Dead Moon Circus-
Tiger's Eye-
"Are you okay?"
Toby nodded, but still kept his face against Tiger's Eye's chest. He was obviously not okay, but either didn't know what to say or he was too frightened to say it. Whatever it was, Toby had been silent for a very long time.
"Right." Tiger's Eye settled in for a long wait. There wasn't anything else to do. The room was completely bare and in here Tiger's Eye had no communication with the outside world, so he didn't know what they were doing on the outside. He couldn't leave the room without being vulnerable to the Quartet and Zirconia. To make matters worse, Toby seemed to be getting more and more tired as time went on. He didn't sleep, but his listlessness was starting to worry Tiger's Eye. Not that there was anything he could do about it. "Come on, Toby. Don't fall asleep. I'm sure we'll get rescued soon." It wasn't exactly a lie. It could happen. Surely they wouldn't have to spend the rest of their lives in this little room.
"Sarah will come for me." Toby muttered. "She won't leave me."
How much time had passed? It seemed like a very long time, but Tiger's Eye knew they'd get rescued. If not by Sarah, then by Hawk's Eye and Fish Eye. 'I'm afraid.' He didn't want to say it out loud. That would only frighten Toby, and surely it was his place to keep Toby calm.
"We know you're in there, Tiger's Eye." Someone from beyond the curtain spoke, but Tiger's Eye didn't recognize the voice right away. "Come on out, there's no hope for it. You can't leave without us catching you."
Tiger's Eye held Toby a little tighter and spoke loudly. "Shouldn't you be practicing? Our Ringmaster's returned and she'll be here soon. She'll want to see you all in top form."
Silence for a long, tense moment. "Lies." The speaker hissed. "That's cruel and stupid. You think we'd believe such a feeble lie?"
"I'm not lying and I'm not coming out." He looked at the sphere that was the consciousness of Circus and hoped for the best. "If you want me, you come and get me."
The curtain moved, but then stiffened and someone beyond cried out. "It won't move! He's done something to it!" They didn't know what the room was for. Why should they? They were only Remless'. It had always been the responsibility of Ringmaster to bring energy to Circus to feed on and, after her death, the Amazon Trio had taken over the duty. "Get something to tear it down!"
A low rumbling filled the room and it took Tiger's Eye a moment to realize that Circus was laughing. The poor dears won't be able to move it. They'll try so hard.
"Please, don't let them get us." Tiger's Eye begged. "They'll take us to Zirconia and he'll kill us, I'm sure!"
The globe of light spun around, giving Tiger's Eye the impression of a person turning their head to look at someone. Who?
"He controls the Remless' now."
I did not give my approval. He doesn't wear my jewel.
"No. Hawk's Eye still has it. He's worn it since Ringmaster died. Right in the center of his forehead."
If Circus was angry about someone controlling its Remless', it didn't show it. It didn't sound at all angry, just puzzled. Perhaps I've slept too long. The sphere moved to float just in front of Tiger's Eye's face. I want to know more. Tiger's Eye felt the pressure on his skin increase and the glow of the sphere brightened enough that Tiger's Eye could feel the warmth against his skin. Do not be afraid. I won't hurt you. It didn't hurt, but it was definitely uncomfortable, bad enough that Tiger's Eye let out a low whine. It felt like someone was rubbing sandpaper over his brain. Then it was gone and the sphere moved back to its original place. I see.
Tiger's Eye waited a moment, expecting that Circus would continue speaking, but it didn't. "Umm…what do you see?" Maybe he shouldn't be questioning it. It was the one in control, after all. Maybe he should just keep his mouth shut. 'I wish the others were here. Fish and Hawk would know what to do.'
I see that I'm guilty of neglecting my dear children. I've slumbered on and some…creature has crept in, seducing my dears with promises of power and glory and other foolish things they don't need. This creature has hurt my dears. The sphere of light began to change. It twisted and bulged at awkward places, stretching itself . The color changed, shifting through a rainbow of iridescent light before the glow vanished and the color settled on a mix of black and white. Its shape kept changing until a humanoid stood before Tiger's Eye. It was androgynous with no hair at all, arms and legs slightly longer than what would be natural for a human. The skin was black as ink and it was covered in a pure white outfit that looked something like a sleeveless jumpsuit. It smiled at Tiger's Eye and at Toby, who'd begun shaking again.
"You're like…it." Toby said in a hushed voice, laced heavily with fear.
"Yes." It was odd to hear Circus speak in a voice with a mouth, but really no stranger than hearing a peculiar voice in one's head. Tiger's Eye thought that Circus' voice was very kind. "I'm like the one you serve. You really shouldn't be here, you know."
"I want to leave." Toby pressed himself closer against Tiger's Eye when Circus stepped nearer. "Please, let me go home."
Circus turned its head to one side and stepped away, closer to the curtain that was keeping the Remless' away. "I'm afraid I can't do much without risk to my little ones." It sighed, then smiled again. "Ah. It seems I won't have to do much, after all. A distraction has been offered."
At those words, the voices of the Remless' vanished and all was silent again. "What happened?" Tiger's Eye asked.
"Your brothers have arrived and they've brought friends. Isn't that nice? Let's go join them. Maybe we can meet this creature who would usurp my chosen favorites place."
There was a loud noise from above and Tiger's Eye hunched over, cringing. "What's that?"
Circus looked up at the ceiling as if it could see what was going on in the upper layers of itself. Probably, it could. "It seems I am under attack. Your brothers are here along with…seven girls from the outside. They have great power, but its all nothing within my bounds." It paused, considering. "I think I shall let them keep their power this once. It could be interesting. Ah," A look of surprise crossed its face. "Well."
"Well?"
Circus leaned down over Tiger's Eye and stroked Toby's cheek. "Your sister has come for you. What a surprise."
Tiger's Eye broke out in a broad smile. "Sarah's Ringmaster!" He blurted out, without thinking. "She's been reborn!"
This earned a disapproving scowl. "Only I say who is Ringmaster."
"But…"
"No buts. The one who created you is dead. This new one…" There was the terrible noise again and it distracted Circus from whatever it was about to say. "Let's go up, shall we? This child can't last much longer with me." Indeed, Toby didn't look well. He looked as if he were fading away. His skin was pale as moonlight and he could barely hold his eyes open. His tears had dried on his cheeks and he seemed far too weak to cry anymore. Circus held out hand to Tiger's Eye. "Come along and carry the boy. His parent is here to retrieve him."
Sarah-
The battle was instant when they reached the Circus tent, but their approach was peaceful and silent, ominous as a graveyard. They advanced steadily with Fish Eye and Hawk's Eye on either side of Sarah and the senshi in a line looking ready to kill. Only Rei looked less steady than the others. She walked slower than her friends, her attention seeming off and not saying a word unless she was directly spoken to. Sarah had the definite impression that this was not Rei's normal behavior at all.
"Are you alright?" Sarah whispered, drawing closer to Rei. Ami stayed close to Rei and watched her closely since the moment they'd left the Hino Shrine. From what Sarah had seen of Ami, it seemed that Ami was the doctor of the group which meant that if Ami was worried, then there was probably something to be worried about.
Rei offered tight grimace. "I will be. It's getting easier. Doesn't feel like bugs all over my skin anymore. I just don't want to go through that again."
"Sorry."
"It's not your fault. I'm not blaming you. It was just too strong. Sarah, you know what you're getting into, don't you?"
"Not really."
"Then back out." There was urgency and fear in Rei's voice and Sarah look at her sharply. Rei wasn't looking at Sarah, though. She was looking at the back of Usagi's head. "We have to do this. There's something in that Circus that's trying to hurt a lot of people and it's our purpose to save those people. My family's in danger, now. They know where I live and they could kill my granpa or my friend at any time. This has to end today. If we have to destroy the Circus itself…"
"If you try that," Fish Eye spoke from Sarah's right. "Then you'll be swallowed up and obliterated, if Circus even notices what you're trying to do." He spoke with as much fervor as he had when he'd accused Hoggle of murder, but not as much hate. "Circus has more power than you can imagine." He smirked, looking slightly proud. "All that power you felt from Labyrinth? It was out of its element and weak. If you'd encountered it in it's natural territory, then you might never have recovered from the psychic overload. Circus is the same type of being as Labyrinth and you're walking right into Circus' lair where it's got ultimate power. Imagine being locked in a room with a god. If you're lucky, it knows we're coming If not, then you're in for a rough time."
Rei paled and her steps faltered. She might have fallen if Ami hadn't caught her arm and held her until Rei regained her footing. "Please," Ami frowned, disapprovingly, at Fish Eye. "There's no need for that."
"Yes." Sarah agreed. Sarah moved away from Rei and, accordingly, Fish Eye moved with her. When they were a few paces away, she said, quietly, "You didn't have to frightened her. She's worried enough already. They all are." Sarah didn't know if the girls were real soldiers or just girls who'd happened upon magical power. She wouldn't have picked them out as killers, but they looked experienced. Their eyes, even gentle Ami and charming Usagi, were hard and focused on what was to come.
"No." Fish Eye looked up at the looming Circus. "They aren't nearly worried enough. If they knew what they were facing, what force they are threatening so casually, they would run away." He took Sarah's hand. "Don't worry, though. Circus won't hurt us or you. They're the outsiders. They're the ones invading aggressively."
"But they're not trying to really hurt anyone." Sarah liked the girls, despite their strange meeting. "Just stop the fighting and that Zirconia person and Nehelenia. Surely, your Circus won't attack them for that."
Hawk's Eye appeared on Sarah's other side. The two of them always seemed close, afraid to let Sarah get too far away. "It might, it might not. Hard to say. It's been asleep for ages. If it judges this attack as a threat to its Remless', then it won't allow it anymore than Labyrinth would allow its creatures to be killed." He shot the senshi a disgusted look. "They should run away. This isn't their business." He reached up and rubbed the jewel in the center of his forehead with a finger. "They'll 'destroy' Circus? Talk about adding fuel to fire! The last thing we need is Circus to think we're a threat."
"Hawk," Sarah asked. "The real enemies aren't the Circus' people, but Zirconia and Nehelenia, right? Both of them are a heck of a lot stronger than any of us and Jareth hasn't got any power to fight them unless he's in Labyrinth's world." Sarah didn't quite understand that part, either, there was a lot she didn't understand lately. If Jareth didn't have any power to speak of outside of Labyrinth, then how was he going to help? She could feel him inside of herself and when he wanted to make his opinion known, he could speak with her easily enough, but most of the time he stayed silent. "They won't be able to win this, will they?" Sarah, like Hawk's Eye just had, glanced at the senshi. It disturbed her more than she could say that they'd brought the little girl, Chibi-Usa, to take part in the battle. Alright, so the child had been able to transform into the foolish looking magical girl costume and supposedly had magical powers of her own. She was still a child.
"Unthinking cretins." Jareth snarled. "Bringing a child into a war. They should be ashamed."
'They aren't much more than children themselves.' Sarah thought. 'Younger than me and I'm still a minor.'
"True." Jareth agreed. "But they're old enough to know better." Sarah felt a terrible sense of pity from Jareth and it almost knocked her off her feet. She'd never really believed that behind Jareth's haughty, thoughtless behavior he had decent emotions. "Children engaging in war. Innocence shattered, bright futures dimmed. Their hands soaked in blood."
'Stop it!' Sarah snapped. 'You're being macabre.'
"No. All of this is macabre. What evil forces have brought children to bear arms and take lives?"
'I don't know. We can't change it, though, so calm down.' He was right. It was monstrous to have children fighting wars. Weren't there any adults who could do it?
Hawk's Eye had, of course, not heard a word of their conversation and just kept talking. "Just stay near us, we won't let you get hurt. As for our enemies, there are the Amazon Quartet. I believe they're the ones who took your brother. They're very powerful, much more than we are. The biggest danger to us is Zirconia. He's sort of a gruesome looking turtle with a pet winged eyeball." Hawk's Eye swallowed uncomfortably. "He's the one we really have to look out for. And Nehelenia, whoever that is. I've never seen her or heard Zirconia mention her. If she's controlling Zirconia, as king Jareth said, then she must be very powerful. I don't know anything about her, except for what Jareth told us. There are only two places Tiger would have taken Toby and one of them is the safest place in our world. I only hope Tiger remembered. We're here." Hawk's Eye paused when they reached the eerily silent Circus and swallowed hard. "I'm afraid we don't have much of a chance."
"I'm not your Ringmaster." Sarah told him, once again. "You don't have to follow me in." If they died for her sake, Sarah knew she wouldn't be able to live with the guilt. Though she'd only known them for just a couple of hours, and the senshi girls said nothing but bad things about the Amazon Trio, Sarah liked them.
Fish Eye kept his eyes firmly on the Circus tent ahead. "What you are isn't important. We need someone to follow and we've picked you. Forgive us. If we hadn't, your brother never would have come to the attention of the Quartet and he wouldn't have been taken. It was our mistake, let us make repairs."
"Enough talk!" Uranus, Haruka, drew her short but lethal sword. "Let's get this over with. I'm tired of waiting for the enemy to attack first. This is our world."
Usagi nodded and they attacked as one, charging into the main entrance. Good plan or bad, it made no difference. They got what they wanted, a frontal assault. No more waiting games. One way or the other, this would end in just a short while.
The moment they stepped across the threshold of the Circus chaos broke loose. The Circus people, the Remless', came pouring out of the darkness, descending on them in a flood like vultures on a fresh carcass. The only difference was that they were alive and kicking and the senshi were more than willing to prove it. Sarah had to wonder at the fact that only Haruka was armed with her short sword and some of them carried things as if they were weapons. Such as little colored sticks with symbols on one end and Michiru's mirror. It all became clear when the Remless' converged on them and Michiru was able to sweep them out of the way with a wave of her mirror and a shouted phrase that Sarah couldn't quite hear. Michiru wasn't the only one, they were all doing it. Each of the girls would shout something and some kind of magic would happen, but with all the noise of the battle, Sarah couldn't tell what they were saying.
The senshi stayed as close together as possible spread out enough to use their fantastic, magical attacks. They shouted as they rushed into battle, even Rei mustering the strength to follow Usagi's lead. Despite the situation and her own fear and anger, Sarah was amazed by the display of power they showed off. Chains of light and bursts of water along with long rivers of lightening. Rei's fire was dazzling, shooting away from her with intensity that belied her frail state.
Sarah felt lost in the battle as she, Hawk's Eye, and Fish Eye entered the fray behind the senshi, using the battle almost as cover. Hawk's Eye and Fish Eye fairly ignored the Remless' and let the senshi deal with them, but they did seem to be looking for something.
"You should be looking for something, too." Jareth reminded Sarah. "The jewel. If you can find that, you may be in luck."
'Or I might die.' An explosion nearly knocked Sarah off her feet. She had to scrabble to keep up with her two escorts. She'd never been so frightened in all her life. This wasn't like a story or a fairytale, this was real. In real war, the good guys didn't always win and death was permanent.
One of the Remless' raised a hand and its hand changed shape, morphing like it was made of clay instead of flesh. The hand became long and sharp, gleaming in the dim light. The hand, now a short metal shaft, shot away from the Remless' arm and met an unlucky target, Minako. Sarah saw Minako stagger from the impact, her mouth was open in surprised and then twisted with pain before she fell.
"No!" Sarah couldn't hear Minako screaming in pain, but she could imagine it. When several of the Remless' moved in for the kill, the other senshi circled around Minako. While it was good for Minako, it was bad for the battle. That move allowed them to be surrounded which meant it was only a matter of time before they were defeated.
"Keep moving while they're distracted." Hawk's Eye urged Sarah on, darting around stragglers to the battle. No one was even paying attention to them. "We have to go quickly!"
"But…"
"No buts!" Fish Eye pulled Sarah easily. "They might die, but it was their choice to come."
'Toby. Have to find Toby. Get him and get out. Let Jareth take him back to Labyrinth and he'll be alright. Deal with everything else later.'
Hawk's Eye and Fish Eye made a swift path through the attacking Remless', knocking them aside as easily as a child would throw a doll across a room. In reality, Sarah thought it was too easy. The Remless' weren't paying much attention to them at all, concentrating almost entirely on the senshi. It looked like sharks in a feeding frenzy, the way they swarmed over the senshi. Fish Eye and Hawk's Eye each grabbed one of Sarah's arms and pulled her along, hurrying her as fast as they could until Sarah thought her feet would leave the ground. There was a large opening, an arena.
'No.' Sarah realized the further in they got. 'It's the center ring of the Circus. The bleachers where the audience sits.' In the center ring, there was no proper floor that Sarah could see, but a gaping abyss broken by sporadic round platforms. They were so intent on getting there that they didn't see the threat until it was too late.
The first sign of the attack was when Fish Eye let go of Sarah's arm and screamed. There was a bolt of pale blue light, then Fish Eye tumbled backwards once and ended up on his back, a great, black burn spread across half his chest. His odd bubble suit was burned from his right shoulder right down to his waist. His blue hair managed to still look very pretty even when he clutched at his wound in agony and let out a terrible scream.
Hawk's Eye rushed to his friend's side and knelt beside him, all the while holding onto Sarah. Hawk's Eye paled at the injury and Sarah felt his hand around hers go clammy. "Fish, can you stand?"
"I can hardly move." Fish Eye pushed himself up onto one elbow and reached down into his outfit, drawing out several small knives with blades only about two inches long. "Go. It's not far now. You're thinking about arguing to stay with me?" Fish Eye let out a hysterical laugh. "Go!" He pushed Hawk's Eye's chest, shoving him away. "The most important thing we've ever had to do and you'll give up? Go!"
His harsh words sent Hawk's Eye to his feet. "I'll come back, Fish!" Without another word, he picked Sarah up and began running, but only took a few steps before he, too, was taken off his feet. It wasn't a bolt of energy that had done it this time, but a ball that glowed red and struck him on the head. Hawk's Eye jerked and fell forward, dropping Sarah.
When she was able to get to her feet, Sarah saw that Hawk's Eye wasn't getting up, but he was alive. Laying face-down on the ground, Hawk's Eye moaned and tried to push himself up, but he couldn't quite manage it.
"So, you're the one who's got everyone worked up."
Sarah looked up to find several shadowy figure looking at her from the darkness. She knew, without question, that they were talking to her and not Fish Eye or Hawk's Eye. Whoever they were, they were small with elaborate hair or headdresses, Sarah couldn't be sure which it was. Each one held a glowing orb of a different color including the red one that had taken Hawk's Eye down and the ball of pale blue light that had caused the wound that would probably kill Fish Eye.
Fish Eye hissed from where he still lay, propped up on one elbow. He still held his three little knives deftly between his fingers and pulled back his arm to throw.
"It won't work." Jareth commented. "Those one have the power of Nehelenia and she supports them directly." Jareth's voice broke off for a moment. "The priest Helios is here, also. He resides within Chibi-Usa. This wasn't wise. They bring the rabbit right to the fox and expect it not to eat."
Sarah barely heard it. Hawk's Eye's chest was blistered and black. He was awake, but moaning in pain, his legs kicking futilely. He was dying. No one could live through that. He was going to die right in front of her. 'Help me.' Sarah thought, watching Fish Eye's knives sail through the air to the attackers. The knives missed and vanished in the darkness before Fish Eye jerked his hand and the knives came back to his hand, like boomerangs. Sarah looked over her shoulder, but the senshi were in no position to help. Sarah could barely see them through the mass of Remless' who were swiftly overpowering them. 'Do something. Anything! I don't want anyone to die. What do I do?'
"Harden your heart." Jareth advised, his voice remorseless and pitiless. "This is war, you knew that from the beginning. People die in war, it is inevitable. They took my heir, prince of my world. Toby's been gone almost too long. He may be dead, already." The pity Sarah had felt from Jareth earlier was replaced by hate so hot and bright that Sarah thought it might be her own. No. It was Jareth's. Sarah's own primary feeling was terror.
'Do something!'
"Let me have control."
'You haven't got any power outside of Labyrinth!'
"We shall see. Unless Circus wakes, there is nothing to stop me. If Circus does wake, it may be angry enough at all this noise to take control and either way will be to our advantage. If we can not save Toby, then I would have his abductors lives in payment." Jareth's will, the part of Jareth that Sarah could physically feel within herself, pushed forward. "Sarah, don't panic. Toby is depending on us. Let me have control, I promise I'll give your body back." He pushed again and Sarah let herself be shoved to the back of her own mind and she watched though her own eyes.
Fish Eye-
He didn't know what to do. Naturally, he wanted to protect Sarah with his life, but he couldn't do any good for her when they killed him. He knew they would kill him, he was dying, already. Of course, Fish Eye had never died before, but he thought that this must be what dying felt like. The burning pain and numbing fear. His whole body felt heavy. Maybe if Tiger's Eye had been there, they'd have stood a chance, but Fish Eye had heard of these four girls. The Amazon Quartet, Zirconia's favorites. Their power was feared by the Remless' as much as their thoughtlessly cruel play. The sound of battle raged on behind them and Fish Eye thought that if he could just get Sarah back to the entrance, she might be safe, but he had no idea how to do that without putting Sarah in more danger.
The decision was taken out of his hands when Sarah straightened and stood with more arrogance than Fish Eye had seen in her before. There was something about her posture that seemed to scream, 'I'm the best and you all know it.' With one fist on her hip and the other held loosely at her side, Sarah smirked up at the shadowy figures of the Amazon Quartet. "Well," She glanced coolly down at Hawk's Eye and then back at Fish Eye. "That wasn't very hospitable, now was it?"
Fish Eye's eyes widened. "Sarah, you have to get out of here."
"Oh, do be silent." She didn't even look at Fish Eye, but kept smirking up at the Amazon Quartet. "So, you're the ones I've heard of. You're the ones who took the boy."
The boy? Fish Eye frowned. Since when did Sarah refer to her brother as 'the boy'?
"And they think you'll be the new Ringmaster? Hmmm…Can't say you impress me too much. I've heard so many stories about the Remless' famous, dead Ringmaster. I'm shocked they think anyone can replace her, let alone a human." One of the Quartet left her hiding place of shadows and landed on one of the many circular risers in the ring. She was dressed in a red outfit that showed too much skin. Though she was small, her attitude made her seem bigger. No fear at all. No caution. "You don't look like much to me."
Sarah smirked. "What a pity. Come closer, won't you? Maybe you'll see more in me."
The girl looked doubtful, but jumped into the air, flying across the open space to land a few yards in front of Sarah. "Aren't you afraid to die?"
"Why should I be? Your master is so cowardly that he'd send out you puppets instead of facing me himself." Sarah cocked her head to one side. "Should I say mistress? You don't really serve Zirconia, do you? It's Nehelenia's power I feel in you."
Another of the Quartet joined the first one. This one was dressed in green, but in a similarly skimpy outfit. "What do you know?" She held her greenish globe with both hands, but looked slightly less likely to attack than the one in red. "You're human, you can't know about queen Nehelenia." She jerked her head towards Fish Eye. "They can't have told you anything. They don't know, either."
"I know what Pegasus has told me."
"Sarah," Fish Eye grabbed her wrist. "Stop!" Couldn't she understand what danger they were in?
Sarah turned her eyes on Fish Eye and sneered. "Release me." She turned back to the two girls after Fish Eye did as he was commanded, in disbelief. "Pegasus? Bah! Such a romanticized name for that one. He knows what's going on and he warned me." Sarah put a hand to her throat and ran a finger down a chain around her neck that Fish Eye hadn't noticed before. "Call out your mistress. I'll have words with her. Even in this place, I have power enough to teach her respect for her betters. Egotistical charlatan thinks she can replace an avatar and not be challenged?"
That infuriated not only the two girls right in front of them, but also the remaining two. They joined their two friends and launched into an attack.
Fish Eye had no time to react, but Sarah did. She jerked the chain around her neck and a familiar amulet was pulled out from under her shirt. It was Jareth's amulet, his conduit of power. Fish Eye's breath caught when he realized that Sarah wasn't Sarah. He wasn't sure how it had happened, but whoever that was, wasn't Sarah.
Sarah's hand that held the amulet shot out and there was a burst of cool energy emanating from her hand, directed at the Amazon Quartet. They were forced back like leaves in a gale and Sarah - or whoever she was - laughed mockingly, almost cruelly. "Haven't you realized, yet?" Sarah chuckled. "Tools for your masters. You're no better than the Remless' you despise. You're worse off, at least they are valued by their master." King Jareth's amulet was burning Sarah's hand, but she didn't appear to notice. How she couldn't, Fish Eye didn't know. There was smoke rising from Sarah's fingers clenched tightly around the amulet.
The Quartet regrouped to attack again, but Sarah was more than ready for them. She singled out one of the Quartet, the one with pale blue hair, and aimed the amulet at her. The girl fell to her knees and screamed, her hands pressed to the sides of her head. They lost their focus and the other three of the Quartet went to the girl who was in such obvious pain, completely forgetting the battle.
Jareth-
He wanted revenge for the insult done to him. His pride was stung by the theft of Toby and the strange battle Sarah had been drawn into. They were his and these four children had…children.
'They're just children.' For the first time since he'd laid eyes on the four, Jareth looked passed the inadequate costumes, the weapons, and respectable power that the girls possessed. His enemies were nothing but children. 'This can't be. I've raised my hand against children!' Horrified at what he'd done, Jareth lowered his hand and the amulet. The blue haired girl slumped into her friend's arms, unconscious. He just couldn't. Not even for Sarah's sake could Jareth couldn't harm children. They were angry and dangerous, but children all the same. Little girls who should have been playing with dolls and picking flowers.
"Well? Aren't you going to finish it?"
Jareth's eyes slid up to where Zirconia, it had to be Zirconia, stood on a high dais looking down at them with wicked glee. Did he think Jareth would just do as he wished and kill the four little girls.
"Gruesome looking turtle." Sarah's voice whispered. She wasn't used to this mode of communication and Jareth had to be impressed that she could manage it at all. "That's what Hawk's Eye called him."
'No need to insult turtles. Beauty is subjective, but that thing is evil. I wonder why Circus hasn't woken, yet. With my amulet here and all this chaos, it should have woken by now.' When he spoke aloud, Jareth raised his voice enough to speak to Zirconia. "I do not wage war with children. Send them to their nursery and come join me." He held out Sarah's hand and beckoned the commander of this laughable excuse for an army. "I think I would rather play war with you."
"They are soldiers of our queen. They will battle you."
"I object. Join me yourself and prove your worth as a leader." Jareth needed to end this as soon as possible. His strength was escaping him. "Your soldiers are clearly no match and I do enjoy a challenge." Not that Zirconia would be a challenge, either, but it was better than fighting with children. The dishonor of it was more than Jareth could stand. If he didn't kill Zirconia Jareth might have to kill himself to make up for his misdeed. At once, he felt a twinge along Sarah's spine.
"What was that!" Sarah gasped, feeling the sensation.
'That was Labyrinth. It doesn't like what I was just thinking and was giving a warning.'
"I didn't like it either.'
Damn. So, it seemed that in this state Sarah could hear Jareth's thoughts as easily as he could hear hers. 'Please, be silent. I'm trying to concentrate.'
Zirconia wasn't happy with the way this was developing, obviously. He shouted at the three girls that remained conscious. "Kill her!"
The girl in green tried, but Jareth brushed her aside as easily as he had the first time they'd attacked. This time, he focused the amulet's power on the glowing balls they all held and the balls were swept away in a gust of wind, carrying them up to Zirconai's dais where Jareth let them drop with a thud. "You might want to return those to Nehelenia. Not that they'll help her at all, but children shouldn't be allowed to play with dangerous weapons. Wouldn't want them to get hurt."
Now powerless, the girls looked at each other, uncertainly and then up at Zirconia, waiting for instructions. If they were expecting help, they were disappointed. "Can't you get anything right?" A hail energy balls shot out of the sky, forcing Sarah back away from the Amazon Quartet. "I can't even send you to dispose of a simple human without messing things up." He glared at the Quartet with undisguised contempt.
The girl in red jumped to her feet and shouted at Zirconia, "Help Pallapalla! She's," She pointed at Sarah, still grinning madly. "Done something to her!"
"And waste our glorious queen's power?" He didn't spare the screaming Pallapalla a glance. "I think not."
"Queen Nehelenia will be angry with you! We're her most loyal servants." The girl in green didn't move from Pallapalla's side as she yelled at Zirconia, fearlessly. "You can't let a human kill one of us!"
"You're an inconvenience." Zirconia said, almost joyfully. "Queen Nehelenia no longer needs you. She no longer needs this Circus." He jerked his staff towards them and the girl in red was knocked off her feet by another energy blast from it. She flew backwards, but managed to land on her feet. "Our enemies have done us a service and managed to do what you've never been able to do. With all the senshi here, disposing of them will be simple. When they are gone, no one on this planet will be able to oppose glorious Nehelenia. Pegasus will be found as we eradicate every life on this planet, one at a time!"
Fish Eye-
Fish Eye was dying. He could feel the life seeping out of him. Still, he managed to struggle to Hawk's Eye's body and roll him over onto his back. Hawk's Eye looked, if possible, worse than Fish Eye. Half of his lovely face was covered in blood, making his pink, feathery hair was weighted down by his own blood, sticky and drying. Pallapalla's ball had nearly caved in Hawk's Eye's head, leaving it bruised and his eyes bleeding. There was blood everywhere, so much that Fish Eye couldn't believe it all came from one body.
"Hawk?" Fish Eye tried to speak, but his throat hurt. Everything hurt. "You…still with me?"
There was no answer, but one of Hawk's Eye's eyes flickered open and focused on Fish Eye. He knew he was dying. Hawk's Eye reached out and took Fish Eye's hand, though he move slow and jerkily. When their hands clasped, Hawk's Eye closed his eye again and fell still.
"Don't go to sleep. Wake up." Fish Eye begged. It hurt to breathe, like there was fire in his lungs. Around the edges of his vision, darkness crept in. The sounds of the battle and fear of Zirconia faded. "Hawk? Tiger needs us. You can't sleep now." Fish Eye couldn't hold himself up anymore and slumped down next to Hawk's Eye. He didn't want to die. It wasn't supposed to end like this. He was so tired and a little rest would be nice. "Hawk, your hand's cold. I can feel it right through your glove." The burning in his chest was fading, thankfully. Instead, his chest felt numb and the numbness spread all along his right side. After a moment, he couldn't feel his left leg, either. If he could just see Tiger's Eye before…"Where are you?" Fish Eye lay his head down and consciousness left him, his hand and Hawk's Eye's still clasped together.
Helios-
He watched the battle through Chibi-Usa's eyes. He watched Venus fall, wounded, and he watched the other senshi cluster around her protectively. It was a worthy move to shelter their friend, but he could see where Jareth would see it as a failure, strategically. They left themselves too vulnerable to their enemies. Even with all their power, the senshi couldn't hope to fight at their full strength while guarding Venus, who couldn't even stand, and Mars, who could barely think straight with all the stress the Circus was putting on her mind as well as the trauma of coming face to face with the personification of Labyrinth.
They would die, despite their courage and efforts.
"My friend, will you forgive my deception?"
Chibi-Usa didn't answer, but kept blasting away at the Remless' with her little wand, using all her power and doing very little damage to the Remless'. Pegasus heard her thoughts, though Chibi-Usa didn't know he could do that. She was starting to realize that she would die in a few moments. She was terrified, but wouldn't back down. Perhaps Jareth's contempt for him was justified.
"If I could have found another way, I would have, my friend." Helios told her. He knew she would hear him, even if she wouldn't answer. "I'm afraid there isn't any time left and I haven't thought of a peaceful way out. I didn't want this."
Jareth inhabited Sarah, that much was clear by her sudden personality change and the amulet. If it was Sarah who'd tried to use the amulet, Labyrinth would have fed enough power through it to kill her. It was the prerogative of Labyrinth to judge who used its symbol, just as Circus determined who was allowed to touch its jewel. It was the same as the golden crystal and…of course. Such a simple solution.
"I'm a fool, my friend." Helios surged forward, pressing against Chibi-Usa's mind. Her concentration on the battle faltered and Helios was thankful her friends were looking out for her or she might have been killed then. "Let me out. I can stop this. Let me out and tell your friends to retreat. I can end this all!" Why hadn't he thought of it sooner? He burst though the walls of her mind, leaving Chibi-Usa momentarily disoriented, but letting Helios free. Now all he needed was the good grace of Circus and he could put an end to Nehelenia's mad ambitions.
No one saw Helios when he left Chibi-Usa and that was as he'd intended.
Sarah, or rather, Jareth, raised a sardonic eyebrow when she faced Zirconia again. "Really. Threatening a child? My, aren't you the brave warrior?" Jareth kept talking and Helios knew the Labyrinth's king was growing low on power. He was trying to goad Zirconia into action. "Pegasus has told me about you and your mistress, Nehelenia. Does Nehelenia know what Pegaus is? Did she tell you that others would oppose her or did she even know? I'll bet she didn't know. Let me take a guess. Your queen wants the power of the golden crystal for her own petty reason. I really don't care what the reasons are. She somehow learned of Priest Helios' great power and decided a priest would be easy enough to overcome. I'll bet she was surprised. Nehelenia doesn't even know what the golden crystal is, does she?" Sarah's fingers tightened around the amulet until her fingers turned white and Helios could hear the hiss of burning flesh. Labyrinth must be allowing Sarah's body to use the amulet, but she wasn't part of Labyrinth and, therefore, the amulet reacted badly with her. Sarah held up the amulet for Zirconia to see. "Here's another treasure for your queen. Think you can take it?"
"I have no time for your babbling…" Zirconia raised his staff and another hail of energy balls flew down at Sarah.
To be continued…
