Entangled

Authors' Note: This story is the first collaborative work by Cantare (author of "Antiphony") and Katie Ann (author of "Gone"). It's set after the Aladdin series episode 'Two to Tangle' with an alternative ending and features everybody's favorite hero and villain. Through our joint efforts we hope to keep this fandom alive and kicking, delving deeper into the minds of our favorite characters as we try to explore the complex relationships that dominate the universe. Oh, and we want to make you laugh as we do. ;)

Please read and review once you've finished! Remember, secrets don't make friends, but reviews do! Ask us, we know--that's how we met!

"Is he going to be okay, Genie?"

The jinni shook his head, his eyes never leaving the hero. "I don't know, Jasmine. I just don't know."

They stared at the motionless body of Aladdin and waited, helpless to do anything else.

But Aladdin's mind was a whirlwind of colors and images, memories from his life and from the life he did not understand and had no desire to see. Distinct sensations traveled across his body, sensations he could not control: the goosebumps prickling his skin in a shiver of fear, the light perspiration trickling down his upper lip, the heavy weight of the leather gauntlet as it pulsed and purred with untold legions of dark magic.

His eyes had frozen over in an unseeing gaze and his muscles tightened, rigid with strain. His arm remained in midair, poised to drink from the cup he had just risked life and limb to steal. It was no ordinary cup; within its rim sloshed the Elixir of Life, a magical potion that promised to restore him to his rightful self, one man with one spirit. But the cup has slipped from his fingers moments ago, saved only by the quick reflexes of his friends. He would need the potion once he reemerged from the inner turmoil that plagued his mind and body, if only he could manage to gain control of both those entities in time.

Aladdin could tell he was still within his body but in its immobility he knew only the inside of his mind, which had expanded with the psyche and spirit of his most dangerous enemy. Exhilaration suddenly permeated his veins, quickening his pulse in a glorified thrill for what was to come. He knew hatred then, and also contempt, but most of all wrath, and he was unsure whether it was his own emotion or the product of his enemy.

"You're a snake, Mozenrath!"

Even as he said it, aloud within his mind and also muttered by his lips, the sorcerer sent a pulsating shock coursing through the empty realm of nothingness. Aladdin could feel his feet sunk into the sand in the chamber, but he also felt weightless enough that he nimbly avoided the blast of energy with a quick leap to one side. He rolled around to face the sorcerer and was greeted with a taunt and another blast of magic.

"Can I help it if you're so trusting?" Mozenrath laughed and shook his head, following the street rat's quick pace with his eyes and training his hand to follow. He sent another bolt of light at Aladdin who once again jumped out of the way.

The force of Mozenrath's magic intensified, combined with his strength of will, and Aladdin began to lose the minor sensations that coupled his spirit to his body. He lost the feeling of his feet first, though he could still control their movement within; but even that grew weaker in the face of Mozenrath's ferocity. He shook his head and the thought out of his mind.

"I'll never surrender to you!" Even as Aladdin said it he felt foolish. His agility, even his strength, was no match for Mozenrath's power. His enemy knew this also and spit it back into his face.

"Yes, you will!" Mozenrath aimed carefully and pushed his arm forward, the swirling black and indigo energy throbbing down his arm and away from his fingertips. The well-aimed blast should have hit Aladdin squarely in the chest, but with fluid agility the hero bounded to the left. The magic scraped only his legs, painfully proving that Aladdin had not lost complete feeling. The ball of lightning coursed through his bones, electrifying his flesh, and his body shook violently and fell to the floor, tremors of agony overshadowing any countenance for a verbal comeback.

He screamed, blinded by the pain, and yet his eyes stayed open; he had lost the connection with those also. For the moment all he knew was severe, relentless agony. Despite himself he clung onto that feeling for the small comfort it brought—at least he could still feel.

His friends heard the scream of pain uttered from his lips and watched him with fear. Listening to Mozenrath's taunts and Aladdin's resilience, they each formed their own picture of the battle, but it was Jasmine who whispered the singular thought that plagued their imaginations. She looked away and then back at the still form of her lover.

"It sounds like Aladdin is fighting Mozenrath…and losing!"

Within the spheres of Aladdin's mind he heard her voice, and her fear for him buoyed his faith in himself. He would not surrender to Mozenrath's influence over his mind or body; he refused to allow the sorcerer to dominate what did not rightfully belong to him.

"No!" he shouted, hoping desperately to ease her panic, and dodged another attack.

"Yield, Aladdin!"

The hero shook his head adamantly, warily eyeing the sorcerer as he tried to gauge the best plan of attack. He needed to overpower the man if he had any hope of regaining control of his body and forcing the foreign spirit out. His vision adjusted to the changing color of the nothingness that surrounded the two, the wizard's dark robes standing out clearly against its brilliance. Did the color reflect Aladdin's will to live? Or Mozenrath's hatred? Crimson mist blended into a bright orange, and Aladdin felt a pulse of adrenaline that matched his speed.

"I'm not like you, Mozenrath! I don't give up that easily!" Aladdin sprang forward, aiming to strike at the sorcerer.

Mozenrath, his essence close to overcoming that of the street rat, turned to face him fully. "Then maybe it's about time I changed that!" He held up his arm again and sent one last dark blaze of magic at Aladdin.

"NO!" Aladdin shouted. He had been so close to Mozenrath that the rapid bolt reached him much more quickly than expected. He held his arms in front of his chest, preparing to take the brunt of the damage. But even as he turned his face from the heat of the energy, he knew that something strange had occurred. Where was the excruciating pain?

The dark magic had not reached Aladdin's hands. Instead, a warm glow of radiant gold enveloped his palms and spread over his forearms, a glow that blocked the blue coils of dark magic issued from Mozenrath's gauntlet. Aladdin stared at it in wonder and looked up to see a similar expression of surprise plastered on Mozenrath's face. The sorcerer had actually lowered his gauntlet a fraction of an inch, nearly cutting off the flow of magic.

"What? How did you get magic powers?" The question was not meant to be answered and Mozenrath certainly did not believe that Aladdin knew more than he about the mystical phenomenon. Still, he kept his hand aimed at Aladdin and the tendrils of black magic continued to pour forth against the gold.

"It must be my spirit. I guess it has its own mystical power," Aladdin mused as he examined his hands carefully, measuring the spread of the light across his hands and allowing it to tingle the inside of his skin. He looked up at Mozenrath and smirked. "The power to defeat you!"

He straightened his arms in the same manner as Mozenrath, and the bright yellow beam shot out from his palms like lightning until it began to push back the navy streak of the sorcerer's power. Mozenrath looked down in despair, watching his power collapse under the force of Aladdin's spirit. He let out a cry of anguish, but his hands remained taut, refusing to submit.

Outside of Aladdin's body, Genie, Abu, Iago and Carpet let out resounding cheers of glee as they listened to the change in the tide of the battle. Jasmine continued to watch anxiously, stepping back when Genie transformed into a heavily armed SWAT team three dozen strong, mobilized in rows that encircled Aladdin's body. Jasmine, Iago, and Abu stumbled out of the way at the sudden multiplication of so many jinnis in the small space, and Carpet scooped them up easily and floated slightly above the scene. Genie and his many counterparts quickly aimed their futuristic weapons at Aladdin's body, but many of the officers' guns were aimed at other jinnis.

"Don't try any funny business, Mozenrath, or we will be force to shoot ourselves!"

They watched as Aladdin's body shuddered, as though the forces within it were too powerful for one person to hold. Genie pressed closer to the hero, and over the muttering that issued from Aladdin's stiff lips, they all heard a loud crunch under his feet. Jasmine's hand moved automatically to the satchel on her back, and she realized with dread that the statue she had been charged with safeguarding no longer lay within it. It must have fallen out in the commotion caused by Genie.

Her eyes grew wide in alarm as she hunted for the sculpture shaped like the sorcerer, the wooden figure that was essential in returning Mozenrath to his original body. She found it lying crumbled next to Aladdin's motionless feet, the tread of Genie's boot in the dusty ground evident even from a distance. It lay in pieces, shattered by the stomping of the many jinnis in their haste to ensure the hero's safety.

Jasmine gasped, her hand flying to her open mouth as she focused her eyes on Aladdin again. There was no way to tell which man was winning the spiritual battle within, but she knew that only one could win without costing the other dearly.

"Aladdin! The statue is broken!"

The struggle against the sorcerer had drained so much of his strength that it took a long moment for him to hear the voice shouting at him faintly through the fog of battle. He managed to focus his blurred vision on Mozenrath, who looked alarmed but resolute, and both of them heard her clearly at last.

The competing streams of magic continued to course between them even as the urgency in her words pleaded for them to stop. They stood within arm's reach of each other now, the struggle having drawn them close enough for Aladdin to strike at his enemy point-blank. But he knew instantly what needed to be done. Looking at the sorcerer through the shimmer of hostile magic, he could see the obvious fatigue draining what little color remained in his face even as the man continued to pour dark energy into the space between them.

"You can't get rid of me, Aladdin. You don't have the guts to finish this here and now," Mozenrath spat, his pained expression belying the troubled anger within.

Aladdin bent his face away from Mozenrath's, shielding his eyes from the blaze of light between them. "Maybe not, Mozenrath, but you won't have control over me anymore!"

Their hands were so close that Aladdin took a short step forward and pressed his palms against his enemy's. With a sneer Mozenrath dug his nails into Aladdin's right hand, but the latter ignored the pain and brought his knee up in a lightning quick motion, incapacitating the sorcerer in the fastest way known to man.

The sorcerer's expression froze in a combination of soundless shock and extreme pain, and the current of power faded from his hands immediately. Aladdin stepped back, feeling his own magic dissipate from his palms, and gave his enemy an apologetic look.

"Sorry. Desperate times call for desperate measures."

He drew back his fist and knocked the stunned man out cold.

"Genie, what happened?" Jasmine asked in alarm as Aladdin's rigid body sank to its knees, his face twisted in a uniquely pained expression. She placed a hand on his shoulder, but he still did not move.

Genie, now a singular entity once again, exchanged reluctant looks with Iago and Abu. "Uh..."

For once, the parrot seemed hesitant to speak. "I think someone just violated international sports regulations."

Aladdin looked down at the sorcerer's prone form, the burden on his spirit completely gone. He connected the sensations he felt from within and outside his mind and let the last bits of adrenaline drain from his body. He could still feel a slight discomfort, like a bad headache, in some corner of his head and knew that Mozenrath remained, although he was no longer a threat. At least for the moment.

He sighed."I'm surprised you didn't think of that before I did."

The hero surveyed the scene, attempting to discern the way out from his indistinguishable surroundings. He wondered briefly if there was some sort of spell required to return his complete control, but no sooner had he entertained the thought when he found a bright light dazing his vision. He stepped forward into it and, after blinking for a moment, realized that he was back in the outside chamber, looking directly into the worried eyes of his friends and loved ones. He slowly moved his arm from its awkward position and felt his muscles relax. He realized belatedly that he had fallen to his knees, and stood up quickly, dusting off his pants in slight embarrassment. His friends were staring at him in apprehension and doubt.

"Hey guys, it's me. Really." His voice sounded strange as it echoed in the recesses of the room and not the corners of his mind, and it took a moment for him to regain his senses. His friends sighed in relief, and although he recognized Iago's sarcastic remarks and Abu's immediate chattering, he could not make sense of the situation.

Still dizzy, he placed a hand on his forehead and rubbed his temples slowly, and it took a moment for him to acknowledge the smooth leather that covered his right hand. The hero held his hand in front of him, staring curiously at the gauntlet that encased his fingertips and forearm. When his vision cleared further, he saw again that his friends were standing before him and put his arm down. Genie was dressed in a black uniform holding sort of foreign weapon, Iago and Abu were peering at him from above Carpet, suspended in midair, and Jasmine stood nearby, clutching the broken pieces of the statue with both hands. She was the first to step forward, and she held the shards before him in open palms so that he, too, could survey the damage. She did not ask him to prove himself, but seemed to know his true identity even without a close inspection.

Aladdin held both hands out to her, one to grasp the damaged figurine and the other to embrace her. Jasmine slid her hand into his and they examined the remains together while Genie shuffled his feet, looking embarrassed and awkward.

"Stupid Genie! Statue broken!"

The gray eel slithered between Aladdin and Jasmine, hissing at the smashed pieces of Mozenrath's body. Aladdin covered the remains with his fingers as the eel sniffed for Mozenrath's presence.

"Now what Master do?" He looked up at the group as though expecting an answer.

Aladdin looked past the eel in distaste, seeing Jasmine's concerned face. "Where's the elixir?"

Genie produced the cup from somewhere on his person, but looked dubious as he handed it to his friend. "Sorry Al, I should have been more careful. I'll turn in my gun and badge by the end of the day."

Aladdin shook his head gently and smiled at his friend before holding the chalice up and peering at the purple liquid inside. He could feel all their eyes on him, wondering what he would do. He looked at Jasmine to gauge her thoughts on the matter; his mind told him that he should get rid of Mozenrath, once and for all, but his heart, ever the betrayer, reminded him that even evil madmen like Mozenrath deserved a chance. As he swirled the liquid around in the golden cup, his mind gradually grew clearer with the sight of the consequences of each option, and he slowly moved his arm. But then he almost lost his grip on the cup as Xerxes bit his hand.

"Ow!"

"No drink! Aladdin no drink!" the eel snapped, its teeth coming away bloody from Aladdin's finger.

He glared at his enemy's familiar, rubbing his hand gingerly. "Who asked you?" Aladdin made to swat the creature away but it was too quick for him and moved beyond his reach.

"No let Master die!" Xerxes said firmly, but though the eel's voice was still vicious, it was obviously pleading with him.

"It's right, Aladdin," Jasmine said. He looked at her in surprise and saw no traces of doubt in her face. "You can't drink it now."

"But then what am I supposed to--"

He grabbed her arm and jumped backward, tugging her out of harm's way as the roar of a giant monster reverberated through the cave. A split-second later, a gargantuan sand worm slammed headfirst into the ground near them, followed by three others in quick succession. Genie remultiplied into a SWAT team, this time aiming guns in haphazard directions and shooting at random as the captain tried to shout orders above the uproar.

Carpet swept under them, bringing them into the air before they could be snapped up by ravenous teeth. Jasmine clung to Aladdin in alarm, looking wildly around at their other friends. Iago was ferrying Abu to a far corner of the cavern. Multiple jinnis had been flattened against the ground or thrown into the stone walls, and small birds flew in circles around their heads. The main Genie rallied the remaining troops and retreated step by step, guns aimed upward at the furious monsters. The four of them reared up to their full height and roared, shaking the foundations of the room with their rage. Bullets bounced harmlessly off their skin, and soon the rows of jinnis disappeared, leaving behind only one who dashed out of the way with a frightened yelp.

Aladdin swung Carpet around with a forceful tug and went straight toward the center of the room. Jasmine pulled on his shoulder in concern, shouting in confusion. "What are you doing?!"

Two of the worms surged forward and nearly caught the edges of the carpet between their razor sharp teeth, but at the last second Aladdin maneuvered out of the way, and they smashed into each other head-on. The hero kept his gaze focused firmly on the raised dais under the beam of sunlight.

"It's this cup they want! Not us!"

Jasmine caught on immediately. She tugged on his arm to get his attention above the chaos. "Aladdin, we should keep a bit of that! Just in case!"

He nodded quickly and swung Carpet away from the dais, hearing another two worms collide behind them. The ceiling began to crumble, chunks of masonry falling around them and nearly hitting the carpet. Jasmine let go of him and covered her head, urging him to hurry.

"Genie, I need a flask!" Aladdin shouted.

The jinni had transformed into a sleek metal submarine complete with missiles about to fire. The periscope swiveled toward Aladdin with one blinking eye in the lens, and it cruised quickly away from one of the sand worms, its sides already dented from multiple attacks.

The submarine dissipated in a bright poof of magic, and Genie aimed a short blast of magic at Aladdin. The stream of light met his hand, and a flask glittered into view in the grip of his fingers. Carpet flew higher, giving him a few precious seconds to pour an ample amount of the elixir into the flask before he capped it and flew back down toward the platform. The worms growled and lurched upward just as Aladdin slammed the cup down on the stone dais. Jasmine screamed in fear as they were suddenly headed straight into a worm's open jaws.

Aladdin raised his hands defensively and remembered in an instant that he still had Mozenrath's power. Hardly thinking, he summoned power from somewhere within and blasted the worm point-blank in the roof of its cavernous mouth, the momentum from the spell propelling the carpet backwards, out of harm's way. The worm screeched and fell back, writhing on the ground. Aladdin whirled around, ready to face the other three with his gauntleted hand upraised, but to his surprise they were all retreating steadily into the sand, still snarling at him but no longer eager to fight.

"I was right," he said shakily as their heads disappeared into the ground. "They just wanted the cup."

Jasmine hugged him silently, willing her heartbeat to slow down. Carpet floated downward smoothly until they could both step onto solid ground, but still they clung to each other, afraid to let go. Abu ran back toward Aladdin and scampered up his side, chattering in relief. Iago grudgingly landed on Jasmine's shoulder, lamenting about how many tail feathers he had lost in yet another near encounter with death. But before they could celebrate their survival, Xerxes once again appeared and snarled at them anxiously.

"Where Master? Where Master?"

Aladdin looked at Jasmine, who drew in a sharp breath. Her face grew visibly pale. "I must have dropped the pieces..." They both looked to the ground, hastily searching the ground for the pieces they knew were probably lost.

"Oh good, then let's just head back home, I'm sure Mozenrath would have wished to have his remains scattered across a magical cavern of death," Iago said easily. He began to fly away and toward the exit, turning around briefly when he realized no one was following.

Aladdin and Jasmine both put the bird on the defensive with a hard look.

"What?! You actually wanna put him back together?!"

Genie transformed into a rotund potato with a comical face, four limbs, and Mozenrath's dark clothing, complete with a gauntlet, headdress, and cape. He turned two googly eyes toward them. One rotated slightly and fell off his face into the sand.

"Whoops. Could someone get that? Evil Wizard Head constantly falls apart, but putting him back together is the fun part! Gauntlet batteries not included."

Disturbed by the jinni's strange appearance, Aladdin didn't bother to pick up the plastic eye from the ground. "Seriously guys, what should we do? Genie, can you find the pieces of the statue?"

"Sure thing, Sherlock!" In a flash Genie changed into a pack of friendly-looking dogs with checkered hats and eagerly wagging tails, spreading out over the premises with their noses to the ground. In under a minute they all returned to Aladdin's side with their tails tucked between their legs, ears drooping.

"Woof woof!" The dogs paused as if surprised they could not talk, and in another cloud of magic they reverted to Genie's original form. "Sorry Al, the statue's either buried or smashed into even smaller bits. We wouldn't be able to put it back together anyway, since it's not just any ordinary statue."

Aladdin pondered the situation, wondering in the back of his mind if the sorcerer would regain consciousness soon and whether he could successfully fight him off again. But to what end? Aladdin knew he might be able to hold Mozenrath off for a while, but the energy needed to overcome the sorcerer just once had put him on edge. Fighting round after round would leave Aladdin more vulnerable than he could afford to be. He held the key to ending the problem then and there, but his instincts told him he couldn't use it. He knew he would never be shown the same courtesy by his enemy, but that wasn't the point. Aladdin would rather be at the mercy of Agrabah's greatest foe than to cut another life short.

He looked down at the flask in his hand as he contemplated what to do. Jasmine saw the direction of his gaze and shook her head, signaling that one major option was out of the question. He frowned slightly, already in agreement with her but terribly bothered by the consequences of Genie's careless mistake. The master of the Land of the Black Sand was currently out cold within his head, and he had no idea how to get him out without committing murder. He turned toward his friend with a frustrated sigh.

"Then what are we supposed to do, Genie?"

The jinni was at a loss for suggestions. He rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head thoughtfully. Iago slapped one wing to his beak in exasperation. "For now, I'd stick with my earlier advice: don't operate any heavy machinery."

"Well, we shouldn't hang around here," Jasmine said, rubbing Aladdin's shoulder in an attempt to ease the stress he was obviously feeling. "Let's go home and figure it out."

Aladdin nodded slowly, unable to think of anything else. They got on the carpet and flew out of the cavernous room into the open desert once more. As the night air greeted them, Jasmine leaned against his shoulder and he felt slightly comforted by her close presence. She seemed tense, however, as she looked back and saw the gray eel trailing behind them at a distance, appearing lost without its master but still resolute in following them. Aladdin could almost read her thoughts. He cupped her chin and gave her a small, reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Jasmine, I knocked him out cold."

She placed her hand on his and looked up at him curiously. "How exactly did you manage to do that?"

Aladdin opened his mouth to respond and then quickly shut it and looked away, turning a slight shade of red. Genie noticed his discomfort and intervened.

"Well, I think Al just hit him where the sun doesn't shine," he said hurriedly and stared straight ahead to avoid her gaze.

Jasmine looked quizzically at Genie and then back at Aladdin for a further explanation. "'Where the sun doesn't shine?'"

Iago flapped in front of the princess and ruffled his feathers indignantly. "Yeah, you know Mozenrath: everywhere."

The bird and the jinni caught each other's eye and looked away quickly, barely concealing their laughter. Aladdin simply took Jasmine's hand and pressed his cheek against her hair as they soared over the seemingly endless dunes of sand and back to Agrabah.

Please review now that you've read! We're always open to constructive criticism, general suggestions, or wtfs?