Chapter 55: La's War

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.

It was dark enough that the stars were the only immediate source of light. Roxas wasn't sure he'd ever seen so many before. He didn't have any idea what time it was, but it was well after sunset.

Roxas grit his teeth as they approached Opar. It frankly looked like a cross between the temples in Olympus and the castle in Radiant Garden. There were huge fountains and statues…statues of what looked like men, with the heads of dogs. And more Heartless than Roxas could remember seeing in one place in a very long time…not since that night in the World That Never Was, when he had fought Riku…the Shadows and Neoshadows that spanned across the city, drawn from the darkness and hatred in his heart, his quest to avenge Xion.

Roxas stole a glance at Xion. She gripped her Keyblade tight in her hand, though she was so nervous, Kingdom Key was shaking all the same. Roxas knew what was on her mind—she was afraid they might fail again. Get hit with time magic at just the right moment that would render them unable to help others. That would cause them to fail. Roxas nodded to himself. That was not going to happen this time. He would not allow it. They would find Abby and rescue her from Maleficent. And if they could, they would kill Maleficent and bring an end to all of this, once and for all.

They had broken up into teams. Him and Xion were one team. Mangani and Tarzan were another team and Basuli and Axel were a third team. The other Waziri warriors had divided amongst themselves. The idea was that they would hit Opar from a bunch of different entry points and work their way down to the center of the city—though everyone had their own goals. Roxas and Xion were going to rescue Abby. If the chance presented itself, they were also to try and smash Queen La's staff—apparently a good chunk of her army were animals who were forced to do her bidding against their will, but smashing the staff would break the spell and release them.

I can do this. This is my chance. Roxas swallowed hard as they walked out of the jungle and into Opar. This is what Sora would have done. So now it's my turn. He can do it so I should do it.

The stone path clicked against their feet and Roxas wished he had had time to better prepare himself. They might be walking into an ambush—or worse. And even if Maleficent and Pete and whomever else was working for her this time didn't know they were coming, they'd be stupid to not have at least some Heartless or other monsters prowling around.

They walked on and drew closer and closer to the heart of the city. Or at least, Tarzan called it a city. What was that…there! Dismssiing their Keyblades, Roxas dove behind a pillar and Xion ducked under a fountain when they saw a large leopard walking down the cobblestone path…on its hind legs. It walked…like a man. Even its head had been twisted so that it was a bit more like a human's. Roxas held his breath…all they had to do was wait for it to walk by…just a few more steps. He raised a hand, ready to summon Oathkeeper again if he needed to. The Leopard Man turned and Roxas saw that he was eye to eye with it.

Roxas raised his hand, only for the Leopard Man to cup its…paw, er, hand…over his own. It put a finger to its lips and then raised its tail—pointing towards a smaller, off-the-beat path that Roxas hadn't noticed. Was it…was it telling them where to go, where they wouldn't be seen?

Roxas stared at the Leopard Man, its deep yellow eyes piercing into his own. Roxas nodded weakly. The Leopard Man release its grip on him and then began walking away, not breaking its stride. Roxas glanced at Xion, who was staring at him with wide eyes. Instead of her Keyblade, she had summoned her replicated claymore—in an extremely uncomfortable looking position, considering how low she had had to crouch down. Roxas swallowed. Could this be a trap? Still…he glanced down the path. The Leopard Man had turned around. As Roxas's eyes met it, the Leopard Man nodded once..

"Roxas," Xion whispered. "What do you think?"

What would Sora do?

Roxas thought about that for a moment—actually, Sora would probably have fought the Leopard Man first…nice as he was, he did run into things without thinking of a plan. Roxas rubbed the back of his head.

"If he were trying to get us…" Roxas said. "He probably would have just grabbed me and warned for a signal…I think it's worth a shot."

Xion nodded and together they walked down the hidden path, Xion dismissing her claymore in favor of chakrams like Axel's, since they were much smaller and easier to work with in the confined area. They walked on in silence, Roxas ready to summon Oathkeeper and Oblivion the moment he needed to.

The path led to a smaller chamber—and in this, Roxas was strongly reminded of the castle at Radiant Garden, with its endless nooks and crannies. The roof above them was made of the same cobblestones as the pathways had been. Xion placed a small, warm hand on his shoulder when they came up beneath a narrow window. They could hear hushed voices now…Roxas inhaled slowly through his nose and held his breath.

"They'll be comin' any minute now," Pete said. "Let's hope ol' Blotty made sure his traps actually work this time?"

"My traps are flawless," The Phantom Blot snapped. "The princess is secure, is she not? And I assure you, the Keybearers, when they trigger the traps, and we have no reason to believe they won't, will find themselves in situations they cannot escape from. I'll have my fun yet."

Roxas looked over his shoulder. Xion had gone very pale, nearly as white as Mangani the ape. He knew immediately what she was thinking about—being captured by the Phantom Blot and Pete back at Disney Castle. She rubbed her arm, almost unconsciously. That had seemed so long ago…but it hadn't even been a week for them, had it? A couple days with Pinocchio, a day to travel to Sleepy Hollow and then they'd been there only a full day, and then another day of travel…they'd gotten to Deep Jungle only the morning before, even if it was now nightfall…

"If we get caught…" Xion whispered. "They're going to make sure we stay caught. Roxas, what can we do?"

Roxas thought for a moment. What would Sora do? What would Sora do?! He would have had this figured out, right?

Roxas chewed the inside of his cheek and winced. He didn't know what Sora would do. But…but he couldn't just go in without a plan. He had to think. He had to do something. He had to…oh!

When the Phantom Blot had captured Xion and King Mickey, he had tied them to bombs…so the best way to make sure that didn't happen again…

Roxas summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion and pointed them outward. He thought about Xion—his best friend, his truest friend and how he wanted to protect her. And help protect others…like Abby and Tarzan. There was a great flash of light and Roxas felt his Keyblade Armor join to his body.

"Let's see what they're made of…"

oooo

"I don't like this, I don't like this, I definitely don't like this," Lea muttered. "Do you have eyes on them?"

"I can see the one you call Pete," Basuli said, drawing his bow back. The overweight cat…bear…thing was keeping a lookout on a viaduct. "But my first target…"

His arrow went flying, striking a Shadow Heartless right between its eyes. It exploded in a puff of smoke. Lea nodded. It would take a Keybearer to kill a Heartless permanently, but he wasn't sure whether Purebloods like Shadows counted where that was concerned. Still…the more that were struck down now, the fewer reinforcements Maleficent would be able to use against them later. Lea summoned his Keyblade, twisted his wrist to change it into one of his chakrams and sent it flying as well. They had to move as quickly as they could. Pete hadn't noticed them yet, but that could change in an instant.

The city of Opar wasn't big, as cities went. It was much smaller than Twilight Town. Lea led Basuli down a street, cutting down more Heartless as they went. There was something that wasn't quite right about this…ah! Lea sent out a burst of Fire magic, incinerating a rope that had been serving as a tripwire. A moment later, a net dropped down harmlessly in front of them…it crackled with electricity.

Huh, a shock net…that actually wasn't half bad for a trap. But that sort of thing probably hadn't been invented in this world yet, judging by Basuli's grimace of surprise. That meant that the Phantom Blot was here, and this was one of who knew how many traps and snares. Lea grit his teeth. He hadn't yet had the chance to make him pay for what he'd done to Xion.

"What is that?" Basuli whispered. "Why does that net make that noise?"

"It's…um…" Lea licked his lips. Describing science had never been his strong suit, especially where electric currents were involved. "The simplest way to describe it is that the net is filled with lightning."

"What sort of foul magic allows that to even be possible?"

Actually, considering they were facing Maleficent, it very well could be magic. Lea and Basuli traveled further down the path, disabling two more traps—one of them was a collection of darts and the other had a very large black snake. Basuli leapt back and drew his bow and arrow.

"Don't move an inch," Basuli hissed. "That is a black mamba—it is the most dangerous snake in the jungle."

"More dangerous than that giant python?" Lea whispered. He found that hard to believe. The snake coiled up and hissing at them was probably ten feet long—not a shrimp by any means, but still.

"Hista is an anomaly—if not a demon in a snake's body," Basuli snapped. "But this is a mamba—its bite can kill an elephant. A strong man will die in a day."

Lea leapt backwards, taking no chances. Basuli released his arrow and it struck the mamba directly between the eyes, killing it instantly.

"I'd prefer you'd not tell Tarzan I did that," Basuli said. "He is careful to not kill any beast that tries to attack him, if he can help it—Hista was an exception."

"I'm not sure we did have a choice," Lea shook his head. "But your secret is safe with me."

They continued on, turned a corner—and something punched Lea squarely in the jaw. He stumbled back.

"Well, well, look at what we got here."

It wasn't Pete. It was a tall figure wearing a cloak that was not that different from the Organization robes Lea had used to wear. The Phantom Blot. And a Waziri warrior that Lea didn't recognize. Basuli snarled as fiercely as any leopard.

"Traitor!"

"I am no traitor," The Waziri said. "You banished me. I am responsible to none but myself, and those who help me. And now, things have come to a head."

"Muviro," Basuli growled. "I agreed with Tarzan that saving your life was the right thing to do. I will not make that mistake again."

He charged forward and slammed a fist into Muviro's jaw. He dropped like a load of bricks and then pulled a knife. A knife with a blade of black and purple metal. Mordite. Lea took a step back in surprise. No…not this time.

"Burn, baby!"

Lea turned his chakrams back into Flame Liberator and set a great wave of fire. It caught Muviro in the chest and he dropped his knife, screaming in pain. Lea raised his Keyblade, but found it caught by the Phantom Blot.

"Now, don't you go doing that!" The Phantom Blot shouted. "The chance to see those two fight one another is something I am not going to miss."

The Phantom Blot raised his hands and Heartless began sprouting up…Neoshadows and Darkballs and Invisibles. Lea began cutting them down, but the Heartless began to swarm…oh, c'mon! Don't turn into a Demon Tide!

While they didn't form a Demon Tide, several of the Neoshadows merged into the Phantom Blot…he grew larger as this happened. Lea swore under his breath as two Invisibles merged…and the Phantom Blot began wielding a larger sword. He raised it against Lea, who parried it with Flame Liberator.

"Come now, Keybearer," The Phantom Blot cackled. "Let's have ourselves a fight of our own!"

Lea leapt high into the air, pressing against a stone wall. He was reminded more than he cared to admit of the labyrinth in the Keyblade Graveyard. The Phantom Blot slashed his sword, but missed…and it wasn't even close. The Blot's control over the Heartless was very impressive, but his swordplay was awful. Lea shot a ball of fire from his free hand and immediately followed it with tossing his Keyblade at the Blot. The Phantom Blot roared inhumanely and Lea felt a sudden surge of satisfaction.

"That was for what you did to Xion!" Lea snapped. "Stay away from my friends!"

"We'll see about that!" The Phantom Blot shouted. "Come forth, Heartless!"

Lea slashed his Keyblade again and again, striking down Heartless every time they rose. Eight times the Phantom Blot called forth Heartless—mostly Purebloods, but eventually there were Powerwilds and even Wyverns mixed in. Lea grit his teeth as he struck those down as well, watching their captured hearts float into the sky and then vanish. The Phantom Blot responded to this by once again trying to fight Lea with his appropriated sword. Lea dodged the first two blows and then struck with Flame Liberator.

"You have quite the promising power," The Phantom Blot admitted, as Lea forced his Keyblade further down—the edge of the Blot's sword eventually broke off and went flying. "But I have other business to attend to…"

For a moment, the Phantom Blot seemed to shrink but then Lea realized that the Blot had melted into the floor, much like a Neoshadow would. There was a swirl of darkness and then the Blot vanished completely. Lea grit his teeth. He had nearly had it…or had he? Could the Blot have just been toying with him? He didn't seem to be bothered by Lea's constant striking down of Heartless…

"Aaaaaahhhh!"

"Gah!" Lea shouted. "Basui!"

"I…I am fine…" Basuli said. "Do not worry, Keybearer."

Basuli didn't look fine. He had several nasty cuts down his chest and his lip and eye were both bleeding. Judging from the way he held his wrist, it was at the very least sprained, if not broken. Muviro, on the other hand, lay face-down on the stone floor, over a pool of blood. He didn't move.

"Is he…" Lea shook his head. "Never mind. Let's get you out of here, Basuli."

"No…not yet," Basuli groaned, reaching for his bow. "Muviro is beaten, this time for good, but there is still danger. Queen La and the monsters she is using…we need to hurry."

oooo

Abby had never felt this scared in her whole life, not even when she was super sick, when her daddy had first brought them to the jungle. She was on the roof of the tallest temple in the city—or, at least, the highest balcony of the tallest temple in the city. And she was standing on a stone table, surrounded by monsters who slashed at her with their claws whenever she tried to get away. The three strange witches—Abby really wasn't sure what else she could call them, since they definitely were regular old ladies—were all smiling, and they weren't nice smiles either. Abby's insides squirmed.

"My lady, they have come."

A shadow moved all by itself and then it stood up. It was as tall as a man—if not taller—and a moment later, Abby realized it was a man. A man wearing a big cloak with no buttons or zippers…was he some sort of warlock?

"Oh," The horned lady said. "But, of course. You knew that they would. They always do…but no matter, they are too late. The stage has been set."

"Muviro has been slain," The warlock continued. "The one with two names struck down many of my Heartless."

Heartless? Were those the monsters that the witches liked using? Two names…oh, that must be Mister Axel, or Mister Lea—the really tall one with red hair who didn't talk much like a grown-up.

"They'll return of course," The horned lady said. "Dispersal to the Realm of Darkness is only temporary for Purebloods."

"But my lady, if he is here, then surely they will be as well."

"Do you forget?" The lady with white hair asked. "That we intended for them to come to us?"

Them…wait, that could only mean…Roxas and Xion! Right! Muviro and Rokoff had stolen her right after they put a bad spell on Roxas and Xion. And they were so nice and good that they would try and rescue her…which the witches and warlock were counting on!

"Roxas! Xion!" Abby shouted as loud as she could. "It's a trap! It's a trap!"

"Protest as much as you desire, child," The horned lady smiled. "It matters not. Nothing will be able to stop those two from doing as much as they can to help you. Decent people are so easy to manipulate."

The horned lady—Abby was pretty sure her name was Maleficent—and the white-haired lady who was called Queen La raised their staffs again and the ground began to shake again. Abby fell on her hands and knees, scraping her palms against the hard stone. Abby whimpered…but she was shaking so badly, she could barely hear herself. And they were at the highest point in the whole city…it felt as if the entire world was going to break into a million pieces. Abby began to scream.

Then, as suddenly as the shaking had started…it had stopped. Abby felt as if she might throw up. She really hoped she wouldn't. She hated it when she got sick. The witch with white hair—La—sent a beam of red light out of her staff. Something exploded in the distance. Abby was pretty sure that a tower had gotten smashed.

"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhh-aaaaahhhh!"

That was Mister Tarzan's yell. But where on earth could he be? Somewhere in the city? Abby wasn't sure. But she did know that if Mister Tarzan was coming for her too, then the witches and warlock were in real trouble.

"Enough of this!" Maleficent said. "Phantom, take the ape-man out! Bring Rokoff with you."

The cloaked warlock gave a deep bow and then set off. Some of the shadowy monsters attached themselves to him as he walked by and he got taller and bigger in the shoulders. Abby gulped really loudly. She wasn't sure what was going to happen now.

oooo

Tarzan froze as he heard the bellow. That wasn't him, but could it be someone pretending to be him? To get somebody else to go into a trap? He grit his teeth and glanced at Mangani.

"I suspect that is one of the Waziri, attempting to emulate you," Mangani said. "It may draw the attention of our enemies, leaving us free to rescue Abby and stop La."

Tarzan nodded. He still wasn't used to talking to Mangani. The silver ape inhaled deeply and then set off, his knuckles and feet nearly soundless against the jungle floor. As they walked, Tarzan glanced at one area of Opar that had been set aflame by Terk and Professor Porter. That too was supposed to distract Maleficent and Queen La.

"Do you know why they've taken Abby?" Tarzan whispered. "Our enemies called her princess, but Abby's father isn't a king."

"They believe that Abby is a maiden whose heart is purest light," Mangani said. "With no trace of darkness—no hatred, no bitterness, no animosity towards anything."

That did sound a bit like Abby, who was very sweet and kind. Tarzan thought about how worried Abby had been about Xion's well-being. And the stories Abby read to the baby animals…

"But why would they want her?"

"As to that," Mangani shook his massive head. "I'm afraid I have very few ideas. The Door to Darkness was sealed many moons ago."

Tarzan wasn't sure what the Door to Darkness was, but this hardly seemed the time to ask. They had reached the outskirts of Opar, the jungle floor cutting off for the stone bricks that made up the pathways in the city. Tarzan grimaced. He didn't much care for these pathways. They felt unnatural, even if they were easier to run on.

He leapt up several steps and then paused. Tarzan looked left and right. He didn't hear anything…but that didn't mean much. The Heartless didn't make noise in the same way that a leopard or jackal might. But then again…there! A tall figure with broad shoulders was standing just around the corner. Tarzan's first thought was that it was a statue…but then it turned towards him. And it glowered at him with only one eye.

"Hello, runt."

"Tublat…" Tarzan said quietly. "So, you're part of this now?"

"That's right," Tublat said. He walked towards Tarzan on two legs…that was something gorillas almost never did. Nor did they carry spears—spears far larger than any Tarzan had ever made for himself. "It's been a long time, hasn't it, runt?"

"Not long enough," Tarzan said. "But the last time we met, I saved your life."

Tublat snarled, tossed down his spear and began beating his chest with his fists. Whether he was willing to admit it or not, Tublat knew darn well that Tarzan was right. The two men who had captured him—Niels and Merkus—had planned to use Tublat as a way to make money, mostly likely by parading him in a circus, before having him stuffed. Regardless of their conflicts in the past—Tublat had sought to seize control of the family, first from Kerchak and then later from Tarzan—Tarzan had sought to free him. Tublat had responded by trying to kill , and Tarzan had once again intervened. He didn't regret any of his choices then, or now.

"Enough of this," Mangani said. "Your feud with Tarzan should be set aside, Tublat. All of our world is in danger. Let us pass."

"I do not think so, ape," Tublat leered. "I do not know when you joined the runt's family, but I no longer care about taking it over. I'll kill all of you myself, and I'm starting with you, runt."

"Tublat…" Tarzan said. "You do realize who this is?"

"Some albino freak of nature. Only makes sense that you'd take him in, runt," Tublat rolled his shoulders indifferently…Tarzan didn't think that was something gorillas were supposed to be able to do either. But then Tublat reared back a fist and punched him hard in the face and Tarzan's vision darkened as he hit the stone floor.

"Rah!" Tublat roared. "C'mon, runt! Give me a fight!"

Tarzan could taste blood and he leapt to his feet, grabbing onto the spear Tublat was holding. It was larger than his own, but he couldn't let Tublat use it. Not to harm him, not to harm Mangani, not to harm Kala or Terk or any other ape in his family. He slammed his foot into Tublat's knee and the gorilla roared in pain. Tarzan ripped the spear out of Tublat's hands and tossed it off the nearest ledge, where it plummeted to the ground. Tublat snarled, spraying Tarzan with spit.

"You want a fight?" Tarzan asked. "You've got it."

Tublat swung another fist, but he was just as large as ever and that meant that Tarzan knew exactly how to fight him—keep well out of his reach. Tarzan leapt up onto a pillar. Tublat slammed his fists against it. Tarzan pressed back and sent it falling down towards Tublat. The ape barely got out of the way in time.

Tarzan landed on the floor and grabbed a torch hanging against the wall. All creatures of the jungle naturally feared fire. Tarzan threw the torch to the ground and the flames shot up briefly, catching on small twigs and leaves. Tublat backed away quickly and then bellowed even more loudly.

"Enough!"

Mangani stomped up to Tublat and stared at him straight in the face. Tarzan crouched low, ready to respond if he needed to.

"I am Mangani, the guardian of this jungle!" Mangani shouted. "I will not allow you to align yourself with those who would bring it to harm! Stand aside, Tublat, now!"

Tublat ignored Mangani and drew his hand back to strike him. Tarzan lunged at Tublat and leapt onto his back, wrapping his arms around Tublat's neck. He squeezed and grunted. Tublat pawed at him, trying to reach Tarzan so he could throw him off. Tublat began to shake his body and then grabbed Tarzan by an ankle, throwing him hard to the floor. The wind was knocked out of Tarzan, but he wasn't out of the fight. Not yet. But the blow he expected from Tublat didn't come. Tarzan opened his eyes slowly.

Another gorilla was pressing Tublat against a wall. He was immense, even larger than Tublat, and jet-black. And…familiar.

"Get away from my son."

"Kerchak?!"

"My turn," Kerchak said, turning his head to nod at Tarzan. Tublat looked absolutely stunned. Mangani looked…satisfied…wait, had he known this was coming?

"Yes," Mangnai said. "When the lines of life and death were crossed…it wasn't just those who sought to hurt this jungle who learned they could take advantage of it."

"No matter," Tublat grunted. "I'll beat you, Kerchak. Just like last time—and this time, the runt isn't going to save you."

"That runt is my son!" Kerchak snapped. "And if you seek to harm him, you'll have to go through me first."

Tublat reared his legs back—Tarzan noticed now that they weren't bending in the way gorillas' legs normally bent. Tublat was truly standing as if he were a man.

"Very well," Tublat said and he ran towards Kerchak. He punched Kerchak twice, but then Kerchak slammed his arms against Tublat knocking him back. Tarzan leapt back into the fight as well. Every time that Tublat tried to throw a punch, Tarzan deflected it. Eventually, he was able to kick Tublat squarely in the chest. Tublat grunted in pain. He let out a bellow and charged at Tarzan, his arms raised high. Tarzan ducked low and threw out a leg, causing Tublat to trip and fall.

Over the edge of the same ledge that Tarzan had thrown Tublat's spear down. He screamed for three of the longest seconds of Tarzan's life and then…Tarzan exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he had taken.

"…Tarzan…"

Tarzan ducked his head. After everything that had happened—everything that Tublat had done, who he was willing to help…he couldn't say that the jungle wasn't now at least a little safer…but still. To die like that.

"We need…we need to keep moving."

oooo

Xion swallowed hard as they continued to walk through the underground tunnels in Opar. How this was going to help them, Xion wasn't entirely sure—Abby was trapped at the top of the tallest tower here. But this did allow them to travel mostly undetected and with their Keyblade Armor, they wouldn't be able to fall prey to the Phantom Blot's traps.

Xion rubbed her arm again. The thought of Abby trapped in one of the Phantom Blot's snares made her feel sick. And what Maleficent might be planning made her feel even worse. But they were getting closer, she could feel it…the path they were on now, it was leading up. Like a hidden staircase instead of just a tunnel.

"Are you ready?" Roxas whispered. "We're going to need to hit fast and hard…and make sure Maleficent doesn't have time to cast whatever spell she's planning."

Xion nodded. It was a little awkward. She had never worn her Keyblade Armor for this long before—and even when Axel had gotten stuck in his, he'd still had his head free. Even all the times she'd summoned her Armor in the last few weeks…it felt different each time. An extension of her own Keyblade…an extension of herself…a state of constant combat…and far too familiar of what Xemnas had done to her, ages and ages ago, when he had forced her to confront Roxas for the last time.

"You're next, Roxas. I need to make you part of me too. Don't you see? This is why I was created."

There was light at the top of the staircase, Xion could see it. And where there was light, there was probably going to be people. Maleficent and Pete and Rokoff and Muviro…and who knew how many Heartless…

As they drew closer, Xion could hear more people talking. Her stomach tied itself in a knot when she realized she recognized the voices.

"Those lamers killed that gorilla!" Seifer shouted. "When are you gonna stop holding back on them? They're pathetic and they need to go down!"

Seifer. It still boggled Xion's mind that he had decided to work with Maleficent and Pete. He was a bully and always had been, but it was such a big leap between that and trying to conquer worlds. Xion really didn't want to have to destroy Seifer, if she could help it. She was less concerned about the ramifications of striking down Maleficent—after all the suffering that witch had caused, destroying her seemed the only possible way to protect the worlds. But her priority would be rescuing Abby.

It's your fault that little girl's in trouble now, a voice in Xion's ear whispered. Abby got kidnapped because you were stupid and didn't think that a stranger in the woods might be working for the bad guys. All of the bad things that are happening to Abby right now, they should be happening to you.

Xion grit her teeth and from inside her helmet, it sounded quite a bit louder than it probably should have. She was going to save Abby. She was going to make up for her mistake.

You helped the bad guys capture and hurt Abby, just like you helped Xehanort capture and shatter Kairi.

Xion bit the insides of her cheeks to keep from screaming. She could taste the blood in her mouth but she ignored it. She had to focus now. If she got distracted for even a moment, things would get very, very bad.

"Light!" Roxas shouted, just as they broke through the barrier. Light burst from Oathkeeper and Oblivion—further accented by his Armor. For a moment, it was too bright to see anything. And then…

Xion could see Abby about fifty feet away. Her hair was messy, her clothes were torn, but for the most part, she mostly just looked terrified. Her lips were moving, but Xion couldn't hear what she was saying. Had they cast a spell on Abby to make her mute? Or was there some other barrier that Xion couldn't see?

She couldn't see Seifer though—and that was odd. She had heard his voice just a moment ago. Xion tightened her grip on her Keyblade.

"Seize them!"

Something huge slammed into Xion and even in her Armor, she was knocked backwards. It was a statue…probably forty feet tall and made of stone. The same sort of stone that the pillars were made of. The statue was vaguely man-shaped, but its head was kind of like a dog…or maybe a wolf—oh, a jackal! And in its hands, the statue held a very long, stone staff. And there were three more just like it, the only immediate difference that Xion could see was that two held staffs that ended in two-tonged forks and the other two held staffs that had stone orbs on the end. Darkness radiated off of the statues and at their feet was a woman with dark skin and white hair, holding a golden staff. Queen La?

"Crush the Keybearers!"

The first statue, the one that had hit Xion, swung its staff at her and Xion darted out of its way, just missing being crushed. Xion shot a beam of light out of her Keyblade and it struck the statue in the knee. Darkness dissipated for just a moment and then a bit of stone flew off, but then the darkness was back.

"Fira!" Roxas shouted. Twin balls of fire shot out of Oathkeeper and Oblivion, circling around each other. They hit another statue squarely in the chest, but it barely left an impact.

"Roxas!" Xion called. "That's the wrong element! These things only respond to Light magic!"

She felt something smack her in the back of the head—she'd stayed still a moment too long. Xion turned her head—a second statue was looming over her. She raised Kingdom Key and pointed it directly at the statue's neck. She shot out another beam of light and it struck, clearing out the darkness. Behind her, Roxas sent Oblivion flying and it struck the statue in the exact area that Xion had cleared out. More chipped stone fell away, bouncing harmlessly off of their helmets as Roxas called his Keyblade back to his hand.

"Seize them!" La shouted. "We cannot allow them to come any further! Send them into oblivion!"

Another of the statues stepped forward, moving more quickly than its brothers. Roxas leapt in front of Xion and spread out his hands as far as he could. Oathkeeper and Oblivion began to glow and thirteen narrow pillars of light. He threw his hands up and the pillars began to grow larger and wider. The statues were all knocked back, but not for long. As Roxas's magic fade, they struck at once. Xion darted in front of Roxas, Kingdom Key gripped tightly in her hand.

"Reflectga!"

The barrier erupted from her Keyblade and over Roxas and herself just in time. Two of the statues had tried to smash them with their staffs, but they only pressed against her shield instead. Magic like this was tricky, Xion swallowed hard. If she lost even the teeniest bit of focus, the barrier would go away and then she and Roxas would be in real trouble. But…the statues didn't have magic of their own. They were just that—statues. They could only hit the barrier over and over…but they couldn't do it all at once. And this wasn't like the time she had used her magic against Hades, back in the Underworld. There, Hades had sent an entire wave of fire against her shields and it had sent both physical and magical pressure against her. The statues were basically just pushing at her with big rocks, over and over.

As the tip of one of the staffs broke off—a prong that had to be longer than Roxas or Xion was tall, another thought struck Xion. Maybe she was just getting stronger…the thought made Xion smile. She wasn't useless at all if her power was increasing.

"Reflectga!" Xion repeated, in earnest. A second, translucent shield emerged from her Keyblade. Next to her, she felt Roxas crouch down. She didn't turn her head to look at him though. She couldn't lose focus.

"Light!" Roxas called. "Holy! Get ready, Xion!"

Light emerged from his Keyblades, and it filled the tiny area of safety that Xion's shields were putting up. But that was their element…light magic couldn't really hurt them, especially when it was from themselves and they meant for it to be an aid. Xion felt her muscles grow stronger and it almost felt like Roxas had given her an Elixir. A moment later, she realized what he was planning.

At once she dropped the shields and the light from Roxas's Keyblades poured out in all directions, concentrated and accelerated by Xion's Reflect magic. Light hit every surface and then darkness whipped off the statues in droves…it traveled up and up and then it began to jumble together—Xion saw a pair of gleaming yellow eyes. There was something familiar about all this…hadn't Sora fought a Heartless that could possess statues? The memory was fuzzy. The statues themselves were still moving, though Xion noticed there were many more chips in the stone now. Roxas charged towards them. He leapt at one and then bounced off it, using the same magic that he used to travel distances quickly to get out of the statues' reach! Brilliant!

"Gotcha lamer!"

If Seifer hadn't Xion shouted, he may have been able to hit Xion. As it was, she was able to block his strike. Even through her Keyblade Armor, Xion winced when she saw that Seifer was still holding onto the mordite sword.

If I can destroy it…maybe we can save him. Bring him back to his old bully self…it'd be better than this.

Seifer swung his mordite sword again and again—his technique had improved…barely. Xion parried each blow and then kicked Seifer hard in the leg. Seifer said something…that was probably really rude, but Xion didn't know what the word actually meant and then dropped to the ground, clutching his knee. She looked up. Roxas was fighting off the statues again—they still hand't gotten re-possessed by the Heartless swarming above their heads. From the way that Queen La was waving her staff, it was clear she was the one directing their actions. And Roxas was clearly winning—one of the statues didn't have a head anymore and two were missing arms. He'd taken to jumping off of them and getting them to hit each other.

"Take this!" Roxas shouted and he lifted up Oathkeeper. It crackled with electricity and then a wave of Thunder magic shot out of it. Bolts of lightning blasted the fourth statue to dust. Queen La gave an unearthly screech.

Far above their heads, the Heartless, or swarm of Heartless, was descending from the sky. It slammed into the roof—bouncing harmlessly off of whatever shield had been placed over Abby and snarled. It was as large as two elephants, jet black with reddish…they weren't spots, exactly, more like rings, and looked vaguely like a leopard.

"Ah…I'm outta here," Seifer snarled. He raised his hand and flicked his fingers. A Dark Corridor emerged beneath him and he vanished from sight. Good thing, since not a second after he left, the Heartless slammed down on the spot he'd been.

"Strike down the Keybearers!" Queen La shouted. "Do it now!"

La was getting desperate. Her Heartless snarled again and leapt at Roxas. It was so much larger than he was, it had no trouble knocking him back. Roxas slashed at it with Oathkeeper and Oblivion again and again, but the Heartless didn't yield. Xion ran as fast as she could, switching her Keyblade into her replicated claymore to join the fight. But it didn't help much at all. The Heartless was huge and it wasn't like the statues from before. It couldn't break into little pieces.

It got worse when Queen La raised her staff and sent out a beam of red light. It hit Xion in the small of her back and it burned. Something that was halfway between fire and lightning…aaaaauuuuggggh!

"You pitiful, pathetic puppet," La snarled. "You dare defy me?!"

How did she know that?! How did any of them know that?! Xion's hands curled into fists and she began to scream as she slashed out with her Keyblade. I am not a puppet!

oooo

Roxas leapt backwards as the Heartless slashed its claws at him. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him and the Heartless followed. Behind him, Xion was grappling with Queen La. Roxas grit his teeth. He should be helping her. He should be with his friend. Or helping Abby out of whatever magical cage the bad guys had locked her in—even if she was mostly safe from harm in there, Roxas wasn't sure he had ever seen a more frightened child. She was covering her ears and rocking back and forth.

He had to think quickly if he was going to do this properly. The Heartless was stronger than many he had fought and very graceful. Maybe if he could trap it…he'd be able to take it out. But then, how could he do that? Roxas leapt over a fallen staff from one of the statues. The Heartless following him did the same. Roxas shot a beam of light out of Oathkeeper from over his shoulder. It was a glancing blow, brushing past the Heartless's side, but barely slowing it down.

Roxas sent out a ball of fire—Light magic had been the only thing to work against the statues, but he didn't think that would be true of the Heartless itself. Sora had fought something kind of like this Heartless before…with the help of Donald and Goofy and the Beast, right? And that Heartless had been able to use the environment to make weapons of its own…could he do the same thing?

Roxas pointed Oblivion at one of the broken chunks of statue and shot a beam of light at it. The statue piece began to glow and it shot itself at the Heartless, striking it in one of its legs. The Heartless snarled again and when it began running, Roxas noticed that it wasn't putting all of its weight down. That was it then…

Roxas leapt into the air and pointed his Keyblades down towards the broken statue pieces. He sent them at the Heartless again and again, pausing occasionally to send a regular beam of light at the monster. Not everything was that effective and not all of his improvised weapons met their target, but the Heartless was weakening.

Roxas slammed to the ground, sending out a shockwave. It knocked back the Heartless…and Xion and Queen La. Oops.

But the Heartless was struggling to get back up. Roxas called on more light, as much as he could muster and charged at it. He slashed Oathkeeper and swung Oblivion, just as he leapt into the Heartless. For a moment, all Roxas could see was black…and red rosettes and then the next thing he knew, he was standing on the other side of the Heartless…he had cut right through it.

Roxas turned his head and watched as the Heartless faded away and its captured heart was released. It floated up into the sky and then blinked away in a flash of light.

But the fighting wasn't over yet. Queen La was still fighting Xion. Roxas charged forward to help his friend.

"Stop trying," Queen La shouted as she blocked each of Xion's blows with her staff. It was long, made of gold, the handle shaped like a leopard's head. An enormous jewel was wedged in the leopard's mouth, and it was glowing. "You're only deluding yourselves! You'll never be half the Keybearer the other boy was! You're too weak!"

Roxas grit his teeth and swung Oathkeeper at Queen La. She didn't know what she was talking about…she was wrong! He wasn't weak…and he could be just as strong as Sora! Queen La blocked a blow to her neck that would have killed her and leapt back.

"You two are allied against me, but you are not the ones I seek to kill," Queen La said. "My score to settle is with Tarzan."

"We're not gonna let you hurt our friend," Roxas snapped. "So you can forget it! And let Abby go!"

"I cannot," Queen La said. "That girl holds the key…she is one of the seven."

They were after the princesses again, Roxas growled. Abby was just a little girl. She didn't need to see the kind of chaos that came from people like Maleficent and La and Pete…come to think of it, where was Pete?

"Yaaaaah!"

"Gah! You fool!"

Roxas and Xion were barreled over by…Pete and the Big Bad Wolf. Roxas grunted as he hit the floor…or given that they were on the roof of one of the temples, shouldn't it technically be the ceiling? Whatever…Roxas turned his head. The stairway where Roxas and Xion had climbed up was…badly damaged. Parts of Pete's armor were missing and the Big Bad Wolf had a nasty cut on his snout. And tearing out of the stairway now, were two huge…creatures with razor-sharp teeth and claws. Roxas had seen a picture of them before—in one of Pence's comic books…they were called raptors.

"You!" Queen La hissed. "Where is Maleficent? And Rokoff?"

"Haven't seen 'em!" Pete said, yelping as one of the raptors bit onto his arm. He wailed and slammed against its head with his free hand. "But now there's dinosaurs?! Do something!"

"Hurry!" The Big Bad Wolf growled as he huffed and puffed and blew a great gust of air. It knocked one of the raptors back, nearly sending it off the roof. It leapt back to its feet and snarled in defiance.

"Oh, I will. If those creatures are here, then Maleficent's made moves I hadn't anticipated…but they are still useful," Queen La said. She raised her staff high above her head and it shot out a beam of red plasma. Roxas charged towards her and Queen La smiled.

"You are too late Keybearer, for there is more than one realm in this world for me to rule. A-ya!"

The sky began to turn red—but it wasn't the sun rising. The ground began to shake—another earthquake…Roxas slammed Oathkeeper into the floor of where he stood. The shaking grew worse and Roxas began to yell. He didn't think he'd actually be hurt in his Keyblade Armor from an earthquake, even a magically induced one, but the shaking was awful. Beside him, Roxas saw Xion jump into the air and she began to float…and glide. Roxas thought he could hear her screaming as she did so. Roxas could also see Pete, the Big Bad Wolf and both of the raptors rolling around, struggling to keep their balance. Abby, in her little magical prison, was unaffected.

Eventually, the shaking stopped and Roxas opened his eyes. Pete and the Big Bad Wolf fell down with two sickening thuds, but both began to groan weakly. Something was different. The temple…and really the entire City of Opar felt lower somehow. Roxas looked up towards the night sky. He couldn't see it. All he could see was a giant cut in the sky…what the?

Roxas looked around some more. They were in…another jungle? Or was it more of a…grassland? There weren't quite as many trees as before. But what stood out were the animals. Any one of the animals Roxas could see was much, much bigger than an elephant. There was a giant creature that was as large as one of the train cars back in Twilight Town. It had a funny-looking frill on the back of its head and three giant horns on its face.

"Dinosaurs?!" Pete wailed. "You brung us to a world where there's lots of dinosaurs! I didn't sign up for this!"

The three-horned creature—the dinosaur—looked up and growled. It stomped its feet and began to charge at them.

"This realm…Pellucidar, the land that time forgot!" La shouted. "It shall be mine as well!"

She waved her staff again and then the ground began to shake again. And this time, they went up and up and up. The temple they were standing on broke through the same crevasse Roxas had seen and they were back in the jungle…along with a bunch of trees and ferns…and the three-horned dinosaur.

"Again!" La shouted. "Again!"

She waved her staff and at the edge of the boundaries that made up Opar, Roxas could see something coming up…a giant rock formation? No…it was a mountain! The top of the mountain was smoking.

"She summoned a volcano?!" Xion screamed. "I didn't even think that was possible!"

Roxas hadn't either. La was reshaping the world in her own image? It all had to do with that horrible staff of hers. If they could smash it…that had to be what would break the spell.

"Aw, this is making my head hurt," Pete grunted. "Oh wait, I almost forgot."

He reared his fist back and slammed it into Xion's stomach. Xion's armored stomach.

"Yee—ouch!" Pete roared. "Why you little…"

Roxas grit his teeth. He would not allow Xion to be hurt like that. Xion called back her Keyblade.

"Blizzaza!"

"Aaaaahhhh—cold!" Pete wailed as the ice crystals formed around him, the Big Bad Wolf and the two raptors. "Not again! I'm stuck!"

"My nose itches!" The Big Bad Wolf growled. "You little runt! I'm gonna huff and puff and…aaaa-cchoooo!"

"Leave them," Xion said. "We need to stop La!"

"This world," La screamed. "And all worlds…they will be mine!"

oooo

"Why am I doing this? Why am I here?" Hooft muttered as he walked beside Hugo on the outskirts of the old city. "This is craziness, I'm telling you, absolute craziness."

Hugo frowned. Yes, it was crazy. Armed with just a M1917 Enfield, Hugo felt a little insecure. More than a little. It would have been fine on the front lines, no doubt about that. It was a new weapon, but it shot good. Goodness knew that he had seen enough soldiers over the years that had fought with them. But that was for war against people. Not against…whatever monsters these creatures were. But it was the right thing to do.

Hugo and Hooft were not soldiers. They had been at one point, a long time ago. They'd had a bit too much to drink one night, broke something important and they had wound up shanghaied into the French Foreign Legion. It was a bit of a blur, if Hugo was being honest. But it had definitely been the worst time of his life. He'd been cold, hungry, miserable and under the boot of that madman Colonel Staquait. He'd ordered Hugo and Hooft to burn down a village! Filled with women and children and old people! None of them could have hurt a fly!

And so Hugo and Hooft had refused and it got them charged with insubordination, the sentence—execution. They'd fled and found their way to Africa, where they made friends with Tarzan! Now, there was a champ if there ever was one. Tarzan had saved them from crocodiles and then saved them again from Staquait when he came looking for them, And then good ol' Tarzan had gotten them jobs with Dumont. It'd been a good life, these last few years, a peaceful life.

And now that life was threatened. Hugo wasn't smart, he was man enough to admit it. He didn't understand all this monster stuff or Keyblades or what not. But there were people in trouble—little Abby Markham, for one. Old Bob Markham ran…what was the word again? Apothecary? Whatever—he sold flowers and plants and stuff to make medicines. And little Abby was his daughter and probably the sweetest little girl Hugo had ever met. She reminded him of his baby cousin. But Abby had been taken away…so now Hugo was going to help get her back. That made sense to him.

"You know it's bad when Tarzan doesn't even argue with us using these rifles," Hooft said. "He doesn't take kindly to hunting, not one wee little bit. But he's letting us get involved, so you know things are serious."

"Would you be quiet?" Dumont hissed.

Frankly, given that Dumont's leg was still mostly broke—the little girl with a Keyblade had done some weird magic to heal it but it hadn't worked all the way yet—Hugo thought he was making more noise than Hooft, but he knew better than to argue with his boss.

They came around a corner and saw a man who looked vaguely familiar. He was tall with very light skin. Or maybe it was his dark hair that made his skin look so light. His face was badly scarred…ugh, it looked like there was more scar than there was skin. He wore a fancy jacket and belt. Hugo shook his head. He didn't know who this was, but it wasn't one of their guys. Which probably meant he was with the monsters.

"That's Rokoff!" Hooft hissed. "I remember him! He was looking for some buried treasure way back when and kidnapped Jane to force Tarzan to help him out!"

"Didn't the children say he was the one who used some sort of spell to freeze them in place?" Dumont whispered. "And that he helped abduct the little Markham girl?"

Hugo tightened his grip on his Enfield. Yeah, that did sound familiar. He glowered at Rokoff, who apparently hadn't noticed they were there yet. It would be easy to take him out now…too easy.

"It's a trick," Hugo whispered. "Nobody move!"

"What are you talking about, Junior?" Hooft said. "I don't see anybody else here—there's three of us and one of him and he doesn't have a gun or nothing!"

"It's too easy!" Hugo insisted. "He's bait!"

"Now, really you think they would sink that low…well, if he picks fights with kids, then he would sink that low," Hooft said. "But I'm not sure…what's that!"

A new figure was coming down a nearby staircase. The tallest woman that Hugo had ever seen before. She towered over Rokoff, who was no shrimp. She had…good grief, green skin and hair? What on earth was she?! She couldn't be human!

"Mistress Eris," Rokoff said, bowing. "What is your bidding?"

The tall woman, Eris, nodded her head slightly. Hugo took a deep breath as her gaze passed over them. Don't say anything. Don't say anything. Don't even breathe loudly. Oh boy, his mouth was getting dry and his throat was tightening up and…aw man, his leg was falling asleep. But they couldn't move…they couldn't give away their location. Rokoff looked pretty tough, even if he was unarmed, but against that inhuman giant…witch? Hugo didn't want to think about what his chances might be.

"Nikolas," Eris said. "You know, of course, that the Keybearers and their allies have started their siege on the city."

In the distance, Hugo thought he could see the black smoke of something burning, but it was hard to tell at nighttime. There were torches lining the walls of the city's temples and fountains, but that wasn't the same thing as regular daylight. But yeah, the attacks had definitely started—the fire was probably the work of that tall guy, Axel…Lea…wait, what was his name again?

"Of course they have, Mistress," Rokoff said. He shook his head dismissively. "I know Tarzan. He will not stop at anything to protect those he cares for. But in doing this…"

"He opens himself up to weakness," Eris said. "He allows himself to be attacked. So then, you have fought Tarzan in the past, and unlike Queen La, you are not needed to maintain the hold on this city. Where would you strike? Where would bring the most strife?"

"You seek to turn them against each other?" Rokoff asked. "As you did with the elephant herd?"

Wait, what?! Was Rokoff saying that the reason the elephant Baruti had attacked their trading post was under a curse? The kids had said something about that, if Hugo remembered correctly…but it was because of this Eris? Hugo raised his Enfield to his jaw and stared down the sights. He could do it now…they were distracted. He could plug 'em both and get even for them for cursing Baruti. Hugo had never liked that elephant very much—really, the only elephants who seemed to like people were Tantor and Jabari—but it was still a terrible, awful thing to do.

Before he could pull the trigger, Hooft pushed Hugo's rifle down and held a finger to his lips. Ah man, that was right. Hugo was a terrible shot and trying to take them down now would just give away their location.

"Strike at his heart," Rokoff said. "Turn Jane against Tarzan. Without his queen, Tarzan will fall into despair and then we can strike. The knights are more unpredictable—I suspect they will not so easily be trapped and their devotion to one another is…impressive."

"It is also their greatest weakness," Eris said. "But I do understand your point. I have experience with these Keybearers and I've fought them before in ages long past. But I know discord and strife and these bearers have it, just beneath the surface."

"Yes, oh excellent one," Rokoff bowed again. "Tell me what you would have me do."

"As I understand it, the Keybearers have ascended the rooftops and are engaging in combat with Queen La now. It may come to pass that your time connected to this world, to the living, runs out sooner than you think."

"Tarzan killed me," Rokoff said. "In a hunt of gold and blood, I tracked him down, but he outsmarted me and unleashed leopards…I know death's sting and I would be very glad to bring Tarzan to his reward, even if I must return immediately after. It would be worth it to have my taste of revenge."

Eris nodded and directed Rokoff away. She disappeared in a burrowing mist of green that traveled up, towards the top of one of the temples. Rokoff began walking away. He took purposeful steps. Hugo's jaw set and he felt Dumont place a hand on his shoulder.

"Now."

Hugo and Hooft opened fire with Dumont right behind them. Their Enfields held six rounds in each magazine, so between the three of them, that was eighteen rounds. They were effective up to six hundred yards…Hugo doubted that the distance between them and Rokoff was twenty feet. The strange, scarred man barely had time to gasp before he fell…Hugo grimaced as he drew near, pausing only to replace the magazine in his rifle. There were a dozen red blotches in Rokoff's back, plus two more on his left shoulder and one on his right knee. He was still…alive?!

"Ahhh…I am not slain," Rokoff choked. "How quickly even I forget. I am dead already, so I cannot be killed. But my body can indeed be damaged…"

Damaged was not the word that Hugo would have used. But it wasn't as bad as some of the injuries he had seen in the Legion either. Rokoff glared at them.

"You're the men who run that little trading post," Rokoff growled. "I did not take you for the sorts who would risk your lives for a savage."

"That savage is my friend," Dumont spat. "I do not know what has happened to you and to be frank, I do not particularly care. All that matters to me is that you are no longer able to hurt my friends."

Rokoff retorted with something that was probably some really nasty curse words, but Hugo couldn't speak Russian…or German…or whatever it was he was saying.

"Well, I suppose we're about done here…yah!"

The earth began to shake under their feet. It was hardly the first earthquake that Hugo had been threw—heck, he'd been in San Francisco back in '06, but yaaahhhh! There was a mountain forming…right over there! A huge mountain! That hadn't been there a moment ago!

oooo

It was starting to get light enough that the stars were fading, though it was still nowhere near sunrise. Abby was still trapped in her little prison and now there were more monsters coming out of the woodwork to fight. Roxas wasn't sure where they were all coming from—there were plenty that were Heartless and now and then creatures that looked halfway between animal and human. All the while Roxas and Xion struggled to get to Queen La. Their exhaustion was starting to take a toll on them—though Xion was quick to cast healing magic over Roxas whenever she was worried he was getting too winded.

"Rise!" Queen La shouted. "The Great Tree!"

The earth began to shake yet again. Instead of rock formations or even dinosaurs, this time a tree emerged. It wasn't a particularly large tree. In fact, compared to most of the other trees in the jungle, it was arguably small. But there was something about it. It seemed to radiate power, the same kind of feeling that Roxas felt when he was near Mangangi, the Silver Ape.

"Yes, Keybearer," La bared her teeth and for a moment, they were almost like fangs. "This is the key…this is what allows Mangani to heal the sick and the wounded. It is what allows the bygones of Pellucidar to roam."

Roxas wasn't quite sure he knew what bygones were—maybe it was another word for dinosaur, but he also knew that if La were able to hurt the tree, then that was exactly what Mangani had warned them about. And if it were to be corrupted, then…then everyone in the world would die. And Xion and Axel would probably die too.

"And this is also what will ensure my victory!"

Roxas startled. Maleficent emerged from a Dark Corridor, her eyes gleaming with triumph. Queen La glared at her while Roxas glanced at Xion. It wasn't the smartest thing to do—they both still had their Keyblade Armor and Roxas couldn't see Xion's face through her mask and helmet.

"Your victory?" Queen LA asked. "And just where have you been, Maleficent? My city is besieged by the same Keybearers you seek to stamp out."

"I have been where I have always been," Maleficent said. "Wherever it is, I intend to be!"

Queen La screeched and set a wave of red fire out of her leopard-staff. It hit Maleficent squarely in the chest, but Maleficent simply waved her hand over the wound.

"You are too late," Maleficent said quietly. "I have gotten what I wanted…and with that in mind…"

Maleficent turned towards Roxas and Xion. She stared at them, coldly, calculating and then she smiled.

"I trust that you two will dispose of Queen La," Maleficent said. "Not a moment too soon if you ask me. She's losing control of herself."

Maleficent vanished through the same Dark Corridor she had emerged from. It closed just as Queen La sent another beam from her staff. It struck a tree instead and it exploded into a million pieces.

"Fine then!" Queen La snarled. "If that's her game, then I shall do it myself! Everyone has either deserted me or perished, but you'll not see the sun rise, Keybearers! And neither will the princess!"

The next beam from La's staff shattered the magical barrier that had imprisoned Abby. The little girl dropped to the ground and began to scream. Xion started to run towards her when Queen La lunged at her, knocking Xion to the ground.

"Get Abby!" Xion shouted. "Roxas, hurry!"

"Aaaaaahhh-aaaahhh-ah!"

All four of them looked up—that wasn't Tarzan's bellow. It was too high-pitched. It sounded like it came from…

A boy burst into the clearing on a vine and reached for Abby. He didn't wear a shirt and his brown hair was very messy. That couldn't be…Ian? The kid who idolized Tarzan? Abby wrapped her arms and legs around the boy's back and he tugged back on the vine. Immediately, it drew up—Roxas could see Terk the gorilla reeling the children in, like a fish.

"Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go!"

"Rah!" Queen La shouted. She waved her staff, trembling in fury. "I'll have my taste of blood, you filthy monkey! Just you wait!"

Her back was turned…her grip on her staff wasn't that tight then, with the way she was shaking. This was his chance!

"Holy!" Roxas shouted. The gleaming light shined brighter than the sun and struck Queen La squarely in the back. She dropped down and her staff fell out of her hands. She reached for it, only for Xion to scurry over and grab onto it. Queen La shrieked as she fought Xion.

"Aaaaaaaaaa-aaaaaaaaaahhhh-aaaaaa-aaaaahhhh!"

Tarzan slammed into Queen La and punched her squarely in the jaw. The witch screamed and Xion wrenched the staff out of her grasp.

"Smash it!" Tarzan shouted, wrapping an arm around Queen La's throat. She began to claw at Tarzan with her fingernails but he held his grip tight. He was much bigger than La. "If you break the staff, the curse will lift! Queen La will be destroyed!"

Xion raised the staff high above her head and brought it down hard. It shattered and then Queen La screamed, louder and more shrilly than Roxas had ever heard before. And then she began to grow older before their eyes…a moment later, La turned to dust. Xion pointed her Keyblade at the broken staff and blasted them into nothing.

The ground began to shake again and Roxas watched as the temples, fountains and pillars began to crumble. That was right…the spells that were holding Opar up would have faded with La.

"Is it…is it over?" Roxas asked, lowering Oathkeeper and Oblivion. "I think we got them all."

"Nearly, Keybearer."

Roxas turned and saw Mangani walking up to them. Following just behind him was a giant black gorilla that Tarzan hugged as if he was its son. Mangani looked from Roxas to Xion to Tarzan and then finally rested his gaze on the strange tree that Queen La had summoned.

"You just need to finish putting things back the way they were," Mangani said. "Such is the nature of a Keybearer."

"Roxas! Xion!"

Axel. Roxas turned and grinned. Axel was here. Helping an injured Basuli, but for the most part, he just had a few bumps and bruises. He twirled Flame Liberator and chuckled.

"One last job?" Axel asked. "Alright then…"

He raised up Flame Liberator, while Roxas held up Oathkeeper and Oblivion and Xion gripped her Kingdom Key. Light glowed from the tips of each Keyblade and filled the sky. The displaced mountains and trees began to fade as well…balance was being restored.

xxxx

"You saved us," Tarzan said, nodding at Roxas. "Thank you for all that you've done."

Roxas shrugged. He was too tired to focus. He stole a glance at Abby, who was snuggled in her father's arms. Ian was sharing a melon with Terk, the little elephant Jabari, and a baby baboon. Hugo, Hooft and Dumont were standing off to the side, exhausted, but alive. Jane, Professor Porter and Doctor Doyle were all alive too… They were all alive…

But not everyone had survived the conflicts that Maleficent had started. The little elephant Jabari had lost both of his parents…Tantor had taken him in. Dumont had lost two men trying to escape Baruti. Chowumbi hadn't died, but his arm had been badly disfigured—even healing magic from Mangani hadn't been enough to restore it. And who knew how many animals had been killed in all the fighting? Roxas's throat constricted.

"It's going to get better," Tarzan said. "That's a promise, Roxas. We'll all do our part and the jungle will grow back."

"Right…" Roxas said. "Well…I guess we'll be going."

"It was a great honor to meet you," Basuli said, holding out his hand. "I am glad to call you my friend."

Roxas, Axel and Xion wound up shaking hands with everyone and they broke off into their groups. Mister Markham carried his daughter with Walter and Steven walking beside him. The Waziri all went off together. Tarzan and Jane took Professor Porter, Doctor Doyle and Ian with them, as well as Hugo, Hooft and Dumont. Tantor tucked his trunk around Jabari and began walking him back to the elephants' nesting grounds. Finally, the only one left was Mangani, the Silver Ape. He nodded to them.

"Keybearer, cheer up," Mangani said kindly. "I have to say, you're even better than your reputation. Jake speaks well of you. Be safe."

A/N: And with that, the Legend of Tarzan arc is completed, my dearest readers. I'm sorry this one took so long, but it wound up being a fair bit longer than I intended.

But man, did I have a blast writing this adventure for Roxas, Axel and Xion! The Legend of Tarzan was always a favorite of mine growing up and I really hope I did it justice.

Thank you for reading, my dear, dear readers. Please leave a comment if you're so inclined.

I appreciate each and every one of you!