Aquatic Kingdom Hearts

Chapter 10: The Painted Lady; Not Backing Down

The convoy had traveled the ancient land that was the sight of China's first, and darkest, Empire ever. Everyone had taken a gander at the landscape as they traversed on through it. The view was extraordinary to those who wished to see it, especially Ariel and Kida as they saw it all going past them by. The lush green forest woods, the occasional puddles or lakes of pure clean air water, even the air was crisp and clean. Truly, China was the most beautiful place to be at this point; especially to those who had never witnessed its beauty and untouched wondrous beauty.

Kida smiled at all the wonder of this new world as she turned towards Ariel, "Ariel. I had never noticed this China place to be so beautiful," it was then that she noticed Ariel looking longingly at Eric, who was currently talking to Ping, whom she knew truthfully as Mulan when she stumbled on their conversation on the boat. Kida raised an eyebrow as she tapped Ariel on the shoulder, "Ariel?"

"Huh? Oh," Ariel turned to her best friend as she sadly smiled as she looked back at Eric, who was talking with Ping, "Right… beautiful…"

Kida looked to her friend, a little confused by her reaction, and scooted over, "Ariel? Is something wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing, Kida," Ariel responded, but knew that she wasn't doing a good job of keeping her heart secret to others. She then sighed heavily as her shoulders slumped, "It's… it's Eric."

Kida looked confused as she asked, "What does Eric have to…"

"I think another girl might be in love with him," Ariel painfully answered as she turned away for a moment, until she finally spoke up, "I know that Eric really cares about me, and that he loves me, but…."

"Okay, kids. Listen up," Helga interrupted the girls' little chit-chat session as she stepped up, "We're a little short on food supply, so we're gonna be a little behind on schedule for the City," she thought hard on it, as she stated out, "It should be doable, but that means we'll only have two potty breaks per day."

Everyone groaned at that, until Frey got up from his spot, and noticed something, "Uh, guys?" He then pointed to the side of the truck, as they all spotted what he saw, "Since when did the river get to become like Cookie's cooking?"

"Hey!" Cookie retorted outwards, as everyone stopped the trucks to see what Frey was talking about.

It was then that as they stopped the trail, they saw right next to them, down way, there was a river. However, the river was grayish green and brown, quickly deducing that it was polluted. The sludge-infested river wasn't exactly the best sight to behold at this point. The putrescent water wasn't too appealing to anyone's eyes, or noses for that matter, considering the water smelled something fierce.

"I think this river might be polluted," Sweet answered as he wryly looked at the river and back to everyone else.

"Oh really?" Mushu whispered at this, not being noticed by Sweet at all at this point, "Wonder what gave 'em all that idea?"

Ariel looked at the river in shock and pain at this, as she looked to everyone and asked, "Who would do this?"

"Not sure," Ping answered as he then looked ahead and pointed outward, "This river should lead to the village of Jang Hui. We could supply on food there and continue the trail onward," Helga thought about it and nodded on that, as they all drove over to the Village of Jang Hui.

Jang Hui Village

Everyone had stopped their vehicles as they reached the edge of the river's location to a much bigger river stretch. As soon as they got off of the vehicles, they strode forward, hoping to find any way of passing it. No docks, no boats, not even a single bridge to get to the other side. Vinny looked around and casually replied, "You know, they should probably build a ferry or so for the tourist seasons, eh? You know, case somebody wants to go fishin' around here when the water gets cleaned out."

"Any idea on where this village is?" Helga asked Ping.

Ping looked around for a moment, and then pointed out to the direction of where a village was floating on the river, "That's it right there, in the middle of the river."

"Sure is," everyone nearly jumped at that as they turned to the right of them. There they saw an eccentric-looking villager, elderly and smirking right at them, standing on a boat big ferry boat, "Name's Dock. Mind if I ask you all are."

"We're a couple of tourists, trying to reach the other side to get to the Great Wall," Eric answered as he tried to fudge up the truth as best he could.

"Ah! Colonial tourists," Dock said cheerfully as he signaled them over, "Hop on; I can give ya a ride into town."

Later On

As soon as the trucks were loaded onto the ferry, Dock proceeded towards the village. Along the way, Kida turned upward to where Dock was steering the boat, and asked, "Why is it your village is on the water, Mr. Dock?"

"Oh, it's because we're a fishing village," Dock answered as he shrugged, "At least that's how it was before the Huns built their factory here," and then pointed down a mile away to the left of the village. There, they all saw an ominous-looking munitions factory, visible through a gap in the cliffs, with three sewage pipes pumping out raw sewage, "The Huns don't do much to cleaning up; they made their metal there. Moved in around five years ago and started gunking up our river. Now our little village is struggling to survive."

Mole looked at the water sewage carefully, before scooping his right index finger in it. He sniffed on it carefully, and then ate the sewage as he whoosed it around his mouth like mouthwash… which made everyone, except for Dock, nearly vomit or pass out from such an act, as he concluded, "Hmm, mixture of iron, copper… and… someding else. Hmm, ze other alloy iz a leetle undetrmined at zis point, but I'll get right on to it soon enough."

"I just hope we don't pass out from vomiting due to your acts of distrubia," Frey mumbled as best he could.

They soon arrived in town as they unloaded the trucks and gear. As soon as they found a reasonable place to stay for the night and continue onward, the kids looked around to get some food for the first night. However, as they traveled around, they took a good look on the montage of this village's life. Everywhere they went in the village, all they saw was a sad sight to behold from the village and the villagers. Everyone was stricken with poverty, and enforced idleness, as well as starvation and illness, as most people were coughing and wheezing with every breath in their bodies.

Ariel, looking at all of them with complete helplessness, looked disheartened as she whispered aloud, "Look at this place; it's so sad. We have to do something to help."

After hearing that, Frey stepped in as he shook his head, "Na-ah. We can't waste our time here!" and then walked away as he went on, "We've got a bigger mission that needs to remain focused on. I'm sorry, but right now, these people are on their own right now."

Ariel raised a disgusted eyebrow up as she ran over and grabbed Frey by the shoulder, spinning him to her direction as she shot out, "These people are starving and ill from the pollution and you're going turn your back on them‌? How can you be so cold and heartless‌?"

Frey sighed from exasperation, but luckily Ping walked up to clear this provoked verbal fight, "Look, Ariel. He's not turning his back on anyone, he's just being realistic. A bigger threat is coming and we have to prevent it; we can't go around helping every town we wander into. We'll be helping them all out by defeating the Mandarin!"

"Hey, loudmouths!" Lilo stepped in, getting everyone's attention, "I thought we were on a secret mission," Wally made that clear, by somehow, tuning in the Mission Impossible Theme song like he was a radio, as Lilo continued, "Maybe we should be a little quieter when we talk about defeating the Mandarin."

Then Eric, taking Lilo's advice, spoke up to Ariel as he walked aside her, "Come on, Ariel, be reasonable about this. You know this mission has to come first."

It took Ariel a moment, but then she sighed in reluctance, "I guess so."

Eric put a hand on her shoulder, "Let's just get what we need and get back with the others," and continued onward.

Later on, they had approached the counter of an outdoor market stall. It didn't seem occupied, but then the staff popped up, only to all appearances, the man who staffed the store was the same aged ferry fisherman, only he was wearing a white bagboy's hat. Being the only one not surprised by all this, Lilo smiled and waved, "Hey, Dock. You work here too?"

Dock smirked, "Oh, I'm not Dock. I'm Xu. Dock's my twin brother."

At that moment, the gang of heroes were baffled, as Ping spoke up, "But we just saw you. You're even wearing the same clothes. The only difference is your hat."

Dock, or Xu, merely shrugged as he smiled and explained, "Dock works on the docks, that's why they call him 'Dock', and I work in the shop, that's why they call me 'Xu'."

"I don't get it," Eric replied, looking slightly confused.

"Me neither," Xu/Dock answered as he pulled out a crate filled with rancid grey seafood, which was mainly mutated fish and clams, sliming with grey industrial slime sewage, "What can I getcha‌? Hey, I'll give you a special deal. If you buy ten fish, I'll throw in fifteen clams for free."

The gang looked revolted by the foul haul, not even sure if it was worth eating at all at this point. But they did need to eat, and Eric looked over to all of them, "I'm pretty sure Cookie could make it edible… at least somewhere in between being edible and indigestible."

"We'll just take the fish and five clams," Frey answered to Xu, but then asked, "Mind telling your brother we'll be needing a ride to the other side of the river bed to get to the Great Wall?"

Xu/Dock ducked beneath the counter, making the kids a little confused by that. But then he popped up, reappearing with his sailor's hat on, "Heya, kids. My brother said you needed a lift to the Great Wall's shore, am I right?" They all nodded but Dock/Xu smiled as he answered, "Sorry, but no can do on that one. The river's gotten so bad, it's impossible for the ship to pilot through the sewaged waters. Not to mention the river's mostly in control to the Huns. Got some big dealings going on near the Great Wall."

The kids all frowned at that, but then Dock/Xu pointed out, "Though if you're needing a place to stay, we've got a few lodgings to put you up for a few nights. That and there's a hot spring near one of them as well."

The gang, especially the girls, lit up by that as they turned away to head back to the team. However, Ariel stopped for a moment, as a young urchin girl in rags and a cloak, ran up to her, pleading, "Can you spare some food?"

Ariel looked at the girl sadly, but gave her one fish as she whispered to her, "I wish I could spare more," the girl then bowed her head respectfully, with Ariel believing to do the same for her, and she ran away as Ariel watched her give the fish to a sick lady, presumably her mother.

Later that Night

Hot Springs

There was nothing more grandeur than an open-air bath like the one the gang saw; it was so different, the mixture of hot water and cool air was strangely and yet amazingly relaxing. Which was what Mulan was going to do at this point as she was currently in the changing room, behind a changing screen. What she didn't realize was that next to one of the other changing rooms, Ariel was getting ready for a little dip as well.

"Hey, now. Whoa, whoa!" Mushu objected as Mulan was undressing and now wrapping a towel around her, which he didn't see at the moment, "I don't like this, I do not like this!" and then turned to face her as he asked, "Now, what if someone sees you?"

Mulan sighed as she stepped out towards the hot spring outdoor baths, "Just because I act and dress like a man, doesn't mean I have to smell like one, Mushu."

"So a couple of guys don't rinse out their socks. Picky, picky, picky," Mushu complained as he stepped out, but then turned his back to let Mulan take her towel off and sink in to the water, but then smirked proudly, "Well, myself, I kinda like that corn chip smell." He then heard a kerplunk from the hot springs bath, and saw Mulan, without her towel, sighing in relief as she submersed herself and back up again as she sighed in relief. Mushu scampered on the rim as he scolded, "Okay, you're done. Now let's get outta here!"

Mulan just sighed as she sunk into the water until it touched her chin, "Mushu… if you're so worried, why don't you just stand guard?"

Mushu sighed as he walked back to the entrance as he mumbled, "Oh sure. 'Go on, Mushu. Stand guard while I blow our secret with my stupid girly habits'," he said as he did a goofy imitation of her in a woman's voice.

"Yeah, tell me about it," another voice spoke up as Mushu surprisingly looked surprised to see Dax by his side, making the same impersonation, "Stand watch, Dax… as I blow my cover with my stupid feminine wits and habits.' Sheesh, I swear most girls just do this stuff to drive guys like us off the wall."

"Dax?" Mushu nearly shouted out, until he got into Dax's face, "What are you doin' here?"

"That," Dax as he pointed towards a figure walking towards the hot springs while Mulan had her back turned. It was Ariel, wearing a towel as she walked on over to the hot springs bath.

Mushu paled at this as he gulped, "Oh! We're doomed! There are a couple things I know she's bound to notice!"

Ariel took a small dip in the water with her feet, sensing if it was alright enough, and smiled at this. She then took her towel off, and splashed on in there, surprising Mulan. Ariel then popped out of the water and sighed in total bliss as she complimented on the baths, "The breeze and water feels so good."

"Um… yeah," Mulan said trying to do her Ping persona again, "Well, seeing as how this is the Girl's bath, though I don't know how that I got here, but I should be going…."

"You don't have to go, Ping," Ariel said as she scooted over to Mulan, as she tried to get away, "Or… should I say Mulan?"

Mulan stopped in her tracks as she sighed and turned towards Ariel, and asked, "So how long did you know?"

"I kind of walked in near your conversation with Eric," Ariel answered, but then smirked a little as she asked, "So, um… why pose as a boy? I mean, I thought…"

"It's… sort of… tradition in China," Mulan answered, feeling that the tension between the girls finally going away, "Most women aren't allowed in the military. Considering I'm not quite Bride-making material… I decided to try and go into the military, disguised as a boy."

"That actually sounds pretty amazing," Ariel confessed, but then started to get a little nervous on what she was about to ask aloud, "So… um, well… what is the relationship… between you and Eric?"

Mulan was a little startled by that question as she looked at the redhead confused. Instead of trying to cover it up, she kind of shrugged, "I guess you might say it's a… brother/sister mixed with a sort of boyfriend/girlfriend thing," Ariel seemed a little threatened and worried on that boyfriend/girlfriend part, but then Mulan sighed sadly, "But it seems it's more of a one-sided part on the girlfriend/boyfriend relationship."

Ariel, even though she was relieved, sadly looked to Mulan as she replied, "I'm sorry about that," but then smiled at her as she replied, "But I know there's someone out there for you…" and then jumped up as she yelped, "Ouch! Something bit me!"

Then suddenly, Mushu popped out of the water in between the girls as he complained, "Ugh! Ach! She tastes like fish."

"Aaaaaah! A snake!" Ariel screamed out as she nearly jumped out of the water. She grabbed the towel but held it to her chest, as she knelt over to the edge of the tub, looking pretty freaked out by seeing some sort of snake in the hot spring tub.

Mulan grabbed Mushu as she scolded, "Mushu!"

"Mushu?", Ariel asked as she pointed to the little lizard, "You mean you know that snake?"

"Hey, Dragon," Mushu corrected as he crossed his arms, "That's Dragon, not lizard, girl. I don't do that tongue thing, ya know," and hissed at her as he pulled out a toothbrush and started to brush his teeth as he complained, "And further more, that was vile," and then pointed to Mulan, "You owe me big!"

"Me?" Mulan complained as she got out of the tub and took her towel, "You're the one who bit her butt!"

"What's going on?" the doors suddenly busted open, showing Eric running in and standing there, "I heard screa…" and then stopped as he stood there blushing like crazy. From what he saw would make any boy or man get a nosebleed; he saw Mulan and Ariel standing there and out of the tub; Mulan with her bare backside showing, and Ariel looking at him in front, with only a towel slightly covering her front, leaving little to the imagination.

He nervously gulped as he apologized in a stutter, "I-I-I… I'm sorry, I, uh…."

However, the girls weren't exactly understanding at this point as Ariel was slightly hyperventilating as she finally screamed out loud in embarrassment, and brought her right arm towards the Hot Spring. She water bended a huge Water Whip, and shot it right forward at Eric, hitting him full hard and out the door, as he yelled out in panic.

Mulan looked at that in full amazement as she wrapped her towel around her, "I'm still getting used to that Magic Water stuff."

Ariel sighed as she corrected, "It's called Waterbending, Mulan," she then used the water whip to pull back the doors and close them. She finally slumped to the ground, still holding her towel up, and sighed in depression at what just happened, "Great… now's he's seen me in my birthday suit. Now how am I going to face him tomorrow?"

Dax just walked up, with Mushu being let go and joining up with him, as Mushu grumbled, "Hey, don't look at me. I ain't biting no more butts"

Dax sighed aloud as he nodded, "Oh ho, yer tellin' me. I swore I wasn't gonna bite any more butts either after I took a bite out of Ursula's," he cringed at that memory, "Buuuuh! Gah! That was horrible."

Afterwards

Ariel, now fully dressed, was walking along the shoreline, after she had used Waterbending to reach the docks again. She wanted to take a little stroll to clear her head of the unfortunate experience she had just encountered. She shook her head as she walked along the shore as she moaned out the horrible truth. Eric had seen her almost naked at this point; most girls would want to kill themselves than have a boy they really like seem them like that. And seeing them in bikinis was the only exception in their lives. However, her little drama was put aside as she felt a chill in the wind. She stopped for a moment, around a cliff side as she looked around, "Why's it so cold all of a sudden?"

"Evening… Ariel," a familiar voice spoke out, drawling mockingly.

Ariel immediately turned aorund and saw, sitting on a ledge above her, Olette, "Olette," she took a step back as she saw to where Olette sat at, "No wonder a cold wind blew in. That usually means trouble… meaning you or someone else."

She seemed relaxed as she sat down, leaning on her left arm and had one leg crossed over the other, and softly kicking in the air. She then mockingly asked as she looked down to Ariel and smirked, "Enjoying the little field trip in China? Though you might be careful when diving in that sludgy river though…" she indicated as she pointed to the sludge sewaged river, "… you might end up like those fish and clams that you saw Xu selling to everyone."

"What did you do to this place?", Ariel asked, demanding to know what her former friend had done.

"Me?" Olette asked innocently as she sat up, "I just got here," then she pointed to Ariel as she asked, "What did your precious humans do, hm? Assuming, of course, that they were even precious to begin with… and not just hiding for what they really are: monsters," then Olette jumped down and landed sofly crouched on her feet, and then stood up as she crossed her arms and smirked smugly at the redheaded princess, "Does it depress you, Ariel, to know just how monstrous and destructive humans really are? Does it make you feel repulsed to know that you hang around them… or live with one?"

Ariel just looked at her, like she didn't have the time for this, and just replied, "You should look in a mirror and ask yourself that question."

Olette just groaned out loud as she shook her head, "Ugh! Not this again," she then looked at Ariel as she walked up a few inches and sat down on a nearby rock, "Look, those humans pray and hope everything to go back the way things were. But only a few know the truth; there is no going back. And the minute someone steps in, things will eventually change," she then pointed to Ariel as she pointed out, "Just like you did. When you became human, and started to learn Waterbending from me, you changed things… forever."

Ariel rasied an eyebrow at this, and sat down right next ot Olette, about five feet from her, "Then why are you trying to kill Eric and I?"

After hearing that, Olette laughed hysterically for a moment, until she asnwered, "I don't wanna kill you two," she then pleadingly smiled at her as she explained, "What would I do without you guys? Control everyone like human meat puppets? No, no, no, no. you and your boyfriend… you guys complete me."

"You're just as bad as Ursula, Olette. Maybe even worse," Ariel shot back, forgetting what Lilo had told her.

Olette shook her head as she shot out, "Don't start. Don't start talking like one of them, you're not! Even if you'd like to be. To them, you're just a freak… like me. They need you right now, and when they don't need you… they'll throw you out… like a leper. See, their morals, their codes: it's all just one big bad joke. They're thrown over the side at the first sign of trouble, or when they meet something or someone they don't fully understand. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. And I'll show you… or rather you'll eventually see yourself," and then pointed at the town before them as she asnwered, "When the chips are down, these, uh… civilized people… they'll eat each other."

Olette then stood up as she stretched her back out and finished as she started to walk away, "I'm not a monster… I'm just ahead of the curve."

Ariel watched the retreating form, but called out, "You know we could do something, Olette! Why not try to help them?"

Olette stopped for a moment as she turned around, giving Ariel a dryed look, "And what? Have them gunk the river again? Yeah sure," and then started to walk away again as she waved back, "It'd be a waste of our time."

Ariel looked disappointed at Olette's retreating form, and then looked back at the village. She knew that they had an important job to do to reach the Sapphire City… but right now… this had to come first.

Next Chapter: The Painted Lady; Not Backing Down pt.2