Chapter 10: Cave of Wonders
Jafar nodded and answered their questions, "Yes; I was to meet you here. It seems that information must have slipped her mind." The teenagers just stared at Jafar evenly. They still weren't convinced, he figured, and decided to take another route for Riku and Karu's cooperation. He opened his robe and pulled out the all to familiar lamp that Genie spouted from, thus leading Karu to be turned into a cub. She growled at the thought, looking back at Genie. The blue man's eyes widened at the sight of his 'itty-bitty living space' of a home. His jaw dropped all the way to the ground, literally.
Riku looked behind him; he staggered back at the sight along with Karu. "He has a big mouth," Riku said, nervously.
"MY LAMP!!" Genie cried.
"Yes; I picked this up from that little street rat," Jafar grinned. He remembered finding Aladdin battered, cut, and bleeding; He didn't know whom dealt the damage to Aladdin, but that didn't stop him from picking up the lamp from him. "Now, you are 'my' Genie!!" The tall man out stretched his arm, holding the lamp in Genie's direction. The blue man fought the urge of the lamp-he did not want to do the bidding of that vile man- but in the end he was drawn back into his confinement, quite reluctantly. His monkey friend was almost sucked into, but he was too big to fit through the tiny opening and fell to the ground. The monkey picked up his hat and let out furious squeaks at Jafar.
Riku leaned over to Karu as Iago began to torment the poor Abu, "Do you think we can trust him?"
"I don't know, yet, but he caught that blue man so easily," Karu returned, "But there isn't anyone to protect that Princess now. We could always just capture Jasmine and head out?" She looked to Riku to see if he agreed with her idea. It seemed pretty easy enough, but then what about that Jafar? The man in question strolled over to Riku and Karu, causing the she-wolf to tense. She just noticed now that Jafar held the same aura like when Karu first met Maleficent. But his was weaker than hers...it still made Karu uncomfortable.
"Now Princess, it's your turn," Jafar smirked, holding his staff towards Jasmine. The cobra's eyes glowed a deep red and hues of gold swirled around in them. "Now, you will come with me..."
"Oi--!" Karu began to protest, but Riku cut her off. He wanted to see what Jafar was planning to do; after all, he did capture that annoying Genie. The boy wished he knew that the lamp had some sort of spell on Genie; he would have taken him a sooner.
"What...is he doing?" Karu asked, noticing Jasmine's eyes were the same color of the eyes of the Cobra's. The dazed Princess began to utter the same words that Jafar said a few seconds ago. She was obviously under some sort of spell. Karu frowned at the thought. 'Show off,' she grumbled in her mind, 'He makes this look so easy.' Using magic and stuff! She doubted that Jafar held any strength of his own; He was actually kind of skinny. Even Riku looked stronger than him!
"Hmm. And I thought that staff was just something to show off?" Riku asked Jafar. The man looked back at Riku not enjoying what he said.
"And what exactly do you mean by that, boy??" Jafar questioned as Jasmine walked to his side, still in her spellbound state. He must have done something else, since the Carpet lowered Jasmine without any protest. Riku snorted at Jafar's question. 'Does he love that staff or something?' the teen thought, 'He probably can't do anything else, but control people. Boring.'
"It was just an honest question," he said, quite flatly.
"I'm tired of waiting, old man," Karu growled, "I'll take your word that Maleficent said to meet you...only on one condition!"
Jafar glared at her and walked closer; Jasmine followed him as if she were some living doll. "I am not an old man, you little brat!" he spat (A/N: OI! That rhymed!), "And what is this "condition"? Who are you to tell me what and what not to do?"
"I never implied that!" Karu shot back. "I want that Princess after all this is done!" the she-wolf declared and noticed Jafar's face take on a confused look. She knew why he gained that look; to her it wasn't a life- threatening demand, but the she-wolf could always take that route. It seemed to work every time with Riku when she said she was going to eat him.
"Don't you mean 'we'?" Riku asked, keeping his voice dull. "You're not a captain or anything like that." Karu bared a fang and shot the silver- haired a dirty glare, which he just snorted at.
"What?!! Why should I give the Princess to some little kids like you!!?"
The "kid" stuff again?
"We're not KIDS!!" the teens roared. Jafar cringed back at their loud voices. Though after claiming they weren't little kids and not to be taken as kids; the teens pouted in a childish pout, anger bubbling inside them. Suddenly Jafar's staff was out from his hands; Karu held it up and glared daggers at Jafar.
"What would you do if I broke this?" she asked, viciously, and never faltered from her threat; "Huh? Or is it that you can't do anything else, but control people with this little rod, ne?"
Jafar clenched his fists at his sides. "Don't you dare!" he hissed, "If you break my staff; You brake the spell I put on her!!" He pointed to Jasmine to emphasize his point. He smirked mentally as Karu's hand lowered, but she still gave him a solemn look. So she wasn't entirely convinced yet, but it was the honest truth he just relayed to her. "Or do you want to chase after her again?"
"Hn," she snorted, and noticed the red bird still tussling with Abu. Karu's stomach twisted in hunger and she groaned mentally. "Hee, I'll trade you."
"Nani?" Riku asked. "Not again..."
"Give me the bird; I'll return you staff," Karu said, holding it out to Jafar. "Deal?"
Jafar glanced over at his pet; Iago wasn't exactly the brave type and sometimes got in the way. But he also was quite the deceiving little bird. Jafar didn't forget how he gave him the idea to tell the Sultan that they would depart to find Jasmine, but only to really take her father away...
"Deal."
"Karu, you're not really going to eat him are you?" Riku asked, walking beside her.
"And why not?!" she snapped, "Unless you want to eat him; We can share."
That statement grossed Riku out and he suddenly felt sick. "NO WAY!!" he returned, louder than he intended to. Karu's ears flickered back for a moment at his voice. After she returned her ears to her upright position Karu just shrugged; "Kekko. More for me."
"Ew."
"Gosh, I won't eat him in front of you!" Karu rolled her eyes, holding up the terrified Iago. "You humans are so picky! It's like you get sick if you eat raw meat or something." The she-wolf huffed not realizing what she said was actually true. Riku would get sick eating raw meat, though he never tried it and didn't intend to either! But it was just when she talked about it; it made him feel nauseated.
"Actually we do; don't you have humans from your home world; Keniro?"
"Hai; they don't dress anywhere close to what you have on either," she teased. "But I rarely see one; If they enter my clan's territory it's suicidal! Usually my brothers are the first to—Riku?" She looked to him, noticing his silence.
"Nnn?" he groaned.
"You look kinda pale...?" she moved closer to him.
"Ha. Very funny you should say that...since your talking about eating HUMANS!!" Riku snarled, shuddering at the thought. Karu blinked once out of innocent confusion and smirked. She smirked? Riku gave her a hard glare. He didn't see anything funny about this, not at all.
"I didn't finish; My brothers are the first to kick them out. If they run across any other wolves, they're dead!" she said, hopefully relieving Riku of his worry. "I don't—as well as my brothers—eat humans, baka."
"You should've said that sooner!!" he frowned. "You just enjoy toying with my mind don't you?" The silver-haired walked ahead of her. Jafar was getting a little too far ahead of them, to wherever this "cave" they were supposed to go to. Jafar said that the reason they had to get off Genie was because they were close.
But all Riku saw was desert.
And it was oddly cold, but then Riku remembered that deserts weren't all hot and dry all the time. It could actually get very cold as he learned from school...School. He realized that he completely forgot about that place, though he didn't mind not going to school. He was quickly reminded of his old friends: Tidus, Selphie, Wakka...Kairi. He lingered on the familiar red- haired girl's name. The boy wondered where she was right now; He was going to find her and if she was in trouble he was going to save her. No. Not Sora. That brunette was not going to be the hero; Riku was. Then Kairi would care for...him and only him.
"...Kairi..." Riku breathed.
Karu's ear involuntarily flickered upwards at the word Riku uttered. She heard it clearly and noticed how he was trailing behind all of a sudden.
The 'traitor', Jafar, as Iago called him, stood at the mouth of a cave the shape of a tiger. Its eyes glowed, illuminating the dark patch of desert that he, Riku, Karu, Genie, and Iago occupied. Jasmine stood at his side; still lost in his spell. "C'mon you little—are you coming?! We're here!" Jafar said impatiently, looking back at Riku and Karu. He watched Karu's grip loosen on Iago and he made a B-line straight at Jafar, digging claws into the side his face. "OW! Why you little buzzard!"
"Traitor!" Iago squawked. "Giving me to her so she could eat me; Some friend you are!!?"
"I was not going to let her eat you, but maybe I will now!" Jafar spat, batting Iago away. "Well are you coming or not?!"
"We'll catch up!" Karu called, and trotted over to Riku.
Riku didn't notice the wolf studying the faraway look in his darkened azure eyes. When Karu said his name, Riku jumped back as if she was going to attack him out of nowhere. "Rrr," he growled, never as deep as Karu could, "Don't scare me like that!! What're you trying to do?!! Give me a heart attack; jeez!!!" She blinked, shocked and confused by his angry words. But why in the world was Riku angry; She knew that she my have ticked him off a little about the whole eating thing...Riku mumbled under his breath and brushed past her without saying another word.
"You didn't have to yell at me like that, y'know," Karu said after a moment.
"..."
"Hmm?" the wolf followed after Riku, wondering why was he so quiet all of a sudden. "What's wrong? Lost your voice?" She awaited Riku to retort with some sarcastic comment, but when the teenager didn't, it frustrated her even more. She clenched a fist, fighting the urge to rush over and beat an answer out of him. So she decided to play his way for the time being; "Fine. Don't say anything, you little cur."
Riku didn't even snort at the nickname. Karu's ears drooped as he walked in the cave not answering her. The wolf huffed and stormed inside after him, quite angry that he still didn't speak. Jafar gave up on trying to figure out what was wrong with them and waited at the mouth of the cave; letting the teens get farther and farther away from him.
"Genie, follow them," Jafar ordered, pointing in the teens direction. "Take them to the treasure room."
"'Genie, follow them,'" the blue man mocked as his head turned into Jafar's so he could further imitate his voice, "'Take them to the treasure room.' Hmph, why I oughtta...that cursed lamp, bounding me like that! I'll give him the old one, two, THREE!" Genie gave some quick jabs and a left hook; he only succeeded in punching himself square in the jaw. "Ow..." He rubbed his jaw gently and continued to float after the teens.
'Surely that street rat will come looking for Jasmine,' the man thought, stroking his chin for a second. 'This should do it!' The eyes on his staff began to glow a purplish-black color as he pointed it at the ceiling of the Cave Of Wonders. Dark, almost ghostly forms of Heartless came from the Cobra's eyes and flooded upward in a giant mass of dark clouds. The dark cloud absorbed into then ceiling.
Jafar grinned smugly as the Cave of Wonders roared, thrashing about his head as if to get something out.
"The Heartless are already taking affect. There's no use in resisting," Jafar sighed, "Give in to the Darkness."
Riku: Fat chance, that'll happen. )
Karu: :rolls eyes: Great, he's cocky.
Riku: So?! You're cocky and i don't say anything about it.
Karu: Whatever.
Riku: Rrrgh! ::goes off to torment Sora:
Disclaimer: Yesh, I have a disclaimer, though it'll probably waste time. I'm replying to your reviews in a different format and it belongs to Demon lost in Darkness. I need to get better organized. :sigh: Format-thing of replying to reviews (c) Demon lost in Darkness. ;;;
To Uriko the Kat: thanks for the review. ::glomps you:: I can understand we all have our busy days. :Salutes: Don't worry I'll await your review when you get some free time.
To Doomboy2000: ; yay, my story is on your fave list. yay! ::grins widely:: Wow you did get over that fast, with no evil plans to torment Riku or make Riku and Sora love each other...uh--i mean something other than that! And i think it does make your song much more improper, but I'll force him too marry, Karu! X3 Plus he ticked that you told him off. ::Riku grumbles behind Inuyasha's apprentice: (Read Doomboy2000's story. )
To Lakura: cool, i got my first threat! Xp Thanks for all four of your reviews! (Read her story: My worst enemy!)
To: Librastargirl16: Hiya Librarose! Thanks for reviewing; Oh by the way, I luv your website.
To supershadowX: Sure; Riku needs one, since Sora's the ring bearer.
To xXRiku's SweetheartXx: 'Course Riku thought Karu was cute...as cub i mean. (I've have to be careful what I say.) Thank you for the review.
To Demon lost in Darkness: Yesh, it was mean, very mean what Genie did to Karu. And my PS2 is fine, 'cept for those durn faulty controllers. :snickers evilly: I had to find some way to make Genie humiliate Karu and Riku. And yes we do need all that stuff you mentioned...and bride's maids and Groom's men...who's gonna make the cake? I'm gonna have to think abotu this.
Author: Thank you all for your reviews! Have a great summer-i've been out of school since May 27--for those who are out of school. Get wet, eat, and torment Riku till you can't no more! lol.
Riku: Why does everything have to end up with me being picked on?
Author: 'Cause everyone loves you, 'specially in shonen-ai stories.
Riku: O.O With who?!
Author: Sora. ::Riku faints:: 0.o;;;