Chapter 54: Apes and Elephants

A/N: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is the property of Square Enix and the Walt Disney Studios. I do not own Tarzan or Pellucidar or John Carter, which is the property of Edgar Burrough's estate. I do not own Dresden Files, which is the property of Jim Butcher. I don't own…a lot of other stuff.

This is a creative work that I do not profit off of in any way, shape or form.

Good day to all of you, my dearest readers! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that your New Year promises to be good as well. It's been a long road, my friends. Thank you for sticking with me for so long.

I admit, I had trouble starting this one. Writer's block and whatnot. But here we go! I hope you all enjoy!

oooo

"And after they get back with the water," Basuli said. "We can discuss how we can bring the fight to La. A single Keybearer can fight off armies. Three can reshape the world."

Lea felt a tightness in his chest and he didn't like it at all. He glanced over his shoulder when he heard rustling, but it was just the little elephant—Tarzan said his name was Jabari—eating a plant. It felt quiet. Far too quiet. Roxas and Xion hadn't returned yet.

"Shouldn't they have been back by now?" Lea asked. "How long could it take just to fetch three pitchers of water?"

"I agree," Markham said, crossing his arms. "It doesn't take long at all. And my daughter's not one to dawdle either. I think something might have happened."

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves," Professor Porter said. "It's only been a quarter of an hour. That's not much time at all, when you get down to it."

"You wouldn't be saying that if it were Tarzan or Jane who was late picking something up," Markham argued, his eyebrows furrowing together. "That's my daughter."

Lea bit the inside of his cheek. There was no way that Roxas or Xion would allow anything to happen to someone they were determined to protect—and being a small child, Abby certainly qualified as such—but if there had been an ambush…

But maybe he was being paranoid. It was Roxas and Xion. They were incredibly powerful. And besides, it wasn't as if they had heard anything that would signify an attack. No smashing trees, no broken branches, no crying birds or screeching monkeys or any other animal running away from a Heartless. Fighting was noisy—especially since most of the monsters around here seemed to get impossibly large. An eighty-foot long serpent? A chameleon that was far larger than the trams back home? There was no way to fight those and not let everything within a mile's radius know where you were. And Lea hadn't heard anything. Wait…he hadn't heard anything.

"Wait a second…it's too quiet."

Lea knew quiet. You didn't become the assassin of Organization XIII by being alerting your enemies to your presence. And this was just the sort of quiet that meant trouble. No birds or bugs nor furry things? The tightness in his chest grew worse. Lea summoned Flame Liberator at once, ignoring the cries of surprise from half of the people gathered.

Seriously? It's not like it's a secret at this point.

"I think you're right," Tarzan said. "Something's wrong…let's see if we can find the others."

Tarzan dropped to all fours and began walking into the jungle. Markham followed him and kept an even pace. Lea was a step behind him, and with a flash, he switched his Keyblade into his chakrams. There were more murmurs and a "Good Heavens!" from the short, little doctor. Lea ignored them. He had more important things to worry about than people going oooh and ahhhh over his weapons. The kids were in trouble, he could feel it in his bones.

They hadn't walked more than three hundred yards or so—far enough that Lea could no longer see the village—when they actually saw Roxas and Xion. Both of them were standing…but they weren't moving. As Lea got closer, he realized that neither of them were even breathing. Panic filled his veins. A thousand awful possibilities crossed through his mind. There was no sign of the little girl Abby anywhere.

"Roxas! Xion!" Lea called. "What the…those—"

Lea grit his teeth to keep a spiel of very bad words from coming out. It didn't work as well as he might have hoped. But there were bigger things to worry about

"Where's my daughter? What's wrong with them?" Markham asked, his eyes widening. "Where's Abby?"

"Hold on—they've frozen with time magic," Lea muttered as he went through his pockets. "They're gonna stay that way until the spell wears off or I can get an esuna—which I don't have, so we're gonna—"

"Axel!"

Tarzan was closest to the half-pints and he jumped back as Roxas and Xion both fell down, only to immediately leap back to their feet. They began talking at the same time, rapidly. Xion was on the verge of tears.

"Axel, this is all my fault!"

"He used Stop on us, I'm so sorry!"

"There was this one guy—he faked being hurt to get us close to him and then he grabbed Abby!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"There was this other guy who used the time magic and he talked funny, like he didn't come from this…jungle."

"Enough!"

Lea pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled sharply. Roxas and Xion were looking up at him, their eyes wide with apprehension.

"Okay…now, calmly, one at a time, tell us what happened," Lea said, probably harsher than he needed to.

"It's my—" Xion began, before Roxas clapped a hand on her shoulder and stepped forward.

"This is all my fault," Roxas said firmly. "There was a man—he said his name was Muviro—he faked being hurt. When I got close enough to him, he punched me in the jaw and grabbed Abby. He had a knife…but gah!"

"Before we could do anything, there was another man…he wasn't Waziri," Xion whispered. "He had horrible scars on his face—even worse than Isa's—and he said we couldn't do anything because we were in…um…zugzwane? I guess that means if you're in trouble and do something, it only makes it worse…and he cast time magic on us…and they took Abby away."

"They said they were working for Maleficent," Roxas said. "And that you would know where to find them, Tarzan."

Lea looked back at Tarzan. The man pressed a hand to his hair. Markham looked like he'd been stabbed in the throat, his face covered in his hands.

"They were right…I do know where Abby is," Tarzan said. "If what Jane and I have talked about is right…and Usula is right about La…then Muviro and his friend would have taken her to Opar."

"Why would anyone want to take my daughter?" Markham whispered. "She's never done anything to anyone. She's only ten…"

Tarzan didn't answer, but Lea felt his own stomach flip-flop when their eyes met. He'd been an assassin for the Organization, but killing a little girl had never been something Axel had had to do…he'd always been ordered to bring Xion back alive when she tried to defect. But…then again…he'd been willing to destroy Naminé…and it hadn't been that long ago that the old goat bastard Xehanort had shattered Kairi.

Kairi…oh no…

"We're gonna get Abby back," Roxas said. "That's a promise."

Lea gave a firm nod. The bad guys couldn't have gotten that far…Lea forced himself not to consider the possibility of them using a Dark Corridor.

"You might not need to," Tarzan declared. "I'm going after Abby myself!"

He leapt up onto a large branch and…wait a second, was Tarzan surfing? Along the moss of the branches…

"I forgot he could do that," Roxas muttered.

oooo

Tarzan pressed his feet against the moss of the branch and pushed himself to go faster. Muviro and whoever it was who was helping him could not have gotten that far. From what Tarzan gathered, as strong as Muviro was, he was not particularly skilled when it came to running through the jungle's trees. Basuli knew how to swing on vines better than any of the other Waziri, but Tarzan had grown up among the apes. He could close the distance once and for all.

Tarzan had only fought Muviro once before—briefly, during Basuli's journey to obtain an eagle's feather, in an elephant's graveyard. Muviro had sought to kill Basuli—two decades of resentment and hatred finally coming out. As they fought, Basuli had asked Tarzan not to intervene—it had to do with the traditions of their tribe. Basuli had beaten Muviro—Muviro had nearly fallen off a cliff. Tarzan had intervened then, to save Muviro's life and Basuli had agreed that it had been the right thing to do—not even Muviro had deserved to die that way.

But now Muviro had kidnapped Abby, a young girl who had done him no wrong. Whatever arguments Tarzan had had with Markham, the Waziri had never gotten involved—the land he worked on was miles from the Waziri territory. And he was working with people who sought to kill…Tarzan grit his teeth. He did not regret showing Muviro mercy, that day in the elephant graveyard. But it was not going to be something that he ever showed Muviro again. If things went down badly, he would not save Muviro this time.

Sliding down branches and swinging from vines allowed Tarzan to catch up to Muviro and his ally in just a few minutes. They had come to a clearing—Tarzan crouched on a low branch, waiting for his chance to jump in. They were right next to the river. Abby was squirming in Muviro's grasp, but Tarzan wasn't close enough yet where he could get her back without Muviro hurting her. And there was still the other man with them…he was tall and looked vaguely familiar, but Tarzan couldn't place him.

"Do you think we were followed?" Muviro asked harshly. "The one called Pete said that Keybearers were not to be underestimated. If even half the legends Usula told me were true…"

"Probably," The tall man answered. "That wretched Tarzan is as clever as he is savage. He may even be watching us now."

"Mister Tarzan is the best!" Abby squeaked, as she tried to wretch herself free of Muviro's grasp. "He's gonna find you and you're both gonna be dead!"

"I'm already dead," The tall man said shortly. "Your friend killed me, several years ago. There is nothing more that Tarzan can do to me."

Tarzan remained silent but he tightened his grip on the branch he was perched on. I'm already dead—what did that even meant? And it was not true. Tarzan had never killed anyone. Clayton had lost his heart, but it had not been Tarzan who had taken it. And La's body had been destroyed, yes, but that was from magic. Tarzan had been in many, many fights over the years, but he had never killed.

"Never mind—yaa! The brat bit me!" Muviro snapped. He cursed and glared at the tall man. "Can you get one of those portals opened? I don't have any talent for magic and Maleficent and Queen La will be waiting for us."

The tall man nodded and held out his hand. Darkness…neither vapor or water nor oil appeared out of thin air. It grew and grew until it was large enough to serve as a door. Tarzan leapt forward. If he let them go through there, he might never be able to bring Abby back to her father.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaa-aaaaaaa-aaaaahhhhhhh!"

Muviro pushed Abby to the ground, just as Tarzan slammed a fist into his chest. Muviro fell back and Tarzan felt someone grab him from behind. The tall man wrapped an arm around Tarzan's throat and began to squeeze. Tarzan began to grapple with him and his eyes fell on Abby. Her dress was torn and her eyes were wide, terrified.

"Abby, run!" Tarzan called out as he felt the arm around his neck tighten. "Get out of here! Go into the jungle!"

Abby began running away, only for Muviro to lunge at her. Abby shrieked as Muviro grabbed her and she began punching at his face with little fists. Tarzan reached an arm back and grabbed onto the tall man's ear. He began pulling and twisting—there were very, very few creatures that would not immediately relent when an eye or ear was injured. As he expected, the man's grip weakened and Tarzan whipped around to kick the man in the leg—one could not run or fight with an injured knee.

"Surprised to see me, Tarzan?"

Tarzan gasped and jumped back as the tall man pulled a knife from his pocket. It was made of a very strange, very dark metal. It wasn't iron or flint. But that didn't surprise him nearly as much as the man's face. Long, lined with greying dark hair, a prominent chin and…inch-long scars covering his face and throat.

It couldn't be…

"Rokoff," Tarzan said quietly. "How?"

"I know not. In truth, I care not," Rokoff growled. "You left me to die in the Valley of the Leopards. You sent them after me. I was still alive when they started to eat me!"

Tarzan grit his teeth. He could not afford to get distracted now…what Rokoff said had some truth to it…but there was a lot more to it than just what he said. He punched Rokoff as hard as he could in the jaw. Rokoff smirked.

"That's not going to work. You cannot injure me. I feel constant, continuous pain," Rokoff growled. "There is nothing you can do to stop me."

He swiped with his knife, but he wasn't quick enough. Tarzan leapt back and twisted Rokoff's arm. He didn't cry out in pain, but the angle was still enough for Tarzan to flip Rokoff onto his back. Rokoff grunted and got back to his feet. Tarzan leapt back, just in time to see Muviro walking through the strange dark pool, Abby caught under his arm.

"No!"

"Yes," Muviro said as he vanished. Tarzan charged forward. If he could get to the pool himself, he could catch Muviro on the other side. But then the pool grew smaller and smaller, the darkness closing in on itself. A moment later, it vanished and Tarzan felt something sharp slice into his back.

"Aaaaaugh!"

"This is where you end, Ape Man," Rokoff said as Tarzan fell to the ground. He felt a boot press against his back. "This is checkmate."

Bang!

"Aaaaaaugggghhh!"

Gunshots. Tarzan sprang to his feet, ignoring the pain in his back. Gunshots meant poachers. Poachers on top of everything else—Tarzan would not have it. But…Rokoff…he was on fire. Tarzan gasped and took another step back. Rokoff was on fire…but he wasn't burning…how was that possible?

"Apparently, I can still feel some measure of pain after all," Rokofff spat as he backed away. "But it is not the end…not yet…"

"Get away from my friend!"

"You are not alone, Ape Man…no matter…" Rokoff spat, stretching out his hand. "We will meet again."

Another pool of darkness emerged from the ground and Rokoff sank into it, the flames extinguishing as he did so. For a moment, Tarzan was alone…but wait, the voice had mentioned a friend? Tarzan stood up and then immediately fell down. The pain in his back was very sharp, like a wasp sting. Or a spider bite…Tarzan didn't have the best history with spiders.

"Easy does it, Tarzan. That's a good fella."

"Hugo?" Tarzan grunted. The short man was running up to him with a small, strange-looking gun in his hand. "What…where did you come from?"

"The river—Dumont's steamboat. There was trouble…it's a long story, I'll explain later. Let's get you out of here."

Hugo helped Tarzan to his feet and walked him over to the steamboat, a hundred yards downstream from where Tarzan had fought Muviro and Rokoff. Tarzan hadn't even realized it was there.

"Tarzan? Oh, thank the Good Lord!" Hooft declared. "We're sure to be safe now…gosh darn it, Tarzan. It looks like they put you through the ringer. Sam Hill, what's going on?"

"I might…ask you…the same thing…" Tarzan answered. "Those strangers you warned me about…they've kidnapped Abby…we need to get to the Waziri village, now."

"Sure's shooting," Hooft said. "We'll get you to the Waziris in no time at all!"

The steamboat took off again, no sooner had Hooft said this. Tarzan grunted as he tried to get his bearings. He could see Dumont resting against the side of the steamboat, clutching his leg. It had been crudely splinted. On the other end of the steamboat, Tarzan could see two bodies lying on the deck. They'd been covered with blankets. What…

"Pierre and Manet…" Hugo said, ducking his head down. "They…they didn't make it."

Pierre and Manet were two of Dumont's men. Tarzan had seen them many times over the last few years, but he had rarely spoken to them. But he still felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach. He had seen them at the trading post so many times…and now they were gone.

"What…what happened?"

"A crazed elephant attacked the trading post," Hugo said. "Baruti, one of Tantor's herd. He was bellowing about how he was going to make all humans pay for what had happened to his family…I think something bad might have happened to his mate."

Tarzan winced. Jabari had said something bad had happened to his father. Something else, maybe something worse, had happened to Jamila. And he, Tarzan, had not been able to help them. Or the humans that Baruti was now determined to hurt. Just like he hadn't been fast enough to save Abby.

oooo

Roxas was pacing, Oathkeeper and Oblivion gripped tightly in his hands. Xion put a hand to her lips, eyes wide with worry. Tarzan had just returned, on a steamboat piloted by three men from the trading post. He hadn't been able to stop the bad guys before they took her through a Dark Corridor.

"There was nothing you could have done," Axel said, nodding at Tarzan. "If you had followed her…it probably would have sapped out your strength. That portal thingy, it's called a Dark Corridor and it's as dangerous as they come."

"So many things have gone wrong," Tarzan said. "All at once…people are dying, Lea. And what's going to happen to Abby? She was dragged through that…Corridor too."

Behind them, Roxas could see Mister Markham and a couple of his workers—Walter and Steven. Mister Markham had buried his face in his hands. Roxas's stomach tightened. If he hadn't been caught off-guard by Muviro, maybe this wouldn't have happened.

"I…I'm not sure, Tarzan," Axel admitted. "I have a couple of ideas…but they're just that, ideas. But you said you know where they're taking her."

"If they're with La, then they'll be going to Opar," Tarzan said. "It's far from here…but I can take you there."

"So, it's going to be the four of us, then," Axel said. "Um…alright, I think we can handle that. We've faced worse odds before."

Roxas wasn't sure that was true. It had taken the four of them, plus Basuli and the other two Waziri, to take on Hista. But it had been Walter who had finished the snake off with his bulldozer.

"Don't be stupid—you're not going in there, just the four of you."

Roxas turned his head and nodded. Basuli was standing there, with a spear in his hand, plus two more tied to his back. Chowambi and Wasimbu were there too, plus four more of the Waziri warriors.

"Basuli," Tarzan grunted. "This is…this is going to be dangerous."

"Life is dangerous," Basuli said quietly. "But I cannot allow you to go in there alone. This is our fight too. Muviro will face justice, in accordance with our traditions."

Roxas wasn't quite sure what Basuli meant by that, though it did make some sense. As it was…part of him liked the idea of going in with as many people as possible. But another part of him felt guilty. While Basuli could probably take down Muviro, Roxas didn't think any of the Waziri would be able to fight if magic started getting thrown around. Roxas grit his teeth.

Sora would have been able to do this, no problem. He fought every single member of the Real Organization XIII. Maleficent and La can't be that strong…and Pete's only tough if he can get his shields up.

Tarzan and Axel glanced at each other and then at Basuli, before they nodded. Behind them, Roxas thought he saw something moving at the edge of the jungle.

"Ah, Tarzan—I think there's another…gah!"

An elephant—an enormous elephant—lifted Roxas up by his jacket. The elephant was covered in deep cuts and burns. One of its ears was torn almost in half and half of one of its tusks was missing. It looked furious.

"Raaaaaaaahhhhh!"

"Baruti!" Tarzan shouted. "Stop!"

The elephant didn't listen and it flung Roxas as far as it could. Roxas flipped himself upward, cast an Aero spell and then redirected himself so that he could land safely. Axel summoned Flame Liberator and began casting Fire spells, to get the elephant to back off.

"It's him," One of the men from the trading post called out. "Oh man, he's come back to finish us off!"

The elephant trumpeted, sounding almost like thunder, and charged forward. Roxas shot a beam out of Oathkeeper and it struck the elephant between the eyes. It bellowed in pain but charged forward. Roxas darted out of its way, but before he could take another strike at it, a second elephant stood in his way. Tantor, Tarzan's friend.

The burned elephant trumpeted again and Tantor raised his trunk, as if he were arguing with the first elephant. The burned elephant slammed one of its massive legs down and Tantor began to cower, but stood his ground. The burned elephant charged forward, its trunk outstretched. The two gigantic creatures slammed into each other, their trunks intertwining.

"Geehhh!"

Roxas leapt back, to avoid being squashed by Tantor. He'd already squished Xion and a gorilla named Terk. Roxas twisted on his ankle and managed to avoid the burned elephant's tusk. The two elephants broke apart and the burned elephant—Baruti—trumpeted louder than ever before.

"Geeehhh!"

Roxas looked over his shoulder. Standing on quivering legs was the baby elephant, Jabari. Jabari waddled over to the burned elephant and gave a tiny toot of a trumpet. The burned elephant bellowed at him and Jabari began to cry. Even as he did so, Jabari ran to stand in front of Tarzan and Basuli.

"Bluuu awwwooo," Tarzan said. It took Roxas a minute to realize he was probably speaking to Jabari in whatever language it was that elephants spoke.

Baruti trumpeted again and stomped towards Jabari. When the little elephant did not move out of his way, Baruti slammed him with his trunk. Jabari went flying and hit a tree. He began whimpering. Tantor stomped forward and rammed his entire body into Baruti, knocking him backwards. Tantor stood in front of Jabari and growled. Roxas hadn't even realized that elephants could growl.

Bang!

A bright orange bullet, smoking yellow and white gas, slammed against Baruti. He gave another bellow, louder than ever.

One of the men who had driven Tarzan back to the village on the steamboat was clutching a small gun between his hands. He was shorter than Roxas or Xion and looked terrified.

"Oh man…I'm out of flares…"

Baruti charged towards the man, who wasn't nearly as fast as Roxas was. He tried to get out of the way, but it was too late. Baruti seized him by the ankle and flung him. He sailed through the air before hitting the ground with a dull thump.

"Curaga!" Xion shouted, her Keyblade aimed at the man's still body. "Axel, help me get him out of here!"

Baruti charged towards her, raising himself onto his hind legs. He was going to try to crush Xion to death. She gripped her Keyblade as tightly as she could. Roxas leapt into the air. He was not going to have anyone else suffer. Not while he was here to do something about it. He flung Oblivion in a Raid and it sliced at Baruti. A moment later, something white and heavy hit the ground…Baruti's other tusk had torn off.

Baruti whipped his trunk at Roxas, only for Tantor to slam back into him. Jabari was cowering behind Tantor and Baruti trumpeted at him, his eyes gleaming with hatred. For a brief moment, they flashed green and Roxas realized what had happened.

He's been struck with an arrow of discord…there has to be a way to save him

Baruti and Tantor's trunks intertwined again—the jagged edges of Baruti's broken tusks tore into Tantor's skin. Jabari ran off, as fast as his little elephant legs could carry him. Tantor held his ground though and pressed up against Baruti. Tantor's tusks tore open Baruti's…shoulder and the elephant roared in pain.

Backing away, Baruti trumpeted again…but then he fell to his knees. The burns on his sides…they were spreading. Roxas realized that they weren't just burns…at least some of them were cuts from darkness. And those wounds didn't heal. Baruti lashed out his trunk, knocking Axel and Chowambi to the ground when they got too close, but it wasn't the same energy as before. A moment later, Baruti fell onto his side and did not get back up again.

oooo

Oh…this was terrible, this was awful…this was the worst thing that Tantor could think of. Well…short of a meteor shower destroying the entire jungle, but this was close. Baruti was dying. From what Baruti said, Jamila had died, from a horrible attack by those velociraptors from Pellucidar. Adding that to Hista and those bad guys taking Abby away…this was without a doubt the very worst day of Tantor's life.

"Papa…" Jabari whispered. "Dad…please…don't do this."

Baruti didn't respond. He wasn't dead yet, but Tantor knew his wounds were fatal. There was no coming back from all of this. The burns and the bleeding and the germs…oh, the entire jungle floor was no doubt contaminating all of Baruti's injuries. Baruti glowered at Tantor and raised his trunk up so he could speak.

"You're a traitor to elephants everywhere…"

"You were going to hurt my friends," Tantor said. "I did…I only did what I had to do to protect them…"

"You're an elephant."

"That doesn't matter," Tantor shook his head. "That's never mattered. It should never matter. Tarzan and Terk and I have been friends since I was just a teeny calf."

"Pah…our kind are the mightiest in the jungle…and you pride yourself on being friends with primates."

"Dad…" Jabari whimpered. "Why, why did you do it?"

"Because I wanted to," Baruti growled. "Because I felt everything holding me back was truly insignificant. Gorilla Territory…Leopard Territory…nonsense, elephants are strongest. Elephants should rule…"

Tantor shook his head. In the past, Baruti and Jamila had been harsh towards apes and monkeys and even Tarzan. Tantor had wondered whether it might be something they had picked up on the savannah—growing up, Tantor's family had never minded his friendship with Tarzan and Terk. But then there was that mess when elephants and gorillas had been sharing territory—Baruti had kept trying to get more and more of the land for the elephants…he'd even gotten Tantor caught up in it at the end.

"Tantor the traitor…" Baruit groaned as his head fell to the side. "May the All-Seeing Elephant turn his gaze away from you…"

Tantor gasped. That was one of the very worst things any elephant could say to another elephant. He glanced down at Jabari and then at Baruti. Baruti's chest went up once…and twice…three times…and then it didn't go up again. And it never would…

Tantor turned around. He didn't want to look at Baruti's body anymore. He needed to bring Jabari back to Elephant Territory and find him…well, actually, maybe Tantor could look after Jabari. He didn't have a mate or calves of his own yet. It was only proper that Tantor take care of Jabari, really.

"Everyone alright?" Tantor asked, looking back at Tarzan and Basuli. Neither of them appeared to be hurt. And the boy—er, Roxas—looked alright too…but what about Hugo? Baruti had thrown him and he hadn't gotten back up. Tantor walked over to where the nice girl Xion had pulled Hugo. She was looking at her very tall friend and shaking her head. Tantor didn't understand how regular humans talked, but from the way she was crying…oh, this was bad. And Hugo was one of Tantor's friends, too!

Roxas walked over and held up his funny-looking spears. He said a word that Tantor didn't understand and then green sparkling flowers shot out of them and over Hugo! Hugo groaned weakly, but he didn't open his eyes. Oh…this was terrible, this was awful…this was really, really bad.

"Stand aside," a voice said. It was a much deeper voice than any Tantor knew. He turned around and his mouth fell open. A gorilla. But not one from Tarzan's family. This gorilla was larger than any gorilla Tantor had seen—except, maybe, Kerchak or Tublat. And he had silver fur…and he was glowing…this was…

"Mangani!" Tantor shouted. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! It's you! And…oh my gosh!"

He flung himself down on the ground. Magani, the Silver Ape. The Healing Spirit of the Jungle. Tarzan and the Professor had seen Mangani, but that had been ages and ages ago. And they had never seen him since. This was the most incredible thing that Tantor could have ever experienced! Surely, things could not be so bad if Mangani were here!

The Silver Ape placed a hand on Hugo's shoulder. He inhaled once and exhaled very slowly. And then he did it again. And Hugo blinked his eyes and stood up.

"Use your life well, human," Mangani said. "There are things yet to come."

Mangani was here! He was really here! And he had healed Hugo! This was incredible! It was terrifying! Tantor felt a little faint…

oooo

Xion yelped as Tantor fell to the ground. Her first thought was that he'd been badly injured and was finally feeling the extent of her injuries. Her second thought was that he had just fainted again—though this time, he didn't squish anybody. She looked back at the silvery gorilla…he could talk, just like a person. Which was really cool—none of the other animals they'd met had been able to talk to them.

The silvery gorilla turned around and looked at Roxas, Axel and her. Behind him, Xion could see Tarzan and Basuli kneeling as well. Was this gorilla the king of the jungle?

"There is very little time to explain, Keybearers," The gorilla said. "I am Mangani, the guardian of this world."

"The gorilla talked…" Axel muttered. "The gorilla talked…nothing else can talk to people, but the albino gorilla talked…"

"I am not…never mind," Mangani said. "I have always been able to communicate with whomever I choose, regardless of species. The strangers who have invaded this world…they seek to utterly destroy it."

"Figured that," Axel said. "Maleficent is always trying to take over everything. You know where she is? Point us there and we'll see if we can finish her this time."

"No…that is not what I meant…the being you call Maleficent does not seek conquest this time…not here, at least," Mangani shook his head. "She is trying to find and destroy that which allows this world to be."

"You mean the Keyhole?" Xion asked. "I thought…our brother sealed it, years ago. And that's miles from here. It should be safe…right?"

"No…not the Keyhole. That's the heart of this world…" Mangani shook his head. "My tree was destroyed…"

"Your tree?" Tarzan asked. "Wait, the hollow you lived in where the bioluminescence was strongest?"

"Yes," Mangani said. "That is correct…I have seen the stars disappear and reappear. I have seen the world torn in war. I have seen visits from Keybearers to this world a dozen times across the generations. As Usula leads the men and women of this tribe, so I keep to the jungle…and I have never been more certain of its imminent destruction as I am now."

"Tell us what you need us to do," Roxas blurted. "Please, Mister…Mangani? Where's Maleficent? Or Muviro?"

"Opar, of course," Mangani said quietly. "That's where it usually comes down to…but we'll need to hurry…my powers are draining."

Given the way Mangani had healed Hugo, he had to have powerful magic. And Tarzan and Professor Porter, who had come over to see what was going on, looked absolutely horrified.

"That…that can't be," Tarzan whispered. "Mangani…you're free…when Philander caged you…"

"That captivity was a mere formality," Mangani said. "If I were so inclined, I could have destroyed the cage at any moment. Being cut off from moonlight did have its factors in limiting my healing abilities…"

He cleared his throat and began walking. As he did so, Mangani stopped suddenly and turned around. He looked at Roxas and Axel and then Xion.

"I find it most inconvenient that you three are, at the moment, not able to communicate with most of the denizens of this world," Mangani said. "I will rectify this…"

He exhaled once and silvery mist poured out of his nostrils. It floated in the air and began moving almost on its own. It hit Roxas first, then Xion and then finally Axel. Xion felt a faint burning and then something almost like a tickle and then…

"So he could talk all this time?" The gorilla Tantor had squashed earlier asked. "And he never said anything back when that other professor was trying to grab 'im?"

Axel's mouth fell open in surprise, but he didn't say anything else. There was too much to prepare for…they knew where Abby was, more or less. And they knew that Maleficent was planning something really, really bad.

xxxx

Following Mangani, Tarzan led them down the path, with Terk, Tantor and a gorilla called Moyo. After they reached the edge of the village, they found the men from the steamboat waiting for them. Each of them was holding a rifle. One man with dark hair and a thin mustache leaned on a crutch.

"Dumont," Tarzan said. "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" The man with dark hair replied. "We're going to help you."

"You're what?!" Tarzan asked. Xion bit her lip, but didn't say anything. It was always good for people to fight the darkness. But these men didn't look like warriors…though she supposed she and Roxas didn't look like warriors either. Still…one of the men—Hugo—had been badly hurt by that horrible elephant. Heartless might or might not be tougher.

"Tarzan, be logical now," Hooft said. "Pierre and Manet are gone. The trading post is destroyed…there's nothing for us anymore, so way I figure, we ought to pay back the ones who ruined our home but good!"

"This is…do you realize what you're getting yourselves into?" Tarzan asked. "This isn't just some fight with a few of Philander's men…this is La. It's Leopard Men and Heartless and who knows what else."

"Of course we realize it," Hugo said. "For crying out loud Tarzan, your friend Mangani healed me up…but that's why we have to do it!"

Xion glanced at Tarzan. He inhaled deeply, as he considered what Hugo said. Xion wasn't sure if there was anything Tarzan could say that could change their minds.

"Tarzan," Dumont said, raising a hand. "How long have we known each other? Three years now? Maybe more? And in that time, we have argued with one another and we have supported

one another. You have saved my life a dozen times. You have prevented those who wished to harm others every time. Now there is something that is far bigger than any threat I have ever seen you face before…

"Do you know why I came to this jungle? I came to make money and indeed I have. But I've stayed because this is my home…" Dumont sighed. "There are many bad ways to die, but there are also good ones. I would be grateful for the chance to die amongst my friends…defending my home…my family."

"Then you will," Tarzan said. "And I will do what I must, to make sure that my family is protected…Moyo! You need to go back to the nesting grounds."

"What?!" Moyo asked, clenching his jaw. "Why? I can fight! I want to help!"

"Did he just…" Dumont asked. "Ah, never mind. It was only a matter of time before I picked up speaking Gorilla."

"Yes, you can fight," Tarzan said. "But I need you to protect our family…if something happens, they'll need someone to lead them."

"Lead…what?" Moyo gasped. "I'm…I'm not ready. Tarzan, you know I'm not ready."

"I know you will be someday," Tarzan said. "And you're needed now. I wasn't ready yet, when Kerchak made me leader. But he asked me to take care of the family…now I'm asking you to do the same, if I don't come back."

The gorilla stared at Tarzan, his mouth open very wide. Xion felt her ears burning. She felt that this was something that Tarzan should have discussed with his gorilla friend privately.

"I…alright," Moyo said. "I'll…I'll go back to the others now…I…all of you," Moyo said, looking from Tarzan to Terk to the elephant Tantor. "Come home."

oooo

Abby squirmed in Muviro's arms. He was much bigger than she was, though probably not as big as Mister Tarzan. But he was very bad. He and the other man who talked funny had hurt Roxas and Xion. And then they'd hurt Mister Tarzan…and pushed her through that strange portal thingy. It was the strangest thing that Abby had ever seen—they'd been in the jungle and then they'd been in a weird place. There hadn't been any difference between ground and sky and it was all the wrong colors too.

But now she was being carried in another part of the jungle. They were…well, she wasn't sure just how far away from home they were. But she recognized some of the statues. This was Opar—Tarzan had taken her and Daddy here once, when they were making sure of where everyone's borders were. Only the statues had been all old and smashed. These were new and shiny.

"At long last," Muviro said. "I will finally get what I deserve. I shall rule…"

Muviro and his friend Rokoff brought Abby to a really big building that almost looked like a church but it wasn't a church. Standing at the entrance and smirking really mean at her was a boy who looked like he was a little bit older than Roxas and Xion, but he didn't have anywhere near as nice a smile. He must be a very bad boy if he were friends with mean people like Muviro and Rokoff.

There were some other people here too…people who didn't look like people. They looked like monsters from her storybooks. There was something that looked like a giant wolf and something that looked like a bear…or maybe a really, really, really fat cat. The fat cat wearing a red and blue suit. There were loads of animals too…animals that looked like they'd been twisted around, so they were walking like people. Abby saw leopard-people and hyena-people and what looked like civet-people. Oh, and a giant gorilla-person too. And there were lots of smaller monsters that didn't look much like animals but didn't look like people either…like moving shadows with beady yellow eyes. Standing in the center of everything were two really, really tall women with funny-colored skin…plus one more woman who was shorter and had dark skin and white hair but she wasn't old-looking.

"Mistress Maleficent, Queen La," Muviro said, as he dropped Abby on the ground. He knelt to the tallest lady—were those horns growing out of her head—and the lady with dark skin and white hair. "I have delivered you the princess."

"Princess?" Abby asked. "Is that what this is about? You think I'm a princess? I'm not a princess! Daddy runs a logging company…well, actually, he switched from logging to planting, mostly. But he's not a king!"

"That's not our concern," The lady with horns said. "It is not your bloodline that matters, but your heart…it could prove most useful to our efforts."

"My heart?" Abby asked. "What do you mean my heart? What are you, some kind of vampire?"

She wasn't supposed to talk to strangers but given that she was really far away from home, Abby figured that rule didn't matter that much anymore. Besides, Daddy and Mister Tarzan were probably on their way over here to rescue her right now. She needed to make sure these bad people kept talking, so they wouldn't be paying attention when they got here.

"A vampire?" The horned lady said. "Is that what you think I am? Ha—you would only wish I were! I desire neither your essence nor your flesh, you silly child. Your heart is what I seek…if you are indeed one of the New Seven Hearts."

"Seven?" Abby asked. "I'm ten years old, almost!"

"Gah, why are you even bothering?" The mean boy called. "This lamer doesn't know a damn thing."

Abby gasped when the boy said a bad word. If she ever said that, she would have gotten in really big trouble…though not as much trouble as she was in right now. And she didn't know why he was calling her a lamer, since she could run and jump better than…well, okay, she couldn't outrun Mister Tarzan at all and Missus Jane probably let her win at tag more often than not. But she wasn't lame. Her legs worked just fine. And even if someone was lame and their legs didn't work right, that didn't mean they were bad. This mean boy was just a big, fat bully—he wasn't lame, but he was bad.

"Never you mind, my dear boy," The horned lady said. "There is so much more to see…so much more to do…but now, the time for this world has come to and end."

She raised a staff—it wasn't a spear like what Mister Tarzan carried—and green fire began pouring out of the head. The other lady raised her staff too—hers was almost like a leopard's head and it had a big red ruby in its mouth. Red fire shot out of hers and the green fire and the red fire mixed together…and then the earth began shaking again!

"You were the ones who started those earthquakes from earlier!" Abby shouted. "People got hurt!"

"Oh, that was just a warm-up," The big bear-cat-man called. "This ain't over! Not by a long shot!"

The earthquake grew worse and then the ground began to open up. The broken up earth wasn't that wide across, but it went down really, really deep. Abby couldn't even seen the bottom.

"Pellucidar and Opar shall join…the jungle shall fall! And I, Maleficent—"

"And I, Queen La—"

"Shall rule all!"

A/N: Hello, hello, hello, my dearest readers! This chapter is a bit shorter than I had originally intended, but hey, there's nothing like a cliff-hanger.

Sorry this one took so long. A combination of writer's block, holiday time, and Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory took me away from Rise.

I hope you are all doing well in this new year. Take care of each other.

Thank you for reading, my dear, dear readers! I appreciate each and every one of you!