The World that Never Was, Memory's Skyscrapper
Disclaimer: I own nothing. All characters belong to KOEI - Dynasty Warriors and Square Enix - Kingdom Hearts II
This story take place from Dynasty Warriors 5 and Kingdom Hearts II. ENJOY!!
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The World that Never Was, Memory's Skyscrapper
A man in black robe passed the road. He kept the hood over his head, so no one could see his face. He walked pass another man in same black robe and gave a short glare before leaving.
"Wait."
That man turned again and saw him giving a strange smile. He stepped closer and realized that he had something on his hand.
"Yes?"
As a reply, the other man threw something in his right hand, and he quickly caught it. A strange hat that he never saw before. It was black and red hat with some golden-shaped wing-ornaments on it. There were two red ribbons hanging from the top of it.
"What's this?"
He turned away, leaving the man with that stuff in his hand. "Show it to 'him'."
Wu Capital City: Jian Ye, Wu Palace, In the Corridor
It was morning, a very early morning. In the other word, it still dawn. The cold breeze still gave a chill to everyone outside the palace. Morning dews fell from the leaves. The sun rose in the east, warming the land of Wu. It was indeed a peaceful morning, when…
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
…a scream came from someone's room.
Gan Ning quickly shifted his eyes up and jumped from his bed.
"What the hell…!!"
Without changing his sleep robe, he ran with an incredible speed toward the room beside his.
Lu Xun's room.
And, to his surprise, he found it in a complete mess. It was undoubtedly unusual to see Lu Xun's room in that condition. Everybody in Wu knew that Lu Xun's room was possibly the neatest room in Wu Palace. But now, scrolls and papers scattered in every place in the room, and the carpet was stained by a big black blotch. Probably Lu Xun dropped a bottle of ink. And, Gan Ning found him, throwing his clothes from his cupboard maniacally.
"Hey, kid! What the hell 're ya doing?!"
Lu Xun quickly turned his head and finally realized Gan Ning's presence.
"Xing Ba, you have to help me!" Lu Xun gave Gan Ning a pleading look. "My hat is missing!"
Gan Ning looked at Lu Xun, sweatdropping.
"HOLY CRAP! Ya wake everyone in Jian Ye just because that hat of yers?! Are ya gonna try to…"
Lu Xun gave Gan Ning a puppy-eyes look, receiving a defeat look on the pirate's face in return.
"Damn! It's gonna be a long day!"
"Please, Xing Ba… if you help me, I'm sure we will find it in no time. And…"
"And WHAT?!"
"If you help me, I won't mind your absent at the strategy meeting today."
Gan Ning widened his eyes. It would be a good deal since he always ended up forcing himself not to sleep there.
"Alright, kid. Done deal!"
"Thanks, Xing Ba!"
The Land of Dragon, Palace Gate
"Sora!"
Sora turned back. Mulan ran toward him, panting, and then rested her hands on her knees. Her hand held something that he was sure he had never seen before.
"What's wrong, Mulan?" Sora tilted his head in confusion.
Mulan showed it to Sora. "What do you think it is?"
"It's…" Sora took it from Mulan's hand. "A hat? Where do you get this, Mulan? Who does it belong to?"
Mulan shook her head. "No idea. I found it in the Throne Room. The Emperor asked me to show this to you. Is it yours?"
Sora laughed. "That's absolutely not mine, Mulan."
Donald and Goofy took a look at that hat. "Is it one of your ancestor's, Mulan?"
"Ahyuk-"
"Really?"
Sora nodded. "Maybe yes, maybe no."
"Have you asked Mushu?" Donald asked.
"Yes." Mulan answered. "And he knows nothing about it."
"So…" Sora took a look again at that hat. "…what do you want us to do with this hat?"
Mulan shrugged. "Find the owner…?"
More jobs, sigh… Sora thought. Why me?
"Ahyuk, don't worry, Mulan!" Goofy said against Sora's will.
"Goofy…"
Mulan smiled happily. "Thanks, guys. I know I can count on you!"
Before Mulan took her leave, the hat floating in the air.
"W-wha…"
Sora's keyblade shone. Then, the ground showed a crown mark. Sora felt the power in both his keyblade and his arm, then the sky changed. The hat shot a white beam and suddenly, a keyhole suddenly appeared in the sky. Sora pointed the keyhole using his keyblade and shot a laser. Finally, the keyhole opened.
"We found a new path!" Sora jumped in joy, then he turned to his two friend, Donald and Goofy. "Come on, pals! We should get going."
"Ahyuk!"
He looked at Mulan and waved his hand. "Bye, Mulan! We will give this hat back!"
Mulan nodded, than she waved her hand too. "Take care, guys!"
The World that Never Was, Memory's Skyscrapper
"So, how was it?"
He nodded. "He has it now."
"Good. Now we also have to leave as soon as possible."
A black hole appeared. The two mysterious men walked into it.
Wu Capital City: Jian Ye, Wu Palace, Outside the Dinning Room
"LU XUUUN!!"
Shang Xiang snorted. She left the breakfast to look for Lu Xun. And what did she get? Nothing, absolutely nothing.
"Gan Ning, don't you have any idea where Lu Xun is?" She asked the pirate with an impatient tone.
"Still looking for his oh-so-precious hat, I guess."
Shang Xiang gave Gan Ning such look before continue introgating him. "This morning you're supposed to look for his hat with you, right?"
Gan Ning chuckled. "Yeah, I took that boy to the forest and when he was searching, I left him."
"How mean you're, Gan Ning?!"
"Of course! I'm not gonna spend all of my day just for searching that hat!"
Shang Xiang punched him before leaving the castle. Yes! To the forest.
Wu Capital City: Jian Ye, Forest Outside the Castle
"HOW CAN THAT PIRATE DO THIS TO ME!!"
Lu Xun's scream could be heard throughout the forest, making the bird flew away. Not only his hat missing. Now he lost on the forest and forgot to have breakfast. His stomach rumbled louder and louder. He was tired and hungry indeed. But, the worst was Gan Ning. He thought they were friends.
"Oh, no! I will be late for the strategy meeting!"
Lu Xun leaned against a tree. What a friend… he thought. If only he hadn't asked that pirate for help, he might not be in that place right now.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, some white creatures appeared in front of him. They don't have any eyes. Their mouth looked like a zipper. He was shocked.
"Wh-what are you?"
One of them came closer and closer to him. Suddenly, it struck Lu Xun. Fortunately, he quickly dodged that sudden attack. He unsheathed his Falcon.
"Go… go away you…you monster!"
But it seemed that those creatures didn't obey him. So he drew his swords and stabbed them. To his surprise, his attack didn't give any damage at all.
"W-what's going on?"
Having no choice, he ran away from them. Two more creatures appeared in front of him, blocking his way. He quickly turned and more creatures after him. He kept running away, but it came to no avail when he reached a dead end. His way blocked by a river. He turned away when he saw about twenty creatures in front of him.
Killed by a mysterious monster. What an fate…
Wu Capital City: Jian Ye, In the Middle of a Forest
"Here we are!"
Sora jumped out from the Gummy Ship. He took a look at his surrounding. Just an ordinary forest. He rubbed his head.
"So…" he turned at Donald and Goofy, who still looked at the forest. "…do you guys have any idea where we should go?"
Just then, Sora's eyes caught at a view of someone who ran away from about twenty Nobodies.
"Hey, hold on!!"
Sora, without calling their friend, quickly left the place that he used to stand.
"Sora, wait!"
Wu Capital City: Jian Ye, In the Forest Near the River
Lu Xun's body was trembeling in fear. What would these creatures do to him? This was the first time he saw them. One of the creatures extended its arm. Lu Xun squeezed his eyes and covered his face with his hand in fear. Surely they would kill him.
"Hang on there!!"
Lu Xun opened his eyes in surprise. A boy about his age struck the white creatures with a strange looking weapon. Looked like a key. Lu Xun used this time to strike the distracted creatures in front of him with his Falcon. Although the creatures fell, it seemed it didn't get any damage. Just as Lu Xun thought.
"You can't use your weapon on this creature!" Said that boy after struck the last creatures. All the creatures were now vanished.
Lu Xun panted. "Thanks a lot."
"No problem." He said smiling.
Behind the two boys, more creatures appeared.
"Uh-oh…" That boy turned at Lu Xun. "Go away!"
Lu Xun nodded. He knew that if he kept standing there, he would be killed. He picked his Falcons from the ground, when suddenly that twin swords shone brightly. Lu Xun closed his eyes in surprise. The other boy's eyes widened, witnessing the changing of them. Lu Xun opened his eyes, and he found his hand holding two strange blades. One of them was white when the other is black. It looked a lot like that boy weapon.
"W-what's this…?" Lu Xun holding it tightly and gazed at his new weapon.
Still couldn't believe his eyes, the other boy just spoke something out loud. "Oblivion… and Oathkeeper?!"
Lu Xun ignored that boy. Using his quick movement, he slew that creatures one by one, leaving the other boy in his confusion before helped Lu Xun slaying all of them. Lu Xun felt a little bit happy when he found that the creatures vanished after receiving slashes by his new weapon.
The last monster finally vanished. And Lu Xun felt more than relieved. He and the other boy were panting heavily after having some fight with those creatures. Lu Xun gazed at his new friend.
"Hey, you're good." That boy broke the silence.
Lu Xun smiled sheepishly. "Th-thanks."
"Anyway, how did you get those Keyblade? Are you also a Keyblade wielder?"
Lu Xun tilted his head in confusion. Keyblade? Weilder? What in the name of China is he talking about? Lu Xun thought.
Getting no responses, the boy tried to change the topic. "Forget it. What's your name?"
"Lu Xun." He said, still couldn't hide his confusion.
"Lu Xun? What a weird name…"
Lu Xun snorted, showing his displeasure. Judging from his strange bluish-dark attire, that boy might be from other place, so Lu Xun tried to use his Japanese name instead, if it really helped. "Hmmm… I see, you're not from China aren't you?"
That boy nodded his head.
"No wonder my name is weird to your ears then. You can call me Riku…"
Before Lu Xun could finish telling his name, the boy's eyes widened. "Riku? Is that really you?"
Lu Xun frowned. "Huh?"
The boy fell on his knees. Holding Lu Xun's hand tightly. His eyes looked watery. "I-I look everywhere… for you."
"Wait. Who's Riku?"
The boy looked at Lu Xun deeply, before stood up and wiped his tears. "You said that! You said you're Riku! Have you forgotten me, Riku?"
Lu Xun tried to recall his memory, and he knew nothing this boy.
"Don't you remember me?" That boy gave Lu Xun a pleading look.
"Positive." Was Lu Xun's short answer.
That boy sighed, then Lu Xun tried to explain. "Maybe, I'm not Riku that you know. I'm sure this is the first time we meet."
"Then, who are you?"
"Well, I'm Lu Xun." He repeated his answer earlier. "But since you're not from China, I told you my Japanese name. It's Rikuson, not Riku. Some of my friends call me Bo Yan, but if you fell that name is weird, you can call me Hakugen."
The boy gave no reply. What a name… he thought.
Lu Xun gave a smile. "Anyway, what's you name?"
"Sora." That boy answered. "Just Sora. So, which name do you want me to use?"
"Up to you."
Suddenly, a voice came before him. A girl voice. "Xunie!!"
"That's it!" Sora smiled widely. "I will call you 'Sunny'!"
"That's 'Xunie', not 'Sunny'!"
"You say it's up to me!" Sora protested.
Lu Xun turned his face away in exasperation. Being called Xunie was quite displeasing. Some of them even called him 'Pyro' and having Bo Yan as style name made things worse. And now, someone called him 'Sunny'
"Alright… alright… I'll call you Lu Xun." Sora gave up, avoiding further arguments.
Suddenly, Lu Xun felt his back being pushed hardly by someone that happened to be Shang Xiang. He fell on the ground.
"Ouch! That's hurt, Lady Sun."
Lu Xun tried to stand up, when Shang Xiang gave him a death glare and Sora laughed heavily.
"How many times I told you not to call me 'Lady Sun'?! And not to go outside the castle without my permission?!"
"Awww… why are you giving him so much attention, umm… Lady Sun?" Sora said.
Both Lu Xun and Shang Xiang's face were blushing. Lu Xun finally stand up and wiped the dirt in his face. He saw confusion in Shang Xiang's face, surely because of the new guy. "Forgive me for not introducing him earlier, Lady Sun. This is Sora. Sora, this is Lady Sun Shang Xiang. She's the Princess in our Kingdom."
Sora bowed his head slightly. "Pleased to meet you, Lady Sun."
Shang Xiang chuckled. "The pleasure is sure mine, Sora. Anyway, stop being so formal! Or do you want to end up being a nerd such as Lu Xun? Just call me Shang Xiang."
"Alright… Shang Xiang." Again, Sora felt a weird name slipped his tongue. Geez… are these people always have strange name?
"Okay, what business brings you here, Sora?" Shang Xiang crossed her arm in front of her chest, as if she was interrogating him.
Sora rubbed his head. "Actually, I'm just having a small business here and I will leave as soon as possible. But seems I have to stay longer."
"And why is that…" Lu Xun asked.
"Because of that Nobodies!"
"Nobodies?" Lu Xun and Shang Xiang gave a confused-looking faces.
"The creatures we encountered earlier, remember?" Sora explained. "And the most confusing thing is that you have Keyblade!"
"Keyblade?" Shang Xiang gazed at Lu Xun when he showed his once-Falcon. It's now something known as Keyblade. "This is… Keyblade?"
Sora nodded. "Those ARE Keyblade. You have two, Oblivion and Oathkeeper."
"Oblivion?" Lu Xun looked at the black one, then turn at the white one. "Oathkeeper?"
"COOL!!" Shang Xiang clapped her hands in excitement. "Let me have one, Xunie!"
"Sure!" Lu Xun gave her the white one. Shang Xiang accepted it and swung it. But, it was not long before the Oathkeeper disappeared and reappeared in Lu Xun's grip.
"What the…?"
Sora explained it quickly. "Only the Keyblade wielder can use it, Shang Xiang. Sorry."
"Oh…" Shang Xiang sighed, then he turned at Lu Xun. "Nice one, Xunie!"
"Thanks. I'm so sorry, Lady Sun."
"Nah, it's okay, Xunie! It's better with you! Really!" then she turned at Sora again. "So, what's your little business?"
"Oh! Almost forget!" Sora showed them something so familiar for them, especially for Lu Xun.
"My hat!" Lu Xun quickly took it and put it on his head. The ribbons flop over his shoulders. "Thanks a ton, Sora. Where did you find it?"
"Don't thanked me. It's Mulan who found it."
"Mulan?" Lu Xun and Shang Xiang looked at each other.
"Forget it." Sora chuckled at their confused-looking face.
"SORAAAA!!"
Sora turned around and saw Donald's angry face. Behind him was the tired Goofy.
"Oh, sorry, guys."
"You left us alone in this forest!"
"Oh, please… forgive me, will you?" Then, he looked at his two new friends. "Lu Xun, Shang Xiang, this is Donal and Goofy. Donald, Goofy, this is Lu Xun and Shang Xiang."
"Nice to meet you!"
Lu Xun came closer to Donald and Goofy. "Is this a duck and a…"
Before Lu Xun finished, Donald hit Lu Xun's head with his staff. "Not ordinary duck, kid!"
"Ouch! Hey, I'll have the chef cook you for my lunch if you do that again!" Lu Xun pouted. That made Sora, Shang Xiang, and Goofy laughed heartedly.
"Well, let's get back to the castle, guys!"
And five of them heeded to the castle.
Somewhere In the World that Never Was
"Another Keyblade weilder?!"
"Sssshhh… lower your voice, Riku!"
There they are. Riku and King Mickey. By this time, Riku wasn't in Ansem's form. He was still in his boy form. They were in the Organization XIII base. What were they doing? They were exactly sneaking.
"Where is he? Can I meet him?" Riku asked vigorously.
"Calm down, Riku!" Then, King Mickey nodded. "Yes, of course you can meet him. He's with Sora right now."
"Sora? What is he doing there?"
"Helping his new Keyblade-wielder friend, I thought."
Riku rested his chin on his hand. "So… where is this new Keyblade wielder?"
"He is in the another world. Very far away from here." King Mickey explained. "In the era of Three Kingdoms."
"Three Kingdoms?"
"Yep. It's an era when each Kingdom tried to unify China..."
"China? You mean Mulan's world? The Land of Dragon?"
"Sorta." King Mickey shrugged. "But it's maybe some centuries before Mulan's time."
"We have to ask her. She may know something about it. After all, she must learn it since it is China history, isn't it?" Riku said more to himself than to King Mickey. "So, who's this Keyblade wielder?"
"He is a young strategist in a Kingdom. He's about the same age as you and Sora, Riku."
Riku gave him a disbelieve look. "About my age? And he's a strategist? Impressive! What's his name?"
"He have an almost similar name as yours. His name is Rikuson."
"That's a Japanese name. I mean his real name, Your Majesty."
"He's Lu Xun."
Twilight Town, Mansion: the White Room
She felt a warm hand touching her back. She opened her eyes. She had no idea how long she had been sleeping. But the last thing she remembered was that she had been sleeping in her own bedroom. Not this white room.
"Kairi, you're awake!"
She heard a voice behind her. Who was talking to her right now? Was she dreaming? She turned her head to see a girl knelt beside her. She realized that she wasn't lying on the bed. She was lying on the ground.
"Oh, sorry." Kairi tried to sit up. Her hand rubbed her forehead. She felt dizzy.
"It's okay, Kairi."
She stared at the girl in front of her. She had a blonde hair and blue eyes. Surely she never met her before. But, why did she know her name? "Who are you? Did I know you?"
The girl gave her a warm smile. "I'm Naminé."
Before Kairi could give any reply, Naminé asked her a question. "Do you want to meet Sora?"
Kairi eyes widened. "Yes! Of course! More than anything!"
Naminé smiled at her again. "Relax, Kairi." She led Kairi to sit on the chair near a big table in the middle of the room. Then, Naminé took another seat.
"Please take me there." Kairi said.
Naminé nodded. "I also waiting for this change, Kairi. He's now in a very very different world. A world which was still untouched by Organization XIII. That's why I can take you there. Furthermore, there's a new Keyblade wielder there. That's make things easier."
Different world? Organization XIII? Keyblade wielder? What was she talking about? Whatever, she just wanted to meet Sora.
"How about it? What's your answer?"
Kairi was absorbed to her own thought about meeting Sora. She didn't notice Naminé.
"Kairi?"
"Su-sure! Take me there."
Naminé smiled, than she opened a path. A black hole appeared in front of them.
"Come on!"
Kairi was hesitated. She was a bit afraid, but she knew that everything was going to be alright. So, she stepped inside, starting a new adventure with her new friend. She didn't have any idea where she would be.
The Land of Dragon, Throne Room
Riku bowed his head in front of the Emperor. King Mickey was not there now. Probably preparing something before going to the new place.
"Do you wish for something?" asked the Emperor.
"Yes." Was his short reply. "I wish to speak with Mulan."
Mulan walked toward him. "May I help you?"
Riku nodded. "I want to ask you about an era called Three Kingdoms."
Mulan tilted her head. Even the Emperor gave Riku confused look.
"Well, may I know?"
Before Mulan could opened her mouth, the Emperor stood from his throne, than approached them.
"Three Kingdoms. Yes, I know about it."
"Would you mind explain it to me, Your Excellency?"
The Emperor gave him a nod. Then he started to tell him. "It's an era when China was divided into three. Each warlord tried to unify China. The three kingdoms are Wu, Wei, and Shu. It's started when…"
Feeling that this story would just waste his time, he quickly asked the point. "Do you know anything about this young strategist named Lu Xun?"
The Emperor turned at him in surprise. "Yes. Of course I know. He was one of the strategists in Wu. Despite his young age, he had a bright mind."
"Wu? Where is it?"
Now, Mulan also gave him confused look, and it was her turn to answer. "Wu was in the east of China. Its capital city is Jian Ye."
Wu… Jian Ye… that's where he should go. He bowed once again.
"Thank you very much for your help, Your Excellency." Then he turned and left the Throne Room, leaving both Mulan and the Emperor with a thousand question in their head.
Wei Capital City: Xu Chang, Wei Palace, Outside the Throne Room
No wonder how many times Xiahou Dun had struck them, they wouldn't vanish. In front of him were many strange white creatures. He obviously didn't have any idea what they were or what they were doing there. He turned to look at his cousin, Cao Cao, the Wei Emperor.
"Cousin, hurry! Run before they kill you!" He shouted. "Dian Wei, Xu Zhu! Protect our master!"
Dian Wei and Xu Zhu obeyed him. The loyal bodyguards took Cao Cao to a safe place. Xiahou Dun felt a little relieved to see his cousin was alright. He turned back at the black cloaked man standing a few feet away in front of him.
The cloaked man clapped his hand. "Impressive." He said in a mocking tone.
"Better go away before I take that head of yours!" He said angrily, trying to hide his fear.
"Oh, are you sure?"
Xiahou Dun looked at his surrounding. There were many corpses of Wei soldiers. The white creatures had killed them all. And he was the last standing, facing numerous white monsters and the mysterious man.
He cursed quietly before the man continued. "I don't wish to become your enemy. In fact, I want to be your ally. I'm here to seek audience with your lord."
Xiahou Dun still didn't loose his guard down. "And why should I believe you, may I ask?"
With a simple hand movement, all the white creatures vanished. "Additionally, I want to help you conquering the other kingdoms."
"Is that so?" Xiahou Dun lowered his Kirin Fang. He was still uncertain of it. But he had made a decision.
"I don't want to cause more victims." The mysterious man said again.
Xiahou Dun nodded. "Right. This way." And finally, he took that man to Cao Cao.
Northern Shu Territory: Mount Ding Jun, Outside the Shu Encampment
"I'm so bored…"
Xing Cai didn't know how long she had been following the river. She sighed again. She missed Cheng Du so much. She wished she could meet Guan Ping right now.
Be patient , Xing Cai. It will be over soon. She thought.
Xing Cai stared at the mountain view in front of her. It was surely beautiful. Yet, she was so bored. Her father had been given order to guard Mt. Ding Jun and he took his daughter with him. Guarding a quiet mountain was indeed a deadly boring job. So now, she walked beside the river beside her.
Suddenly, she slipped her feet.
"Oh, no!"
Xing Cai shut her eyes. She would fell to the river if a hand didn't grab her tightly and pulled her back.
"Are you alright, miss?"
Xing Cai opened her eyes. She was still dry, and a strong yet gentle hand held her. She saw a boy about her age. He had a white long hair and wearing white clothes which she never saw before. He must be new here, she thought.
"I'm okay. Thank you so much, sir." The boy released his hold and let her stand on her foot.
That boy smiled slightly at her. "Don't call me 'sir'. I'm the same age as you."
Xing Cai chuckled at this stranger. "Nor you should call me 'Miss'. You can call me Xing Cai."
"Nice to meet you, Xing Cai. I'm Riku." He nodded, giving a wider smile. "Xing Cai… that's a nice name. Xing as in star?" Riku, having learned something about Chinese language, noticed this.
Xing Cai blushed a little. "Yes. Anyway, are you new here?"
"Well… you're right. I'm new here. Where are we?" Riku asked back.
"We're in Mount Ding Jun." she gave him a slight confused face.
"Tell me, are we on Wu Territory?"
She shook her head. "No, we're in Shu."
Riku smacked his forehead. "I arrived in a wrong place… Is Wu your enemy?"
"No, we're in alliance with Wu right now. Our current enemy is Wei. "
"I see…" then they were awkwardly silent.
Xing Cai forced herself to think about a new topic "Riku, are you coming here alone?"
"No," he shook his head. "I come with my friend."
Friend… King Mickey had asked him to use that instead of King.
"There he is."
Xing Cai gazed at Riku's friend. He was talking with Ma Chao. And, to her surprise, Riku's friend was very short with two big round ears.
"Hi, ummm… Mickey!" Riku called his friend.
"Riku!" Mickey ran toward him before introducing him to Ma Chao. "Ma Chao, this is my friend Riku."
Riku shook his hand with Ma Chao. "I'm honored to meet one of the Five Tiger Generals from Shu."
"You know him?" King Mickey gave him surprised look.
"Mulan told me." Riku whispered to King Mickey.
Ma Chao laughed. "You're so courteous, Riku. But please stop those formalities."
Riku and King Mickey smiled. They felt welcomed by Ma Chao and Xing Cai. The four walked back to their main camp. They started to talk like an old friend.
"So, Riku and Mickey, why are you coming here in Mt. Ding Jun?"
Riku and King Mickey looked at each other before answered.
"We're looking for our friend. He's in Wu right now."
"You're lucky. We're not in war with them. We sure we can take you to Wu." Said Xing Cai.
"And," Riku continued. "We're also looking for this man called Lu Xun."
"Lu Xun?" Xing Cai gazed at Riku then turn to look at Ma Chao. "Who is Lu Xun?"
Ma Chao put his hand under his chin. "Lu Xun is a young strategist from Wu."
"Do you know anything about him?" King Mickey asked.
"No, it's the first time I heard his name." Xing Cai answered. "Maybe you can ask my father."
Somewhere in the Realm of Darkness
"Come on, Kairi! Hurry!"
"Just a second, Naminé."
Kairi ran toward Naminé. Naminé was now standing in front of another black hole.
"Come on, Kairi!"
Kairi panted slightly. Suddenly, the black hole, along with Naminé, faded away.
"Kairi-!"
Kairi tried to enter the black hole as fast as she could. But it was too late. Naminé had gone, and she was there. Alone!
"Naminé!!"
She tired to call her. But it's all futile. "Naminé!! Answer me!"
She hadn't noticed yet. A black cloaked man stood behind her. Then, he gripped Kairi's arm.
"W-who are you?! Let go of me!"
That man said nothing. He made another black hole and dragged Kairi into that black hole.
Sora… will I ever meet you? She thought hopelessly within the darkness.
Wu Capital City: Jian Ye, Wu Palace, Outside the Meeting Room
Lu Xun sighed in defeat. He caused the strategy meeting to be cancelled because of his absence. Actually, to some Wu officers, it was a good thing. But, Zhou Yu scolded him. He sure was mad at him now. Furthermore, Lu Meng had lectured him for not attending the meeting.
Now, he wanted to have some sleep, so he went to his room. But, when he opened the door, he saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy lying on his bed.
"What are you doing here?!" He asked them.
"Well…" Sora answered without changing his position. "We're having some sleep. We're so tired after encountered those Nobodies, you know?"
"How do you know this is my room?"
Sora yawned "A spiky haired pirate told us." Then, he saw his two friends had slept soundly.
"Xing Ba? Why did he tell you?"
"Whassup, kid?"
Lu Xun turned to look at his 'friend' and gave him a death glare.
"It's nothing… Gan Ning." He answered, without using his friendly call anymore.
"'re ya still mad, Bo Yan?"
"…"
"Come on, Bo Yan! It's just a joke! Forgive me, will ya?"
Lu Xun gave a slight smile. "Okay, but promise don't do that again, Xing Ba." And that's was true. Lu Xun was a kind of person who couldn't stay mad at someone, especially after he gave an apology.
Gan Ning nodded. Lu Xun gave him a childish grin. Looking at those two, Sora smiled mentally. Somehow this pirate guy reminded him so much about Jack Sparrow.
"Hey, where's Lady Sun?" Lu Xun asked.
"Went off to the forest again, I guess." Gan Ning answered.
"Huh? What is she doing there?"
Gan Ning shrugged. "Dunno." Then he left the room.
"You're leaving?" Lu Xun asked, but he got no answer.
"Very funny!"
Lu Xun turned to look at Sora laughing at him. "What's so funny?"
"You two!" He continued laughing. "Looks like he just come here to apologize. That's all."
Lu Xun sighed, then he took a seat in front of his desk. He took a piece of parchment and read it before taking a paper and started writing something.
"Are you angry, Lu Xun?" Sora asked.
"No, just continue your sleeping."
Sora jumped from Lu Xun's bed and tried to take a look at his writing. "What are you doing?"
"Devising a strategy." He replied.
Sora's eyes went wide and his voice full of excitement. "Devising a strategy to slay those Nobodies? Wow, Lu Xun, you're the smartest Keyblade wielder!"
Lu Xun rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately, I'm not, Sora. I'm devising a strategy against. Wei."
"Wei? What's that?"
The Wu strategist sighed again. Well, Sora it's new here, so he'd better explain it. "Well, Wei is…"
"Wait." Sora stopped him. "I don't care what this Wei is but since you're a Keyblade wielder right now, I should tell you about your most important duty first. Forget about those strategies right now."
"But…"
"No more buts. After I tell you what you should do, I will let you tell me that Wei thing."
Lu Xun thought for a second. If he knew about Keyblade, Nobodies, and etc, he would make it easier to do what a Keyblade wielder should do. But that was mean to waste his precious time.
"Alright." He answered, receiving a smile from Sora and a long story about his journey.
"Well, it started when…"
Wu Capital City: Jian Ye, In the Middle of a Forest
Shang Xiang walked deeper and deeper to the forest. Actually, she had to admit that she had nothing to do inside the forest. But she felt that she had to go to the forest. She didn't know what it was but in the end she followed her feeling though.
Suddenly, her eyes caught a sight of a girl lying on the damp ground. She was unconscious. Shang Xiang quickly approached her and shook her to wake her up.
"Hey, are you alright?"
That girl slowly opened her blue eyes. "Wh-where am I?"
Shang Xiang gave a warm smile to calm her down. "This is Jian Ye, the capital city of Wu. Are you alright?"
The blonde-haired girl shook her head and looked at her surrounding. No! Kairi is not here! She muttered silently, but Shang Xiang heard it.
Shang Xiang looked at her confusedly. "What's wrong? Are you lost?"
Wu Capital City: Jian Ye, Wu Palace, Lu Xun's Room
"It's confusing, Sora…" Lu Xun rested his forehead on his palm.
Sora shrugged. "It sure is. Now, it's your turn. Tell me about those Wei things."
Lu Xun was relieved. At least he didn't have to hear Sora explanation anymore. It was more confusing than the strategy meeting and more boring than Lu Meng's lecture.
"Alright. My turn. Where should I start?" He asked rather to himself than to Sora.
"Up to you."
"Well, ummm… one day, there was a rebellion in Han Dynasty…"
"What's Han Dynasty?"
"It's a Dynasty before this Three Kingdoms era. May I continue?"
"Sure."
"Those rebels were called Yellow Turban..."
"What's Yellow Turban? Why were they called Yellow Turban? And why did they rebel against the governor?"
Lu Xun smacked his forehead. Sora seemed very enthusiastic with his story, when he barely paid any attention when Sora told him about his journey. Well, this would be a long explanation.
"Well, it's because…"
Wu Capital City: Jian Ye, In the Middle of a Forest
No! Kairi is not here!
Naminé started to worry right now. She had failed to take Kairi to Sora.
"What's wrong? Are you lost?"
That brought her back from her own thought. She looked at the girl in front of her. Yes, she had known her. But surely the girl didn't know her.
She is Wu's princess, Sun Shang Xiang.
She knew it somehow. But she didn't show it. Instead, she tried to act as if she was lost in that forest.
"Y-yes, you're right."
The girl gave her a concerned look before replied. "Oh, sorry to hear that. Where's your home? Maybe I can take you there."
Uh-oh… Naminé thought. If she told her about her real identity, she would get in trouble. So she tried to hide it.
"Actually, I'm just a traveling merchant. In my way here, a group of bandits attacked me. Fortunately, I managed to escape." She lied.
The girl gave her a disbelieving look. With her clothes, face, hair, and eyes, who would believe her if she wasn't a stranger?
"Ummm… okay." The girl tried to believe her word. "Anyway, I'm Shang Xiang. And you?"
Naminé gasped. She pretended as if she met a noble one. "You're Shang Xiang? The Princess of Wu? Oh, I'm so sorry for my impoliteness, Lady Sun. I beg for your forgiveness." And then she bowed her head continuously.
Shang Xiang giggled at this. "Please, you're no need to be so polite. Just call me Shang Xiang. Formality suck, isn't it? Anyway, what's your name?" she asked her again.
"Na…" No way she would give her true name. It would cause a bigger trouble. So she chose another name. Of course, a Chinese name. "…Ming. I'm Na Ming."
Shang Xiang gave her a welcome smile. She shook her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Na Ming."
"It's me who pleased, Lady Sun."
"That's Shang Xiang."
"Oh, ummm… Shang Xiang."
"It's a pity that happened t you, Na Ming. Would you like to stay at the palace? Maybe until we could retrieve your goods."
Of course she wanted. She could meet Sora and the new Keyblade wielder. But, without Kairi here, she felt somewhat guilty. "That would be a favor to a mere person like me, Shang Xiang."
She patted Naminé's back. "Awww… please stop that formalities, Na Ming. It hurts me, you know? Why don't you just say 'It's okay, Shang Xiang' or 'that would be a great idea!'?"
Naminé giggled a littile. "Sorry, Shang Xiang."
"No need to say sorry. Now, let's go to the castle before the others worry!"
Wu Capital City: Jian Ye, Wu Palace, Lu Xun's Room
"And, after we won the Battle of Chi Bi, Cao Cao still seek for revenge. That's why we need to devise a plan in case he led another campaign here. The end."
Actually, Lu Xun enjoyed telling China's condition right now in spite of Sora's enthusiasm. He asked many question, but it showed him that he really listened him after all. He now felt guilty because he hadn't listened to him a whole story.
"You know, Lu Xun? It's far more confusing than my journey."
"Huh? Why?" he asked at his unexpected statement.
"Because…" Sora looked deeply at his golden eyed. "…I still confused why people kill each other. Do they get a pleasure by killing others?"
Lu Xun sighed. It was true. War just made people suffer more and more. Yet, he couldn't do anything. And what he could do was just making a strategy and sending more people to war. He imagined the soldiers who were killed in war. They may be someone's fathers or sons.
"Lu Xun?"
"Yeah, you're right, Sora. Look at you. You slay Nobodies, Heartless, and more villains, doing many other good things. When I…" his voice started to break. "… I send my own troop to their own death, and killed many enemies in war, which are also humans just like me."
Sora noticed a tear dropped from Lu Xun's eyes. He didn't think that Lu Xun would be like this. So, he patted his back. "It's not your fault, Lu Xun."
"Then whose fault is it?" he tried to hide his tears.
"It's fault of…" Sora bit his lower lip, tried so hard to get an answer. "…of those who aren't satisfied with their own possession."
Lu Xun didn't give any reply, he digested Sora's answer.
"They are the one to be blamed! You aren't that bad, Lu Xun. You're just following orders, right?"
Lu Xun nodded. He wiped away his tears.
"Now, you're lucky then. You don't need to slay people anymore, Lu Xun. Now, your job is to slay Nobodies with your Keyblade!" He said optimistically.
Again, Lu Xun couldn't give any reply. Instead he looked at him deeply.
"Now, stop crying. Boys don't cry, especially if he's a strategist and he's a Keyblade wielder!"
Finally, Lu Xun smiled. He gave a nod. "Don't worry, Sora. I will now start to devise a plan to get rid those Nobodies. Just you wait and see."
Wu Capital City: Jian Ye, Wu Palace, Shang Xiang's Room
"Well, let's see what we have here."
Shang Xiang opened her cupboard and threw some clothes. She didn't have any dresses or skirts at all. That was the time when Naminé finally realized that this princess was a tomboy.
"I'm really sorry, Na Ming. I don't have any skirt. Maybe we should ask Qiao sisters."
Naminé shook her head. "It's okay, Shang Xiang. I don't mind wearing pants."
"Well, you wear that dress. Seems you like wearing skirt."
Naminé looked at her white dress. "It's okay, Shang Xiang. Really. I don't want to bother you."
"Okay, what do you like?"
Naminé looked at those clothes. Although they were belonged to a tomboy, they were still beautiful. She chose certain clothes.
"Can I wear these?"
Shang Xiang nodded. "Of course. I'll be waiting outside when you change you're clothes." Then, she walked toward the door and closed it. Naminé quickly changed her clothes.
Northern Shu Territory: Mount Ding Jun, Outside the Shu Encampment
"My father has no idea who Lu Xun is, Riku. I'm sorry." Xing Cai gave him an apology.
"It's okay, Xing Cai. It's not your fault."
"Maybe he isn't well known."
"Probably."
They fell awkwardly silent. Xing Cai tried to find a topic. "Anyway, Riku, where's your friend?"
"He's still talking to your father and Ma Chao."
"Oh…" She nodded. "Since your friend is still talking with them, would you like join me? I want to watch the sunset from the mountain top. It's not very far from here."
Riku smiled at her. "It would be nice, Xing Cai."
So the two climbed to the summit and sat, leaned against a tree. The sky was orange colored with pink clouds. And the sun was about to sets. The cold breeze flew across their face. The birds made their way to their nests. And they saw some farmers left their rice field, started to go home.
"So beautiful. I have ever watched this with Guan Ping once." She mumbled.
Riku turned to look at her. "Guan Ping? Is he a friend of yours?"
"Yes." She nodded. "A very good friend."
Riku looked at the sunset again. "I used to watch this with my friends before. But we didn't see it from mountain. We watched it from the shore."
"Sounds nice. Where are they now?"
"I have no idea." Riku looked at the grass, suddenly found an interest at it. "The other one is probably in Wu right now. Another still in her home maybe."
"Oh, I see. Where is your home, Riku?"
"It's very far away from here." Riku gazed at her, somehow gave her a sad look.
"Oh… I know it's hard to be very far away from home. I also feel it now. A homesick, isn't it?"
"Sort of. But, when I finish all of these things, I'll go home."
"So…" her voice lowered. "… you'll leave this place?"
"Yes." He answered firmly.
Xing Cai sighed. She didn't know why, but she really didn't want Riku to leave her. It felt like something struck her heart.
Wu Capital City: Jian Ye, Wu Palace, Shang Xiang's Room
"Have you done, Na Ming?" Asked Shang Xiang from the other side of the door.
"Yes. You may enter now."
Shang Xiang entered her room. She saw Naminé stood in front of a mirror. She wore a red shirt with a golden tiger print on one side. Its sleeves covered her upper arms. She wore red pants and her hair tied in a low ponytail.
"Wow, you're so beautiful, Na Ming! Qiao sisters have found their match at last."
Naminé smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, Shang Xiang."
"Well, let's see what we should do before dinner time. I know! Let's meet Lu Xun!"
Lu Xun. She thought of that name. The young tactician of Wu. He's... the new Keyblade wielder. I finally find him.
"Let's go. Na Ming!"
Wu Capital City: Jian Ye, Wu Palace, Lu Xun's Room
"So, what's your plan, Bo Yan?" Sora asked.
"You think I can make a strategy that fast? It takes days, or even weeks to make a plan!" Lu Xun answered with an aggravated tone.
"Come on, Lu Xun. I'm just joking." Sora chuckled. "But you'd better have a time to relax. You'll be an old crap in no time if you keep being so serious. Enjoy your teenage life!"
"I'm not a teenage anymore, Sora."
"You are. But you just don't feel it. Instead you stick your nose on those books." Sora pointed at the wardrobe which was filled with thick books. "And these things will make your life shorter." He lifted some scrolls and parchments and showed them to Lu Xun.
"Put them down!"
"Which one make you stress? Being a teenage or being a bookworm?"
"None of them and to remind you, I'M NOT A TEENAGE, Sora!"
Sora put those things down before answered. "You're seventeen, right? So am I. But, let me tell you this. I'm a seventeen-year-old boy with a seventeen-year-old face and think with my seventeen-year-old brain. You're a seventeen-year-old boy with a no-older-than-fifteen -year-old face, but think with a forty-year-old brain. What do you think you and I would be in next twenty years?"
"You and I will be thirty seven years old."
"No." Sora shook his head. "I will be thirty seven years old guy, but due to having no stress, I will have much younger look. And you? You'll have been killed by these things by that time, Lu Xun."
"So you want me to die in an early age?" Lu Xun widened his eyes.
"Of course not! I want to make you have a good time. So, forget about being a strategist for a moment. From now, you're not a strategist. You're a teenager, okay?"
Lu Xun gazed at the ceiling. What Sora said was true. He had spent almost of his lifetime by learning strategy. It was fun, but sometimes it makes him bored or even depressed. Hey, I'm a human too, he thought.
"Okay, what do you suggest, then?"
"Hmmm…" Sora put his hand under his chin. "Let's start by searching your love, then."
"Wh-what? Love?" Lu Xun blushed. He never thought about love before.
"It's okay, Lu Xun. It isn't as hard as you think."
"B-but…" Lu Xun still wasn't convinced. "W-well, for not being rude… may I ask something? Do you have a girlfriend yet?"
"Actually, I have found someone that I truly love." Sora sighed. "But it's been a long time since last time I met her. Maybe she has forgotten me."
"You mean… the girl you mentioned earlier in your story? Kairi?" Lu Xun asked, he gave Sora a wide smile and it made Sora's face blushed.
"How… how do you know?" He admitted it, Lu Xun thought and smiled inwardly.
"It's simple!" He chuckled. "I spend much time reading books. It's easy to read people's mind as well."
"You're joking."
"Do I look as if I'm joking?"
"So, if you think you can read people's mind, do you think you can devise a strategy to find a true love?"
"Unfortunately, Sora, I'm devising a strategy for war, not for love."
"Ha! So the cunning-and-brilliant-young strategist Lu Xun DO has a weakness after all!"
Lu Xun threw himself on his bed beside Sora. He tried not to wake Donald and Goofy. "To tell you the truth, Sora., yes, that's my weakness. I never felt such thing before. I envy those who have ever fallen in love."
"I told you. You're too concerned on these strategy things, aren't you?"
Lu Xun nodded. "Yes. But I haven't thought of finding a love yet."
"Look at you, Lu Xun. With that cute face of yours, I'm sure many girls are attracted."
Lu Xun blushed deeply. "D-don't say that! You're making me blush."
Sora shrugged. "Well, let me tell your love fortune. The first girl who enters this room will be your true love."
Lu Xun chuckled at that. "Stop that, Sora. It's impossible."
"Why? I never fail in my fortunetelling ability, you know?"
"Because…"
Before Lu Xun could answer that, someone knock the door. And when the person opened the door, Lu Xun's eyes widened to she who she was.
Wei Capital City: Xu Chang, Wei Palace, Meeting Room
"So, what do you say?" Asked the black hooded man, still didn't revealed his face yet.
"Those creatures you said, are they really invincible?" Cao Cao asked back.
"They couldn't be slain by mere weapon." He answered.
Cao Cao smiled slyly. "In the other word, you say that both Wu and Shu can't fight back when those creatures attacked them?"
"Yes." He answered. "But there are some people who wield weapons that could slay them. And you have to get rid of them before they can ruin your plan."
"It's not a bog problem. Who are they?"
"They are only four people."
Cao Cao laughed. "How can four people against this entire Wei army?"
"They are dangerous." He warned.
"Who are these dangerous people?"
"Three of them came from other world. One of them brings a Keyblade named 'Kingdom Key'. He's just a seventeen year old boy with spiky hair and is now in Wu. The other one is Dark Keyblade master, the 'Way to Dawn' wielder. He has a silver hair and stayed in Shu right now. The next is also in Shu. He's the King from their previous world and travel along way here with the Dark Keyblade master."
"Those people… I'm sure I haven't seen them before."
"Of course. You'd better get rid of the one that comes from this country first. I know you know him."
"I'm not sure, but tell me."
"He's one of the strategist in Wu. His wisdom surpassed his age. He wields twin swords called 'Falcon'. But he uses it no more. He now wields two Keyblade, 'Oblivion' and 'Oathkeeper'."
"The only strategist I know from Wu is Zhou Yu and Lu Meng. But nor of them suit that."
"He has an innocent and youthful face. He's only seventeen years old now, yet, he once encountered you in Chibi."
Chibi… Cao Cao thought. He recalled his navy being burnt by Huang Gai. And the one who planned it was Zhou Yu. But he recalled nothing about this boy.
"He fought you bravely until a deadlock when your ship was burnt. When your reinforcement came, he retreated. Don't you remember his golden eyes and his figure dancing among the fiery ground?"
Golden eyes… Cao Cao finally remembered it. That time, he saw a boy slaying his soldiers. Then, it came when he finally had to face that boy. He unsheathed his twin swords, then he attacked him boldly. He had beautiful golden eyes. They looked like Eagle's eyes. Sharp and shining. That boy won the deadlock. When he was about to struck the last blow, the reinforcement came. And then he quickly retreated.
"So it was him! He nearly killed me!" Cao Cao slammed his table. Remembering that made him angry. It was humiliating to be defeated by a mere kid.
The mysterious man smiled. "Yes, you finally remember him. He's the new Keyblade wielder. Be aware of him. Don't underestimate him just because of his age."
"He must feel my wrath! No one ever dare to face me on battle!"
"But he did. And he probably the one who will ruin your plan if you do nothing."
"Tell me his name and I'll get rid of him before the other two."
"He's Zhou Yu's and Lu Meng's apprentice. He's still a strategist in learning. His name is Lu Xun."
"Lu Xun…" Cao Cao nodded. "I will advance my troop to attack Wu as soon as possible and it also will be a test for your 'troop'. I must get him, dead or alive." Cao Cao clenched his fist.
"Well done, I'm waiting for that."
"Wait, how do you know that battle?! Who're you?!"
Giving no answer, the mysterious man left that room.
--
This is the first chapter! How's that? Please Review!
