Chapter 14: Two Worlds Meet

Alex had followed Tarzan down into the trees. He had almost fallen on many occasions, but Tarzan would save him every time. Eventually, the duo entered a dense clearing where the trees blocked any sunlight from coming through. In the middle of the treetop was a big log that was hollowed out in the middle and other branches along the side would eventually lead to the top of the jungle. Alex didn't know where Tarzan was leading him, but he wanted to get there as quick as possible. The fight with Sabor made Alex uneasy enough, but the fact that the leopard was still alive made Alex constantly turn his head, waiting for something to attack him from the trees.

"Here," Tarzan led Alex to a side of the massive log that allowed entrance to it.

Alex leaned over the edge of the log, not wanting to fall through, and looked down. He saw nothing but blackness. "Uh-uh. No way jungle man. I'm not going down some slide of doom, okay?" Tarzan's response was to push Alex and he fell into the tree trunk. The jungle man followed shortly.

Alex screamed the whole way down. He knew he was sliding on his feet. He felt the moss and other plants rub against his shoes as he slid. His knees were bent because he didn't want to fall over and his arms were outstretched for balance. The darkness soon left as Alex was suddenly thrust into the light and Alex saw that he was sliding on a massive tree branch. The world zipped past him as he picked up speed. Alex's eyes were full of tears from the wind, but he couldn't help laughing in surprise and wonder. He never felt so exhilarated. He was able to keep his balance due to his stronger reflexes.

The tree branch began to curve around and Alex slightly bent over to the right so he wouldn't keep going straight. Tarzan zoomed in front of him and flashed a quick smile. Alex grinned and leaned forward to increase his speed. The two began a little race as the tree branches began to dip. Alex's stomach felt like it was going to fall out as the branch took a complete nosedive. Alex yelled in excitement and caught up with Tarzan who was sliding backwards with a smug smile.

Alex would have smiled along, but he noticed tree branches ahead that stood right in their way. Alex cursed and prepared to jump. Tarzan spun around just in time to jump over the intruding branches. Alex jumped and, with his increased strength along with his speed, was able to jump completely over all the branches and get ahead of Tarzan. Alex landed like a skier would do on a slope and continued to press forward. Soon enough, another branch stood in their way. This time, Alex summoned his sword and sliced the branch just as he reached it. Tarzan cocked his head to one side to dodge the broken pieces of wood that sped his way.

Soon enough, the tree branch ended and Alex fell down wondering where he was falling too. He screamed some more, but when he saw ground he braced himself. As he landed, he performed a roll to cushion the blow. Tarzan, on the other hand, landed as if it wasn't a big fall. Alex mumbled what a showoff Tarzan was and got back up. His entire body was shaking from the rush he just went through and it made Alex laugh. Tarzan looked at Alex, confused as to why the boy was laughing.

Alex turned around to see where they had landed and was surprised to see signs of human life. It was a large campground that was surrounded by bamboo trees. The sun shone brightly on the campground with no tree branches to stop it. A large, yellow tent had been set up against a thicket of trees. Attached to the tent was a long line of yellow canopies that covered bookshelves and boxes from the rain. There was a big pile of boxes near the center of the campground that were stacked in a way that someone could climb to the top of the pile. Near the boxes, was a flagpole that sported the British flag. Right in front of Alex and Tarzan, was a straight wooden table and many test tubes, beakers, and other scientific implements covered the top of it. On Alex's side of the tent was a blackboard with chalk that already had something drawn on it. Alex walked over to the the blackboard to see the figure that was drawn was Tarzan. The drawing showed him hunched over in an ape-like stance, something Alex knew that Tarzan adopted from being with the gorillas for so long.

"Alex, come," Tarzan motioned for Alex to come over to the entrance of the tent.

I'm not your pet dog, Alex thought. Yet, he followed Tarzan's order. Tarzan put a finger to his lips, telling Alex to be quiet, and slowly lifted the yellow flap that led to the inside of the tent.

The inside of the tent held more books and a map of Africa taped to the side. A projector sat in the middle of the small space and chairs were set up behind it, to view whatever the projector was showing. A woman was fiddling with the projector. Her attire, Alex thought, was fit for the jungle. She wore a white, sleeveless top with a red skirt that had been torn at one side, revealing her perfectly tanned legs. She had brown hair that obviously had been grown out and blue eyes. As soon as he saw her, Alex knew who she was.

Tarzan, walking on all fours with his knuckles pushing against the floor, said, "Jane!"

The woman turned her attention from the projector and flashed a beautiful smile towards the jungle man. "Tarzan. Oh, and who might this be?" She pointed to Alex.

Alex nervously spoke. "Um, hi there I'm-."

Jane cut him off. "Oh, you speak English. So, that means you're not related to Tarzan."

Alex and Tarzan looked at each other and both of them shook their heads. Neither of them wanted to be related to one another.

"Were you here with the other boy?" Jane asked.

Alex's heart skipped a beat. "What other boy?"

Jane turned around and went to the side wall, pulling back a flap that Alex didn't even notice. "This boy."

Alex walked over to the hidden room to see Sora lying in a hammock with a hot cloth on his forehead. He was sleeping, but Alex quickly put an end to his peaceful slumber by yelling, "SORA!" Sora's eyes opened and he jumped out of the hammock, summoning his Keyblade.

"Jesus! Calm down it's me," Alex held his hands up. Tarzan gripped his spear, wondering how the boy's weapon had appeared from thin air.

"Alex," Sora smiled and put away his Keyblade. The two friends shared a quick hug, but, just as quickly, separated.

"Where did you find him?" Alex asked Jane.

"I found him knocked out on the campground. I heard an awful racket outside and went to investigate. I found him, lying on the ground with a few cuts on his forehead."

Alex was surprised that that was all Sora got from his fall. Maybe being the Keybearer had a hand in that.

"So, are you boys here to study the gorillas?" Jane asked.

What? Alex thought. Why would I study gorillas?

Alex looked at Sora, who seemed just as puzzled by the question as Alex was.

Alex was about to speak when the tent flap opened and a British voice entered the room saying, "Highly doubtful."

Jane looked up and over Sora as the two boys turned around to see who had spoken. A tall, burly man with slicked back hair entered the room carrying a shotgun. Alex knew by the looks of his outfit and weapons that the man was a hunter. Even more surprising, walking behind the hunter, was Donald and Goofy. Alex and Sora smiled with relief that they were okay.

Goofy looked over the hunter's shoulder and yelled, "Alex! Sora!"

"Goofy! Donald!," Alex and Sora cried out. Alex ran over and almost tackled Goofy with a hug and Sora ran over to Donald, ready to embrace the duck. But the events that had occurred on the Gummi Ship stopped either one of them from going any further. Instead, the two scowled at each other, turned on the balls of their feet, and folded their arms, not looking at the other. Alex and Goofy stood in between them, not knowing which side to take. Jane looked at the team oddly, not knowing what was going on and the British hunter laughed aloud.

"A circus of clowns," The hunter waved his hand around in a dismissive manner and began to exit the tent. "Not much use for hunting gorillas."

Jane took offense to that remark and put her hands on her hips. "Mr. Clayton, allow me to jog your memory. We are here to study them, not to hunt them. This is research!"

Realizing the hunter wasn't listening to a word she had said, Jane rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. She put on a happy face and turned to her new guests. "Well, the more the merrier. Do make yourselves at home."

Donald and Sora made no indication that they had heard her, so Jane shrugged her shoulders and slowly walked out of the tent, Tarzan following behind her. Alex looked at Goofy, who was looking at his teammates one at a time, and gave him a look asking, What are we going to do?

Sora, wanting to be the first to break the silence, said, "Well anyway."

"I'm staying." The words slipped out of both, Donald Duck and Sora's, mouths and the two looked at each other in surprise. The outcome of the short conversation had not been what either of them wanted to hear.

Goofy decided to change the subject by pulling out the Gummi block he had found earlier and cupping it in his hands. He tapped on Alex's shoulder, who in turn, tapped on Sora's.

"Look what Donald and I found," Goofy held up the block. "Look at this."

Alex and Sora looked at the odd shaped block as it sparkled in the tent. Alex found it hard to believe that spaceships could be made out of such oddly shaped material.

"Gummi block, right?" Alex said. "Where did you find it?"

"We found it where we landed," Donald said, not wanting to rehash the details of his experience with the gorilla.

"Wait a second," Sora said. "What is a Gummi block doing in a backwater place this?" Sora stole a glance at Donald who was growling under his breath.

Alex got what Sora was hinting at. "So, that means your king could be here."

"Yep," Goofy nodded happily.

"We have to work together to look for him," Donald said. He narrowed his eyes as they fell upon the Keybearer. "For now."

Sora copied the look right back at Donald, saying, "Fine! I'll let you tag along. For now."

Alex knew this was going to be a recipe for disaster.

Alex led the way out of the tent as he got a better look at his surroundings. He saw Jane showing Tarzan the drawing she had made of him and he touched the blackboard with great interest. Then, he picked up a piece of chalk and started to lick it and his tongue reeled back in disgust. Jane could do nothing but giggle. Alex went past the enormous pile of boxes to a corner of the campsite that had a grandfather clock and table with Elizabethan tea cups. Clayton was sitting at the table sipping his tea with a very pompous look on his face. Alex walked over to him and surprisingly, Goofy followed him. This caused Sora and Donald to wander off to different parts of the campsite, not wanting to be left alone with each other.

Alex pulled up a chairs for him and Goofy to sit in before he said, "So, Jane is here to study gorillas. Why are you here if you don't mind me asking?"

Clayton set down his teacup and gave a slight giggle. "Well, you certainly don't beat around the bush do you. I'm here as a bodyguard to Miss Porter. Her father payed top dollar for the best out there and here I am."

Goofy gulped before he spoke and said, "Gawrsh, you seem pretty sure of yourself. I wish I was like that."

Clayton smiled at Goofy. "Well, when you've seen the things I've seen. Witnessed what I've witnessed. Then you wouldn't be so surprised."

"What have you seen?" Goofy asked.

"I was a soldier to begin with," Clayton explained. "Many days I spent fighting and that was the only thing you could do to survive as a soldier. It's killed or be killed on the battlefield and I don't prefer to be killed."

Goofy understood Clayton's philosophy quite well. It was mostly the same as what his instructors told him about war. Although Goofy knew it was true, it still didn't make him feel any better about fighting. Alex had learned enough about world wars to know what Clayton was talking about.

"I notice you carry a shotgun," Alex said. "Is that part of the whole bodyguard gig?"

Clayton nodded. "This double-barreled beauty has been with me for as long as I can remember and gotten me out of a few touch scrapes as well."

Alex gave Clayton a fake smile. He knew exactly why the so called bodyguard was here. He was here to hunt the gorillas. Like most kids in grade school at the time, Alex had seen the movie Tarzan and remembered the villain sitting right in front of him. The smug smile on Clayton's face made Alex want to grind his fist into it.

"Alex!" The brown haired boy rolled his eyes as he recognized the frustrated voice of Sora. He gave a quick "Excuse me" to the hunter and made his way to the other side of the campsite. Alex turned the corner made by the giant pile of boxes and saw Tarzan sniffing Sora continuously. He turned his head to the side to see Donald Duck on his back laughing hysterically.

Sora pushed Tarzan away making hand motions. "Dude, there is a personal bubble right here. And you just popped it."

Tarzan smiled at Sora. "Bubble? What is a bubble? I don't see it."

Sora sighed, realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere with the jungle man. He saw Alex and gave him a look asking "What did I do?". Alex just shook his head.

Sora walked up to Jane who was standing in front of the sketch Tarzan made and asked, "So, why can't he understand us all that well?"

Jane turned to the boy saying, "Apparently, Tarzan was raised in this jungle by the gorillas."

Goofy, who had just finished chatting with Clayton, said, "Gee, how is that possible?"

"If your parents could raise you, Goofy, then anything is possible," Donald said. Goofy gasped at Donald who just shrugged his shoulders.

"Communicating with Tarzan is still a bit of a chore," Jane explained. "But he is learning."

Alex remembered the strange grunts that Tarzan made on their first meeting and said, "So he was speaking gorilla back there. That explains a lot."

Jane nodded. "Tarzan tells me that you are looking for your friends."

Sora glanced at Alex who said, "I asked him if he knew where Riku and Kairi were and then he went into ape mode so I just assumed he knew where they were."

Goofy put his hand against his head. "I wonder what that word could be." The others took a moment of silence to see if they could come up with any ideas.

Finally, Jane's eyes brightened and she said, "Why don't we use the slide projector in the tent?"

Donald narrowed his eyes. "How is that going to help?"

Jane was a little annoyed by the duck's pessimism, but explained, "I have many slides, so why don't we just show Tarzan them and see if any of them match up with the word he's trying to say."

"Well, I like it," Alex said.

"I still don't know if it'll work," Donald grumbled.

"Got any better ideas, genius?" Sora growled. Donald just folded his arms, angry that he didn't have one.

The group made their way to the tent and entered. Jane quickly gathered up slides from her pile of books and held them in her hand. She put one in and dimmed the lamp illuminating the small space. A beam of light shot out from the projector and landed on the tent wall opposite the projector. The first image was of a woman in elegant clothing being presented flowers by a man who was kneeling. Tarzan looked over at Jane who blushed. Alex couldn't help but give a slight giggle at the sight of that.

The next image was one that Tarzan grunted in delight at. The image of a gorilla shone on the blank tent wall. Quickly, the image shifted to a ship that reminded Alex of naval battles between France and Britain. He didn't find it a coincidence that Jane had an image of one. He didn't have much time to ponder history as the image shifted to one of two men in fencers masks, swords drawn at one another. The picture reminded Alex of the duels he would have with Sora and Riku on the islands.

The last image was of a majestic castle, surrounded by pine trees and white mist giving it a haunting feel. This picture caught Alex's interest. He wasn't sure why, but the picture gave him a sense of familiarity. He couldn't understand why he was having this feeling because he was sure that he had never seen this place before in his life.

The picture shifted back to the wall of the tent and Alex felt relieved to be free of the weird feeling. Jane took the slides and set them off to the side and she turned to Tarzan asking, "Well, Tarzan does that mean anything to you?"

Tarzan had a blank stare on his face as he looked at Alex and Sora. Sora was shifting his position in nervousness and Alex tried to find any hint of a smile on Tarzan's face. Unfortunately, he could find none.

"Where are my friends, Riku and Kairi?" Sora asked, desperate to hear any mention of his friends.

Tarzan kept gazing at Sora until he closed his eyes and shook his head. Alex and Sora gasped.

"Wait a second," Alex said. "I thought-."

"That leaves just one place." Alex turned around to see Clayton entering the tent. "Young man, we have been in this jungle for some time now. But we have yet to encounter these friends of yours."

Sora hung his head down in defeat as Clayton continued. "I'd wager they're with the gorillas, but Tarzan refuses to take us to them."

Jane touched Tarzan's arm saying, "Really Mr. Clayton. Tarzan wouldn't hide-."

"Then take us there," Clayton interrupted. "Take us to the gorillas."

Tarzan took a look away from the hunter and looked at the two boys. He could tell by their faces that they cared very much about their friends and would do anything to find them. But was that worth the safety of his own friends? Tarzan eventually caved in and nodded.

Jane blinked in surprise. "Tarzan, are you sure?"

Tarzan turned to Jane. "Tarzan go see Kerchak."

"Kerchak?"

Clayton smiled. "He must be the leader of the pack. Perfect! I'll go along as an escort. After all the jungle is a dangerous place."

Alex was the only one who caught a glimpse of Clayton's devilish smile. The boy knew that he was going to have to stop Clayton sooner or later. But how was he going to do that without revealing everything to Sora? He knew that if he let things carry on as they were he would put Tarzan, Jane, and all of the gorillas in danger. Alex struggled to make a decision, but ultimately decided to let things carry on. After all, with the skills he and the rest of his friends had, one single hunter would be nothing to them. Alex would have put the thought to rest and stop worrying except for one small fact.

Ever since this journey had started, nothing had ever been as easy as Alex expected it to be.