Chapter 11: The Prince of Thieves

The aura within the palace suddenly began to feel uneasy within everyone following the arrest of Cassim. It wasn't just the arrest everyone had to deal with it. There was heavy weight and consequences behind it. Aladdin's father had betrayed his son and everyone that trust him, even Kairi, who thought he was confident that this plan would be successful. For a split second, she thought there was a caring and sympathetic side to Cassim and that he really did want to help her. If anything, it opened her eyes to how emotionally vulnerable she was and how it was easy to manipulate her.

"Okay, now that we're all alone, let's talk this out." Jasmine said, hints of disappointment in her voice. She looked down at Kairi, a firm look on her face. "Kairi, I'm very disappointed in you."

Kairi sighed, not being able to look at anybody. "I know…" Her voice shook as she tried to hold back tears. "I'm sorry...I just...I don't what I'm doing…" She hid her face as tears fell down her face. "I just miss him, you guys…"

Naminé and Xion exchanged sympathetic looks with each other before sitting by her and placing their hands on her back. "Come on, Kairi. Look alive! It's gonna be okay! Naminé and I turned out okay in the end, so anything is possible." Xion warmly said, despite the insecurity in her voice.

"Genie…" Kairi whispered before looking up at him with desperate eyes. "Genie! You have magic powers!" She ran over to him, wrapping her arms around his large body. "Please! There has to be something you can do! Can't you just bring him back?"

Ganie sighed, his heart feeling heavy for not only the death of one of his companions, but over Al's distress and Kairi's heartbreak. "Oh Kairi, if only I could. There are just some wishes that even I can't grant." He softly said as he hugged her. "Besides, even if I could, who's to say he'd be the same Sora? Magic isn't as simple as it seems."

"Three months guys…" Kairi softly cried. "For three months...I've felt...empty…" She hook her head. "Maybe I really am worthless without him."

Aladdin sighed and turned his face away. "I just don't see why you couldn't tell us the truth...and why didn't you warn us about my father? You just went along with it."

Jasmine, starting to feel sympathetic towards Kairi's feelings, placed a hand on Aladdin's shoulder. "Aladdin, I know how you feel, but now's not the time to be blaming anybody for this situation. We have to look at the now and what needs to be done."

"Jasmine, I don't want to hear it, and I don't need anybody's sympathy right now."

Xion frowned and stood up, running in front of Jasmine as if she were defending her. "Hey, give her a break? At least she's trying to keep this under control. Unlike you, you're only acting like a spoiled child!" She yelled.

"You know nothing about me and where I came from!"

"Maybe, but I know how it feels to come from nothing. To feel like nobody cares about you! And the most memorable thing about you is an offensive nickname!" Xion argued, feeling a lump form in her throat.

Aladdin growled as he stepped closer towards Xion. "At least your own father didn't betray you!"

"Try having to betray your own best friends for the well-being of someone you barely know and feeling like you have no purpose in the world!"

Naminé ran between the two and held her arms out. "Wait everyone! Let's calm down. We don't need to upset anyone else!"

"Naminé's right." Jasmine said stepping up with her. "We've all made mistakes. We just need to discuss-"

"Jasmine, I don't wanna hear this!" Aladdin snapped before brushing past her and towards the palace exit.

Jasmine jogged towards him. "Wait! Where are you going?"

"I need some air...just leave me alone…"

"Aladdin…"

Naminé and Xion ran up to Jasmine. "Where is he going?" Naminé asked.

"Probably to where he once lived before we met. He always goes there when he's upset or needs time alone." Jasmine placed a hand over her heart. "But this time...something doesn't feel right."

Xion sighed and shook her head. "Boys can be dumb like that sometimes. I should know. I live with three of them. He'll come around."

"No…I feel like our connection's weakening…"

"Jasmine…" Naminé exchanged a permitting look with Xion. "Why don't we go after Aladdin and keep an eye on him? Maybe go talk to him?"

Xion, as much as she didn't want to have anything to do with Aladdin at the moment, reluctantly nodded in agreement, but only because she was going it for Jasmine.

"I'd appreciate that a lot, but you two might have a hard time finding him." Jasmine agreed with a hopeful smile. "Genie, can you go with them? I'll look after Kairi while you three go."

"You got it, Jasmine!" Genie proudly agreed. He suddenly shifted into a general and stood straight with his arms crossed at the exit. "Okay ladies! Let's hop to it! Hup two! Hup three! Hup four! We've got a soldier out there and no man gets left behind!" He called out as Xion and Naminé simply walked past him.

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Aladdin took off running out of the palace and into the marketplace. He had thought he had experienced it all, until this very day, the day he lost his father and found out that one of his best friends was dead, and not through pure honesty. At this point, he didn't know who he could trust. Even Jasmine, for in his eyes, Aladdin partially felt like she was somewhat taking Kairi's side in this whole situation. The last time he felt this alone was back when he was a small boy living in the streets all alone. In a way, reliving those memories was less painful than living the lie and betrayal he felt from his friends and family now. At least as a child, Aladdin was still too young to understand complicated adult emotions.

Taking one last look back at the palace, Aladdin began to ascend up to the hideout he and Abu once vacated during previous years. It was the place where every night, he would stare at the palace and wonder what that lifestyle was like. He seemed so sure of what he wanted at the time, and now that he had it and more, Aladdin couldn't help but wonder if this type of life was really for him, whether he truly belonged in the life of a princess, or if he truly was destined to follow in his father's footsteps and become the same man he was. Aladdin sat down and gazed at the palace, wishing deep down that the answers to his questions were clear cut. The truth was that they were, but he didn't want to admit it.

"Everything was perfect until he came into my life…" Aladdin muttered softly. He sighed and stared down to the ground. "Sora...is that why Jasmine and I have both felt a certain emptiness inside of us?" He groaned. "I just don't understand how Kairi could've hidden something like that from us?

"Of all the people to let you down, your old man?" A cocky voice echoed from around the corner.

Aladdin grabbed a dagger from beside him and held it out. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Take it easy! The name's Xigbar! Just wanna talk, you know?" He explained, waving his hands in front of him. "You seem to be rather...tense."

"You could say that…"

"Can't blame ya!" Xigbar stepped closer, still with his hood up, and rested his arm against Aladdin's shoulder. "You trusted the old dude...thought he actually had a heart…"

Aladdin shook his head and stepped away, his back to Xigbar. "The Oracle was right. My father was trapped in the world of The Forty Thieves...trapped by his own greed." He groaned and threw the sword on the ground. "I was so stupid to think I could change him."

Xigbar shrugged his shoulders. "It really is your fault, you know? You think just because you're the exception that every thief in the world can be reformed?"

"I guess maybe not everyone deserves a second chance."

"And to add insult to injury," Xigbar said with a chuckle. "One of your best friends is dead and you had to find out second-handedly. From his grieving girlfriend that betrayed your trust, no less!"

Aladdin gritted his teeth. "I expected better from her! She claims to be a Princess of Heart when she's no better than my father!" He sighed heavily and held his head low. "I guess it's what I deserve for trusting others easily."

"Tell me about it!" Xigbar slipped his fingers underneath the hem of his hood and only lifted it slightly enough for Aladdin to see one golden eye underneath, eliciting a slight gasp from the boy. "That's what cost me half by eyesight." He paced back and forth, his arms crossed. "'Respect your elders!' They all say! 'They know what's best!' Well, tell that to the two of us that got played hardcore by our elders!"

"My father definitely doesn't know what's best...My life was so much easier without him in it…"

"The more connections the heart has, the more tangled it gets in a web of lies. There's one simple way to fix your 'Daddy issues'."

Aladdin looked behind him. "How…?" He darkly asked.

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"I hope Aladdin's not too angry with us…" Naminé said with hope in her voice. They had been walking in the marketplace for a few miles, mostly in silence. It seemed that even Genie was tense with this whole situation.

Xion, not in the best of moods, groaned and threw her hands behind her head. "I think Aladdin being angry with us is the least of our problems. He shouldn't have yelled at Jasmine like that. He was also being really harsh with Kairi. She obviously felt bad about the whole situation and he doesn't seem to care."

Genie shook his head with a smile. "Oh I wouldn't worry too much about Al. If he was really that angry, he would've signed up for The Jerry Springer Show by now." He poofed into a Jerry Springer lookalike and held a mic. "So tell me Al, why are you here?" "Well Jerry, I'm here because my father is a dirty liar who used MY WEDDING DAY to steal one of MY WEDDING GIFTS. Oh yeah, and get this, one of my best friends is DEAD and I had to find out from HIS GIRLFRIEND!"

Xion placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "Genie!" She scolded him.

"It's a joke!" Genie laughed sheepishly. "I do that."

As they approached Aladdin's house, Xion looked ahead and saw a suspicious-looking figure approaching them. He was clad in the same blue cape that Cassim had once worn during his time in The Forty Thieves. Instinctively, Xion held her arm out in front of Naminé. That's impossible! I thought Cassim was in the dungeon! Xion thought to herself. She studied the face, specifically his eyes. Having been in the Organization for a year, Xion had learned to be able to identify someone under a good based on their eyes and the shape of their face looked noticeably younger compared to Cassim's aged face. Wait a second, that's not Cassim. Is that...

Xion lowered her arm. "Aladdin? Is that you?" She asked, not receiving an answer from him.

"Al! Oh buddy, thank goodness! Jasmine's worried sick about you!" Genie exclaimed as he watched Aladdin approach him with a deadpan expression on his face. "Al?" He asked, scratching his head. "Buddy?"

Naminé stepped forward. "Aladdin? Are you okay?"

"Tonight, the King of Thieves will make have his greatest escape…" Aladdin sinisterly said as he unsheathed his dagger. "From my life…"

"Al! Buddy! Where you-"

"Genie! Look out!" Xion cried out. She dashed forward and held her Keyblade out as Aladdin whipped around in a flash of a second and swung his dagger. She managed to block his attack, and pushed back, sending Aladdin stumbling back. "That is not Aladdin…" Xion mumbled, shooting a glare towards him. She focused in on his eyes and noticed something strange. They weren't brown like they normally were. Instead, they glowed a golden yellow and he seemed to have a much darker demeanor to him as the shadows that were cast on his face by his shaggy hair were darker. "No…" Xion gasped. "It can't be…" She muttered, recognizing the golden eyes.

Aladdin huffed as he sheathed his dagger. "You're not worth my time, but anyone who gets in my way, will forfeit their lives to the Prince of Thieves." He declared as he marched off into the marketplace and towards the palace, ignoring his distressed friends.

"Al…" Genie sighed hopelessly.

"This is not good…" Naminé softly said as she placed a hand to her chest. "We need to warn Kairi and Jasmine!" She cried out as she pulled out her gummiphone.

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I finally told Jasmine everything, not really having much of a choice. I told her what all had happened in the last three months. The Keyblade War, Xehanort's defeat, and your sacrifice. I also brought up that Riku hadn't fared better either. I thought it would be hard to talk about it, but the more open I was with Jasmine, the better I started to feel. It was almost as if I had this huge burden on my shoulders and it was being lifted.

"And for the past three months since then…I've just felt empty inside." Kairi softly said, sitting comfortably in Jasmine's chamber and finishing up her story with her.

Jasmine sighed. "I knew something had happened. I could feel it too." She rested a hand over her heart. "I thought it had something to do with you or Sora, but I just didn't want to think or believe the worst."

"Unfortunately, it's the worst that has happened…" She crossed her arms and held her head low. "I don't even know what I'm doing. Who am I kidding? I barely even know how to fight with a Keyblade. How am I supposed to accomplish something this irrational?"

"I'll admit, it does sound a little...how do I explain it?"

Kairi crossed her arms. "Impossible?"

"But impossible doesn't mean miracles can't happen." Jasmine reassured the discouraged redhead. "My life has changed drastically in the last couple years, and I never once thought it was possible that it would end up like this." She frowned and put her hands on her hips. "I thought I was going to be a princess that stayed trapped behind these palace walls, married to some overly stuffed conceited prince, just trying to keep to my father's law." Her frowned faded and formed into a soft smile. "Now, everything is different, for the better." Kairi couldn't help but tilt her head in confusion, trying to understand Jasmine's point. "What I'm trying to say, is don't lose ever lose hope."

"Hope…" Kairi muttered to herself.

Jasmine placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Think about all the times Sora thought he couldn't keep going. He still pushed himself. He pushed himself for his friends, for the worlds, for you."

"He never gave up hope…"

"Kairi!"

With what appeared to be a flash of light, Kairi suddenly found herself flying through the darkness and through a ray of light. Where this ray of light was leading her, she didn't have a clue.

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The familiar sight and scents of a tropical island started to overwhelm Kairi's senses as she found herself floating in the middle of Destiny Islands. It wasn't just Destiny Islands though. She looked down at the sound of laughing children coming from below her. Indeed they were, but what kept her attention, was that one of these children were her at a younger age, closer to six years old. The younger Kairi was looking rather discouraged while the boy next to her, obviously a younger Sora, which Kairi could recognize just by his spiky hair and blue eyes, ran over to her with a determined look on his face.

Kairi recognized this memory. It was when she was learning how to ride a bike for the first time without training wheels. She remembered it almost too well. She saw the pink bike with the white basket, herself being bundled up with a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads, and remembered how stubborn Sora was during this time in not letting her give up. It seemed like ever since this day, Kairi became more and more stubborn about not giving up when she faced anything difficult, especially in school.

You never stopped believing in me...just like I never stopped believing in you.

"Come on, Kairi! You have to try again!" Sora urged.

Kairi crossed her arms and shook her head, pouting. "No! I can't do it! I'll never learn!"

"But then you can't ride bikes with me and Riku!"

"Then I'll walk or run!"

"Aww that's no fun!" Sora walked over and picked up the bike. "Come on, please try again!"

"I'll just fall off again!"

"But Kairi!" He whined. "Please try again! For your bestest friend in the whole wide world?"

Kairi sighed. "If I try again, will you not let go?"

Sora chuckled proudly and saluted. "No problem, m'lady!"

Kairi reluctantly too the bike in her grasp and began to swing her leg over to hope back on. Deep down, she really didn't want to try again. She had already been trying for the past hour and was over it. Yet, Sora always seemed to have at that effect on her. Was it the charming personality that he always seemed to exert when he was around her? Kairi took one look at his bright smile and sparkling eyes. Nah, it was definitely the natural puppy dog eyes that Sora didn't have to make much effort to use.

"Don't let go, Sora!" Kairi pleaded.

"I promise, I'll never let go!" He said flashing a wide smile before resting a hand on her shoulder. "I won't let you get hurt, Kairi."

After shooting her one more reassuring smile, Sora placed a hand on one of the handlebars. Kairi swallowed the lump in her throat before putting her feet to the pedals and beginning to push on them. What started off as slow pedaling turned into smooth cruising as she began to pick up the speed. Sora kept an eye on her the whole time, making sure she wasn't scared. As soon as he saw how confident she looked, Sora removed his hand from the handlebar and let Kairi take control. She softly gasped at first only to be immediately calmed as she noticed that she was pedaling and riding the bike without his help.

"Hey! I'm doing it! Sora! I'm doing it!" Kairi cried out in happiness.

Sora pumped a fist in the air and jumped. "Way to go, Kairi!"

"Wow! I actually did it, Sora!" She laughed as she came to a stop.

"I knew you could do it!"

Kairi smiled sweetly, blushing slightly. "Thanks, Sora."

"You can do anything, Kairi! I'll always believe in you!" He held out his pinky to her. "It's a promise!"

"And I'll always believe in you too, Sora!" She held out her pinky, allowing the two to lock.

Kairi kept her eyes fixated at the two children as one of them, her younger self started to fade away. The young Sora lingered for a little bit, before he slowly turned to face Kairi, his younger self slowly forming into his older, current form. Kairi involuntarily gasped as her heart skipped beats at the sight that she had not seen in months. She instinctively reached forward as if she were trying to grab hold of of him, only for him to start fading away after sending her his famous smile that always helped push her to keep fighting.

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With a flash of light, Kairi found herself back inside of Jasmine's chamber. She took a moment to gather her thoughts and return back to reality, her reality. It was a reality without Sora, a reality she couldn't live in for much longer. Kairi had yet to realize that she had two options. She could either continue to hope for a miracle, or she could keep going and try to make her own miracle.

"Kairi?" Jasmine asked, noticing that she had spaced out a little. "Are you alright?"

Kairi smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'll be okay." Her relieving thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of her phone buzzing. "Somebody's calling?" She took it out of her pouch and answered. "Naminé?" Kairi answered as soon as she saw Naminé pop on the screen.

"Kairi! We have a problem! It's Aladdin!"

Jasmine gasped, scooting closer and looking down into the screen. "What's wrong with him?"

"This might sound crazy, but I think the darkness is consuming him!" Xion explained with concern in her voice.

"What?" Both girls asked.

Xion's eyes darted between on and offscreen. "He tried to attack Genie, and he looks like he's moving towards the palace!"

"I think he's gonna try and kill Cassim!" Naminé warned.

Jasmine's eyebrows knotted. "No, that sounds so unlike him."

"That's why we think he's been consumed by darkness." Xion said with an affirmative nod.

Kairi sighed. "His heart isn't in the right place. If he kills Cassim, he'll regret it." She stood up and looked towards Jasmine. "I have to go try to stop him. Xion, Naminé, try and do the best you can to hold him off until I get there!"

"Okay, we're in the marketplace! Hurry!" Naminé pleaded before hanging up the phone.

Kairi nodded as she placed her phone in her pouch. "Don't worry, Jasmine. We're gonna get this all sorted out and bring him back!"

"I'm coming with you!" Jasmine ordered as she shot up from her seat.

"But Jas-"

"Aladdin has risked his life for me numerous times, now it's my turn to try and save him…"

Kairi's jaw dropped slightly as a very familiar aura seemed to fill the room. She saw her same motivation behind Jasmine's eyes and couldn't have been more supportive in this time. She smiled confidently and crossed her arms. "It might be dangerous."

"I was captured once too. I'm ready for anything, including risking my life for the man I'm about to marry."

"Okay then, but stay close."

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Aladdin had taken off in a fleeting sprint with Xion and Naminé chasing after him. Genie, on the other hand, had the plan to try and cut him off. He hated the idea of having to hunt down Aladdin like a criminal, but the harsh fact that he nearly hurt Genie meant that he was dangerous right now and that meant Kairi and Jasmine could be in just as much danger. Thankfully with Genie being the magical shapeshifter he was, it didn't take anything more than a few clones of him splitting up to track Aladdin down. He was approaching rather close to the palace gates by the time he was found, a little too close to Jasmine and Kairi.

Genie and his clones cornered Aladdin against the wall at the gates. As much as it hurt to do so, he aimed a finger and shot a lightning spell towards him. Aladdin grunted in pain as the lighting bolts wrapped around him, paralyzing him in place. Lucky for Xion and Naminé, Genie's magic was strong enough that it could hold Aladdin in place no problem, regardless of how much he struggled to escape. Genie shot up a firework signaling Xion and Naminé that Aladdin was caught and gave away their location. The girls caught onto Genie's signal and ran towards the palace, catching up to the guys and ready to back Genie up.

"Stop it, Aladdin!" Xion yelled as she caught up and stood in a defensive stance in front of Genie and Naminé.

Aladdin struggled in Genie's paralysis spell. "Ugh! Let me go!"

"No! You're only going to make a mistake!"

"I said...let...me...go!"

Aladdin's eyes glowed yellow as multiple Heartless started to surround the crew. Shadows began forming from the ground and crawling towards the girls while Bandits appeared on either side of Aladdin and a Fat Bandit appeared behind him, all ready to attack.

"Heartless!" Naminé exclaimed as she summoned her Keyblade.

Genie began twiddling his hands. "Ooh, I don't remember Al being able to summon Heartless! Is this the Final Mix edition?"

The Shadows began lunging towards the girls only for Xion to retaliate with a horizontal slash and for Naminé to attack vertically, followed by a Fire spell. As the Shadows continued to distract them, the Bandits saw this as the opportune moment to attack. While one attacked Xion, only to be blocked by her Keyblade, the other went after Naminé, only to be zapped away by a lightning spell from Genie. If there was one thing Genie was still capable of doing even after being freed from the lamp, he was able to use magic to defend his friends. Granted, he still couldn't kill anyone, but his magic worked well enough that Naminé could leap in and finish off the electrocuted Heartless.

Even with Genie's help, the Heartless seemed to continue materializing and appearing. It was plain clear that these Heartless were a result of Aladdin's darkness consuming his heart. Naminé was about to be knocked out by a Fat Bandit winding up its fist, ready to slug her across the fact. Thanks to Genie popping in front of her, he was able to deflect the attack and send the Heartless falling back. Xion, on the other hand, was doing pretty well holding herself over with the standard Bandits, but missed one that was doing a barrel roll towards her. Having been hit rather hard in the back, Xion felt the wind knocked out of her and fell to the ground. Naminé ran over to Xion and held up her Keyblade, casting a Cure spell on her and giving her the energy she needed to get back up on her feet.

With both girls getting worn out from the battle, Kairi managed to show up in the knick of time, her tears wiped, and feeling ready to fight for her friends.

"Hey girls! Am I late?" Kairi asked as she crouched into her battle stance.

Xion chuckled. "Nope! Right on time!"

"Pick on someone your own size, Heartless!"

"Naminé, that only works when the enemy is larger than you." Xion sighed as she shook her head.

Naminé pouted. "Hey! I'm learning to taunt!"

Kairi groans. "Girls, can we save this for trash talking 8-year-olds on computer games?"

With Kairi joining the battle, it made a huge difference. Even with her lack of experience, Kairi was a rather strong fighter and was always really good about looking out for her teammates. Naminé cast a Blizzard spell towards the Fat Bandit, freezing it and creating a trail of ice. Taking advantage of this, Kairi slid along the ice trail, jumping at the end and thrusting her Keyblade down at the Fat Bandit, finishing off what Naminé had started earlier. Xion faced off a couple of Bandits, playing on the more defensive side this time considering how easy it seemed the Heartless were taking her down. She managed to get the hang of blocking their sword attacks only to counter with a dodge and a harsh swing to the back.

Naminé and Kairi exchanged determined looks with each other, as if they had the same idea. The girls both joined together and twirled around while casting Water spells. Together, they looked like a decent sized whirlpool, soaking the surrounding Heartless. Taking into account the rules of water conducting electricity. Kairi had Naminé hop onto her hands and threw her up into the air. Now hovering over the swarm of Heartless, Naminé held her Keyblade up and cast a Thunder spell, the water attacking the lightning bolts and essentially wiping out the remaining Heartless. Xion heaved a sigh of relief before turning around and sharing a high-five with Kairi and Naminé. Another battle well done, except for one issue.

"Finally…" Aladdin mumbled as he broke free from Genie's spell.

Genie gasped as he whipped around and saw Aladdin sprinting away. "He's getting away!"

"Not on my watch!" Naminé sprinted forward and stuck her Keyblade straight up. "THUNDER!"

Naminé cast another Thunder spell towards Aladdin, hitting him in the back. Unlike Genie's spell, this one actually did a little damage to him, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. It was enough to leave him paralyzed for a minute and allow everybody else to catch up. By the time Aladdin shook off the attack and stood up, Genie, Jasmine, and the trio were all standing in formation and blocking him from proceeding any further.

"Move!" Aladdin yelled.

Kairi scowled and shook her head. "We're your friends, and we're here to help, so you're gonna have to get through all five of us first!"

"Fine, then which one should I take first? How about the useless blonde?"

"Hey! Leave her out of this!" Xion yelled as she ran in front of Naminé and held her Keyblade out in front of her friend.

Aladdin growled and unsheathed his dagger. "Get out of the way!"

"Aladdin, stop!" Jasmine ran forward and yelled.

"...What?" He asked, his mind seeming to drift back out for a second. "Jasmine?" Although his mind drifted for a second, he quickly shook his head and was back to his dark demeanor. "Don't get in my way, Princess!"

"Listen to her!" Kairi stepped forward and pleaded. "Listen to her heart!"

Aladdin drew his sword and leapt forward towards Kairi, their weapons colliding as she held up hers to defend herself. It wasn't easy considering how strong Aladdin was compared to her. Her legs shook as she put all her strength in using her legs to push him back.

"Either move out of the way, or I will force you out of the way!" Aladdin growled, leaning his face closer to Kairi's.

"Don't do this, please! Everything will be okay, Aladdin." Kairi softly said, a sudden calmness circulating throughout her body. Aladdin stopped, his mouth hanging slightly open, almost as if Kairi's calming aura was reaching him. "Please...we're here for you. We want to help you."

Aladdin stepped back, holding his head. The feeling of being torn between light and darkness felt like a knife piercing through his skull. He groaned in pain as he stumbled backwards. Kairi didn't dare step closer out of fear that he could snap at any second. She remembered this from when Xion struggled in The Keyblade Graveyard after their fight months back. She knew Aladdin was teetering between light and darkness, and his light was doing everything it could to fight back.

"Enough!" Aladdin yelled as he grabbed Jasmine into a headlock, holding the dagger close to her head. Her body began shaking as she saw the end of dagger slowly make its way towards her out of the corner of her eye. "Make one sudden move and you can say goodbye to your princess!"

"Jasmine!" Kairi cried, reaching her arm out with Xion and Naminé gasping behind her.

Jasmine struggled within his grip. "Aladdin! Please, you're hurting me!" She finally turned around and wrapped her arms around him. "Please, just stop! This isn't you!"

The sound of Jasmine's voice and her embrace seemed to be enough to suddenly snap Aladdin out of his dark thoughts. For a second there, it looked like his eyes were shifting between gold and brown. He was speechless, almost as if there was a strong power working within him. Kairi watched and knew exactly what was happening. Jasmine was Aladdin's light and her light was was pulling his heart out of the darkness. She thought back to the amount of times her light was used to bring Sora's heart out of the darkness. Aladdin's body had completely frozen, and the dagger that was once aimed towards Jasmine's head suddenly dropped from his hand and onto the ground.

"Jasmine…"

Kairi gasped as she watched Aladdin drop his arms limp and fall to the ground on his knees. Jasmine fell down to the ground with him, not letting him go. His tight embrace around her made him appear desperate to be as close to her as possible. It was an amazing sight to Kairi and the girls. Jasmine's light was truly working and saving him. Kairi almost got lost in the moment until she realized that the darkness was still within his heart, thanks to a little help.

Kairi! Use the Keyblade! Free his heart!

Kairi nodded affirmatively before hopping to her feet and shooting a beam of light out of her Keyblade and towards Aladdin's chest. Everyone watched as his body temporarily glowed and his eyes returned to their normal brown. A small dark entity seemed to float out of from within him, which Kairi managed to eliminate with one swipe of the Keyblade against it. Who'd have thought that the source of possessing Aladdin would be so weak?

"Hey! It worked!" Naminé cheered.

Xion pumped a fist in the air. "Aladdin's okay!"

"Aladdin? Are you alright?" Jasmine asked as she pulled away from the embrace to look at his face.

Aladdin's eyes began to water. "I can't believe it...I almost hurt you…" He pulled his princess back into another tight embrace. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay, you're back, and that's the important thing."

Kairi smiled warmly at the embracing couple and stepped closer. "You okay, Aladdin?"

"Yeah, thank you, Kairi." Aladdin softly thanked her.

"Jasmine was the one who saved your heart, the light that pulled you from the darkness." Kairi said shaking her head. "I only sealed the deal with the Keyblade."

Jasmine stood up, helping Aladdin up off the ground. "We all saved you."

"Oh Al! You're back!" Genie exclaimed as he pulled Aladdin into a tight hug. "Don't ever scare me like that, ever again!"

"So, what happened, exactly?" Kairi asked.

Aladdin told us what happened that night after he left the palace. It turned out Jasmine's intuition was right. His heart had been drifting from the light and was susceptive to darkness. I shouldn't have been so surprised. Between being betrayed by his father (and me, to some extent), and finding out about your death, it's no wonder the darkness nearly swallowed him. He also mentioned a guy with a black coat and a hood over his face talking to him before this happened. At the time, I knew we weren't going crazy when I saw that hooded stranger at the wedding. Now, it was just a matter of who it was.

"A guy with a black coat on…" Kairi muttered to herself.

"The Organization?" All three girls asked each other, concern in their voices.

Aladdin crossed his arms and looked over at Jasmine. "Didn't Sora mention a group like that the last time he was here?"

"They sound familiar."

Naminé sighed heavily and shook her head. "So we weren't just seeing things and going crazy?" Her voice shook with concern.

Xion stepped forward. "We saw someone in a black coat over by the palace after your wedding was crashed. If you saw someone as well, then this could be more serious than even we're aware of."

Aladdin placed a hand under his chin. "Why would he be after my father, though?"

"I don't think this guy was after your father…" Kairi stepped forward, a serious expression on her face. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "I think he was after you." Aladdin's eyebrows furrowed at the thought.

"Take it from someone who used to be one of their members." Xion said as she crossed her arms, scowling at the memories she was reliving. "Organization XIII had a way of attacking their targets from the inside to weaken them and then finishing them off with brute force."

Naminé nodded and placed her hands over her chest. "That was what they tried to do with Sora back at Castle Oblivion. They knew that Kairi was Sora's most precious person to him, and that he'd do anything to save her." Kairi softly gasped as she remembered back to when Naminé had told her about that in The World That Never Was when they were breaking out of the castle dungeon. "By having me replace Kairi in his memories, they could manipulate Sora into believing that I was his most precious person and was in danger."

"And then Sora would do whatever it took to save you…" Kairi finished for her.

"They definitely sound like bad news." Aladdin muttered. "We should look more into this 'Organization' that you girls have mentioned. We should take care of that in the morning."

Genie smiled and nodded. "Good plan, Al. It's been a long day."

With everyone in agreement, it was time to turn in for the night. It had been a long day and everybody, especially Kairi. The girls had one of the many guest rooms to vacate in for the night. It felt relieving that they were able to stop Aladdin and bring him back to his sense, yet Kairi could also feel the effects of the pressure that she was sure Sora always felt on his adventures. Having to travel to multiple worlds to seal keyholes in order to prevent them from falling to the darkness? How could anyone take a subject like that so lightly? Kairi sure couldn't. If the well-being of one person worried her, she could only imagine how much pressure Sora felt having to worry about the well-being of multiple worlds.

Kairi followed the rest of the girls towards the wing in the palace where the bedrooms were only to stop in her tracks when she noticed that Aladdin, who was walking behind her, had stopped. The lack of echoing footsteps was enough for her to turn around and allow her curiosity to overcome her. She noticed that Aladdin had turned and was staring out towards the hall that led towards the castle dungeon. He wasn't saying anything. According to Kairi's experience, that usually didn't mean good things. She waited for him to (hopefully) continue following them, but Aladdin had other plans. Instead, he began briskly walking in the direction he was looking. Kairi, despite their differences, was worried about why he was taking off, so she followed him.

"Aladdin?" Kairi asked catching up to him. "Aladdin! Where are you going?"

"I'm going to break my father out of the dungeon."

"Are you crazy? Why don't you just ask Jasmine to let him out?"

"She's the one who sent him to the dungeon. Besides, if The Sultan already gave him his sentence, then they're not gonna budge at Jasmine's orders." Aladdin flipped the hood back over before beginning to walk out towards the dungeon.

Kairi ran out in front of Aladdin and held her arms out. "Hold it! I just got in trouble for trying to steal a treasure! How much trouble are you gonna get in for breaking a prisoner out?"

"They can't catch me. As long as I have this disguise, they'll think I'm my father." He snickered.

"Ugh…" She held her head low. "I don't wanna get involved because I know this is a bad idea, but you're my friend, and I care about you making out of this alive, so you're leaving me no choice but to help you out with this, aren't you?"

Aladdin flashed a cocky smile and crossed his arms. "I'm not asking you to do anything, but if you're volunteering, I guess I can't turn down the offer."

Kairi rolled her eyes as she began to follow Aladdin out towards the dungeon. "Now I see how Sora kept getting wrapped up in everyone's shenanigans…" She whipped around and began briskly walking out towards the dungeon. "Come on, Al. I'm already in trouble with the law here. How much more trouble can I possibly get into?"

Watching Kairi lead the way, Aladdin chuckled to himself and shook his head. "She even has the same spirit as you, Sora."

It wasn't too far of a walk to the palace dungeon. Kairi had never seen such an extravagant dungeon. It was multiple floors. In fact, there were three floors. Did Agrabah really have that high of a crime rate? Kairi couldn't help but compare it to the jail that was on Destiny Islands, which was only two floors and rather small. Granted, the crime rate on the island was quite low, much to Kairi's relief. The dungeon was also exactly as she had pictured it in the fantasy books she had read. It was dark, murky, and the only sign of life seemed to be the embers that were created from the burning torches that barely lit the walkway that Aladdin and Kairi both traveled.

"So, what's the plan?" Kairi asked.

Aladdin thought for a moment. "All we're gonna do is get the keys, free my dad, and then we're gonna distract the palace guards so he has a clear enough escape route."

"Or...we can save a step and I can use my Keyblade to unlock the door?"

"That could also work." He nodded in agreement. Aladdin followed closely behind as the two of them stepped slowly through the dungeon corridors. "You know, for a Princess of Heart, you sure seem to have a devious side, sneaking around like this." He teased.

Kairi snickered. "I'm a teenage girl who stays out past curfew. How else do you think I'm able to sneak back home without my parents noticing?"

"What's a curfew?"

"It's a time that parents enforce for teens to be home by at night."

Aladdin cringed. "That sounds rough."

"And you're faring any better?"

"Good point."

Traveling in the dungeon was more than just the casual walking that Kairi was used to. This time, she and Aladdin had to actually sneak and be cautious about every corner they turned. Unlike the treasure room where it was open an easy to spot where guards were, the halls in the dungeon were narrow, dark, and almost too quiet. Had there been any guards in their immediate area, they surely would've been spotted. They knew they were getting close to Cassim's cell based on the voices that echoed throughout. The closer they crept, the louder and more voices they heard. It seemed like all the guards were focusing their attention on Cassim's cell. Could Kairi really blame them considering they were dealing with the King of Thieves?

Kairi and Aladdin peeked around a corner, only to hop right back as Razoul came into view. Lucky for them, he looked bored out of his mind and most likely was staring off into space, not noticing them.

"Hmm, Razoul is right by the door…" Aladdin sighed with discouragement. "We're gonna have to get creative…"

Kairi put a hand under her chin. "Or maybe...we just need to use our resources." She picked up a rock and pulled out a hair tie from her pouch. "You boys seem to underestimate just how useful we ladies can be." She muttered as she pulled the elastic band back with the rock in its grip before releasing it and sending the rock flying all the way down the other side of the hall.

"W-Wha…?" Razoul snapped out of his daydream and peeked around the corner of where the noise was coming from. "Who dares infiltrate my dungeon?" He stomped off leaving the door completely unguarded.

"Perfect!" Kairi whispered proudly. "Come on!"

After jogging over to the cell door, Kairi summoned her Keyblade and used it to unlock it. It was one of the larger cells, obviously built to contain more than one criminal at a time. Yet, for some reason, Cassim had the honor of being imprisoned inside of it. Carefully opening the door, Kairi let Aladdin step in first. Cassim and Iago both looked up with surprised looks on their faces t the presence of their rescuers. Kairi hopped down from the ledge, Aladdin hopping down shortly after her. Cassim stood up, almost as if he were hopeful that they were were to break him and Iago out.

"I've come to say goodbye." Aladdin firmly said before letting Cassim get a word out.

Cassim stood up, a confused look on his face. "Why are you-?"

"We don't have much time." Kairi cut him off as she shot beams out of her Keyblade towards the keyholes of both Cassim and Iago's shackles.

Aladdin nodded in agreement. "While the guards chase us, you get out."

Without giving either one of them a chance to get another word out, Kairi finished freeing Cassim and Iago before following Aladdin out. She understood Aladdin's hostility towards his father and didn't want to have anything to do with him either, the only reason for her even setting Cassim free being out of a favor for a friend. After climbing back up the ledge, Kairi turned and got one more brief look at Cassim and Iago before following Aladdin out of the cell door.

"That wasn't too bad." Kairi whispered.

Unfortunately, a "surprise" awaited them right outside.

"YOU! It can't be…" Razoul sneered as he marched from around the corner with two guards behind him. "The King of Thieves!"

"We're toast!" Kairi whispered.

"That's my name!" Aladdin declared, suddenly lowering his voice an octave and grabbing Kairi in a tight grip.

One guard gasped. "He has that girl too!"

"He couldn't have escaped this cell!" The other guard panicked. "He's a demon!"

Aladdin pulled out his dagger and pointed it towards Kairi. "Take on step closer, and the girl gets it!"

"What're you doing?" Kairi asked, very confused and scared at the same time.

"Just play along. I'm trying to make you look like the victim here." He softly whispered.

"Uh...oh no! I'm...being kidnapped…!" Kairi 'played along', albeit pretty poorly, leaving the guards exchanging weirded out looks.

Aladdin groaned and just picked her up and ran, forcing the guards to chase after them. While Kairi was glad she didn't have to do any running to escape the guards, she was not amused being used as a damsel in distress. If anything, this felt worse to her than just being flat out captured. At least her captors were much taller and stronger than her and she hadn't stooped down to the level of faking it.

"Come on, Kairi! Haven't you ever played the 'damsel in distress' before?"

Kairi sighed annoyed. "No! I never was a damsel in distress, that's just what everyone likes to think! All because I was forced into a coma against my will!"

As they ran out of the dungeon and found themselves

"I think we have a bigger problem than the palace guards!" Aladdin grunted as he set Kairi down on the ground.

"Hmm…" She thought for a moment before summoning her Keyblade. "Well, we don't have a choice now. You need to keep the guards busy! I'll take care of the Heartless!"

"Good plan! When you're done with the Heartless, head back to the palace where you'll be safe, and I'll catch you later."

Kairi nodded in agreement as Aladdin ran off in the opposite direction, beginning climb up buildings. She crouched into a battle stance, and began swiping away at the small Shadow Heartless that began to lunge towards her, claws ready to attack her. As the Shadows continued to form from the ground and attack Kairi, the guards caught up to her.

"As if tonight could get any worse…" One guard mumbled as the three of them came to a stop at the Heartless.

Razoul growled and shoved through his guards. "Forget about those things! Where's the King of Thieves?"

"He went that way!" Kairi yelled pointing in a completely different direction than where Aladdin ran off to. "Get him boys! I'll hold off the Heartless!"

Kairi continued to lunge forward and attack the various Shadows that lunged at her from multiple angles. Unfortunately for her, with each swarm she wiped out, more just kept coming. Realizing that she was getting nowhere by killing these Shadows, Kairi decided to just open up an escape route for herself and took off running further into the marketplace. Aladdin did tell her to run off to the palace, but her natural concern had her wanting to track him down and make sure he's safe, considering the Heartless were causing trouble about.

The guards seemed to be splitting up in pursuit of Aladdin, so Kairi knew she had to get smart. If she was going to be on the run like a street rat, she was going to have to think like one. Kairi looked up and saw a clothesline holding some laundry up. It was in a perfect place too. She aimed her Keyblade at the clothesline and threw it like a boomerang, causing the clothesline to to snap and fall down to her level. After catching her Keyblade, Kairi dismissed it and began climbing the clothesline. It's a good thing my upper body strength improved with my Keyblade training! Kairi thought as she hauled herself up. She took a peek down and saw one of the guards scurrying about, desperate to catch Aladdin.

Just as Kairi had reached the top of the balcony of a building. She was able to heave a sigh of relief, but for long before Bandit Heartless appeared in front of her. COME ON! CAN'T I GET A BREAK? Kairi yelled in her mind as she summoned her Keyblade and immediately ran towards the Bandits. Her Keyblade clashed with a Bandit's sword before she slid out of the way of its attack and smacked it in the back. She managed to catch sight of one attacking her from behind and blocked the attack before sky uppercutting the Bandit into the air and jumping to finish it off by smacking it to the ground. Hmph! I'm getting the hang of this! She thought as she began running along the balcony, smacking her Keyblade against any Shadow Heartless that popped up in her way.

"Okay, I think that takes care of all-" Kairi gasped as she came face to face with not only the guards, but a still disguised Aladdin, who was lying on the ground helplessly.

"The King of Thieves, your charmed life is over, Your Majesty!" Razoul sneered as he lifted up his sword in an attempt to Aladdin off.

"No!" Kairi ran forward and blocked Razoul's sword, accidentally stepping on Aladdin's cape and causing the hood to fall, revealing his face to the guards.

"W-What? You!" Razoul yelled, his jaw hanging open.

Aladdin glared and curled his hands into fists, ready to defend himself. "Yes…"

"And you were behind this too!" Razoul growled as one of the guards grabbed Kairi by the arm. "I always knew you were trouble the moment you stepped foot in Agrabah...and we'll see if the princess really wants you in her family now!" He sneered towards Aladdin.

Much to their surprise, a figure appeared out of nowhere and tackled Razoul to the ground, freeing Kairi from his grasp and giving Aladdin a chance to escape. The bigger surprise was the one who saved them.

"Keep your hands off my boy!" Cassim growled at a knocked out Razoul.

"Dad?"

"Cassim?"

"Aladdin! Kairi! We have to hurry!"

Aladdin and Kairi exchanged agreed looks with each other before taking off from the guards. They sprinted through the marketplace and towards the gates to the city. If they could get out of the city, it would give them a chance to catch their breath. Once they were out of the city, the guards essentially had no power considering they weren't on Agrabah's grounds anymore. Lucky for them, the Heartless didn't seem to bother them, which only made their escape all the more easier in comparison to their escape from the palace dungeon.

The desert was massive and dark enough that the guards couldn't keep track of their location once they had gotten outside of the city's gates. Before reaching the dunes, Aladdin and Kairi stopped to catch their breath. Cassim was set on continuing, but decided to let them stop for a moment anyway.

"So, now what?" Kairi asked.

Cassim looked ahead. "If we keep moving, they won't be able to pick up our trail until daylight, and by then, we'll be long gone."

"Keep moving?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

Aladdin scowled. "He wants us to run." He looked over at Kairi, a firm look on his face. "I can't leave Agrabah."

"Al! Come on! What are you waiting for?" Iago asked as he perched on Cassim's shoulder.

"I'm not going. If Kairi wants to, I won't stop her, but I won't run away."

"But you can't go back! They saw your face! Your life is over! You have nothing to return to!" Cassim argued.

Aladdin shut his eyes and turned his face away. "You're wrong! Jasmine's there! I won't do what you did and run away!"

"I never ran away from anything!"

"You ran away from your family!" Aladdin yelled.

"I told you what happened! What else could I do? What else can you do?"

"The right thing." Aladdin softly said as he pulled out sheathed dagger and threw it on the ground in front of his father. "I won't walk out on Jasmine. I'm your son, but I can't live your life." He turned around and looked at Kairi and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Kairi, you should get out of here too."

Kairi softly gasped. "Aladdin…"

"I know where your heart lies and what you're trying to do." He shut his eyes and turned his face away. "Agrabah is not safe for you right now. I may not trust my father with my own life, but at least you'll be safe with him until you meet up with your friends."

"My friends…"

Aladdin sighed before turning and beginning to walk away. "Hopefully, we'll meet again, someday. Goodbye."

"So be it…" Cassim growled. "Come along, Kairi."

Kairi stood in the middle, watching both men parting in opposite directions. Her head darted between the both of them. On one hand, Aladdin was right. Agrabah was not safe for her to be in right now. Not to mention, Cassim still had her lucky charm, so she almost had no choice, but to remain with him until she was able to retrieve it back from him. On the other hand, running away from her problems never solved anything. Whenever Sora was in trouble, he would always face it, take the consequences, and try to make things right. Even if it might hurt in the beginning, Kairi knew that it wasn't fair for her to run away when she was just as responsible for the situation at hand.

"Aladdin, wait!" Kairi called out.

"Where are you going?" Cassim asked, his voice raised.

"I'm going back to the palace with Aladdin."

Cassim sighed and shook his head. "My son's rubbed off on you, I should've known."

"No, I'm going back because I'm not a coward like you!" She furrowed her eyebrows and shot a glare towards Cassim. "I can't save Sora this way...it's not right, and he wouldn't want it that way either!"

"Forget the boy! Haven't you seen what my life has become?"

"Yes…" Kairi held her head low for a moment before bringing it back up, shooting a firm scowl towards him. "I have seen how lonely and pathetic your life has become, and it's only given me more reason to not give up on Sora, and I will continue to fight for him, but I will do it the right way."

Cassim sighed heavily. "If I can't stop my own son, then I can't stop you either. The choice is yours." He and Kairi turned and began to part their own separate ways until Cassim stopped in his tracks. "Kairi!"

Kairi stopped and turned at the sound of her name being called. Her eyes watched as her pouch was suddenly tossed towards her and landed right at her feet.

Iago flew over towards Kairi and landed on her shoulder. "Come on, kid! We're talking total freedom! We have the Oracle! You can see the world and all of its greatest treasure!"

"Iago…" She picked him from her shoulder and held him in her hands. "Love is the greatest treasure anyone will ever find, and it's something you won't find buried in the dirt."

"Good luck, kid!"

Kairi watched as Iago flew away and caught up with Cassim, who had started on his path back to where he once came. Aladdin had given him a chance to change his life and it was obvious of the life he had chosen. Kairi had seen that Cassim had ran away from his family and all the consequences regarding it, and now, he was alone. Despite the mistakes she had made, Kairi refused to run away and not face the consequences of her actions. She'd be no better than him, or even any of her old enemies. Kairi turned and began jogging back into Agrabah's marketplace, catching up to Aladdin rather easily.

"Is this a good time to owe you an apology for judging you earlier tonight?" Aladdin asked, sensitivity in his voice.

"Mmmm, maybe later." Kairi answered shaking her head. "For now, there's someone else we both owe an apology to."

"You're right. We've gotta face the music sooner or later."

"And we'll do it together."


A/N: I swear these chapters keep getting longer and longer and not by choice! Anyway, hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter! To those who are in school and studying for finals, best of luck and you guys are all awesome!