Disclaimer: Would I really be writing "fanfiction" if I owned the characters?
Last Time:
Sarah laughed and wrapped her arms around the neon-haired girl. "I missed you Rica."
"And I missed you too-OH DEAR LORD! Let go of me you bug infested little girl!"
"I didn't even touch the bug with my bare hands!"
"Ew! Ew! Ew!"
"Clarica! You used to be a servant, damn it! A little bug shouldn't bother you!"
"That wasn't a little bug, Sarah! That was huge bug!"
"Ira was not a huge bug!"
"It was a huge bug! And it's called an iracundia!"
"Ira the bug. Whateve."
"Iracundia!"
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Chapter 30 (May 4th)
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Having terrorized the cook, Mira, Evie and Carmen once more, Clarica and Sarah parted ways, the neon haired girl heading back home with Honou and Sarah heading to her room to take a breather from all the excitement.
"Sarah!" Jason waved as he hurried to catch up with her. "Hey! So are you over your Nosocomephobia?"
"Noso-whatta?"
"Fear of hospitals."
"Oh. Yes. For now." She twisted her fingers nervously. "I, uh… I'm sorry for freaking out on you."
"Pshhh." He waved a hand. "No worries. If we'd have known, I woulda commandeered Kara to help me kidnap you from Sakura's evil grasp." Sarah laughed and he swung an arm around her shoulders. "Besides, it's completely understandable to fear hospitals. They are creepy and all whiteness. Yucky."
"Yeah. They're not fun."
"I'd suppose not. I mean, every time I know of you being in the hospital, someone's died or-" He choked softly and she paused, trying to figure out what he was freaking out over as her mind went over the conversation. Like a flash, her mind pinpointed on what he must know to make such an assumption and she felt a spark of anger.
"You-" She bit her tongue to keep from lashing out. "How. Do. You. Know."
He winced and pulled away, hands up in surrender. "I… Jareth told us-"
"Us?" she shrieked angrily. "How many people know?"
"Alan and me! That's it! I swear!" She spun on heel, storming off. Jason hurried after her, trying to keep up with her pace. "He wasn't going to tell us but we were so worried and you would never ever tell us anything and we were just trying to figure out how to help you so it wouldn't happen again and – dear goddess Sarah – why don't you trust us?"
She froze and turned to look at him. He'd stopped a few feet behind her looking hurt.
"Don't you know how much we all love you? If we lost you now…" He looked down. "The fact that you couldn't trust us enough to tell us how afraid you were, how much it affected you – it hurts, Sarah. You try your damnedest to help all of us." He laughed weakly. "Jareth is now on speaking terms with his father. Kira is closer to her family than ever before. I can't even begin to tell you the strides you've made upon the Musketeers. Kara actually talks to me! Toroku trusts you with his, and more importantly, Samra's life.
"Washi and Taka trust you with the kids I didn't even know they had until after you found out. Ikkakujuu let you meet her lady and Eden. Cleo and Anor now talk to us and Ambitio isn't trying to instigate battles between the herd and the goblins. Valdis isn't ready to rip out everyone's hearts and feed them to the victim. Haimon actually cares about other people. Daederath talks to people other than Jareth."
He laughed almost hysterically. "I actually have someone I can trust that isn't Jareth!"
She looked surprised.
"Oh. Yeah, I don't know if you knew that. Sure I love Kara, I'd do anything for Kira and Alan – hell, anything for Toroku, but I won't talk to anyone else about my problems. I don't trust anyone else except Jareth and you." He walked up so that he stood right in front of her.
"We all joke that Jareth is everywhere. He's everyone's advisor, someone they trust implicitly. We all figured that with so many secrets, he'd explode one day and kill himself or someone else. Then you came along. Jareth might seem like he has a lot to do but before he never had time to relax. It was rare he got to see Kira and his nieces and nephew. It was rare that Hotaru and Glory came to visit. Hell, we never even saw Valdis except for their report once a year, and even then it was only for a few minutes."
He reached up and grabbed her arms. "What I'm trying to say is that ever since you got down here, you've changed everyone. You've given them all someone to trust, someone to believe in, yet… you can't even trust us to take care of you. Why? Why can't you just trust us to rescue you from your own demons?"
She blinked back tears and looked at the ground. "Because… because before I got here I was all alone. Because I had to trust in myself. Because the only people I had to take care of me were… were a dog and a horse and a woman I bought hot chocolate from every day!" She looked up. "You don't understand! For years all I had to comfort me was the fact that I was alive. I was alive and my family wasn't. My little brother wasn't! He jumped in front of me and-" She choked, putting her hands over her face. "Why couldn't it have been me?"
He wrapped her in a hug and let her cry.
Once the sobs died down, he pulled away and wiped at her cheeks. "Will you trust me now?"
She frowned at him through watery eyes. "Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"Okay. A bit. But it's going to take some time to-" she laughed weakly. "To trust people? I'm used to silent animal therapy, not reactive human ones."
"Ah. But that's the difference." Jason held up a finger and winked. "For I am fae, not human."
A smirk grew over her face. "All fae?" He froze. "I heard you were half elf."
"Where did you hear that from?"
"Trella… and Ryoko. Besides, if Ryoko and Meta are half elf-half wolf and Trella is all fae, and you are cousin to both, then you'd have to be part fae and part elf or wolf. You're obviously not wolf, therefore, elf."
He shifted uncomfortably for a moment then sighed. "You blackmailed Ryoko into telling you my family history didn't you?"
Laughing, she cocked her hip to the side and crossed her arms. "I was actually trying to get blackmail on you and Ryoko gave that tidbit up." She waved a hand. "He thought it was good blackmail. I said it was stupid blackmail and he needed to give me something better."
"Sarah… the world isn't so… fond on half-and-half's."
"Bah. The world can grow up and look around. Just today my friend was attacked by an ancient beast. If the world is worried about blood lines, I'd say they need to set their priorities straight."
Jason sighed. "You see? You are someone to trust down here. Ryoko would never have told you that unless he trusted you. He knows what that information can do to someone's reputation. He obviously trusted you enough to gauge your reaction with the knowledge."
"Indeed. Well then, I shall use this trust you all have of me to find fantastic blackmail on everyone."
"You do that," he remarked dryly. "But promise you'll come see me when you've got problems?"
"Yeah, yeah. You hafta get in line behind Jareth though." She scowled. "He made me promise first."
"Of course." He wrapped his arm around her neck again, dragging her into a one-armed hug as they walked down the hall.
"So Monsieur Jason-"
"Ooo. French. I like."
"Oh yeah? Do you speak it?"
"Not much but Kara does so I got her to tell me how to say I love her."
"Yeah? Let's hear it."
"J'adore les lamas."
Sarah snorted, lifting a hand to cover her mouth, ignoring the look of confusion on Jason's face. "Oh. That's… that's great. I love Kara too. So much. You have no idea how much I love her at this very moment."
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Deciding three hours of paperwork was enough, Jareth decided to go find his favorite brunette. Jason had told him to check the garden because Sarah had wanted some peace and quiet but that had been before lunch so she might not still be there. Jareth turned the corner to the center of the hedge garden and paused. Sarah was seated on one of the stone benches in a secretive area of the hedge garden, flowers all around her and flower fairies fluttering about her, several holding up a rosy red rose to her. She smiled and put it behind her ear, finger gently running over the fairy's head. He pasted the scene in his mind before recalling he needed to disrupt it.
As he walked towards her, the fairies spotted him first and flew into the air, scattering like flower petals. She let out a soft noise of distress before noticing him. Her lips pulled into a bright smile and she held her arms out for a hug. She pulled back after a quiet moment of hugging and kissed his cheek.
He blinked and cocked his head. "What was that for?"
She shrugged. "I'm in a good mood." She patted the bench beside her and he sat, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "So tell me, young master Goblin King, how goes your day?"
"Much better now that I've found you."
"You certainly know how to flatter, don't you?"
"Indeed." He smiled at her. "But it's true."
She blushed but smiled back, hugging him tightly. "And I am ecstatic that you've come to visit me." She pouted. "I got tired on my walk here and don't feel like walking back but I've begun to get bored staring at hedges for an hour or two." He chuckled and held out an arm, Sarah sliding her hand into the crook of his elbow.
"How'd you know where to find me?" she asked, brushing her fingers against the hedge.
"Jason told me. He said he-"
She suddenly stopped moving, the sudden jerk made him stumbled and he turned around in confusion. Her face had turned from calm to furious. "You."
He lifted an eyebrow. "Me?"
"You told Jason and Alan!"
"I'm sorry?"
"You told them about… about Toby!"
"How did you find out about that?"
"WHAT?" He flinched. "How did find out about that? How about 'I'm sorry Sarah, for telling everyone that your brother died'?'"
"I'm sorry, Sarah, for telling Alan and Jason that the reason you were freaking out and scaring everyone was because you were suffering from the terrible death of your younger brother."
She snarled and fisted a hand, swinging. He caught her wrist just as her knuckles brushed his cheek and turned his face towards the right. They didn't move for a moment, both staring at each other.
Finally, Jareth sighed and released her wrist. "Swing again. I won't block it this time."
She tore her hand away as though it were burned. "You think I want to hit you?"
"Obviously," he remarked dryly.
Letting out a screech of fury, she spun on her heel and stormed off. Jareth frowned and hurried after her. "Sarah. Come back here-"
"No, Goblin King!" she snapped over her shoulder. As she turned the corner, a woman let out a yelp of surprise. Jareth caught up and found Kira looking surprised.
"Sarah?" she called.
"Sarah!" Jareth shouted.
"GO AWAY GOBLIN KING!"
"What's wrong with Sarah?" Kira asked.
Before Jareth could answer, Sarah spun around. "Don't you dare!" she screamed. "You're not allowed to speak about me anymore! Understand!" He scowled but she didn't stay to argue, running away.
"Sarah!" Kira called. "Come back!" When the brunette vanished around the edge of the gardens, Kira turned to Jareth. "What the hell was that about?"
He sighed and shook his head. "I'm not allowed to talk about her anymore, remember?"
"Jareth."
"I told Alan and Jason personal business about her when she freaked – and made them promise not to tell anyone so don't bother – and Sarah just found out and she's pissed."
"Why'd you tell them?"
"Because I felt they needed to know. I also didn't want them questioning her about it and further upsetting her."
Kira sighed softly and wrapped her arms around him. "You're gonna be in the doghouse for a few days."
"Yippee."
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"Lady Cleopatra?" Turning from her letter, Cleo found Fawn standing there. When he realized she was looking at him, he stood at attention. "Y-you have a guest!"
She lifted an eyebrow. "And who is that?"
"Umm…"
"Oh, just move."
Cleo rolled her eyes as her favorite human-turned-fae pushed her way into the tent. "Sarah. Be nice to Fawn."
Sarah scowled at her then turned and said sarcastically, "I'm sorry Fawn."
Cleo's eyebrows rose. "Sarah? Are you alright?"
"M'fine."
"Fawn." The centaur stood straight again. "Could you give us some privacy? No visitors unless it's an emergency." He nodded sharply and drew the curtain. "Sarah…"
Sarah's eyes flickered to her then away. "Sorry. Jareth and I got into an argument."
"Was this a good argument or just a normal one?"
"Pretty good. I almost punched him but his damn reflexes got in the way."
Cleo chuckled. "What happened?"
Giving a soft shrug, she collapsed into a chair nearby. "Hey, why do you have a chair in your tent if you're a centaur?"
Lifting an eyebrow, Cleo sent her a look that clearly said 'I know what you're doing and it's not working but I'll humor you nonetheless.' "Because sometimes two-leggers visit us mere centaurs and we like to provide them somewhere to rest."
"Ah."
"Sarah."
"He told Alan and Jason something I wanted to keep secret."
"That doesn't sound like Jareth."
"Well, I was freaking out and they were worried."
"Freaking out?" Cleo lifted an eyebrow. "Freaking out over what?"
"I've… a fear of hospitals and I'd been in one for some time before the fear got too strong so I freaked and unfortunately they were in the room when it happened."
"Ahhh."
"So Jareth told them why I was scared of hospitals and it included information I didn't want relayed to everyone – information he knew I didn't want people to know so…"
"Sarah. Did you ever think that maybe he told them so they wouldn't be worried about you? So that maybe they wouldn't badger you about what went wrong? Or why you freaked?"
Sarah sighed heavily. "Yeah… I'll apologize later. I just wanted to be mad at him so he'd remember next time not to tell people."
"Gotcha." Cleo stretched. "So can I offer you a walk about?"
"That sounds amazing actually." As she stood, she winced.
"You alright?"
"Yeah. I just ran all the way here so my sleepy muscles are sore."
Cleo smiled sadly. "It's weird to think the battle was only a few days ago…"
"I know." Sarah held open the curtain so Cleo could walk out. The centaur princess exchanged a few words with her guard before leading Sarah through the campsite. Sarah grunted as she limped along. "How's… Elena?"
Cleo sighed and rubbed her forehead. "She fine. She's just-" She paused, staring at the centaur who'd just stepped in front of them.
He smiled warmly at Sarah. "Hello young lady. It's a pleasure to know you're alright."
Sarah grinned widely. "It's Sarah, good sir, and I do thank you for saving my life several times."
He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "It was nothing. Your Goblin King was very adamant about it, however, as it now appears he is in my debt."
Sarah smiled faintly. "That's Jareth. Very protective."
"I would be overly protective of such a pretty mortal too."
She blushed at the flattery. "Do you have a name?"
"My name is Rangi." He shifted uneasily. "I do have a favor to ask, do you know where I can find-"
Cleo grabbed his arm. "What's your name?"
He blinked. "Rangi…"
She inhaled sharply, nearly choking on her air. "I thought you looked familiar. Sarah? Can you ride or are you in too much pain?"
"I could manage… why-eep!" She was suddenly on Cleo's back and Cleo was tugging Rangi after her.
"What's wrong?" Rangi asked, startled.
"I knew you looked familiar," Cleo muttered. "I just couldn't place it." She dragged him towards a tree at the other end of the field then paused once they were within sight. "Stay," she ordered Rangi and walked towards the tree where Elena and Cleo stood.
Elena turned quickly and spotted Sarah first. "Sarah!" she cried and hurried over. "We heard you got hurt!" She hugged the brunette tightly. "I was sooooo worried!"
"Don't worry! I'm fine! How's your shoulder?"
"Better." She lifted a hand to rub at it. "Just needs some exercise and it'll be back to normal."
Anor walked over and crossed his arms. "I thought you were supposed to-" His eyes widened, spotting their visitor.
"Horus?" Rangi whispered.
"Dad?"
Two things happened at once; Elena's head whiplashed around to stare at Rangi and Sarah let out a whoop. "I knew I recognized him from somewhere!" she chirped. Cleo rolled her eyes, wrapped a hand around the brunette's mouth and trotted around the tree to stay out of the way, Sarah fighting the entire time.
"Papa?" Elena asked, eyes brimming with tears.
"Alcarinque, my night star," he whispered and held out his arms. She raced for him and hugged him tightly. He looked at Anor. "Horus, my day star. I told you we'd meet again."
Anor walked over slowly, just staring before Elena pulled him into a tight hug, all three hugging each other, only two crying heavily, the last just looking stunned. Cleo and Sarah pulled their heads back, averting their eyes from the scene. A few minutes later, the three walked into the forest to talk in private and Sarah frowned.
"What was that?"
"Remember when I told you Anor was part of a bargain between tribes?" Sarah nodded. "So was his sister… Elena told me her mother died when she was three, just three years before they both were sent to another herd. They went through quite a few herds in the ten years before we got them. They've been with my herd for nearly forty years."
Sarah nodded slowly. "… and?"
"Sarah? What's forty plus ten?"
"Fifty."
At Sarah's still confused look, Cleo frowned. "Sarah… you aren't allowed to go back to your herd." Sarah stared at her, wheels turning but nothing happening. "They haven't seen their father in fifty years…"
"Oh… Oh! My god…"
Cleo rolled her eyes. "Now she gets it."
"Shuddup." She slid off Cleo's back and her legs collapsed under her.
"Sarah?" Cleo asked in concern.
"M'fine." She smacked her leg. "I'm sick of feeling tired."
"Maybe you shouldn't use all of your energy then," Cleo said sarcastically. Looking up, she spotted Astald grazing twenty feet away. She let out a sharp whinny and his head lifted sharply, focused on them, then he quickly trotted over. "Good day Astald."
"Good day, Lady Cleopatra."
"I wonder if you'd do the honors of bringing Sarah back to the castle for me? It wouldn't look good for me to carry her back through all the centaurs."
"Of course, Lady."
"Thank you." She bent to help Sarah onto Astald's back. "Sarah. I order you to go inside and rest."
"Oh don't give me that crap," Sarah scowled. "You may be princess but I'm not one of your subjects."
Cleo stuck her tongue out. "Astald. Just make sure she gets to the castle."
"Yes, Lady." Cleo smiled at him, sent Sarah a look then headed back towards the tent.
Sarah sighed irritably. "Well Turtle, shall we take a walkabout back to the castle?"
"Yes, Lady Sarah."
"Don't call me that." He snorted but began walking back towards the castle. They'd made it across the field before something occurred to her. "Hey Turtle?"
"Yes, Lady Sarah?"
"Stop calling me Lady. How's Carmen?"
"He's doing better. The stable healers fixed his ears and head from the wounds he received and he's been sleeping ever since. They say he just needs a day of rest and he'll be fine."
"That's good… Hey, I have a favor to ask of you."
"Anything."
"I just want to see how fast you can run. Please?"
"Where to, Lady Sarah?"
"Don't call me Lady. Let's just head for the hill overlooking the pond. I don't want to get in the way of anyone going in or out of the castle." He nodded and began trotting. "Come on Turtle! Can't you go any faster?"
"Are you sure? I wasn't allowed to go fast at my last home."
"As fast as you can."
He stopped then shifted slightly taking one step back and rearing up before bursting forward. Sarah gasped, grabbing a hold of his mane before she could fall. He was faster than Carmen! The ground was racing by in such a blur it almost hurt to concentrate. She looked up and found the pond only a few meters away. She braced herself for a skidding stop but he stopped smoothly beside the tree. He shifted and turned to look back at her.
"Was that all right Lady Sarah?" She just stared, shell shocked. "Lady Sarah?"
"OH MY GOD!"
He jumped slightly, but that was enough to make her fall off. He whinnied in surprise. "Lady Sarah? Are you all right?"
She leapt to her feet, grabbing the sides of his head. "Oh my god! Where'd you learn to run like that? Why didn't you tell me you could run like that?" He merely stared at her. "JARETH!"
The blond fae appeared beside her in a heartbeat. "Sarah? What's wrong?"
"Watch this! Turtle! Race to the fence and back!"
Astald took a step back and glanced at Jareth who raised an eyebrow then nodded. He turned and raced to the fence then back only to find Jareth's eyes wide, mouth parted in surprise, Sarah grinning widely. "You see? You see? He's like the wind! Turtle! You're amazing!"
Astald looked between them in shock. "Uh… I…"
"Whenever we have races, I automatically call you," Sarah informed him cheerfully then turned to Jareth, opening her mouth to exclaim how she'd always win when her mind chose to sharply remind her of her fury at him. Immediately her happiness was gone and she scowled. "Jareth." Astald, realizing this were about to get nasty, quickly trotted quite a few feet away, just within hearing distance if they called for him but not close enough to overhear their argument.
Jareth sighed. "You just remembered, huh?"
"Yes." She set her jaw and crossed her arms. "Jareth… I-"
"I'm sorry." Her eyes widened and her face went slack in shock. "I'm sorry I told them, really, I am. I'm not sorry that by telling them I kept them from further questioning you and causing you mental distress. But I am sorry I told them without your permission."
She blinked a few times before sighing. "I'm sorry I got so defensive. I shouldn't have gotten so angry."
"You had all rights to get as furious as you wanted."
She stomped a foot lightly. "Why do you have to be so amazing about this?"
His lips curled. "Because this time I was in the wrong and I wanted to prove that I was sorry."
She punched his arm. "You're a jerk…" Hesitantly, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist. He instantly wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry."
"Me too."
She pushed her face into his shirt. "Have you noticed our arguments get shorter and shorter?" He hummed his agreement. "Wanna go out to eat aboveground tonight?"
"I can't, Sarah, I'm sorry."
"It's okay." She pulled away. "You're still mad-"
"No! Nonono. It's…" He motioned towards the battlefield. "With them so close to home, I fear leaving, even for a few hours."
"Ohhh." Her lips curled. "Well, do you want to have dinner with me tonight then?"
"Of course. Where?"
"Esher room? For old times' sake."
"Sure." He kissed her. "It's a date."
"Good." She held out her arms. "Now bring me back to my room so I can take a nap. My legs hurt."
He rolled his eyes and picked her up. "You shouldn't have walked around so much."
"Bah. I was getting bored." The field vanished, her room reappearing.
"Well, I understand that. You and boredom don't get along well."
"Exactly!" He dropped her onto her bed and she waved a hand. "Not here!" She pointed to the chaise lounging in the sunlight of her balcony. "There!"
Rolling his eyes, he picked her back up and walked over, gently setting her down. "Anything else your highness?"
"A glass of water?" He held it out. "That's all." She waved a hand at him. "You may go."
He chuckled and bent, kissing her again. "I'll see you for dinner."
"Six-thirty?"
"Make it seven. That gives you… two and half hours to rest."
"Yes, mother."
He ruffled her hair. "Sleep tight darling."
"Mmm." She shut her eyes, soaking in the sun.
Jareth glanced back at the door. "Thank you for accepting my apology."
"Thank you for accepting mine."
He smiled. "See you in a few hours."
"Jareth?"
"Yeah."
She looked over, wincing. "Uh… I may have been a bit reckless while on my rampage so I apologize in advance."
"… apologize for what?"
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"And so Kara said that she wouldn't go out with me and I cried – I CRIED!"
Jareth rubbed his forehead. "Jason. We already apologized to each other. You don't need to make me miserable."
"I know. So then she got all embarrassed and yelled at me! WHY WOULD SHE DO THAT? I love her so! J'adore les lamas!"
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To all Heal Me, Hurt Me Readers and Reviewers,
So I thought it was almost done but then it wasn't so I started writing and writing and then it was almost double what it was! Aren't you guys so lucky?
Okay so I know it seems like this chapter is just a repeat of Sarah's freak out… last chapter? ... some time ago but she's still getting over the freak out so all the memories are fresh in her mind so it's justified… or something. I dunno. I just wanted her to freak out again and have some Sarah / Jason bonding time.
And I know, I know, the Astald thing is random but it'll be important later on.
Also, Jason is not saying "I love Kara." He's saying "I love llamas" because Kara doesn't want to hear that he loves her in more than one language and because Kara's wicked cool by pulling pranks that people don't get until other people start laughing at them.
This chapter is dedicated to Dark Angel Millenia who sent me the GREATEST jokes ever hahaha.
Where does a king put his armies?
A: In his sleevies!
AND
What kind of berries do Ghosts like?
BOO-BERRIES!
Omg. I love you so much.
Kadasa Mori
P.s. SHAMELESS ADVERTISING! Check out "Behind the Scenes" because I just posted another chapter! This one is Anor :)
Next Chapter Preview: Chapter 31 (really 81)
After watching Sarah's horrible practice, the family retired to the library once more, this time joined by Evie and Ryuu who'd stopped by to let Ashley and Mira play together. Jason had suddenly appeared and startled Kira and Kara when he'd leapt up from behind the couch and grabbed them in a hug. He was quickly beaten with pillows and forced to sit in the corner.
Jareth had just sunk into a state of comfortable oblivion when a scream suddenly pierced the quiet.
"Was that Sarah?" Kira asked quickly, Jareth leaping to his feet. Before anyone could do anything further, the brunette was running into the room screaming something incoherently.
"Sarah!" Jareth shouted, grabbing her arms. "Calm down! What's wrong?"
"IT'S A HORECRUX!" They all blinked in confusion. She grabbed his arms. "EVIE GAVE ME A HORECRUX FOR CHRISTMAS!"