GAH! I keep telling myself I wouldn't be lazy!

...But whatever, here's the next chapter.

The ruins sat near the mines, there was plenty of vegetation growing around them. Statues stood by, resembling the Kongs who once lived there. However, there were also Kremlings swarming around it, bringing bananas into the ruins.

Outside the ruins, Krusha was sitting down, thinking of last night. Was it really OK to steal the bananas? He didn't completely understand what the plan was for, but knowing K. Rool, the crocodile always had something up his sleeve.

Nearby the cave entrance, he saw two Kongs walking on the path leading to the ruins. They both seemed a little exhausted. Krusha recognized them both as Donkey Kong and...the little kid from before. They walked a short distance before finally settling down and resting.

Krusha was told to watch for intruders the outside of the ruins until the Kremlings were done, but curiosity got the better of him and he started walking up to the Kongs. At least he knows that the kid from before was alright. But even so, they were still his enemies and he needed to take care of them, quickly.

After having to deal with those creepy Krocrocks, the Kongs were sitting down, simply just relaxing. Donkey was looking up at the sky, it had to be noon, if not the afternoon.

Beside Donkey, Diddy was drawing in the dirt with a stick. The monkey wasn't a very good artist, but it did keep him away from boredom. Donkey peaked over Diddy's shoulder. It looked like stick figure fighting a blob with a beak. It didn't take too long until Diddy's tail became frizzy, he erased the drawing and glared up at Donkey. "Do you mind!?"

"What? I thought it was pretty good," Donkey said, sounding honest. Diddy rolled his eyes, "You're only saying that!"

"How would you know!?" Donkey argued.

"You're my uncle, you're s'posed to say things like that."

"But I'm serious, I thought it was pretty good."

"Fine, then I'd like to see you draw something!" Diddy growled as he handed Donkey the stick. The big ape shrugged, "Fine, I will."

Donkey began to draw something, it wasn't drawn very well, but it resembled a lizard. Afterwards, the big ape began drawing two other characters...they weren't as good, but they seemed to resemble himself as well as Diddy. The monkey stared at the drawing with amusement.

"You know, kid...you've gotta stop expecting the worse," Donkey said as he continued drawing, "I know you don't think you're strong, but believe me, it takes more than muscle to beat the bad guys."

"Well, maybe I wanna be muscular when I'm older," Diddy argued. Donkey let out a small chuckle, "Well, I won't stop you there. But trust me, it takes more than strength alone just to beat the bad guys. There's those Zelda games, where the main hero of the game has to rely on courage to get through places. There are the Mario Brothers, who mostly rely on jumping. And to top it all off, I hear stories of a hedgehog being able to beat bad guys with speed, alone."

When Donkey was done with his drawing, he placed his stick down. In his drawing, it looked like Donkey was fighting over bananas with the Kremling King somewhere within the jungle. Behind the Kremling King was Diddy, who was attacking him with a kick to the head. This made Diddy smile, knowing how supportive Donkey was...even if Diddy knew, himself, he was the weakest Kong on the island.

"uh..." The Kongs looked up and noticed a large blue Kremling standing next to them, it was Krusha. Diddy quickly hid behind Donkey while the big ape stood up, preparing himself to fight the blue Kremling.

"Wait, I don't mean to hurt nobody," Krusha said, raising his arms in defense.

"Double negative! That means you do wanna hurt someone!" Diddy argued. Krusha shook his head, "No, I don't, honest!"

"Then why'd you come over here!?" Donkey roared. Krusha began to think, "Uh...There are things in the ruins. They looks like big hamster wheels, but with beavers, instead."

Donkey stared at him with a deadpan expression. "Beavers? Really?"

"Uh-huh," Krusha said, nodding, "Uh...you two be careful, there is also a bird in there...a really scary bird..."

"Krusha!" a group of Kritters called out to the blue crocodile, "Come on, we have to go!"

Krusha nodded and followed the Kritters without any arguement. Donkey and Diddy looked at each other in confusion.

"What were they doing in the ruins?" Diddy asked. Donkey replied with a shrug, "I dunno, but we should probably get going, especially if what Krusha said was true."

Diddy turned pale, "You mean you WANT to be attacked by a scary bird?"

"Well, that bird might have our bananas in there." Donkey said, looking over at the ruins, "And from what happened with Very Gnawty, I don't think the next guy wants to have a simple chat with us."

Diddy nodded, "Point taken."

"Don't worry, Little Buddy...we'll be just fine." Donkey said in a positive tone. He allowed Diddy to climb on his back, again and began heading into the ruins. However, when Diddy looked around, he noticed a couple more Neckies fly by. Looking back at Donkey, even the older Kong seemed a little uncomfortable by them.

As the Kongs made their way through the ruins, the inside of it became darker and darker. The only light given off was from the cracks in the wall. Donkey had to admit, he wasn't good at finding his way through dark places. He continued to feel his way through. The sooner they find sunlight, the better.

"Uh...not to scare you or anything, but what if there's a trap in here?" Diddy asked, curiously.

"I said we'll be fine," Donkey said, "I'm pretty sure there aren't any traps, in this place, since it's so old."

Donkey stepped on a loose stone. As it went down, arrows flew past them. Donkey ducked while Diddy yelped, nearly falling of the big ape. Donkey tried to process what happened.

"...You were saying?" Diddy asked, sarcastically. Donkey smiled, pathetically, "OK, NOW I'm sure there aren't any traps...I think."

"You'd better be right about this! I have a feeling the author might try to kill us."

"OK, now you're speaking nonsense!"

As if on cue, a trap door appeared below the Kongs. Donkey looked down, still floating in the air for almost 5 seconds before falling. Both Kongs could be heard screaming until they made it onto another floor. Donkey landed on his face, which gave him a bruise.

"You OK?" Diddy asked with concern. Donkey sat up from his spot, rubbing his bruise, "Damn...that thing got me good."

The Kongs began to hear squeaking. They looked up from behind them, they saw 5 different millstones, sitting on top of the ramp. Donkey stepped back a little, before running. The millstones made their way after the Kongs, each of them contained a Gnawty.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Donkey yelled in annoyance. He had to find his way out of the ruins if he wanted to escape from those millstones.

"Look! Up ahead!" Diddy yelled. There were a couple vines, hanging from the ceiling. Donkey began to dash over to the vines. If he could find his way over to those vines, he would be just fine.

Gathering as much speed as he could, the big ape tried desperately to grab the vines. Unfortunately, he fell down into the pit, he was barely able to land on his feet.

"Sorry, DK," Diddy said, apologetically. The Millstones began making their way downwards, still chasing the Kongs. Donkey began running, yet again. He had to admit, all this running was tiring him out.

Ahead of them, they could see pits. Most of these pits looked very deep, falling in could be a disaster. Donkey began to jump over the first pit, then the second one...and then the third one. On the fourth one, however, he nearly grabbed onto the ledge. He was having a hard time getting himself out. It wouldn't take long until the millstones appeared.

"Here!" Diddy jumped off Donkey's back, offering the big ape his hand, "I'll try to pull you out!"

Without a second thought, Donkey grabbed onto Diddy's hand, trying to lift himself out. Diddy looked like he was struggling, he felt like his back would give out. And to make things worse, the millstones weren't too far off, now.

Donkey managed to pull himself out of the pit. He grabbed Diddy and practically threw him onto his back, "Thanks, kid!"

As the Kongs continued to run, they found another obstacle in their way. It was a wall, covered in vines. Of course, for a gorilla, it wasn't a big challenge. Donkey began climbing the vines. Slowly, but surely, the big ape managed to get away from the millstones, which crashed through the wall.

Donkey sighed in relief as he continued to climb the vines. The vines actually led him into a big, spacious room. In this room, there was a lot of light. In fact, the ceiling was practically gone from this room.

"Sorry, DK," Diddy said, frowning. "If only I found a way to glide over to those vines, I would've helped you." The younger Kong looked down at his own feet, "I'm sorry for being so useless."

"You're not useless," Donkey argued, "You were just trying to find a way outta there, even if it didn't work."

"Yeah...but we could've been killed, back there." Diddy said.

"I think you're apologizing a little too much, Little Buddy," Donkey said, petting Diddy's head, "Just try not to worry about it, OK?"

Diddy nodded, "OK."

Donkey began to grin, "Besides, one more hit and I could've-"

A large nut fell on to Donkey's head, knocking him out. Curious, Diddy picked up the nut and examined it, it was probably the size of a watermelon. Where could this thing come from?

"Well well, looks like I've gotten my appetizer and my lunch."

Diddy looked up at where he heard the voice. His tail dropped to the floor as he saw a giant Necky looking down at them, it was probably bigger then a house, it could hardly fit in the room. This Necky was non other then Master Necky.

"What's the matter? Afraid I've knocked out your friend?" Master Necky said, playfully. Diddy stared at him with wide eyes, he was unable to speak.

"Huh...well, since you're young, I'll give you the honors of being eaten, first," Master Necky said as he tried to eat Diddy. The monkey ran in a panicked state, he screamed as the Necky tried to eat him. "Hold still, you little brat!"

Diddy continued scurrying around like a helpless mouse. Thinking about it, the monkey hasn't really fought with something like this, on his own, or anyone, for that matter. He hid behind a group of tires, nearby. Neckies were very overwhelming, he had to admit. I'm sorry, DK...I wasn't brave enough to help...

"Giving up, already?" Master Necky teased. He looked over at Donkey, who was still unconscious. "If that's the case, then I'll be eating your friend, first."

Diddy was shaking, badly, he wasn't sure what to do, now. If Master Necky had knocked him out, Donkey would certainly find away to help. But since it's the other way around, Diddy had to come up with something. Anything to get rid of the Necky.

Master Necky was about to eat Donkey Kong. But before he could do so, he felt someone tugging onto his feathers. He lifted his wing, noticing that Diddy was clinging onto him. "L-leave him alone, Bird Brain!"

"Oh, so you've come to fight me, after all," The Necky said, "In that case, this should be very easy."

The Necky tried to peck Diddy, only to have the monkey jump onto another feather. Master Necky flapped his wing, Knocking Diddy against the wall. The monkey looked very dazed. He looked in front of him, he noticed a rubber tire was stuck in the ground, laying on its side.

Again, Master Necky tried to eat Donkey, again. Diddy thought fast and jumped onto the tire, which sent himhigh into the air. The monkey landed on Master Necky's head and began to pound him, though it seemed rather useless.

"It's going to take more then that to stop me~!" Master Necky said in a sang-song voice. He shook his head and allowed Diddy to fall to the ground. The monkey didn't get it, how could he be losing? He was trying to use all his strength to beat the Necky, so why didn't it work?

I know you don't think you're strong, but believe me, it takes more than muscle to beat the bad guys.

That was it, Donkey's words seemed to be echoing through Diddy's head. If strength didn't work, the monkey had to try something else. He grabbed the large nut Master Necky used to knock Donkey out. Without hesitation, Diddy began to jump on the tire, once more.

Again, Master Necky was facing Donkey. A look of annoyance was across his face, "Now I'm going to eat you primates, if that's the last thing I do!"

Diddy jumped as high as he could on the tire, he threw the large nut at Master Necky's head, gaining his attention. "You, again!?"

"Well? What are you waiting for!?" Diddy asked in a playful tone, "There's a tasty little monkey right over here."

"Oh, so you've finally given up? That's perfectly fine," Master Necky said as he tried to eat Diddy. The monkey jumped over the Necky's head, landing on the ground. "You've gotta catch me, first!"

Growling in fustration, Master Necky began chasing Diddy. He wasn't going to let his dinner get away from him.

Meanwhile, Donkey woke up, rubbing his sore head. What a weird dream...I could have sworn the Kremlings were here...

He looked around, the big ape couldn't believe his eyes. On the opposite side of the room, Diddy was jumping in front of the Necky, like he was actually teasing him.

"C'mon, I know you can catch me!" Diddy teased. As soon as Necky dashed over to the monkey, the Necky ran into the wall, causing small cracks to appear. ran towards another wall, "What's the matter? am I too fast for you?"

"Why you- Get over here so I can eat you!" Master Necky yelled as he dashed after Diddy. This caused the wall to crack, a little more Diddy ran over to another wall. "Well, I guess you can say I'm fast food, huh?"

Donkey frantically began waving his arms in an attempt to get the monkey's attention. "Diddy! Over here!"

Diddy looked over to where Donkey was. Before he could react, the monkey was rammed into the wall, which crumbled on top of him as well as Master Necky. Donkey began to panic. "Diddy!"

Donkey ran over to the rubble, practically throwing the rocks in an effort to find his Nephew. "DIDDY!?"

No answer, the ape looked hopeless, he sighed deeply, what have I done?

"Owwwww..."

Donkey began looking through the rubble, again. There was no mistaken whose voice that was. "Diddy?"

"D-DK?"

Diddy squeezed through the rubble, he was cover in bruises, as well as a few cuts. Donkey was relieved to see that Diddy was still alive, yet the ape couldn't help but be upset with Diddy. The big ape crossed his arms, looking stern, "Were you outta your mind!? You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"I know, and I'm sorry," Diddy said, slowly crawling out of the rubble, in front of his uncle, "But you would've done the same thing if it was me who was knocked out, wouldn't you?"

Donkey stared at Diddy with shock. He never thought he'd hear his own nephew say something like this. Nonetheless, Donkey couldn't help but pet his head, "Yeah...I probably would've...just promise me you'll never scare me like that, again."

Diddy nodded as he picked himself up on all fours. "So where do we go, now?"

"We're goin' to vine valley." Donkey said, "Hopefully we might hear something from Treetop Town, over there."

"Say, DK? Isn't that where Lanky lives?"

Donkey replied with a nod, "I'm pretty sure that's where he lives. I'm not sure if we'll bump into him, though."

The Kongs began to climb over the rubble, they slowly began to make their way into the forest, Vine Valley.

Meanwhile, back in the village, Funky was still working on his project, it was what looked like an airplane...actually, it was a barrel with the features of an airplane, it possessed a plane's nose and wings and there were still parts hanging around the ground, though for the most part, they were nuts and bolts.

There was a knock on the door. The Kong stopped what he was doing and walked over to the entrance. Cranky and Candy were there.

"'s'up, dudes." Funky said, casually. Candy folded her hands, together, looking slightly worried. "Donkey and Diddy haven't been through here, have they?"

Funky shook his head, "No, but after what happened, last night, I figured they wouldn't need me to drop in...not yet, anyway..."

Cranky looked at the plane with disgust. "You seriously think that hunk of junk's gonna help them out?"

Funky shrugged, keeping a mellow expression."I'm still tryin' to build it, so for now, it ain't helpin' anyone."

"Besides, I'm sure DK's doing just fine," Candy said, happily, "I mean, sure, he can be stubborn, but I'm sure he's not THAT clumsy."

"Whatever you say," Cranky said with a shrug, "I'm going back to my hut so I can get some sleep."

The old ape walked out of the hut, Candy and Funky looked at each other in confusion. It was silent for a few seconds until Candy finally spoke. "Well, I guess I'll be going back to my hut, too. Let me know if you need anything."

"All right, see ya," Funky said, getting back to fixing his plane.

...Is it me or has this chapter gotten longer?

...But at any rate, I'll admit I had a lot of fun re-writting this chapter. I especially loved adding the part where DK drew in the sand.

Like I keep saying, forgive me if there are any hiccups, here and there.