaru. She missed her dear friend so much that it hurt to think about her.
"Are you hurt?"
"I don't think so. What happened?"
Pegasus hesitated. "You were taken…elsewhere. Because I was with you, it had a bad effect on you and you were put asleep. No one hurt you."
Turning around on her bed, Chibi-Usa looked at Pegasus closely. "Where is elsewhere?" She was a child, not stupid. It was pretty obvious that Pegasus was hiding something from her. There was a lot she didn't know about him. She didn't even know if Pegasus was a him or if he was female. Even from the voice it was hard to tell. She trusted him, though. No matter what secrets he was hiding, she did trust him. "How did I get back here?"
Inside the little globe, Pegasus shuffled, uneasily. "There are events happening that I hadn't anticipated. You aren't in danger, exactly. No more than before. It's just a…a new player. He thought you were in danger from the senshi and kidnapped you to protect you, or so he says. I see no reason not to believe him."
"I don't understand." Obviously, this other player was the man with spiky hair and the funny colored eyes. "What's this got to do with Hotaru?"
"Who?"
"I saw her." The tears were starting again. "I know I saw her just before everything went black. What happened to her?"
"Oh. The doll. No, that wasn't your friend. It was something between being an illusion and a hallucination and a little bit of sewing." He didn't sound callous, exactly, but he clearly didn't think it was at all important. "Those who are hunting me created it by using some of your memories. I didn't know they had anyone so powerful. This causes a problem. Someone was able to see into your memories. They may know where I am."
"She wasn't real?" She couldn't help but feel a little betrayed by how cold Pegasus sounded. He was her closest friend, but she probably shouldn't have expected any different. She'd never told Pegasus about Hotaru or how close they'd been. "Hotaru's a baby, somewhere. She's safe, then. Good. You said someone got into my memory. Who? How?"
"Someone from the Dead Moon Circus, I expect. The doll was destroyed, you needn't worry about it anymore. Was she special?"
Poor, lonely Hotaru who'd given up her life. She's spent nearly her whole life weak and sick, isolated from the world and then trapped in a fate she couldn't have wanted. Because of their enemies, Hotaru had died to save everyone. She'd gone to her doom smiling. "Very special. I need to go back to Usagi and figure out what's going on."
"Would you like me to just tell you?"
"Do you know?"
"I know most of what is happening. The enemy is a very powerful creature, but now I think this war has taken a turn in our favor. It seems that our enemies have done something very stupid."
"What kind of something?"
"They took a child."
To be continued…
