Okay, so two days after Christmas. Forgive me? I was busy with my brand new 3DS! Maybe I'll get to play the next Kingdom Hearts after all! But anyway, moving on to the chapter. Hope your Holidays went well, and have a Happy New Year!

Tulio: "DarthKingdom doesn't own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, or Square Enix."

Miguel: "Nor does he own Dreamworks or any of its properties."

!

Chapter 113: A Proper Tribute

The following morning dawned bright and new on El Dorado. The local people had started their days early, as always, and were going about their business in the streets below.

In the gods' temple, Kairi awoke when Sora slightly shifted his weight against her. She opened her eyes sleepily to see Sora stretching his arms over his head and yawning. She scooted toward him, and wrapped her arms around his waist. He started, and then laid back down with her.

"Morning, Princess." He said softly, kissing her forehead.

"Morning, Prince." She returned, grinning.

"Morning, Honey!" Miguel exclaimed comically as he walked by them, making them leap to their feet. He laughed.

"There's no privacy in this group." Sora grumbled, making Kairi giggle.

"Well, that means that you can do the same to those four over there." Miguel pointed to the other side of the room. The two followed his finger, and grinned.

Most of the room's occupants were still asleep. Yuffie was leaning against some pillows propped against a pillar. Riku's head was on her lap, and their hands were interlaced even in sleep. They both wore small smiles of contentment.

But Sora was more amused with Nehrut and Bariss. They had mirrored Sora and Kairi, and had their arms wrapped tightly around each other in their sleep. He had his head resting on top of hers.

"When will they fess up already?" Kairi wondered.

"This has been going on for a while?" Miguel asked.

"Yeah, pretty much since the second they met, but neither one of them wants to admit there's something there."

"Chicken?"

"Yep."

The female chicken chose that moment to wake up in the arms of the male one. She stirred just slightly, and opened her eyes to see the blurred image of Nehrut's face mere inches away from her own, slightly obscured by her own long blonde hair hanging over it.

For a few seconds she gazed at him, before realizing that there was an audience watching her. She leapt backwards off of him, letting out a kind of tiny yelp as she moved away from the sleeping telepath.

The laughter of the others woke the rest of the room, including the aforementioned telepath, whose eyes flew open instantly, catching sight of the girl he had inadvertently been snuggling with. He blushed brightly when he realized what must have happened.

Amidst all the laughter, a new face entered the temple through the closed curtains. It took Sora a moment to recognize Tzekel-Khan past his mask. He shuddered when he realized that it was fashioned from a human skull, with both eyeholes made into a single large slit that he could look through. Five golden fin-like pieces stretched from the top of the skull, and curled back behind his head, reminding Sora oddly of Larxene.

"Good morning, my Lords!" He greeted enthusiastically, and the laughing came to a sudden, jarring halt. He walked directly toward Miguel and Tulio, and stopped a few feet away to give them a reverent bow. "The masses are all assembled for your ceremony this morning."

"Ceremo... oh, right, the uh... ceremony." Tulio stuttered. "Uh, lead the way."

Tzekel-Khan bowed again, and led them all out of the temple and along several less-travelled streets to their destination: A smaller temple built into the side of a mountain. They entered through it, and after a few moments, emerged on the other side of it.

They stood on a thick stone platform, which jutted out over a the largest whirlpool Sora had ever seen outside of Port Royal. It sat far below the platform, wedged in a small valley-like area between the mountain they stood at, and the larger hills nearby. On the hills across from them, what looked like the entire population of El Dorado was assembled in stone bleachers.

Chief Tannabok was waiting for them, and bowed to Miguel and Tulio when they arrived. Tzekel-Khan didn't spare him a glance as he walked to the very edge of the platform. In a thundering voice that echoed across the area, he cried, "The gods have awakened!"

The people cheered loudly, leaping up and down in their seats. As they did, Chel walked from the temple entrance that they had used, and which the majority of them were still situated by. She was holding a round tray with violet flower petals inside. She quickly moved over toward Miguel and Tulio, and scattered the petals at their feet.

"Hey, Chel?" Sora asked in a whisper. "What's going on?"

"It's not gonna be good."

"This city has been granted a great blessing!" Tzekel-Khan continued, oblivious to the hushed conversation going on about ten feet behind him. "And what have we done to show our gratitude?"

"So, local hospitality isn't good enough?" Axel wondered. As he said it, three servants emerged from the entryway carrying something between them.

"The gods deserve a proper tribute!" Tzekel-Khan shouted when the servants set their burden in front of him. Sitting on a large round tray of pure gold was a large cloth sack. It was tied up with a long blue ribbon, and had a wreath of flowers over it.

Miguel and Tulio looked at each other with matching grins, wondering what sort of 'tribute' they were in for.

Whatever they had guessed at was as unexpected as Tzekel-Khan's next actions. He raised his hands to the sky, and clenched his fists. Sora heard Riku audibly gasp next to him, and understood why less than a second afterword. The air around the high priest visibly darkened, until he almost seemed to be standing in his own nighttime atmosphere.

Tzekel-Khan made sweeping motions with his arms, and an eerie green light gathered around the sack. Unnatural vapor rolled around it, and green jolts of energy occasionally crackled around the sack.

Sora understood now that this man knew sorcery. He could feel the Dark power radiating off of him. While he wasn't as easily able to, nor as ready, as Riku to sense such things, he was accurate enough to gauge Tzekel-Khan's power as being on about the same level as Maleficent, Merlin, or the Horned King. He shuddered when he realized that he may have been on par with Yen Sid himself.

Sora revised his view of the man very quickly.

"The beginning of a new era, the dawning of a new age, demands..." Tzekel-Khan continued on with his spell. He waved his hands hard in front of him, and the sack vanished in a flash of bright green. Revealed to be kneeling there was a dazed-looking middle-aged man; his wrists bound by thin rope. "Sacrifice!"

There were gasps and shouts of surprise when people caught sight of the man. Chief Tannabok in particular looked horrified. Tzekel-Khan held his hand over the man's shaven head, and raised him to his feet through some unknown magic. He picked up a sword-like weapon (known as a macuahuitl) from the ground that bore a slight resemblance to the Fenrir Keyblade, and prodded the man in the back, moving him forward toward the edge of the platform.

"I don't like this..." Tulio muttered.

"We've got to do something." Miguel urged.

Sora summoned Oblivion and took a step forward. Tzekel-Khan raised his weapon high, poised to strike. Before he had a chance to chop down, and before Sora could move any further, Miguel shouted, "STOP!"

Tzekel-Khan and Sora both froze, and the latter hurriedly dismissed the Keyblade.

Miguel and Tulio walked toward Tzekel-Khan, with their arms raised over their heads as though requesting silence. "This is not a proper tribute!" Tulio barked at the high priest as Miguel walked past him. He caught the would-be-sacrificed man as he passed out, and fell backwards.

"You do not want the tribute?" Tzekel-Khan asked confusedly. Sora found his tone unusual, as if he'd never been taught that murder was wrong.

"N- No, we want tribute." Miguel corrected, guiding the man over toward Tannabok, who set him gently on the ground. "It's just um... Tulio, tell him!"

Tulio shot him an annoyed look, and hurriedly tried to come up with something. Sora beat him to it, and took a few wide, quick steps toward them. "The stars are not in position for this particular tribute!"

"And they won't be for a while yet." Riku added, joining his friend. "Not for another seven years or so."

"Like they said!" Miguel agreed. "Stars. Can't do it. Not today."

Tzekel-Khan met Sora's eyes, and then Tulio's. Both were giving him disappointed, 'not amused' looks. This seemed to make him miraculously humble; he pressed his hands together before him, as if praying for forgiveness. His voice was low, subdued, and apologetic when he next spoke.

"Well, perhaps it is possible that I misread the heavens."

"Don't worry about it!" Miguel replied, walking up and patting him on the shoulder. "To err is human, to forgive..."

"My Lords!" Chief Tannabok spoke, drawing their attention back to him. Sora noted that he didn't look confused or unhappy about the events that had just transpired. His expression was one of intermingled satisfaction, relief, smugness, and barely repressed joy. "We, the people of El Dorado would like to offer you our tribute."

The main group stepped slightly to the side of the entrance as at least a dozen servant women stepped through it. Every one of them carried a golden tray in their arms. These trays were piled high with numerous gold ornaments, that included pots, jewelry, headpieces, and all other manner of highly valuable trinkets.

When the sunlight struck them, Sora had to shield his eyes, the glare was so great. Miguel and Tulio gaped, and stupid grins appeared on their faces at the sight of such treasure. Donald wore a similar expression, and was trembling all over from excitement. He would have probably ran directly toward them if Goofy hadn't been holding him back.

"My Lords," Tannabok asked humbly, "Does this please you?"

Tulio looked as if he were about to pass out. Hastily, Sora elbowed him in the ribs. He caught himself, "Uh, acceptable. It'll do."

"The gods have chosen!" Tannabok proclaimed proudly. He looked at Miguel and Tulio. "To Xibalba?"

Sora had no idea what that meant, and he doubted that Miguel and Tulio did either. But they were clearly too excited to care, and shouted together, "To Xibalba!"

The audience cheered, and the cheering was soon replaced by excited chanting, "Xibalba! Xibalba, Xibalba..."

The servants formed two lines starting at the temple entrance, and Sora noted that dozens more were awaiting inside. They walked slowly forward, carrying their trays toward Miguel and Tulio at the platform's edge. The first one stopped a few feet away from them...

And threw the contents of her tray over their heads, and into the whirlpool.

This process continued for a few seconds with the other servents. Miguel and Tulio watched their tribute flying down into the whirlpool to be lost forever, with shocked and confused expressions on their faces.

Chel walked up to them, with a look that suggested that they were complete and utter morons.

"Hey Chel, um..." Miguel stuttered, still not tearing his eyes from the whirlpool. "What are they doing?"

"They're sending it to Xibalba." She hissed. "The spirit world!"

For some reason, this struck Sora as incredibly funny. He snorted once, and then repressed it, barely. But not far away, he could hear the soft snickering and giggling of his friends. Turning to look, he discovered that they were all trying and failing to hide the fact that they were highly amused (except Donald, who looked like he might cry). Fortunately, none of the locals were looking in their direction, and so couldn't find this suspicious.

"Spirit world..." Tulio began, looking as though he would cry.

"I'll take care of it." Chel said. She walked over to Chief Tannabok, who was watching the whole spectacle with pride. She tapped him lightly on the arm to catch his attention. She spoke softly. "Excuse me, Chief? The gods have changed their minds about Xibalba. They wish to bask in the reverence that has been shown them."

Tannabok looked as if this was a slightly odd request, but the expression soon vanished. Raising his arms, he bellowed, "STOP!"

All the activity came to a stop immediately, save for one round golden tray that had rolled from someone's hands, and was making its way toward the edge. Tulio abruptly raised his foot the instant before it went over, and held it in place.

"They wish to bask!" The Chief finished, beaming. "Take the tribute to the gods' temple!"

The servants turned around, and began the walk back to the temple that was Miguel and Tulio's temporary home. Chel skipped innocently back to the two 'gods' wearing a smile that bore only a trace of smugness. They smiled admiringly to her.

"Nice going." Tulio whispered.

They walked casually back to the entrance built into the mountain, and Sora and his group followed them. Before they left, Sora noticed that Chief Tannabok was smiling smugly at Tzekel-Khan, who hadn't left the platform since his tribute had been rejected.

It may have been a trick of the wind, but Sora thought he heard the high priest's hushed voice whisper to the chief's departing back.

"Smile while you can."

!

It had taken the better part of an hour and a half for all the tribute to be loaded into the temple, and another five minutes just for all of the servants to weave around the huge piles of gold to get to the exit, and get down the pyramid's side.

But the second they were gone, Miguel and Tulio started dancing around the room like excited school girls, chanting some kind of private mantra.

"Tons of gold for you –HA! Tons of gold for me –HA! Tons of gold for we –HA!"

As they continued about on this private sort of ritual, the off-worlders took their time examining the mountains of treasure, which occupied more than three quarters of the huge room.

Donald immediately threw himself into the nearest pile as a kid might do to a stack of leaves in autumn. He rolled around in it for the better part of five minutes, ignoring everything else around him, though nobody was actually attempting to grab his attention, knowing that it would be a futile effort. Still, Mickey and Goofy were nearby to make sure he didn't hurt himself.

Axel also seemed interested, but not to the point of obsession. He'd found a long golden scepter among the treasures, and was holding it up to the light for examination. When it let off a little spark of electricity, he hastily dropped it, his thoughts going back to the oracle which was still resting in the Agrabah palace.(1)

Riku walked among the massive piles of gold, not particularly caring what was there. He didn't care very much about munny, despite the fact that they were sitting on a massive fortune here. He idly scanned the sparkling treasures with a bored expression, until his eyes caught sight of something particularly shiny.

It was a shining ring sitting in a small, velvet-lined box. It was a bright golden band, which was engraved with small patterns resembling tiny flowers. Set into the top was a sparkling emerald jewel.

After checking that nobody was looking, he subtly slipped the ring and its box into his jeans pocket.

"Wachya doing?" Yuffie asked when he came back into sight. She had been examining a long, thin, golden dagger with a sapphire jewel in the hilt.

"Nothing." Riku replied with a smile. For apparently no reason, he placed a quick kiss on her cheek. She gave him a curious look, and he kissed her again, this time on the lips.

Across the room, Sora had found a bracelet. It was fairly simple, just a golden band about two inches thick, encrusted with small, violet jewels across its length. He looked closely at it, and then decided that it would look nice on her, if she'd take it.

A slender pair of arms suddenly wrapped around his waist from behind. He wasn't particularly surprised. He had felt Kairi there. "What're you doing?"

He placed the small item of jewelry in one of her hands, and she released her hold on him so that she could look at it properly. When she realized the valuable item that she was holding, she smiled at him. "You always know what I like, don't you?"

"You have good taste." He commented, grinning.

She slipped the bracelet onto her left wrist (not her right, Sora noted) and held it up to the sunlight pouring in through one of the 'windows' in the wall. The violet gems flashed briefly. She then draped her arms over Sora's shoulders, and smiled at him, her blue eyes meeting his.

"Thank you." She placed a gentle kiss to his lips, and ran her fingers lovingly through his spiky hair.

They didn't come up for air until the sound of Miguel and Tulio's ecstatic laughter reached their ears. "We just became richer than the King of Spain!" Tulio was saying.

"Yeah, you know, speaking of kings," Miguel added, "The chief and high priest seemed a little tense."

"Buenas dies!" Tulio replied with a laugh. "Look, all we have to do is keep playing the one against the other! You know, do a little god dance, chant some mystic mumbo-jumbo, dazzle them with some smoke and mirrors, and then get out of here and back to Spain!"

"Hey, uh… how are you going to get all this stuff back to Spain?" Goofy asked.

The two cons looked over at him. "Ah... mmmm..."

!

"A boat?" Tannabok repeated.

"Yeah." Tulio replied.

Miguel and Tulio were seated in the chief's private chambers deep in the heart of the city. Sora, Kairi, and Mickey were standing behind them, just trying to look important. Sora found the dark blue and green walls of the chamber to have a calming effect, and it spoke volumes about the man himself.

"We really hate to be ascending so soon," Miguel continued, "But some urgent business has come up. Family matters and all that and uh, yeah."

"Badda bing, badda boom, you know what I mean." Tulio finished.

"Oh, we expected you to be staying with us for the next," Tannabok shrugged. "Thousand years."

Sora snorted slightly in laughter, but nobody else caught it –save for Mickey, who smiled, but held his tongue.

"Well, as we say in the spirit world," Tulio replied apologetically, "There's your plan, and then there's the gods' plan. And our plan calls for a boat."

"Because we're going to ascend in kind of a horizontal pattern first." Sora added. "And then we'll go vertical as we get further out to sea."

Miguel subtly hid his mouth behind his hand, acting as if he were brushing it across his face, in an attempt to hide his amused grin.

"Hmm..." Tannabok looked as if he was trying to calculate something in his head. "To build a boat large and glorious enough would take about a week."

"A week?" Tulio repeated. He put his hand to his chin as if in thought. He looked over his shoulder to Mickey. Half-muttering, he asked him, "How long do you think it'd take Tzekel-Khan to do it?"

The chief heard him, and did some rapid recalculations. "But for the gods... Three days."

"Well, if that's the best you can do." Miguel answered before Tulio could say anything else to move the deadline up.

Deciding that she'd mess with him a little, Kairi leaned down between them. "Well, maybe if we weren't weighted down with so much tribute, we could leave a bit sooner, my Lords."

Now Sora was the one who had to hide his grin.

"I like it here!" Tulio quickly replied. "Miguel?"

"Yep, yep, three days is just fine, chief."

!

This movie had so many chuckle-worthy moments that I can't even count them.

1) Shame. If he had held onto it for about five more seconds, he would have single-handedly destroyed all Darkness in the worlds and made President of the Universe for his bravery.

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