A/N: Blasted weekend! It let me get another chapter done early! Oh well. I've also noticed that although this is the third chapter, I've not heard from anyone lately (except for Artisan Monkey, but more on him later). Hope you guys aren't mad at me! I told you it gets better! Read and see!

Here we go!

Chapter 3: Finding a Father

Sunset. Aladdin sat by the window of his old attic home, deep in thought. His father was alive. What was his next move? He had to find his father, of course... didn't he? Wasn't this what he'd always wanted--to find the answers to his troubled past? But then again, what if his father turned out to be some sort of monster? He had, after all, left poor Aladdin and his mother to fend for themselves. The latter hadn't survived very long afterward. What if the truth was an unspeakable horror that would leave Aladdin scarred forever? Maybe Aladdin was better off not meeting his father at all.

Carpet and Abu paced anxiously below. Sora and Kairi had decided to stay and help out, and they were still at the palace with Genie. That was probably for the best. There was only one person Aladdin needed to see.

And that person walked right through his door. "Aladdin? Are you all right?"

Jasmine stepped into Aladdin's home. She knew how he must have been feeling. She knew how she would feel if anything happened to her father. As she approached Aladdin, something caught her eye--the rod containing the Oracle. She picked it up--after all, it might help to solve Aladdin's problems.

"What's wrong?" Jasmine asked plainly as she sat down beside Aladdin.

"I always wanted to know about my father," Aladdin explained with a sigh, "but now I'm not so sure. What kind of man leaves his son?" Aladdin got up and looked out the window, a look of such dejection on his face it broke Jasmine's heart. "Did he even care?" Aladdin went on. "Maybe I don't want to know."

"Yes you do." Jasmine assured him as she rose to join him.

"How can you be so sure?" Aladdin questioned.

"Because I already know him." Jasmine answered. When Aladdin only looked at her in confusion, she explained, "because I know you. People like you don't come out of thin air."

Aladdin sighed. "How can you say that? There's so much I want to know!"

"You have the chance to learn." Jasmine reminded him.

"But..." Aladdin argued. "What if it means I have to leave?"

Jasmine placed a hand on his cheek. "I'll be right here waiting. Wouldn't it be worth it for your father to see our wedding?"

"Maybe you're right." Aladdin agreed. He took the rod of the Oracle from Jasmine.

The rod instantly glowed with a white radiance and rose high into the air. From the rod appeared the Oracle. "Have you chosen your question?"

"I have." Aladdin stated as firmly as he could, though his voice was still a little shaky.

"Then ask." the Oracle commanded.

Aladdin slumped. Did he really want to go through with this? He knew that if he did go in search of his father, he'd need Sora's help. What would the keyblade master say to this? Couldn't he have a little time to think this through? But when he saw the Oracle staring at him impatiently, he found that there was no more time. he had to go through with it. "Where is my father?"

"Follow the trail of the Forty Thieves." the Oracle told him, waving a hand toward the setting sun. "Your father is trapped within their world."

"The Forty Thieves?" Aladdin repeated. Great. Now he definitely needed Sora's help. Still, he could scarcely believe it. The Forty Thieves? The very same who had crashed his wedding not four hours ago? Forgetting the Rule of One, Aladdin began bombarding the Oracle with questions. "Is he hurt? How long has he been their prisoner?"

"I am sorry," the Oracle apologized, "I can only answer one question." With this, the Oracle disappeared in a flash of white light and the rod drifted back into Aladdin's hand.

Aladdin clutched the rod in his hand, and the weight of all his unanswered questions seemed to rest upon it. "It's up to me." he decided.

"Take as long as you need." Jasmine consented.

Aladdin wrapped his arms around Jasmine, taking in the scent of her hair and the warmth of her body one last time before he set off. "I'll be back in time for our wedding. I promise."

"So where are we going?"

Aladdin's head whipped around. Sora and Kairi were standing in the doorway! The former had been the one to ask the rather blunt question. Aladdin smiled and shook his head. "How long have you two been standing there?"

"Not long." Sora informed him. "Just enough to hear about the Forty Thieves having your father."

"Then you know where we're going." Aladdin replied. "We have to find the Forty Thieves. They'll lead us to my father."

"All right, then. When do we set off?" Sora questioned.

"We have to go now!" Aladdin said decisively. "Who knows what they're doing to my father right now?"

"Then let's go." To everyone's surprise, the query had come from Kairi!

Sora shook his head and raised his hands. "No no no no no! You're not coming!"

Kairi crossed her arms and raised a brow. "Why not?"

Sora did his best to ignore how incredibly cute Kairi looked when she pouted like that. He couldn't let her manipulate him into going with them. "Look, Kairi," he tried to explain, "do you know what would happen if we let a beautiful woman like you into a den full of thieves? I don't think even I could protect you."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Sora." Kairi giggled. "Fine. I'll stay here. But I hope you feel really guilty."

Sora caught Kairi up into a warm embrace, looking down into her indigo eyes with his own cerulean orbs. "I won't be gone long. I promise."

"Just please be careful." Kairi pleaded, pecking him softly on the lips.

Sora flashed her that irresistible grin of his. "I'll be fine. Try not to let Genie put in those swimming pools."

Kairi had to laugh. "I'll do my best."

Sora and Kairi let go of each other. Sora ran to the window and leaped from it, with Aladdin close behind. Both were caught by Carpet, who also carried Abu and Iago to follow the trail of the Forty Thieves, just as the Oracle had instructed.

Kairi and Jasmine watched their lovers fly off into the distance. "And here we go again." Kairi muttered.

Jasmine smiled. "Don't worry. If I know those two, they'll be back before we know it. With Aladdin's father."

Kairi shook her head. "I hope you're right."

"I shoulda stayed with the Genie!" Iago whined. "Manual labor beats danger any day!"

Sora and Aladdin glanced at each other and sighed. They had only been flying for fifteen minutes, and already Iago was complaining. How were they supposed to stealthily follow the Forty Thieves if the noisy parrot was going to squawk all the way there?

By now, the sun had sunk below the western horizon, and the dunes of Agrabah's deserts were blanketed by the darkness of night. Sora noted how quickly the temperature dropped after nightfall in the desert, and on more than occasion had caught himself shivering. Still, the stars shone brightly and the trail would not be hard to miss... if they could find it.

Soon, Carpet flew them toward a narrow beach, flanked by the sea on one side and a rocky cliff on the other. Sora thought he could make out what appeared to be hoof prints in the sand. As Carpet drew closer, his suspicions were confirmed. "Good." Aladdin said, as much to himself as to anyone. "The trail's still fresh."

"Look over there!" Sora whispered. Just ahead, the Forty Thieves were riding on horseback, no doubt headed back to their lair.

Aladdin pulled up on Carpet slightly, and the flying rug began to pick up speed. "Definitely should've stayed with the Genie!" Iago moaned.

Carpet and his passengers followed the Forty Thieves closely, only to watch them stop a moment later. They were trapped between the sea and the cliff! The thieves only stared out to sea, so Carpet hastily retreated behind a large rock. Sora breathed a sigh of relief. "We got 'em trapped." Aladdin said confidently.

"We?" Iago repeated. "We are you guys, a rug, a monkey, and me. Wait--don't count me."

Sora peeked around the rock. The Forty thieves still hadn't moved. "Why are they just standing there?" he asked.

Before anyone could issue a response, Aladdin recognized the blue-cowled form of the King of Thieves as his horse took a step forward. He outstretched a hand toward the open sea and issued a single command: "Open sesame!"

Instantly, the waters of the ocean began to bubble and foam, glowing a strange orange color. Smoke rose from the sea, clouding everything from view for a moment. When the smoke cleared, a strange sight met Sora's eyes. The waters had parted! The sea had opened up to reveal a path from the beach to a hidden cave.

Cassim yanked hard on his horse's reins and the stallion galloped forward. The rest of the Forty Thieves followed. "Come on!" Sora whispered as the last thief began to ride along the path. "We gotta catch up before the walls cave in again!"

"Let's move!" Aladdin agreed, leaping onto Carpet. Sora and Abu followed suit, and Iago flew as fast as he could behind them.

Sora risked a glance back, only to see the sea closing up behind them! "Faster!" he begged Carpet. "Faster!"

Carpet picked up speed and zoomed through the cave. It slammed shut behind the flying rug as he and his passengers crashed into a large rock. "Nice job." Sora grunted as he stood up. When he took a look around, he was awestruck. The Forty Thieves' stronghold was a massive complex, lined with many elaborate stone carvings--stolen goods, no doubt.

Aladdin was amazed as well, and was still in awe when he felt Carpet's tassel patting him on the shoulder. "I know, Carpet." he told the rug. "It's incredible!"

To get Aladdin's attention, Carpet yanked on Aladdin's collar and pointed him in the direction of Iago, who was covering his eyes with his wings. "How bad is it?" the parrot whined.

Sora glanced down at the bird and saw that his tail feathers were caught in the sealed cave door. Sora grinned and shook his head before pulling Iago free. Iago took a look at his tail feathers--or rather, his lack thereof. "Oh, this is attractive." he squawked sarcastically as he yanked his tail feathers from the crevasse and stuck them back into their proper place.

Aladdin watched the spectacle with a warm smile before instructing his friends, "Come on."

As Sora, Aladdin, and their companions trekked through the loot-ridden lair of the Forty Thieves, they soon found themselves on the edge of a wall overlooking a very large room. Instead of a west wall, however, the room was situated next to an enormous cliff. In the center of the room was a wooden table surrounded by the Forty Thieves. Sa'luk was leading a discussion among them, and he was obviously not happy. Everyone did their best to stay quiet and listen as the thieves argued.

"But we followed the king's plan." Sa'luk complained. "This is what we have to show for our trouble in Agrabah." Sa'luk slammed his fist into the table, splintering it on impact. "Nothing!" Sa'luk stepped over the shattered remains of the table and glared hard at Cassim. "Your time draws to a close, Cassim."

Aladdin's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Sora took notice of his friend's shock. "What is it, Aladdin?"

"Cassim." Aladdin repeated. "My father."

Sora looked from Cassim to Aladdin and back again. Cassim's blue cowl was now down, and he was revealed to be the man the Oracle had shown them. "Well, that was easy. Now all we have to do is kick thirty-nine butts and go home."

"Don't you mean forty?" Iago questioned.

"No." Sora replied. "I counted."

Below, Cassim remained calm and collected. "If you're talking about spilling my blood," he told Sa'luk, "I just don't see that happening."

"Then let me open your eyes!" Sa'luk shouted as he raised the hand which sported his clawed knuckleduster.

Sora had no time to protest before Aladdin jumped from the wall and tackled Sa'luk. Sora rolled his eyes. "Well, there goes our element of surprise." he sighed before summoning the Oathkeeper keyblade and joining Aladdin. He pointed his blade at Sa'luk's head.

Aladdin kept a firm grip on Sa'luk's clawed hand. "Run!" he shouted to Cassim. "We've got him!" When Cassim only raised an eyebrow questioningly, Aladdin added, "I'm Aladdin! You're my father!"

Cassim let out a gasp. Could it be? The son he'd searched so long and hard for had been the very boy he'd fought at the wedding?

Sa'luk wrestled Aladdin from his body and leaped to his feet. As he did so, Cassim noticed a small dagger clatter to the floor from Aladdin's belt. The King of Thieves picked up the dagger and eyed it carefully. "I don't know about your father, boy," Sa'luk growled, "but I'll send you to meet your other ancestors!"

Sa'luk aimed a slash at Aladdin, but Sora intercepted it with his keyblade. It took all his strength to push against Sa'luk's immense muscles, and he found the entire situation a repeat of the wedding. "I'm getting tired of this." he grunted.

"Let them go." Cassim ordered, grabbing Sa'luk's wrist. "The boy... he is my son."

Aladdin smiled in relief. Sora's keyblade disappeared, and he wiped the sweat from his brow. Fighting Sa'luk took a toll on him, even if it was for only a moment. Sora didn't know how a man so brutally strong could be considered human.

Cassim held up Aladdin's dagger. "I gave this dagger to my wife years ago." he explained. "I told her to give it to our newborn son... Aladdin."

The thieves whispered among themselves. "Ooh," one mused, "the boy is the son of the King of Thieves."

Aladdin couldn't believe it. He looked at Cassim questioningly as he picked up his father's dagger. "You are the King of Thieves?"

Sora nodded, crossing his arms in thought. "That explains how he kept a leash on Grizzly Adams over there."

"Watch it." Sa'luk hissed. "The boy may be the son of Cassim, but you have no such immunity."

"Like it or not, boy," Cassim told Aladdin, "we're blood." Cassim approached his only child and placed his hands on his shoulders. "Look at you! I thought I'd never see you again! Has it been so long?"

"Blood or mud," Sa'luk interjected, "the boys are intruders. That Sora has no ties to you at all! And we have rules about intruders." As the thieves began to murmur in agreement among themselves, Sa'luk continued, "They have found our secret lair! They have seen too much." Sa'luk paused emphatically, glaring at Cassim for a moment. "They must die."

"Die?" Iago repeated as thieves snatched him, Carpet, and Abu from their hiding places. "He's your son! I'm his friend! Cast a vote for mercy here!"

"Yes, Cassim," Sa'luk said, "mercy would be so like you: soft... and weak."

Cassim glared angrily at Sa'luk. He knew that Sa'luk was trying to pressure him into voting for death, but there was no way around it. He would have to watch his only son and his friends be brutally murdered. Sora seemed to be the strongest of the group (even Cassim could see that Sora's powers were not of that world) but not even a Keybearer stood a chance against forty thieves, one of which included a very angry Sa'luk.

Unless, of course, Cassim stooped to the same coercive techniques as his rival.

"Kill them." Cassim said with a dismissive shrug, as though he'd just told them the time. Sa'luk raised his claws and angled them toward Sora. The Keyblade Master was getting on his nerves.

Sora tried to pull free of the thieves holding him long enough to summon his blade, but their grip was strong. I'm so sorry, Kairi. he thought as he shut his eyes, preparing to be gutted like a trout.

"Or..." Cassim added just before Sa'luk struck. "The boys could... yes! The boys could... no."

Cassim's plan was working. Several of the thieves began to beg their leader to finish his suggestion. "What? What? The boys could what?"

"Nothing." Cassim shrugged. "Probably a bad idea."

"Let's hear it!" three thieves (triplets, no less) pleaded in unison.

"Well it seems to me that... oh, never mind." Cassim sighed.

"What?"

That was when Cassim knew his plan had worked. The question had come from Sa'luk himself. He had them hooked. They would listen to anything he suggested now. "The boys could face... the challenge." Cassim said at last.

Al of the thieves murmured in praise of their leader's idea. "There." Cassim said triumphantly. "The boys shall face the challenge."

"Not both of them." Sa'luk protested. He pointed at Sora. "Let's make this interesting. I say we let him do it. He is obviously the stronger of the two. If he wins, your son and his friends all go free. If he loses... they all die."

Cassim knew he had no choice. That trick of his only worked once. He would be forced to let his son's fate rest in the hands of a boy he hardly knew. But, as previously stated, Cassim recognized the power the boy held. Perhaps he stood a chance against anyone except...

"And I shall be the one to test him." Sa'luk demanded. Cassim slapped his forehead. The one person he didn't want to face Sora was the very one who volunteered.

Cassim spotted only one loophole. "It can't work." he stated firmly. "The rule says there are only forty thieves in our guild. If Sora passes your challenge, we'll have too many. The Forty-One Thieves doesn't exactly strike fear into the hearts of men."

Sa'luk did not answer with words, but proceeded to stab a lesser thief in the gut with his claws. As the thief fell to the ground, Sa'luk kicked him off the nearby cliff. "Look, Cassim." he said with a sinister laugh. "We seem to have lost a thief."

Cassim crossed his arms. "Now if you win, as you think you will, we'll be one thief short. How terrified would you be of the Thirty-Nine Thieves?"

"Then what do you suggest?" Sa'luk growled impatiently.

"Since you seem to hold such a grudge against young Sora, let him be tested. But my son must be inducted into the Forty Thieves now."

"Inducting a thief without properly testing him?" Sa'luk shouted in protest. "It's never been done!"

"Who was it that threw one of our brothers off a cliff?" Cassim retorted. "Aladdin is my son. He will prove himself some other way."

Sa'luk was about to say something more, but he knew when he'd been outsmarted. He hated being outsmarted, especially by Cassim. He turned to Sora. "You heard the man, boy. You will be tested."

"So what's the challenge?" Sora asked.

"It's simple enough." Cassim assured him. "Only one man survives."

"Oh." Sora gulped as Sa'luk brandished his knuckleduster. "Poop."

A/N: Finally! The chapters are getting longer and the suspense is building! And it diverges from the movie a little bit! We all know Aladdin can face the challenge, but what about Sora? That answer and more when the next chapter arrives! And a big thank-you to Artisan Monkey for reviewing. Glad you like it!

Until next time, Lord Moldybutt signing off!