The Labrynth's King
Two: Begin
Kakashi couldn’t see a door. . . or a hole. . . or any device that would allow him to enter the labrynth. He had tried to climbed over the wall, which was not that tall, however he seemed to go no where. It was as if the wall had been like a treadmill or something. And after trying to jump the wall, he figured out why. Once Kakashi was up in the air, ready to land on the other side, the wall shifted to block his fall, leaving the Jounin with a very sore rear end.
“Take THAT you stupid faerie!!” an all too familiar voice shouted. Kakashi blinked, not believing what he had heard.
“Naruto??” he asked, almost in a whisper. Kakashi jumped to his feet and ran in the direction he had heard the fox. Unfortunately, Naruto wasn’t exactly. . . well, Naruto.
“Evil faerie!” the midget said, shooting some type of repellant toward a flying object, which looked perfectly innocent.
“What are you doing?” Kakashi asked, watching as the little, glowing fairy flew around, trying to avoid Naruto’s spray.
“Faeries are such pests!!” he said, finally killing the one that was teasing him. “AH! Another one already!!!!!” the boy shouted, eyeing one that was resting on a white flower. Kakashi looked over to the next victim and his eyes widened in fear.
“Naruto, wait!!! Don’t!!!” he shouted, scooping up the small creature before Naruto could kill it.
“What’re you doing?!?”
“It’s Hinata.” he said, opening his hand to find a very small, very frightened Hinata-fairy. After that, Hinata bit Kakashi hard, drawing blood from his thumb. “GAh!!”
“What?”
“She BIT me!”
“What’d you expect? She’s a faerie.”
“You say ‘fairy’ strangely.”
“It’s just a different spelling. I like to say it differently.” the boy said. “What’dya want a faerie for?”
“She’s a friend. . . er, something I’m suppose to collect.” he said, not sure how to really place Hinata, whom he was still holding onto despite the bites that were continuing to mark his hand. “Anyway, how do you enter the labrynth?”
“Enter it? Why do you want to enter it? You’ll just get yourself lost.”
“I have to get to the City.”
“Oh, well there’s other ways of doing that, silly!” Naruto said.
“Er, yes, but I have to gather other people and things along the way.”
“Jareth set you up for it?” the boy inquired. Kakashi blinked, then nodded. “Oh, well, I’d just turn back around if I were you. He’ll just screw up his deal.”
“I can’t do that.” the Jounin stated, quite serious. Naruto looked at him, then sighed.
“Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Naruto then opened the wall behind him, revealing another wall. Kakashi stuffed the Hinata-fairy into his thigh-pouch, and entered the maze. (I don’t know what that pouch is called. . . bare with me here ). “Hey, what’s your name?”
“Er,” the Jounin began, partly confused why Naruto didn’t know his name. Then again, Jareth HAD messed up everyone with his stupid spell. . . “It’s Kakashi.”
“Huh, my name’s Hoggle.”
“Huggle?”
“HOG-gle!!”
“Sorry.” Kakashi said, looking right, then left down the labrynth. It seemed that he only had two choices, and another opening into the maze was not going to be very close.
“You called me something else earlier.” ‘Hoggle’ said. “Na-something or other.”
“Naruto.”
“Yeah! That’s the one!” Naruto said. “Why’dya call me that? It’s not even CLOSE to Hoggle!”
“Because. . . I thought you were Naruto.” Kakashi said, still deciding which way to go. The silver haired man put a hand to his chin and thought about this logically. As he had read in the book, Sarah had gone right. . . then ran into that worm thing, and found a short cut to the castle. “No, I can’t do that.” he muttered.
“Can’t do what?”
“Can’t take a short cut to the castle.”
“Why do you want to go there?”
“Jareth has something precious of mine.” ‘Several things, actually.’ Kakashi thought.
“Oh, is that what this is all about? You want it back?”
“Yes, and I have to collect some of the people in this labrynth.” the man said. “Actually, could you come with me? It would make my journey easier.”
“Why do you want ME to come with you??” he asked, stepping back a little.
“You’re one of the people I’m suppose to collect.”
“O-o-oh. . .” Naruto stuttered, looking around for a quick exit.
“Please? It would really help.” Kakashi could NOT believe he was being so pleading and gentle with this Hoggle-Naruto creature. If this were real, Kakashi would have just picked him up and carried him along with, but he supposed this was slowly coaxing Naruto into agreeing to come along with. A willful Naruto was a lot easier to deal with than a protesting one.
“Uh. . . okay, but I want something!”
“Huh?”
“Something in return for helping you!!” Naruto shouted, glaring. The boy’s gaze then turned down to Kakashi’s hand. “Like that ring. . .”
“Not the ring.” Kakashi snapped. Iruka had given it to him for their one-year anniversary of getting together. That was going to be the absolute last thing he’d every give up. “How about this?” he asked, pulling out a kunai.
“What IS is?” Naruto asked, wearily looking at the sharp metal. “Is it a knife?”
“Er, sure.” the man said, handing the dulled blade to Naruto.
“It’s. . . not jewelry. . .”
“No, but it can save your life.” The Hoggle-Naruto took the blade in his hands and, for a brief moment, felt a kind of power rush through his system. For that moment, something strange disappeared from Naruto’s eyes, and the bright determination that Kakashi was so used to seeing took its place. For a moment, it was almost as if the Naruto Kakashi knew was standing there holding a kunai for the first time. “N-naruto?”
Then, the familiar light suddenly vanished as the boy snapped.
“My name’s Hoggle!!”
“Sorry,” the Jounin said. “Is that payment enough?”
“For now.” the boy said, putting the weapon away carefully into his bag. “So, what do you need to look for?”
“People.”
“Very specific.” Naruto droned sarcastically. “Who?”
“I don’t know, exactly.” Kakashi admitted. “I don’t know who has been taken. . .”
“You’ll know them when you see them, huh?” Naruto asked. “I can’t guarantee anything, you know.”
“I know. . . I just need you to come with me, that’s all.” The boy rolled his eyes.
“That faerie too?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, if you insist.” Naruto said, shrugging. “We’ll I’d go left if I were you. It’s shorter.”
“No, I have to go the long way.”
“Are you crazy?! You’ll NEVER make it to the center!”
“I have to find everyone!” Kakashi shouted. “The longer route will most assuredly have more people waiting! I can get to them without fear of leaving anyone behind!”
“Okay! Okay! Sheesh!” the goblin said. “Then go right.”
“From there?”
“It’s a long way! Don’t ask me stupid questions!!” Naruto snapped. Kakashi sweat dropped. He was glad that he dealt with the hyperactive Naruto rather than this ‘Hoggle’ one. “Just keep going until you find the worm.”
“Hold up! You’re coming with me, aren’t you?!”
“Not anymore. . .” and in a blink of an eye, the boy had disappeared. Kakashi swore loudly and kicked the wall next to him. He should have tied him down and dragged Naruto with him!!
“Whatever. I can figure this out. . . and I have time to find Naruto later.”
The only real problem without a guide was that Kakashi didn’t know where to stop. Though he had almost no clue how long it had been since he started, he was sure that time was slowly running short. If something didn’t pop out and BITE him soon he’d. . .
That’s when it hit him.
The Jounin took out a spare cloth bandage and the Hinata-fairy he had stuffed in his pouch. Quickly, Kakashi bound the fairy’s arms and let Hinata frantically fly in random directions while holding onto the other end of the bandage.
“Lemme go!!” the fairy squeaked.
“Help me with something first.” Kakashi said.
“What?!” Hinata demanded, getting quite annoyed.
“The worm. . . where is he?”
“That one with the bad accent? He’s right THERE!!” she yelled, looking at the small hole in the wall. Kakashi squatted down, still holding Hinata captive, and peered inside. There sat a purplish, fat worm by a small fire and seemingly crying with a hankie on its face.
“Hello?” Kakashi called, attempting to get directions from it.
“’Allo?” the worm said, sniffling and looking out. “’ho is it?”
“I’m here to ask for directions.” The worm sniffled.
“Oh, well, com’on in then.”
“I’m sorry. I’m afraid I can’t.”
“Oh.” the worm stated, realizing that Kakashi was far to big to come into his small home. Slowly, the worm trudged outside. “What is it?”
“How do I enter the maze from here?”
“Well, there’s ‘n opening there.” the worm said before blowing his nose. . . somehow.
“Er, thanks. . . what’s wrong?”
“Oh. . . the Missus left me.” he said, the handkerchief falling from his face. Kakashi gapped at the worm. . .
It was Orochimaru!!
“Damn it all. It takes foreva to get that thing back on me nose. . .”
“Here.” Kakashi said, putting the tiny square of cloth on the worm-Orochimaru’s face. “I’m sorry about your loss.”
“Oh, don’t be!” Orochimaru said. “Well, I wish you luck with the labrynth. Which way are you headed?”
“Away from the castle, first.”
“Away? Really?”
“I’m looking for people.”
“May I come with you? I MUST look for the missus!” Kakashi blinked. He was now carrying a fairy. . . and a worm. . .
“Sure.” the man said, holding out a hand for the worm to crawl onto. Shivers ran down Kakashi’s spine as Orochimaru inched up to his shoulder.
He left a slime trail.
Enough said.
Iruka sulked in the castle. He wasn’t exactly in a dungeon, but the room kept him well trapped inside. There were several, winding, gravity-defying stair cases that led absolutely no where, or back to where the Chunin had started. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Iruka stopped and sat down in the middle of the room, exhausted.
“Why so gloomy.” a voice asked him, a hand resting on Iruka’s shoulder.
“Why did you bring me here?” Iruka demanded, still sitting, unmoving, but glaring back at the Goblin King.
“To serve your lover’s wish, of course.” Jareth stated as if it were a well known fact. “He wished you would all disappear.”
“He would NEVER wish for such a thing!!”
“He did, and he’s paying dearly for it.” Jareth walked around Iruka, sliding his gloved hand around the man’s shoulders to stand facing him. “He’s coming for you through my labrynth.”
“If you were granting Kakashi’s wish, wouldn’t you have brought everyone back when he really DIDN’T want it? Why play this game?”
“It IS a game, Iruka.” he said. “A game for me.”
“You’re. . . you’re TOYING with him!!”
“It gets quite boring and lonesome in the Goblin City. . . my minions aren’t much in the way of companionship, and definitely not much to look at.” he stated, forming a beautiful crystal orb. “I like to have pretty things around me. Sarah came and brought a little joy into my life until she chose to save her brother over having me.”
“I would have done the same.” Iruka spat. Jareth glared sharply at the other man.
“If your lover does not collect the other twenty people, you’ll all be mine. . . like this.” Jareth said, holding up the orb to Iruka’s eyes. Iruka didn’t dare look upon his possible fate. He didn’t want to know what this King had in store for him and everyone else. “Hn, stubborn.”
“I don’t care to see an empty future.” the Chunin retorted. The Goblin King’s face twisted angrily and threw the orb at Iruka, which shattered into a million pieces. Though the crystal didn’t physically hurt the man, Iruka’s face was suddenly still. His eyes were lightness and glazed over as if he were in a trance. Jareth smiled.
“You’ll see my future soon enough.”
TBC...
**-**-**
A/N: I’m so happy!! At least two people are reading this one!!! ^____^ I was afraid that it would just be my sister because no one else would know what the movie was. . .
Anyway, this one chapter was written all today. . . between tests and eating lunch. . . trying to not have my evil math teacher have her paper shredder eat my work!! TT___TT. . . that’s hard work!! >___<
Review please!! ^________________^
Note:
Faerie: I have a book of "Faeries" and it's spelled like that. . . I never even noticed that until my dad pointed it out to me @____@ anyway, I thought it would be fun to put that in. . . ^___^;;;
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Yumi: WEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! *twriling around the house* I'm so happy!!!
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