Kingdom Hearts

Ch. 60

Agrabah

Parting the Fires

In the Tavern's backyard, the dust disappeared. Kurt swayed his swords like a fan till the area was clear. He looked around to see he was surrounded by the harem girls all holding their weapons against him. Jameelah stood outside the circle commanding, "Surrender Kurt. You are outnumbered."

"I beg to differ," he said gripping his swords. Shadows appeared behind the girls forming into a legion of Bandit heartless. They rose out of the ground like worms reaching for anyone close by. The girls disbanded fighting off the incoming heartless. While the girls were distracted Kurt made his first move. He went after whom he saw as the weakest. He ran up to Nura who was only armed with a short knife. With one swoop of his arm he smashed it into her face knocking her down. Blood spilled over her nose.

"Nura!" shouted Nada stabbing a bandit heartless in the back. She tried to run over to her sister. But the heartless ambushed her. The girls all continued to fight the heartless as a Fat Bandit heartless appeared. Jameelah with the youngest girl at her back came to Nura checking on her. "Ma'am what do we do?" asked Zafirah scared.

"Get out of here now and stay out of trouble. Till the coast is clear," she said to the girl. Zafirah did as she was told running towards the Tavern.

Treading along the ground Jiminy Cricket ran down looking for Sora and Goofy. "Hey you guys. You forgot me," he said running down the walkway. Zafirah ran right in front of Jiminy making him slam face first on her leg. He backed up looking up at the young girl while Zafirah looked down.

"Sora and Goofy forgot me. I need to find them." Heartless surrounded them right after the encounter. But with a few slices of her sword. Abia appeared destroying the heartless.

"Zafirah run now," commanded Abia.

Zafirah nodded. "Come with me," she said letting out her palms. Jiminy jumped into her hands as she ran inside the Tavern hiding. But she peaked out watching as the mayhem ensued.

"Did you really think you could stand against the Sultan. You'd better off be dead," Kurt said walking over to Jameelah.

"Jafar is no Sultan of mine." Jameelah brought out her sword and clashed with Kurt.

"You don't pose much of a threat. I guess age brings us all down," he said staring in her eyes.

Sand wiped between them. The veiled woman appeared before Kurt clashing with him again. "Dust you must go after Jasmine. We'll be fine here. But the Princess needs help," Jameelah demanded.

"No, she is safer than ever as long as she's with that boy," Dust explained.

The veiled woman fought Kurt as the heartless began to multiply in number. Nada tried to make her way to Nura but she was stalled by the heartless. A bandit heartless appeared before her. She took out her knife clashing it with the monsters sword. The heartless swung at her but she ducked under it slicing her knife right through the heartless's torso. It burst back into darkness with only a heart ascending up into the heavens. But more appeared before her. "Get out of my way," she said frustrated.

Kurt and the veiled woman continued to fight. Kurt's attacks seemed useless with every swipe passing through her sand body. She raised her hand blowing sand in his eyes. The swordsman backed off wiping his irritated eyes. He listened around knowing someone was behind him. Penni came from behind with a club in hand preparing to crush him. Realizing what's going on he stayed calm speaking, "I do not need my eyes."

Jameelah saw this shouting out, "NO STOP YOU FOOL!"

Kurt jumped into the air with a back flip dodging the club. He landed placing his feet over the club lodged in the ground. Penni was shocked as the swordsman had placed his circler blades around her neck. "PENNI NO!" Jameelah shouted.

"Like I said. Will they die for their honor?"

Everyone stopped. They looked towards the middle of the battle field in horror. Zafirah watched from the corner scared out of her mind. Dust eyes glinted as blood fell on the grass below. Kurt thrusted his arms away slicing Penni's throat open. Oma fell to her knees watching her friend fall before them. Penni fell to her knees using her hands to cover her bleeding throat. She had difficulty breathing and could no longer fight.

All the girls stopped fighting when Kurt nearly killed one of their own. They all screamed in terror. As some of them felt tears around their cheeks. Zafirah felt frightened crying as well. Unchecked the Fat Bandit rubbed its tummy and in one belch breathed fire bursting the whole area in flames. The girls all panicked moving away from the fire. The Tavern quickly set ablaze burning quickly. But Oma and Jameelah remained still. Kurt stood up on his feet asking, "Anyone else?"

Nada grabbed her sister on the ground and picked her up. "Ma'am please," she said to Jameelah. The old woman eyes turned dark. She lifted her head up shouting, "Listen up girls. We need to run we cannot win. Go and leave to fight another day." She took her sword and clashed with Kurt some more. All the girls looked at her waiting for her to clarify.

"But Ma'am," one of them said.

"I said run don't turn back. I'll hold him off. Now go!" she shouted.

They all felt terrible. They all wanted to fight but they couldn't. Abia cried some more before repeating Jameelah's command, "Retreat you heard her." She took her sword and destroyed some of the heartless making a path. "Run now," she yelled. Jameelah fought Kurt while Dust was her back up. The three sisters and Talihah teamed up to destroy the Fat Bandit ceasing it from creating more fires. The sisters distracted him while Talihah hit the fatal blow in the back.

"C'mon girls," Karima said. The fighter ran to the wall with the streets on the other side. She used her fist to break open a hole the wall. She ran out it running down the street pushing everyone aside.

"What's going on?" "The Tavern's on fire." Some citizens were saying as the tavern burnt.

Baraka, Talihah, and Jemima ran out next after Karima. The sisters jumped on the roof of the buildings before retreating from up top. "We need to split up. It will be harder to catch all of us," said Baraka. The other two agreed splitting up. They all disappeared down the streets. One going off in one direction while the others goes down another. The sisters kept to the roof tops while the others ran down the streets. The Tavern really caught on fire as the whole thing went a blaze.

In the backyard, the fight between the Immortals continued. Melek was pulling at Sadira trying to get her to move but she wouldn't. The girl wouldn't move after witnessing the fire. She was traumatized with memories of her past flooding in. "Somebody help," Melek called but most of the girls were gone. She heard foot steps behind her. Melek looked to see Oma appear with energy coursing around her body.

"Hold tight," she said grabbing Melek's shirt. She picked up her friend throwing her over the wall into the street. She fell onto the ground noticing spectators have come to see the fire.

She could hear, "Get the fire out." "Is there someone in there."

A few moments later, Sadira came after her landing right on top of her friend causing them to blackout for a moment. "Melek," she heard someone shake her shoulder. "Melek. It's me." The harem girl realized who it was. The woman trying to get her attention was the cook Dalia. "Melek where are the others?" she asked.

Melek struggled to answer, "T-they got away, but some are still inside."

As Melek informed Dalia guards appeared surrounding the tavern. "Alright men we have word that there are fugitives in that building. If anyone comes out and they cannot be identified lock them up."

Dalia heard this and knew something was wrong. "Quickly come with me." She helped Melek to her feet and they carried a passed out Sadira with them back into an alley away from the guards.

In the back yard the entire facility was in flames. The fire surrounded the opponents as they squared off. Abia also joined the fight pushing Kurt back. "Kurt we can't fight here or the flames will consume us all. Let's end this debacle and fight another day. I won't let you take away another one of my girls." Jameelah looked over to see Penni bleeding out on the ground. Her body became limp falling over.

Nada still was with her sister holding Nura in her arms. She brought out her knife keeping away any heartless. "Then just surrender or that the other little girl you had with you will die," Kurt bargained.

Jameelah stopped for a moment and then realized what he meant. She looked to the Tavern realizing Zafirah was inside that fiery building. "Dust, Zafirah is in there. You have to go after her," Jameelah spoke out loud.

"I'm on it." The veiled woman transformed into sand heading towards the flaming building.

"Your running away again. Typical, a coward to the very end," Kurt insulted her. Dust stopped in her tracks listening to what he had to say. "This happens every time. You always run away to save your own skin no matter what scenario. Your previous partners at least had the honor of dying a warrior's death. They defended their Sultan till the end while you ran away with your tail between your legs. You're a disgrace to the rank of the Immortals. You're a disgrace to the Sultan you served." Dust could not afford to talk back. She reverted to sand entering into the burning building. "What about you two? Are you willing to die the honorable death or run away like the others? What pity."

"Abia, take Nada and Nura and go with the others" said Jameelah. "No, I'm not leaving you behind Ma'am" Abia replied.

"That's an order," she said. Abia nodded and ran towards Nada helping her with Nura to get up. Kurt then moved in front of them.

"You choose to die the dishonorable way. Then so be it." He took his sword and was prepared to cut their heads off. He was then struck by Oma throwing him a ways away. "You'll pay for Penni," she yelled as a flicker of darkness swarmed around her fist. Behind her Penni gave into her injury only to die on the ground. Her body turned into light disappearing into thin air. She was gone.

In the Tavern, Zafirah was holding Jiminy hiding under a desk as the building began to collapse. "Help!" she screamed. Sand came under her feet with Dust appearing before her. The veiled woman grabbed the child as she passed out. Using her powers, she blazed a way out crashing through the Taverns front wall flying into the streets with Zafirah in her arms and Jiminy in the child's hands.

"Thank goodness she's still small. Or I wouldn't be able to carry her." She flew over the heads of the people below. Dust looked down to see more guards have appeared. She looked at the hole Karmia had made to see something that made her heart sink. Her eyes gaped looking at the Sultan Jafar who had arrived with Iago on his shoulder. He did not see her as he walked through the hole leading into the backyard. Dust trembled with conflicting emotions. "I need to help them. But.." She looked down see the unconscious child she held. "I need to help her first," she told herself.

The veiled woman flew off far away from the Tavern.

Back with the others. Abia and Nada were holding Nura while running towards the exit as flames preceded them. They got closer while the flames departed as a man walked through them. The girls stopped as fear gripped their throats. Kurt noticed and stopped fighting. He turned to the man bowing before him. They all faced the man parting the flames.

The sorcerer Jafar entered floating above the burning ground. Jafar lowered himself onto the dirt they all stood over. He took his snake staff and smashed it's blunt edge on the ground causing all the flames to reside in an instance as if it had been blown out like a candel. He looked at the nervous on lookers and spoke, "Now where is my Princess?"