Return to Final Fantasy X-3 Chapter Fourteen



Final Fantaxy X-3
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: A DESERT?

Author: Stormforce
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Don't own either series.
Notes: <Anything in these are thoughts>


The room was small and quite, wooden crates lined the wall covered with cloth, shelves held clay pottery imbedded with small jewels. Instead of having a wooden floor; the owner -whoever that was- decided to save money by leaving the dirt in place. If anyone would have been standing either inside the room, or right outside the door, they would have seen a bright light. Not to mention hearing the startled cries of four female voices.

Willow appeared near the ceiling of the room, and fell to the floor with a painful grunt. Tara was next to appear, and fell on top of Willow, knocking the air from her lungs. Scrambling to her feet, Tara hurriedly pulled Willow away from the light, just as Faith and Buffy appeared with Donald and Goofy following. Willow laughed at the scene, Buffy had landed first with Faith landing on top of her crossways, Donald was next, his legs sticking up in the air, as Goofy landed on top of him.

A muffled quack, and a hard shove sent Goofy falling to the floor, as Donald hopped up, with Faith standing. Buffy had a dazed look on her face, as she tried to catch her breath. The heat in the room was getting unbarable, causing the group to stumble outside, and into the bright sunlight, and even more heat.

Willow wiped the sweat from her face and glanced around, they were standing in what looked like a marketplace. Vendors lined the small streets, selling anything from pottery, to silk veils, taking a look through the city gates; the group could see a large wide desert.

Buffy grinned, "Cool, looks like home." she said happily causing the others to groan, and think of the Bikanel Desert, and how hot that place could get. "But if there's a desert here...then where are we?"

"Come on, let's take a look around, and hopefully find out." Tara said as she and Willow began approaching a fruit vendor.

Meanwhile...

"And the Keyhole?" Maleficent asked as she and Jafar stood near a set of large gates.

"The Heartless are searching for it now. I'm certain we'll find it soon enough, and that just leaves--" Jafar stopped as a red parrot perched on his shoulder. "Well, Iago?"

The bird shook his head. "I've looked everywhere for Jasmine. She's disappeared like magic!"

"That girl is more trouble than she's worth." Jafar said unhappily.

"You said you hand things under control." Maleficent glared at both Jafar, and Iago.

"Agrabah is full of holes for rats to hide in. But why worry about Princess Jasmine? With her or without her, surely this world will be ours when we find the Keyhole."

Maleficent turned quickly and fixed Jafar with an unwavering gaze, "We need all of the princesses of heart to open the final door. One less and the others will be useless!"

"Well, if the princess is that important, we'll find her." Jafar said waving his hand summoning his Heartless. "Find Jasmine and bring her to me at once."

The Heartless bowed and disappeared to to their master's bidding.

"Don't steep yourself in darkness too long. The Heartless consume the careless."

Jafar laughed, "Your concern is touching, but hardly necessary."

Maleficent turned and disappeared, leaving Jafar to do his job. Unknown to either of them, Jasmine had been hiding under an empty vendor cart, and heard everything. When Maleficent had left, and Jafar had stepped inside the palace gates, the princess stood and slipped into a small alcove. Hearing a small noise she turned. "Who's there? Hello?"

The princess let out the breath she'd been holding when she saw four young women, and was surprised to see a duck, and a dog-like person behind them. She took a uncertain step back, when she saw the weapons the group had. "Who are you?"

"Whoa, there. We're not gonna hurt you. I'm Willow. What's your name?"

"I'm Jasmine. My father is the sultan of Agrabah."

"Wow, so that makes you a princess." Goofy said smiling.

"Yes," Jasmine nodded before lowering her head. "But my father has been deposed by Jafar, who now controls the city."

"Jafar?" Buffy asked confused. Who the hell do we gotta deal with now?

Jasmine looked up surprised. "You haven't heard of him? He's the royal vizier, and he's somehow gained evil powers and seized Agrabah. He's desperately looking for some--something he calls the 'Keyhole'. Jafar caught me trying to escape, but he helped me."

"Who helped you?" Faith asked hoping they could find this helpful guy.

"We were hiding nearby, but he left a while ago to take care of something... I can only hope Aladdin is safe."

"Aladdin?" Jafar asked as he appeared out of nowhere Where might I find this street rat?"

Jasmine shook her head taking a step back. "I'll never tell you, Jafar!"

"Oh, come now, Jasmine. Please allow me to find you moe suitable company, these little rats won't do." Jafar stepped closer, only to be blocked when Willow stepped in front of him.

"Jasmine, run!" Tara shouted as she and the others raised their blades.

"Ah, the girls who hold the Keyblades." Jafar laughed disappearing as a group of Heartless took his place.

Willow back flipped avoiding a large Heartless, and brought her blade down on a soldier before side flipping, and destroying a shadow. Faith twisted around bring her sword low, and cutting a soldier in half, as Buffy cast a Waterga spell on th large Heartless, with Donald's Thundaga spell following. Tara backed up and cast a Holy spell, finishing off the ten-foot tall creature. Goofy spun around knocking the small shadows away, and into the wall, where they disappeared with a pop.

The group stayed on guard for a moment longer, and when no more Heartless appeared to attack, the group looked confused. The whole set-up didn't feel right to any of them. Just one small group attacked. Why not more?

Willow glanced toward the sky, and qurked an eyebrow. On the top level of a small tower a pink and gold carpet was, to Willow waving. Closing her eyes and shaking her head, she looked again, seeing the same thing.

"Oi, I think I'm going nuts." Willow said more to herself, but everyone heard it.

"Why's that Will?" Faith asked, as Tara wrapped her arms around Willow's waist, and followed her line of site, and stared.

"If you're nuts, then so am I." Tara said and pointed toward the window. "Is it just me, or is there a carpet waving at us?"

"Huh?" Buffy looked up and cocked her head to the left. "Okay...I see it too."

Faith stared long and hard, but the carpet kept waving. "You know, I would say I was seeing things...but seeing as Will saw it first...I know I'm not."

"Let's check it out." Donald said with Goofy agreeing.

The group carefully made their way up a set of stairs, and into the room the carpet was waving from. It was a small room, a small dresser was on the right, a couple of sheets and pillows were on the floor in a makeshift bed. And the carpet was near the window, looking down, Willow could see it was trapped under another larger dresser. With Faith's help the two girls moved the dresser, and watched as the carpet begag bouncing up and down, as it -in a way- motioned toward the desert.

"I think it wants us to come along." Donald said, and jumped as another voice was heard.

"You'd be right."

Turning the group saw Buffy and Tara's twins standing in the doorway. Tara's twin was wearing a pair of baggy red silk pants, and a matching bra. Buffy's twin was wearing the same thing, only hers was a deep purple.

"We made Anya, so we know what she wants." Tara's twin said smiling.

"Anya?" Buffy stiffled a giggle.

"Yes," Buffy's twin said, as a small smile appeared. "Something funny?"

"Nothing, we just know a woman named Anya." Willow giggled.

Tara's twin nodded. "We know, my sister and I have been having visions of your group for some time now. We also know, you're the ones who hold the Keyblades, and will hopefully save our world."

The group stared stupified at the two girls, Willow shook her head. "Now why doesn't that really surprise me?"

"Xander should be with the others--" Buffy started but stopped when a blue and gold carpet came flying into the room. "Xander, what's wrong?"

The carpet named Xander bouned around excitedly, as the girls giggled, and the twins listened. "What!" Tara's twin shouted stopping the laughter. "Can you please ride the carpets, something has happened, and the others are in danger."

"Sure." Tara nodded, as she, Willow, and Goofy hopped on the Anya carpet.

"Don't worry, we'll get the ones you're talking about back here safely." Buffy said, as she, Faith, and Donald got on the Xander carpet.

The carpets flew over the desert facing the setting sun, Willow raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, and peered over the sand. In the distance she could barely make out three shapes, as the carpets got closer the group could see Willow and Faith's twins, and a young man waist deep in quicksand. The carpets lowered to the ground twenty-foot away, and stayed as the grroup hurried toward the twins and man.

The twins looked over at the group and stared at their doubles for just a moment before shouting out. Just as the twins shouted, Willow and Buffy were thrown back five-foot, as the others were caught in a section of whirling sand, and began sinking. As the two girls stood, a several groups of Heartless appeared in between them, and the others.

"Not again." Buffy sighed glancing at Willow as they got into a fighting stance.

Willow dodged to the right, as Buffy flipped over one of the ten-foot tall Heartless and bolted toward the sinking group. She heard a pop, and grinned knowing Willow had just dealed with one of the creatures, and thrust her hands out. "Float!" she shouted and watched as her group was lifted out of the swirling sand. As Faith's feet hit the ground she turned and saw the other three, now neck deep in the quicksand and shouted the same spell Buffy had.

Her and Willow's twin fell to the ground, beside the young man, and stood bringing up swords that were wide at the tip, and narrowed down near the hilt. The two twins ran forward slicing at the creatures, that was all Faith watched, and turned toward her own fight.

The poison coverd claws came down just narrowly missing Tara's left leg, as she stepped back and brought her blade down. The attacking soldier disappeared with a pop, and was replaced by three more. Tara sighed, but kept attacking.

Buffy screamed and rolled to the right, as one of the ten-foot tall Heartless jumped into the air, and tried to flatten her into the sand, she glared as she stood, and cast a Thundaga spell. The giant creature stood, only to go bye-bye when Willow's blade sliced its back open. Faith side flipped, and then back flipped casting a Flare spell on three shadows and a soldier.

Donald and Goofy began to stagger, the creatures just kept coming. The group plus the twins were getting worn-out, and found themselves surrounded. Willow noticed the young man stand and hold out a golden lamp.

"Genie, get rid of these guys!" The man shouted rubbing the lamp.

If Willow hadn't of already been on the ground, she would have fallen back in shock, as a blue smoke poured from the lamp, and shaped into a blue man. He grew to thirty-foot tall, turned and laughed. "Wish Number One, coming right up!" the Genie shouted rubbing his hands together before thrusting them forward, and sending a green shockwave through the whole desert.

The Heartless disappeared leaving the area calm, and quiet, as the girls stood and approached the man and twins slowly.

"Thanks for your help. I'm Aladdin, and these are my sisters, Faith, and Willow...but seems like you're them, or are they you?"

"Long story." Faith said smirking at her twin.

"Can you tell us, anyway?" Willow's twin asked poking at Willow's shoulder.

"Stop that." Willow said swatting her twins hand away. "Yeah, guess we can."


Continue to Final Fantasy X-3 Chapter Sixteen


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