Recappy from the Last Chappy: "Gaara?" she asked in a low voice. "Can you tell me what's going on? Is Aladdin safe?"
The clone of the redhead jinchuuriki looked at her. "Information isn't shared that way between clones and the original; I wouldn't know." He was regarded in disappointment; he explained. "If I am destroyed, the true Gaara will obtain any information I received, but I won't obtain new information from him unless he speaks it to me directly. There isn't really any sort of telepathy between us."
"Oh. . . ." She sank down a little and sadly looked to the side, laying a hand over her heart. Silently, she prayed, Allah, may they be safe.
Chapter Seventeen: Part-in-Parcel
Aladdin's flying carpet and Gaara's sand cloud took the group over an empty patch of desert away from the cave, where there were no Heartless in sight. Carpet was laid out, resting for a moment. Gaara was also in respite; a lot of chakra had been executed in wielding the tiger head as a weapon, since it was manufactured from sand that was not his own special, chakra-infused type kept in his gourd (the latter required much less power to wield.)
Hikari stared at Gaara as she sat between him and quartet. Her eyes were paled lavender-white, and the veins attributing to byakugan sight were clearly marked on her face. Without trouble she could see the thinned amount of chakra at his core. She could also see a phantom of a second reserve, much more abundant and sinister. The chakra of the One-tailed Shukaku, she recalled.
If prompted, he could use that chakra to continue. In the Land of Shuriken and Kunai, he had relied on it heavily, as well as other powers of the beast. When fighting Naruto, he had transformed into the beast by forcing his insomniac self to sleep. Back then, he had held no qualms about relying on that power as a jinchuuriki. Seeing as he was resting now instead of further pushing himself, he had changed his views.
She closed her eyes and deactivated the byakugan. She thought of her curse mark, and the reservations she had had when combating the Sound Four. He's definitely changed, she thought while rummaging through her kunai pouch, and for the better. As she searched for the item she meant to procure, she walked toward Gaara.
After she recovered the item, she kneeled next to him and held a small blue pouch toward him; it tightly contained a perfect sphere, about the size of a billiard ball. He looked at her curiously. "It's a food pill. Just in case. Taking one significantly replenishes chakra. These, are special, made by Sakura. She's a pretty skilled medical ninja now."
His expression remained questioning, not comprehending.
She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "I know you have another reserve of chakra, since you're a jinchuuriki. But since you aren't using it now, I'm assuming you want to do things by your own power, not its." She offered a smile. "I can understand wanting to wait until it's a really desperate situation and an absolute last resort. . . ."
He stared at her for a moment. Normally, he would have sustained a great abundance of chakra, despite the situation with the Cave of Wonders' Guardian, but he had given a majority of his chakra to the sand clone currently protecting Jasmine; he did not have to admit that to Hikari, though.
Politely, he replied, "I've been able to suppress Shukaku's murderous intent during my time here . . . I can use him, successfully, without lusting greatly for blood. I don't need the pill." He smiled at her. "Thank you, but you should keep it for yourself."
Awkwardly, Hikari retracted her hand. "Oh . . . uh . . . no problem. . . ."
Close by, the rest of the group sat, recovering. In order to help time pass along, Sora made conversation. "Aladdin, what're you doing out here?"
"Same old stuff. Hunting legendary treasure." Smugly, the young man added, "Just paid a visit to the Cave of Wonders." He procured his lamp. "I found that magic carpet, and this lamp. Legend has it, whoever has the lamp can summon the-"
"Please, kid, leave the intros to a professional!" Genie interrupted. He was rather theatrical and virtually hyperactive, motioning and conjuring whatever turned his speech into a performance. "The one and only, Genie of the Lamp! Rub-a-dub-dub the lamp and have your dearest wishes granted." Confetti was produced to rain around Aladdin. "Today's winner is: Aladdin!" He energetically shook his master's hand. "Congratulations!"
Donald blinked and stared with innocent eyes. "Any wish?"
Genie stuck his hand in front of Donald. "Patience, my fine, feathered friend! Any-," he triplicated and held up three fingers, "-three wishes!" As he counted them off, his copies disappeared. "A one wish, a two wish, a three wish! Then I make like banana and split!" He disappeared with a crack. "Our lucky winner made his first wish-," he appeared by Sora and leaned in, speaking like it was a secret, "-and let me tell you what a doozy that wish was-," then he duplicated himself and danced back-to-back, "-so he has two left~! So, master, what'll you have for Wish Number Two?" Spotlight and fanfare, cued.
Aladdin held his chin for a moment and smirked. "How about making me a fabulously wealthy prince?"
Gaara reacted.
"Oooh! Money! Royalty! Fame! Why didn't I think of that?" The true Genie dismissed his copy and stretched forward, cracking his knuckles. "Okay, you asked for it! A hundred servants and a hundred camels, loaded with gold!" He mimed dialing. "Just say the word and I'll deliver it in thirty minutes or less, or your meal's free." He came by Aladdin and put his arm around his shoulder. "Hey, I'll even throw in a cappuccino!"
Aladdin grinned but waved his hands in a ceasing motion. "No, thanks!" Brief pause. "I think I'll put that on hold until we reach Agrabah."
Hikari curiously noted Gaara's reaction. A trick of the light seemed to bring green out in his eyes-a "green with envy" type of look. The shadow of his brow tried to hide some sense of despair, and loss-they were all small expressions, mostly obscured by a stoical mask, so she was unsure. It seemed like he was practicing a great deal of restraint . . . like he was restraining Shukaku.
Genie released his master and rose, taking flight with his arms spread. Contentedly he closed his eyes and breathed in deeply through his nose. "No problem! That'll give me a chance to enjoy this. Fresh air, the great outdoors!"
Curiously Sora lifted his head and eyes, gazing at him. "Guess you don't get out much, huh?"
The blue entity sighed. "It's all part-in-parcel with the whole Genie-gig." His voice deepened, and he took on a highly muscular façade-, "Phenomenal cosmic powers-," before cramping himself into the lamp, visible when the lid came off, "-itty-bitty living space!" He dissolved into smoke and appeared in the air once more, cupping his face. "It's always three wishes, then back to my portable prison. I'm lucky to see the light of day every century or two."
"That's tough. . . ."
Next to the brunette, Aladdin was looking at the sand, thinking. "Say, Genie, what if I use my last wish to free you from the lamp?" He lifted his head and regarded him. "What do you think?"
Genie was visibly surprised. "You'd do that?" A smile soon manifested. "That's so kind of you, even if you don't mean it. . . ."
Reassuringly, his master smiled. "Genie, it's a promise."
"Aladdin," Hikari addressed, lingering her eyes on Gaara. "I can understand wanting riches, as it's a normal desire-especially for people without money-but why do you want to be a prince? Why not just wish for a limitless fortune?" She peeled her eyes from the sand shinobi and looked at the boy.
He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, wearing a dreamy smile. "You see, there's this, girl in Agrabah, named Jasmine. But she's a princess, and I'm-" He cut himself off and lowered his gaze, dejectedly shaking his head. "There's a law. She has to marry a prince." He peeked at Gaara. "Or in his case, the son of a 'Kazekage.'"
"The Kazekage was the leader of the Village Hidden in the Sand, the most qualified ninja of the Wind Country. It's not a position passed onto the next generation by blood, like for maybe the Daimyo . . . ," explained the girl. Then, she realized what Aladdin had implied and her head toward Gaara. ". . . ! You're engaged to the princess!" She turned to Aladdin once more. "And you're trying to steal his fiancée?"
The other three widened their eyes and dropped their jaws. Genie's jaw dropped lowest of all, hitting the sand. He tugged at his beard and allowed his chin to roll up like the shade of a window. "Oh, a love triangle. This is what I've been brought into."
Aladdin feverishly waved his hands in front of him. "No, wait! It's not like that." He thought it over a moment and averted his eyes. "Well, I guess it sort of is, but. . . ."
"The princess doesn't want to marry me."
". . . ."
". . . ."
". . . ."
". . . ."
". . . ."
The desert wind softly blew against their sympathetic faces during an awkward stillness. The air was hot, and dry, thus furthering their discomfort. Hikari then asked, to clarify, "An arranged marriage?"
"Yes," Gaara answered. "In fact, the princess and I had been negotiating with the sultan, to break off the engagement and allow her to marry whom she wished." He directly looked at Aladdin. "Even a street rat. He might've been taking the bait, too." He closed his eyes and uncrossed his legs. In one movement, he lifted himself onto his feet. He noticed Aladdin's suffusion, a small glimmer of hope. "It doesn't matter now, though."
Aladdin's face fell. "What? Why not?"
Calmly, the jinchuuriki answered, "Jafar, the royal vizier, has deposed the sultan and taken over Agrabah." Gasps were heard. "He's after the princess and a special kind of 'Keyhole.' Heartless are all over the city, searching under his command."
(Keyhole? wondered Genie. Where've I heard that before? Come on, it's only been two hundred years. . . .)
The boys exchanged gazes and nodded. Hikari sighed inwardly. Heartless. If our involvement hadn't been sealed already, then it would be now. She rose next to Gaara. "Marital drama aside, where is the princess? Somewhere safe, for now, isn't that right?" Across from her, Aladdin appeared somber.
"She's in hiding, in city. I'd be with her, but-," he stared at Aladdin, "-she insisted that I find Aladdin, because she was worried. So, I left I sand clone to protect her." Acting casual, he added, "I armored the clone, so it should la-" Something struck him, apparently a realization or presence of new information, which cast him in shock. ". . . !"
Promptly, Aladdin inquired, "What's wrong? Is it something about Jasmine?"
Gaara recovered from the shock and kept a cool head, despite the heat that had rushed to his face and the sweat dewing his palms. Stoic, still, there was an unmistakable urgency in his eyes. "Princess Jasmine is in trouble. The clone was destroyed just now."
"What? Well c'mon, let's get going!"
[{X♥X}]
"Arabian nights, like Arabian days, more often than not, are hotter than hot, in a lot of good ways." Gaara had heard the song in Agrabah often, and after some time spent in the world, he quite understood how warm it could be-though not in the suggestive way implied by the song. At the age of twelve, however, he did at least know what the implications were.
He was hot and sticky while he roosted on his cloud of sand, which was parked just below the balcony of Princess Jasmine's chambers. The boy had one of his palms facing upward before him and covered one of his eyes with the other. Grains of sand were gathering in his palm.
Inside her room, the princess was sound asleep. Though closer to thirteen, she was also younger, thus her feminine curves were less manifest in her light purple nightgown. Suspended inside, a small sphere of sand gathered; the physiognomy altered itself to attain the appearance of an eyeball with a brown iris.
Gaara smiled fondly and a mild suffusion colored his cheeks.
Sand from his gourd percolated onto the balcony and made its way into the room. There, it converged and compacted, sculpting itself before his third eye. It took his shape-that of a boy short even for being twelve years old. The sand figure walked toward the bed and by the side. Tentatively, it approached Jasmine's head.
Her soft black hair had loosened from her ponytail with sleep. Her chest rose and fell with silent breath, and due to the stillness of her eyes, there was no question pertaining to her serenity. Her bronze skin glistened. Wings brushed the lining his stomach, tickling from him a deeper suffusion.
The clone raised its hand and tenderly caressed his knuckles against her cheek. Little reaction was received, aside from a reflexive tug of the mouth into a smile. She twisted a little, turning her chin into the hand. Gaara's heart jumped.
A shadow crept behind him, that of a very large cat. Its quiet trekking was drowned by the thundering of his heart as he continued to softly regard Jasmine. The true Gaara, viewing the scene with his Third Eye, confirmed that it was Raja, Jasmine's tiger.
When a low, intimidating growl came from the animal, the clone removed his hand from Jasmine's face and turned around. Before it was struck, Gaara closed his palm and allowed the clone to collapse, becoming a pile of sand on the floor. Slowly, the grains returned to him.
The Kazekage's son allowed his Third Eye Jutsu to be disrupted, as well. He opened both of his eyes and stared at the hand with which the clone had touched Jasmine's face. Since the clone's knowledge became his own when destroyed or dismissed, he could feel on his own hand the warmth and tingling, phantom feeling of still caressing her.
He turned his head and gazed at the balcony. "Sweet dreams, princess."
[{X♥X}]
"Sasori my man, with art you must constantly seek greater and greater stimulation, or your ability to appreciate it will dull," casually commented the blonde half of Agrabah's unwelcomed guest. The pair stood in the Plaza, next to a wall that was cracked and a little withered from heat and sand storms. Some Heartless continued their hunt for the princess in the vicinity.
The man gazed at his right palm. He had an extra mouth, one of two, that appeared to be chewing whichever substance was inside. "I've heard rumors that the Shukaku jinchuuriki is pretty powerful; made in your village, the Sand, as a military weapon, hmm. He was so powerful, and unstable, that for six years before he met his demise, the Fourth Kazekage tried and failed to assassinate him multiple times."
White clay was renounced by the mouth on Deidara's hand, into his palm. The mouth closed and he curled his fingers, kneading the clay quickly into shape. "He'll be a good opponent for my art. Hmm." When he uncurled his hand, a few small spiders were shown to have been formed. They jumped from his hand to the wall.
"What? You call those pyrotechnics 'art'?" Sasori spat. "Art is something that endures the test of time beautifully and gracefully." Their gazes met; Sasori's appeared rather intense as he spoke with conviction while Deidara formed a right-handed seal. "True art is eternal beauty."
The blonde detonated the clay, creating an explosion large enough to blow out a significant chunk of the wall but still small enough that he nor his partner were injured. Neither of them paid mind to the blast, allowing the smoke to clear. He laughed in disbelief in regard to his partner's claim. "Eternal beauty! Sasori my man, I respect you as a fellow artist, but art is something that blossoms for an instant before withering away."
The smoke cleared to reveal a secret passageway. Rubble was not a significant obstacle as they entered the fixture and continued their search for the jinchuuriki. "Deidara, apparently you don't understand what true art is."
"That would be you, my man."
Some Heartless surrounded the opening in their wake. Shadows entered and wiggled their antennae, searching for the essence of heart in the same way that a dog would put its nose to the ground for a scent. "Eternal beauty is the only true art."
"Absurd!" the blonde remarked. He paid little attention to the Heartless, undisturbed in their presence and not entirely interested in their mission. "Art is transient beauty, beauty that lasts for just a moment!"
Sasori stopped in the center of the passageway. They had traveled far from the opening created by Deidara's blast, the sole source of light. Much of his face was shadowed. "Are you trying to piss me off?" A Bandit, visible mostly per its glowing yellow eyes and a light gleam from its sword, jumped with the intention of pouncing on Sasori. Without flinching or acknowledging, he used his tail to fell it in a single strike.
Deidara stopped as well and turned. He glanced at the Heartless that surrounded them; they were not poised to attack, continuing their hunt. Perhaps the fact that Jafar did not want them present was the reason for his Heartless's momentary lapse; they were creatures of instinct, first and foremost. "That's why I said that this would probably piss you off!"
"You should know what happens when I get angry!" The scorpion tail hovered menacingly; purple liquid, a deadly poison, dripped from the tip. Forebodingly, he demanded, "What do you say, Deidara?"
He raised his chin and smirked. "To me, the essence of art is . . . explosions." Inside his sleeve, so subtle the motion was unnoticed, he was kneading clay. Goading his partner, he taunted, "It's completely different from your silly puppet shows!"
In a short instant, Deidara dashed back and his position was replaced by the point of Sasori's tail. A small clay spider, thrown by Deidara, crawled from behind Sasori to the top of his back. Realizing its presence, the puppet master glanced back and moved to get rid of it, but it was far too late. As soon as his eyes met the soulless black dots, the clay was detonated, and smoke consumed the hallway.
The pyromaniac was greatly and obviously amused as he smirked at the clearing smoke. "And that might've been the most beautiful of my creations so far."
A silhouette different from the shape of the "scorpion" previously present appeared. Taller, thinner, and standing upright, he was faced away. His voice was no longer hoarse, but was still deep and rather commanding. He growled, "That was one of my favorite puppets; Hiruko was the only one that covered up a puppet master's weakness in close combat!"
The smoke finished clearing, revealing the countenance of a fifteen-year-old youth with red hair cropped short. His eyes were a normal size for his age, though they appeared smaller because he had them closed partway-which was natural for him. He wore the typical Akatsuki robes, his nails were painted teal, and he had a purple ring with the kanji for "Jewel" on his left thumb.
He scowled forebodingly. "Those petty fireworks you call 'art' will be the death of you one day!" He raised his hand and attached threads of chakra to the head of the puppet previously believed to be Sasori's countenance. The mask had been torn off, revealing an artificial grin and showing a small barrel in place of a tongue.
The blonde did not flinch as senbon dipped in poison projected in a heavy stream from the mouth. Intentionally, the needles missed any part of his body and simply disturbed his robe to impale the Heartless behind him. He snorted. "Then my death will truly be a beautiful work of art."
Sasori continued to scowl.
[{X♥X}]
Less Heartless were interspersed in the city streets. At first thought, one would speculate it to be a fortunate occurrence. Withal, the lesser amount of the dark embodiments indicated that their mission in that world (namely, the capture of Princess Jasmine) had been completed, thus Gaara's fears concerning the disappearance of his clone had become truth.
From above, the party scanned for Jasmine or Jafar-or in the case of Hikari and the gang, simply a human presence. They had to look over the entire city before they saw two figures standing before the Palace Gates. Carpet and Gaara's sand cloud were directed toward the ground.
A few feet from the ground, Aladdin and the boys jumped off Carpet and landed on the sand with a thump. Hikari and Gaara allowed the cloud to touch the ground before stepping off. "Jafar, let Jasmine go!"
Jafar grinned wickedly. "Setting your sights a little high, aren't you boy? Back to your hole, street rat. I won't allow you to trouble the princess anymore," he taunted. More hurtfully, and with a disdain very akin to what he had shown toward Aladdin, he said to Gaara, "My apologies; your engagement to the princess has been broken."
Wrinkles formed in Gaara's brow and around the vein by his tattoo. The sand he had used to transport himself and Hikari, instead of returning to his gourd, rushed toward Jafar menacingly. Unflinching, the vizier raised his staff and projected an invisible shield that the sand glanced off of.
Jasmine flinched away and raised her arms in a guarding position. She peeked through squinted vision and could hardly make out the figures on the other side of the sheets of sand; two Bandits were in front of her, also, so she had to look around them. "I'm so sorry, Aladdin. Gaara. . . ." She gasped as the sand at Jafar's feet rose and encased him.
Aladdin's brow furrowed as he pulled out his lamp behind him. Feverishly, he rubbed the side and whispered, "Genie, help Jasmine! Please!"
Subtle smoke emerged from the spout of the lamp and weaved around the falling sand and Bandits. Jasmine was scooped up and cradled bridal-style when Genie manifested. "One wish left! You're making this very easy, you know?"
Somehow, Jafar repelled the sand and cackled as the sheets rained on the group, distracting them momentarily. "So sorry, boy. I'm afraid your second wish has been denied." Toward his outstretched hand, Iago flew with the handle of the lamp in his feet. Realizing this, Aladdin pulled his hands from behind his back and realized he was empty-handed.
Genie lowered his head, "-I'm sorry, Al; the one with lamp calls the shots-," and dropped Jasmine into a magenta clay pot; the princess yelped.
Gaara's glare deepened as he gathered his sand once more; pellets were formed that heavily rained toward Jafar during the jinchuuriki's Sand Shower Barrage jutsu. "Let her go!"
Jafar was unconcerned. With the lamp in hand, he regarded Gaara and Hikari. "Genie! Incapacitate them!" Next to him, the pot holding Jasmine sprouted four black legs and formed a small hole in its side; a yellow eye was visible.
Wearing a downcast expression, Genie granted the wish and followed his master's orders. A larger Pot Spider appeared, sizeable enough to accommodate two people, as the ninja were picked up from the ground. Gaara's main weapon-his gourd and the sand within-was removed from him and allowed to fall to the ground. Both ninja were dropped and trapped into the pot.
Sora's grip on the Keyblade tightened, regarding the Giant Pot Spider. "Hiki!" Unfortunately, he had to divert his attention for Jafar had repelled Gaara's attack and the Sand Shower Barrage was redirected at them. He raised his Keyblade and beat a few away, successfully dodging most of them.
Smugly, Jafar raised his staff. "And now, I bid you all farewell. Attack!" As he, the Pot Spider containing Jasmine, and Genie disappeared, two more pots burst and revealed the head and tail of the bug-like Heartless with electrical antennae on the head and stingers on the tail.
When the Sand Shower Barrage was discontinued, the boys raised their weapons and saw that the head and tail had gathered a few pots, completing a Heartless known as the Pot Centipede. Sora glanced uneasily at the Giant Pot Spider in the corner, containing the ninja.
Inside the Giant Pot spider, the ninja could hardly see a thing but could hear the goings-on outside. The space was small enough that they had to kneel, but they were hardly touching one another. Hikari thumped her fist on the lining of the pot, hitting a new space each time so that she could try finding a spot that sounded different upon impact-a weak point they could utilize.
"This is just a Giant Pot Spider-a Heartless. There should be a simple way out of here," she muttered. "Any suggestions, Gaara?"
Expressionless, he brushed his fingertips on the side gently and checked his hand. No particles or residue were transferred. He frowned. "This pot isn't clay or any mineral I can break down; it's armor, though I can't tell what type. If I had sand, I'm sure I could break through without causing injury to us."
Hikari placed one hand on the side and leaned back while she poised her fist to strike; the back of her head brushed against Gaara's shoulder. With some chakra behind it, she punched the pot hard, warranting a small tremor; however they were still trapped. She sighed and touched her ankles to her haunches. "So-we're screwed until they help us out? If they can help us?"
He shook his head and pounded on the wall as well, though due to his stance and the way his head was bowed it appeared to be more like a release of frustration. The situation clouded his mind and sent him into a sort of panic he had trouble controlling. Normally, he was as cool as a cucumber-cooler even, except for instances in the past where blood lust had bested him.
His heart was aching inside his chest. He had trouble forming his thoughts coherently. The idea of idly staying in a pot while a corrupt vizier kidnapped his fiancée and that the boy stealing her away from him was his hope for escape was not only distasteful; it was unfathomably disgusting. Controlling his anger, he slumped and narrowed his eyes, trembling with rage and frustration yet not acting out.
The kunoichi closed her agape jaw and softened her eyes over her shoulder. Awkwardly, she looked at the floor of the pot, unable to give an immediate response.
She addressed him by his first name. Although he did not give a verbal response and she was unable to see an aesthetic one, she continued as if he had acknowledged. "You said your engagement to the princess was arranged, isn't that right? She didn't want to marry you." One could feel the aura within the pot grow tenser. "If that's the case . . . how come you're engaged?"
They could hear the sounds of Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aladdin fighting outside; it was tough discerning, however, which side was prevailing-if they were not in equilibrium. The grunts from the four seemed offensive, not pained, and there did not seem to be any desperate cries.
"The law states that the princess must marry prior to her sixteenth birthday. Over the past year especially, suitors have come from all over for her hand. The princess, however, denied all of them due to their arrogance, and because she wanted to marry for love. No one was coming to par.
"The sultan approached me when I explained my lineage. He felt I was ideal because of my offensive capabilities and my ability to protect his daughter." He smiled a little. "Also, she liked me. After some persuasion, she gave in." He closed his eyes; his smile disappeared. "But she didn't love me. She accepted most likely because I'm different from those princes, nothing more. When her eyes fell on Aladdin, the day she escaped palace walls, she immediately regretted her choice."
His hands lowered from the pot's lining and he opened his eyes minutely. "Up until now, my bonds with others had only been ones of hatred and murder. I saw even family as mere hulls of flesh connected by blood and disdain. But, seeing him fight so hard made me wonder what a bond really is. I think I understand a little now.
"Suffering, sadness . . . and joy. To be able to share it with another person. Naruto Uzumaki, your brother . . . when I fought him, I feel that is what he taught me. Princess Jasmine. . . ." He trailed off.
Hikari connected the dots, wondering to her chagrin why she had not realized earlier. "You're not engaged because of the sultan, or any arrangement; there's no one here to arrange for you. And the Kazekage's title isn't passed on by blood, it's passed by skill." She looked at him over her shoulder. "The princess may not be engaged to you because she's in love with you . . . but you're in it because you love her."
There was a considerable reddening of his face. In a small voice, he replied, "I do. I have. But as you've seen, what I feel is unrequited. . . . She'll be happy with Aladdin. That's what's important."
"Yeah. . . ." She thought about Sasuke, the boy who had held the title as her first love. Affection for him had dwindled with loss of heart and passing years, but back in the day she had been just as far under his spell as the rest of the female youth population in the village. Constantly the fan girls fought over him, despite his lack of ardor for anyone. She wondered briefly that if Sasuke had in fact fallen for a different girl back then, whether she would so diplomatically have let him go.
Perhaps she was not the best judge, due to her apparent lack of understanding of friendly bonds, but his actions were rather mature for a first love; an unrequited love, no less.
There was a loud, painful cry coming from outside and an exclamation of Aladdin's name. Donald cast a Cura spell. Hikari frowned. "Sounds like they need our help; there has to be a way out of . . . hold on a minute. . . ."
Having an epiphany, the girl turned herself around so that she had her back against the inside of the pot. While she lifted her feet, she tried to refrain from kicking Gaara accidentally. Quickly, she untied her shoe and slipped it off her foot; she looked inside and thumped the toe. She did the same with her other shoe.
Gaara looked at her over his shoulder with narrowed, questioning eyes. Hikari met them with a smile as she tilted and shook her shoes, allowing sand to fall out in a steady stream. "Doesn't look like there's a lot, but is there maybe enough to get is out?"
The sand finished falling once it created a small mound between them. The jinchuuriki turned around and scooped some of the sand while the girl put her shoes back on. He closed his hand. "Barely, but I think so." There was a subtle, yet imperfect relief; one that would most likely not be complete until Jasmine was rescued. "Thank you."
"No problem. Let's go."
Outside the Giant Pot Spider, the boys were holding their own in spite of what had been heard from within the ninja's container. The Pot Centipede had three parts to it: a head, tail, and body composed of pots. The head and tail ends were colored blue; for defense, the heard had antennae with stingers on the end that would come to the aide of the tail in the event of an attack.
Unfortunately, it was quick and rather skilled; they were able to do little damage in close-combat before they were zapped by the electric stinger. For that reason, they all allowed it a wide berth as it turned around and crawled away from the Palace Gates to the Plaza.
Donald, Goofy, and Aladdin followed immediately whereas Sora lingered for a moment. He glanced at the Heartless containing Gaara and Hikari, frowned, and then passed through the doorless gateway toward the entrance of the city.
In the next area, Aladdin was slashing at the tail end of the Pot Centipede as it was preoccupied with awakening Pot Spiders to act as accomplices. Like a Frisbee, Goofy threw his shield and watched it glance the sides of its head, body, and tail before returning to him. Effortlessly Donald exterminated the Pot Spiders with a few Blizarra spells; their armor was significantly weaker than their giant counterpart.
"Blizzard!" Three icy crystals bombarded the pots and reduced them to dissolving dark particles, thereby separating the head and the tail. Alerted, the head swiveled and crawled to close the gap between itself and the tail. Like a whip, it lashed its antennae at Aladdin, who evaded just in time. He retreated.
The head of the Centipede touched its nose to the front of the tail end and flicked its stinging antennae every which way when a small shadow formed on its forehead. Gradually, the shadow grew, soon eclipsing its eyes and drawing its gaze skyward. The boys also looked up, but it was in vain; a moment later, an elaborate halberd struck it right between its glowing yellow eyes.
The final blow, smoky, black ribbons rose and curled around the halberd like vines. Both the head and the tail end seemed to fade and dissolve into dark particles. A pink, crystalline heart was released, allowing it to ascend to the sky. From the gateway, Gaara and Hikari emerged.
"Ultimate Attack: Shukaku's Pike," coolly stated the redhead jinchuuriki. His jutsu crumbled to the sand it was comprised of and laid to rest; his gourd was also placed against hid back, thus it was no longer needed by him.
Hikari reacted as she crouched near where the Pot Centipede had perished. She glanced quizzically. Shukaku's . . . ? From the sand, she scooped up a small, silver bracelet with a line of gold in the center. She slipped it onto her wrist and stood. "Okay. Jafar has the princess. Next, he'll probably be looking for that 'Keyhole.' Any bright ideas?"
Everyone stopped and gave it thought, despite what little knowledge of the world they may have had. Those who were more familiar with it searched their memories for something as mystic, but had little luck.
Aladdin crossed his arms and lifted his eyes from the ground, catching an opening in the wall. Curiosity piqued, he approached the opening and peered inside, looking down the secret passageway within. "This hole in the wall is new. I know I haven't seen it before." Donald, Goofy, Hikari, and Gaara followed suit.
"Gawrsh . . . it's dark down there," Goofy commented.
"That's because it's a large corridor," Hikari said, continuing to look down. "All the more reason to check it out, isn't that right? It could lead to where Jafar took the princess."
Behind them, Sora continued to stare at the tip of his Keyblade with narrowed eyes and parted lips. He felt a flutter in his chest, a subtle whisper that conjured the image of the Cave of Wonders Guardian within. "That cave . . . that's where the Keyhole is," he muttered.
Hikari turned to him. "What?"
He lifted his head and held up his Keyblade. "I think that cave-the one that looks like a tiger's head-that's where the Keyhole is." Hesitantly, as if he knew it sounded eerie, he added, "The . . . Keyblade says so." Red colored his cheeks; the others had their brows raised a little.
"The Keyblade said so . . . ," she repeated; but not with disbelief. "Well . . . we can't ignore this passageway, and I don't think we should ignore the Key."
"Then we'll split up and search both," Aladdin suggested. "Since Gaara and I are the only ones with transportation, we'll be on different teams. I'll go down this passageway with Carpet. Who's with me?"
Donald and Goofy exchanged looks and nodded. The former volunteered the both of them. "We are!" He turned to the brunette. "Sora?"
"I have to follow the Keyblade," he replied, lowering the Key. "I'll go with Hiki and Gaara to the Cave."
Gaara stood coolly with his arms crossed, wondering fleetingly whether or not he should entrust his faith to a boy carrying an oversized key. . . . "We don't have time to waste. We must rescue Princess Jasmine. Let's move."
Everyone nodded. "Right!"
End of Chapter Seventeen
Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Eighteen: Of Bones and Marionettes
Sora summoned his Keyblade and took his natural battle stance. "So, me and you against this guy and his doll. We can do this, no problem."
The puppet master formed a slight smile that did not reach his bored eyes. "Pity to be so obtuse. No matter." His teal-polished fingers moved as he directed his puppet toward Sora and Hikari; in reaction, Hikari formed a supplementary seal. "You won't feel the bliss of ignorance much longer."
[{X♥X}]
Heeeey... I'm remembering the disclaimer again! (Twice in seventeen chapters XD) Disclaimer: I don't own Disney, Kingdom Hearts, or Naruto. Also, the banter between Sasori and Deidara, I should mention, was taken almost directly from the anime-it was from English subs, and I altered it a little for my purposes, but it is the same for the most part XP I couldn't resist having them have their little art debate. It's too much a part of their character.
Umm...I think I wanted to say more, but I can't remember, so thanks for reading, reviewing, and God bless!