Chapter Twelve: The Battle for Agrabah
"Where have you been all these years, dear Wilheim?" Camille asked. "The last time that I saw you, it was in your dreams... Your nightmares, actually. Or have you forgotten? Have you forgotten how I sang to you until that wound on your desperate heart stopped bleeding, at least for the rest of the night?"
"Of course I remember, Camille." I replied, as I eyed Morrigan, who was walking from one side of the dark basement to the other, like a hungry lioness that waits for its prey to drop its guard.
I knew that she wished to go along with the rest of our comrades, but we had agreed that it would be best if she and Camille stayed with me during the day. For whatever reason, Morrigan was not too thrilled about the idea of sharing a room with my dear succubus. I could only think that this was because she was jealous of my fangs, and did not wish to see Camille's blood trail running down my lips...
What did I feel about this, you might ask? Well, I am ashamed to admit it, but I was quite aroused. Not every day one gets to be locked in a somber basement with two sensual, breathtaking women at their side. The feeling that had emerged from my body the first time that I had seen Camille returned, and started to devour me like a fire eats through wood. I feared that, soon, I would not have the strength to refuse an offering from either of the succubus. Still, I was certain that Morrigan would never participate in such... lustful act. But Camille would happily ravish me along with another woman.
* Stop thinking nonsense. * I thought to myself, as these adolescent fantasies raced through my mind. "Of course I remember." I repeated. "If it were not for you, I would have cut my wrists in that little hotel, without thinking about it twice."
"What happened to you, so that you would desire death so badly?" asked Morrigan. She did not even look at me; she merely wished to hear our conversation so that our words would ease her hunger for battle.
"A beautiful woman broke my heart." I replied. "And yet, I deserted her first."
"You did not desert her, Wilheim." Camille said firmly. "You made the right choice. Think about it with a clear mind, and stop listening to your shattered heart for a moment. If you would have taken her with you, if you would have let her follow you into the way of the shadows and blood, you would have never been able to forgive yourself. And the glitter in her eyes that you loved so much would have vanished. Like the emeralds that once shinned around your pupils, they would have turned into an empty color..."
"Funny." I giggled. "Olaf and Lucrecia told me something of the sort."
"Oh, so you met the Gangrel?" the succubus said, with a laugh.
"I most certainly did." I replied. "I stayed with them for the longest of times, until disaster stroke my soul again, and I had to flee from them as if I were running away from the plague."
"How sad..." Morrigan murmured. I cannot tell if her voice was either filled by an urge to leave the place, or by sincerity.
"But tell me, Camille... Are my eyes still the sad rocks of desolated hazes that you contemplated last time? Have they not changed a bit, at least?"
"Yes, it seems that the deep sadness that once tormented them has diminished. Why, I wonder?"
"It must be because of my dearest Ukyo. You see, after I left the Gangrel, I wandered through the world, hiding this..." I said, and showed her my blade. "From the eyes of those who desire to misuse it."
"Renamark?" Camille said, in shock. "I thought that it belonged to Gustav, the elder of the Malkavians. What has happened to him? Has he died?"
"No, he gave it to me." I answered. "I shall tell you all about it later, but fist, listen to this story." As I said these words, both succubus turned to face me. Morrigan finally sat down, and listened carefully. "After the longest of times, after a marvelous spectacle in my dear capital, Berlin, and after a little chat with the Almighty, I stopped traveling and settled down in Japan... For it was there that I met the woman who loves me as a vampire; the girl that I love as a human: Ukyo Kuonji, my dearest..."
"Oh!" Camille laughed. "So that means that you have forgotten about Elizabeth?"
"Oh, not at all." I said. "I still remember her... I still remember her charming smile, and her dazzling eyes, and her cascading, fiery hair..." I paused, and then added, as I glanced at Camille: "And I still remember her soft breasts, which were actually your own, dear friend."
"Oh, speaking about that..." the succubus said, and her voice was a lustful one. She put her leg on top of my stomach, and whispered in my ear: "Since you have a new girlfriend, I suppose that you will not be able to keep your promise, correct?"
"What promise?" added Morrigan, and, to my surprise and dismay (or joy), I noticed that her tone had been an erotic one.
"I..." I muttered. "I... I have not broken my promise, Camille. As a matter of fact, I think that I kept it."
"Is that so?" she asked, and licked my cheek.
"Yes." I quickly answered. I knew that I had to free myself from her grasp... Otherwise, I would surely succumb to her. "I promised that I would see you again."
"And you said that you would do so when the day that the sadness in your eyes vanished came... Or the day when you would want to make love with me arrived. Have you forgotten your oath, you silly boy?"
"What a marvelous promise." Added Morrigan, and put her arms around my neck. I could not believe her dirty move. Now she too had cast a lustful spell upon me. "I wonder if you would be able to fulfill it now?"
"Morrigan!! Wilheim!! Camille!!" called Felicia's voice, from outside of the house. "Come out!! The sun has vanished! The sky is pitch black! Come on, what are you doing down there!?"
"What has happened?" Morrigan muttered, as she and Camille stood up and raced to the door that led to the street.
* I am certain that this is ill news, but thank God... * I thought to myself, and let out a relieved sigh.
As we exited the house and joined our friends, we noticed that, indeed, the sky had been covered by a dark veil. Grey clouds extended themselves to the very limits of the world, and from time to time, were illuminated by red lightning. The air was as cold as a blizzard that only blows in the mountaintops, and it was filled with fearful screams and desperate crying.
"What is happening?" Camille muttered, without taking her eyes off the sky.
"I don't know for sure." Vincent said. "But I believe that the Heartless have something to do with it. In fact, I'm certain of it. But what is it?"
Because of Tish, we now knew who the Heartless were, and we also knew much of their foul plans. Still, we did not know who it was that commanded them, but for my part, I had a strong feeling that it was none other than Jaffar himself. Later on, I found out that I was actually wrong...
"What should we do?" asked Merryck, as he cowered before the thundering clouds, and hid behind Vincent's legs. "What's going on?"
"Look!!" Aladdin yelled, and pointed to the sky.
A pillar of blue smoke rose from the ground, and, slowly, took the form of our friend, the Genie. It grew bigger, and bigger, and floated towards the palace that had greeted us when we first came to Agrabah. The body of the being became a terrible, muscular one, and his eyes shined with a white, deadly light. With great ease, he tore the palace from the ground, and the earth shook. He then put it on top of an enormous red mountain that had appeared from nowhere, and the people yelled with fear. To our eyes, he appeared to be a god of some ancient legend, who manipulated all around him as he wished... But we knew that he did nothing on his own; the words of his master were his orders.
"I've got to stop him!" Aladdin exclaimed, and quickly climbed on the flying carpet, who took him and Abu to the Genie's side. We all stood stupefied as we heard Aladdin scream: "Genie, don't!! Stop, please!! Stop!!"
And so, the Genie replied:
"Sorry, kid. I've got a new master now." And as he said these words, his eyes were filled with regret.
"What... what's going on?" Sakura asked. "Damn... I wish he was here."
"Any ideas, Vincent?" Ryoga asked the dark man.
"I can't think clearly... Not with that sky above our heads and that monster tearing up the earth to shreds." He replied.
"He is not a monster... at least not by will." Tish interrupted. "We must think of something to do, before he destroys everything in his path. His power is too great for us to handle. We have no choice but to get our hands on the lamp once again."
"This must all be Jaffar's doing." Morrigan inquired. "I can't think of any other enemy."
"If that is the case, then what do we do?" asked Merryck. "With the Genie's help, he's invincible. There is nothing we can possible do to..."
"Look!!" Tifa exclaimed.
We all saw, to our dismay, how a bizarre light suddenly engulfed Aladdin and Abu, and draw them to the ground. And then, we saw how the Genie's face was filled by concern and fright.
"He's been captured, for sure..." Vincent guessed.
"We can't leave him alone!" Tifa added. "We've got to help him! We have to think of something to do... Someway to get in there... Because my guess is that the place must be swarming with Heartless."
"I have an idea." I said.
Everyone turned to face me, and waited for me to speak again.
"Let us attack. It is that simple." I suggested.
"Without a game plan?" Sakura asked.
"Well, there is a trick to it... I was thinking that it would be best if you attacked, and I, inadvertently, searched for Jaffar."
"Yeah, right. And how can you do that?"
"It is easy. Nobody will suspect of a cloud of mist... and even if they did, air cannot be hit."
"I think that's a great plan." Vincent said.
"Are you serious?" Ryoga asked. "Jaffar's probably an unbeatable being by now. Are you saying that it's OK to send Wilheim all by himself to face him without any help?"
"Not really, but I don't think that we'll have enough time to think of something else." The dark man answered, and pointed in front of us.
Indeed, there was no time to do much more, for a horde of fierce Heartless marched toward us. It was a whole army of them: there were tiny, dark figures that appeared to be insects with flashing, yellow eyes; minuscule, flying, cloaked enemies that were actually powerful sorcerers; powerful warriors that bore Saracen swords, and enormous foes that breathed fire out of their mouths. I let out a low, scared breath, for I knew that this was not going to be an easy battle.
"Oh, my God..." Tifa whispered.
"Wilheim, don't you dare go dying on us..." Ryoga murmured, as he fearfully assumed a fighting position.
"I say the same to you." I replied, out of breath.
"Wilheim, do not abandon me." Camille said, and turned to see me. "You have yet to fulfill your promise. Do not forget..."
"I will not." I said. "Be careful, comrades! Do triumph, so that we will meet again!"
"Yes, now go!" Vincent urged, as he took out his gun and began to shoot at the many monsters that now ran directly to us.
Without thinking about it twice, I let my body join the air around me, and vanished from the eyes of my enemies. All they could see of me, was an ethereal body, a being that moves at the wind's mercy. The swords, the fireballs and else passed right through me like they would have done through vapor. I decided to stay there for a moment, to see how my friends did without my help.
It seemed to me that I would not have done much of a difference. The shadow that was the army extended itself like a horde of ants that cover an entire hill with their bodies. I was horrified at this mere sight... However, my companions fought bravely and I was certain that they would not succumb so easily to the evil shadows...
Sakura and Ryoga fought side by side, using all of their energy to let loose a series of energy blasts that could even tear a steel wall apart. Their punches and their kicks had the strength of a titan, and could even floor the toughest of monsters. Felicia's claws were sharp knives that cut through her preys like daggers that tear pieces of paper. Her eyes were filled with rage, and looked like the ones of a maddened tiger. I had never seen her so angry... Both Morrigan and Camille used her dark tentacles to mow down their foes, and also manifested incandescent balls of fire that incinerated every enemy that stood in their way. Tifa used her iron fists to defend herself. I had no idea that a woman could hit as hard as she did. Every punch that she connected made the ground shook under her feet. Even Merryck helped a little; he used his dagger (I do not know who gave it to him) to poke his enemies on his legs. Thanks to his size, he was able to run away from his opponents like a furry rodent. He was as agile as a fox, and no creature could even scratch him. And Tish used her light to blind the monsters that attacked her, and even cast some healing spells to aid our comrades.
As for Vincent, he did something that I did not foresee. He put his gun away, and began to... morph into a hideous creature! His muscles began to grow and his flesh acquired a grayish color. He tore his clothes apart, and as he kept growing, sparks of lightning came out of his enormous body. His fists grew as big as boulders... And after an instant, before me, stood a monstrous golem that was not damaged by any attack, and that could break the skull of a griffin with a finger. A creature capable of withstanding the fiercest of attacks, and capable of inflicting the deepest of fears unto his enemies...
I could not help to wonder if Vincent was really a human. His essence told me so, but this mysterious and incredible change that his body had suffered told me otherwise. What kind of creature was he? I had mistaken him for a man, when he was some other being, or so I thought. Was this a gift bestowed upon him by God, or a curse that had come from Satan's lips?
Either way, I could not think about it much longer, for I had to leave my companions and fly to the palace, which was now protected by cruel lightning and the roaring winds. I was certain that I was going to have to find a way around the angry gales, for I was at their mercy... I thought of something to do, but was reluctant to do so. Not much time passed until I realized that I did not have a choice... And so, I decided to transform into a bat.
My body appeared in the shape of a darkling mammal. My fingers became my wings, and my mouth and my ears became my eyes. Even though I was not blind, I had to rely on my own squeaks to guide me to the palace. I knew that even though I now had a body, it would not be easy to pass through the wall of wind that protected the fortress. I took a deep breath, and, while holding my clothes with my tiny feet, flew to the palace, to Aladdin's aid.
The fierce gales tried to bounce me away but, luckily, I am a very big being, even as a bat. I flapped my wings time after time, and finally managed to pass through the wall of wind. But it had weakened me much, and I could not sustain my current form any longer. So it was that I morphed back into my human shape and fell to the ground. It took me a few moments to recover my strength. It was Camille's blood that had helped me to survive the tremendous fall... her elixir still flowed through my veins and closed my wounds. I shook my head, and put my clothes on. Then, I quietly went into the palace, and placed my hand in my sword's hilt, ready to unsheathe at any time.
For the first time since we had arrived to Agrabah, I felt very cold. I do not know if it was because of the roaring winds that still ceaselessly protected the palace, or if it was the ivory that cooled everything with its freezing touch. Either way, I was grateful, to a certain extent, to have such cool wind around me. After all, we vampires are very susceptible to fire, and do not like heat much.
The rooms of the palace were huge, and they shone with a red light. Everything was red, as if all the walls and the ceiling had been painted with blood. It chilled me to the bone, but I did not stop. I knew that I had to find Jaffar as soon as possible, if I wished to save Aladdin and the rest of my friends. The growls of the Heartless's army began to reach my ears, and I did not like that at all...
Suddenly, I heard some murmurs. I noticed Aladdin's angry voice and Jaffar's triumphant, evil breath... And decided to make haste. I ran to the room from where the murmurs came, and these whispers turned into clear, loud voices. I made use of my vampire speed, and got to the place where my friend was being held. He, and Abu were chained to a wall, while the flying carpet had been nailed to the ground, and standing in front of them, was Jaffar, whose eyes now shone with a more evil color, and his face had a crueler smile than before. He turned to me, and said:
"This is quite a surprise! I'd never expect you to come here!"
"Life is full of surprises, is it not?" I replied, with an angry breath, and let my eyes shine fiercely. As soon as I saw the floor and the walls being illuminated by a violet light, I spoke again: "Let my friends go. And stop your army from spreading chaos. I now that you command the Heartless, so I suggest that you stop them now, or I shall have your head."
"Fearless words." He smirked. "Sadly, I cannot do such a thing. You see, I have sent the Heartless to do some exploring. And everyone that gets in their way, must be annihilated. The people of Agrabah will be spared, of course. Do you think that I am a genocide?"
"I think that you are a tyrant." I said. "The people of Agrabah are alive because if they would be killed, then who could you command? It seems to me that you wish to rein over this land, just like you rein over the will of the Heartless."
"How smart!" Jaffar laughed.
"Damn you!" Aladdin intervened, with an enraged voice. "I won't let you do that! And where's Jasmine? What have you done to her?"
"Silence!" Jaffar snapped, and hit Aladdin with his staff. Abu began to screech angrily, and tried to bite the man, but without succeeding in it. I took a step forward, and growled. The evil man looked at me again, and smiled. "Don't think that I'll be wasting my energy with you, boy. I think that it will be best if we let your slaughtering to Riku, won't it?"
"What?" I muttered, and gasped in surprise as saw the boy come from behind a pillar. He wielded a dark sword, and his eyes were full of anger and hatred. "Riku? What are you doing here?"
"Why do you want to know? Does it matter?" the boy replied.
"Yes... You were the one that fled from the battle with princess Jasmine in your arms. Where have you taken her?"
"You don't care!" he exclaimed, and threw himself at me, and tried to cut me in half with his blade.
I began to grow very angry. But I was not mad at Riku. He was but a lad that had been lied to; a boy that had been deceived by that evil sorcerer. How dared he let this poor kid take his place in a battle against a child of Cain? Obviously, he still underestimated me... I dodged Riku's blow, and jumped back. He tried to stab me, but I rolled away from him. Then he swung his blade with great skill, and attempted me to hurt me, but he achieved nothing, for I merely stepped from one side to another, and jumped and ducked. He was very quick, but I was faster. Every time that he tried to hit me, he cut nothing but air. I did not even have to turn into mist to dodge his flurry of rage. The more I evaded him, the angrier he became. Over time, his blows became less quick and more powerful. His anger was about to take control over him. If I had fought back, Jaffar would have only sent a lamb to a slaughter... and I hated him for that.
I decided that it was time to end with this fight. Riku jumped at me, and tried to slice me once again. I merely took a step to my left, and then put my hand in his chest, and pushed him away. He fell to the ground, and let out a growl as his back hit the floor. He looked at me, and got up, but did not attack me. Instead, he stood still, holding his sword tightly, with his eyes on the verge of shedding tears of desperation and hatred. I shook my head, and gently asked:
"Do you think that you can possibly defeat a being who knows how you are going to attack him before you even move?"
"You're just bluffing!" he yelled, and pointed his blade at me.
"Do you really think so?" I asked, calmly. "If it were that way, you would have killed me by now. But I am still alive, and you have not even scratched my skin. And even if your blade cut me, my wound would quickly close. You see, being a vampire gives me several advantages over you, mortals."
"You're lying!"
"If I wanted to kill you, you would be dead already. I could have even used your blood to extinguish the thirst that has begun to invade me. It would be like throwing a bucket of water over a little, lighten match... But I have not killed you, nor will I."
"What?"
"I do not want to fight you, Riku. In fact, I would be glad to help you."
"Help me?"
"Yes. The other day, you said to me that you were looking for a friend of yours..." I paused, and read his mind. A gentle smile spread through my lips, and I said: "Kairi, no? You wish to find your sweet friend Kairi. And Sora... the boy that is... under Ukyo's spell, correct?"
"What are you talking about?" he asked, and frowned.
"As I have said before, my darling is not a witch. If she is with your friend, then come with me, and let us find them together."
"Don't listen to him, boy!" Jaffar intervened. "He's only trying to trick you! Don't pay attention to him, or you'll die!"
"They have not led you to Kairi yet, have they?" I asked Riku, and ignored the evil sorcerer's words. "Maybe I am wrong, and they shall take you to her. But what will be their price? Your freedom? Your life? Your heart, your soul, perhaps? You may never now, Riku, until it is too late. Come with me, for I offer you only the chance to find your friends, and I ask nothing in return."
"What...? How...?" Riku muttered, and his face was filled with confusion. He turned to Jaffar, and then to me, without knowing who to listen to. "How can... How can I trust you? Can... can you promise me that you'll find Kairi and Sora, and that you'll take me to them?"
"No, that I cannot promise." I said. "I am not a soothsayer, and I do not know where your friends might be. I do not know where my beloved is..."
"Then why should I go with you!?" he interrupted.
"Well put, lad!" Jaffar laughed.
"Because I would never ask you to fight in my place." I answered, and I as I said these words, the sorcerer's face turned into an expression of anger. "He is afraid..." I added, with a gloomy smile, as I eyed Jaffar. "For he knows that beating me is no easy task. That is why he sent you. If you join us, then we will fight to protect you, unlike him..."
"Then think about this boy! Why did I stay here, if I knew that you were going to be killed? If that were the case, I would've run!" the sorcerer said.
"He stayed because he wanted to study my moves... To understand how I fight, in spite of the loss of your life." I answered. With a sigh I concluded: "I will not stop you from going with them. But know this: if you threaten the life of Ukyo with this dark blade, then I will have to slay you. And that is something that I do not want to do, Riku. A thousand times I would rather spill my blood to protect you than to cut your skin."
"I... I..." he stuttered. He did not know what to say. I could not even read his thoughts, for his mind was a mess. I only knew that he had believed my words, but he believed Maleficent's as well. Luckily, he did not trust Jaffar...
"What are you waiting for?" this last one said. "Go on! Kill him!"
"No!!" Riku yelled. "Leave me alone!! I want to be alone!" and so, a dark abyss appeared under him, and he vanished.
"No!!" yelled Jaffar. "Stupid brat!"
"It seems that your luck is beginning to change, Jaffar!" Aladdin said, with a triumphant laugh. "Even though the boy is gone, he's gone with a different look in his eyes..."
"Shut up!"
"It is a shame that he is gone." I intervened. "Still, your flesh - shield is now useless, Jaffar." I said, and my voice became a menacing growl, and my eyes shone with a spectral, deadly light. "Now we will fight, you..." I stopped talking and unleashed a fireball from the palm of my hand. However, I had not aimed at Jaffar...
The chains which were holding Aladdin and Abu broke under the might of my attack, and then he freed the carpet... The sorcerer growled, and so I added:
"Aladdin, and I. And believe me when I say that I will not hold back." I unsheathed Renamark and its ghastly glow illuminated the stance. I had wakened the blade, and it wanted to feed on blood... "Prepare yourself, Jaffar. You will not leave this palace alive."
"Tell me boy..." Jaffar cackled. "How do you expect to defeat me and my army, when we grow stronger with each second?"
"How amusing." I replied. "It just so happens that a fairy recently told me that it is because that the Heartless grow weaker that there are many people, like Tifa, who are escaping from the darkness that once captured them."
"Silence!" the evil sorcerer shouted. "It ends now!"
"You're right about that!" Aladdin exclaimed, as he picked up a sword, and threw himself against Jaffar, while Abu and the carpet quickly hid behind a pillar.
With a laugh, our foe vanished from our sight and my friend's sword cut nothing but air. He reappeared behind me and tried to scorch me with a fireball, but I was quick enough to jump over it. I then tried to stab him with my blade, yet he disappeared again. Suddenly, an army of Saracen swords rose from the ground. Aladdin and I froze in terror as we saw how the weapons began to attack us. I could not see the ghosts that held these blades, but I knew that the room was riddled with evil spirits that wished to murder us... However, I was not worried about myself, for I could turn into mist and avoid the deadly swords. I was concerned about Aladdin for a moment, but when I saw him fighting off the weapons with great skill and anger, I knew that I only had to concentrate in finding Jaffar and eliminating him. There he was, flying over the room, laughing at us. I jumped at him and swung Renamark at his head, but he vanished yet again.
"Damn you!!" Aladdin shouted. "What's wrong, Jaffar? Are you afraid?"
"Afraid?" he mocked, from a dark corner. "See how afraid I am, you foolish boy!"
As he said these words, the swords fell to the ground, and their blades turned into a ring of fire that imprisoned us. Aladdin tried to turn it off by swinging his hand at it repeatedly, but the flames did not fear Aladdin's fist. I began to grow afraid, for we vampires are very susceptible to fire, as I have said before. Nevertheless, as if an angel had whispered the secret of defeating this spell into my ear, I drew Renamark and let its tip touch the flames. As soon as I did this, all the fire was absorbed by it. Its hilt became so hot that I let out a shriek and swung it with all my strength. The sword shot out all the flames that were engulfing it, and the fiery projectile almost hit Jaffar. He reacted just in time to vanish one more time just before the wall behind him burst into a thousand pieces.
"How smart." The sorcerer said. "I may have to modify my tactics..."
"You are very powerful." I replied. "But you have underestimated us... I did not want to do this, but it seems that I do not have a choice." I sheathed my sword, and took a deep breath. "I have never changed into such a monster, for I am afraid of the very evilness that flows through my body... But only using the strength of a monster will I be able to defeat you."
"Stop talking nonsense, and simply die." Jaffar laughed. "It will be the best, for all of us."
"Let us find out, then!" I yelled, and got ready to turn myself into a monstrous gargoyle... Yet, I did not have the time to do it, for I first had to dodge a fireball that Jaffar shot out of his hand. And after I avoided this projectile, I had to jump over another, and another. Our enemy knew about my plan, and was not going to let me turn me into a being capable of shredding him to pieces. "Damn you!" I cursed.
"Take that!" Aladdin screamed, and threw his sword at our opponent. This one disappeared, and the blade passed right through him. It was then that my friend took a deep breath and shouted: "Are you afraid to face us, you cowardly snake!?"
"A snake, am I?" Jaffar roared, and appeared in front of us. "Then perhaps you'd like to see how snake - like I can be!!"
And with that being said, his eyes and tongue changed into the ones of a reptile. His body turned into the one of a serpent and began to grow into a monstrous creature with cruel, resplendent fangs and a red gaze. I froze in horror as I looked into the eyes of our new, evil enemy.
"Dear God..." I murmured. "I wish that my friends were here..."
The gigantic snake stood still for a few instants, and then moved, with the speed of lightning. I leapt back in fear, stumbled, and fell to the ground. With a loud hiss, the monster threw his head at me and tried to bite me. However, Aladdin leapt in front of me and swung his sword across the creature's mouth. A loud yell came out of the snake's throat and its blood fell on the ground. As I saw its wounded body, I recovered my courage and my strength, and got to my feet.
"He'll have a harder time while disappearing, I think." Aladdin whispered. "Let's take advantage of this."
"I agree with you." I replied. "Let us destroy this being with our blades!!" I exclaimed and, with the same speed that the monster had attacked me, leapt into the air and buried my sword in its body. The snake howled in pain as Renamark glowed fiercely and satisfied its thirst for blood. However, the serpent shook itself and threw me against the wall. I knew that this fight was still far from over but now that Jaffar was bleeding, we had gained a certain advantage over him.
The monster began to chase me and Aladdin, and tried to bite us with its sharp, dagger - like fangs, and to capture us with its enormous body. I made use of all my velocity and became as quick as the snake itself. When it moved, I dodged it and cut it once more. Nevertheless, even the might of Renamark was not sufficient to end with the creature. As for Aladdin, his quick reflexes and his marvelous agility amazed me. More than once he bounced off the pillars of the stance to get away from the monster's grasp, and even leapt on his body to bury his sword in it.
It did not take me very long to discover that Jaffar had only changed his appearance to intimidate us with those serpent eyes and those monstrous fangs. However, his strategy had backfired and now we were weakening him with every move that we made.
Suddenly, I noticed that, on a dark corner, the Genie stood, and frantically pointed at his lamp, which was being held by the red parrot, who was staring at the combat without moving. I waited for Aladdin to capture Jaffar's attention and ran as fast as I could to catch the bird in my hands before it could get away.
"Ouch!! No, let me go!!" he whined, as I held him by his beak.
"If you give me the lamp, I will do so." I replied.
"Okay, okay!! Have it your way!!" he exclaimed, and dropped the lamp...
I smiled and quickly grabbed it. But, before I could rub it and ask for a wish, the snake's tail hit me, and sent me flying across the room. I hit the wall and fell to the ground with a very large wound on my head. The stance seemed to move from one side to another, as if it were being shaken by an earthquake, although I knew that it was not so. I stayed still and waited for my strength to come back to me.
Then, I watched in horror how Jaffar finally managed to capture Aladdin with its body. He let out a growl and his skin began to turn red as Jaffar laughed and slowly squeezed him.
"You foolsss!" he hissed. "You thought you could sssimply beat the mossst powerful being on this world with jussst a couple of ssswords?"
"How... how did you acquire such power?" I asked in a low voice. "When I first met you, you where nothing but a cowardly man who used lies as his weapon..."
"Ignorant child..." the snake replied. "Thisss iss all becausssse of the Genie... without him, you're nothing."
I slowly turned to see the Genie and noticed that he was looking at Aladdin with a horrified expression on his face.
* That's it! * Aladdin's thought suddenly invaded my mind. "You idiot! The Genie has more powers than you'll ever have!" he yelled.
"What!?" Jaffar hissed.
"He gave you your power! He can also take it away! You're not the most powerful being on this world! He is!"
"Al... What the hell are you doing?" the Genie said, with a nervous giggle.
"You're right..." the snake grumbled. "His power is greater than mine..." He stood still and thoughtful for an instant, and then, his eyes glimmered with malice. "But I believe that we can change that..."
"Oh, no, no..." the Genie chuckled as Jaffar let go of Aladdin and began to circle him. "You see, I've met the kid for some time, now. He's a whacko. I've actually been trying to get him into a mental institute but since you arrived, the government facilities aren't what they used to be..."
"Silence!!" the monster roared. "Genie! I will now ask you for my final wish! I wish to be an all - powerful Genie!!"
"A Genie?"
"Yes, and be quick about it, you blue hunchback!"
"All right... your wish is my command..." the Genie giggled again... but this time, I noticed that his laughter had been filled by relief. He pointed his finger at Jaffar, and said: "First you want to be Sultan... then you want to be a powerful sorcerer... you just know where to go, don't you?"
"Get over with it!!"
"Okay!"
He shot out a ray from his finger and hit Jaffar with it. The monster began to change into a muscular, horrible being with great, red arms and long, black nails. His eyes turned yellow and the ceiling shattered under his might. He let out a long, evil laugh and began to toy with fireballs and lightning, as he chanted:
"THE ABSOLUTE POWER!! The universe is mine to command!! TO CONTROL!!"
"Not so fast, Jaffar!!" Aladdin screamed, and I noticed a triumphant expression on his face. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Huh?" the evil Genie muttered, as he looked down at us.
"If you want to be a Genie, you've got it, but with everything that goes with it!" he added, and held a black lamp up... It was Jaffar's lamp.
"NO!!" Jaffar wailed, as a pair of golden bracelets appeared on his hands and forced him to go into the lamp...
"Phenomenal, cosmic powers... Itty - bitty living space." Aladdin giggled, as the red haze of the room began to vanish.
"Al! You genius, you!" the Genie exclaimed and hugged the man, along with the magic carpet and Abu.
"I do not believe this..." I muttered, and walked to them. "I thought that we were done for!"
"Well, you thought too early!" Aladdin laughed.
"Incredible!" I said, and burst out in relieved laughter. "It is now clear to me that wits are indeed a much greater weapon than great girth and monstrous fangs! Thank you, Aladdin! Now, with Jaffar defeated, I am sure that the Heartless army will vanish."
"Oh, about that...!" the Genie intervened. "Before you changed his mind, Al, Jaffar wanted to wish for me to find out where this... lock was..."
"The locks that Tish told us about!" Aladdin inquired.
"I guess so! Anyway, he wanted to find it so that it could never be sealed by... who? Oh, right! By the one that carries the Keyblade!"
"Is that so?" The man said, and rubbed his chin. "If that's the case, then let's mess up his plans a little, don't you think?" he held up the Genie's lamp and said aloud: "This is my first wish, Genie! I wish for you to hide this lock from all those who are in league with the Heartless!"
"Let me see where I can find this lock first, sir..." the Genie murmured, as he looked at some charts that he had created, just for the fun of it... "Oh, I see! There it is! In a small room that still stands in the Cave of Wonders! Don't worry, Al! I'll put up a magical wall right in front of it so that only you and your friends will be able to see it!" he said, and snapped his fingers.
And as he did this, a strange light appeared on the desert. Aladdin, Abu, the carpet, and I turned to look at it as it illuminated the sands for an instant and then disappeared.
"Cool!" Aladdin exclaimed.
"Indeed!" I added. Suddenly, I began to heard a low rumbling, and the palace began to shake... Fear invaded us, but only for an instant, for then, we saw that the sky was being cleared of the evil clouds that Jaffar's power had created. "Look! Everything is returning to normal!" I yelled happily, as the dark, peaceful night fell over Agrabah. "Then it is done. We have triumphed over the evilness that haunted this place... Well, perhaps 'we' is very much of a word for me. You have ended with it, Aladdin."
"Come on, I couldn't have done it without your help..."
"Nonsense. You fought bravely and better than I could ever have..."
"Nah... Hey, that reminds me, what about our friends?"
"Good question. Let us get out of this palace..."
"Wait, don't go!" yelled a voice. We turned to it and saw a short little man with white hair and black mustaches running to us. He wore a royal outfit and had a grateful look in his eyes. I guessed that he was the ruler of Agrabah himself, and I was not mistaken. "My good boys, you can't go yet! Please, I have to thank you for saving Agrabah from that traitor, Jaffar! I thought that I was done for, when he had bound me and left me in the care of his cursed bird, Iago! I had never been forced to experience such a horrible torture! The taste of those filthy crackers still lingers in my mouth! Yuck!"
"Sultan?" Aladdin asked. "What...? I mean, of course... But..."
"But, now that I've seen that you are indeed heroes, I must ask you to, please, get my dear daughter back! I don't know where she is!"
"That's what I was about to say..." the man said. He looked at the Genie and asked: "Genie, do you know where Jas... I mean, the princess is?"
"Sorry, Al, no..." the Genie replied. "It seems that she is in some darker place than the ones that I can see from here..."
"Oh, no!" the Sultan whimpered.
"Do not worry, oh, Highness." I said. "Though we do not know where the princess is, I promise to you that we shall find her. My friends and I are travelers who are looking for our dear ones, so I can assure you that we will look for her through the stars."
"Are you certain, boy?" he asked, and a grateful smile spread on his face. "What is your name, lad?"
"Wilheim, sir."
"Wilheim... and Aladdin... Do you swear to me that you'll get my daughter back?"
"Yes." Aladdin and I replied.
"Thank you!" he exclaimed. "If you do this for me, I will reward you greatly!"
"We do not need money... Or at least I do not." I replied.
"No... neither do I." Aladdin added. He paused for an instant and then confessed: "But I would like to ask something else of you..."
"Whatever!" the Sultan said.
"If she agrees... Would you let me marry her?"
"What?"
They were interrupted by Abu's frantic jumping, who was pointing at the streets. I glanced at them and saw, to my dismay, that my friends were walking towards the palace, and some of them were badly injured. I could even smell the blood that came from their wounds, and became very upset.
"Oh, dear God!" I exclaimed, as I ran out of the stance to meet them...
***
"What happened?" I asked with a desperate breath, as I ran to them.
It was truly a horrible sight. Ryoga and Felicia were holding each other as they walked, for their legs could barely hold their weight. Their faces were twisted in pain and a trail of blood ran from their mouths. Morrigan and Camille were not very wounded; they only had a few scratches in their bodies and maybe one or two nasty cuts, but nothing lethal. Surprisingly, the one who was less injured was Merryck. I suppose that it was because of his great agility and his small size that he had saved himself from the fatal attacks of the Heartless. Vincent was not hurt too badly... but Sakura, who was lying still in his arms, seemed to be on the verge of breathing her last breath. Her eyes were closed tightly and she moaned in a low voice as the pain shot through her crippled arms and legs. Tish lay in her stomach, fast asleep. There was not a wound in her body, but she looked exhausted. Tifa walked without much trouble and held her broken arm. She was hurt very badly, for I could even see how her bone ripped her skin and showed itself...
"What, in God's name, happened to you?" I asked, but I already knew the answer.
"The Heartless were simply too much for us to handle..." replied Camille, and fell to her knees. "It was an endless army. It seemed to me that every shadow of the world rose from the ground and attacked us mercilessly..."
"I guess that it was a miracle that they suddenly vanished." Felicia said with a weak voice. "We owe it to you and to Aladdin, Wilheim... I assume that you beat Jaffar. Otherwise, we would practically be six feet under, if you know what I'm talking about."
"The battle isn't over yet, Felicia. At least, not for her..." Vincent whispered, as he put Sakura on the ground, and caressed her cheek with her metallic arm. "Damn it..." he growled. "I... I don't know if she's going to make it."
"Tish is too weak." Merryck intervened. In his face, I saw fear, for he had never witnessed the horribleness of a bloody battle. "If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have lived. All she did was to fly about us, casting healing spells on us. The wounds that you now see are actually quite recent... But I'm afraid that her little body cannot withstand so much power."
"And I was not there to help you..." I murmured. I could not help but to blame myself for poor Sakura's cuts. I kneeled by her side and held her head. "Sakura, be strong... You can make it."
"That's easy for you to say..." she giggled, with a weak breath. "You're... you're not hurt at all.."
"Isn't there... Oh, crap!!" Tifa complained, as a horrible pain shot through her shattered arm. She shook her head and asked: "Isn't there something you can do to heal her?"
"Not a single thing..." I replied.
"Why don't you try to give her some of your blood, Wilheim?" Ryoga suggested, and I noticed desperation in his voice.
I turned to him, and answered, with a bit of rage, I must admit:
"Are you mad? Certainly, that would heal her body, but it would destroy her soul. I will not turn her into a vampire. If it would be a blessing, then I would not hesitate to do so. But to me, it is a curse! And I do not want to pass it unto an innocent girl like Sakura!"
"There has to be something we can do to aid her!" Morrigan said.
"Oh, man!" Aladdin yelled in a loud, shocked voice as he saw our friend's crippled bodies. "Oh, man, I don't believe this!"
"Sakura is dying!" I exclaimed. "Aladdin, please! Make your second wish and heal her!"
"What are you waiting for, Al!?" the Genie shouted. "Come on!"
"OK!" Aladdin said. "Genie, I wish for you to heal my friends! Go, go, go!"
With that being said, the Genie quickly flew around all our companions, and released a blue mist that went into their wounds, and began to close them. The blood that ran through them ceased to do so, and their flesh was once again pink and healthy. Tifa's bone was absorbed by her arm, and her skin covered it again. An amazing, though somewhat repugnant, phenomenon to witness, it was...
We all let out a relieved sigh. They had been saved. Sakura let out a low chuckle, and murmured:
"I feel... good..." and suddenly, she fell asleep.
"What!?" Ryoga exclaimed. "I thought that she was better!"
"She is, she just fainted." Vincent cleared, while he put his finger on Sakura's neck, and felt her pulse. "Thank God..."
"Thank you, Genie." Aladdin said, and patted the Genie's back. "Thanks for saving them."
"You wished for it, pal." He replied. "I didn't have much of a choice..." he joked.
"Well... it seems that our job here is done." Morrigan said. "I believe that it is time to leave, once again..."
"We'll have to return here, eventually, if we are going to seal the Keyhole." Vincent said. "But I think that you're right, Morrigan. It's time for us to get out of here."
"Can I come too?" Aladdin said. "After all, I did promise the Sultan that I would bring Jasmine back..."
"Yes, but I think it would be wiser if you stayed here..." Vincent suggested. "Just in case that the Heartless return, so that there will be someone to fight them off."
"What?"
"He's right, Al." The Genie agreed. "Look on the bright side. You can stay here with me, and kill some time, while they're at it..."
"But..." Aladdin began to say. However, he looked at Abu and at the carpet, and then turned to the palace, where the Sultan looked at us from one of its windows. He sighed and nodded his head. "Do you promise that you'll look for her?"
"I swear it." I said. "Trust me."
"Okay... I trust you." He replied, smiled, and shook my hand.
***
Sakura and Tish did not wake up when we left Agrabah. Aladdin used his last wish to free the Genie... I could not help but to smile as I looked at his happy eyes. I imagined that that could be my face. I thought about regaining my humanity, and about finding Ukyo again, and this strengthened me. As a gift, the Genie used his powers to build another Gummi ship. There were too many of us, and we would not be able to fit in just one. Vincent, Morrigan, and Felicia took both Tish and Sakura on their ship, while the one in which Ryoga, Camille, Merryck, and I were was piloted by Tifa. We said good - bye to the city of the desert, and hoped to come back to seal the evil that rested within it.
As for now, we could do nothing but to visit other worlds, in hopes of finding the wielder of the Keyblade, the only weapon able to seal the shadows away, and our dear ones...
"Where have you been all these years, dear Wilheim?" Camille asked. "The last time that I saw you, it was in your dreams... Your nightmares, actually. Or have you forgotten? Have you forgotten how I sang to you until that wound on your desperate heart stopped bleeding, at least for the rest of the night?"
"Of course I remember, Camille." I replied, as I eyed Morrigan, who was walking from one side of the dark basement to the other, like a hungry lioness that waits for its prey to drop its guard.
I knew that she wished to go along with the rest of our comrades, but we had agreed that it would be best if she and Camille stayed with me during the day. For whatever reason, Morrigan was not too thrilled about the idea of sharing a room with my dear succubus. I could only think that this was because she was jealous of my fangs, and did not wish to see Camille's blood trail running down my lips...
What did I feel about this, you might ask? Well, I am ashamed to admit it, but I was quite aroused. Not every day one gets to be locked in a somber basement with two sensual, breathtaking women at their side. The feeling that had emerged from my body the first time that I had seen Camille returned, and started to devour me like a fire eats through wood. I feared that, soon, I would not have the strength to refuse an offering from either of the succubus. Still, I was certain that Morrigan would never participate in such... lustful act. But Camille would happily ravish me along with another woman.
* Stop thinking nonsense. * I thought to myself, as these adolescent fantasies raced through my mind. "Of course I remember." I repeated. "If it were not for you, I would have cut my wrists in that little hotel, without thinking about it twice."
"What happened to you, so that you would desire death so badly?" asked Morrigan. She did not even look at me; she merely wished to hear our conversation so that our words would ease her hunger for battle.
"A beautiful woman broke my heart." I replied. "And yet, I deserted her first."
"You did not desert her, Wilheim." Camille said firmly. "You made the right choice. Think about it with a clear mind, and stop listening to your shattered heart for a moment. If you would have taken her with you, if you would have let her follow you into the way of the shadows and blood, you would have never been able to forgive yourself. And the glitter in her eyes that you loved so much would have vanished. Like the emeralds that once shinned around your pupils, they would have turned into an empty color..."
"Funny." I giggled. "Olaf and Lucrecia told me something of the sort."
"Oh, so you met the Gangrel?" the succubus said, with a laugh.
"I most certainly did." I replied. "I stayed with them for the longest of times, until disaster stroke my soul again, and I had to flee from them as if I were running away from the plague."
"How sad..." Morrigan murmured. I cannot tell if her voice was either filled by an urge to leave the place, or by sincerity.
"But tell me, Camille... Are my eyes still the sad rocks of desolated hazes that you contemplated last time? Have they not changed a bit, at least?"
"Yes, it seems that the deep sadness that once tormented them has diminished. Why, I wonder?"
"It must be because of my dearest Ukyo. You see, after I left the Gangrel, I wandered through the world, hiding this..." I said, and showed her my blade. "From the eyes of those who desire to misuse it."
"Renamark?" Camille said, in shock. "I thought that it belonged to Gustav, the elder of the Malkavians. What has happened to him? Has he died?"
"No, he gave it to me." I answered. "I shall tell you all about it later, but fist, listen to this story." As I said these words, both succubus turned to face me. Morrigan finally sat down, and listened carefully. "After the longest of times, after a marvelous spectacle in my dear capital, Berlin, and after a little chat with the Almighty, I stopped traveling and settled down in Japan... For it was there that I met the woman who loves me as a vampire; the girl that I love as a human: Ukyo Kuonji, my dearest..."
"Oh!" Camille laughed. "So that means that you have forgotten about Elizabeth?"
"Oh, not at all." I said. "I still remember her... I still remember her charming smile, and her dazzling eyes, and her cascading, fiery hair..." I paused, and then added, as I glanced at Camille: "And I still remember her soft breasts, which were actually your own, dear friend."
"Oh, speaking about that..." the succubus said, and her voice was a lustful one. She put her leg on top of my stomach, and whispered in my ear: "Since you have a new girlfriend, I suppose that you will not be able to keep your promise, correct?"
"What promise?" added Morrigan, and, to my surprise and dismay (or joy), I noticed that her tone had been an erotic one.
"I..." I muttered. "I... I have not broken my promise, Camille. As a matter of fact, I think that I kept it."
"Is that so?" she asked, and licked my cheek.
"Yes." I quickly answered. I knew that I had to free myself from her grasp... Otherwise, I would surely succumb to her. "I promised that I would see you again."
"And you said that you would do so when the day that the sadness in your eyes vanished came... Or the day when you would want to make love with me arrived. Have you forgotten your oath, you silly boy?"
"What a marvelous promise." Added Morrigan, and put her arms around my neck. I could not believe her dirty move. Now she too had cast a lustful spell upon me. "I wonder if you would be able to fulfill it now?"
"Morrigan!! Wilheim!! Camille!!" called Felicia's voice, from outside of the house. "Come out!! The sun has vanished! The sky is pitch black! Come on, what are you doing down there!?"
"What has happened?" Morrigan muttered, as she and Camille stood up and raced to the door that led to the street.
* I am certain that this is ill news, but thank God... * I thought to myself, and let out a relieved sigh.
As we exited the house and joined our friends, we noticed that, indeed, the sky had been covered by a dark veil. Grey clouds extended themselves to the very limits of the world, and from time to time, were illuminated by red lightning. The air was as cold as a blizzard that only blows in the mountaintops, and it was filled with fearful screams and desperate crying.
"What is happening?" Camille muttered, without taking her eyes off the sky.
"I don't know for sure." Vincent said. "But I believe that the Heartless have something to do with it. In fact, I'm certain of it. But what is it?"
Because of Tish, we now knew who the Heartless were, and we also knew much of their foul plans. Still, we did not know who it was that commanded them, but for my part, I had a strong feeling that it was none other than Jaffar himself. Later on, I found out that I was actually wrong...
"What should we do?" asked Merryck, as he cowered before the thundering clouds, and hid behind Vincent's legs. "What's going on?"
"Look!!" Aladdin yelled, and pointed to the sky.
A pillar of blue smoke rose from the ground, and, slowly, took the form of our friend, the Genie. It grew bigger, and bigger, and floated towards the palace that had greeted us when we first came to Agrabah. The body of the being became a terrible, muscular one, and his eyes shined with a white, deadly light. With great ease, he tore the palace from the ground, and the earth shook. He then put it on top of an enormous red mountain that had appeared from nowhere, and the people yelled with fear. To our eyes, he appeared to be a god of some ancient legend, who manipulated all around him as he wished... But we knew that he did nothing on his own; the words of his master were his orders.
"I've got to stop him!" Aladdin exclaimed, and quickly climbed on the flying carpet, who took him and Abu to the Genie's side. We all stood stupefied as we heard Aladdin scream: "Genie, don't!! Stop, please!! Stop!!"
And so, the Genie replied:
"Sorry, kid. I've got a new master now." And as he said these words, his eyes were filled with regret.
"What... what's going on?" Sakura asked. "Damn... I wish he was here."
"Any ideas, Vincent?" Ryoga asked the dark man.
"I can't think clearly... Not with that sky above our heads and that monster tearing up the earth to shreds." He replied.
"He is not a monster... at least not by will." Tish interrupted. "We must think of something to do, before he destroys everything in his path. His power is too great for us to handle. We have no choice but to get our hands on the lamp once again."
"This must all be Jaffar's doing." Morrigan inquired. "I can't think of any other enemy."
"If that is the case, then what do we do?" asked Merryck. "With the Genie's help, he's invincible. There is nothing we can possible do to..."
"Look!!" Tifa exclaimed.
We all saw, to our dismay, how a bizarre light suddenly engulfed Aladdin and Abu, and draw them to the ground. And then, we saw how the Genie's face was filled by concern and fright.
"He's been captured, for sure..." Vincent guessed.
"We can't leave him alone!" Tifa added. "We've got to help him! We have to think of something to do... Someway to get in there... Because my guess is that the place must be swarming with Heartless."
"I have an idea." I said.
Everyone turned to face me, and waited for me to speak again.
"Let us attack. It is that simple." I suggested.
"Without a game plan?" Sakura asked.
"Well, there is a trick to it... I was thinking that it would be best if you attacked, and I, inadvertently, searched for Jaffar."
"Yeah, right. And how can you do that?"
"It is easy. Nobody will suspect of a cloud of mist... and even if they did, air cannot be hit."
"I think that's a great plan." Vincent said.
"Are you serious?" Ryoga asked. "Jaffar's probably an unbeatable being by now. Are you saying that it's OK to send Wilheim all by himself to face him without any help?"
"Not really, but I don't think that we'll have enough time to think of something else." The dark man answered, and pointed in front of us.
Indeed, there was no time to do much more, for a horde of fierce Heartless marched toward us. It was a whole army of them: there were tiny, dark figures that appeared to be insects with flashing, yellow eyes; minuscule, flying, cloaked enemies that were actually powerful sorcerers; powerful warriors that bore Saracen swords, and enormous foes that breathed fire out of their mouths. I let out a low, scared breath, for I knew that this was not going to be an easy battle.
"Oh, my God..." Tifa whispered.
"Wilheim, don't you dare go dying on us..." Ryoga murmured, as he fearfully assumed a fighting position.
"I say the same to you." I replied, out of breath.
"Wilheim, do not abandon me." Camille said, and turned to see me. "You have yet to fulfill your promise. Do not forget..."
"I will not." I said. "Be careful, comrades! Do triumph, so that we will meet again!"
"Yes, now go!" Vincent urged, as he took out his gun and began to shoot at the many monsters that now ran directly to us.
Without thinking about it twice, I let my body join the air around me, and vanished from the eyes of my enemies. All they could see of me, was an ethereal body, a being that moves at the wind's mercy. The swords, the fireballs and else passed right through me like they would have done through vapor. I decided to stay there for a moment, to see how my friends did without my help.
It seemed to me that I would not have done much of a difference. The shadow that was the army extended itself like a horde of ants that cover an entire hill with their bodies. I was horrified at this mere sight... However, my companions fought bravely and I was certain that they would not succumb so easily to the evil shadows...
Sakura and Ryoga fought side by side, using all of their energy to let loose a series of energy blasts that could even tear a steel wall apart. Their punches and their kicks had the strength of a titan, and could even floor the toughest of monsters. Felicia's claws were sharp knives that cut through her preys like daggers that tear pieces of paper. Her eyes were filled with rage, and looked like the ones of a maddened tiger. I had never seen her so angry... Both Morrigan and Camille used her dark tentacles to mow down their foes, and also manifested incandescent balls of fire that incinerated every enemy that stood in their way. Tifa used her iron fists to defend herself. I had no idea that a woman could hit as hard as she did. Every punch that she connected made the ground shook under her feet. Even Merryck helped a little; he used his dagger (I do not know who gave it to him) to poke his enemies on his legs. Thanks to his size, he was able to run away from his opponents like a furry rodent. He was as agile as a fox, and no creature could even scratch him. And Tish used her light to blind the monsters that attacked her, and even cast some healing spells to aid our comrades.
As for Vincent, he did something that I did not foresee. He put his gun away, and began to... morph into a hideous creature! His muscles began to grow and his flesh acquired a grayish color. He tore his clothes apart, and as he kept growing, sparks of lightning came out of his enormous body. His fists grew as big as boulders... And after an instant, before me, stood a monstrous golem that was not damaged by any attack, and that could break the skull of a griffin with a finger. A creature capable of withstanding the fiercest of attacks, and capable of inflicting the deepest of fears unto his enemies...
I could not help to wonder if Vincent was really a human. His essence told me so, but this mysterious and incredible change that his body had suffered told me otherwise. What kind of creature was he? I had mistaken him for a man, when he was some other being, or so I thought. Was this a gift bestowed upon him by God, or a curse that had come from Satan's lips?
Either way, I could not think about it much longer, for I had to leave my companions and fly to the palace, which was now protected by cruel lightning and the roaring winds. I was certain that I was going to have to find a way around the angry gales, for I was at their mercy... I thought of something to do, but was reluctant to do so. Not much time passed until I realized that I did not have a choice... And so, I decided to transform into a bat.
My body appeared in the shape of a darkling mammal. My fingers became my wings, and my mouth and my ears became my eyes. Even though I was not blind, I had to rely on my own squeaks to guide me to the palace. I knew that even though I now had a body, it would not be easy to pass through the wall of wind that protected the fortress. I took a deep breath, and, while holding my clothes with my tiny feet, flew to the palace, to Aladdin's aid.
The fierce gales tried to bounce me away but, luckily, I am a very big being, even as a bat. I flapped my wings time after time, and finally managed to pass through the wall of wind. But it had weakened me much, and I could not sustain my current form any longer. So it was that I morphed back into my human shape and fell to the ground. It took me a few moments to recover my strength. It was Camille's blood that had helped me to survive the tremendous fall... her elixir still flowed through my veins and closed my wounds. I shook my head, and put my clothes on. Then, I quietly went into the palace, and placed my hand in my sword's hilt, ready to unsheathe at any time.
For the first time since we had arrived to Agrabah, I felt very cold. I do not know if it was because of the roaring winds that still ceaselessly protected the palace, or if it was the ivory that cooled everything with its freezing touch. Either way, I was grateful, to a certain extent, to have such cool wind around me. After all, we vampires are very susceptible to fire, and do not like heat much.
The rooms of the palace were huge, and they shone with a red light. Everything was red, as if all the walls and the ceiling had been painted with blood. It chilled me to the bone, but I did not stop. I knew that I had to find Jaffar as soon as possible, if I wished to save Aladdin and the rest of my friends. The growls of the Heartless's army began to reach my ears, and I did not like that at all...
Suddenly, I heard some murmurs. I noticed Aladdin's angry voice and Jaffar's triumphant, evil breath... And decided to make haste. I ran to the room from where the murmurs came, and these whispers turned into clear, loud voices. I made use of my vampire speed, and got to the place where my friend was being held. He, and Abu were chained to a wall, while the flying carpet had been nailed to the ground, and standing in front of them, was Jaffar, whose eyes now shone with a more evil color, and his face had a crueler smile than before. He turned to me, and said:
"This is quite a surprise! I'd never expect you to come here!"
"Life is full of surprises, is it not?" I replied, with an angry breath, and let my eyes shine fiercely. As soon as I saw the floor and the walls being illuminated by a violet light, I spoke again: "Let my friends go. And stop your army from spreading chaos. I now that you command the Heartless, so I suggest that you stop them now, or I shall have your head."
"Fearless words." He smirked. "Sadly, I cannot do such a thing. You see, I have sent the Heartless to do some exploring. And everyone that gets in their way, must be annihilated. The people of Agrabah will be spared, of course. Do you think that I am a genocide?"
"I think that you are a tyrant." I said. "The people of Agrabah are alive because if they would be killed, then who could you command? It seems to me that you wish to rein over this land, just like you rein over the will of the Heartless."
"How smart!" Jaffar laughed.
"Damn you!" Aladdin intervened, with an enraged voice. "I won't let you do that! And where's Jasmine? What have you done to her?"
"Silence!" Jaffar snapped, and hit Aladdin with his staff. Abu began to screech angrily, and tried to bite the man, but without succeeding in it. I took a step forward, and growled. The evil man looked at me again, and smiled. "Don't think that I'll be wasting my energy with you, boy. I think that it will be best if we let your slaughtering to Riku, won't it?"
"What?" I muttered, and gasped in surprise as saw the boy come from behind a pillar. He wielded a dark sword, and his eyes were full of anger and hatred. "Riku? What are you doing here?"
"Why do you want to know? Does it matter?" the boy replied.
"Yes... You were the one that fled from the battle with princess Jasmine in your arms. Where have you taken her?"
"You don't care!" he exclaimed, and threw himself at me, and tried to cut me in half with his blade.
I began to grow very angry. But I was not mad at Riku. He was but a lad that had been lied to; a boy that had been deceived by that evil sorcerer. How dared he let this poor kid take his place in a battle against a child of Cain? Obviously, he still underestimated me... I dodged Riku's blow, and jumped back. He tried to stab me, but I rolled away from him. Then he swung his blade with great skill, and attempted me to hurt me, but he achieved nothing, for I merely stepped from one side to another, and jumped and ducked. He was very quick, but I was faster. Every time that he tried to hit me, he cut nothing but air. I did not even have to turn into mist to dodge his flurry of rage. The more I evaded him, the angrier he became. Over time, his blows became less quick and more powerful. His anger was about to take control over him. If I had fought back, Jaffar would have only sent a lamb to a slaughter... and I hated him for that.
I decided that it was time to end with this fight. Riku jumped at me, and tried to slice me once again. I merely took a step to my left, and then put my hand in his chest, and pushed him away. He fell to the ground, and let out a growl as his back hit the floor. He looked at me, and got up, but did not attack me. Instead, he stood still, holding his sword tightly, with his eyes on the verge of shedding tears of desperation and hatred. I shook my head, and gently asked:
"Do you think that you can possibly defeat a being who knows how you are going to attack him before you even move?"
"You're just bluffing!" he yelled, and pointed his blade at me.
"Do you really think so?" I asked, calmly. "If it were that way, you would have killed me by now. But I am still alive, and you have not even scratched my skin. And even if your blade cut me, my wound would quickly close. You see, being a vampire gives me several advantages over you, mortals."
"You're lying!"
"If I wanted to kill you, you would be dead already. I could have even used your blood to extinguish the thirst that has begun to invade me. It would be like throwing a bucket of water over a little, lighten match... But I have not killed you, nor will I."
"What?"
"I do not want to fight you, Riku. In fact, I would be glad to help you."
"Help me?"
"Yes. The other day, you said to me that you were looking for a friend of yours..." I paused, and read his mind. A gentle smile spread through my lips, and I said: "Kairi, no? You wish to find your sweet friend Kairi. And Sora... the boy that is... under Ukyo's spell, correct?"
"What are you talking about?" he asked, and frowned.
"As I have said before, my darling is not a witch. If she is with your friend, then come with me, and let us find them together."
"Don't listen to him, boy!" Jaffar intervened. "He's only trying to trick you! Don't pay attention to him, or you'll die!"
"They have not led you to Kairi yet, have they?" I asked Riku, and ignored the evil sorcerer's words. "Maybe I am wrong, and they shall take you to her. But what will be their price? Your freedom? Your life? Your heart, your soul, perhaps? You may never now, Riku, until it is too late. Come with me, for I offer you only the chance to find your friends, and I ask nothing in return."
"What...? How...?" Riku muttered, and his face was filled with confusion. He turned to Jaffar, and then to me, without knowing who to listen to. "How can... How can I trust you? Can... can you promise me that you'll find Kairi and Sora, and that you'll take me to them?"
"No, that I cannot promise." I said. "I am not a soothsayer, and I do not know where your friends might be. I do not know where my beloved is..."
"Then why should I go with you!?" he interrupted.
"Well put, lad!" Jaffar laughed.
"Because I would never ask you to fight in my place." I answered, and I as I said these words, the sorcerer's face turned into an expression of anger. "He is afraid..." I added, with a gloomy smile, as I eyed Jaffar. "For he knows that beating me is no easy task. That is why he sent you. If you join us, then we will fight to protect you, unlike him..."
"Then think about this boy! Why did I stay here, if I knew that you were going to be killed? If that were the case, I would've run!" the sorcerer said.
"He stayed because he wanted to study my moves... To understand how I fight, in spite of the loss of your life." I answered. With a sigh I concluded: "I will not stop you from going with them. But know this: if you threaten the life of Ukyo with this dark blade, then I will have to slay you. And that is something that I do not want to do, Riku. A thousand times I would rather spill my blood to protect you than to cut your skin."
"I... I..." he stuttered. He did not know what to say. I could not even read his thoughts, for his mind was a mess. I only knew that he had believed my words, but he believed Maleficent's as well. Luckily, he did not trust Jaffar...
"What are you waiting for?" this last one said. "Go on! Kill him!"
"No!!" Riku yelled. "Leave me alone!! I want to be alone!" and so, a dark abyss appeared under him, and he vanished.
"No!!" yelled Jaffar. "Stupid brat!"
"It seems that your luck is beginning to change, Jaffar!" Aladdin said, with a triumphant laugh. "Even though the boy is gone, he's gone with a different look in his eyes..."
"Shut up!"
"It is a shame that he is gone." I intervened. "Still, your flesh - shield is now useless, Jaffar." I said, and my voice became a menacing growl, and my eyes shone with a spectral, deadly light. "Now we will fight, you..." I stopped talking and unleashed a fireball from the palm of my hand. However, I had not aimed at Jaffar...
The chains which were holding Aladdin and Abu broke under the might of my attack, and then he freed the carpet... The sorcerer growled, and so I added:
"Aladdin, and I. And believe me when I say that I will not hold back." I unsheathed Renamark and its ghastly glow illuminated the stance. I had wakened the blade, and it wanted to feed on blood... "Prepare yourself, Jaffar. You will not leave this palace alive."
"Tell me boy..." Jaffar cackled. "How do you expect to defeat me and my army, when we grow stronger with each second?"
"How amusing." I replied. "It just so happens that a fairy recently told me that it is because that the Heartless grow weaker that there are many people, like Tifa, who are escaping from the darkness that once captured them."
"Silence!" the evil sorcerer shouted. "It ends now!"
"You're right about that!" Aladdin exclaimed, as he picked up a sword, and threw himself against Jaffar, while Abu and the carpet quickly hid behind a pillar.
With a laugh, our foe vanished from our sight and my friend's sword cut nothing but air. He reappeared behind me and tried to scorch me with a fireball, but I was quick enough to jump over it. I then tried to stab him with my blade, yet he disappeared again. Suddenly, an army of Saracen swords rose from the ground. Aladdin and I froze in terror as we saw how the weapons began to attack us. I could not see the ghosts that held these blades, but I knew that the room was riddled with evil spirits that wished to murder us... However, I was not worried about myself, for I could turn into mist and avoid the deadly swords. I was concerned about Aladdin for a moment, but when I saw him fighting off the weapons with great skill and anger, I knew that I only had to concentrate in finding Jaffar and eliminating him. There he was, flying over the room, laughing at us. I jumped at him and swung Renamark at his head, but he vanished yet again.
"Damn you!!" Aladdin shouted. "What's wrong, Jaffar? Are you afraid?"
"Afraid?" he mocked, from a dark corner. "See how afraid I am, you foolish boy!"
As he said these words, the swords fell to the ground, and their blades turned into a ring of fire that imprisoned us. Aladdin tried to turn it off by swinging his hand at it repeatedly, but the flames did not fear Aladdin's fist. I began to grow afraid, for we vampires are very susceptible to fire, as I have said before. Nevertheless, as if an angel had whispered the secret of defeating this spell into my ear, I drew Renamark and let its tip touch the flames. As soon as I did this, all the fire was absorbed by it. Its hilt became so hot that I let out a shriek and swung it with all my strength. The sword shot out all the flames that were engulfing it, and the fiery projectile almost hit Jaffar. He reacted just in time to vanish one more time just before the wall behind him burst into a thousand pieces.
"How smart." The sorcerer said. "I may have to modify my tactics..."
"You are very powerful." I replied. "But you have underestimated us... I did not want to do this, but it seems that I do not have a choice." I sheathed my sword, and took a deep breath. "I have never changed into such a monster, for I am afraid of the very evilness that flows through my body... But only using the strength of a monster will I be able to defeat you."
"Stop talking nonsense, and simply die." Jaffar laughed. "It will be the best, for all of us."
"Let us find out, then!" I yelled, and got ready to turn myself into a monstrous gargoyle... Yet, I did not have the time to do it, for I first had to dodge a fireball that Jaffar shot out of his hand. And after I avoided this projectile, I had to jump over another, and another. Our enemy knew about my plan, and was not going to let me turn me into a being capable of shredding him to pieces. "Damn you!" I cursed.
"Take that!" Aladdin screamed, and threw his sword at our opponent. This one disappeared, and the blade passed right through him. It was then that my friend took a deep breath and shouted: "Are you afraid to face us, you cowardly snake!?"
"A snake, am I?" Jaffar roared, and appeared in front of us. "Then perhaps you'd like to see how snake - like I can be!!"
And with that being said, his eyes and tongue changed into the ones of a reptile. His body turned into the one of a serpent and began to grow into a monstrous creature with cruel, resplendent fangs and a red gaze. I froze in horror as I looked into the eyes of our new, evil enemy.
"Dear God..." I murmured. "I wish that my friends were here..."
The gigantic snake stood still for a few instants, and then moved, with the speed of lightning. I leapt back in fear, stumbled, and fell to the ground. With a loud hiss, the monster threw his head at me and tried to bite me. However, Aladdin leapt in front of me and swung his sword across the creature's mouth. A loud yell came out of the snake's throat and its blood fell on the ground. As I saw its wounded body, I recovered my courage and my strength, and got to my feet.
"He'll have a harder time while disappearing, I think." Aladdin whispered. "Let's take advantage of this."
"I agree with you." I replied. "Let us destroy this being with our blades!!" I exclaimed and, with the same speed that the monster had attacked me, leapt into the air and buried my sword in its body. The snake howled in pain as Renamark glowed fiercely and satisfied its thirst for blood. However, the serpent shook itself and threw me against the wall. I knew that this fight was still far from over but now that Jaffar was bleeding, we had gained a certain advantage over him.
The monster began to chase me and Aladdin, and tried to bite us with its sharp, dagger - like fangs, and to capture us with its enormous body. I made use of all my velocity and became as quick as the snake itself. When it moved, I dodged it and cut it once more. Nevertheless, even the might of Renamark was not sufficient to end with the creature. As for Aladdin, his quick reflexes and his marvelous agility amazed me. More than once he bounced off the pillars of the stance to get away from the monster's grasp, and even leapt on his body to bury his sword in it.
It did not take me very long to discover that Jaffar had only changed his appearance to intimidate us with those serpent eyes and those monstrous fangs. However, his strategy had backfired and now we were weakening him with every move that we made.
Suddenly, I noticed that, on a dark corner, the Genie stood, and frantically pointed at his lamp, which was being held by the red parrot, who was staring at the combat without moving. I waited for Aladdin to capture Jaffar's attention and ran as fast as I could to catch the bird in my hands before it could get away.
"Ouch!! No, let me go!!" he whined, as I held him by his beak.
"If you give me the lamp, I will do so." I replied.
"Okay, okay!! Have it your way!!" he exclaimed, and dropped the lamp...
I smiled and quickly grabbed it. But, before I could rub it and ask for a wish, the snake's tail hit me, and sent me flying across the room. I hit the wall and fell to the ground with a very large wound on my head. The stance seemed to move from one side to another, as if it were being shaken by an earthquake, although I knew that it was not so. I stayed still and waited for my strength to come back to me.
Then, I watched in horror how Jaffar finally managed to capture Aladdin with its body. He let out a growl and his skin began to turn red as Jaffar laughed and slowly squeezed him.
"You foolsss!" he hissed. "You thought you could sssimply beat the mossst powerful being on this world with jussst a couple of ssswords?"
"How... how did you acquire such power?" I asked in a low voice. "When I first met you, you where nothing but a cowardly man who used lies as his weapon..."
"Ignorant child..." the snake replied. "Thisss iss all becausssse of the Genie... without him, you're nothing."
I slowly turned to see the Genie and noticed that he was looking at Aladdin with a horrified expression on his face.
* That's it! * Aladdin's thought suddenly invaded my mind. "You idiot! The Genie has more powers than you'll ever have!" he yelled.
"What!?" Jaffar hissed.
"He gave you your power! He can also take it away! You're not the most powerful being on this world! He is!"
"Al... What the hell are you doing?" the Genie said, with a nervous giggle.
"You're right..." the snake grumbled. "His power is greater than mine..." He stood still and thoughtful for an instant, and then, his eyes glimmered with malice. "But I believe that we can change that..."
"Oh, no, no..." the Genie chuckled as Jaffar let go of Aladdin and began to circle him. "You see, I've met the kid for some time, now. He's a whacko. I've actually been trying to get him into a mental institute but since you arrived, the government facilities aren't what they used to be..."
"Silence!!" the monster roared. "Genie! I will now ask you for my final wish! I wish to be an all - powerful Genie!!"
"A Genie?"
"Yes, and be quick about it, you blue hunchback!"
"All right... your wish is my command..." the Genie giggled again... but this time, I noticed that his laughter had been filled by relief. He pointed his finger at Jaffar, and said: "First you want to be Sultan... then you want to be a powerful sorcerer... you just know where to go, don't you?"
"Get over with it!!"
"Okay!"
He shot out a ray from his finger and hit Jaffar with it. The monster began to change into a muscular, horrible being with great, red arms and long, black nails. His eyes turned yellow and the ceiling shattered under his might. He let out a long, evil laugh and began to toy with fireballs and lightning, as he chanted:
"THE ABSOLUTE POWER!! The universe is mine to command!! TO CONTROL!!"
"Not so fast, Jaffar!!" Aladdin screamed, and I noticed a triumphant expression on his face. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Huh?" the evil Genie muttered, as he looked down at us.
"If you want to be a Genie, you've got it, but with everything that goes with it!" he added, and held a black lamp up... It was Jaffar's lamp.
"NO!!" Jaffar wailed, as a pair of golden bracelets appeared on his hands and forced him to go into the lamp...
"Phenomenal, cosmic powers... Itty - bitty living space." Aladdin giggled, as the red haze of the room began to vanish.
"Al! You genius, you!" the Genie exclaimed and hugged the man, along with the magic carpet and Abu.
"I do not believe this..." I muttered, and walked to them. "I thought that we were done for!"
"Well, you thought too early!" Aladdin laughed.
"Incredible!" I said, and burst out in relieved laughter. "It is now clear to me that wits are indeed a much greater weapon than great girth and monstrous fangs! Thank you, Aladdin! Now, with Jaffar defeated, I am sure that the Heartless army will vanish."
"Oh, about that...!" the Genie intervened. "Before you changed his mind, Al, Jaffar wanted to wish for me to find out where this... lock was..."
"The locks that Tish told us about!" Aladdin inquired.
"I guess so! Anyway, he wanted to find it so that it could never be sealed by... who? Oh, right! By the one that carries the Keyblade!"
"Is that so?" The man said, and rubbed his chin. "If that's the case, then let's mess up his plans a little, don't you think?" he held up the Genie's lamp and said aloud: "This is my first wish, Genie! I wish for you to hide this lock from all those who are in league with the Heartless!"
"Let me see where I can find this lock first, sir..." the Genie murmured, as he looked at some charts that he had created, just for the fun of it... "Oh, I see! There it is! In a small room that still stands in the Cave of Wonders! Don't worry, Al! I'll put up a magical wall right in front of it so that only you and your friends will be able to see it!" he said, and snapped his fingers.
And as he did this, a strange light appeared on the desert. Aladdin, Abu, the carpet, and I turned to look at it as it illuminated the sands for an instant and then disappeared.
"Cool!" Aladdin exclaimed.
"Indeed!" I added. Suddenly, I began to heard a low rumbling, and the palace began to shake... Fear invaded us, but only for an instant, for then, we saw that the sky was being cleared of the evil clouds that Jaffar's power had created. "Look! Everything is returning to normal!" I yelled happily, as the dark, peaceful night fell over Agrabah. "Then it is done. We have triumphed over the evilness that haunted this place... Well, perhaps 'we' is very much of a word for me. You have ended with it, Aladdin."
"Come on, I couldn't have done it without your help..."
"Nonsense. You fought bravely and better than I could ever have..."
"Nah... Hey, that reminds me, what about our friends?"
"Good question. Let us get out of this palace..."
"Wait, don't go!" yelled a voice. We turned to it and saw a short little man with white hair and black mustaches running to us. He wore a royal outfit and had a grateful look in his eyes. I guessed that he was the ruler of Agrabah himself, and I was not mistaken. "My good boys, you can't go yet! Please, I have to thank you for saving Agrabah from that traitor, Jaffar! I thought that I was done for, when he had bound me and left me in the care of his cursed bird, Iago! I had never been forced to experience such a horrible torture! The taste of those filthy crackers still lingers in my mouth! Yuck!"
"Sultan?" Aladdin asked. "What...? I mean, of course... But..."
"But, now that I've seen that you are indeed heroes, I must ask you to, please, get my dear daughter back! I don't know where she is!"
"That's what I was about to say..." the man said. He looked at the Genie and asked: "Genie, do you know where Jas... I mean, the princess is?"
"Sorry, Al, no..." the Genie replied. "It seems that she is in some darker place than the ones that I can see from here..."
"Oh, no!" the Sultan whimpered.
"Do not worry, oh, Highness." I said. "Though we do not know where the princess is, I promise to you that we shall find her. My friends and I are travelers who are looking for our dear ones, so I can assure you that we will look for her through the stars."
"Are you certain, boy?" he asked, and a grateful smile spread on his face. "What is your name, lad?"
"Wilheim, sir."
"Wilheim... and Aladdin... Do you swear to me that you'll get my daughter back?"
"Yes." Aladdin and I replied.
"Thank you!" he exclaimed. "If you do this for me, I will reward you greatly!"
"We do not need money... Or at least I do not." I replied.
"No... neither do I." Aladdin added. He paused for an instant and then confessed: "But I would like to ask something else of you..."
"Whatever!" the Sultan said.
"If she agrees... Would you let me marry her?"
"What?"
They were interrupted by Abu's frantic jumping, who was pointing at the streets. I glanced at them and saw, to my dismay, that my friends were walking towards the palace, and some of them were badly injured. I could even smell the blood that came from their wounds, and became very upset.
"Oh, dear God!" I exclaimed, as I ran out of the stance to meet them...
***
"What happened?" I asked with a desperate breath, as I ran to them.
It was truly a horrible sight. Ryoga and Felicia were holding each other as they walked, for their legs could barely hold their weight. Their faces were twisted in pain and a trail of blood ran from their mouths. Morrigan and Camille were not very wounded; they only had a few scratches in their bodies and maybe one or two nasty cuts, but nothing lethal. Surprisingly, the one who was less injured was Merryck. I suppose that it was because of his great agility and his small size that he had saved himself from the fatal attacks of the Heartless. Vincent was not hurt too badly... but Sakura, who was lying still in his arms, seemed to be on the verge of breathing her last breath. Her eyes were closed tightly and she moaned in a low voice as the pain shot through her crippled arms and legs. Tish lay in her stomach, fast asleep. There was not a wound in her body, but she looked exhausted. Tifa walked without much trouble and held her broken arm. She was hurt very badly, for I could even see how her bone ripped her skin and showed itself...
"What, in God's name, happened to you?" I asked, but I already knew the answer.
"The Heartless were simply too much for us to handle..." replied Camille, and fell to her knees. "It was an endless army. It seemed to me that every shadow of the world rose from the ground and attacked us mercilessly..."
"I guess that it was a miracle that they suddenly vanished." Felicia said with a weak voice. "We owe it to you and to Aladdin, Wilheim... I assume that you beat Jaffar. Otherwise, we would practically be six feet under, if you know what I'm talking about."
"The battle isn't over yet, Felicia. At least, not for her..." Vincent whispered, as he put Sakura on the ground, and caressed her cheek with her metallic arm. "Damn it..." he growled. "I... I don't know if she's going to make it."
"Tish is too weak." Merryck intervened. In his face, I saw fear, for he had never witnessed the horribleness of a bloody battle. "If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have lived. All she did was to fly about us, casting healing spells on us. The wounds that you now see are actually quite recent... But I'm afraid that her little body cannot withstand so much power."
"And I was not there to help you..." I murmured. I could not help but to blame myself for poor Sakura's cuts. I kneeled by her side and held her head. "Sakura, be strong... You can make it."
"That's easy for you to say..." she giggled, with a weak breath. "You're... you're not hurt at all.."
"Isn't there... Oh, crap!!" Tifa complained, as a horrible pain shot through her shattered arm. She shook her head and asked: "Isn't there something you can do to heal her?"
"Not a single thing..." I replied.
"Why don't you try to give her some of your blood, Wilheim?" Ryoga suggested, and I noticed desperation in his voice.
I turned to him, and answered, with a bit of rage, I must admit:
"Are you mad? Certainly, that would heal her body, but it would destroy her soul. I will not turn her into a vampire. If it would be a blessing, then I would not hesitate to do so. But to me, it is a curse! And I do not want to pass it unto an innocent girl like Sakura!"
"There has to be something we can do to aid her!" Morrigan said.
"Oh, man!" Aladdin yelled in a loud, shocked voice as he saw our friend's crippled bodies. "Oh, man, I don't believe this!"
"Sakura is dying!" I exclaimed. "Aladdin, please! Make your second wish and heal her!"
"What are you waiting for, Al!?" the Genie shouted. "Come on!"
"OK!" Aladdin said. "Genie, I wish for you to heal my friends! Go, go, go!"
With that being said, the Genie quickly flew around all our companions, and released a blue mist that went into their wounds, and began to close them. The blood that ran through them ceased to do so, and their flesh was once again pink and healthy. Tifa's bone was absorbed by her arm, and her skin covered it again. An amazing, though somewhat repugnant, phenomenon to witness, it was...
We all let out a relieved sigh. They had been saved. Sakura let out a low chuckle, and murmured:
"I feel... good..." and suddenly, she fell asleep.
"What!?" Ryoga exclaimed. "I thought that she was better!"
"She is, she just fainted." Vincent cleared, while he put his finger on Sakura's neck, and felt her pulse. "Thank God..."
"Thank you, Genie." Aladdin said, and patted the Genie's back. "Thanks for saving them."
"You wished for it, pal." He replied. "I didn't have much of a choice..." he joked.
"Well... it seems that our job here is done." Morrigan said. "I believe that it is time to leave, once again..."
"We'll have to return here, eventually, if we are going to seal the Keyhole." Vincent said. "But I think that you're right, Morrigan. It's time for us to get out of here."
"Can I come too?" Aladdin said. "After all, I did promise the Sultan that I would bring Jasmine back..."
"Yes, but I think it would be wiser if you stayed here..." Vincent suggested. "Just in case that the Heartless return, so that there will be someone to fight them off."
"What?"
"He's right, Al." The Genie agreed. "Look on the bright side. You can stay here with me, and kill some time, while they're at it..."
"But..." Aladdin began to say. However, he looked at Abu and at the carpet, and then turned to the palace, where the Sultan looked at us from one of its windows. He sighed and nodded his head. "Do you promise that you'll look for her?"
"I swear it." I said. "Trust me."
"Okay... I trust you." He replied, smiled, and shook my hand.
***
Sakura and Tish did not wake up when we left Agrabah. Aladdin used his last wish to free the Genie... I could not help but to smile as I looked at his happy eyes. I imagined that that could be my face. I thought about regaining my humanity, and about finding Ukyo again, and this strengthened me. As a gift, the Genie used his powers to build another Gummi ship. There were too many of us, and we would not be able to fit in just one. Vincent, Morrigan, and Felicia took both Tish and Sakura on their ship, while the one in which Ryoga, Camille, Merryck, and I were was piloted by Tifa. We said good - bye to the city of the desert, and hoped to come back to seal the evil that rested within it.
As for now, we could do nothing but to visit other worlds, in hopes of finding the wielder of the Keyblade, the only weapon able to seal the shadows away, and our dear ones...