Alright! Chapter 7!
Usagi screamed as she fell.
SPALSH!
She blinked. "Wha…?' She watched a fish swim by. 'Crap!' She swam to the surface. Usagi took a breath when head rose above the lake. She crawled out still taking deep breaths. She looked around. "What is this? A Jungle?" Usagi decided to stand, but once she did, she became dizzy.
"Oh, my…"
Usagi placed her hands on her head, trying to ease her dizziness a bit. "My head…" She felt someone touch her arm. Usagi turned around and saw a young women, about 21, with brown hair and blue eyes.
"Are you… alright?" she asked.
"Kinda.."
"You're soaking wet." the woman observed. "You could catch a cold, even in this heat."
Usagi moaned. Her head was from all her confusion. "Who…?"
"I'm Jane!" She said. "I'm surprised you speak English!"
Usagi blinked. "Huh?"
"Well, Tarzan speaks gorilla…" Jane gasped. "Oh! How rude of me! What's your name dear?"
"Usagi."
"Well Usaki…"
Usagi corrected her. "Usagi!"
Jane nodded. "Right. Usagi, please follow me to the tent."
/…/
CRASH!
Sora landed with a thud. After a few minutes, he slowly sat-up and rubbed his head. "Oww… my head…" He slowly stood up with some trouble He looked around. "Donald? Goofy? Usagi?" Sora scanned the area. While doing so, he noticed a box moving. A cheetah jumped for him. Even though it caught him off guard, Sora rolled out of it's path in time. He called forth his Keyblade.
'Of all things to run into! It had to be a really fast, really hungry animal!' The cheetah charged. Sora hit it, doge rolled and hit it again. He did this several times until it came to close. It scratched his shoulder, ripping his jacket. Sora swung his Keyblade really hard, causing the cheetah to fly across the room. It didn't get up. Sora caught his breath, then went over to it to make sure it's out. He got closer, and closer, and closer… It suddenly jumped at him.
'Crap!'
Sora closed his eyes, waiting for the pain. It never came. Sora opened his eyes to see a man push the animal away. Sora stood up as the cheetah ran through the window, breaking it.
The man turned around. "Sabor, danger."
"Um…" Sora nodded. "…thank you…"
"Thank you…"
"Huh?" Sora gave him a weird look. "Uh… What is this place?"
"This place, this place…"
Another weird look. "Okaaay… Where did the others go?" The man cocked his head to the side. Sora sighed, realizing that he wasn't understanding. "Look, I got separated from my friends. Have you seen them?"
"Hmmm?"
Sora sighed again. "Friends…" he said stretching the word.
"Friends…"
Sora's spirit rose. "Right, my friends! There's three of 'em. The loud one is Dona…" The man blinked. "Huh?"
"You know what? Nevermind. "I'm looking for my friends, Riku, Kairi, and Usagi."
"Look for Riku friends?"
Sora nodded. "Right!" He looked behind the man and saw Kairi.
"Kairi, friends?" The man asked.
Sora looked at him. "Uhh… right…" He turned his attention back to Kairi, but she was gone.
"Friends here." The man said.
"Really?"
"&&x"
"Huh?" 'Why did he sound like a monkey?' Sora thought to himself.
The man repeated himself. "&&x" Friends here."
Sora blinked. "Not sure I understand, but show me! Take me to Riku and Kairi! Oh, and Usagi too!"
The man pointed to himself. "Tarzan. Tarzan go."
Sora copied his gestures. "And I'm Sora. Tarzan go, Sora go go!"
/…/
Jane walked in the tent.
"Your cloths will take no time to dry."
Usagi nodded. "Great…"
"What brings you to the jungle anyway?" Jane asked.
"Umm…" 'Think Usagi! Think!' "Uhh…It was…"
"Jane!" Jane turned her back on Usagi. "Tarzan!" She Noticed Sora. "Oh, and who is this?"
"Hi there, I'm--"
"Sora!" Usagi pounced him.
Sora caught her and tried not to fall. "Glad to see you too."
Jane smiled. "How nice. Are you two here to study the gorillas?"
"Highly doubtful." A man came in followed by Donald and Goofy.
Goofy saw Sora. "Sora!"
"Goofy! Donald!" He went to hug Donald, but he remembered the earlier events and turned his back instead. Donald did the same. Goofy and Usagi exchanged glances.
The man frowned. "A circus of clowns. Not much use for hunting gorillas."
"Mr. Clayton!" Jane gasped, "We're studying them. This is research!" Clayton just shrugged and left the tent. Jane sighed, "Well, the more the merrier. Do make yourselves at home."
"Well anyway…" Sora started.
"I'm staying!" Donald and Sora said it at the same time.
"Wait a minute…" Usagi jumped from the crate. "Why would you stay, Donald? The king wouldn't be here, right?"
Sora just nodded. Goofy held out his hands. "look at this." He showed them the gummi.
"What's that?" Sora asked.
"A gummi block." Goofy answered. "It's the same stuff used to build our ship."
Sora looked closer. "So that means…"
"The king could be here." Donald said, finishing the thought. "So we've gotta work together to look for him. For now!"
Sora nodded. "Fine. I'll let you tag along. For now!"
"Great!" Usagi said, "Let's go!"
"Oh no you don't!" Jane said, "Not with that on, young lady!"
Usagi blinked. Sora noticed her cloths. "Is that Leon's shirt?"
She smiled. "Yup!"
"And you're not leaving this tent with that on." Jane said. "Especially with immature males."
Sora blushed, "What's that suppose to mean?"
"She doesn't trust you guys!" Usagi said, smiling.
"I'm not a pervert!" Sora said.
Usagi smirked. "No one said you were…"
Sora's blush was covering his whole face. "Let's go!" He left the tent. Usagi went after him, laughing. "Get back inside!" She dragged him in.
After Sora cooled down, Jane spoke. "Apparently, Tarzan was raised in the jungle by the gorillas. Communicating with him still isn't easy, but he's learning."
Sora thought to when he first met Tarzan. "So he was speaking 'gorilla' back there…"
"You're looking for something?" Jane asked.
"Our friends…" Usagi answered.
"He said Riku and Kairi are here…" Sora said, gesturing his head to Tarzan.
Usagi jumped. "Really? They're here?"
Sora nodded. "But he said one word I couldn't understand."
"Why don't we try the camera?" Jane suggested. "We'll show Tarzan some slides and see if any of them match that word."
Usagi sat on the crate again. "Let's see."
Jane turned it on and put in the first slide. It was a picture of a castle. Usagi raised an eyebrow. It looked familiar to her. Sora was thinking the same thing. Goofy noticed the look Sora had.
"What's wrong Sora?"
"What?" he snapped out of his daze. "Um… Nothing." he lied. 'This place…' he thought, 'It looks so familiar. But how? I've never left the island?'
The rest of the slides weren't really paid attention to. Jane turned off the camera and looked at Tarzan. "Well, Tarzan?"
"Where are my friends, Riku and Kairi?" Sora asked. Tarzan shook his head. "Hey," Sora started, "I thought…"
"That leaves just one place," Clayton said, interrupting Sora. He then looked at him. "Young man, we've been in this jungle for some time now. But we have yet to encounter these friends of yours."
"And mine!" Usagi said.
Clayton ignored her. "I'd wager they're with the gorillas. But Tarzan refuses to take us to them."
"Really, Mr. Clayton!" Jane denied. "Tarzan wouldn't hide---"
Clayton, once again interrupted. "Then take us there! Take us to the gorillas!"
It was silent for a minute. Tarzan finally nodded.
"Tarzan… are you sure?" Jane asked.
He nodded again. "Tarzan go see Kerchak."
"Kerchak?" Jane questioned.
"He must be the leader. Perfect. I'll go along as an escort." Clayton smirked. "After all, the jungle is a dangerous place." He left the tent. Donald, Goofy and Tarzan left also.
Usagi grabbed Sora's arm. She leaned in. "Watch Clayton, Sora. I don't trust him." Sora nodded and left the tent.
Clayton glared at him. "Next time make sure your good-bye kiss is much shorter."
Sora blinked. "Good-bye kiss? Hey! Wait a minute!"
Clayton looked at Tarzan. "What are you waiting for? Take us to your leader!"
Tarzan nodded. He… uh… half walked, half crawled to the hippo's lagoon. When he was sure that everyone was behind him, he climbed up a vine that was on the left side.
"You expect me to climb!" Clayton shouted.
Sora was halfway up the vine. He looked down. "Uh… yeah," Sora smirked. "Aren't you the escort?" Clayton growled. "Well, see ya!" He continued to climb.
Sora reached the tree tops.
Tarzan looked around. "Clayton?"
"He can't climb," Sora said smirking. "Just lead the way Tarzan!"
He nodded. He jumped on a vine. He jumped from vine to vine till he got to the other side.
Donald, being a duck, was able to skip a vine. Goofy, being clumsy, slipped a couple of times. But he was able to save himself. Sora, who we all know is an islander, traveled across very much like Tarzan. Once Sora landed, Tarzan started to jump across using the vines again. After crossing a second time, they only had to climb. They reached the treetops. Not to far away was a big, buff, black gorilla facing a smaller one.
"Kerchak!" Tarzan said, speaking gorilla. "Please listen to me. I know the nesting grounds are secret, but I trust them." The gorillas looked at him. Tarzan continued. "You see, I want to help them because… because… Well, they need us."
"Did you get that?" Goofy asked Donald.
"Nope!"
"Kerchak!" The gorilla looked away and left. Tarzan called him again. "Kerchak!"
'He seemed sorta distracted by something.' Goofy thought.
'Was he looking toward the tree house?" Donald thought.
"Guys." Sora said. "Let's go to the tree house."
/…/
They had reached the tree house just in time. Donald ran to Clayton and screamed in his ear. Clayton as he fired. The shot missed the gorilla.
"What's the big !" Donald shouted.
Tarzan went to check on his gorilla friend.
"You don't understand." Clayton said. "A snake slithered by, you see. I saved that poor gorillas life!"
/…/
"How could you do such a thing!" Jane yelled, glaring at Clayton.
"Now, Miss Porter." Clayton said, trying to calm her, "As I told you, I was not aiming at the gorilla."
"You are not to go near the gorillas again!" she yelled.
Clayton chuckled. "All because of one mishap? Come now…"
They glared. Everyone glared at Clayton and he backed off. He left the tent, growling. He walked quite a distance away from the tent. Once Clayton reached a clearing, he threw his gun on the ground.
"What am I doing with these imbeciles?" He asked himself. "Blasted gorillas! I'll hunt down somehow. I'll stake my life on it." Something rustled in the trees. Clayton picked up his gun and aimed it. Something jumped out and he shot it.
/…/
Everyone in the tent jumped. "What was that?" Sora asked.
"Clayton?" Usagi guessed.
"We should look around." Donald said.
Sora nodded. "Be right back!" They left.
Usagi sighed. "I wanna go…"
/…/
The group came the clearing where Clayton found Donald and Goofy. "Nothing!" Goofy said.
"Just one more place to look…" Sora said under his breath.
/…/
Usagi touched her clothes that were hanging on a line.
'Dry!' Without thinking, she changed her clothes, right there, in the open… Usagi entered the tent to get her pack.
Jane looked at her when she entered the tent. "Going to find the others?" she asked. She received a nod in reply. "Maybe you should wait. They will be back…" Just then, a gorilla ran in, jumped on Jane, and scared the heck out of Usagi.
"What the…?" Jane saw Clayton walk inside the tent. Usagi noticed something different… His eyes were cold, he was cold, and for some reason she could sense that his soul is cold and heartless…
/…/
'Where could Clayton be?' Sora wondered as he entered the camp ground. The others had followed.
"Does anybody else feel weird?" Goofy asked.
Suddenly, blue monkey like creatures appeared in the middle of the campsite.
Sora gasped. "Heartless!" The party took out their weapons and prepared to fight.
/…/
Usagi kicked the roots that sealed both her and Jane in a hole of a tree.
Jane sighed. "Usagi, it's useless… Please stop."
Usagi sighed. She leaned against the roots. "Sora better get here and kick Clayton's a-!"
"Ahem!"
"Right… Sorry Jane…"
/…/
Tarzan rushed inside the tent. Sora poked his head in and looked around. "Where's Jane?"
Silence…
"Tarzan?"
"Something coming." Tarzan said. "Jane danger. Jane near… Near treehouse."
Sora gasped. "Well let's go!"
/…/
Usagi frowned as another Heartless passed by. 'Just wait till I'm out and…'
Jane voice interrupted her thoughts. "Tarzan!"
Usagi smiled. "Sora! About time!"
He ran up to her while Donald, Goofy, and Tarzan fought the Heartless. "How did you…?"
"I don't know… Sora, just get us out!"
Donald came up behind him. "Sora there's a suspicious looking fruit up there."
Sora nodded, said a quick 'be right back' to Usagi, and followed Donald. They came up behind Goofy, who had his shield up. "I think it moved…"
"Burn it?" Sora asked.
Donald was the one to cast the spell. "Fire!"
As it burned, the roots started to disappear.
"Freedom!" Usagi yelled as she ran out.
Sora and the others jumped down. "How did you guys get in there?"
Jane walked out, still holding the gorilla. "Clayton came to the tent and…"
"BAHM! Everything went black!" Usagi interrupted.
"Clayton?" Sora asked.
"Gorillas trapped." Tarzan informed. "Terk ran."
"Is that bad?" Goofy asked. For an answer, all he got were looks.
"Yes…" Jane finally answered.
"Well, let's help them!" Usagi said. "I need some action…"
/…/
Almost all of the gorillas stood in one area. The mother's were holding on to their children, looking at Clayton in fear. He smirked, raised his gun, and…
"No!" Clayton lowered his gun and looked at Sora. "Clayton?"
"I don't think so…" Usagi whispered, glaring at Clayton. The gorillas took their chance and cleared out of the area. Suddenly, the ground shook. "Is there a reason why things end up like this? Usagi asked.
A wall collapsed. Clayton jumped up to the opening and sat on… air?
"What's he sitting on?" Sora asked.
"I can't see anything." Donald said.
Usagi looked at them strangely. "You can't see? It's right there!"
"Where?" Goofy asked, adding his 'Ayuck'.
Usagi picked up stick and threw it at the Heartless, hitting it in it's eye. It released a loud shriek and became visible. The heartless was an oversized Iguana.
"I see it now!" Sora ran to the Iguana. He was planning to strike its chest, but the Heartless saw. It struck Sora with it's huge claw, sending him across the area.
His teammates gasped. "Sora!" Clayton laughed as Sora slowly stood up.
Donald pointed his wand at him. "Cure!" A light surround Sora and most of his wounds began to disappear. He looked over himself, amazed. Donald then pointed his wand at the Heartless. "Stop." Like Donald said, it stopped. Both the Heartless and Clayton were frozen in time.
"Attack!" Donald shouted "Give it everything you got!"
"Charge! Ayuck!" Goofy ran into the Heartless with his shield. He did it again, and again, and again…
Sora walked up next to Usagi and watched Goofy. "That looks stupid…" Sora said. Donald started casting his spells on Clayton.
"Should we help?" Usagi asked Sora without looking at him.
Sora nodded. "It's a target standing still! Like Wakka!"
Usagi laughed and called forth her weapon. "We'll definitely beat this thing if it's that easy!" They joined Goofy in attacking the Heartless. It twitched.
Donald jumped back. Not only was he running out of magic, the spell that he had cast was wearing off. "Get back! The spell's wearing off!"
Hearing this, his companions jumped back to a safe distance. The Heartless and Clayton started to move. Clayton rolled his head around with a smirk.
"What was that?"
Usagi's mouth dropped. It looked like nothing happened to them!
Sora looked at Donald. "What's going on?"
Donald crossed his arms with a smile. Even ducks could smile. "Just wait…"
The heartless jerked suddenly, looking like something hit it. It jerked again, but in another direction. Now it jerked more often, The sudden movements caused Clayton to be thrown off. It suddenly stopped and fell over.
Clayton slowly stood. "Little brats…" He raised his gun, aiming Sora.
Usagi gasped. She threw her sword at him. It hit his gun out of his hands. "Yes!" Usagi smiled to herself. Clutching his wrist, Clayton glared at them He took a step toward them, He tried to take another, but he couldn't move his feet. Looking down, he saw why and started to panic. He was trapped in puddle of Darkness. Clayton struggled as he began to sink.
Donald, Goofy, Sora, and Usagi could do nothing but watch. They felt sorry for him until he was completely submerged.
"Creepy…" Usagi whispered.
The gorillas came back. A part of the area collapsed suddenly scaring the keybearer and his companions. Kerchak came up to Sora with Tarzan following behind. He picked Sora up by the collar and threw him to the other side. Donald and Goofy were thrown as well.
Sora looked around. "Where's Usagi?"
Tarzan climbed up with Usagi on his back. She smiled. "Hi!"
Sora stood up. "Why do you get the special treatment?" He asked while dusting himself off.
"I'm a girl." Usagi laughed at the face Sora made.
Tarzan let her down. He looked at the great falls. "Tarzan, home."
"It reminds me of the islands…" Usagi said.
Sora looked up to the sky, thinking back. "Yeah…"
"Where'd Tarzan go?" Goofy asked.
Donald answered. "The falls." He walked to the cave that was behind the falls.
"Ayuck! Wait for me!" Goofy ran after him.
Sora smiled at Usagi. "Wanna get wet?"
Usagi smiled back at him. "Oooh yeah."
They ran behind the waterfalls.
"IT'S COLD!"
/…/
Sora walked up to everyone, dripping wet, with Jane next to him. At the end of the cave there were blue butterflies making a pattern on the wall.
"The waterfalls…" Jane said. "They're echoing all the way here."
Tarzan spoke. "&&x. Friend there. See friends."
"I don't get it…" Usagi said, wringing out her hair.
"I do," Jane said. "He's saying heart."
"Heart," Tarzan repeated.
"Oh." Sora said sounding disappointed. "That's what it meant."
Usagi wrapped her arm around his shoulder and smile at him. "Cheer up…" He smiled.
Tarzan spoke again. "Friends, same heart. Clayton lose heart. No heart, no friends."
Usagi nodded. "Exactly!" She glanced form Sora to Donald. She let her arm down.
"Um…" Sora started, "Sorry about what I said, Donald."
"Yeah. I'm sorry too."
Usagi walked to the end of the cave.
"All for one!" Goofy shouted.
Usagi was about to touch the wall, but it started glowing. Not the whole wall just the center. Some off the blue butterflies flew away. "Sora?"
He nodded. HE pointed his keyblade at the keyhole. A beam shot out and hit the keyhole. There was a click and a gummi fell out.
Usagi picked it up and brought it to the group.
Goofy examined it. He sighed. "It's not the kings."
/…/
About five figures stood around the image of Sora and his crew.
The one with the snake cane spoke up. His name was Jafar. "What drew the Heartless to that world?"
The woman in the black robes, named Maleficent, answered. "The hunter lured them there. It was his lust for power that was the bait. But it seems the bait was too tasty for his own good."
A sack full of bugs laughed. This is Oogie Boogie. "He got chomped instead!"
Jafar shook his head. "A weak-heated fool like him stood no chance against the Heartless. But the boy is a problem. He found one of the keyholes."
"Fear not. It will take him ages to find the rest." Maleficent smirked. "Besides, he remains unaware of our other plan."
Ursula, a really fat octopus women, chuckled. "Yes, the princesses…"
Maleficent's smirk widened. "They are falling into our hands, one by one. Speaking of which…"
Alice runs among them, looking lost.
/…/
Sora sighed. "I guess we better get going"
"Where's your ship anyway?" Jane asked.
"Not too far." Usagi answered.
"Tarzan, Sora friends." Tarzan said.
They left the tent. Sora wrapped his arm around Usagi's shoulder. "Since when could you throw like that?"
Usagi raised an eyebrow. "Say what?"
"Your aiming really sucked on the island."
"It was in the moment."
/…/
"The gummi block that came out of the keyhole…" Sora said. "It's not like the others."
"But it's not the kings." Usagi stated.
"I wonder what it's used for" Sora looked at Donald for an answer.
He shrugged. "I dunno." He looked at Goofy.
"Maybe Leon'll know." Goofy suggested. Donald nodded. "Back to Traverse Town."
"Let's stop by a world on the way there." Usagi said. She explained that the scanners picked up a sign of another world that's on a route to Traverse Town.
"I wanna be pilot" Sora said.
"No!" Donald shouted.
"But I'm the keyblade master!"
"I don't care who you are! No!"
Goofy and Usagi sighed. "Here we go again.
/…/
"Wow ! That's so cool!" Usagi said looking at the two huge stautes making an 'X' with each others sword.
There was a small 'ahem'. "Coliseum of Olympus. Famous warriors from all over the multiverse gather at this stadium regularly to put themselves against each other in a mixed martial arts tournament…"
"Are you a grasshopper?" Usagi asked the bug on Donald shoulder.
"Yes! My name is Jeremy cricket."
"I wanna enter the tournament!" Sora shouted excitedly.
"Me too!" Usagi shouted.
"We don't have time to enter the tournament!" Donald shouted.
"Everyone's shouting." Goofy said.
"Race ya!" Usagi said and ran ahead.
Sora ran after her. "Cheater!"
Donald sighed and shook his head.