"Through dangers and hardships outnumbered, I have fought my way here, to the castle beyond the Goblin city. To take back the freedom which you have stolen from me, for my will is as strong as your and my kingdom great-" A roll of thunder prompted him to look up from the worn novel with furrowed brows. The air was charged with the impending storm and Leonardo huffed a sigh, closing the novel he was all too familiar with to check his wristwatch and bolted from the park bench with a shrill

"Shit!" as he sprinted towards home. It was already 7'o'clock and his parents had wanted him home at 6 so he could look after Michella, his younger sister, so they could take the night off. Leonardo was always a little irked by how fragile their parents seemed to believe Michella was, he didn't normally have weekend plans but date night always seemed to fall on days Leonardo liked to spend in the park with his camera and a good book, never on days when he was homebound with University projects and classwork. He loved his sister dearly, but honestly hated having to play caretaker when Michella was more than capable of getting around the home and fending for herself, she was 15 after all and had made many a comment about not needing to be looked after. Yet, here he was, racing home as it began to pour shoving his camera and novel under his sweatshirt to keep them dry. He barely made it up the walkway and over the accessibility ramp when the door opened with his mother in the doorway. She looked cross, expression a deep scowl

"Leonardo Watch, you're an hour late getting home!" she said, voice stern and slightly angry, he could see Michella just behind her looking apologetic as he stood on the porch soaked to the bone.

"I'm sorry! I lost track of time." He snapped in reply, shimmying past her to make it into the house and deposit his camera carefully, noting that it had gotten wet on way home.

"Perfect." He grunted noting his novel was also wet, though in slightly worse condition than the camera due to its age and how often Leonardo had read this particular one. Michella pushed her wheelchair over to the table, looking up

"I'll dry off your camera, you can go get changed." She offered, prompting his attention. He frowned slightly, feeling a pang of guilt at being so irritated with having to take care of her on date nights. It was no one's fault she couldn't walk, and he had no right to blame her deep down for his parents favoring her and her needs as she definitely needed the attention more, but it didn't do much to stop the feelings of irritation and slight jealousy. Michella who could do no wrong, but always had to have someone holding her hand; and Leonardo, who could do nothing right was always in the wrong with their parents.

"No thanks, I'll do it myself." He snapped as grabbed the camera from the table a little too forcefully and stormed off towards his room, his mother following after.

"Leonardo you do not talk to your sister that way! Get back here and apologize!" she demanded. Leonardo turned to meet her with a glare

"Why should I? I said I didn't want her help! You and dad are already running late, might as well just hurry it up before the rain gets any worse." He grumbled out, ignoring he protests when he dashed up the rest of the stairs and slammed the door to his room. He knew he was acting a little too childish for a 19-year-old to be acting but he was getting a little fed up with their behavior, acting like Michella was still too young to do anything for herself and consequently treating Leonardo like he wasn't being responsible enough though he felt that with everything going on he was going above what was expected of him. He could hear shuffling downstairs and the front door closing, Michella would most likely be in her room when he returned downstairs. It was a tempting thought to stay upstairs and just curl up in bed but if his parents were going out that meant they probably had assumed Leonardo would make it, or order out. He changed into another set of loose cargo pants and baggy t-shirt before skulking downstairs, camera in hand so he could dry it off properly and check for damage to the internal parts. Leonardo was surprised to find Michella still out and about, carefully pressing a cloth against his novel with care; he flushed, tempted to snatch it out of her hands when she noticed him hovering on the last step of the staircase.

"It's been so long since I've read this one, you used to read it to me…The Goblin King…" she murmured, smiling at him and showing him his book, slightly drier than before yet still intact. Leonardo sighed softly and approached her, taking the dampened book from her carefully

"I remember that you adored the Goblin King…it was always so funny to here you fawn over the illustrations of him in the book, you didn't even hope the princess would escape with her freedom…you just wanted the king to be happy, do you remember that?" she asked, looking up at him as he thumbed over the page she had been pressing. The paper was warped and felt ready to fall apart in his hands but the image on that page was definitely one of his favorites. The Goblin King, shrouded in shadows, lured the princess in with an illusion to keep her trapped in his kingdom of Goblins for he had fallen in love with her.

"I don't fawn over it anymore Michella, it's an old book, I liked it when I was younger. Now it's like a fond memory that I like to revisit." He murmured, taking the towel from her and drying off his camera carefully. Michella giggled playfully

"Yet, you take it with you to the park all the time, sometimes even when I tag along, you'll sit on that bench and read it start to finish. I'm surprised the bench doesn't have a butt-shaped impression of where you sit reading that book!" She teased playfully as Leonardo flushed and sent a fierce glare in her direction.

"It's a classic, it's short, and it has a nice story!" he grunted, opening up his camera to take a look inside, Michella hummed softly and moved closer to look at him properly.

"It might also be that Goblin King is your type." She snickered and Leonardo lurched up, face red and teeth bared

"MICHELLA!" he cried, jumping up from his spot to give chase as she wheeled herself to her room with a loud cackle. He made it there a few seconds too late, she was already positioning her chair next to her bed to hoist herself into it.

"A little early to be hopping into bed, I was going to order pizza…I don't feel like cooking." He said, moving to help her into bed, only to get his hand slapped away as she managed to get herself in and laid back against her pillows. She smiled

"That sounds good, I'm not laying down just yet, I was just getting to the safe zone." She teased, poking him on his noise before folding her hands in her lap and sighing heavily.

"When are you going to tell them, Leo?" she asked, looking at him with soft eyes and a caring expression that made his stomach twist when he thought of the feelings of irritation and jealousy directed at her. Guilt for feeling something so heinous towards someone who loved him unconditionally even if he was so cowardly he hadn't told his parents of his plans to move out soon, so cowardly he couldn't tell them the reason he wasn't bringing home girls it because he wasn't into girls. Michella's teasing was a little too accurate; flopping onto her bed, careful of where she was at and he looked at her with a soft smile.

"Maybe he is my type, but I gotta say, I don't think I would be his, Goblin Kings are into princesses and things like that…not nerdy guys who can't tell their parents they're gay." Leonardo snickered, poking her side playfully before settling his chin in his hand.

"…Sorry, for snapping at you…mom has just been riding my ass lately…and I'm doing my best with college and stuff…and you…" Leonardo mumbled softly, Michella's hand tangling in his hair with a hum of acknowledgement

"I get that. I wish they'd hear me out when it came to doing stuff on my own…I've been doing fine on my own…it's like they forget that I'm growing up…" Michella mumbled quietly, Leonardo nodded in solemn agreement.

"…what do you feel like eating on your pizza? Pepperoni, Hawaiian, maybe Supreme? No tomato or onion though." Leonardo listed off, Michella shrugged

"Anything is fine really…just get delivery?"

"That was the plan." He huffed rolling off her bed and heading towards the kitchen, noting his novel sitting on the table, he picked it up, passing by the bay doors that lead toward the backyard. He pulled the menu from the fridge and reached for his cellphone in his pocket, freehand thumbing over the novel gently. He looked at the cover briefly, a wave of familiar emotion washing through him, he set his phone to the side, flipping to the page of the Goblin King's image. The shadowy figure and the beautiful girl…

I wish…

Leonardo knew the words by heart, so familiar to him, the mistake of the princess wishing for a goblin king to take her away, accidentally trading her freedom to him. His proposals of false love…it was up to the reader to decide if the king truly loved the princess.

I wish…

The words were loaded on his tongue, his chest squeezed and he forced a smile, Leonardo liked to imagine the goblin king did love her. Admiring her from afar, her wish…the light in his dark world, his princess to be…

"God, I'd wish for a guy like that." He chuckled bitterly, feeling something prickle at the base of his neck, something strange. He closed the book quickly reaching for his phone to order when he tossed his head back with a sigh and braced himself against the counter.

"…I wish the Goblin King…would take me away…" Leonardo breathed, the prickling on his neck growing worse. He held his breath, half expecting something to happen, he was met with silence and the ticking of a cat clock on the wall, leering down at him.

"Right…Goblin Kings like pretty girls not nerdy guys with a thing for literature…" he breathed out shakily, the air felt electric almost when a deep voice cut in.

"I wouldn't say that, Leonardo."

He whirled around, eyes going wide at the bulk of the man before him, the bay doors are blown wide and the curtains of white creating an ethereal contrast to the man's black, pressed pants and shirt, and blood red vest.

"Ah…I-?" Leonardo began only for the man to approach

"You called me, didn't you? Your wish…" he spoke in a smooth tone, however; something was underlying his words, like the silkiness left over from a caramel candy.

"I-…I didn't expect an answer- Ah!?" Leonardo pressed against the counter as the man held Leonardo's chin in his fingers, tilting his face up to see him properly.

"I'm sure you can guess who I am, and why I am here…" he drawled, moving closer, bright, green eyes predatory.

"…Are you the Goblin King…I-!? I just gave my freedom to you…Didn't I?" he asked, voice wavering and his knees felt weak. He was freezing up, he could feel himself going rigid as the panic began to set in.

"You did. My Leonardo…" he breathed, leaning in close, breath ghosting over Leonardo's cheek.

"N-N-no! I'm not- I'm not anyone's thing! I didn't realize what I was saying, I didn't know you would come!" he protested, watching the King give him a gentle smile.

"But you wanted this, I wouldn't have answered had I not heard the truth in your words, Leonardo, I can take you from this, a gift, for my Leo." He offered, Leonardo pulled away with a grunt.

"I said I'm not yours!" he snapped, looking towards the hall, Michella's room at the end.

"Leo, please, you would not have spoken so truthfully if you didn't want this, I heard the cry deep in your soul, I can take you from this guilt-ridden life. From the controlling, demanding parents, the sickly sister you have to serve…the secrets you have to keep." The Gobin King's hand gripped his lower jaw and gently pulling him to look at him,

"My kingdom is ever accepting, I know you, and even if you think I don't, I know you. You have never been able to look at another like the way people wish of you…because none of them have been what you're looking for, my little Leo." He growled lowly into his ear, sending chills up his spine.

"I appreciate the gesture…but I don't want it! I don't want the gift, I'm happy. I didn't mean to do this, please understand." Leonardo managed, trying to keep his voice strong. The King pulled back with a feral noise,

"Don't defy me, Leonardo Watch. I offer you what you wished for, my gift to you." He spoke, anger permeating his voice.

"And I told you! I don't want it! You can't just have me, Ok? I said I didn't know what I was saying, it's not fair!" Leonardo protested angrily, only to be met with the Goblin King's hands scooping him up in a whirl of black and red and piercing gaze of green. Leonardo was deposited gently on his feet, facing an expansive labyrinth with a grand castle he could see in the distance beyond.

"This is my labyrinth, Leo. I will offer up your freedom, if you can make it to my castle at the very center of the maze then I will set you free. No strings attached if you fail…you must remain here…with me." He flung his arm outwards towards the labyrinth

"This is your last chance to accept what I offer, braving my labyrinth will not be an easy task. If I was a lesser man and did not feel concern for your wellbeing I would have challenged you to a game of Prosfair…but I do not wish you harm, my little Leo."

"Stop calling me that! Look, I am hardly dressed for a trek through some maze! And I refuse. I'm not staying here, I have to get back to Michella. I have to get back to my family, sure I get angry with them all the time but I'm not abandoning them to be some plaything." Leonardo spat, the King chuckled in amusement. Fixing him with a playful smirk

"You're worth so much more than a plaything to me, Leonardo…as for what I hesitate to call your attire, I have a smaller gift, your shoes and a jacket, to keep the chill-out." He waved his hand and presented Leonardo with a pair of sneakers and one of his hoodies, causing his skin to crawl at the thought of the Goblin King rooting around in his things.

"Thanks." He grunted, pulling on his hoodie and shoes before turning to the King.

"How long will you give me to solve it, Goblin King?" Leonardo asked with a glare, the King hummed in thought a moment before smirking.

"13 hours, long enough for you to truly attempt, and still give me a chance to win you…I will be awaiting you eagerly in my castle, my little Leo." He breathed into the shell of Leonardo's ear, he flushed a soft pink and whirled around to give him a piece of his mind only to be met with more sprawling landscape. A clock chimed somewhere and he looked at his watch, setting a timer for 13 hours and hurrying off towards the labyrinth.

"Come on feet!" he huffed, nearly tripping over himself as he approached the outer walls of the massive structure. He could hear whistling, distantly but still, he couldn't see a door anywhere if he was being honest with himself. A bit odd given he was supposed to try and solve it.

"Did he rig it to have no doors or what!? Seriously, how do I get in to try and solve it!" he growled, following the source of the whistling now, as looking for a door was beginning to feel slightly fruitless as the walls seemed to extend for miles. He could attempt to climb it but he was willing to bet he'd fall and hurt himself trying to do that, he hadn't climbed a tree since he was 7 and nearly cracked his head open, he doubted he could climb a wall as steep as the ones surrounding the maze. He turned and was greeted with a lovely pool, adorned with ornaments and statues glittering with dancing lights. The whistling had paused and Leonardo locked eyes with a rather tall man taking a piss into the pool.

Leonardo blinked, immediately looking anywhere but the man, unabashedly relieving himself into the pool and seemingly unbothered by Leonardo stumbling upon him.

"You lost there, shrimp?" the man asked, tone condescending, prompting a snarky retort.

"Not exactly! I need to find a way in and I wasn't exactly going to ask for directions while you're pissing into the water supply!" Leonardo snapped, the man scoffed and zipped up his pants and wiped his hands on his white pants, getting a repulsed shiver out of Leonardo.

"Ah this is the pixies water, not my problem if they die off, little bitches bite." The man snorted before sizing Leonardo up.

"My name's Zapp, and you look like you're not from around here…what do you need to get into the labyrinth for anyway? Klaus' is gonna pissed if he finds trespassers in his labyrinth, which I guess means I can take you in, been a while since I yanked his chain. Though I'm not sure you're worth the trouble or time."

"Who is Klaus?" Leonardo asked, brow furrowing, Zapp seemed baffled by this question,

"Uh, the King, duh!" he flicked Leonardo's forehead and began to walk towards a segment of wall overgrown with vegetation.

"The Goblin King's name is Klaus?" he asked, following after,

"The one and only." Zapp replied, tone slightly disinterested with the topic of choice. Leonardo hummed thoughtfully, observing Zapp mess with a patch of wall covered in vines before turning to Leonardo

"So I'm gonna need something in return for helping your ass out, things don't come cheap y'know and if I'm getting you in, I risk my own skin. Though I do get an added benefit of hearing Klaus bitch about trespassers."

"I'm supposed to try and solve the Labyrinth. It's to get my freedom back." Leonardo snapped, a little irritated with the taller man. Leonardo didn't have anything on him, his phone he'd left back on the counter and all he really had was crummy digital watch he'd bought in hopes of being on time to things and right now he needed it to keep track of how much time he had left. Zapp blinked and leaned forward

"Really, the King wants a little shrimp like you…?"

"…to solve his Labyrinth…yeah." Leonardo grunted gesturing to the door that had begun to reveal itself, the vines pulling back to show ornate designs and aged wood.

"Look all I've got is this watch, I can't really pay you in anything right now, but when I get home I guess I could pay you in something then?" he offered, pulling on the doors, they didn't budge even an inch.

"Damn, weak and shrimpy, his taste in people is not what I expected." Zapp sighed, yanking the doors open and holding one for Leonardo to enter. He made a scoffing noise and frowned at Zapp

"You're being awfully rude for someone who was just demanding payment from me for showing me to the entrance. You're not even doing much." Leonardo grumbled, Zapp, looking down the long passageway of the maze with an odd gleam in his eyes.

"They say when you reach the center of the Labyrinth, you can never leave, that there is no exit, only the Goblin King." Zapp said quietly, Leonardo leaning closer.

"Who says that?" he asked, only for Zapp to shove him inside

"Don't know, don't care! Have fun shorty!" he sneered, slamming the door behind him, Leonardo whirled around, tongue loaded with a slew of obscenities. They came out in a muffled squeal finished off with a grunted,

"Like Hell he's getting paid now." He gritted out before checking his watch, he'd wasted nearly half an hour messing with Zapp and looking for the entrance and now it was looking like Leonardo was going to have to hurry it up, the straightaway looked to be several miles long. He wasn't even athletic, to begin with so he'd guess he'd have to stop for breathers, he was partly wishing he'd taken his Phys. Ed classes more seriously but no; he had to be more into art and literature.

Leonardo had taken to a light jog, slightly faster than a walking pace and was trying to keep his breathing steady and even, though it wasn't doing him a lick of good as he was already starting to pant and wheeze. He was hoping to make it farther than he did when he stopped to take a breath but looking behind him it looked as if he hadn't gone anywhere at all.

"What!?" he squawked, flopping against the wall with a loud groan, feeling something squirm underneath him he leapt backwards with a squeal.

"Hey there, got anything to eat on you?" Leonardo focused and looked down to see a small mushroom-like creature, panhandling.

"Wow, what a greeting, you're panhandling." He grunted, resting on his haunches to properly see the small mushroom man.

"If you'd like to call it that fine, but it looks like you could use a break. Come inside, I can make you some tea." The small creature offered, making Leonardo smile fondly.

"No thanks, I'm actually looking to make it to the Goblin King's castle, can't afford to take too many breaks, Mr.…?"

"Nej is fine, are you certain? A nice snack or a soothing drink could help keep your spirits up." He offered once more, only for Leonardo to politely refuse with a grin.

"Well, I guess I can give you some aid, there is a proper entrance to the labyrinth just behind you, I guess you could say I help people like you find ways in if they're having trouble." Nej explained, gesturing behind Leonardo who turned with a frown.

"That's a wall, Nej." He gruffed, turning his attention back to the mushroom man who turned a faint pink with what Leonardo presumed was a glare.

"You've got the perspective all wrong! Just, walk into it!" Nej grunted making a shooing motion at him; he stood with a sigh and held out his hands when he turned to feel the wall and disprove the mushroom man's notions. The wall he sought never came through, as he walked right through into another passage, looking back with a wide smile

"Holy crap Nej! Thank you!" he cheered, hurrying in one direction only for Nej to shriek and call him back.

"Don't go that way! Never go that way!" Nej flailed from his little spot on the wall, Leonardo nodded and headed the opposite direction unaware that Nej had just accidentally set him in the wrong direction, however, Nej was only trying to be kind and spare Leonardo the trouble of dealing with the Goblin King. Leonardo followed the passage to a small area with several passages and walkways branching off in multiple directions, he huffed in mild irritation, cursing the Goblin King's name as he tried to think of a way to keep track of where he has been, with so many passageways if he ended being led astray he wanted a way to know. He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and was rewarded with a tube of chapstick.

"…It's not exactly brightly colored but…it'll at least be better than nothing." He mumbled to himself, marking the tile he was currently standing on with an 'x' for his starting point before choosing to go down the passage closet to his right, marking the tile just inside the passage with an arrow marking the direction. He followed the path down and around, setting a brisk pace as it opened up into a nearly identical area with several paths branching off in different directions. Leonardo hummed and made a mark, going into the path directly across from him and following it around, ending up in another identical area. His brow furrowed in thought and he looked for the tile he'd marked previously in the last area, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He felt it was too much of a coincidence that these areas were way too similar, even down to minute details.

"What the hell!?" Upon lifting the tile he was greeted to a little white monkey, holding onto the tile with all its might, the previous waxy mark he had made with his chapstick tube was right there on the underside.

"You've been changing my marks!?" Leonardo demanded reaching for the creature who ducked down into the hole beneath the tile with a loud squeak.

"How is that fair! Why were you doing that I've been going in circles!" he cried after it into the hole, hearing a few scattered chirps and rustling from within, with a loud huff he dropped the tile back into place followed by a groan of frustration.

"I've been wandering around the same several passageways because of some monkey!" Leonardo lamented capping the chapstick and tossing it to the side, assured it was thoroughly ruined from being used to mark the ground. A few chirps caught his attention and he glared downward, the monkey had appeared his chapstick tube in tow looking apologetic as it offered it to him.

"Are you serious? I don't want that back! I marked the ground with it, and then you changed them! I could have wasted a lot of time because of you!" he snapped, causing the small creature to flinch and reoffer the tube to him. Leonardo sighed heavily and crouched down, holding out his hand where the tube was gently placed into it before the monkey charged up his arm to perch on his shoulder and hug his cheek.

"Hey! No, I don't want a ride along! You were tricking me remember!" he flailed trying to get the monkey off before a voice caught his attention.

"He was just doing what he was told you know."

Leonardo lifted his eyes and felt his stomach twist, everything had changed, the passageways had converged into one, a dead end behind him and two doors in front him, both guarded. Before him was one girl and one boy, the girl was dressed in white with bright, green eyes and long blonde hair while the boy was dressed in black cold, blue eyes and choppy short blonde hair.

"Uhhhhah!? The maze can change! How on Earth is that fair!? I thought the monkey cheating was annoying but this is awful! Your King is a cheat!" Leonardo hissed, both guards shared a look before snickering lightly.

"I wouldn't be so bold as to agree with you on that." Said the boy, looking to Leonardo with a smirk

"Her name is White." The boy spoke after a pause,

"His name is Black." The girl seemed to finish for him,

"And one of our doors is the right one." The finished in unison, gesturing to the doors behind them. Leonardo blinked

"Come again…?"

"One of us is always telling the truth, and one of us is always lying." White said with a smile.

"The one that is always telling the truth is the one with the right door, it will take you where you need to go, the other could lead to certain death!" Black declared, leaning against his door and fixing Leonardo with a strange look.

"Oh God, it's a riddle…" he groaned shoulders slumping; the monkey must have shared his sentiments as it made a huffing whine and flopped onto its butt where he was perched upon Leonardo's shoulder.

"I hate these stupid things…So, which one is the right door?" he grunted, both Black and White gave him an irritated glare before White cleared her throat

"You're only allowed to ask one of us." She stated with the same smile as before.

"Then that means right off the bat you're telling the truth, right? There's no way you can lie about instructions?" Leonardo questioned

"That's not really asking about the door, try and ask and we'll get started." Black reprimanded with a snort. Leonardo glared at him

"Ok, Black, if I asked White would this door lead to where I need to go would she be telling the truth?" he asked, Black took a moment to think and nodded

"Yes."

"Then this door leads to certain death and the other leads to where I need to go." Leonardo grinned rolling on the balls of his feet. Black frowned

"But she could be telling the truth."

"But then you wouldn't be. If you say the answer is yes, then the real answer is no." Leonardo smirked, looking at White.

"I could be telling the truth." Black mused, catching Leonardo's attention

"But then she wouldn't be and the answer would still be no." He huffed, stepping towards White's door. The two guards shared a look of confusion before White opened her door, revealing a normal passageway. Leonardo cheered inwardly as he stepped forward

"Thank you very much!" he exclaimed stepping inside only for the floor to drop from under him and send him plummeting downward.

"SHIT." He shrieked as he felt things begin to grab him on his fall, slowing the descent and letting his eyes adjust to the dimly lit hole that was lined with dozens and dozens of earthen, leathery hands.

"Ohh my God." He whimpered looking up to see how far he had fallen, the hands above him had formed faces and were looking at him expectantly, the little monkey had scrambled inside his t-shirt to hide and had left Leonardo in the company of the hands. He swallowed thickly and squirmed, making a small noise of discomfort

"Ok. Some of you are touching a little more below the belt than I approve of." He murmured, trying to squirm his legs.

"I'd quit squirming if I were you unless you want us to drop you?" one of the hand faces asked, forming angry eyes with their thumbs

"NO!" Leonardo blurted, body going rigid.

"That's more like it, see we're helping hands! We only want to help." Another face explained with a cheery tone. Leonardo blinked

"Uh…ok?"

"Which way?"

"Pardon?" he asked.

"Which way? Up or Down?" the hands asked, Leonardo, frowned and looked below him, unable to see the bottom, though since he was already heading that way…

"I guess…since I'm already going that way…down?"

"He said Down!" the hands declared, suddenly dropping his weight to the next set unceremoniously with a mixture of laughs.

"Was that the wrong way!?" he cried as they jostled him downward at an alarming pace, the bottom was fast approaching though it just seemed to be an empty darkness, he felt his stomach lurk as the last of the hands held him briefly before he was falling freely into the blackness below. He landed on his butt with a soft 'umph.' And grumbled angrily a he looked up to see the light disappear, the tunnel of hands closing off.

"Creeps…" he grunted into the blackness, feeling the monkey squirm to freedom from the confines of his shirt with a huff, he could barely make out his hands in front of his face and his stomach was rolling from nerves. Who was to say what was in the darkness? He thought to call out but the fear in his gut of what could lay in the dark kept his voice barely a whisper. He partly hoped the Goblin King didn't put anything in the maze that could kill him, especially if he claimed to want him.

He curled up, careful of the monkey in his lap, trying to keep his trembling to a minimum and build the courage to begin crawling. He tentatively pressed a hand to the floor and found it to be rocky, yet moist. He shivered and moved onto his knees, steeling himself for the feeling again when there was a loud flick of a flint hitting metal and his eyes blinked wide at the room was filled with the soft glow of a lighter.

"Shit, shrimpy really messed up this one." Zapp grunted with a wry smirk.

"Zapp!? What- Ah, What are you doing here?" Leonardo asked, making his way onto his feet; Zapp shrugged with a scoff.

"Kinda felt bad just kicking you into the labyrinth, thought I'd come looking for you to help you out. Then I heard some crybaby getting molested by the tunnel of handjobs and thought I'd pop in to see the poor sucker. Guess it didn't connect that the only person it could be was you, shrimp." Zapp snickered, gesturing for Leonardo to follow.

"Gee, thanks." He grunted, stumbling over a rock. Zapp glared

"You want out of this hole or not? I know a ton of backdoors all over this place but if you'd rather I step out and leave you to it…?" Zapp trailed off, prompting Leonardo to amend his words frantically

"No! I really would like to leave, please? I don't like the dark…" he murmured. Zapp sneered

"Man you're such a baby, lucky I came along when I did, if I hadn't you'd be here a long while, probably until time ran out and then your rescuer would have been the Goblin King, ooh." Zapp teased, knocking on a segment of the wall. It slid open and revealed a well light corridor decorated with faces carved out of stone.

"Man you are going to owe me big time, look at me, helping your ass out, more than once I'd like to add." Zapp preened, allowing Leonardo into the corridor before stepping out himself and letting the wall close behind them.

"This place is full of holes and junk like that, pits that supposedly lead nowhere; but, seeing as I am the expert on navigating this place, I will happily lead you back to the entrance where no doubt the King waiting for his…whatever you are?" Zapp smirked and turned to Leonardo only to be met with a smack to the face.

"Like Hell I'm going to be someone's thing! I'm not giving him, you say you know this labyrinth pretty good then take me to the Goblin King's castle!" he demanded, placing both his hands on his hips in a commanding fashion. Zapp gawked before growling loudly in frustration

"Listen here, you little runt! No way am I risking my butt for you without payment up front, right here, right now! So if you want me to go leading you around this place, I expect something really good." He snorted, reminding Leonardo of a rather ugly piglike creature.

"I told you I don't have anything on me! I have the clothes on my back and shitty tube of chapstick!" Leonardo hissed, Zapp sneered and blinked in confusion when the monkey appeared on Leonardo's shoulder looking rather pissed.

"…how the hell did you befriend a mach mon-" Zapp didn't finish his thought as in the blink of an eye the monkey was clinging to his face and biting his nose.

"HOLY- CALL HIM OFF!" Zapp shrieked backing into the wall, Leonardo cried out and moved to pull the monkey off when of the face opened its eyes and looked at him

"Could you tell him to keep it down?"

"THESE THINGS CAN TALK!?" Leonardo screeched, backing away quickly while Zapp continued to struggle with the monkey.

"Turn back while you can." One chanted ominously now that they had Leonardo's attention,

"JESUS!" Leonardo squawked, flailing away from the face he'd bumped into only to be pegged with the small monkey and land on his back.

"You're little rat monster is an ass! Holy shit he has a bite to him!" Zapp shouted holding his nose and grunting in pain. The monkey glared at him and Zapp cried out

"NO! No! Fine, I'll help! Just keep that little monster away from me!" he snapped. Leonardo blinked, the previous panic forgotten when he looked at the creature who gave him a thumbs up.

"Wow…gotta go fast, huh?" he snickered only for the creature to look confused by this statement.

"Oh, right, never mind I'm just going to call you Sonic…" Leonardo huffed and stood up glaring at the rock faces.

"These things are so freaky! They talk and everything!"

"How rude!" one barked angrily, causing him to jump closer to Zapp with a quiet 'eep'.

"Ignore them! Geez, come on and follow me. I'll get you to that castle if it kills me, and with how things are going it probably will!" Zapp snapped, looking down at Leonardo with a stern glare.

"Oh come on! I haven't gotten to say my line in forever!" one of the faces protested as they walked past.

"Not my problem!" Zapp called, weaving them through the tunnels of faces. Leonardo felt bad from some of the one's Zapp cut off, calling them false alarms.

"They're all over, normally only get all huff and puff when you start going the right way. See?" he gestured to a large opening that lead into another tunnel

"We follow this all the way to underneath the castle, no sweat." Zapp sniffed triumphantly, stepping into the tunnel and colliding with a massive body.

"Well, this is truly a sight to behold, the troublemaker and pain in my backside for an innumerable amount of years, helping someone else out of the kindness of his heart?"

Leonardo froze, looking up into the eyes of the Goblin King, Klaus.

"Whaat!? I am shocked you would accuse me of something like that, pfft. I was not helping this little shrimp out of the goodness of my heart. In fact, I was leading him back to the beginning, like Hell I'm going to waste my time and skin getting him to your castle." Zapp scoffed.

"What!?" Leonardo demanded, shoving Zapp angrily, Sonic glaring at him from his shoulder perch. Zapp rolled his eyes and shoved Leonardo back onto his butt

"You do that a lot…" Zapp muttered, dodging a swing from the Goblin King's fist and backing off quickly. Leonardo was scooped up and set back on his feet, Klaus brushing him off before fixing him with an oddly proud smirk.

"How are you liking my labyrinth, Leo?" he asked, hand cupping Leonardo's cheek gently. It made his skin crawl and prickle into goosebumps all over, it felt electric and warm.

"I'm thinking it's a piece of cake…" Leonardo managed, behind him Zapp made an inhuman noise

"Are you stupid!?" he demanded, tone a little grating on Leonardo's ears.

"Quiet Zapp! Don't forget this is my kingdom, I can have you banished to the worst part of it if I so wished, tell me, how well would you fair in being a listless bachelor if you smelled of festering rubbish?" Klaus barked, making Leonardo flinch. The Goblin King seemed troubled by the gesture, confusing Leonardo greatly when his touch continued to be soothing, though Leonardo could see a dangerous glint in his eyes that made him feel like breaking into a sprint. Klaus hummed thoughtfully and took Leonardo's thin wrist into his hands, examining the watch with interest. He tapped the device and nearly 3 hours bleed off his timer in a flash, Klaus looked up with a smugness that spoke for itself.

"That's not fair!?" Leonardo snapped angrily only for Klaus' smirk to broaden and a deep chuckle to resonate in his chest before he sighed and fixed Leonardo with an expression he could only call fondness.

"You say it's a piece of cake? Then how about we add a little danger to our game?" Klaus offered, stepping away to reveal a massive machine, covered in rotating, rather sharp looking blades. Leonardo could feel his stomach drop at the sight and the urge to run returned full force.

"THE CLEANERS!? Are you trying to kill him!?" Zapp demanded grabbing Leonardo's arm and yanking him in the opposite direction.

"You better keep up or I am so leaving you here!" Zapp snarled setting a hard to keep pace that caused Leonardo's shoes to scoff and skid along the ground as Zapp sprinted down the corridor, screeching curses and profanities at the cleaner machine chasing after them, the whirl of blades growing louder as it gained on them

"I swear to god if I die because of you!" Zapp swore, skidding to a halt at a locked gate held together with only a few chains, though once Leonardo was thrown into it he could feel it was rather solid. Zapp was looking around frantically,

"There is a backdoor around here!" he snapped throwing his shoulder into a wall, it gave a little and Leonardo began to throw his weight into it as well. The screeching sound was piercing his eardrums and making his heart beat frantically. The wall began to buckle and Zapp rammed into it one last time where it collapsed and dropped away into a room that the two tumbled into rather unceremoniously. Leonardo gasped and rolled onto his back, chest pounding while the rest of him felt like he was on fire.

"Oh my God…" he wheezed, hearing the sound of the metal contraction break through the gates with ease and continue onward.

"Threatening me with the Bog of Stench, the Cleaners; Who the Hell are you!? You've really gotten his attention and I am not sure if I am on board with helping you any farther!" Zapp cried, pulling himself up to gesture at their situation. Leonardo glared and rolled onto his knees, Sonic came out of hiding in Leonardo's shirt to fix Zapp with a similar glare.

"You weren't even helping me to begin with! You were taking me back to the beginning!" Leonardo shouted, Sonic growling on his shoulder. Zapp held up his hands in defence and flailed

"Wait, wait, wait! Let me explain! That was a lie also! No way in Hell would I admit to helping you out! That a one-way ticket to smelling like a rotting carcass for the rest of my life and quite frankly I am a hit with the ladies back home! That would really mess with my reputation!" he exclaimed, only adding fuel to the fire of Leonardo's flickering temper.

"YOU'RE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT A REPUTATION THAN SOMEONE'S WELL BEING!?" Leonardo bellowed, having half a mind to just leave the man here and let Sonic do as he wished with him.

"Well…yeah? I mean, it's the bog of stench, it doesn't ever wash off you know." Zapped huffed, a little too laid back about the stunt he'd just pulled for Leonardo's liking.

"Unbelievable!" Leonardo snapped, making his way over to a ladder that seemed to lead somewhere, and in that moment anywhere was better than being around Zapp.

"Oh, didn't even see that, I thought we were going to have to head back the way we-"

"What's this 'we' crap?" Leonardo grunted, looking back at Zapp with a rather frightening gaze for such a small man to make.

"What, you don't want my help anymore?" Zapp snickered before following after

"If I am being honest, no." Leonardo replied, his previous irritation was starting to dull, leaving him feeling exhausted. With 3 hours shaved off his time, however, he couldn't just sit to take a break, he had to keep moving unless he wanted to become someone's property and that was not an idea he would allow.

"Really now? I guess my job is done then." Zapp continued to tease, making a show of leaving once they were out of the tunnel system. Leonardo didn't call after him or even begin to follow, instead, he continued towards the castle, ignoring the noise of surprise Zapp made.

"You're really pissed off about this!? Come on, I told you I was lying to try and save our butts if you hadn't been so snarky and said the Labyrinth was a piece of cake you wouldn't be looking at 6 hours left to solve it. So it's kind of your fault their buckaroo." Zapp protested, pulling out his lighter. Leonardo turned to face him, watching Zapp reach into an inner pocket of his jacket for something; Leonardo snatched the lighter from his hand and stormed off hearing the man protest behind him.

"Hello there!" a voice came, catching Leonardo's attention, he held fast to the lighter when Zapp lurched for it and approached the man sitting along one of the fountains decorating this open space of the labyrinth.

"My name's Steven, and for a small contribution I can give aid or advice." He explained, shaking a little box in his hands with a slot just big enough for the lighter to undoubtedly fit. Leonardo felt a mean streak pass through him and tossed the lighter inside without second thought

"What the hell! That was mine!" Zapp bellowed, reaching for the box only for Steven to press a boot to his face and kick him backwards.

"Why thank you, young man, now, let's see. I know you're trying to get to the Goblin King's castle and while I do understand your haste I will advise you not rush things. Klaus is a fair man." Steven explained only for Leonardo to scoff

"He took 3 hours from me! I don't find that very fair." Steven hummed in thought and smirked

"You don't realize how close you are to beating this thing do you, you've done surprisingly well, and faced a few terrors, haven't you?" he asked, shaking his contribution box as if to taught Zapp still trying to grasp it.

"Perhaps he felt it necessary to give himself a fair fighting chance." Steven continued, causing a flush of anger in Leonardo

"I think you mean cheat." He stated, crossing his arms and cocking his head to the side.

"Now, about that aid? Or advice, how do I get to the Goblin King's castle?"

"Just go the way you were going." Steven replied without a moment's thought.

"Uhh, I was kind of hoping for instructions there, Steven." Leonardo blinked, only for Steven to shrug

"Well I answered the question, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but the advice you gave sucked, I would like something a little more in-depth." Leonardo cried exasperatedly

"Well for another contribution I'd gladly answer the question again." He said shaking his little box with a grin. Leonardo glared in confusion before looking to Sonic, asking him silently if he would miraculously have another to contribute before Leonardo had a thought.

"No matter what I ask I'm just going to get the same vague answer, aren't I?" he asked; Steven shrugged and once more shook his box

"Make a contribution and you'll find out." He said, slamming his foot into Zapp's face as he tried to attack from below and snag the box. Leonardo huffed and turned on his heel and continued towards the castle, a little pleased that it didn't seem Zapp would be getting his lighter back soon, but frustrated with the lack of advice he'd actually been given for the lighter. It didn't look cheap, that had been assured, it actually might have been silver plated now that Leonardo thought about it. If it was just a cheap lighter Zapp probably could have picked up in a drug stor- Do Goblin domains have drug stores? Leonardo's train of thought derailed with the thought about the lighter. It had looked like one he would find in his world, so far he had only seen primitive torched providing light in darker areas and then Zapp's ornate lighter.

"You little shit that was my lighter!" Zapp snarled, catching up with him rather quickly.

"How am I going to light my cigars now you little shrimp!?" Zapp demanded angrily, grabbing the back of Leonardo's hoodie and shaking him violently.

"Not- My- Pro- Blem-!" Leonardo cried as Zapp continued to shake him and curse him for his actions. Steven wasn't about to part with the precious lighter and Zapp wasn't sure where he would be able to find another one of that calibre, though Leonardo could really care less about the lighter and was more pressed by the timer ticking down to the hour when he would lose his freedom if he couldn't make it to Klaus' throne room and declare his victory. Zapp finally let him go with an irritated grumble, wary of Sonic who had jumped onto a wall edge to avoid being shaken but was now fixating Zapp with a rather hateful glare that spoke volumes of the threat crossing through Sonic's mind. Leonardo found is cute, given how small, yet protective the creature was of him even after Leonardo had gotten angry with it.

"Stupid freaky monkey." Zapp huffed, looking to the side avoiding the combination of Leonardo's and Sonic's glare when a loud shriek that didn't belong to either of them caught their attention rather quickly. Zapp took off in the direction of the cry, Leonardo close behind as Sonic jumped on his shoulder they followed the source of the cries until the came into an odd intersection that branched off in multiple directions. A woman was bound by her hands and feet and dangling from a spire and being toted around by a mass of goblins. They prodded at her with what looked like ugly mutations of Sonic with massive jaws lined with teeth

"Unhand me!" she snarled, snapping her own set of dull canines at the creatures ad struggled against her bonds. She looked to be a wild woman, with a rage in her eyes that Leonardo couldn't properly describe when he made eye contact with her for a brief moment. Leonardo rushed forward, shoving one of the goblins wielding the spear-creature things, reaching for the bonds around her wrists only for another group of goblins to tackle him to the ground. Zapp stepped in finally, after several long, painstaking moments off squirming and fighting them from dragging him off. In a blur of black and white, Leonardo was free from their grasps, cradled in the arms of the wild woman glaring up at Zapp with profound disgust.

"Were you just going to let them carry him off?" she growled before looking to him with a smile

"Thank you for the valiant attempt, I would say I could have gotten myself out of this one but they snuck up on me while I was resting…" she huffed, setting Leonardo down and standing upright; her hair seemed to bristle for a moment and dodged another attack from a rather brave goblin and snapped the staff supporting the creature in half with one flurry of her hand.

"Do not touch me, again." She growled lowly, the goblin making a small squeaking noise before scurrying off, a few others trailing behind him.

"…So you some tribal girl or what? The fancy getup tells me, yes but I have never seen you lurking around this shithole before." He sneered, earning a quick pop to the side of his head.

"I'm a werewolf. We don't exactly like being noticed, especially having free reign of the Labyrinth the way we do…sadly I let my guard down and ended up in this situation…now I already dislike you…as for you; however, I'm not sure yet." She hummed thoughtfully, looking at Leonardo carefully and sizing him up.

"I'd like us to be considered friends? I mean if that's alright with you miss…?" he offered politely, she returned the gesture with a pat and a warm smile

"Chain, you may call me Chain. I am one of the few allowed to wander the labyrinth who aren't goblins mind you, I've seen jackass over their a few times pissing his Highness off…and you, I've only seen this one time. What brings you into the Labyrinth…?" she made a gesture, prompting him for his name and he flushed.

"Ah well, my name is Leonardo and I am trying to solve the labyrinth to gain my freedom back…" he murmured awkwardly, Chain's eyes widened a fraction before she shook her head in disbelief

"Klaus has taken interest in you!?" she cried, Zapp, joining in

"I know right!? He's such a little shrimp and Klaus took the Cleaners to us! Because he got all sassy with him!" Zapp protested throwing his hands in Leonardo's direction. He tried not to feel irritated at the comment but he was not enthused with their blatant shock that the King of Goblins had taken interest in him, however twisted that interest was, Leonardo was still feeling the blow to his ego by the two's shock and dismay. Though it was more about his stature and gangly limbs, they weren't even concerned that their King had taken interest in another man…it was slightly flooring to think no one would bat an eye at two men attracted to one another.

"Has Klaus never shown interest in…uh, guys before?" Leonardo ventured carefully, interrupting the two debating what exactly what it was about Leonardo that had Klaus so interested in him.

"…His Highness has never shown interest in anyone before, actually." Chain commented, tilting her head up in thought, Leonardo frowned slightly and sighed.

"Chain can I ask you, do you know how to get to the castle?" he asked beginning to head in the direction of the castle, she paused and nodded excitedly.

"I do actually, I can give some help but I will have my limits…I do wish to remain loyal to our king…unlike someone." She grunted, glaring at Zapp before grabbing Leonardo's arm and pulling him along in another direction.

"I can take you as far as his courtyard." She explained, hurrying them both off, Sonic chirping happily as they left Zapp behind in their rush. He could hear Leonardo's cries of delight echoing through the corridors of the Labyrinth when he was pulled back with a sharp jerk on his shoulder. Zapp turned slowly and was met with the blazing, green eyes of the Goblin King, face set in a deep scowl.

"I must admit Zapp your willingness to help Leonardo is giving off the impression you would like to see him beat me, to see him victorious. I am surprised." Klaus grumbled lowly with a rough grunt. Zapp felt his blood run cold at the fury in the King's eyes, the rage burning underneath the cold demeanor he normally exuded when Zapp had encountered him numerous times before.

"Your m-majesty!?" Zapp cried, only for the hand on his shoulder to shove him back onto the ground with a low rumble in his chest.

"It seems idle threats just won't do this time Zapp, I'm feeling beyond angry with you, if you had just taken him back to the beginning I wouldn't be scrambling to try and stay ahead of him!" Klaus snapped, his voice a loud snarl that cause Zapp to startle.

"I'm all for games Zapp, but I don't want to lose this one. Do you understand me?" Klaus growled softly, Zapp nodded slowly in response and Klaus sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"One more chance to make things right Zapp, I want you to give him this." Klaus instructed, producing a peach and offering it to him with a wry grin. Zapp studied the fruit warily, it looked like a normal peach, the soft orange tone the darkened into a deep red along one of the peaks of the fruit; a perfectly normal looking peach.

"…if I gave it to him, what would it do?" Zapp ventured, reaching for the fruit with a slight waver; Klaus chuckled and smirked at him fondly

"See now, you are concerned for Leonardo's well-being, it's not just my suffering you would wish. You want Leonardo to succeed…you've befriended him. I must say I am rather pleased with this development, maybe you'll mellow out? As to answer your question, this peach is a present, I don't want to hurt him. So just give it to him, please?" Klaus' tone of voice was gently and almost sultry but it made a chill run down Zapp's spine when he looked into the Goblin King's eyes.

"And if I refuse to give it to him?" Zapp questioned, pulling his hand back and scrambling to put himself standing upright, trying to garner some control of the situation. Sadly, Klaus towered over him standing just as much as when he had been crouching, the fruit still in his hand, though Zapp could detect a bit more anger and command in his voice.

"If you refuse I will be hard-pressed to make things more difficult for all of you, Leonardo will not be spared the punishment either. I can simply just snap my fingers and have all of you sent to the bog of stench and we've already covered that you don't want to go there, correct?" Klaus growled placing the peach into Zapp's hands and squeezing a little too firmly with a wicked smile.

"Now then…" Klaus trailed off taking a step back and fixing Zapp with a more collected look,

"I must confess I've been feeling a little jealous of this presumed closeness you've developed with Leonardo…If he ever so much as touches you…I think I'll make you a prince…" Klaus grunted. Zapp blinked in clear confusion

"Huh!?"

"Prince of the land of stench, of course!" Klaus explained with a deep-chested chuckle before Zapp could finally hear them, the cries of Leonardo and Chain.

Because I have no self-control and I'm garbage and I entered the Kekkai Sensen fandom via KlaLeo art and Season 2 is just...GOD KILL ME. I need to stop. Someone stop me, please. There is so much for them coming it has thoroughly wrecked all of me. I wanted to get this done before working on other chapters of other fics.

So this has another part to it, I cut it up into 2 parts cause I was going to shoot for 4 but I couldn't really find parts to stop at so~ Here is the first part. Please consider leaving a review? It really would be nice and probably would give me more motivation to post the next part. My plan is to post it a week from today sooooo...yeah. Throw them reviews my way it would really be appreciated, especially if you liked it!

Thanks!