The Tides Go Out

by Regiss

Four months later, the war between Maleficent's Heartless and Braig's Nobodies threatens to consume all worlds. In the middle of the conflict, Sora, Xion, and their friends continue the search for Riku while also dealing with Vanitas, who will stop at nothing to get Ven's heart. Sequel to Remember the Tides.

17. Solid Gold

Chapter 17: Solid Gold

There was no storm out on the seas this morning, but still Cassim found himself drenched. The boat rocked wildly in the open waters and the waves crashed over the sides, soaking him, Iago, and everyone else aboard. And worse, Cassim couldn't even dry himself off because he was tied to the mast. Not one single member of the Forty Thieves knew how to manage a boat, evidently, and the little usurper wasn't any good at giving commands.

Abis Mal leaned over the side of the boat as it swayed, no doubt vomiting up his dinner. Cassim had no idea how he had stolen command—wait, no, he did. He glanced at the shadows under the railing on the edge of the boat, where numerous pairs of unblinking golden eyes stared out at him. Iago, tied up as Cassim was, inched away from the black creatures with a grumble. Cassim occasionally caught sight of his traitorous men looking over their shoulders at the shadows, and knew that if it weren't for Abis Mal's pets they wouldn't be serving him.

He had been surprised initially by their behavior when he returned to the lair. Not that he had been expecting a warm welcome, of course, but a coup? A coup led by Abis Mal? Cassim had fought them off best he could, of course, but one mere man against thirty-eight is never going to win no matter how skilled. And after he had been subdued Abis Mal took the Oracle's staff from them then sent the shadows to find them a vessel. And so they had sailed away into the ocean in search of the Vanishing Isle and the Hand of Midas within it.

Abis Mal finally finished hurling his lunch into the ocean and turned to face the bound Cassim. He tapped the staff against the hull of the boat and looked out to the grey horizon. The sun was beginning to rise.

"So where is it, Your Majesty?"

"Why don't you ask the Oracle?" Cassim growled.

Abis Mal glanced at the emerald on the edge of the staff and smirked. "Oh no. Why waste my question when I can have you ask for me? Then I get one of my own later."

"Keep him busy for just a little longer," Cassim heard Iago whisper next to him. He resisted the urge to look to the parrot for fear of giving him away, but he felt the ropes shifting. Was Iago trying to escape?

He turned his attention back to Abis Mal. "And how am I supposed to ask the Oracle if I cannot hold the staff?" He wiggled his fingers - which were sticking out from under the ropes - for emphasis.

Abis Mal pursed his lips as he glanced between Cassim's bound arms and the staff. Then, after a few moments of eternal debate, he grimaced and shoved the staff inside the ropes next to Cassim, rubbing up against him in fact. "There. Now you can ask your question."

"Almost…got it…" Iago whispered in a strained voice.

Iago would need a distraction of he was going to get away without the men or shadows seeing him. Hopefully the Oracle would provide enough of a distraction. "Very well, Abis Mal. I'll ask the question." Raising his voice so everyone aboard the boat could hear, he asked the staff, "Where is the current location of the Vanishing Isle?"

A blinding white light erupted from the emerald the moment the words left passed his lips. While everyone else covered their eyes, Cassim was forced to squeeze his shut with his hands still bound. As the light began to fade Cassim heard a gasp of relief and opened one eye slightly to watch Iago fly away at top speed. But his attention was soon taken by something else, for now an ethereal white figure, feminine in appearance and wearing a flowing cloak, appeared above the water.

"I am the Oracle, I know all and see all," she spoke in an echoing voice. "The Vanishing Isle sleeps, but come sunrise will surface. The light will guide your way." She waved a hand to her left and a pillar of pure white light rose out of the water far on the horizon. The winds picked up, moving in a favorable direction to get them there quickly.

"All hands to stations!" Abis Mal shouted to the crew. "Get those sheets down!" They're called sails, you idiot. "Set a course down the starboard side!" Port side. Was this man really leading the Forty Thieves?

Cassim tuned out Abis Mal's remaining shouts – he would simply grow more aggravated if he continued to listen – and looked in the direction Iago had flown off. That bird better get help quick.

And then it occurred to Cassim. Oh no, he put his faith in Iago.

x-x-x

Things weren't much more pleasant at Agrabah than they were out on the sea. After Cassim's 'mysterious disappearance' the night before, Razoul had been called on by the Sultan in private. Everyone else was sitting in the gardens, and Jasmine was noticeably distant from Aladdin. Every now and then she would send a disappointed glance his way, only to turn around when he noticed her staring.

"She knows." Aladdin slumped forward and supported his head with his hand, his arm in turn supported by his knee.

Genie shrugged. "I'm sure she suspects something, but she can't probe it. I got her out of there before she actually saw you do anything stupid." He frowned and leaned in close to the chess board the two of them were sitting at. "Al, it's your move." Aladdin groaned and knocked the board away, scattering the pieces – which were shaped like Heartless and Nobodies – over the grass. "That's a good move."

Some laughter would be good for all of them, Xion thought. Unfortunately, just as Genie began to speak to Al in one of his many impersonations of people she had never heard of, Sora tapped her on the shoulder. "What's up?"

"Can I talk to you for a second?" He looked serious—concerned, not angry. But still serious.

Xion nodded. "Uh, sure." To her surprise, Sora pulled away, moving down the dirt path a few yards and stopping by a hedge. Xion raised an eyebrow and then shrugged, following him down the path. "You got some big secret to hide?"

"I'm more worried about you."

Xion felt her mouth shape into a slight frown on its own. "If this is about Aladdin's dad-" She didn't need to finish, because Sora's expression told her everything. "What's the problem?"

"You shouldn't have busted him out like that, Xion."

Xion curled her hands into tight fists at her side. "Sora, I changed. Why can't he?"

But Sora shook his head. "That's not the problem, Xion. The problem is that you freed a prisoner! Aladdin's dad or not, Cassim was stealing from the palace and broke the law-"

"What about Alice?" Xion snapped.

Sora frowned. "What about Alice?"

"How is what I did last night any different than what you did in Wonderland for Alice way back when you interrupted the trial?"

Sora's mouth snapped shut and his eyes grew downcast. "Wonderland was…" He shook his head. "Alice wasn't guilty, Xion. That's the difference." He let out an uncharacteristic sigh. "I just don't want you to get in trouble for this. Cassim seemed like a really nice guy but he did break the law."

"You still did pretty much the same thing…" she muttered. But before the argument could continue, they were interrupted by a scratchy voice calling them from a distance.

"Aladdin! Xion, Sora, somebody! I need anybody!"

Sora glanced up at the horizon and squinted his eyes to see through the bright sunlight. "Iago?"

The little red parrot flew in over the city, panting heavily and eyelids drooping. Once he saw the assembled group in the garden, he let out a sigh of relief and stopped flapping and fell into a bush. Goofy was on the scene first, digging through the plant and scooping Iago up in his hands.

"Gawrsh Iago, are you okay? I thought you went back with Cassim."

"I-I-" Iago gulped. "Water. I need water!"

"Oh, woops! I bet ya do." With everyone watching, Goofy carried Iago over to the fountain where Jasmine sat and set him on the smooth stone. Iago grabbed the inner edges and dunked his head into the clear water, gulping it down and only raising his head up when it was time to breathe.

"Oh, that's so much better." He let out a content sigh and paused for a moment before seemingly remembering where he was. With wide eyes Iago bolted up into the air, flapping his wings frantically and circling above everyone's heads. "That's right, that's right! It's horrible! Awful! We need to get out to the ocean right away!"

"Iago, calm down." Xion jumped up with her hand raised and caught him from the air. "What happened? I thought you were with Cassim."

"Yes, I was with him. But when we got to the Forty Thieves' lair, they turned on us! And Abis Mal was leading them, with Heartless on his side!" Iago shuddered. "He took us out to sea and had Cassim as the Oracle where to find the Vanishing Isle. I escaped to warn you guys."

A disturbed silence rippled through the group and Xion nearly dropped Iago in surprise. Heartless. Abis Mal was using Heartless. Was this all a part of Maleficent's scheming, or was he working on his own? Hopefully the latter. Without Maleficent Xion doubted he could call on any particularly powerful Heartless.

"So that's what happened to Abis Mal…" Kairi said, more to herself than to the others.

Aladdin rolled his shoulders. "We need to go save my dad," he said. "And if Abis Mal has Heartless, then he's also a threat that needs to be taken care of. Genie?"

"I'm ready when you are, Al!" A bolt from Genie's hands struck Carpet, expanding it until it was big enough to fit all of them aboard it. "I missed the last tussle with the Forty Thieves, but not this time! I'm with you all the way!"

Aladdin shook his head. "You need to stay here and watch the barrier, Genie."

Genie frowned so much the sides of his mouth fell from his face. "You know, I'm really starting to regret putting that thing up," he grumbled while crossing his arms. "Never get to go out anywhere… Fine! I'll hold down the fort." A green camouflage uniform appeared on Genie and he gave a salute. "Agrabah will be defended with my life, sir!"

Iago laughed awkwardly. "And I'll be staying here safe and sound with him."

"Heh, fine." Aladdin turned to Sora next, but he shook his head before he could say anything.

"We're not staying behind again, Aladdin."

Xion nodded. "Yeah. Besides, you'll want Keyblades with you against Heartless. I know you handled them fine on your own, but if they're intentionally going after you instead of you just running into them…"

Aladdin ran a hand through his hair and grinned. "Fine. I guess I can't stop you."

"Al-"

"Genie, we really need someone to watch the barrier."

"Fiiiine."

While everyone began climbing aboard the floating Carpet, Aladdin turned to face one last person. "Jasmine, I-"

Jasmine walked over and gave Aladdin a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good luck. Aladdin…I know you'll do the right thing. You always do."

Aladdin blushed and rubbed the back of his head, but there was a smile on his face. "Thanks," he said softly. "We'll be back tonight. And this time we really will have our wedding. No more delays."

"I'll hold you to that."

x-x-x

Iago may not have been around to guide them to Abis Mal and Cassim, but honestly they didn't really need him to be. Once Carpet reached the coastline they knew exactly where to go. You'd have to be blind not to notice the huge pillar of light rising out of the surface of the water in the distance. Xion's grip on Carpet's threads tightened as Aladdin pushed him forward over the open ocean. As they approached their goal the pillar of light faded, revealing a jungle island decorated with remarkably in-tact temples of marble and gold sitting atop sheer brown cliffs. They swept around the island in a wide arc, trying to find a good place to land, when they came around to the north side and Xion nearly fell off of Carpet in surprise.

"The island…" she said weakly, her jaw hanging open.

Aladdin shook his head in disbelief. "It's a giant turtle."

It was just that. A reptilian blue-green head stuck out of the north side of the island, and one of its giant black eyes – easily larger than all of them together – watched them slowly. It was then that Xion realized what she had taken to be steep cliffs were in fact the plates of the turtle's shell, and now as she watched the water carefully she could see its massive flippers drifting beneath the waves.

"Never in the same place twice…" Sora said.

"Gawrsh, it must swim under the water!"

They flew over the turtle's neck and into the temple, which showed remarkably little erosion for spending so much time under water. As Carpet glided between the spires, Xion saw familiar hand symbols carved into the gold, just like the one Cassim wore. The Hand of Midas was definitely here.

"Look!" Kairi's cry pulled Carpet to a stop and she pointed down below them. There was exactly one section of the island that wasn't in pristine condition, with stone rubble and crumbling pillars, and it was immediately evident why. A clashing tide of black and white stormed across the area below them, with several men cowering in the middle of the Heartless and Nobody battle. There were far fewer than forty thieves though there were more than enough weapons scattered about. The Heartless also outnumbered the Nobodies significantly.

Xion did not like the implications.

"We can't just leave them down there," Kairi said, turning around to face everyone else.

Donald sighed. "I don't like it, but we should go help them."

Aladdin nodded in silent agreement and had Carpet swoop down, lowering and approaching the battle. He stood up and drew his scimitar as Carpet moved closer, and jumped off to pierce a Fat Bandit through its upper back. Xion and Sora called forth their Keyblades and jumped off next, while Goofy followed while spinning his shield around. Kairi and Donald came down last, Kairi sending pillars of water up from the stone to both slow their descent and knock the crowds away.

"Goofy, keep an eye on the remaining thieves!" Sora called out as he knocked away a Dusk.

"I gotcha, buddy!" Goofy held his shield out in front of him and barreled through the crowd of enemies to reach the men, knocking aside Heartless and Nobody alike.

Two Dancers flew at Xion with their legs outstretched, spinning back-to-back in a combination kick. Xion rolled out of the way and cast Pearl at the pair as she came out of the roll, knocking them off-center. She ran up behind the Nobodies and pierced one of them through the back, but the second one regained its balance and hit Xion with a powerful roundhouse kick to the chest. Xion was sent flying right into a group of Fortunetellers.

The feminine Heartless balanced on their crystal balls and raised their hands in unison. Spears of ice materialized in the air and rained down on the battlefield, forcing Xion to jump onto her feet. Behind her she heard the Dancer swerve around the icicles before one finally pierced it; the sound of the ice entering the Nobody's soft skin was something like 'shhnn'and made Xion shiver.

Their immediate enemy gone for now, the Fortunetellers turned their attention to Xion. One flash of blue later and Xion toppled forward, her feet rooted to the ground and trapped in ice. Damn it, she was still wearing those sandals. Xion shook her head and let out a short chuckle despite the situation; it really said something about how much they fought that she was more worried about frostbite than the Heartless. Of course, the Heartless were still a threat. Trapped like this, Xion wasn't capable of much; she couldn't even turn around to face them head-on. She cast Pearl blindly over her shoulder again and saw an explosion of black particles out of the corner of her eye, but what joy that got her was briefly cut when more ice manifested around her hands.

"Fire!" Kairi and Donald called out together, sending twin waves of flame out at the Fortunetellers—and at some of the other Nobodies and Heartless nearby as well. The heat radiating from their attack melted the ice on Xion's limbs, and she stood up feeling chilly but no worse for wear.

"You okay?" Kairi asked, casting a small Cure spell and standing back to back with Xion.

"That could have been a lot worse."

"You need a drink to get back on your feet?"

"Please."

"Okay!" Kairi raised her hand into the air and formed an orb of water, which swirled and rippled until it formed into a funnel shape. Xion raised her Keyblade, pressing the tip against the water, and called on an Aerora spell. The winds met with the water spout, causing it to move violently until finally it broke apart, scattering water through the air and raining it down on everything in the area. "Donald!"

"I got it! Magnega!" Donald's staff released a purple-grey spark, which formed into a diamond shape and called all of the now soaking wet Heartless and Nobodies together. Once everything was in a big clump, he raised his staff once again and Kairi ran up next to him. "Thundaga!"

"Thundara!" Kairi added in.

The bolts of lightning struck the gathered enemies, surging through their bodies and doing more damage because of the water conducting the electricity. There was a symphony of explosions and fading whispers as Heartless and Nobody alike perished in the magical onslaught. When all was said and done, everyone turned to face the shocked and groveling thieves.

"Thank you, thank you!" A deathly thin one with green skin said. "Oh, we were so close to becoming one of them like our comrades!" Xion looked around at the scattered weapons. So they had been left behind by the Heartless' victims after all.

"Was my father one of them?" Aladdin asked coldly. "And what about Abis Mal? Did he sic these things on you?"

"No," a second thief, one with a long black goatee, spat. "Abis Mal fled as soon as we ran into those monsters, leaving us to fend for our lives!"

"Yes, yes!" a third said while nodding quickly. "And Cassim chased after him."

"It sounds to me like Abis Mal didn't summon these Heartless," Goofy said. He looked up to the temple. "He musta gone on ahead to find the Hand of Midas."

"What a coward," Donald said.

Kairi grinned mischievously. "You're one to talk."

"Hey!"

Sora moved up to Aladdin. "It's your call, Al. Do you want us to stay back here and protect these guys while you go find your dad?"

Aladdin shook his head. "No. Carpet can take them out to their boat, and they'll sail away." He looked back at them. "Won't you?"

"Yes, far away! None of us have any desire to come back here!"

"It's settled then." Xion pointed up a road that sloped along the mountains – er, the turtle's back – and led into the temple. "Let's keep moving."

While for the rest of the climb they never ended up in the middle of a Heartless/Nobody battle like before, things weren't exactly peaceful either. The group was constantly on edge, not only because of worry over Cassim, but because the sounds of battle echoed from all over the temple complex. On more than one occasion Xion spotted a Dusk swiveling through the sky only to get shot down by an Air Pirate, or a Bandit attacked by a Dragoon that stalked among the rooftops. There was a constant worry that at any moment they could get ambushed. But the Heartless and Nobodies were so preoccupied with each other that even two Keyblades wasn't enough to pull them from their war.

Eventually, through twisting corridors and shallow canals, the group found themselves in an open-ceiling chamber where the floor and walls were lined with shimmering gold. Up a set of sparkling stairs stood a statue of a man in a hood and cloak, holding in his hands…well, another hand. The Hand of Midas was literally shaped like a hand. And in front of the statue, reaching up to the Hand of Midas, was Abis Mal.

"Be careful with that, Abis Mal!" Cassim knelt on the ground, one Shadow on his back and another's claws pressed against his neck; although Xion could see it occasionally inch lower, toward his chest. "Lay one finger on the Hand and you'll become solid gold, just like the rest of this room!"

Abis Mal hesitated, then took his hat off and picked the Hand up with that. Doing so changed the color of its threads to a golden hue. "Why would you warn an enemy?" His voice was laced with suspicion.

"You're scum, but no one deserves that fate. I- Aladdin?!"

Aladdin ran toward Cassim from the entryway, sliding along the gold floor and knocking the Shadows away with his sword. "We're here to rescue you, Dad!"

"I… I don't know what to say."

"Maybe not, but I do," Abis Mal growled, clutching the hat holding the Hand of Midas closer to himself. "You want the Hand. You want to take it from me! Well, you can't have it!"

"Abis Mal, be careful with that thing!" Xion warned, watching as the Hand rocked slightly inside his golden cap.

"The Hand of Midas belongs to me!"

"The fool has been completely taken in by greed," Cassim said. "It wormed its way inside his heart. That must be how he commanded those black monsters."

A chilling thought occurred to Xion then and she eyed Abis Mal warily. As he ranted and raved about the Hand being his, a purple-black aura began to form around his body and smoky black wisps were rising up from him.

"Mine, mine! You won't get your hands on it!" Abis Mal continued ranting, and the darkness continued growing. Xion glanced at her friends, and one look was all she need to know that they saw it too.

Sora stepped forward. "Abis Mal, calm down. Your heart is-"

"NO! You want it! Get away from me!"

Abis Mal's scream echoed through the chamber and there was a moment of silence that was simultaneously brief and seemed to drag on forever. Xion tightened her grip on her Keyblade, feeling sweat gather on her skin, and looked around carefully for any Heartless that would leap out at them. The only sound was the dark aura around Abis Mal growing ever stronger.

Then, a deafening roar echoed throughout the chamber. The wall behind Abis Mall shattered, sending giant chunks of gold and stone flying in every direction. As the dust cleared, Xion saw a massive Heartless standing atop the stairs. Its body was off-white, close to the shade of Aladdin's wedding outfit, save for the brown feet, brown abdomen, and six brown hands. A cobra-like head stretched and hissed as its golden eyes watched the group carefully. Two of its six hands moved, shifting the twin crescent swords in their grip. While her first instinct was that Abis Mal must have turned into this thing, she spotted him running down a corridor in the back of the room instead. So he only called it, then.

Cassim saw it too. Turning to Aladdin, he pointed down the corridor Abis Mal had run. "Go after him! I will handle this creature!"

"No way, Dad. You have no idea what a Heartless is capable of!"

"But we do," Kairi said with a step forward.

Sora shook his head adamantly. "Kairi, you're good. But you're not ready to face a big Heartless like this on your own just yet."

"Don't you worry, Sora." Goof put a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "Me an' Donald will be right here with her to help out!"

"You guys…"

Xion shook her head and grabbed Sora's hand, pulling him toward the passage. "We really don't have a lot of time to debate. Abis Mal is getting away as we speak. Come on!"

Sora hesitated, looking back at Kairi, but she had already turned her attention to the monstrous Heartless along with Cassim, Donald, and Goofy. "…Okay, let's go. And hurry!" Xion, Sora, and Aladdin ran down the passageway, chasing after Abis Mal. Xion tried her best to tune out the explosions and roars coming from the chamber behind them.

Though the path ahead was fairly straightforward, Abis Mal had gotten a good head start on the three of them and so was currently out of sight. As their feet left hollow echoes on the gold floor, Xion spared a glance out of a large window to her right. Was the water…rising?

The entire temple shook.

"Whoa!" Sora called out, tripping and falling face-first. The shaking wasn't like an earthquake, but rather like… Xion didn't know what it was like. It was a sensation she had never felt before. Sora climbed back up and grabbed at a nearby pillar for support. "What's going on?"

Aladdin spared a glance outside. "I think-" A loud rushing sound drowned out the rest of his words. Xion glanced up above her, where the sound was coming from, and her face paled. She knew what it was.

"RUN!" she commanded, sprinting as fast as she could down the corridor as the rushing sound grew louder and louder. The rapid clatter of footsteps behind her assured Xion that Sora and Aladdin were following, though what she couldn't be sure of was if they had noticed what they were running from.

This passage is too level. They needed to find elevation, and fast... There! Xion jumped up to a marble overhang halfway up the golden wall, grabbing tightly on it and finding a hold in the small cracks and breaks in the stone. She pulled herself up before looking down at a bewildered Sora and Aladdin. "Up here! Hurry!"

They didn't question her. Aladdin glanced back the way they had come and Xion realized that he had probably figured out what was behind them. Sora climbed up first and Aladdin after him, three people squashed together on a small ledge that would probably crack under their combined weight at a moment's notice. But a moment was all they needed.

A tide of blue poured down the golden passageway from the direction that they had come, a torrent of seawater covering everything beneath them. Even as it poured out the windows and into the temple complex below, more water rushed in so that it never drained out of the hall.

"The turtle must be submerging," Xion said as she watched the water rush beneath them. "We don't have a lot of time." Hopefully the others were okay and not currently underwater.

"What are we going to do now?" Sora asked. "I don't see any way out from here."

Aladdin's eyes and mouth narrowed and he looked above them, searching for a way out. "There." He pointed to a small, easily-missed hole where the ceiling and wall met. It looked just big enough for a person to crawl through, and there was a breeze coming from it. A breeze meant it didn't lead to a dead end. "Xion, you go first."

Xion blinked. "Me?"

"Not to say you're weak, but you have the least upper body strength out of all of us. You'd have trouble lifting us up." Xion frowned, but he was right. "You first, then Sora, then me."

"Well, at least I'm not wearing a skirt." Hey, something positive to say about Genie's clothes. That was nice. "Help me up then." Sora and Aladdin cupped their hands together and Xion stepped up, then they lifted her to the hole. "Okay, I got it." She felt their support vanish as they pulled away and she pulled herself up to the hole as she had the ledge minutes ago.

There was no tunnel like Xion had been expecting. Rather, the hole opened right up into the next chamber. Well…'chamber' wasn't exactly the right word for it. They appeared to be at the top of the temple now, because Xion recognized this area; she had seen it when Carpet had flown above it. A sparkling river fed by a fountain flowed through the marble floor and down the side at a gradual angle. A large platform shaped like a golden hand hovered in the air just above the fountain, and in the hand's palm was… Who? It certainly wasn't Abis Mal. Sora jumped down behind Xion, and he seemed just as confused.

The man had incredibly pale skin, almost grey. The scleras of his eyes were stained yellow like he was sick, his head was bald, and a thin black mustache fell to the sides of his mouth. On his muscular torso was the torn remains of what had once been a vest, and a golden claw weapon was on one of his fists.

"Sa'luk?!" Aladdin called out in surprise, jumping down from the hole and joining Xion and Sora.

"Hello there, boy," the man called Sa'luk said with a sneer.

"How did you survive? I pierced you in the-"

"In the heart, yes. And you know, I thought I'd be angrier about that." Sa'luk uncrossed his arms, revealing a horrible-looking wound across his chest. Instead of blood, black and white wisps escaped the wound and rose into the air before fading. That could only mean he was a Nobody. "A man in an eyepatch saved me. He made me a deal." Sa'luk slammed his fists together and then pointed forward—not at Aladdin, but at Sora. "He wants the spiky-haired one out of the way…and for the girl to live. I do that, and he'll give me all the riches and gold I could want."

Eyepatch? Braig? "Braig wants Sora gone?"

"Something about making sure he doesn't 'interfere with Poppet and Vanitas'. I didn't make it a point to ask; didn't have the heart to care." He let out a slow chuckle.

"Last time we fought I beat you," Aladdin said. "I'll do that again."

Sa'luk grinned. "Yes, you did; but no, you won't. I've gotten so much stronger. Look at this." He stretched an arm out and then clenched his hand into a fist. The marble floor beneath them shuddered and then rose up, taking them with it. Then with another gesture from Sa'luk the stone shifted into a steep ramp and the three of them tumbled down onto the golden hand platform.

"Welcome to our arena!" Sa'luk said with a stomp of his foot. While Xion and the others climbed up to their feet the platform shuddered and fell into the river, where it began following the flow of the water. "I hope you're ready to die, boy."

Sora called on his Keyblade and got into a battle position, but shook his head. "Listen, Braig isn't someone you can trust. We can help you; Xion is also a Nobody-"

"I didn't come here to chat!" Sa'luk slammed a fist onto the platform and it rumbled once more. Sharp spikes of solid gold erupted out of the palm of the giant hand, mere inches from impaling them. Sa'luk charged at the shocked Sora and slammed his weaponless fist hard into Sora's face.

"Metal and stone bend to my will."

The spikes morphed into animated tendrils and wrapped themselves around Sora, trapping him in solid bonds. Sa'luk stepped closer, but was so focused on his target that he didn't see Xion before she struck her Keyblade across his chest. Sa'luk staggered backwards and threatened to fall off the platform, but a wall of gold extended upwards behind him and supported him.

"You aren't my target, little girl!" Sa'luk roared, swinging his claw weapon at Xion. Xion jumped up above him, flipped over his attack, and stabbed her Keyblade into his shoulder. Sa'luk roared in pain and fury as more black and white wisps flew out of the wound and spun around to backhand Xion. But she had already fled from his immediate area.

"Sora!" The boy was struggling against his binds, which were too tight for him to do anything more that wiggle around helplessly. "Hold still, I have an idea." Xion pointed her Keyblade forward and light sparked to life at its tip. Technically this wasn't a lock, really, and there certainly wasn't a keyhole, but hopefully it would work.

Sa'luk didn't seem willing to give her a chance and he charged at her from behind. However, Aladdin intercepted the attack, locking his sword in between Sa'luk's claws.

Sa'luk growled under his breath. "I cannot kill the girl, but you I'm more than willing to mutilate."

"Come and try me, then."

While Aladdin and Sa'luk clashed behind her, Xion turned her attention back to Sora's trap. The Keyblade fired its beam of light and it thankfully worked, the golden tendrils breaking apart and returning to the platform. Sora dropped to his knees and took in a long breath of air.

"That was very tight," he said with a gasp. Xion held up a hand and helped him up to his feet.

The sound clashing metal pulled their attention to Aladdin. His scimitar was knocked out of his grasp and flew through the air, threatening to fall into the water. However, it stopped mid-fall and hovered in the air. Sa'luk grinned. The metal of the blade began to twist and liquidate, shifting into some new shape. Sa'luk held up his hand without a weapon and the metal flew toward him, taking the shape of a new three-clawed weapon identical to his other one in all ways except for the silver color.

"Despite its value, gold is actually one of the softest metals," Sa'luk said while examining his new weapon. "But steel! Steel is powerful. Steel is what holds real value. Where did you get this quality metal, boy? It is far too grand for a street rat like you!" He charged forward with his new weapon, raking Aladdin across the chest and drawing blood.

When he brought his gold weapon down for a follow-up attack, Xion and Sora rushed forward and crossed their Keyblades between Aladdin and Sa'luk, blocking the strike. Sa'luk grimaced and clenched his fists, watching the Keyblades with expectation in his eyes. Nothing happened.

The two of them attacked in a cross-slash, knocking Sa'luk back and onto the floor. "Keyblades aren't just made of ordinary metal," Sora said while pointing his at Sa'luk. Sparks flared at the tip and it became coated in a Fire spell. "Your magic won't work."

Sora jumped back and tossed his Keyblade, the fire-boosted Strike Raid slamming into Sa'luk, leaving a scar of burnt flesh across his chest. Before Sa'luk could recover Xion moved forward and stabbed her own Keyblade through his stomach, then jumped back and released a burst of light from her palm.

Sa'luk stabilized himself by forming gold around his feet and locking himself into place. More spikes of gold erupted out of the ground, forcing Aladdin, Xion, and Sora to move swiftly to avoid being gutted. Their traveling platform, meanwhile, had reached a large circular room that was almost completely flooded. Waterfalls fell down from openings above and the water level was constantly rising. The only dry section of the room besides their platform was a high ring around the walls, on which a familiar face stood.

"Abis Mal!" Aladdin cried out as he dodged Sa'luk's swing. He drew his dagger from his belt and stabbed Sa'luk in the chest, then stared back up at the cowardly man while he had a moment's reprieve. "Get down here and fight like a man!"

"I'd rather not," Abis Mal said with a shaking voice.

"Why do you prattle on in the middle of battle?" Sa'luk asked Aladdin. He glanced up, laying eyes on Abis Mal—and more importantly what Abis Mal held. His eyes widened. "The Hand of Midas! The legends are true!"

"It's mine!" Abis Mal cried, holding it closer to his chest. "You can't have it, it's mine!"

"You do not deserve it!" Sa'luk stretched his hands outward and the wall rumbled. The stone Abis Mal stood on collapsed, dropping the little man and his treasure into the water. Following that, a stone platform erupted out from the bottom of the water and knocked Abis Mal up into the air. Sa'luk caught him by the fabric of his clothes and grinned. "Hand over the Hand."

"No!"

"I do not have time to argue!" Sa'luk broke the Hand of Midas free of Abis Mal's grasp, clutching as its golden fingers with a triumphant laugh.

"Give that back!" Abis Mal cried, snagging the Hand's thumb. The two fought over it in a tug-of-war, pulling back and forth and shouting obscenities at each other. Xion moved forward to attack while they were distracted, but Aladdin's hand on her shoulder held her back. He pointed at the two of them and Xion's eyes widened in horror. A moment later, Abis Mal and Sa'luk realized their mistake. Gold was slowly creeping up their bodies, starting form their hands and already at their shoulders. The tug-of-war shifted into shoving the Hand to the other, but already their fate had been decided.

Two gold statues fell into the water, looks of pure horror eternally on their faces. Aladdin, Xion, and Sora watched in silent shock as the depths claimed them.

And then the wall exploded.

The water level dropped as it poured out of its newfound exit, but they were not clear of danger. A large six-armed figure burst through the opening even as the water drained, and was followed by four familiar faces. The Heartless that Cassim, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy looked like it had seen better days; but even with scars marking its body and sluggish movements slowing its attacks, the Heartless evidently it still had some fight in it. It swung one of its massive blades down on Sora, who was frozen in shock at its appearance and only saved by a well-timed tackle from Kairi.

"Kairi!" Sora gasped out. She was marked with burns, scratches, and bruises. The other three didn't look much better. "Why haven't you used a Cure spell yet?"

"Because-" Kairi glanced back at the Heartless. "Look out!" She grabbed Sora tightly and rolled out of the way, avoiding another swing from its sword. The two climbed up to their feet and Sora shook his head.

"Are you out of magic power? Here, let me." He raised his hand up, expecting the green glow to manifest around Kairi. Nothing happened.

Cassim's voice broke over the chaos. "The creature blocks all attempts at sorcery! We must break the orbs in its lower hands!" His scimitar slashed across one of the orbs in question, an object that looked to be made of some material halfway between glass and smoke.

Xion tested Cassim's claim by trying to strike the Heartless with a Pearl spell, but like Sora's Cure nothing happened. Not even a spark. "It looks like he's right."

"I don't have a weapon," Al pointed out as he jumped out of the way of the Heartless. "So I'll just keep an eye on Donald and Kairi until those things are gone."

Sora dug in his pockets and pulled out two ethers, one of which he handed to Kairi and the other he tossed at Aladdin, who in turn handed it to Donald. Then he charged forward with Xion, and two Keyblade struck the left-hand orb while Goofy and Cassim dealt with the right-hand one. The Heartless turned and swept its two swords low to the ground, forcing the attacks to stop as they jumped over the swings. While Xion didn't see it happen – she was too focused on not getting her body cut in half – a loud "YAAA-HOO-HOO-HOOEY!" told her that Goofy had been knocked away. In response, she tossed her Keyblade at Cassim's orb, the Strike Raid hitting it hard just as he did and shattering it. When Two Become One boomeranged back to her, Xion spun on her heal and dug its spiked 'teeth' into the orb's side. Sora jabbed his Kingdom Key forward, piercing it dead-on. Their orb shattered as well; it seemed the others had already done most of the work without them.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the end. The Heartless roared and jumped away, shifting its body into a meditative stance as a translucent golden sphere wrapped around its body. Xion charged forward and swung at the sphere with all her might, but it felt like she was just hitting a brick wall. As the rebound knocked her back, Cassim caught her and shook his head.

"It's your friends' turn now."

Bolts of lightning rained down from above as Kairi and Donald, freed from the Silence effect, cast Thunder spell after Thunder spell. Sora, following their lead, sent lightning surging through his Keyblade and moved forward with Aero boosting his speed. With every slash he pun on a dime and attacked from a different direction, unleashing a Thunder-powered Sonic Blade.

The Heartless wasn't inactive, however. Orbs of fire manifested in the air and explosions erupted from the ground, forcing the electric onslaught to halt for the moment as everyone worked their way around the Heartless's magical attacks. And Cassim, for all his skill as a thief and a fighter, was still an aging man. One of the explosions caught him by surprise and knocked him back, far away from the center of the room. He slammed hard into a stone pillar and fell with a painful-sounding thump to the ground.

"Dad!" Aladdin called.

Cassim struggled to his feet. "Don't worry about me. Take care of that creature, Aladdin!" Cassim tossed his scimitar, which sailed through the air at his boy. Aladdin jumped up and caught it by the hilt, then glanced from it to Cassim. "I believe in you."

The lightning strikes finally did their work and the Heartless's shield shattered. Aladdin gave one final look at Cassim and then gripped the sword tightly. He ran forward, jumped up onto the Heartless's foot, dodged a swing of its massive swords, and grabbed its upper right arm. Pulling himself up like with the ledge from earlier, Aladdin jumped from the shoulder and let out a battle cry. Cassim's sword sliced cleanly through the Heartless's head, and as Aladdin landed on the wet stone floor it exploded into darkness.

x-x-x

Despite all that had happened, Cassim did not end up attending Aladdin's. He was still a wanted man in Agrabah, and showing his face would mean execution for sure… But that didn't mean he didn't go, he just didn't make a public appearance.

His boy truly was born under a lucky star. From street rat to prince, and with such amazing and friends, Aladdin had grown into a fine young man. Wiping a tear from his eye, Cassim pulled up his mask and made his way through the palace's shadows to where his horse was waiting beyond the gates.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Cassim turned around. It wasn't Aladdin or a guard that spoke, but instead a familiar red parrot hovering in the air. "Iago?"

"You sure put us through a lot of trouble, you know." Iago landed on Cassim's shoulder and crossed his arms. "I figure I should…y'know…keep an eye on you, so you don't get anyone else in trouble."

Cassim smiled. "You're free to join me, Iago."

"Th-That's not what I said!"

Cassim laughed and jumped from the palace walls, landing on his horse and cutting the rope that way tying it to a post. As the two of them moved through the midnight streets, empty as the city attended the royal wedding, a tune rose up from the bazaar.

"So it goes, short and sweet
They were wed down the street
May their marriage be truly blessed"

"Happy end to the tale
And tomorrow's a sale
So I'd better go home and rest!"

The singer was a short little man dressed in blue robes and wearing an oversized turban. He waved Cassim down and ran over to him, showing his wares while still singing his merry song.

"Here's a kiss and a hug
Sure you don't need a rug?
I assure you, the price is right"

Cassim shook his head continued past the peddler's stall, but the peddler was no less joyful. As he left the gates of Agrabah and entered into the desert, his horse moving from a trot to a gallop, the winds carried the song.

"Well, salaam, worthy friend
Come back soon, that's the end!"

Cassim's reached the top of a hill of sand and the horse reared up on its hind legs, letting out a loud neigh into the night. In the beautiful starry sky above Cassim watched a red and yellow vessel streak by, heading off to explore other worlds far beyond. But he did not need to go with them; he had a wide world of his own right here.

"'Til another Arabian Niiiight!"