Tasuki, Mitsukake, Soi, and Miboshi found themselves in another part of the forest with no path in sight. It looked like an ancient area; the trees were old and twisted, glistening wetly and smelling of mold and moss.

"Where the @%!# are we?!" Tasuki growled, looking around nervously. "What the hell did that crazy goblin guy do to us now? And where is everyone?!"

"Calm down, Tasuki," Mitsukake replied calmly. "Panicking won’t get us anywhere. This is obviously meant to distract us, make us lose our bearings. If we keep focusing on the task at hand we’ll be okay. Just keep heading toward the Labyrinth."

"How the @%#& are we supposed to get back to the %@$# Labyrinth if we don’t even know where the @%#& it is?!" Tasuki was in rare form today.

"Calm yourself, bandit. There is a child present," Mitsukake stated, looking pointedly at Miboshi, who glared back through slitted, cat-like eyes.

"I am not a child, healer. I am far older than you can imagine," the little Monk hissed. "My powers far surpass those of any of your people!"

"Yeah, yeah, tell it to someone who cares, brat," Tasuki snapped. "Let’s get going! I’m gonna @$#% kill that jerk when I get my hands on him!"

"I think perhaps it would be wiser attempting to discover where we are," Soi pointed out.

"Oh, and how the hell are we supposed to do that?" Tasuki complained. "I suppose I can just go up to that little bird over there…" He pointed to a small, emerald-colored bird sitting in a low tree branch, watching them curiously. "…And say, ‘Hey bird! How do we get back to the stone maze?’"

The bird ruffled its brightly-hued feathers. "For few crumbs of bread, Mouse will lead you," it replied in a lilting voice.

"Gyaahh!" Tasuki yelped, falling over on his butt and crab-walking at about a hundred miles an hour away from the talking bird, until he ended up running into a tree. "THAT @#&% BIRD JUST TALKED TO ME!" he bellowed.

The bird blinked bright black eyes at him, tilting its head to the side. "You quite loud, you know. If you keep yelling, you attract Fireys," it chirped. "What matter? Never hear Mouse talk?"

"No!" Tasuki yelled back, glaring at the feathered creature. "What the hell kinda bird are you, anyway?!"

The bird chirped to itself and blinked, seemingly confused by the question. It was a bird. What more did this strange, loud human need to know? "My name is Mouse," it replied finally. "Have you bread?"

"I’m sorry, but we do not. Our companion had the only food, and she has been separated from us." This came from Soi, who appeared to be quite taken with the pretty little fowl. She stepped closer to it, pleased when it didn’t fly away. "Perhaps if you lead us and stay with us until we meet with our companions again, we can share with you some crumbs," she suggested.

Mouse blinked, cocking its head again until it was nearly upside down. Then it fixed its bright gaze upon Tama-neko, who was watching the bird with avid interest. "Mouse does not like cats," it chirped firmly. "Cats eat birds like Mouse." Its gaze switched to Tasuki, who was glaring at it sullenly. "He might eat Mouse, too!"

"I promise that they’ll not harm you," Mitsukake hastily assured Mouse, hiding his amusement at Tasuki’s outraged growl. "We are in need of your help. If you can do so, we will reward you greatly in the end. Perhaps with a loaf of bread rather than crumbs."

This caught Mouse’s interest, as he’d hoped it would. It blinked and twittered to itself, apparently weighing the risks. Then, as though making up its mind, it shook its tail, gave a final chirp, and fluttered from the branch to land on Soi’s shoulder. "Mouse will show the way," the little bird agreed happily. "Come and follow!" With that, it took off swiftly into the trees, and the four Seishi had no choice but to run after it.

"I’m tired! When are we going to rest!" Miboshi complained several hours later as he trudged wearily after his companions. As old as he claimed to be, it apparently didn’t keep him from whining like a child when the going got tough, and it was beginning to wear on Tasuki’s nerves (never mind the fact that the bandit complained almost as much as the monk did).

"Mouse, is there a place we can stop to rest?" Soi asked the little bird, who was again perched on the Seishi’s shoulders and chirping happily away.

Mouse ruffled its feathers. "Ahead there is pool in clearing. Rest there," it replied.

The "pool" was actually an underground spring that flowed to the surface of what greatly resembled a rough-hewn, stone birdbath (as odd as it seemed to find a birdbath in the middle of the forest), set in the center of a perfectly-formed ring of trees. The travelers gladly sank into soft, emerald grass, and Tasuki immediately stretched out on his back and began snoring. Soi cupped her hands to catch the fresh water pouring into the basin, drinking deeply, and after a moment Miboshi and Mitsukake followed suit, thirst overruling common sense. Once they had their fill, they sat to join Tasuki for a short rest.

Tasuki woke abruptly with the unsettling notion that something was not quite right. He scowled and looked around, wondering for a fearful moment if he’d ended up sleeping longer than he’d intended. The sun was still high overhead, however, so it couldn’t have been too much past noon. He frowned, trying to figure out what was amiss, and abruptly he realized what the matter was.

His companions were missing.

"Hey!" he called, getting to his feet quickly. "Mitsukake! Where’d ya go?" There was no answer, and he scratched his head. "Hey, kid! Woman! Where are ya?"

There was a rustling sound off to his left, and he whirled around quickly, hand automatically reaching for a tessen that was no longer there. A few chirps let him know that it was only that bird they’d been following. He scowled at the little creature as it blinked at him and turned its head upside-down. "Where’d the others go?" he asked.

Mouse blinked again. "Not gone. Still here," it chirped.

Tasuki shot the fowl a disbelieving glance. "Then where are they? I suppose yer gonna tell me they turned invisible," he snorted.

"Not invisible. Changed," the bird replied knowingly.

"Changed?" This sent a shock of alarm through Tasuki. "What the hell do ya mean, ‘changed’?!" he snarled.

Mouse preened its feathers before answering. "They drank water. They change now. Magic," it explained casually. "They like Mouse now."

"What?!" Tasuki exploded. "What the $%@# are ya talkin’ about?! Where are they?!"

"In tree behind you."

Tasuki turned around and searched frantically, and abruptly his eyes fell upon three small birds perched in the lower branches of an oak tree, watching him silently. His jaw almost hit the floor as the largest bird—colored a shining black that matched Mitsukake’s hair, fluttered over to him and perched on his shoulder. "Do not drink the water, Tasuki," it chirped at him, blinking. "Bad things happen."

Now Tasuki’s jaw did hit the ground. As did the rest of him. "Oh, hell," he uttered weakly.

Hotohori looked around suspiciously, wondering what in the world had happened. One minute he’d been listening to Stormlight and Jareth trading insults, and in the next…everyone had disappeared. Or rather, apparently he had. He wasn’t stupid, of course. He knew very well that the Goblin King held something of a grudge against him, and he suspected it had a lot to do with Stormlight, just like this whole adventure to begin with. The Konan emperor knew she had a little crush on him, but that wasn’t anything unusual. Everybody else had a crush on him, after all, because the simple fact was that nobody could resist his beautiful face.

And he certainly didn’t mind. It was kind of cute the way Stormlight acted all shy and awkward around him at times, then turned right around and faced Jareth like a tigress protecting her cubs. But still, as it seemed to anger the Goblin King, Hotohori knew he’d better not encourage the Listian, as much as he thought he might enjoy getting to know her. There was no sense in getting them all killed by one of Jareth’s fits of royal angst, after all. Maybe when this was over, he might have a chance to talk to her more before they got sent back to their worlds.

Hotohori was brought out of his musings by a muttered exclamation, seeing Nuriko sitting a little way off, scratching his head and looking around in confusion. Just beyond him was the Seiryu warrior, Tomo, who was also looking less than a little thrilled at the sudden change of atmosphere. "What happened, Your Highness?" Nuriko asked, getting to his feet and brushing some stray dust from his clothes. "Where do you think we are now, and where is everyone else?"

"I’m afraid I know as much as you do," Hotohori replied dryly, pushing his hair back from his shoulders. "I suppose we should keep walking until we reach the stone maze. No doubt that’s where everyone else will be heading, as well."

"But we have no idea which direction to go in," Tomo pointed out sourly, standing a little way off and crossing his arms stubbornly over his chest. "It is not a good idea to wander around a strange forest without any idea of where we’re going."

"You know, that actually makes sense," Nuriko smirked, eyeing the Seiryu Seishi smugly. "Surprising."

Tomo glowered at him, but Hotohori quickly intervened before tempers escalated. "Look, in the distance the woods thin out," he hurriedly exclaimed, pointing to the left. "Perhaps there is a town or village where we can ask for directions." Without waiting for the other two to reply, he started off at a brisk pace, trusting them to follow him, and a moment later they did, although Tomo grumbled to himself about taking orders from an enemy emperor.

Nuriko smirked. "Nobody’s twisting your arm to stay with us," he taunted. "You can go off on your own, but if you get lost and make Nakago lose this game, it’ll be your hide to worry about. Nakago doesn’t strike me as one who likes to lose."

Tomo shut up, after that.

The smell hit the three travelers with all the sudden force of a natural disaster. One minute they were breathing in musky, forest-scented air, and in the next—the moment they stepped out of the cover of the trees, in fact—they were choking and gagging as the stench of every rotting carcass and garbage heap and sewer in the world hit their faces. It was like they had passed through some invisible barrier that kept the smell confined to a certain limit. Hotohori doubled over, trying not to breathe and trying even harder not to be ill when not breathing didn’t appear to work. He heard the choked gasps of his companions behind him as they left the forest, as well.

"What is this place?" Nuriko asked, his voice muffled in the sleeve of his tunic as he lifted tearing eyes to gaze at their surroundings. They appeared to be in a kind of swamp, although he couldn’t remember ever being in a swamp or bog that smelled half this foul before.

"I don’t know, and I’d rather not find out," came the emperor’s rather cynical reply. "Might I suggest we turn around and leave this place?"

"I second the vote," Tomo put in, looking rather green in the face (although it was really hard to tell for certain under all that makeup). All three Seishi turned at once to hurry back into the cover of the trees…only to find that the forest had disappeared. Naturally.

"Now why doesn’t this surprise me?" Nuriko bemoaned.

"You mean we’re stuck here?!" In his horror, Tomo forgot to hold his breath and was shortly regretting that action.

"Apparently so," Hotohori replied carefully, breathing quickly and shallowly. He was starting to feel a little light-headed from lack of air. "But I see a bridge in the distance there. Maybe if we cross it, we’ll find another way through here?"

"You mean we have to cross through this…muck?" Tomo asked, his nose wrinkling distastefully as he glanced down at the bubbling, brownish goo beside his feet, which appeared to be making rather sickening—although surprisingly good—imitations of unpleasant bodily functions.

"No, not through it," Hotohori replied. "Perhaps around it. I don’t want to touch any of this…whatever it is…if I can help it. It reeks of magic."

"It sure reeks of something, all right," Nuriko quipped. "Well then, I guess we can’t just stay here. Maybe this is just another path to the castle? Or at least to the stone maze." They started making their way cautiously toward the bridge, picking their way carefully along the treacherously narrow path, which was slick with slime and dirt. Unfortunately, their senses refused to dull to the smell, so that each breath they took caused them to gag in reflex. Hotohori was beginning to wonder if he’d ever be able to clear the stench from his system after this.

At last they reached the bridge, a narrow, stone structure that looked even more hazardous than the path they were on. But on the other side they could see a line of trees, and hopefully an end to the horrible smell. However, as they began to step onto it, they heard a sharp yip behind them, and a high, growling voice proclaimed, "HALT! Who goes there?!" The Seishi turned in surprise to be confronted by a most unusual sight.

Before them stood a small creature—it appeared to be some kind of a fox—that stood on its haunches and was dressed in a most outlandish outfit, complete with feathered hat. In its paw it clutched a thin stick of some sort, and its tail was bristling as it snarled at them. "What manner of creature are you?" Hotohori asked, blinking down at it. The fox barely reached his knee. He supposed it should surprise him that it was talking…but in truth he was starting to get used to the unexpected. He wasn’t sure whether or not to be worried about that.

"None may pass this way without my permission!" the little creature stated proudly, brandishing his stick. "Begone, trespassers!"

"Trespassers? Us?" Nuriko blinked, pointing at himself. "Look, we’ll be gone just as soon as you get out of our way so we can reach the forest over there."

"None may pass without my permission!" the fox repeated, glaring at the Seishi as he planted himself firmly in their path. The fact that all three of them towered over him by at least four feet didn’t appear to daunt him in the least.

Tomo frowned. "This tires me. Begone yourself, little creature," he stated arrogantly, raising his hand to pick the little fox up by the scruff of the neck and physically remove him, if need be. He was not expecting to be smacked sharply across the knees with the creature’s weapon, however, or else he might have rethought that action. So, as he danced around clutching his throbbing knees while Nuriko openly laughed at him, the fox once again resumed his stance and growled.

Hotohori sighed and rubbed his temple wearily. This was getting them nowhere. Still, he was an emperor, after all, and he wouldn’t be a very good one if he didn’t know how to deal with stubborn ambassadors from other countries. "Look, friend, we mean no harm," he began cautiously. "My name is Hotohori, fourth emperor of Konan. My companions are Suzaku Sichiseishi, Nuriko, and Seiryu Sichiseishi, Tomo."

The fox bowed formally, doffing his cap. "And I am Sir Didymus, a knight of the Labyrinth and guardian of this bridge," he replied, straightening again.

Encouraged, Hotohori continued, "We need to cross this bridge in order to rejoin the rest of our companions, who are at the moment on their way to the goblin castle. We have been forced into a game with this country’s king, you see, and…"

"A game, you say?" The fox’s ears perked up, and his nose twitched as his bright eyes fixed on the emperor with keen interest. "With His Majesty, Jareth?"

"Yup," Nuriko put in. "We were taken from our world along with our enemies and brought here to have some kind of race. We were traveling together, only now Jareth decided to split us all up again, and Stormlight—the only one of us who knew anything about this Labyrinth place—is somewhere else entirely. So we have to find her and everyone else before the three days are over. We only have the rest of today and tomorrow yet."

"Did you say Stormlight?" Didymus asked excitedly. "Why, I did not realize she was here in the Labyrinth! Jareth does not bother to keep his subjects informed of such events." He appeared rather miffed about that.

"You…know her?" Tomo asked sullenly.

"But of course! She is one of Jareth’s loyal Listians! She has been here several times before in the castle…"

"Wait a minute! She told us she was never here before!" Tomo exclaimed accusingly. "She lied to us?"

"She said she was never in the Labyrinth before…" Hotohori murmured.

"And that is true," Didymus replied. "She has not traveled the Labyrinth before. She and the other Listians have been in his castle, however, for parties and such, but they are normally taken through more direct means. Many Listians have traversed the Labyrinth, for fun or in challenge, but Stormlight has not been one of them until now. I suppose it was only a matter of time before Jareth challenged her."

"But did he have to involve us in it?" Tomo whined. "We don’t have anything to do with it!"

"Apparently that isn’t true. I believe the Suzaku Sichiseishi are a threat to Jareth, in regards to Stormlight’s affections," Hotohori replied. "She appears to hold us and Miaka in high esteem."

"Especially you, Your Highness," Nuriko added teasingly as he glanced at the emperor, who attempted to look innocent.

"Ah yes. Jareth can be a jealous sort in regards to his followers. He does not take lightly to losing them to other fandoms," Didymus explained. "I have heard him complaining many times about Stormlight’s latest interest. I assume that you are they?"

"Apparently so," Nuriko replied.

Again, Didymus bowed. "Allow me the honor of escorting you to the castle. I know the way well, and perhaps we shall meet up with your companions on the way. I would be glad to meet anybody who can get Jareth’s feathers so ruffled."

"What about your duty?" Nuriko asked.

"Phaugh!" the fox scoffed. "A quest is a much more intriguing task for a knight! And frankly, I was starting to get bored." He paused and scratched his head as he turned away to call his steed. "For some reason, there are never any challengers seeking to cross the bridge, although I cannot for the life of me figure out why…"

Right on cue, the Seishi face-faulted.