CHAPTER LV

BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER

"The last thing I remember was having dinner with Yzma and Kronk…and then I woke up in the middle of the jungle being chased by panthers. Talk about overstaying your welcome…" Kuzco said as they walked through the jungle toward the temple from which they had just come.

"Sounds like your 'advisor' isn't what she's cracked up to be, huh?" Sora said, making a disgusted face when he thought of Yzma. "She didn't sound like she had your best interests in mind back in the trophy room…"

"Well, you're lucky we decided to help you get back to your temple…as a llama, you wouldn't stand a chance out here on your own…" Riku said truthfully.

"And now that you've seen how generous we can be…maybe you'll release our friends?" Kairi asked hopefully.

Kuzco stopped walking to hold up one of his hooves. "Nuh-uh. No way, sister…they touched my trophies – mine. Miiiiine. They deserve to be locked up…"

Pacha stopped the party.

"You mean to tell us that we're sticking our necks out for you…for nothing?" his nostrils flared. "Kuzco, you can just find your own way back home if you're going to be that heartless…"

Riku, Sora and Kairi all took Pacha's lead as they began to walk back towards Pacha's village. A few moments later, they heard a defeated whimper from behind them, as a soft clip-clop of hooves followed.

"Geez…okay…I'll release your friends…" he said, sounding depressed.

"And what about my village – are you still gonna destroy it to make a summer home for yourself?" Pacha asked.

Kuzco looked appalled at the thought. "That's my birthday present! Of course I'm going to…" he saw the anger in Pacha's face as he rethought his stance. "I mean…I'll consider moving the location…in time…" he added, trying to sound tough.

Sora considered plea bargaining for the Flame Salamander at that moment…but he decided that it could wait. Up ahead of them was a long rope bridge that didn't feel too sturdy the first time they had crossed it – now that Kuzco was with them, it swayed even more.

At the end of the bridge, they could see a long, dirt path leading directly to the Incan temple where Kuzco lived…if they could just get back there, they might be able to change him back to normal.

In the jail of the temple, Kronk was woken up by the sound of footsteps. "Yzma? That you?" he said sleepily. As he opened his eyes, he saw a large man in black robes approaching him. He wore a strange mask with a flame on it…but he didn't get to see much more of it, as he was sucked downward into a black portal, black tendrils of darkness gripping him and pulling him further out of the jail.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Donald quacked through the jail cell bars at Hades.

"And who's gonna stop me…you? Duck? Like its even a challenge when you're NOT locked in a cage…" he said, stepping into a black portal. "This broad lookin' schmuck is even bigger than Hercules…he'll make a grand heartless warrior…Cerberus Zero will look like a kitten compared to this guy…" he mocked, disappearing.

Alone in the jail cell, Goofy and Donald were able to see the keys sitting on the table not to far across the room…with a little persuasion, Eddy was through the bars, trying his best to break Donald and Goofy out of their lavish prison.

As they crossed the bridge, more heartless spawned on the grass at the opposite side…some even spawned in the sky around the bridge, causing it to sway violently back and forth…

Riku, Kairi and Sora dashed straight for the heartless on the land. Sora and Riku plowed through the center, creating a large hole for them to work from…spinning and slashing, they took out several neo-shadows each. Kairi called a few 'thundara' attacks out, frying the heartless that were swooping past Kuzco and Pacha, still on the rocking rope bridge…

As Sora and Riku wiped out the rest of the neo-shadows with ease, Kairi missed a mosquito heartless as it zipped by, clipping one of the ropes holding the bridge up. She zapped it with her last lightening bolt as Kuzco and Pacha made their way toward the edge…slowly, trying not to rock the bridge any more than they had to…

Without warning, the plank Pacha was standing on snapped in two, as he fell straight downward…grabbing at the vines and ropes, he ended up swinging in a painful looking hammock that hung from the end of the bridge.

"Kuzco! Help me up!" he called as he heard more ropes start to snap.

Kuzco looked down with a panicked look on his face. "Uh…yeah! I'll go get help!" he said, running toward Sora and his friends. Karma struck back as the plank Kuzco was standing on snapped, leaving him a similar predicament to Pacha's.

"You alright, Kuzco?" Pacha asked.

"Yeah…yeah I think I'm okay…thanks…" he replied as Pacha's fist slammed into his face.

"You dirty, rotten, double-crossing llama! You were gonna leave me here!"

The fight was cut short, however, as the entire bridge snapped, sending Pacha and Kuzco tumbling down into the river below…but with a jarring shudder they became lodged between the stone walls of the valley. The walls tapered downwards from each side of the bridge, forming a massive v-shape underneath. They stood back to back, each of them with their feet on an opposite wall of the valley…if they lost their footing, they would separately fall down through the small opening at the bottom…that would have landed them directly into the mouths of several hungry crocodiles…

"We've gotta work together and walk up the valley…" Pacha said, pushing his weight into Kuzco. Kuzco finally pushed back as they slowly inched up the valley.

"Gee, it's a good thing you're not a big, fat guy, or this could be difficult…" he droned sarcastically.

Up above, Sora hung down, holding his keyblade as low as he could reach, trying to give Pacha something to grab when they got high enough.

"C'mon guys…you can do it…" he encouraged them from above, as Riku held his feet steady. A few steps later, Pacha reached out as much as he could, finally grasping the keyblade as Sora and Riku pulled him and Kuzco up to safety.

Kuzco walked up to Pacha after they had caught their breath. "I'm sorry about the whole 'leaving you to die' thingy…you really cared if I was alright this whole time, didn't you?"

Pacha nodded. "You can trust us, Kuzco. We're your friends. You'll find out what that means, someday."

The five of them began walking the dirt path, wary of any new dangers that the Burning Man might send their way before they reached the temple…