So sorry for the delay in posting! November turned into a month of celebrations, lots of birthdays and get togethers among friends and family, which meant less time to write for me. In the future if a Friday passes and no chapter is posted, check my profile! I'll always update that with the chapter progress if necessary. That being said, I'm going to try and keep on a Friday schedule and post Akira's next chapter on the 20th of December, but holidays may get in the way of that too. Regardless, I'll keep you all updated!
Have to extend another wonderful thank you to my friend Verylmancer, who is basically like a co-author at this point! All your help with my chapters and fine-tuning my ideas is priceless to me.
Anyways as always hope you enjoy! Thanks to everyone who've read, favorited, followed, and commented thus far, it really means a lot!
Chapter 9: Wish Upon a Star
"In a world of apples and kisses and shoes
He wasted his wishes on wishing."
–Shel Silverstein, Where the Sidewalk Ends
The fight started so suddenly, they hardly had time to even realize it before Sora was on the ground, clutching his stomach. As Larxene stared at them with her mouth twisted in a cruel sneer, lightning arcing off her raised hand, Donald and Goofy finally snapped into action.
Goofy ducked in front of Sora with his shield raised, something sharp and metallic pinging against it as Larxene threw her hand out. Donald gestured forward with a cry of "Fira!" a full blown inferno answering his angered call. The firestorm consumed the hallway, but Larxene was nowhere to be seen when it dissipated.
"I know you're all messed up in the head, but you didn't already forget we can just teleport, did you?"
Donald turned, only to be met with a swift hit that sent him flying into a nearby marble column with an audible smack. Before he could recover, Larxene flung out her other hand. Several small throwing knives whistled through the air, pinning the mage to the marble by his clothes.
Lightning sparked in Larxene's hand once again, solidifying into the kunai she'd been wielding. "Hmph. Nope, still not seeing what all the hype was about. So much for the brave and fearless hero."
Sora struggled to his feet after getting the wind knocked out of him, his grip on the Keyblade tightening. "W-Why is she here? What do you want with her?"
Larxene grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know? Unfortunately, I'm not much in the mood for giving hand-outs. If you want something, you have to earn it!" Electricity crackled through the air as she launched herself forward, disappearing in a flash of lightning as Goofy moved to bash his shield forward.
Despite Larxene's earlier jab, Sora had in fact learned from their fight with Axel. He whirled and brought his Keyblade up, the kunai clutched between Larxene's knuckles sparking against the metal as he blocked the hit. Whereas Axel seemed nothing but happy when Sora predicted his moves, Larxene sneered down at him.
He shoved her away, following the parry with an upwards swing into an aero spell hoping to catch her off balance. It didn't quite do what he wanted as Larxene jumped back to avoid any counters, but it did manage to send the three knives spiraling towards his face off course.
By this time Donald managed to pull himself free, a few errant feathers lost in the motion, and he charged back in to circle Larxene in a flanking position. Seeing Donald's wand sparking, Sora ran in the same time as Goofy, the three of them wordlessly deciding on an attempted pincer attack.
"Blizzard!" Donald shrieked, directing the blast at Larxene's feet as Goofy aimed his shield at her head while Sora swung for her side.
The feeling of static in the air made the hairs on Sora's arm raise—he could feel the attack a split second before it happened. A lightning bolt struck directly where Larxene was standing, shattering the ice holding her in place and briefly blinding the three of them.
As Sora blinked rapidly to try and recover his sight, he felt a hand grip his shoulder. With a grunt of effort, Sora was sent flying into Goofy. They slammed into each other, losing their footing and tumbling into Donald. Sora groaned and shook his head, the three of them scrambling back to their feet as Larxene's high-pitched laughter rang through the air.
"That was pathetic, honestly. You're going to have to try a lot harder than that if you want answers," she grinned, playing idly with something in her hands. Sora squinted at the sight of the charm she was holding by its chain. For a brief moment he saw thalassa shells carefully and lovingly stitched together—then the lights flared alongside that recurring headache, and suddenly she was instead spinning around a solid yellow pendant in the shape of a star.
He patted his pocket on instinct, feeling his heart stop when it came up empty. He panicked—something should be there and it's not, and Larxene didn't have that charm just a second ago. "Wait, that's… is that mine?"
Larxene paused, looking at Sora with that false expression of pity he was starting to get really tired of. "Sora, Sora, Sora…" she clicked her tongue and shook her head, "Don't tell me you forgot about this too?"
Sora swelled up defensively. "So it is mine."
"It doesn't look very familiar," Goofy whispered to Donald poorly, overheard by the other two in the room.
"Ugh," Larxene rolled her eyes, tossing the star into the air before catching it by its chain and spinning it without care. "You're all helpless without us. Just try and think about it, Sora—carefully. Who would've given something like this to you? What does it mean to you?"
The lights flared, the humming almost incessant, making Sora wince. Could nobody else hear this? "Who? I don't—" he shook his head, a sudden intense pressure surrounding him. "I-I don't know." The admittance was small, shameful. He forgot. Forgot the name, forgot the face—forgot why he'd even been carrying something like that around to begin with.
He felt sick to the pit of his stomach.
Larxene's lips twitched in a brief grin—unable to keep up the charade of annoyance in the face of Sora's clear distress. "Well, if you don't know, then I suppose you wouldn't mind if I smashed it, right?" She raised it high to emphasize the threat, gripping it in preparation to throw it against the ground. "It's just a shitty little good luck charm that clearly doesn't even work!"
As Larxene's shoulder tensed, Sora's desperation seized him to act. He jumped forward before she had time to react, swinging the Keyblade into her forearm so that she was forced to let go of the charm with the impact. He caught it mid-air and hugged it to his chest protectively, unable to explain the relief that filled him at having it close again. "I'm not just gonna let you destroy this, it's very important to me!"
Larxene gripped her arm, shaking her hand as if that could somehow dislodge the pain. The snarl she now boasted was the realest bit of emotion she'd shown so far. "Oh, it's important to you? Please—ten seconds ago you had no idea that thing was even yours!" Electricity crackled around her, but as a bolt lashed out towards Sora, it hit Goofy's shield and dispersed into the air.
"We've got yer back, pal," Goofy nodded with a grin, one that Sora returned. He tucked the charm back into his pocket as Donald bolstered their movements with an aero spell.
"She's quick, so we've just gotta be quicker," he quacked.
"Um, hello! I'm right here!" Larxene shouted, diving to throw her kunai at Goofy's blind spot. This time it was Sora's turn to deflect the attack, twirling the Keyblade in a tight circle that caught each knife and sent them clattering to the ground.
Before Larxene could regain her footing, Donald rushed forward with a determined mutter. He launched another blizzard spell forward, this one aimed towards her face. She leaped backwards to avoid the sharpened icicles, but it seemed Donald was ready for that. Taking a page from Larxene's book he fired off a thunder, hitting the blizzard and making the spell explode outwards. Larxene fell back with a hiss, the shattered debris momentarily blinding her.
Sora instantly moved to take advantage of this, his anger starting to build. First Akira, now their friend from the islands—this Organization was holding them hostage, taunting him with that fact—and he was determined to find out why.
His loud approach alerted Larxene, but with her eyesight blurred he was able to feint into an actual blow against her side, channeling the aero around him to back the impact and send her flying. She righted herself to land on her feet, skidding back as she wiped at her face with the back of her hand.
"Where is Akira and… her?" Sora growled. "What have you done to them?"
Larxene scoffed as she stood straight, staring down Sora with her lip curled. "You really think you deserve an answer? You can't even remember your friend's name." Her cyan eyes narrowed further as she added on in a dark mutter, "And your better half is going to waste away in the time it takes you to even remember she's gone."
Sora held the Keyblade with a white-knuckled grip, his anger starting to flare into an adrenaline fueled rage. He was only snapped out of it by a raspy call of his name, looking over to see Donald looking on with an equally angered expression.
"Don't listen to her! She's just trying to get you mad!" Donald gestured towards Larxene dismissively before quacking in alarm, ducking under a bolt of lightning that singed his tail.
"As if! I'm just stating the truth," she quipped back before her face wrinkled in sudden disgust. "Ugh, Xigbar, get out of my head."
Another crackle of lightning, another movement that was so quick it blurred her form at the edges. Larxene's hand jutted out, the kunai clutched between her knuckles aimed right for Sora's face. He fell back with a grunt, the dodge lacking finesse but still getting the job done. Another dodge—one, two, three—and this time he was able to side-step the heel that attempted to high-kick into his gut, retaliating with a counter of his own.
Even though Sora was starting to finally get into a rhythm of predicting her movements, the exertion of the fight was starting to weigh on him, much to his dismay. He could feel his lungs starting to burn as he became out of breath from the maneuvers he was having to pull—and Larxene had barely even broken a sweat.
"C'mon, Sora!" Larxene taunted, practically ignoring the other two combatants as she dodged their attacks without even looking their way. "Are you even really trying? I'm starting to think you don't even really care about what happens to them."
Sora tried to keep Donald's earlier statement in mind, biting his lip to keep from retorting as he focused on tracking her kunai.
"Here, I'll cut you a deal. You remember Akira's name, so she's important, yeah? That means the other one is expendable." Her cruel sneer of a grin returned. "If I break her instead, it won't matter much in the long run, will it?"
The pressure mounting around him reached a breaking point. Something in his mind snapped.
"You're not going to do anything to hurt Naminé!" he shouted, immediately raising a hand to his mouth after this declaration.
Naminé…?
With the overwhelming pressure finally gone, the space was filled by a rush of relief-tinged endorphins. The image of the flaxen-haired girl took over the forefront of his mind—looking up from her sketchbook to smile at him softly.
A name for the face.
The battlefield had gone quiet. As he blinked back to reality, he realized Larxene was clapping.
"Well done, Sora!" she grinned, her expression still sharp even when the hostilities had ceased. "Guess you deserved an answer after all." She cooed, her tone sickly sweet—a stark contrast to her harshly grating voice. "Naminé's going to be so happy when she hears you really do remember her, after all!"
Sora tried to regain his breath in the moment of clarity, but his muscles were still burning with exhaustion. Still, he maintained a readied grip on the Kingdom Key, pointing it towards her. "Tell me where they are."
"You should already know that," Larxene gestured upwards. "They're at the tippy top of this castle, waiting just for you."
There was something about her face as she answered that made a twinge of unease run through him. "What do you want with them? What does Naminé have to do with any of this?"
Larxene raised a hand to her lips, miming zipping them and throwing away the key. "I can't just go showing you our hand. Where's the fun in that?"
Sora tensed, readying himself to launch back into the fray, but Larxene simply wiggled her fingers at him in a wave goodbye. Shadows gathered around her edges, starting to consume her figure. "Ta-ta!"
"Larxene, wait!" Sora cried, swiping the Keyblade through the spot she just stood. It caught the last few wisps of darkness, curling around the blade like smoke—but Larxene was gone.
No—she had to still be there, this was another test—it must be. He continued to swing his Keyblade at the empty air, hoping it would lodge into something solid. "Don't hide away like a coward! Come back here and finish things!"
"Sora!" a desperate cry from within his hood made him slow his pace. He felt Jiminy pulling at a strand of his hair. "Get a hold of yourself! She's gone!"
Sora stopped mid-swing, panting heavily, sweat gathering on his brow. He looked over his shoulder to see Donald and Goofy not hiding the fact they were staring at him. Concern creased both their brows, clear as day.
"Gawrsh, Sora. I don't think I've ever seen you that mad before," Goofy said, cautiously walking over to lay a hand on his shoulder.
"I just… hate feeling so useless," Sora muttered, dismissing the Keyblade even as his stomach continued to churn with the mixture of emotions. Any relief he'd gotten from remembering Naminé's name was long gone—he just felt sick with worry. "Akira and Naminé are depending on me, and I'm not even good enough to take on one Organization member!"
"Awh, Sora," Donald sighed, glancing towards Goofy before continuing in a more confident tone, "We're remembering more the higher we go, right?"
"And you remembered your friend's name," Jiminy chimed in with the silver lining.
"Yeah, and it took her to jog my memory," Sora glowered at the spot Larxene disappeared.
"Well, we know one thing for sure," Goofy said, his smile slowly returning in a bid to try and cheer Sora up. "If Akira's with Naminé, then we know she's doin' everything she can to keep her safe."
"Yeah, I… I guess that's true," Sora sighed, not really feeling any better despite the attempted reassurance.
A moment of uneasy silence passed between them. Eventually Jiminy broke it as he purposefully cleared his throat. "Well… should we take a breather before continuing up?"
Sora shook his head in dismissal of that suggestion. "No time. Every second counts now—we have to get moving."
Donald and Goofy exchanged another glance, ignoring the fact Sora was clearly watching them silently communicating. Instead of waiting for a potential rebuttal, Sora jogged for the stairs leading up towards the next door, the King's men following behind after only a brief moment of hesitation.
Sora stopped just before the door, pulling the small hand of cards from his pocket and displaying them all to survey. Donald looked on to his left, Goofy to his right. There weren't any clear indications of which one they should pick, and he wasn't entirely sure there was a right answer, but even so—
He paused, his eyes falling upon the image of a desert palace looming over a tiger-shaped entrance to a cave.
That one.
He plucked the card from the rest, stowing the others in his pocket.
"Why'd ya pick that one, Sora?" Goofy questioned with a tilt of his head.
"I dunno," Sora answered truthfully. "Just felt it calling to me, I guess. Gut feeling."
Goofy nodded his head sagely while Donald gave a shrug.
"We don't have much else to go on," Jiminy chimed in, furious scribbling sounding from somewhere just over Sora's shoulder.
"Exactly," Sora said as he raised the card to present it to the door. The card shimmered and disappeared like the other two, the door in front of them unlocking with a click that resounded throughout the empty stairwell.
With a breath of preparation to center himself, he pushed it open the rest of the way, wincing against the blinding light.
There was a short feeling of weightlessness, followed by an even shorter sensation of falling. By the time Sora's senses reacted to the feeling, there was already solid ground forming beneath them. At first he expected a familiar heat to hit his skin, and the bright rays of the desert sun to shine through his eyelids. But instead of sweltering heat, he felt a dry, cold wind blow across his face. He finally opened his eyes, only to be met with the wide, moonlit desert stretched before him.
Goofy stood next to him, winning against his dizziness from the transfer and looking around alongside Sora.
"Whack!"
The alarmed quack rang out through the empty air, the two turning to see as Donald tumbled from the top of the dune towards the bottom. Stifling their laughter, Sora and Goofy quickly slid after him, catching up as Donald finished cartwheeling and planted himself headfirst into the sand. When they finally managed to pull him out, he shook himself free of the little pebbles embedded in his feathers, only to reward himself with a second burial after he put his hat back on. "Aw, phooey…"
"Why do you think we ended up out here?" Sora asked once they got their bearings.
"Gee, I don't know. We're supposed to be in a city in the desert, right?" Goofy scratched his head.
"Well, we found the desert…" Donald grumbled as he preened himself off with his hands one more time. As he looked up, however, he thought he saw something moving in the shadows the overhead clouds cast. A hunched, scrawny figure. As he tried to get a better look, the moonlight faded, darkening the sands around them. "Hey, who turned out all the lights?"
They looked up to see the moon now fully hidden behind a quickly growing vortex of clouds. The ground shook, the sand underfoot shifting as something beneath them started to rise to the surface. The trio scattered from the crest of the dune, fruitlessly trying to gain ground on the collapsing sands. Then, as thunder roared and lightning illuminated the entire sky, a great tiger's head erupted from the desert.
The wind began to calm, the thunder now distant tremors in the air. The tiger's head breathed deeply, the low rumble of its voice almost as powerful as the storm that had just gathered overhead.
"Who disturbs my slumber?"
"Uh… we uh…" Sora sifted through his words before leaning closer to Donald. "Hey, didn't we do this with…" he trailed off, the face of a friendly street urchin clear as day in his head, but no name rose to match with it, "someone else?"
"Maybe…? It's a little hazy," Donald answered back in the same lowered tone.
"Who disturbs my slumber?" The tiger's head demanded.
"Um… It is I… Sora?"
"Donald!"
"And Goofy!"
The tiger looked down at them questioningly, its glowing eyes appraising Sora in particular. He straightened to try and seem more confident.
"Keybearer, never before have you set foot within this Cave of Wonders—yet the sands speak of your travels. Proceed. And touch nothing but the lamp." Finishing this statement, the tiger opened its jaw, a brightly lit stone staircase extending downward past its stone teeth.
"No credit for us? Hmph," Donald tapped his foot impatiently.
"Oh. Well, thanks!" Sora said, stepping forward.
"Hang on, Sora! Is this the way we're supposed to be going?" Goofy questioned.
Sora crossed his arms in thought. "Hmm… Well, I'm pretty sure we were in a cave at some point in this world too, not just the city. And we met someone here—a friend. He was looking for a lamp, and I bet it's that same one!"
Donald stared down into the gaping maw before them, trepidation clear on his face. "Are you sure about that?"
Oh, right. Donald and Goofy weren't here for that particular meeting were they? It was just him and Akira…
"Well… only one way to find out." Before the others could protest, Sora cautiously placed his foot onto the first step. Waiting a beat to see if the tiger suddenly decided to snap down on him, he let out a breath of relief as it let him pass through fully. Donald and Goofy followed behind as he gestured for them.
When they reached the bottom, they found the doorway to a new chamber where the light strengthened significantly. As they poked their heads in, they aired a collective wooowww at the chamber brimming with piles of priceless treasures. On instinct, Goofy turned, seeing Donald's eyes practically turn to medallions in his sockets. Before the duck could zip off to stash the nearest pile into his pockets, Goofy caught hold of him.
"Wait a minute, Donald! Remember what that tiger said? We can't touch nothin' but the lamp!"
"What happens if we touch the gold?" Sora pondered. He rifled through his thoughts for an answer, but couldn't find anything concrete. Regardless, his instincts were telling him there was an omen about all the shiny stuff in here. Donald must have felt the same, as he disappointedly stepped away from the gold, though not before giving it one last longing look. As they resisted their temptations, their senses soon turned back to a general alertness, keeping a close eye on their surroundings as they continued onwards further into the cavern.
"Is this place looking familiar to anybody else?" Donald quacked in worry.
"Not really," Sora responded with a frown, doing a double take as if a second sweep around was what he needed to jump start his memory.
"Guess that means we're still gettin' obliviated," Goofy said with a casualness that was out of place with the statement he just made.
"That's a really reassuring way to put it, Goofy," Donald mumbled dryly.
"Hmm? Say, Donald, where did your hat go?" Goofy pointed to the top of the mage's head.
Donald looked up, feeling the feathers on his head now barren of the blue zippered cap. He didn't just drop it, did he? He turned back, searching the ground for it as his companions followed—both to help search, and in hopes that he wouldn't pocket a cursed treasure in the process. He turned a corner, beak pointed towards the ground as he retraced his steps. As a shadow of something came into view, he heard a gentle patting noise, and looked up to find something he actually recognized.
"Hey, look!" he called out, bringing Sora and Goofy rounding the same corner. Immediately, their faces lit up with recognition. An ornate purple and gold carpet floated in the air as it dusted off Donald's lost hat with its tassel.
"Hey, we know you!" Sora said gleefully. Carpet seemingly looked at him, pointing at itself in a "Who, me?" kind of way. Sora nodded in confirmation. Figuring it would be too much of a hassle to try to explain the reason behind that knowledge, he cut right to the chase. "Hey, could you help us? We're looking for—uh, a guy who might've come in here before us?"
"Or a magic lamp!" Goofy added.
While Carpet seemed to make no response to the mention of someone else in the cave, it immediately perked up at the mention of the lamp. It handled Donald back his hat, then flew between them excitedly as it pointed the way. The trio wasted no time following after it.
With each turn, the chambers holding treasure grew into disrepair, until it eventually led them through an unassuming room with a hole in the wall. From there, the rooms turned into pure, untampered caverns. Water dripped from the stalactites as the group watched their footing near seemingly bottomless pits.
Finally, passing through one final narrow gap, they stepped into a vast open cavern. A still body of water stretched before them, in the middle of which a tall staircase rose, carved from a mound of rocks. And at the top, illuminated by an unseen source of moonlight, sat a small bronze oil lamp.
"That's gotta be it!" Sora declared enthusiastically, jogging over to where the path turned from a solid stone ledge to only a series of small rocks sticking out of the water.
"Sora, be careful!" Donald scolded.
"Don't worry!" Sora called back, already skipping across the stones towards the stairs on the other side.
As the King's men opted to wait for him to get back, a red glint caught Donald's eye. Just off to the side was the statue of a sharp-toothed ape holding an enormous bright ruby, its brilliant colors bouncing off the duck's pupils.
"Donald?" Goofy called to him, clearly seeing what he was seeing.
"I know, I know!" Donald waved him off, turning slowly away from the ruby.
"—sounds like there's something over there, Abu!"
The duo turned to the gap in the wall where the voice came from. It didn't take much to remember who that voice belonged to, and seconds later, they caught sight of a familiar man in tattered harem pants and a purple vest, a monkey perched on his shoulder. He looked entirely surprised to find someone already here, and even more surprised when he caught sight of the object at the top of the stone mound ahead of him.
The name clicked into place for both of them at once.
"Hey, it's Aladdin!" Donald squawked.
Immediately, Aladdin took note of their clothes, shooting a nervous smile. "You know my name? You wouldn't happen to be part of the Palace Guard, would you?"
"Oh, not at all! We just happen to know you because, because uhh…" Goofy trailed off, trying to find an excuse.
"Your reputation!" Donald chimed in.
"Hah. Sounds about right," Aladdin scratched his head, turning his attention to the boy who was nearing the lamp.
On the mound, Sora finished his climb up the steep stairs, catching his breath before looking at the lamp sitting silently on the pedestal. Up close it looked so… normal. Plain, yet completely devoid of tarnish. He picked it up slowly, giving it a good once over. Something about it stoked a memory of a blue-skinned genie with the power of the cosmos in his hands and a witty sense of humor to match.
"Hey guys, I—" Sora called out, but stopped as he saw the boy he'd been trying to remember standing beside his friends. The rush of memories hit him all at once, and he called out in a greeting, "Aladdin!"
Aladdin returned the greeting with a wave, his expression puzzled amusement at the enthusiastic yell of his name. "So, you guys were after the treasure too," he stated more than asked. "Looks like you beat us to the punch."
"Sure did!" Donald said proudly before Goofy put a hand on his shoulder.
"Actually, we were lookin' for you. We knew you were searchin' for the lamp, so we tried to see if you were here. And it turns out, you are!"
"You… were looking for me? But why would you be—" he stopped, looking over his shoulder to give a quizzical look to his companion, who had suddenly vanished. It didn't take much to guess that he was already on his way to the shiniest thing in the cavern, Carpet trying and failing to stop him from running towards it. "Abu, no!"
"Hey, you get away from that!" Donald shouted, running after him. His little legs caught up quickly, and he leapt forward in an attempt to catch the monkey. Unfortunately, his angle was just a little too low, and as his target jumped over him, he slid forward, bashing his head against the base of the statue. The ruby, jostled from its perch, tipped slowly over to one side.
On instinct, Donald reached out to catch it, letting out a breath of relief as he managed to cushion the gem just as it was going to hit the ground. Only when the cave began to shake violently did he realize what he'd just done.
"INFIDELS!" The deep gravelly voice of the cave boomed throughout the chamber. "You have touched the forbidden treasure! Now you will never again see the light of day!"
Donald screamed, jumping up from the ground and shaking his hands as the ruby suddenly started to burn red hot. The ruby, as well as the statue that held it, liquefied in front of him as it morphed into a clump of molten metal.
"Woah!" Sora jumped back, narrowly avoiding the fire that spewed out from the pedestal the lamp had just been on. He looked down, the entire chamber taking on a red hue as the water around him turned instantly to a bubbling lava. "Uh oh…"
As if reading his mind, Carpet flew up next to him first, flattening itself in midair and pointing rapidly at its topside.
"Don't have to tell me twice!" Sora pocketed the lamp, hopping on and holding tightly to the edge of the carpet as it zipped forward.
Bending his knees, he hopped on, holding tightly to the edge as it zipped forward, stopping only to frantically give the same signals to the others as the ground began to shake apart beneath them. Aladdin jumped on quickly enough, but the rock began to split between Donald and Goofy, leaving them to stand precariously on floating stones as the rest of the ground sank into the rising heat.
"Hey! Hey! Get off my face!" Donald shouted as Abu climbed on and gripped his head for dear life.
As carpet dodged a falling stalactite, it rounded back, lowering itself as close as it could while Sora held his hand out. "Grab on, you guys!"
Goofy reached up, quickly clasping Sora's arm in the flyby, but as Donald continued to struggle with Abu's grip, Goofy threw his legs out, hooking Donald over his heels as Carpet took off at full speed. A slew of confused shouting and screaming ensued as everyone tried to coordinate a proper boarding. Aladdin kept his eyes forward, doing his best to help Carpet steer while also trying to help his impromptu team of cave raiders stay on in the process.
After a few gut wrenching passed through some narrow cracks, they made their way past the room now spewing hot liquid gold. The final hurdle was the stairs, but as Carpet flew past up the long flight, one of the traps triggered from all the vibrations, a spear shooting out and pinning it to the wall. As the group started to fall, Sora summoned his Keyblade.
"Hold on!" he shouted, jamming the teeth of Kingdom Key into the last bit of stairs at the mouth of the cave as an anchor. Each of his falling friends grabbed hold as they fell past, until there was one long chain of people dangling from Sora's foot.
Sora grunted as he tried to keep a hold on the hilt, his already clammy hands and now the additional weight dragging him down not helping in the slightest. He could practically feel the entire group's eyes on him as the cave roared as if in pain, slamming its jaws together as their only exit collapsed. The shaking was the final straw, and Sora's fingers slipped from the hilt.
They all fell, plunging towards the red-illuminated cave floor far below with a yell. Far above, Carpet pulled desperately at the spear, freeing itself with a small rip of its edge as it sped towards its falling friends. With a zig-zagged motion, it caught each of them just before they hit the ground, breaking the impact.
Sora struggled to his feet, summoning the Keyblade back into his hand and instinctively throwing up a shield of light around the group as the cave continued to shake, rocks tumbling and breaking all around them. After a few seconds it finally settled, all of them panting and shaken, but alive. He sent another silent thanks to Akira for the light magic—or he was, until a sudden sharp pain tore through his head, making him wince. He shook his head to disperse the ringing in his ears with a hiss, looking about the group in front of him.
"Everyone okay?" he asked, ignoring the fact he probably looked a little worse for wear after that—whatever that was. They all gave various noises of confirmation, sitting up and looking around at the new predicament they found themselves in.
They were at the bottom of a massive pit, the ceiling disappearing far overhead in the darkness. There wasn't anything left of the Cave of Wonders—except for the little bit of metal poking at Sora from his pocket. He dug it out, looking at the bronze lamp that managed to stay safe in all of the desperate aerial maneuvers.
"Great, now what are we gonna do?" Donald cried out, his voice echoing around the vast space.
Aladdin sighed, rubbing at his head with a grimace as the reality of the situation settled in. "So much for coming back home a hero. I'm sorry, Jasmine…"
"Jasmine?" Goofy turned towards him, a finger on his chin. "Now, why does that name ring a bell?"
Sora was only vaguely listening to the conversation out as he took a closer look at the lamp's surface. He couldn't help but feel like this object was significant—for more than just the whole priceless treasure in the Cave of Wonders bit. As he thought about it, he noticed a faint bit of writing engraved in the side, but the sand that covered it in the collapse of the cave made it hard to read.
He brushed his fingers against the smooth bronze to get a better look, and as he did, he could feel the lamp begin to vibrate. First it was a subtle shake, but it rapidly turned up its intensity to the point that Sora had to hold onto the handle to keep it from flying off. The lamp began to glow brightly, and jets of sparks plumed out from the spout, followed by thick clouds of glistening bluish smoke. The display grew as it lit up the cave, and when the cloud was big enough, a towering mass erupted from its center, ballooning upward and outward as it screamed into the heavens.
"AAAAAUUUUUGGGGHHHH!" There were arms outstretched, and a face Sora didn't take all that much time to recognize. "Oi! Ten-thoooousand years will give you such a crick in the neck!"
"Genie!" Sora gasped, nearly dropping the lamp to try and give him a hug.
"Woah, now just a minute there, buckaroo!" Genie's giant hand deflected Sora from getting any closer before it shrank, fountain pen in hand. "Repeat customers are a nooooo-nooo, and if you know this Genie, then someone's gotta be lining up for seconds! Now let's see here…"
Another Genie popped into view from a puff of smoke, dressed in a well-fitted suit and armed with a magnifying glass and tape measure. "If I may, sir?" he asked in a snooty accent as an additional three of him began to size Sora up from head to toe.
The first Genie began taking notes in a large book that also appeared out of nowhere. "Spiky hair… Kind of on the shorter side… Thin as a twig… First Name: Sora… Last name who cares… Ohoho, well would you look at that!" He floated closer, turning the book over and showing a page that was completely blank. "We've—! Never met."
"Oh, terribly sorry, sir, terribly sorry," the tailoring Genies apologized as they quickly straightened Sora's clothes and combed his hair into a neat, smooth bowl-cut, which he promptly ruffled back into its spiky semblance.
The rest of the group that had dispersed with startled shrieks as the lamp began to spew the colorful smoke now cautiously approached, looking up at the genie with awe-struck expressions.
"A… genie? A real, actual—" Aladdin began in shock, only to have Genie appear beside him and lay a hand on his shoulder.
"Hold on, son. Let the experts show you how a real introduction is done."
He snapped his fingers, the entire perceivable world going dark. There was a moment of silence, then the clicking of a stage light as Genie stood in the center of the cavern. He cleared his throat, then waved up above himself, a suspended mic lowering itself down from a wire.
"Introducing! The oh-so razzling, equal parts dazzling! The just-now extricated, usually never intimidated, every-day-immaculate-ed! Genie, of the Laaaaaamp!" A series of floodlights turned on, revealing the venue of a boxing stadium loaded to the teeth with hordes of adoring Genie fans screaming and cheering for the original in the center ring.
"Aaaand in this corner…" Another spotlight shined on Sora, who found himself opposite Genie. "Our up and coming superstar, his first—no, his SECOND trip here in the BEE-U-TEE-FUL Seven Deserts, the rookie wisher of the millennia, the undefeated, unchallenged, INDISPUTABLE…!"
The mic swung in front of his face, awaiting his introduction. "S-Sora?"
"Suuuuuuhhhhhhhhh SORAAAAAA!" The crowd exploded in cheering, far greater than that for Genie himself. Confetti, roses, and money fell into the ring in droves.
"AAAAAHHHHHHH, SORA, WE LOVE YOU!" screamed a row of woman Genies in a vast array of dresses.
"Go gettem', kid!" an older Genie in a red tracksuit and blue jogging pants yelled at him. "Wish his lights out!"
The crowd seemed to agree as they all began chanting in unison. "WISH-OUT! WISH-OUT! WISH-OUT! WISH-OUT!"
"Bring it in, boys!" A referee Genie appeared, calling Sora forward. Once Sora approached, Genie looked at him through his sunglasses. "Alright, I want to see some good, clean wishes!" he started. "This match is going to have three wishes! One-Two-Three!" At each count, Sora was gifted a boxing glove per hand, then a piece of headgear that squished his face together. "And I don't wanna see nooooo wishin' for more wishes, you hear?! You make a wish for killin'? Makin' two people fall in love? Not gonna happen! And bringin' people back from the dead? You're gonna wish you hadn't."
By the end of his speech, Genie's accent had degraded into a slurry of syllables Sora could only barely comprehend. Regardless, he nodded in acknowledgement. "I know."
"He knows?!" the referee screamed, pulling a large brick cellphone from his… pocket? "Hey, boss, the kid says he already knows, what now? Finish the bit? Alright, we'll finish the bit…" He cleared his throat again and faced Sora. "Then let's get ready, for Wish Number ONE! Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttt's…! TIIIIIIIIMEEEE!"
The bell rang, and a boxer Genie stepped forward as the ref disappeared. He put up his dukes, swinging wildly at the empty air. "C'mon, c'mon, show me what ya got! What's your open, kid?! All the money in the world? The brand-new nation of Sora-topia? An all-expenses-paid trip to your very own private island?! Hit me!"
"Well, Genie, I don't know if this is a good time to tell you, but… I don't really want to wish for anything," Sora replied.
"WHAAAT?!" Genie's jaw dropped, the crowd gasped in shock, and before Sora knew it, they were back inside the empty cave as if nothing ever happened.
"Awwwh, Sora, you ruined the show!" Donald complained, a Sora #1! foam finger on his left hand. Goofy meanwhile was eating through a bucket of popcorn.
"I just don't think it would be right to ask our friend for anything," Sora scratched the back of his head apologetically.
"Oh, Sora, you old so-and-so!" Genie threw a hand down, blushing. "Haven't you heard, though? We're on a strictly master-and-servant basis. This whole wishin' gig's the stipulation for this prime piece of… tiny, tiny real-estate…" He seemed to deflate a bit as a hand popped out of the lamp and tapped the side. "See? It says it right here on my tag! 'Genie, Certified Friend!' That's that, and you can't change my mind about it!" Just as Genie finished, he realized what he had said, and he double-checked the tag. Sure enough, he read it right.
"Huh. That's not what it usually says. Come to think of it—this whole situation smells awfully fishy…" he paused, sending a glare over to the corner, where a duplicate Genie was casting a fishing pole into a puddle of water. The fisherman Genie looked back with wide eyes, gathering the bucket full of fish before poofing out of existence. The actual Genie shook his head, returning his scrutiny towards the group—and that's where he centered his attention onto the one person out of place amongst them.
Aladdin gave a hesitant wave before leaning over to murmur to Abu, "I must've hit my head harder than I thought…"
Genie hummed, settling beside of Aladdin with a puff of smoke before taking out a magnifying glass and observing the entire group with a comically large eye. "Why do I have a sneaking suspicion we've all been through this song and dance before?"
"Because we kind of have?" Sora answered questioningly. "But I think I might've messed this up—you're supposed to grant Aladdin's wishes, not mine."
Genie stroked his chin, deep in thought. "Unfortunately, that's not how it works, kiddo. You've got the lamp, you got the wishes. But I guess there's nothing in the rules saying you can't wish for whatever Al here wants."
"A way out of here would be nice, at least," Donald grumbled.
Aladdin pointed towards Donald. "If we're taking into account what I want, I second that."
"Hm…do you think," Goofy suddenly pondered out loud, turning everyone's attention towards him, "we could wish for our friends to be back with us?"
Sora blinked at him, having not considered that beforehand. Was that really something they could do? They were in the confines of his memory, but Genie was all powerful—maybe Oblivion's whole deal wouldn't mess with that?
But these weren't even supposed to be his wishes! He shook his head, dismissing the brief bit of longing that flared in his chest at the image of a reunion with Akira and Naminé. He could get them back without needing to use Genie's power to do so. But… maybe asking for help getting out of this pit wasn't such a bad idea.
"Genie, do you think you could lend us a hand?" Sora turned to the Genie, who was batting his lashes and pretending like he wasn't listening in on the conversation.
"Just say the word!" Genie mimed rolling up his sleeves, his whole arm disappearing and leaving nothing but a floating golden bangle with his hand attached. "And by word I mean that literally. You have to say 'I wish', no more of this freebee business. I learned that the hard way." He sent a playful glare towards Aladdin, then seemed to realize what he was doing, pointing at the boy with a squint. "You got a twin who got super rich and or famous out of the blue, by any chance?"
"Genie, I wish you'd help us get out of this cave," Sora said, adding on after a beat of silence, "please?"
Genie made a show of stretching, his hands floating away from his body to gather everyone in his palms and dump them onto Carpet. As he poofed beside the collection of people trying to untangle their limbs and rearrange themselves comfortably, he was dressed as a flight attendant, smiling politely.
"Please keep your arms and hands inside the carpet at all times! In the case of an emergency, you'll find exits are literally anywhere you look!" Genie snapped his fingers, the shimmer of his magic rippling across Carpet's surface. It began to shake, and with little warning it suddenly shot up towards the ceiling of who knows how many feet of sand. Sora braced for the impact, but with the sound of a firework shooting into the air, they pushed through the sand like it simply wasn't there.
The cool night air of the desert was a stark contrast to the dead, suffocating atmosphere of that cave. They all exhaled a collective breath of relief as they entered into the open expanse. Stars blinked overhead, the dust of the cosmos swirling between them. From this high vantage point, the view stretched on for miles, a sea of endless dunes rolling into the horizon.
Aladdin pointed towards a nearby area of flattened ground nestled between two towering dunes. "Let's stop there, get our bearings."
Carpet spiraled downwards, coming to a soft hover just inches above the sand. One by one they dismounted, each landing with a small hop.
Genie, never one to miss an opportunity for theatrics, transformed into a flight attendant once more, complete with a blue uniform and a bright smile. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the middle of nowhere! We hope you enjoyed your flight on Magic Carpet Airways. Please be sure to collect your luggage—which consists of absolutely nothing—and have a magical day!" He gave a playful salute before poofing back into his usual form, arms crossed in mock indignation.
"That was too easy, Sora! Give me a harder one next time, will ya?" he teased, winking as he floated lazily beside the group.
Sora grinned, brushing sand off his clothes. "Easy? We were almost buried alive back there!"
Donald quacked in agreement, feathered ruffled. Goofy merely chuckled, patting Donald on the back.
"Correction—would have been buried alive without me!" Genie said with a flourishing gesture. "Now, what'll it be for wish number two?"
Sora backed away with his hands raised in surrender. "I only did that because we needed a way out! Aladdin can have the second one too—but, we need the third one to set you free, right?"
"Right, to set—" Genie did a double take, looking genuinely flabbergasted. "To set me free?" He hovered in midair with his arms crossed, as if waiting for the punchline. When none came, he floated closer to Sora. "You're serious, aren't you?"
Sora tilted his head, confused. "Why wouldn't I? Freedom's what you would wish for, isn't it?"
Genie, for once, seemed at a loss for words. His usual dramatic flair dimmed, and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well… I don't know what to say. I don't know how you knew but—I mean, I've been stuck in that lamp for thousands of years."
"Then it's about time, right?" Sora grinned, then glanced towards Aladdin, gesturing for his input.
"Freedom in exchange for helping us is only fair," Aladdin said with a nod. "And if you three are serious, then I should explain why I was even in the Cave of Wonders in the first place."
"It has somethin' to do with Princess Jasmine, doesn't it?" Goofy chimed in. "And that mean ol' vizier! Oh, what was his name again…?"
"Jafar!" Donald quacked.
Aladdin blinked in surprise. Genie floated down beside him with a script in hand, humming as he flipped through the pages. "Not sure how they know this already either, pal. By all accounts, we're not far enough along in the plot—unless they read ahead. Talk about spoilers!"
Sora scratched the back of his head. "Let's just say we've dealt with guys like him before. Long story."
Aladdin shook his head, confused but ultimately accepting of this strange series of events. "Alright, well that saves me time having to explain. Yeah—Jafar's holed up in the palace with Jasmine, and the Sultan's been thrown in the dungeons. I tried to bust her out but it didn't end great. Jafar's got magic on his side." He paused, then grinned up at Genie. "But now we do too."
"Bust into the palace, save the Princess, fire the vizier," Genie began counting off the tasks on his fingers, "save Agrabah, be declared heroes, free the Genie?" an extra finger popped up on his hand to fit the final task.
"Exactly." Aladdin climbed back onto Carpet, the group filing in behind him now that they had a more solid plan. "I usually have to go in through the aqueducts, but getting past the guards is going to be a breeze with a magic carpet!"
"And you sneaking into the palace has nothing to do with Jasmine, I'm sure," Donald quacked sarcastically, earning him an over the shoulder staredown from Aladdin.
"You've got it bad, Al," Genie chimed in as he flew alongside Carpet. "I assume the multitude of visits bodes well for her feelings on the matter?"
Aladdin sighed, the emotion in the sound itself a dead giveaway of the answer. "Yeah, we had a connection. I've never felt that way before about… anyone. She's just so pretty and smart and funny—I'd give just about anything to see her smile. Y'know what I mean?"
"I do," Sora answered instantly, ignoring the sly looks Donald and Goofy sent his way.
"But, well, I know it can't go on forever," Aladdin grimaced, returning his gaze back to the desert. "She's a princess, and I'm no prince. There's no way her father would ever approve of us."
"Yup, sounds like you're in a real pickle," Genie hummed, grinning despite the somber turn in the conversation. "If only there was some way you could just magically become royalty—that would take care of all your problems!"
"Yeah, if only," Aladdin muttered, before the realization hit him. He whirled, bringing their marching line to an abrupt stop as Sora stumbled into him. "Wait. Can you… make me a prince?"
Genie placed a hand against his chest, reeling back dramatically as if offended. "Do you even need to ask that question? Well—I suppose you do, but redirect it towards Mr. Keybearer here." He laid a hand on Sora's shoulder, shaking him around a bit. "He's the one who promised that second wish for you."
Sora's vision swam from the shaking, but he still nodded. "Y-Yeah, of course!"
Aladdin's face brightened considerably.
The soft hum of conversation that followed faded into the background. The swirling desert winds blended into a dull roar, lulling his senses into a calm. Sora allowed himself to close his eyes, leaning into the breeze as his thoughts drifted to Akira.
He was lucky their own self imposed rules on being together were thrown to the winds. He felt for Aladdin though, knowing exactly what he was going through. Sora's heart thumped at the mere recollection of the moments he and Akira shared before their kiss at Hollow Bastion—feeling like there was an invisible wall between them they couldn't cross despite how much they wanted to.
And yet, he didn't get to relish being in an actual relationship with her like he'd wanted. They only had a few moments of peace, and then faced off against Ansem the very next day, and since then… well, they'd been separated in more ways than one.
He sunk into himself, feeling his heart beating, searching for that echo of Akira within him. He found it easily, but then… There was something else here, too. What was that sensation writhing its way into his heart?
The constant roar in the background shifted.
It grew deeper, rhythmic, like something vast and unyielding. Sora opened his eyes, the desert blurring as the sound transformed. The soft hiss of sand gave way to the crash of waves. The dry night air seemed to dampen, filled with the scent of salt and sea.
He was hearing… an ocean.
Once again, the scenery around him had faded away into the achingly familiar sight of home, leaving him standing alone.
The gently sloping dunes were cut through by beachgrass that stood almost as tall as him, and with only a moment of hesitation, he stepped into this grass, pushing it aside as he headed down towards the shoreline.
Was this another sleeping memory Castle Oblivion wanted to show him?
As if in response to that question, a bright light streaked across the sky, drawing noises of amazement from nearby. Sora redirected his focus towards the sound, watching as two small children carefully made their way out of the grass and onto the sand proper.
Sora recognized his younger self, clutching his newly gifted wooden sword, eager to test it out on any falling stars that passed by close enough for him to hit. And the one that trailed behind him, Akira—no, wait…
He stepped closer, the girl's form seeming to flicker in the light of the moon, until he realized it wasn't Akira at all, but Naminé. The flaxen-haired girl hesitated at the edge of the beachgrass, squeaking in fear as another shooting star raced across the horizon line.
His younger self paused at the fearful noise, looking back to see Naminé ducking further into the grass, disappearing into it entirely.
"What's wrong, Naminé?" he called out, turning away from the show in the sky to approach the dunes.
"I'm scared," replied a little voice from within. Sora felt his heart thump painfully at the sound of her voice—soft and hesitant, hard to even distinguish over the sound of the nearby waves.
"Scared?" little Sora repeated, sounding dumbfounded. "What're you scared of?"
Naminé's face peered out from the grass, tears gathering in her large blue eyes. "What if one of them hits the island?"
His younger self paused at the question, turning to squint up at the sky, then at the wooden sword clutched in his hand, then back at Naminé with a gap-toothed grin. "Aw, don't worry about that, Nam! Here, watch this!"
He looked around, humming a tune as he did so, before letting out an aha as he found what he was searching for. With a quick motion, he stooped and picked up a rock, hurling it into the air and taking up a batting position with his toy sword. As it completed its arc and fell back to earth, he swung his sword with a grunt of effort, punting the stone into the ocean with an audible plop!
"See? If one of them flies over here, I'll just hit it back into the sky!"
He ducked to grab another stone, doing the same to it, then another, and another. "I'll hit 'em all back! I won't let 'em hurt my friends!" The fifth one he finally missed, and it hit his head with a dull thunk.
Despite that, the demonstration still did exactly what he wanted to. Naminé emerged from the grass with a giggle, grinning at the lump no doubt developing on the top of his head. "If you say so…"
"I do!" Sora nodded resolutely. "Now c'mon, you gotta make a wish before they all go away!"
"Okay," Naminé nodded, walking to stand right beside him. As they gazed up towards the sky filled with falling stars, she murmured, "I wish…"
A hand fell on his shoulder. Sora jumped with a startled inhale of breath, the atmosphere around him changing as he was forcibly pulled from the memory. Instead of the warmth of a summer's night on the islands, he felt the cold of a desert devoid of sunlight. Aladdin stared back at him, relaxing when he saw Sora focus in on his face.
"Hey, you ready? We're almost there."
Sora shook his head, trying to dislodge the sudden wave of dysphoria that washed over him. "Yeah—yeah, I'm ready."
Something about that memory wasn't sitting right.
KH
The golden spires of the palace gleamed in the moonlight as Carpet silently descended towards a balcony overlooking the gardens. A soft light spilled from the room beyond it, sheer curtains dancing in the breeze separating it from the outside.
Aladdin led the way, gesturing for them to stay quiet as they slipped into the wide open room beyond. It was immense, the grand walls draped with blue silks to insulate the room, dim lanterns flickering as they did their best to illuminate the space.
The center of the room contained a lavish living space, the same curtains partially drawn around it for privacy. They made their way towards this, but something felt… off. It was too quiet, too still.
"Jasmine?" Aladdin called out softly, to no response.
Sora summoned the Keyblade with a quiet shimmer of light, Donald and Goofy likewise readying their weapons. Then, the lantern's flame flickered, and a shadow stretched across the room.
"Looking for someone?"
The group whirled to see a tall, gaunt man suddenly standing by the far wall. He was dressed in dark robes and clutched a golden staff tipped with a cobra's head, which glinted in the dim light. A wicked grin spread across his face, a likewise malicious glint in his eyes.
"Jafar!" Aladdin growled.
"Oh, street rat, I'm afraid you're becoming very predictable," Jafar tsked as he stepped forward.
"Where is she? What'd you do to her?" Aladdin shouted, fists clenched as if he were about to run forward and face Jafar with only his bare hands.
"She's safe…for now. But I'm afraid her time is running out quickly." Jafar raised his staff and brought it down onto the ground with a clang that reverberated in the empty space. With a flash of crimson light that bathed the room, a large hourglass was suddenly beside Jafar, Jasmine's trapped and unconscious form at the bottom. To the group's horror, sand started to trickle from the top half of the glass, spilling onto her with the threat of burying her alive.
"Jasmine!" Aladdin jumped forward, but Jafar flicked his wrist and Aladdin was sent flying back towards them. Goofy caught him and set him on his feet, but he hadn't even recovered before looking towards Sora with a desperate expression. "Save her!"
Sora nodded, braced to take his own chance at running towards the hourglass to smash it—before Jafar waved his staff outwards. The room twisted and warped, shadows pooling into shadows draped in clothing and wielding sharpened swords.
"I know how to deal with your kind, Keyblade Wielder," Jafar sneered.
Sora dodged back as the nearest Heartless lunged towards him, fending it off with a shower of sparks as metal clashed against metal. He grimaced—he wasn't certain there were enough of them to fend off the Heartless and distract Jafar successfully to get Jasmine out of that thing. As the sand continued to fall, Jasmine's form now partially buried amongst the grains, Sora reached into his pocket and produced Genie's lamp, rubbing it with a shout.
"Genie, I wish you'd save Jasmine!"
A burst of blue light erupted from the lamp as Genie's form appeared in a cloud of sparkling smoke, now wearing a superhero cape. "Your wish is my command, fearless leader!" Genie saluted before zooming towards the hourglass, reeling his fist back like he was going to punch the surface before simply bringing his hand to the glass and flicking it.
It shattered instantly, Jasmine's form spilling out onto the palace floor. Aladdin was skidding to her before the sand had even settled, pulling her into his arms.
Sora grinned, but his celebration faltered when he saw Jafar's expression. He was… smiling?
A high-pitched screech and the flapping of wings was all the warning Sora had before something swooped and snatched the lamp right from his hand. He did a double take before pin-pointing the colorful parrot currently flapping its way over to Jafar, dropping the lamp into his waiting hand.
Jafar's fingers curled around the lamp, a triumphant gleam in his eyes. He raised it high, letting its polished surface catch the dim light of the throne room. "Many thanks to you and your street rat friends, Aladdin," Jafar called out, his cruel smile stretching wider. "Finally, power beyond imagination lies within my grasp."
Sora looked towards Genie with eyes widening in shock. He seemed just as dumbfounded, still hovering over Jasmine's unconscious form as if he were suddenly frozen.
"Genie, I have won the lamp from your previous master, and thus I exert my control over you," Jafar shouted, "And I have the one wish I will ever need of you. I wish to become an all-powerful genie!"
Wait—that seemed like he was skipping a few steps. Sora's shock turned into outright panic. It seemed like they weren't the only ones doing things out of order.
Genie appeared beside Jafar in a subdued puff of blue smoke, tapping his fingers together with a nervous grin. "Um, master—are you sure you don't want to hear about the rules of wishing first? There are a few provisos, a couple of quid pro quos—"
Jafar grabbed Genie's face mid-rant, pulling him in with a growl. "I made my wish. Now grant it!"
"We can't just let this happen!" Donald squawked.
"Or can we?" Goofy questioned, making the other two snap their attention towards him. "The Cheshire Cat said we could do somethin' by doin' nothin', remember? I have a feeling this is another one of them situations!"
Sora and Donald continued to gawk, not following the call-back. Unfortunately, those precious few seconds were all Jafar needed.
The entire room trembled, nearly sending everyone in it sprawling onto the ground, as a terrible wind picked up and spiraled around Jafar. His body twisted and warped, growing larger, his robes melting into a fiery red that mimicked the magma within the Cave of Wonders. As his form grew too large to be contained he hit the domed ceiling of the room and burst through with a laugh—deep, echoing, and filled with a dark joy. "At last! Absolute power is mine!"
Sora immediately ran towards Aladdin and Jasmine as the debris rained down, throwing up a shield around them. "It's not looking so good out there," he grimaced as he did so, "How's Jasmine?"
"She's breathing," Aladdin answered, cradling her protectively. Even in the face of the terrifying display before them, Aladdin scanned the room with eyes narrowed, as if searching for something. "Sora, do you remember the one rule of being a genie?"
Sora blinked back at him. "You can't bring people back from the dead?"
Aladdin shook his head, then pointed towards something in the middle of the room. Sora followed the gesture, seeing a jet black lamp materialize into existence in the midst of the chaos. "All that power, but he can't use it for himself. He's bound to the lamp, and to whoever wields it!"
Sora's lips pursed in a small unspoken oh. "Aladdin you're a genius!" He turned back to grin at the boy, only to find the space he'd been occupying empty, Jasmine placed carefully out of danger. His gaze snapped back to the middle of the room, watching as Aladdin ran towards the lamp, sliding and vaulting through the storm of wild magic and crumbling sandstone.
"Watch Jasmine for me!"
"Aladdin, wait!" Sora shouted, but his voice was swallowed by the roar of the storm engulfing the room.
Above them, Jafar's massive, twisted genie form loomed, his glowing eyes blazing like twin suns. He remained unaware of the singular, glaring weakness tethered to him. "The universe is mine to command! To control!"
"Donald, Goofy, cover him!" Sora shouted, gritting his teeth against the storm that only seemed to strengthen in intensity. He didn't dare to leave Jasmine unattended. Thankfully his friends were more than capable of handling the task appointed to them.
Goofy charged forward, intercepting a wave of flaming debris with his raised shield. Donald muttered a quick incantation, a swirling shield of wind enveloping Aladdin and boosting his movements as he zigzagged towards the lamp.
With a crackle of lightning and a roll of thunder illuminating the cosmic storm beginning to stretch across Agrabah, Aladdin slid and grabbed the lamp before it could be swept away by the chaos.
By the time Jafar finally seemed to become aware of the thief just underneath him, it was too late.
"Aren't you forgetting something, Jafar?" Aladdin shouted, now the one boasting the triumphant smirk. "You want to be a genie, you got it! Now, get back into your itty-bitty living space!" He held up the lamp as he rubbed its obsidian surface, and Jafar's eyes widened in horror.
"No… no!" He reeled back as golden bangles suddenly clamped around his wrists, the storm he was conjuring beginning to reverse. The winds once whipping all around now seemed to freeze before being sucked back inwards, all into the lamp held high by Aladdin.
Jafar clawed at the air in attempts to avoid his fate—but it was no use. With an almost anti-climactic pop, Jafar was gone—absorbed entirely into the lamp.
Silence fell over the room.
Until Genie appeared beside Aladdin, ruffling his hair before planting a comically large kiss on the top of his head. "Al, you devious little genius you!"
Aladdin slapped Genie away with a laugh, before he looked towards where Jasmine was stirring beside of Sora. He dropped the lamp, running to her side as Sora helped her to her feet.
"Jasmine! Jasmine, are you okay?"
"Aladdin," Jasmine grasped onto him, relief etched into her features, "You're okay. I was so worried about you."
"You were worried about me?" Aladdin repeated incredulously.
Sora felt the smile creeping onto his face watching them reunite, just a bit of a bittersweet twinge to it at their familiar dialogue. As Donald nudged his side with a sly smile, he turned away as he rubbed at his nose.
Their attention was taken when the lamp began to shake and rattle, the voice of Jafar still faintly echoing inside.
"So, uh, whaddya think we should do with him?" Goofy poked at the lamp with his foot, looking hesitant to even pick it up as it rattled and screamed obscenities.
"Don't worry, I can handle this," Genie paused to adjust a baseball cap that suddenly appeared on his head before stooping to pick up the lamp, "Ten thousand years in the Cave of Wonder ought to chill him out!" He reeled his arm back before pitching the lamp towards the horizon, where it quickly disappeared with a trail of shimmering magic.
Sora watched it fly until he couldn't see it anymore, then made his way over to Genie's bronze lamp, laying discarded to the side of the room. He picked it up, turning it over in his hands. Likely their time here was almost up—and he still needed to use his third wish.
His eyes flitted back towards the reuniting couple, watching as Aladdin tenderly cupped Jasmine's face, the two both smiling softly. Briefly he pictured a different scene of reconnection.
"You've still got your last wish, you know."
Sora startled out of his thoughts. Genie was now beside him, with a very knowing look.
"I can tell you've got someone on your mind—someone you're looking for. It's practically written all over your face. Here, let me get that for you," Genie produced a handkerchief from nothing, wiping at Sora's face despite his spluttered protests. "Yeesh, having a hard time getting this stuff off."
"B-But, Genie—!" Sora reeled back, slapping the rag away into a puff of blue smoke. "We had a deal! You help us, I'll use my last wish to wish you free!"
"Kid…" Genie gave him a fond smile. "Look, that's a sweet sentiment, but you're just like Al over there," he thumbed over his shoulder to Aladdin, still conversing in low tones with Jasmine, "lovesick and it shows. A girl that can get you all in a tizzy like that only comes once in a millenia. Believe me, I know—I've looked!"
Sora's lips thinned as he looked away, his heart racing in his chest. This whole world was just an illusion, but maybe… Could he really just wish for Naminé back like that?
He froze, his eyes widening.
Naminé? Wait, he wasn't—that's not—he was picturing reuniting with Akira! Wasn't he? His heart thumped painfully, the headache returning with a vengeance.
Face flushed with embarrassment at his own inner thoughts, he shook his head to try and clear it. There was a swirling whirlwind of emotions inside—everything felt like it was pulling him in different directions. But there was one thing he remained certain of—and that was the fact he'd made a promise.
He'd made one to Akira and Naminé both to keep them safe no matter what, to keep hold of the memories of those important to him, and another to Genie to free him with his third wish. And he wouldn't go back on any of them.
Mind made up, he held out the lamp.
"Genie, I wish for your freedom."
"Kid—!" Genie gasped, his eyes wide. For a moment the lamp stayed in Sora's outstretched hand, and the entire world seemed to hold its breath.
Then the lamp began to rattle and shake, levitating off of Sora's palm with a warm glow. That same glow surrounded Genie, the wind gathering around him like the beginnings of a storm. His cuffs—the eternal golden chains signifying his servitude—shattered into a thousand sparkling fragments. Genie stood—actually stood on his own two legs, free and untethered for the first time.
The lamp gave one final shake before clattering to the ground, dulled and empty.
I'm… I'm free," Genie murmured, staring down at his unshackled wrists, then to the lamp sitting motionless on the ground. His expression slowly shifted from disbelief to pure, unfiltered joy. "I'm free!" And then he laughed—a deep, jubilant sound—as he shot into the air with a shower of sparks, fireworks lighting up the early dawn sky.
The others watched on with awe and delight, but Sora… Sora could barely focus. His heart was still pounding, his head spinning with emotions and memories that didn't quite fit together.
Out of the corner of his eye, Sora spotted a shimmer. Glancing over, he saw the door to Jasmine's room shine before being replaced entirely by one of pure white, a pale light beckoning from beyond its frame. Guess this memory's time was done. It was time to progress onward—to get one floor closer to the friends he so desperately needed to see.
KH
Larxene stretched her arms, feigning a yawn as she stepped back into the observation room with Axel, his arms crossed as he looked up at her with a hint of amusement. "Man, what a drag. Helping a few dorks to get with the program can get so exhausting."
"How's your arm?" Axel asked casually, pushing his back off the column he was leaning against. "It seems one of those 'dorks' caught you by surprise."
"Tch. You're one to talk." She stepped forward, poking him in the sore spot on his chest. "I wanted to let him have his stupid charm back. You, on the other hand, let yourself get thrashed."
Axel grinned tightly, eyes narrowing. "Oh? You were planning that exchange? Because from here, it looked like you lost your cool as soon as he took it back. Between the two of us, it turns out I'm not the hothead."
Larxene growled. "And if you keep pushing your luck, you're the one who's going to get burned!"
"The way I see it, neither of you morons can pull your own weight."
It was a voice neither of them recognized, and in a mix of temper and reflexes, Larxene threw her arm to the side, a flurry of kunais whistled in the voice's direction. They flew, then disappeared in a blur as they were pinged off course, landing at the feet of a silver haired boy standing proudly on the other side of the room. He kicked one of the kunais forward, the blade crackling and sliding back to Larxene before she recalled it back to her hand.
"Who's the stray?" Larxene growled.
Axel stroked his chin, contemplating on summoning his chakrams just as another corridor coalesced near them.
"Marvelous, isn't he?" A waft of cold air filled the room as Vexen stepped into view, his half-lidded gaze directed at the boy staring back at them. The scientist's eyes then turned to Larxene. "Had I known you would put on such a bunglesome display, I would have made the effort to send him to you sooner. That performance against a gaggle of such insignificant individuals has put the whole Organization to shame."
"Ugh, I should have known this was one of your toys, Vexen…" Larxene rolled her eyes, her tone filled with disgust.
"What brings you here, Vexen?" Axel walked up to join the conversation. "I take it Zexion has updated you on all of our hard work?"
"That, he has," the academic responded dryly. "Clearly the topside has blundered enough with the Memory Project, so I came to lend you a hand." He gestured back to the boy. "Behold, the fruits of the Replica Program. The spitting image of one of the Keyblade Wielder's companions."
"Excellent, so you've brought us a valet," Axel commented, eliciting a sharp narrowing of one of Vexen's eyes.
"He is hardly a valet, he is the answer to your shortcomings thus far! It will serve us well for you to make proper use of him, both to ensure the completion of the Memory Project, and to further my research on the Replica Program."
"So this is all to help you out with one of your dumb experiments?" Larxene scoffed, propping a hand on her hip.
"In that case, we would be happy to oblige."
Everyone turned around to the silvery voice, their eyes catching clusters of rose petals fluttering by as their acting leader stood before them. None of them had even noticed his presence, nor the coalescence of his corridor prior.
"I did not expect to see you at this meeting, Marluxia," Vexen said flatly.
"Nonsense," he replied, stepping closer to the Replica. He reached forward, placing a finger under its chin and tilting it subtly, as if looking for any flaws. He was only offered a brief second before the boy slapped his hand away, though he paid the act of rebellion no mind. "I'd suspected your newest project was nearing completion. I wished to give you our thanks for this specimen."
"Did you, now?" Vexen raised a thin brow. "Very well, then. Use him as you see fit. Until you have a substantial report on his performance, I will be continuing my research down below." With that, a new corridor spawned, enveloping him and whisking him from the room, leaving the remaining three to turn their attention to the boy crossing his arms.
"You really believe that shit, Marluxia?" Larxene scoffed, gesturing at the dispersing wisps of the corridor. "How's his fake junk going to help us do anything?"
"I'm not a fake," the Replica cut in sharply, "I might be Riku's replica, but I'm superior to him in every way."
Larxene raised a brow, looking towards Marluxia to try and read his expression at the Replica's interruption. If Marluxia was annoyed, it didn't show on his face. He maintained his aura of calm, his lips even raising in the smallest twitch of a smile.
"How intriguing. Perhaps another little test of Sora's strength is in order." Marluxia extended a hand out, a corridor rising at his beckon. "I pray you don't disappoint."
The Replica glared at Marluxia, clearly agitated, but kept his composure. "I won't," he quipped, stepping through the corridor without waiting for a response.
Axel and Larxene exchanged a look, but said nothing. As if sensing their question of his intentions, Marluxia offered up a hollow grin. "Let us see what this malware has to offer before we make any…rash decisions."
Questionnaire time!
1. What do you think is going on with this girl Naminé and Sora's memories of Akira?
2. If you had three wishes you could make, what would they be?
Lumi: So wonderful to hear from you again, friend! I'm glad you're still able to find the time to set aside and read my story! Your comments always bring me so much joy. I'm also glad you're enjoying the questionnaires! Akira's POV so far is my favorite to write, so hearing its your favorite to read is very rewarding! Looking forward to hearing from you next!
Xxser3ndipityxX: LOL I think we both forgot how much of the story you read already before unplanned hiatus #1000 xD I said it before and I'll say it again, Akira's chapters are just so much fun to write. The exploration of the time before the Keyblade War, everything with the Foretellers, the introduction of Castitas, I've just been waiting for forever to finally get to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard?) to bring it all to life! So happy to hear the subtlety of the clues building up are paying off! Charity's connection to Akira is going to be revealed eventually, but the hints are already in place. Can't wait to hear your future speculations!