Kingdom Hearts

Ch. 75

Agrabah

In a Hurry

The young boy Sora remained out cold for a little while. His eyes lids abruptly opened as he finally gained consciousness. He touched his stomach realizing his pain had subsided. Not even a scar rested on his skin. Sora quickly sat up finding himself sitting in a small tub carved out of a rock filled with glowing water. Spiral and line patterns decorated the tub and walls. Sora did not seem wet despite emerging from liquid. He was only wearing his black shorts that were handed to him at the harem. He brought out his keyblade and jumped to the floor looking for an exit. He failed to find one, so he resorted to examining the walls to find some type of clue. Behind him a small part of the wall turned to sand collapsing on the ground making a small doorway. Sora looked behind him seeing a woman standing in the door. She was completely covered in fabric concealing everything but her hands and eyes.

She did not speak a word but moved aside raising her arm to the light signaling Sora he can pass through. Sora ran out the door without speaking to the lady. His bare foot hit the hot sand, but they did not burn. The soles of his feet and the dark skin around his body somehow resisted hot surfaces and intense sunlight. Sora looked around to find he was in a small village made of sand and stone. The village contained only small huts for people to call home. Some villagers old and young inhabited this place. But none of them would say anything or even look at Sora. They all dressed like the woman covering their entire bodies head to toe. Sora couldn't even tell which were men or women. Sora turned to the lady and asked, "Excuse me, where am I? Please do you know where my friends are?"

The lady did not say a word but pointed towards another hut in the distance with smoke protruding from the hood. Sora ran down to it kicking the sand up with his feet. He ran through the door seeing a familiar sight. His friends Donald, Goofy, Jiminy, Tarzan, Abu and the Carpet were all fine and healthy drinking some man-made water out of a jar.

"Hey!" Goofy shouted getting up.

"Sora!" everyone else shouted too after finally noticing him. Donald and Goofy got up and hugged their friend relieved. Tarzan patted Sora on the shoulder while Carpet flew around his waist as Sora twirled his body. "What's going on guys. Where are we?" he said turning back towards his friends.

Jiminy hopped forward explaining, "Sora it was terrible. You were all decimated by Jafar's forces and left to die in the Oasis. Me and Abu didn't know what to do till a sandstorm kicked in and these veiled people appeared out of nowhere. They brought us here to heal you."

Sora thought back remarking, "Yeah these guys remind me of that sand lady Dust. She could control sand and was practically made of it."

"That makes as much sense as anything else we've encountered," Donald said crossing his arms.

"We were ambushed by the enemy. We can't find the Princess or Aladdin and the Genie," Tarzan said kneeling down.

Sora then remembered with his pupils shrinking. "Jafar has them. I remember he took them back to Agrabah. He's planning to take Jasmine away from this world. And somehow Jafar found out about the keyhole, and he wants to sink Agrabah into the darkness."

The others all shouted, "What!"

"I know it's crazy and I don't know why he wants to? But if he finds that keyhole before us everything here will disappear," Sora loudly declared.

"Just like Deep Jungle," Jiminy said. That statement made Tarzan's spine chill, but he was so stagnant no one could notice.

"Well then what are you all waiting-er for. We've got get back to Agrabah pronto," Goofy said.

They ran out into the sands with the Carpet flying in front of them. It landed on the ground giving everyone the chance to mount it. Jiminy hopped in Goofy's pocket who was the first to mount it. Donald was next with Abu riding on Tarzan's shoulder who came on after. Sora was the last before deciding to turn around towards the veiled woman standing by the hut. Several villagers also came out to see them off. Sora stopped and bowed politely, "Thank You."

The women spoke through her black veil. "Wielder of the Keyblade for the sake of this world. You must defeat Jafar. You are the only one who can save us." An older woman and a young child came forward each holding something in their hands.

"Takes these. They will help you on your journey," said the veiled woman. The old woman had a decorated purple bottle in her hand. She spoke in a creaky old voice. "This is an elixir. Drinking it will cure any injury, but you can only use it once."

The young girl next to her had a white cloth in her arms. She spoke to Sora, "Your shirt was torn and old, so we knitted you this cloak to shield your skin from the sun.

Sora knelt down and smiled, "Aw you didn't have to do this. Where I'm from, peoples skin don't get burnt from sunlight. But." He grabbed the cloak and wrapped it around his bare shoulders. It was fit with a hood that covered his hair. He brought out his keyblade giving an epic pose with the hood waving in the wind. "It does make me look really cool."

He waved goodbye jumping on the Carpet. He handed Goofy the elixir to hold. He turned around again and winked at the tribal people before taking off. The Carpet shot off like a rocket towards Agrabah in the clear blue sky. "It's now or never guys! It's all been leading up to this," Sora spoke raising his keyblade up pointing towards the vast desert. They all looked on knowing the battle forth coming. The Carpet flew over the desert sands like a hawk with Sora's cloak flailing in the wind.

-Agrabah-

Though it was daytime, Agrabah had seemed to grow dark. With clouds blocking out the sky making it seem like night. Heartless littered the streets. All the citizens of the city remained indoors. Too afraid to even look out their windows. Even the Sultans guards stood by helpless as heartless took over the city.

In the square by the prison, heartless pawns were dragging a chained Aladdin across the ground. They brought him up the execution platform which faced the Palace. They locked him up like Raoul earlier but there was no audience. Just heartless patrolling the streets. After being chained the two-heartless stood guard holding sharp swords in their hands. Aladdin was forced to look upon the Palace thinking, "Executions were designed to make the prisoner feel meek. The Palace resembles the governing authority of this world. And when sentenced to death it is the last thing they see. Representing the sheer might of the Sultan and his laws. Funny unless you are set to die here. You can never truly understand the meaning. It's like even in death they wanted to make the point across who was in control."

Aladdin looked towards the castle imagining what Jasmine is going through.

In the Palace, hundreds of heartless lined the walls searching for the keyhole. Jafar sat in the throne room with his Immortals by his side guarding the Princess who was chained to the floor. Jafar waited impatiently tapping his finger. The Immortals stayed silent standing by Jasmine.

Kurt finally spoke up, "Boss you said you wanted us to guard her for like all day?"

Jafar banged his armchair. "Must I repeat myself. You are to watch her forever if you have to. Until your brother comes and picks her up. She is never stepping foot out onto those sands again," he roared spitting blood.

"Wait, what if we have to go to the bathroom?" Zisa asked. Jafar sneered at them causing them to all go quiet and look away. Jasmine remained lifeless. She felt nothing. Ever since she first escaped, she knew in the back of her mind she'd be back in her cage. She stared aimlessly at the ground thinking of only the memories she had today.

Flapping through the window Iago came in the Throne room. He landed on Jafar's shoulder looking nervous. Jafar turned towards the bird smiling. "Well Iago report."

Iago smiled back placing his wings behind his back. "Well my great Sultan. Despite all the extra hands we have been unable to find the keyhole."

"What!" Jafar screamed.

"Jafar it's been 9 years and we've never found anything. We probably should look elsewhere. It just ain't here," Iago pleaded flying a good distance away from Jafar.

"No, no. It has to be. Just like the story. The keyhole reappeared in these very walls after the Genie-oh," Jafar stopped midsentence. "Yes, the Genie," Jafar brought out the lamp from his pocket and rubbed it.

Genie appeared from the lamp in a puff of smoke. "Jafar, how many times do I have to say it. Threes the limit. It's over we're done."

Jafar shouted at Genie, "I'm not here for a wish. I want to ask you a few questions. Genie weren't you the one who used your magic to create Agrabah. Aren't you the one spoken of within the story of "The Boy and the Genie?"

The Genie laughed saying, "Oh that brings me back. Well it was some of my best work. Oh little Muhammad. One of my first masters. And the Princess's Great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, Grandfather." Jasmine finally looked up to them.

"Yes, I knew it. You must know where the keyhole is," Jafar concluded.

Genie pondered the thought, "Ah yes the keyhole I know of such a thing."

Jafar smiled, "Yes show me. Where is it?"

Genie pointed towards a door by the corner of the room. Jafar ran towards it opening the door with a big smile. His smile turned to a frown to find it leads to the supply closet. Jafar gave an expression of confusion. Genie came behind him holding the door. "You see the keyhole right here." He pointed to the closet lock on the door.

Jafar slammed his hand in his face. He then screamed loudly, "Don't toy with me."