Chapter 6: Deciding the Greater Good
“You understand what I ask of you?”
“Indeed I do. But I have two questions. How can you be so sure that this will help restore you to your prime and second, why should I care?
“Because”, explained Sharak, “I can grant you your desires. Worlds under your command, power beyond your wildest dreams and the destruction of your enemies. As far as being sure that my plan will succeed…I regret to say that I cannot remember how the darkness I am after was taken away from me. My recollection of my destruction is vague but either way, I am certain that this will help my resurrection.”
“What you are offering is what I can easily get for myself.”
“Oh really? Perhaps you don’t quite remember the last time that you tried to accomplish your goals yourself. Your plan was indeed well thought out but you hadn’t reckoned with the knowledge that you were being manipulated the ENTIRE time.”
“Who’s to say that YOU won’t manipulate me before casting me aside?” asked Sharak’s guest.
“I only manipulate those who cannot understand”, explained the emperor, “You are one of the very few people in the entire universe who does understand. You are also one of the very few people who accepts what you know.”
Sharak held his hand out. His guest just stared at him.
“Join me. Join the Council of Darkness.”
“I am still not convinced.”
“I went to the trouble of returning you to the land of living. I could have just left you in the realm of death to rot. Instead I chose to save you. You owe me.”
“Maybe, but how do I know that this will be for the best?”
“Deep down you realise that is what you want”, persuaded the creature, “Deep down you want to glory in the power that is in front of you and deep down, you need me as much as I need you.”
With that, Sharak’s guest accepted his invitation.
And his hand.
Just then, Jafar entered the throne room.
“Yes, Jafar, what is it?”
“You requested our progress, didn’t you, Sharak?” asked the royal vizier.
“Ah, yes. How are we proceeding?”
“It has been a week since we put our plan into action”, began Jafar, “Since then, we have taken half a million worlds, enslaved and eradicated any survivors, bred and created countless Heartless, recruited two thirds of the people we need and captured all but one of the princesses.”
“Excellent.”
“You are aware of who else we need, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am”, said Sharak, “You will have the honour of retrieving the final princess. After all, I’m sure she’ll be much more appreciative being greeted by an old acquaintance.”
“I am certain that the moment will be…heart-warming before heart-breaking”, mused the newest ally.
“That is what I have always admired about you”, remarked Jafar, “Your unknown need for inflicting malice on others.”
“And my reasons for causing despair shall forever be kept unknown, Jafar”, replied the newest arrival, “My past shall forever be kept a secret from everyone else.”
“Except me”, announced Sharak.
“Except you?”
“I know what drives you, my colleague. And I must say, it is very…captivating.”
“How can you possibly know?”
“I am the reason darkness is in the hearts of others. Because hearts are technically connected to me, I possess intimate knowledge about everyone.”
Sharak’s guest eyed him suspiciously.
“Fear not”, reassured the source of all darkness as he put his finger underneath the arrival’s chin and gently lifted it upwards, “Your personal experiences will be kept strictly confidential between the two of us. Now, you two know what must be done. I will leave you to it. I will continue our gathering.”
“Uh…boss?” said Hades as he entered the room.
“What now?” sighed the creature.
“The kid’s being a copycat and doing a little gathering of his own. He’s visiting other worlds and recruiting some guys to try and oppose us.”
“It does not surprise me. If he’s to stand any chance of stopping me, he’ll need the help of everyone who is just as foolish as he is.”
“He will have to be dealt with.”
“And he shall be”, agreed Sharak, “I have already set the wheels in motion for his own destruction. He doesn’t know it at the moment, but he has a time bomb with him that started ticking the day he first encountered it. It won’t be long before it explodes and it takes his whole world with him.”
The Deep Jungle.
A world filled with the desire to be protective over one another. There are many dangers that stalk it. Both on the inside and the outside. Hence the desire to look out for one another.
“Well, we’re here”, said Jaron as he gently landed the cruiser in a little mountain area just outside the jungle itself.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” asked Donald.
“Meaning?”
“Look, we’ve got Hercules with us”, whispered the Chief Magician. He kept his voice down just in case anyone else might overhear and get offended, “You said the Council of Light made the rules about not meddling just to protect the peace. We’re taking Hercules to a world he’s not been on or heard of! We’re meddling and breaking the rules! What if the council do something to punish us?”
“There’s no need to worry”, explained the Saviour, “Only under normal circumstances would we pay the consequences. Fighting Sharak is not under normal circumstances. I was assigned by the council for this task. I have been given full authority to take those to other worlds. We have no need to worry about rule breaking.”
“Are you gonna tell us about the whole business with you and the council, Jaron? Or are you just gonna drop the occasional hint and let us figure it out for ourselves?”
“Why are you so interested?”
“Oh, it’s simply because I’m sick and tired of you yakking about it all the time!” yelled Donald, “You said you were gonna tell us about how you know all of this stuff, so why don’t you do that instead of keeping us guessing!”
Jaron’s eyes narrowed in anger. The whole expression of anger on his face was hidden by his mask but the eyes were all that were needed to say it all.
“Only when you finally learn to shut up and listen, Donald”, snapped the Saviour, “And learn to keep your unwanted beak out of other people’s PRIVATE business, may I tell you about what happened to me.”
The Saviour walked straight passed Donald, out of the cockpit and down to the rest quarters of the cruiser.
“Until then, keep on guessing”, he said coldly as he left. Donald looked at him with a look of concern and confusion on his face. The Royal Wizard sometimes let his bad-temper get the better of him and say things that got on the nerves of others but he’d never seen anyone take it so personally before. He did start to feel sorry about what he’d just said but he also started to feel confused as to why Jaron had acted in an unusual way that he and the others hadn’t seen before.
“What was that all about?”
Jaron walked down into the rest quarters of the cruiser to meet Sora, Hercules and Goofy. The Keybearer and the Court Guard were explaining to the demi-god about the Deep Jungle and why they were here. They stopped talking about it when they saw Jaron enter.
“G’morning, Jaron!” said Goofy, “Are you ready to…”
Goofy didn’t finish his question. Jaron walked straight past the three of them, ignoring them and ignoring whatever it was Goofy had to say. Sora looked on in confusion.
“What’s up with him?” asked Hercules.
“Ya got me”, shrugged Goofy.
“Uh…did anybody see Jaron go by?” asked Donald nervously, already knowing the answer to his question.
“Why?” asked Sora, looking at the Royal Wizard, eyes narrowed.
“Well…uh.”
“Nice going, Donald!” said Sora sarcastically, as he got up and walked after Jaron. Donald began explaining to Goofy and Hercules whilst the Keybearer continued his search for the Saviour. He found him in the cargo bay, getting ready to exit.
“Look, Jaron”, began Sora, “Donald has a habit of saying things that can upset people. Don’t be offended by whatever it was he said.”
“I’m going to get some air”, said Jaron, “Do some thinking.”
“But what about Tarzan?”
“The four of you can find him by yourselves. I’ll meet you back here.”
“Jaron, wait!”
The door of the cargo bay opened and the Saviour leapt out of the cruiser and into the depths of the jungle. Sora just shook his head and turned around to see Donald, Goofy and Hercules, who had just seen Jaron take off. The Keybearer looked at Donald.
“What have you done this time?”
“I just asked him about when he was gonna tell us the deal between him and the council and he took it personally.”
“Probably had something to do with the way you asked him”, said Sora, “He said he’d tell us when he felt like telling us! Don’t you remember?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Save it for later, Donald”, said Sora, “Jaron wants some time to himself, so I suggest we give it him. We’ve got a job to do so we might as well get on with it. We can manage without him.”
“When is he coming back?” asked Hercules.
“Haven’t a clue. He said he’d meet us back here. If we get back before he does we’ll just wait for him. I’m sure he’ll do the same for us. Come on, guys, let’s go.”
And so the four exited the cruiser and walked down the mountain area and into the jungle below. Wading through the wild bushes and jungle leaves.
“How exactly did you find him the last time you were here?”
“He found me, Herc”, replied Sora, “I was attacked and he saved me.”
“So how do we find him?”
“Wherever danger is, he’ll be there. All we gotta do is just listen out for something and…”
A scream sounded and echoed throughout the entire jungle. The four ran to where the scream sounded. They continued running through the vastness of the jungle until they came to a familiar area. When they entered the camp, they saw Tarzan wrestling with this giant python. It had bitten Jane Porter, a researcher and close friend of Tarzan. The jungle hero was now grappling with the serpent with his spear, trying to get it away from her.
“Told ya”, said Sora as he and the others rushed to help their friend. The Keyblade master and the King’s followers were just about to strike, when a hand grabbed the python by the throat, choking it.
“Allow me”, smiled Hercules. He ran up to the nearest tree and tied the massive reptile around it in several knots faster than the eye could blink. The python gurgled and gasped for air, unable to get free. Donald and Goofy burst into laughter. Sora smiled and so did Tarzan, despite his confusion. Tarzan’s smile then turned into an expression of horror when he remembered something.
“Jane in trouble!” he shouted as he ran over to her. The others followed in hot pursuit. The snake had bitten the researcher on the shoulder. She was holding her hand over her shoulder and seething in pain.
“Here, let me help”, said Sora, offering a potion. Tarzan instantly recognised what it was the Keybearer held in his hand and took it off him so he could give it to Jane. The researcher’s wound healed instantly and she was soon standing up again.
“Jane, safe”, smiled the jungle hero.
“Thanks to you”, she smiled back. She then noticed the others, “and Sora and the others. Thank you so much.”
“No problem.”
“It’s so good to see you again”, she smiled as she shook hands with Sora, Donald and Goofy, “Oh. A new friend. Who is this?”
“My name is Hercules.”
“A pleasure to meet you.”
“Sora, Donald and Goofy…friends”, Tarzan smiled. He looked at the demi-god and smiled, “You…unfamiliar, but…friend. Heart…friend’s heart.”
“Uh…yeah”, smiled Hercules, unsure about Tarzan’s attempts at the English language but still understanding of what he was trying to say.
“What brings you back to the jungle?” asked Jane.
“We need to talk”, said Sora, “About something very big…and very important.”
“Well, you’d best come inside the tent.”
And so began the conversation. After extensive introductions, the talk of Sharak took place. Sora explained about the enormous threat that he posed and how much peril that they were all in. Unless action was taken against him, all worlds would suffer. Jane understood what Sora was saying. After all, she understood a lot about the heart and the Heartless and they were related to the emperor more or less. Tarzan, although not as fluent in the English language as everybody else, was a highly intelligent individual. He understood a lot. And that included the heart and the Heartless as well. He recognised the threat Sharak posed and was keen to help.
Until Sora asked him to join them and leave the jungle to take the fight to Sharak.
“So what do you say?”
Tarzan just looked at Sora, not showing any expressions to say how he felt. After several seconds, the jungle hero spoke.
“Me will help…but me won’t leave home.”
“Huh?!”
“Me will defend world from Sharak but will stay in jungle. Too much…to leave behind. Tarzan has family. Family need Tarzan. Tarzan need family.”
“But we need you!” exclaimed Goofy.
“TARZAN STAY HERE!” shouted the jungle hero, “THAT FINAL!”
Tarzan then crawled out of the tent and leapt out of the camp into the trees surrounding it. Sora and the others chased after him but he quickly disappeared out of sight. The Keybearer sighed. He couldn’t believe it. It was bad enough that Jaron had decided to take off all of a sudden and now Tarzan was refusing to confront the source of all darkness.
What else could go wrong? Sora thought to himself. He turned around to Jane.
“Look, Jane. I’m sorry. We all are. We didn’t mean to…”
“It’s alright, Sora”, said the researcher, “Tarzan’s reaction is understandable. He was raised by the gorillas. He’s grown incredibly close to them. They’re his family. The only one he has left. They are so many of them in the jungle, and he treasures all of them. He can’t bear to be parted from them. Do you need him so desperately? Can’t you manage without him?”
“I wish it was that simple”, the Keyblade master replied sadly, “But this is one of those situations where we need all the help we can get. Besides, Sharak is everyone’s problem. I can understand and respect why Tarzan doesn’t want to leave and his desire to defend his home is respectable, but defence alone isn’t enough. If we’re to live through this, we have to take the fight to Sharak. We have to make Tarzan realise that.”
“So where do we find him?” asked Hercules, “This jungle is huge.”
“There are numerous places that I’m sure he’ll be at”, said Sora, “So we just gotta check ‘em out. Let’s go.”
Meanwhile, high above the grounds and lagoons in the jungle, deep within the vast trees out of sight from the gorillas, Jaron was sitting on top of one of the many branches, resting against the trunk of the tree. He was lost in thought.
I’m sorry, Donald, Jaron thought to himself. I shouldn’t have taken what you said so personally but I just couldn’t help it. The past hurts so much. I want to tell you and the others about what happened to me and the truth behind the council. I’m desperate to confess everything, I don’t know how much longer I can keep everything secret. But I’m scared. I’m scared of revealing things that you may not be able to understand and accept.
It’s strange. I never thought I’d find friendship again after what happened. When I did, I found friendship like no other. Sora is a friend unlike any I’ve ever had. There’s still so much I don’t know about him. On the outside he’s cheerful, courageous, honest, true and strong. I know he’s all those things on the inside as well but I know there’s more to him than that. His nightmares are evidence of this. He keeps mentioning a name…Kairi. Is that someone who he lost under similar circumstance to what I lost? Or is she still alive and he yearns to return to her?
Jaron thought back to what he said to Sora a few days ago.
“Just remember. When you’re with friends, you don’t have to face things alone.”
Maybe I should follow my own advice, thought the Saviour. Maybe I should tell Sora and the others about my pain. Maybe I don’t have anything to confess to be afraid of. I think I’ve known the Keybearer and Donald and Goofy long enough to trust them with secrets. I think I’ve earned their trust to know their problems.
The Saviour stood up and jumped from tree to tree, on his way back to the cruiser.
That’s the remarkable thing about friendship. Strength in numbers can help you overcome anything. When you're with friends, their help can allow you to conquer life’s toughest obstacles. And in the end, isn’t that what makes us strong?
Elsewhere, Tarzan looked all around him. He was in the nesting grounds deep within the heart of the jungle. He swung from tree to tree looking down below at the gorillas that had given him so much care and love amongst other things. He’d proven he’d belonged with them after all the training and exercises he’d been put through. He admired the jungle and all its beauty. This was where the jungle hero had spent his years growing up. The gorillas had taken him in after he’d been separated from humans. This was what he loved and it was where he belonged.
How could he possibly leave it all behind?
Tarzan took the threat of Sharak seriously. He couldn’t be sure for himself that he actually existed but he knew Sora wouldn’t make it up. After all, the Keyblade master was one of the jungle hero’s best friends. But what was wrong with just staying and defending in case the creature came here? He knew Sora would respect and understand that.
Eventually, Tarzan’s journey through his home took him to the Cavern of Hearts. He remembered how he once explained to Sora and friends how friends could be seen here. How friends were always with those closest to them. He sat in silence for hours, deep within the cavern, lost in thought. Soon he heard footsteps and then Sora and the others entered the cavern.
“I thought we’d find you here”, remarked Sora.
“Tarzan not go.”
“Look, we…”, began Donald.
“Can you guys leave the two of us? I’ll meet you back at the cruiser.”
“Sora?”
“Goofy, guys, please”, insisted the Keybearer. With that Donald, Goofy and Hercules made their journey back.
“Love home so much.”
“I can understand that, Tarzan, but if your love for the jungle is so great, you have to fight for it.”
“Me can fight here.”
“That’s not enough”, said Sora, “You can’t wait for Sharak to come to you. You have to confront him yourself. We all have to. It’s the only way to preserve what we hold dear.”
Tarzan just stared at Sora.
“I can understand how you feel”, continued the Keyblade master as he sat down beside the jungle hero, “I was forced to leave my home once. I was forced to accept the role of the Keybearer. I didn’t want to at first but I realised that I had to accept it. Wishing to keep what you have isn’t enough. Whenever danger threatens what you cherish, you have to fight to protect it. It’s the only way to ensure its safety.”
Tarzan turned his head slightly to look at Sora.
“There isn’t a day that goes by when I want to go home”, continued Sora, “I yearn to go home and go back to what I love. But I know that I will go back home one day. And everything I love will be safe because I’ll have made it remain safe. I’ll go home because I’ll destroy what threatens it and make my dream of going home come true. And I know that’s what you’d do to protect your home.”
Tarzan was once more lost deep in thought. Sora got up and started to walk out of the cavern. Before he left, he turned around to speak one last time.
“I’m not going to force you to go, Tarzan”, said Sora, “If you don’t want to leave, I understand. Just think about it, that’s all I ask. Our ship’s in the mountain areas outside the jungle. We’ll be leaving in thirty minutes.”
Sora walked out of the cavern and back to the cruiser. Tarzan had learned a lot more about the English language over the last two years. If Sora had said what he’d said two years ago, Tarzan wouldn’t have been able to understand it. Although his ability to speak fluent English still needed working on, his ability to understand massive sentences, paragraphs and speeches had improved immensely. What the Keybearer had just said now was a sound argument and one that had gotten through to the jungle hero. He realised now that he had to leave behind what he loved if he wished to protect it.
Another thought also occurred to him. If Sharak invaded with the Heartless, there was a high possibility that he and the gorillas would be insufficient to stop him. He remembered the last time the Heartless invaded. They had possessed the hunter known as Clayton and had attacked the gorillas. Only the appearance of the Keybearer and the king’s followers had stopped their rampage. With the help of his powerful friends, Tarzan could hope to confront this walking nightmare and destroy it. Only then would everything be safe.
Back at the cruiser, Sora, Jaron, Donald, Goofy and Hercules were all on aboard.
“Jaron…I’m sorry about what I said.”
“And I’m sorry as well. You reminded of something I’d forgotten. I shouldn’t have to keep things to myself and let others figure out my problems. And I shouldn’t have to bear with the pain all by myself. I’ll tell you everything once we’re airborne.”
“Only tell us when you’re ready, Jaron”, said Donald, “Don’t let us force you to do things you don’t want to.”
“Thanks, my friend”, smiled the Saviour.
“How did it go with Tarzan?” asked Goofy.
“I tried”, said Sora, “If he doesn’t want to come it’s his call. I gave him half an hour to think things over.”
“How’s he gonna find us?”
“I told him where we were, for all the difference it makes.”
“Well, time’s almost up”, said Hercules, “Shall we get going?”
“Might as well”, agreed Jaron.
“Hey, look!” pointed Donald.
The five of them looked to see Tarzan climbing up the mountain, with Jane hanging onto him, and up to the cruiser. Sora smiled and ran up to him. Tarzan smiled back.
“What are you doing here?”
“Tarzan’s made his decision”, smiled Jane, “He wants to go with you.”
“Tarzan didn’t want to feel selfish”, explained the jungle hero, “Sora…friends leave homes behind to stop darkness. If me stay here, it not fair.”
“Thank you.”
The others greeted Tarzan and welcomed him in. The jungle hero turned to Jane and hugged her goodbye.
“Tarzan will miss Jane”, he said as tears fell from his eyes, “But me will come back. Me promise.”
“I know”, she replied as she wept as well.
In the half-hour that had gone by, Tarzan had visited his family and friends. He explained to them why he had to leave. Many didn’t understand but those most closest to him did comprehend what he had to. After many tearful goodbyes and promises of returning home one day, the lord of the jungle headed to regroup with his friends and allies. Just before the ship was ready to take off, the entire group of gorillas that inhabited the jungle climbed the mountain. They all stood before the vessel to give Tarzan a hero’s farewell. As the vessel took off for another world, the gorillas roared their approval and expressed their goodbyes for one of their own.
Tarzan looked out of the vessel and smiled at those far below. He had decided for the greater good and he would now do everything in his power to return home with Sharak vanquished once and for all.
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