"Still there…" Yuki muttered, listening at his door. He could hear Shuichi out there, sighing and sporadically cursing.

He'd been waiting his lover out for the better part of three hours, and he was starting to think that he was playing a losing game. Shuichi seemed like he was in it to win it, and wouldn't be ferreting off any time soon. Yuki sighed and slumped against the wall, unsure of his next move. After Shuichi's ridiculous threat, he was unwilling to let him back into the apartment in case he really did try to summon a goblin to kidnap him. He was a monk, sure, but there was only so much he could do against glitter.

There was also the sentiment behind Shuichi's words to be concerned about. If he was willing to wish him away over a book, then something had to give. He wasn't about to be replaced by a book, and even though he'd failed in every single attempt to separate it from his lover, the time had come for drastic action. If he had to call Tohma, so be it. He pushed away from the wall and started pacing around the living room, trying to decide on the best method for liberating Shuichi from the evil book.

An hour later, Shuichi was still camped outside the apartment, and he was far from any good ideas, short of assaulting his lover and stealing the book in the aftermath.

"It would work…" Yuki said under his breath. "But then I'd go to jail…"

He thought that over for a few beats, weighing both sides. After a couple seconds, he couldn't decide which was worse: that he was willing to go to jail over a book, or that he couldn't think of a better idea. He shook his head, hard, trying to clear his mind. He couldn't get arrested over it, and he didn't want to hurt Shuichi that bad anyway. He wasn't above using that tactic to momentarily distract him, but he wasn't going to beat the kid unconscious because he was more in love with a novel than with him. He stopped pacing and pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing what was coming next. He sighed resignedly and took out his cell phone.

"Tohma?" Yuki said when the other line picked up. "I need some help."

"Are you alright?" Tohma asked, immediately concerned. "Do you need me to come over there and comfort you? I'll be right there, MIKA!"

"NO! I don't need you here! Tohma, no! Stay there." Yuki spluttered, not sure how he'd managed to forget the recent upswing in Tohma's infatuation.

"Fine…what's wrong then?" Tohma replied, a little more than put out.

"It's about Shuichi…"

"What'd he do? Want me to fire him? Make him disappear?"

"Tohma."

"Yes?"

"Calm the hell down. He…" Yuki paused, trying to find the right words to tell his brother-in-law that his lover, who had the mentality of a five year old on a good day, was outsmarting him.

"He what, Eiri?" Tohma said, serious now that he could hear the tone change in Yuki's voice.

"He tried to wish me away to some goblins." Yuki spat out, fully aware of how ridiculous he sounded.

"Did you take your pills this morning?" Tohma asked, sighing.

"No."

"Maybe you should. Maybe you should take a few extra…" Tohma suggested, rolling his eyes. As much as he loved Eiri, he really could be a walking blond moment.

"Tohma, that's it!" Yuki yelled into the phone, suddenly caught up in the moment. He could visualize his life without the book, and it was bliss. He had his way out, and he was going to run with it before sanity and reason kicked in. He hung up the cell phone and threw it on the couch, running into his study to get supplies. "Perfect…"

"Yuki! This is getting old!" Shuichi yelled, kicking the door. "Open up or tell me to leave! Do something!"

Shuichi kicked the door again and returned to the floor, glaring at the apartment the entire time. Yuki was driving him crazy. He'd never acted this way before, and he didn't know how to handle it. He was starting to get twitchy, and he'd almost worked himself into a frenzy. From now on, he was going to glue a key to himself.

"Argh…" Shuichi sighed, fighting the urge to keep kicking the door. He was so frustrated, and he didn't know how to stop it. He hated that he and Yuki were fighting over a book. He hated that he'd been kicked out of their apartment, again. "Next time I get to kick you out!"

"What?" Yuki said, opening the door and staring at Shuichi. "Something wrong?"

"Huh?" Shuichi murmured, startled for a moment.

"Why are you still out here?" Yuki asked, raising an eyebrow and watching Shuichi carefully. "The door was unlocked, dumbass."

"No it wasn't! I tried it!" Shuichi argued, almost jumping up and down.

"Shuichi…we talked about this. Do I need to show you how to open a door…again?" Yuki said slowly, pursing his lips and shaking his head.

"I know how to open a door."

"Not sure you do…"

"Yuki."

"Shuichi."

"Take it back!"

"Take what back? My generous offer of help?"

"You're impossible!" Shuichi finally shouted, reaching his limit of abuse.

"All I did was tell you that the door was unlocked." Yuki offered, shrugging and walking back into the apartment. He was about to burst out laughing at the look on his lover's face, but he was too close to his plan succeeding to let it get the better of him.

"Don't walk away from me, I'm not done with you!"

"Not walking away, just making sure you know how to walk through the door, seeing as you don't know how to open one. Thought you might need a demonstration." Yuki replied, leaning against the kitchen counter and smirking at Shuichi. He was dying on the inside, but he'd have plenty of time to crack up later, especially once he lit the damned book on fire.

"Stop it!" Shuichi shrieked, fighting back the tears. He was used to Yuki picking on him, he did it often enough, but there was venom behind it today. He couldn't help but think that this was brought on because of his juvenile wish. "Please…"

"You sure? You really want me to stop? You know what those words mean?"

"Yuki…"

"Fine." Yuki said, staying still and watching Shuichi. He had to time everything just right to avoid suspicion. For a moment, the realization that this was pretty normal behavior for him made him feel queasy, but he pushed it aside to focus.

"I shouldn't have wished you away…"

"And you shouldn't expect me to ever read, or like, that stupid excuse for a book." Yuki spat quickly, making sure that Shuichi got the impact of his words.

"That's…fine…no. It's not…that's not fair, Yuki! You have to give it a chance!"

"The only thing I have to do is die." Yuki responded quickly, glaring daggers and almost losing his concentration.

" Yuki!" Shuichi whined, balling up his fists and glaring back at his lover. "You're such a jerk!"

"Yeah, so?"

"I take it back! I meant it! I meant it! I wish they would take you away! I'm so sick of you being so mean to me! I…I…I hate it!" Shuichi screamed, eyes popping.

Yuki paused and watched Shuichi for a few beats, trying to look contemplative. His plan was so close to working and he didn't want to risk it falling apart. He stopped pushing Shuichi and stayed quiet a little longer, waiting for the younger man to make the next move.

"What? Nothing left to insult me about?"

"Plenty left, just don't feel like it anymore." Yuki responded, shrugging. He stretched and turned towards the kitchen, watching Shuichi out of the corner of his eye.

"Eiri…" Shuichi said, his anger breaking as fast as it had come. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he fought hard against them. He hated losing fights like this, and this time it was more painful than usual.

"Alright, alright, I'm…sorry." Yuki said, almost choking himself on the last word. "Come here."

"No…" Shuichi said softly, hugging himself and taking a step back.

"Shuichi, come on. It's over now, I'm done. I promise, I'll lay off." Yuki told Shuichi, willing himself to be sincere.

"I…" Shuichi stammered, not sure if he should tackle Yuki and enjoy the reprieve, or stay aloof and give himself some space.

"Fine. Stay there. You want some tea?" Yuki asked offhandedly, not wanting to be pushy.

"OK…" Shuichi answered after a couple seconds of silence. If Yuki said it was over, it was over, whether he was done or not. Even though Yuki'd apologized, he was still ruffled up after the attack on his book. "It's not that bad of a book, Yuki…"

"Dammit, drop it already." Yuki snapped, turning his back on Shuichi to make the tea. He pulled out his prescription bottle for Valium, and put his normal dose into a tea cup. If Shuichi wasn't awake, then he couldn't defend the accursed book. Tohma had given him the wonderful idea, and despite the ill ethics involved, he was going to run with it. True, if he'd just take the pills himself, he'd probably be a lot calmer about the whole thing, but that was way beside the point. He stirred the hot tea and made sure that the pills dissolved before plastering on a tight smile and turning to face his doomed lover. "Here."

"Thanks." Shuichi mumbled, avoiding making eye contact.

He knew it was useless to keep fighting Yuki, but he felt like he couldn't drop it all together. He was still mad that Yuki thought him so trivial, and thought that he could push him around like that, especially over something that was so important to him. Yuki knew exactly what the book, what the story, meant to him, and he was being blatantly derogatory towards it. He sighed and sipped his tea, repeating his wish over and over in his head. He didn't want the goblins to keep Yuki forever, but if they took him to the Underground and he got to see how amazing it was, maybe he'd at least stop being so mean about everything, once he got over being wished away.

"Tea alright?" Yuki asked, grabbing himself a few crackers to snack on.

"Yeah, it's great. Thanks, Yuki." Shuichi said tersely, sighing lightly. He'd resolved himself to keep up the fight, and that was that. He wasn't going to push it now, but he wasn't going to roll over next time Yuki came after him, or the book, like that. He took a few more drinks of the tea, and felt his eyes getting heavier and heavier. He knew that having fights with Yuki tired him out, but this was happening much faster than it normally did. He yawned, and shook his head, trying to stay awake.

"I have some work to do, I'll see you later." Yuki told Shuichi, barely able to contain his excitement. The meds were working their magic, and he was ecstatic. He felt a little bit guilty about drugging the only person that he really loved, but sacrifices had to be made if the book was going to quit his life.

He exited the main room quickly and locked himself into his study where he could celebrate in peace. He broke out with a huge grin and sank into his chair, content with the world. In a matter of minutes, Shuichi would be dead to the world, and he could end the book in whatever manner he saw fit. He resisted the urge to do something embarrassing like a victory dance, or fist pumping, and settled on soft maniacal laughter. When he had composed himself, he peeked out of his door to see Shuichi settled at the dining room table, struggling to get a response out.

"Right…see you later…" Shuichi mumbled from the table, about to fall face first into his tea. "Night, Yuki…"

Before he could make it to a sleeping surface, or even move his tea, Shuichi face-planted onto the table, splattering the tea all over himself. Yuki clapped a hand over his mouth to keep quiet, and waited for Shuichi to start snoring before he crept forward and cleaned up the tea mess. He was on a mission, sure, but he wasn't about to leave his immaculate kitchen in shambles.

When he was done cleaning, he picked Shuichi up and carried him over to the couch, settling him onto the cushions. He kissed him lightly on the forehead and covered him up with a quilt, sighing contentedly. Soon he'd have his lover all to himself again, and it was going to be fantastic. Once he knew that Shuichi was comfortable, he started prowling around for the book. He had no idea where the lunatic had stashed it, but he knew that it had to be in the apartment. He wouldn't have left it at work, that was for sure. He stopped when he spotted the messenger bag leaning against the wall, next to the front door.

"Bingo." Yuki said, striding over to the bag and reaching inside. When his fingers felt the book, he almost burst into tears. He pulled out the book and held it up, eyes alight. He walked into the kitchen and pulled out his favorite lighter and a butcher knife. "Hello there, devil book…let's play a game…Dante's Inferno or Common Kitchen Accidents first?"

When he came to a few hours later, the apartment was completely unlit, and the curtains were pulled against the afternoon sun. The last thing he remembered was drinking the tea and falling asleep on the table. He yawned and looked around the apartment, wondering why Yuki had all the lights out. He stood up and stretched, wondering if Yuki was trying to be romantic or energy conserving, and turned his attention to the door to Yuki's study. It was closed, and it was covered in glitter.

"What the hell?" Shuichi whispered, wondering why Yuki would have done such a thing.

He walked forward slowly, reaching out to the door. When he touched it, it swung open, and he shrieked.

"I thought you locked this…" Shuichi said once he'd composed himself, wondering what could possibly be going on. Yuki never left the door unlocked if he was working, and he rarely left it so even if he wasn't.

Shuichi walked into the room and looked around, trying to make sense of what was happening. The study was completely dark, like the rest of the apartment, and there was glitter on every imaginable surface. Shuichi gulped and backed out, hoping against hope that Yuki didn't end up blaming him for this mess; the crotchety neat freak hated glitter.

"Eiri?" Shuichi called, walking back into the front room. Yuki would never have left the apartment without locking up his study, and he usually at least left a note if he was going out. Shuichi reached up and patted his forehead to make sure one wasn't taped to it, and sighed when he found nothing. "Yuki?"

He walked into to the kitchen and checked in the larger cabinets and the oven, wondering if Yuki was having a five year old moment and trying to scare him. After he'd determined that the kitchen was empty, he checked the rest of the apartment, leaving Yuki's bedroom for last.

"Maybe he got a migraine…" Shuichi mused aloud, thinking it must have been one hell of a headache for Yuki to flip out and glitter his precious retreat.

The window over the bed was wide open when Shuichi walked into the room, and the sunlight was pouring in. He inched closer to the bed, looking around nervously. If Yuki was doing all of this to mess with him, the man had either finally gone crazy or taken too many pills again. He diligently searched the room, but Yuki was nowhere to be found.

"He has to be here…" Shuichi muttered, stopping and scratching his head.

The only place he hadn't look was under the covers, but he knew for a fact that Eiri was too big of a guy to conceal himself under there. If only to quiet his curiosity, he grabbed the edge of the comforter and threw it back.

"AHHH!" Shuichi shrieked, jumping back from the bed with a look of horror etched across his face. There was something in Yuki's bed.

After the initial panic passed, he edged closer to the bed and verified that the thing inhabiting Yuki's bed wasn't going to eat his face. When the creature didn't snarl and jump out of the bed thirsting for his blood, Shuichi sighed in relief and examined the intruder. It turned out to be a pink rabbit sporting a jaunty red bowtie. Shuichi cocked his head and puzzled over why Yuki was sleeping with a stuffed animal.

"Maybe that's why I can't sleep in here anymore, didn't want to share the rabbit with me…" Shuichi muttered, numb from the weirdness. Yuki had never acted like this before, and Shuichi never would've expected to find a stuffed rabbit in his bed, especially not a fashionably dressed pink one. "Whatever…"

Shuichi scooped up the rabbit and headed for the door, deciding that his lover had gone off the deep end and that if he ever found Yuki, they were definitely going to talk about the rabbit.

"HEY! THAT'S MINE!" someone screamed, rattling the window panes in the bedroom and the rest of the apartment.

Shuichi spun around, frantically searching for the source of the commotion. A stranger was in the apartment, and he was panicking like no other. With Yuki missing in action, there was no one there to protect him from rabbit-loving invaders.

"Put him down!" the voice commanded, making Shuichi's blood run cold.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry…" Shuichi said softly, his eyes wide. He had his back to the window, and as he gingerly set the rabbit down on the bed, he could feel a breeze blowing in from the outside. He looked over his shoulder slowly and had to use all of his self-control not to scream bloody murder at what he saw.

There was a man standing in the window, clearly enjoying himself now that the rabbit had been returned to the bed. He was leaning jauntily against the window pane, and when he saw Shuichi's startled expression, he smirked and crossed his arms, waiting for the shocked vocalist to make the first move.

"Who…what?" Shuichi barely managed, the character in front of him throwing him off. The creature, as Shuichi was pretty sure he wasn't human, was wearing extremely tight-fitting pants and was cloaked in a sparkly purple cape with a matching shirt. He could see a pile of glitter forming on the floor, and he was secretly glad that Yuki was missing. If he knew what state his carpet was in, he would most likely end up in the hospital. "Wait…oh my god…"

"Hmmm?" The creature smirked, cocking his head.

"JARETH?" Shuichi shrieked, pretty sure he knew what was going on now. His wish had come true, and Yuki had been spirited away by baby stealing goblins.

"No…my name's Ryuichi…" the glitter fiend answered, looking slightly offended that some loony named Jareth had stolen some of his thunder.

"Ryuichi?" Shuichi repeated, puzzling over the name. It sounded hauntingly familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Do I know you?"

"Nope." Ryuichi answered, smiling wide and swinging himself out of the window and onto the bed. He scooped up the rabbit and hugged it, rocking himself back and forth.

"Ummm…" Shuichi said, biting his lower lip. He stared at Ryuichi, waiting for some kind of explanation. He had no idea what was going on, or why some part of him was sure he knew the maniac sitting in front of him, but he wanted some answers. When Ryuichi made no move to explain himself after a few minutes of silence, he couldn't take it anymore. "What are you doing here?"

"You summoned me, duh!" Ryuichi answered, rolling his eyes. "Silly."

"Summoned? Like I called you on the phone?" Shuichi asked, getting more confused by the second. He felt like he was trapped in a dream. It looked like some whacked out Jareth cosplayer had broken into the apartment and vandalized everything, and Yuki had most likely lost his mind when faced with the copious amounts of glitter.

"Wow…this is a first." Ryuichi said, furrowing his brow. Most people that called on his array of goblin assistants knew exactly what was happening when they met him. "You wished someone away, didn't you?"

"Wha?" Shuichi breathed, taking a second and looking down at his feet. He still wasn't sure if the thing standing in front of him was some sort of drugged up prankster or the real deal.

"When you say that you want my goblins to take someone away, they usually do it…" Ryuichi said to no one in particular, shrugging. He was starting to get bored with the new kid, but a job was a job, and the rabbit would be upset if he got too distracted.

"But that's just a story…" Shuichi said, shooting Ryuichi a shocked look. "You're kidding, right?"

"Story? Not a story…Kuma, is it a story?" Ryuichi said to the ceiling, and then to his rabbit.

"Oh my god…" Shuichi murmured, starting to really freak out. His dreams had come true, the Labyrinth was real. Part of him had known it all along, deep down, but actually seeing the proof in front of him had him completely frazzled. He stared up at Ryuichi with his mouth hanging open, trying to decide if he wanted to tackle him or have a heart attack.

"So, you wish anyone away lately, or did I get the wrong house again?" Ryuichi piped up, interrupting Shuichi's moment.

"Not sure…" Shuichi answered softly, mumbling. He took a moment to think through his day, and then it hit him; Yuki. "Oh no!"

"Making sense now?" Ryuichi asked, his tone playful.

"Yuki…crap." Shuichi said, sinking onto the floor. It was all rushing back to him now, and he was filled with regret. He'd wished away his lover to a bunch of glitter loving goblins. "Wait…so you're the goblin king?"

"Right…I was supposed to say that, wasn't it?" Ryuichi asked, more to Kuma than to anyone else. He cleared his throat and struck an impressive pose on the bed. "I'm Ryuichi, King of the Goblins!"

Shuichi was silent for once, and sat staring at Ryuichi, mesmerized by the horror of the pants.

"Well…I guess I'll be going now..." Ryuichi said after a few minutes, still in his pose. "I took the guy, no problem, I'll see you around. Kuma says bye too."

"Huh?" Shuichi said, still dumbstruck by Ryuichi's tights. "Wait! Yuki! No, you have to give him back, I was joking, I didn't think you were real!"

"Not real? How can I not be real? Kuma, am I real?" Ryuichi said, obviously distressed.

"I thought it was just a story…with Jareth…and Sarah…" Shuichi tried to explain to a deaf audience, as Ryuichi was too busy pinching himself to verify that he was real.

"I dunno what you're talking about, I'm the goblin king." Ryuichi said, hopping around on the bed and conjuring more glitter to further prove his reality. "See? I have magic! I'm real, you're thinking of some story, like you said…"

"I guess…" Shuichi said finally, giving himself a headache. A lot of stories were based on reality, and now that he was faced with the reality of his great love, he was more than a little concerned. "But what about Yuki? It was a mistake, I need him back…"

"Can't have him back, he's my new friend!" Ryuichi said, ceasing his hopping to cross his arms and pout at Shuichi.

"But…"

"Nope! Mine now!"

"I need him! Please, you have to give him back!" Shuichi shouted at Ryuichi, getting off of the floor and resisting the urge to cry. The more he talked to this Ryuichi, the more he came to accept that it was real. He'd seen the magic, after all. He'd read the story, he knew what was going to happen now. The writer must have had the same thing happen to them. He shuddered, and squared his shoulders, ready for whatever this version of the fearsome goblin king had to throw at him.

"I don't wanna!"

"Please…"

"Well…"

"What if I play with you instead?" Shuichi offered, stumbling into a moment of clarity.

"Hmmm…yeah! Let's play hide 'n' seek! I've hidden your Yuki, and you have to find him!" Ryuichi shrieked, forming the game as he spoke.

"Alright…" Shuichi affirmed, starting to get excited in spite of his worry; Ryuichi was contagious.

"And…and…and if you don't find him in time, I keep him!" Ryuichi managed to finish, twitching with barely contained excitement.

"How much time do I get?" Shuichi asked quickly, hoping that he could find Yuki in time. This seemed like his only option now that Ryuichi was so geared up for it.

"Hmmm…pick a number between one and twenty…" Ryuichi suggested, stroking his chin, and Kuma's.

"Thirteen!" Shuichi shouted without thinking.

"Alrighty, thirteen hours!" Ryuichi chimed, spinning around on the bed and making glitter go everywhere.

"Thirteen hours? Just to find someone?" Shuichi said, gasping. He looked at Ryuichi in wide-eyed astonishment and then remembered his story. "Crap…"

"To the labyrinth!" Ryuichi sang out, twirling his cloak around and making the room disappear.

Shuichi instinctively ducked for cover, and when he looked up, the apartment had vanished and he was standing in a field, next to Ryuichi.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Ryuichi said, beaming. He was proud of his land, and he loved it when new people came to play with him. "See you in thirteen!"

"Wait, give me a hint!" Shuichi yelled out, but Ryuichi had disappeared before he could finish the first word. "Yuki…"

He looked around, and his worry only increased. The story version of the labyrinth was bad enough, and now that he had met the real goblin king, he was terrified of what he was going to find inside the maze. He sighed and started walking towards a large gate, telling himself that he had to fix what he'd started. Yuki was probably mad as a hornet and going insane trapped inside with Ryuichi and Kuma.

Well…here it is. I almost didn't make the deadline, as I finished this the night before I needed to post it, but by some small music related miracle, here it is. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

-Amaya

Special thanks to my editor, she's doing a much better job than the parrot. He throws things at me. *shudders*