Disclaimer: Check Chapter 1
We arrived close to the Peddler's shop in Agrabah, and headed inside. Sora almost knocked into a vase, but he managed to catch it before it hit the ground. The sound it had made caught the Peddler's attention, and he stood up straight.
"You break it, you buy it!" He turned around, and clapped his hands together at the sight of us.
"Oh! Hello there, friends!" All the gold and jewels behind him made Sora whistle in awe.
"Wow! You sure made out like a bandit since last time!" Peddler placed a hand over his heart.
"Please, dear boy, I'm nothing but an honest merchant. What you see here is merely the reward for all my hard work." I examined one of the pendants in the display cases.
"Well, they sure are pretty." The Peddler nodded, turban jolting up and down on his head.
"And they're on sale! Intrested in buying a pretty necklace to bring out that pretty face?" Sora and I glared at him, and he backed away. Sora stepped between him and I.
"No thanks. Listen, have you see a guy in a black cloak around here?" Peddler shook his head, very adamant.
"Who, me? Most certainly not!" Sora sighed, nodding.
"Okay, we'll just keep asking around then. Thanks for your help. Huh?" The door slammed open, letting Aladdin, Iago, and Abu into the shop. The boy cried out.
"Sora! Christie! Don't let him get away!" We turned around in time to see the Peddler dart into a secret exit beneath his feet. He was gone before Aladdin could hop over the counter. When he couldn't pry the door open, he stood and dusted off his pants with a sigh. He hopped back over the counter, and Sora walked over to him.
"What's going on?" Aladdin shook his head, burying his face in his hands.
"I can't believe this...that stupid Peddler let Jafar out of the lamp!" Sora and I jumped.
"Jafar?!"
Jafar pointed his snake staff at Aladdin, the younger male lying on the ground.
"Give me the magic lamp, Aladdin."
"And now, street rats, I bid you farewell!" He turned, walking away with a swish of his cloak.
"Crush those urchins!" Several Bandit's leapt at us, and Jafar laughed crazily.
Aladdin nodded to our cry.
"Yeah. You two'd better be careful. I'm sure Jafar wants to take over Agrabah again, but I know he's out for revenge too." I laughed nervously.
"Still sore about the lamp thing, huh?" Aladdin nodded, turning to Iago as the parrot perched on the trophy we'd brought the Peddler last time.
"Iago was there when Jafar was released. Okay, Iago. Spill it." Iago took flight.
"Hey! I told you everything I know!" Aladdin glared at the parrot.
"This is your one and only chance, Iago. If I find out later that you've been lying or hiding things from us, we're through! I'll never speak to you again!" Iago sputtered, then stopped flapping his wings and fell to the counter.
"I can't take it! I know where Jafar is!" Sora turned to him.
"Where?" Iago sputtered, trying to avoid the inevitable.
"Uh, er, I mean, that is, I, um...Ack! I really shouldn't..." Aladdin's shout startled the bird, and he sighed.
"He's in the Desert Ruins, ok?" Sora nodded, running out the door. When we didn't follow after him, he returned to the shop with an embarrased smile on his face.
"Iago, why don't you lead the way?" The little parrot sighed, and guided us to the Palace Walls. We exited the city, and Sora gasped at the sight of a massive tornado just in sight, churning up the sands. There'd be no going through that. Iago seemed to sigh in relief, landing on my shoulder.
"What a disaster! We're just gonna hafta turn back." Aladdin crossed his arms, shaking his head.
"No. There's gotta be a way..."
"Aw, c'mon kid, that's an easy one!" Genie flew down to our level, circling us all.
"Al, ol' buddy, ol' pal!" He swung around to spin around Aladdin, and I was amazed he didn't get dizzy. I was getting dizzy just watching him!
"This is what having a Genie for a best friend is all about! I mean, how can you leave me on the sidelines at a time like this?!" He vanished, then reappeared above our heads, big as the castle. His eyes bugged out.
"Live large! Wow 'em Al!" He vanished again, teleporting back to Al's side, this time as small as Iago.
"Give em the old razzmatazz! What do you say, kiddo?" Sora waved, finally recovered from the spook of Giant Genie.
"Hey, Genie!" The blue entity turned, teleporting to float between Sora and I at his normal size. He wrapped his arms around our shoulder, a stage whisper escaping his lips.
"You two kiddies wanna see a little something I call "Sandstorm Sweep"?" We nodded, smiling as Genie turned to Aladdin. He smiled, nodding towards the sandstorm.
"Take it away, Genie!" Genie broke out in a massive grin, gathering magic into his palms. He turned towards the sandstorm.
"Alakaza--wha?" I had to bite my finger to keep from laughing at the look on his face as he turned back around. It seems he was disapointed in the size of that sandstorm.
"You know, one little, lousy sandstorm is just too easy." He pointed one finger over his back at the storm, making it fade away with a little magic. We stared in awe as it disappeared, and Genie vanished. His voice rang out.
"How about giving me a little challenge next time, eh Al?" Aladdin rolled his eyes in amusement, and we set out. The journey to the Sandswept Ruins was a long one, and my feet were aching when we got there. Of course, it was still in that gigantic hole in the ground, and there was no way to climb down now. Aladdin sighed, getting on one knee to take a closer look.
"Now what do we do? There's no way in from here..." Sora frowned, looking around for a place to try and climb down. We ducked suddenly as the Magic Carpet flew overhead, catching our attention as it came lower. It stopped between Sora and Aladdin, pointing to itself with one tastle. Sora grinned.
"Nice timing, Carpet!" It seemed to smile at the praise, and all three of us hopped on board. The moment we'd breached the Ruin's "entrance", a barrier went up behind us as Jafar's ghost appeared in front of us, cackling like the real one. I clamped my hands over my ears, it was making them hurt! Sora had Carpet chase after the ghost, and it called Heartless. Aladdin and I handled those, and the ghost vanished. A window in the tower slid open, and we headed inside to the Ruined Chamber. Sora leapt from Carpet first.
"The games up, Jafar!" Aladdin and I hopped from Carpet a little slower, looking around. Aladdin seemed hesitant.
"Are you sure this is it? There's nobody here..." He kicked at a stone, showering his foot with dust. He frowned.
"And it doesn't seem that anyone's been here for a very long time either." I turned to Iago, and the parrot flew back.
"Iago? What did you do?" Iago flew over to the remains of a pillar.
"Ya gotta understand, it wasn't my idea! It was Jafar. He made me bring you three here. You guys don't know him like I do, he can be very convincing! He said that if I didn't cooperate, he was gonna--" Aladdin snarled.
"Where is he?" Iago sputtered.
"C'mon AL, you've gotta forgive me!" Aladdin's eyes narrowed, and he stalked forward, scaring Iago.
"Where's Jafar?!" Iago took flight.
"Well...um, let's see...right about now, he's probably attacking the palace." We stared at him, and he backed away a little bit.
"I had no choice! His eyes, they got all creepy and wierd!" Sora shook his head, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white.
"Whatever! Iago, you're supposed to be our friend. But you've been playing both sides, just to make sure you save yourself." Iago looked to me to rescue him, and I looked away. Iago looked close to tears as he flew back.
"I'm SORRY!!" He crashed into an urn, triggering the collapse of the Ruins. Carpet flew in, and Aladdin and Sora hopped on. I turned back to Iago, just sitting there as the walls caved in on the chamber. Against Sora's cries to get out of there, I grabbed the parrot and jumped out the window with a happy, almost insane, cry. Aladdin cursed, sending Carpet down to let Sora grab my free hand. He pulled me up, then glared at me as I caught my breath.
"What the hell were you thinking?! You could have died!" I set Iago down, then smiled.
"No, I wouldn't have. I still know Aero." Sora huffed, looking away with a scowl. He yelped as Carpet turned harshly, taking us from the Ruins as they collapsed. I looked back as we crossed the desert, watching the Ruins tumble in on themselves. Nothing but a sand plume remained of what might have been a proud race. I shook my head, and turned back to face Agrabah as we arrived at the Palace Walls. We got off of Carpet, and it slumped to the ground. Aladdin kneeled down to it's level.
"Get some rest, Carpet. You've earned it." Iago took flight from my shoulder.
"C'mon! Let's get Jafar!" Sora frowned.
"And who asked you?" Iago backed away, and Aladdin called us over to the gates.
"The Palace is through here! Hurry!" The city was in a panic. People running back and forth, gathering children, pets, and belongings and running for the desert to escape the wrath of the Heartless and Jafar. We ran through the crowded streets, into the near abandoned back alleys. Only the Peddler remained here, head in his hands as he sat in front of his shop. He looked up as we ran over.
"I guess you know everything now, eh?" Sora put his hands on his hips.
"You can't keep stuff this shady secret for long." Peddler nodded.
"So true. I had just snuck into the Palace to, er, "borrow" some treasure when I heard this...voice. It said: "Release me, and I will give you an even greater reward." I asked who he was, and he responded. "I am the true Sultan of Agrabah, imprisoned by villians."" Peddler cradled his head in his hands.
"Oh! WHy did I believe such a tall tale? Perhaps I was under Jafar's spell...Yes! That must be it!" Sora rolled his eyes.
"And I'm sure the treasure had absolutely nothing to do with it." Peddler winced.
"Perhaps a bit. But Jafar...he never gave me a single coin." I tilted my head.
"Then, who did give you the treasure?" Peddler frowned.
"Why, the blue-haired man in the black cloak, of course. Did you not pass him on your way into my shop?" I stepped back in surprise. Saix had been here?! Oh no...Sora cursed.
"Organization XIII?! I KNEW IT!" Peddler stood up.
"The treasure was a gift, so I would tell no one of Jafar's return. He said he would destroy Jafar after turning him into a...oh, what was that word...oh yes. He said he would destroy Jafar after turning him into a "Heartless". So, there was no need to upset Agrabah." Aladdin scowled.
"And you bought all that?" Peddler scoffed, looking up at Aladdin.
"I'm a merchant, dear boy. And a good one at that. I will buy anything if the price is right. It would have been a succesful transaction as well, had I not been seen." He glared up at Iago, still perched on my shoulder." We raced to the Palace, in time to see Jasmine yank her chin from Jafar's grasp and gasp happily as she saw Aladdin. Our friend smirked.
"You were saying, Jafar?" The ex-vizier turned away from us, acting disgusted. He suddenly caught sight of Iago, perched on my shoulder.
"You useless bird! You dare defy me?" I summoned one of my daggers, shielding Iago from view as the eyes of Jafar's snake staff glowed a violent red. He suddenly switched targets to Aladdin, and Iago leapt from my shoulder to take the blow. He fell to the ground, chest feathers smoking. We glared at Jafar, and the ex-vizier cackled.
"You'll all be joining him...VERY soon!" He began to glow with pent up magical energy, making red smoke billow out from behind him. Lifting up his hands, he backed into the smoke, changing into his Genie form and ripping a tower from the Palace. He dropped it above where were standing. I scooped up Iago, running into a small corner and ducking down as Aladdin rolled away. Carpet swept in to pick up Sora, and he took to the sky to combat Jafar. The red genie cried out after my friend.
"All shall bend to my will! The world is mine to control!" Leaving Iago in a safe spot, I clambered over the downed tower in time to see Aladdin freeing Jasmine from her chains. They hugged one another tightly, then turned to the skies to see Sora and Jafar locked in combat. Unfortunatley, we had bigger fish to filet. I turned at the sound of a Dark Portal opening, and backed away slightly when Saix stepped through.
"Well, I see that Jafar is a lost cuase." He glared at us, and Aladdin grabbed his sword. Saix scoffed, snapping his fingers and summoning 3 Berserkers. He vanished back into his Portal, leaving Aladdin and I to handle the Nobodies. Aladdin was quick to learn that getting behind them was generally a good idea, and they fell in time for us to hear Jafar's cry of defeat.
"No...! How can I be defeated again, by a pack of filthy street rats?!" Amplified by the magic in the air, I could hear Sora call out to the dying Jafar.
"Don't mess with Street Rats!" Carpet brought Sora down to the Marketplace, and we ran over to him. Genie suddenly appeared, looking rather put out.
"You went mano a mano with Jafar, and you didn't invite me, Al?" Aladdin smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry, Genie. Things happened kinda fast..." Genie pouted, turning around as he crossed his arms.
"And I had some new moves to show off, too..." Sora laughed.
"Genie, we still need your help! Who's gonna fix Agrabah?" Genie blinked, looking around. The city was a bit of a mess. He nodded, rolling up his "sleeves".
"Oh, yeah! One super-duper spruced-up Agrabah, coming right up! You won't even recognize the place when I'm done with it!" Aladdin put a hand on his friends arm, catching the Genie's attention.
"Just like it was, please." Genie frowned.
"Really? Same old same old?" We nodded, and Genie sighed with a smile.
"All right." He swung his arms around, letting magic out to restore the city back to how it had been. Genie vanished.
"And, voila! Let me put in a few swimming pools, ok?" Aladdin smiled, stretching out a bit as Sora turned to him.
"I guess Agrabah's gonna be all right now." Aladdin nodded.
"Yeah. Thanks, you two." I turned to Iago, perched on one of the abandoned stands.
"Now Iago, you behave yourself, go it?" He nodded.
"I most definetly got it! No more looking out for number one, I'm reformed! I wanna be a good friend, like Genie, but I can't do anything to help you guys...what kinda friend is that?" Sora shook his head.
"No--it's not like that, Iago. Friends don't have to "do" stuff. As long as you have fun hanging out together, that's all that matters." As Iago processed Sora's words, Aladdin turned to.
"So, what do you two do for fun?" Sora smirked, making a face.
"We do this!" I doubled over laughing as Sora smiled at the look on Aladdin's face.
"Uh...that's not quite I meant..." Sora nodded.
"Well, we'd better be going." Aladdin nodded, and we all turned at the of a crash. I facepalmed at the now broken crate, and Iago picking himself up from the rubble. We all looked up as Genie's magic started to flow.
"Ooh! Was that my cue? Am I on? C'mon, Al, lemme build a freeway or something!" Aladdin shook his head.
"Everything's fine, don't panic!" Genie's magic swirled around us, and I found myself smiling at the sheer joy that was now flooding the air. Aladdin called out.
"Genie!" Genie poofed into view, bursting at the seams from all his magic.
"But I can't hold it in any longer!" He spun around in the air, laughing as the city began to sparkle. Genie vanished again, and Sora and I shared a smile. Genie's voice rang out again.
"Sora, Christie! You two are just too much! If you're ever in the mood for some more cosmic razzle-dazzle, just gimme a shout, ok!" We gave an affirmative, and Aladdin laughed.
"Well, you've done it again, Sora, Christie. Don't forget about us, ok?" Sora and I nodded.
"We won't." Aladdin looked at Sora, eyes sympathetic.
"And Sora...about that friend of yours, the one you're looking for? You'll find him. I promise." Aladdin put his hands on Sora's shoulders as my cousin looked away. I looked up towards the sky, closing my eyes. For the moment, the Genie's magic could wash away the fears of tomorrow.
And that moment, was all we had.
Not too fond of this chapter, but It's better than my KH1 Agrabah...I think. Ugh, Jack again next...I'm not looking forward to that...