KHA: Okay, yes, it's been a while, I know. But you must understand that we're in a very boring and unfulfilling part of the story where almost nothing happens whatsoever and I tend to lose my passion for writing when that happens. You can tell, this chapter seems very rushed, doesn't it?
Roxas: O.o I don't even know why we keep forgiving you...
KHA: I'M SORRY! *sobs* But I am establishing a nice little schedule for my next year of college. I will take two hours out of my weekend to write a chappie! A chappie should be coming once every two weeks... hopefully.
Audience: You stink with schedules. Don't make promises you can't keep.
KHA: What is this, bash KHA day?
Akyra: You FORGOT ABOUT US! *sobs*
Disclaimer: I still don't own Kingdom Hearts. But I finally own a copy of KH:ReCOM. I can FINALLY play Chain of Memories! I've been waiting for this day for FIVE YEARS!!! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
The group walked through the entrance to the camp, which was heavily secured by sturdy bamboo walls. Tents stood upright in neat rows and columns and a line-up of soldiers was beginning to form near the center of the encampment. It was lunch time and the soldiers were immensely eager for something to feed their hunger. Mushu crawled atop Mulan's shoulder and buried himself behind her armor so as not to be seen.
"Remember, girl!" he whispered softly in her ear, "Manly!"
Ping nodded. Alright...look manly... but what in the world does manly look like? Ping straightened up her shoulders and crossed her legs. Men do that...right? Gulping away her anxiety, Ping strutted into the camp, arms flailing and legs bent inwards, awkwardly making her way to the line-up of soldiers. Some soldiers eyed her curiously, wondering why a man of such lean stature was walking, or more appropriately waddling, his way into the camp. Perhaps his skinny physique was too weak to carry the heavy armor around his shoulders? Quite possibly. Nevertheless, they weren't to be bothered with him. It was lunchtime and food is way more important than waddling soldiers...
Sora, Akyra, Donald and Goofy took their places in line. Sora did wonder what they were doing waiting in line since, technically, they would need to sign up first but... honestly, he was pretty famished. And don't get between a teenage boy and his hunger. Ever.
"About time we got some grub!" a short, stubby man complained. Sora straightened his gaze to get a better look at him. The man sported the Imperial bun every other soldier seemed to have along with a red robe but also seemed to have a black eye from a previous fight. In any case, Sora didn't have enough time to examine the man's features since he violently pushed Sora backwards, taking his place in line.
"Hey! No cutting!" Sora fumed.
"Get back!" Donald cried.
The man fumed as well. With a swift movement of his fist, he punched Sora squarely in the face, sending him flying to the ground. This put Donald in a fit of rage.
"Back off!" cried the man as Donald soared through the air, pouncing him.
"What do we do?" Akyra asked Goofy, who merely shrugged in response. Do they watch their friends get thumped or meddle in the affairs of another world? Such difficult decisions...
Two more soldiers scurried to the battle scene as the stubby man finally managed to pick himself up from Donald's chokehold. One was lean and sporting a yellow robe and an Imperial bun while the other, clad in a blue robe, was rather large... very large... without a single spot of hair on his head.
"Hey! A space in line!" cried the lean one joyously, taking Sora's old spot. But, he was quickly knocked away by the other larger soldier, who now held Sora's spot.
"I wonder what they're serving for lunch today..." he wondered dreamily.
The stubby man landed a punch on Donald. "Knuckle sandwiches!"
"THAT DOES IT!" Sora cried, launching himself into the fray and landing a punch on the lean soldier.
"Wak!" Donald cried, jumping on the stubby soldier's back. Punches flew back and forth between the soldiers, Keyblade Master and Court Magician yet the battle seemed far from over. Ping, Akyra, Goofy and the soldier clad in blue stood by the sidelines, wondering what they could do, when Ping suddenly took a brave step forward.
"Please!" she begged. As if she had uttered a magic word, the four boys ceased their fighting, punches and everything. They eyed her curiously, wondering...
"Please?" the stubby soldier mocked.
"What a girl!" the lean one taunted.
"Uh...knock it off!" Ping growled, lowering her voice in an attempt to sound like a man.
The stubby man laughed. "Knock what off?"
Sora growled with fury. "You punched me!" he fumed.
"Cutting in line!" Donald quacked.
The lean soldier rolled his eyes. "What a shrimp!"
"Who you callin' a shrimp, panda lips?" Mushu roared. He had crawled his way up Mulan's armor, hiding himself behind her neck collar, "I'm a bona fide guardian dragon!"
Ping gasped. If anyone discovered Mushu's presence, she was toast. She'd be kicked out of the army and would bring nothing but dishonor to her family. She quickly shoved Mushu back down.
"L-let's just get back in line, okay?" She pleaded, hoping nobody noticed her guardian dragon.
Sora jumped back in surprise. "Who's side are you on? I just got slugged!"
"Want some MORE?" the stubby man growled, grabbing Sora's collar and threatening him with a fist.
"Soldiers! Get back in line!"
"The Captain!" the lean soldier yelled with fright. The group straightened themselves up and formed a neat line, shoulders flexed and chins up. Donald crouched slightly to the right, hoping to get a peak of the captain.
The captain was a tall, well built man. He wore traditional armor, similar to the ones Mulan let Akyra borrow, with the exception of a light, red cape tied at his neck. He also sported an Imperial bun, like every other soldier. His stride and stature was certainly intimidating. Donald flinched in fear and quickly straightened himself up in line.
The captain slowly paced along the line of soldiers, eyeing each one of them closely. Sora fervently wished he could wipe a bead of nervous sweat from his forehead but was afraid that the slightest movement might set the captain off. He gulped and unsteadily and waited for the captain to pass by him, clenching his fist and preparing to punch the stubby soldier the first chance he gets. Little did he know that fighting of a different type would soon be required.
Pools of darkness suddenly enclosed the camp, surrounding the soldiers. The team readied their respective weapons, knowing exactly what would occur from these pools of darkness. The soldiers, on the other hand, were incredibly confused and shocked at the sight of Heartless emerging from the ground.
"What are they?" the lean soldier cried.
"Heartless," Sora responded, raising his Keyblade and scurrying toward the sources of darkness, followed closely by Goofy and Donald.
"Come on and give us a hand, Ping," Akyra called, summoning her staff. Ping nodded. She drew her father's sword and slowly crept towards the Heartless, joining the battle.
Shadow Heartless were the weakest types the team had ever encountered. With low vitality and rare attacks, a swarm of these Heartless wouldn't be a problem for Sora alone. Ping, still a little frightened by the creatures, tried to help by occasionally striking at one of them, yet she would have likely done a better job if she didn't shut her eyes while attacking. Overall, the group managed to successfully defeat every single shadow in the camp. Impressed by their performance, the captain approached the fighters with an awed smile.
"You four." He ordered, "What are your names?"
"Sora!" Sora exclaimed proudly.
"Donald!"
"Goofy."
"R-Riku," Akyra said hesitantly.
The captain nodded. "You're welcome in my troops. Your battle skills are encouraging."
Ping intervened. "I am the son of Fa Zhou –"
"You should go home," the captain interrupted without laying eyes on Mulan.
"B-but..." Ping stuttered, "That would dishonor my family!"
"You'd rather dishonor my troops?" the captain barked, frightening Ping. Sora blinked and turned to look at Akyra. The captain was being quite unfair and he hoped Akyra was thinking the same thing. She tilted her head to the side, pointing it at Ping and requesting him to help her out. Sora nodded in agreement.
"If Ping tries hard and does his best, he'll get stronger in no time!" Sora vouched. The captain reluctantly watched Ping's pleading eyes, deep in thought.
"Hmmm..."
"Just give us an assignment! We'll show you how well we can work together," Sora continued.
"So... you want to be tested?" The captain asked, scratching his chin, "Our orders are to ambush Shan-Yu's army on their way here. They should be coming through the mountain pass."
"We'll smash them!" Donald quacked.
The captain shook his head. "I doubt that. You five will be the advance party. Scout out the mountain for my troops."
"That's it?" Sora laughed, confidence looming, "No problem, right?"
"R-right..." Ping agreed, still somewhat skeptical of this whole plan.
The captain gave the team three separate missions: one involving destroying Heartless at the Checkpoint, stopping Shan-Yu's army from entering the Checkpoint as well as clearing the Heartless hiding in the encampment. For the final task, they decided to split up and search due to their strict time limit. Sora, Donald and Goofy went off on their own while Ping joined Akyra in their search. The captain revealed that there were eight Heartless in the camp, dividing the number evenly between them.
"I defeated two of them!" Goofy cheered, returning to the captain.
"Took you some time..." Donald sighed. Him and Sora had finished first, taking their places before the captain as they awaited the arrival of the rest of their team.
"You have fifteen seconds left..." The captain warned.
"But Ping and Ak....um, Riku aren't back yet!" Sora yelled nervously.
"You were saying?" Akyra asked, entering the circle of friends followed by Ping, "We did our share. You should've seen Ping, he was spectacular!"
"Really?" The captain asked, still hesitant.
"Of course he did!" Akyra exclaimed, lowering her voice in an attempt to sound like a boy, "I couldn't have done it without him. And he did a really good job with the first two tasks as well."
The captain sighed as he faced Ping. "I suppose you've made a little progress..."
"Not a little – a LOT!" Donald quacked angrily.
Ping shook her head. "No. You're right, Captain. Please give me one more assignment. This time I'll show you what I'm truly made of!"
The captain stared at the pleading soldier. He still wasn't completely convinced. But... if he were to let Ping prove himself in the task he had originally planned for the other four, it would be a fair deal. "Fine, I'll give you one more chance. Remember, this may be a test, but it's still important. Your mission is to secure the path over the summit so our company can pass. I've authorized you to be let through to the summit. Don't let me down!"
The five of them raised their arms and saluted the captain. "Sir!" they cried in unison.
The mountain trail they needed to clear up began at the checkpoint and extended all the way to the mountain's summit, where Shan-Yu and his army were supposedly waiting. Steep, sharp boulders bordered the path, making it a very dangerous trek for the group. Their mission consisted in getting rid of all the Heartless on the path as well as smashing a few boulders in their way to allow the horse-drawn carriages carrying the canons to pass. The team took their time up the mountain, so as not to make any boulders from the side of the road fall in their way or create a deadly rock slide. Ping was especially careful, showing off his battle style as well as keeping an eye out for those sharp boulders. Eventually, the group cleared the path to a small, remote village blanketed in soft snow, very close to the summit of the mountain.
"Hey, you ain't half bad!" the stubby man praised, following the group closely.
"A man among men!" the lean soldier joined, "My name is Ling!"
"I'm Yao!" the short soldier growled with a ferocious tone.
"And I'm Chien-Po," the large soldier added in softly.
"Thanks," Ping answered nervously, "It's a pleasure to meet you..."
"Captain!" Sora cried, interrupting the awkward greetings. The soldiers straightened themselves up and formed a neat line, preparing for the arrival of the Captain, who marched softly up the mountain pass, followed by two foot soldiers. The Captain eyed each of them sharply, a small smile forming on his usually petrified gaze. He was slightly impressed by his four new soldiers and their dedication. The fifth one, however.... he still wasn't so sure.
"Ping sure did great!" Goofy cried, interrupting the Captain's thoughts.
"You be he did!" Donald continued.
The Captain gazed at Ping. "Hmm... Fine. I'll let you join my troops... But I'm still not convinced you have what it takes to be a worthy soldier."
"Why not?" Sora yelped.
Ping shook his head briskly. "It's all right, Sora. I'll find a way to show him what I'm made of. Just give me a chance."
The Captain smiled. That's exactly the kind of attitude he wanted his soldiers to have. "That's the spirit, Ping."
"Sir!" Ping saluted.
The troops had spent the last hour among the village, polishing their arms and mingling with the townsfolk. The Captain had ordered a rest period in order to take some time to figure out how he will dispatch his soldiers. Although it was mandatory they stop Shan-Yu's army, it was also very important to keep the defenseless village protected from harm. Sora and his team stood near the northern exit along with Ping and Mushu. Apparently, Mushu had a very important announcement to make...
"Okay girl!" Mushu exclaimed, facing Ping, "Here's your chance. I saw this real shady guy. And I know it's Shan-Yu!"
"Shan-Yu?" Ping gasped. The team had an immense gasp of their own. Shan-Yu was the man the troops were ordered to destroy on site! For someone to make such a declaration must mean that they are very certain of themselves.
"That's the Hun leader!" Sora cried, "We've got to tell the Captain!"
"Waaaait wait-wait-wait WAIT!" Mushu screeched, jumping frantically in the snow, "Everybody use their heads a sec. Now, why are we here? To make the Captain see Mulan's --- I mean, Ping's talents and bring honor to her family."
Sora, Donald, Goofy and Akyra looked at each other, slightly confused. Yet, Mushu had a point. They nodded in agreement.
"So, let's go find out where Shan-Yu is, by ourselves. Then, if we're lucky, we can fry him up good! Though just tracking the guy down should earn us our stars... Captain Musclehead will have to notice my girl!" Mushu cheered.
Ping smiled and nodded. Perhaps Mushu was right. Maybe they could convince the Captain of her strength if they follow through with this plan. "Okay, let's go!"
"We'll help out!" Akyra cheered, straightening her armor.
"Now we're cookin'!" Mushu exclaimed happily as he huddled himself within the group, "Shan-Yu is in a cave outside the village!"
Sure enough, right beside the northern entrance of the village was a small, dark cave guarded by a rather absent-minded soldier. His job was to guard the northern entrance but he was much more interested in a certain hawk that was soaring overhead. The five of them were easily able to zip past the unsuspecting soldier and disappear into the shadows. The cave resembled a long, winding tunnel, adorned at the sides with old remnants of army carriages and fire canons. They followed the road cautiously, keeping their eyes peeled for any sort of suspicious movement. Eventually, they reached the end of the tunnel but, instead of feeling relieved, they were feeling mildly disappointed. The tunnel led to a large clearing illuminated with candles yet with absolutely no other exit point.
"Dead end," Sora concluded sadly.
"There's nobody here..." Donald quacked, slightly annoyed.
"You're crazy! Check again!" Mushu fumed from the top of Ping's shoulder. He was absolutely certain he had seen Shan-Yu step into this cave. And, with no other way out, he couldn't have possibly escaped without them noticing.
"Oh well..." Akyra sighed, spinning around and walking towards the exit. Donald quacked an angry tune and was quick to follow her lead.
"Wait for me, you two!" Goofy called as he also began heading for the exit, disappointed.
Ping sighed quietly. Her one chance to finally show off to the Captain and it turns out to be a lie. Feeling her sadness, Sora sympathetically patted her shoulder in reassurance. No words were exchanged but Ping smiled anyway. Sora, Akyra, Donald and Goofy believed in her, as did Mushu. Although it may seem like it would never come, her chance to prove herself will one day be upon them. She just had to wait a little bit longer...
The cave rumbled suddenly, as if there was an earthquake. Ping and Sora needed to hold on to each other in order to prevent themselves from falling.
"What's going on?" Mushu cried.
"Huh?" Akyra asked softly, wondering what Mushu was yelling about once again. Yet, this time he had it dead-on. Mushu, Ping and Sora really were in trouble. A great flux of Heartless encircled the three still present in the clearing, threatening them with their frightening gazes.
"Guys, we have to help them!" Akyra cried as she scurried back towards the clearing. Yet, instead of finding herself surrounded by Heartless with her staff raised in the air, she found herself on the ground, recovering from a nasty fall and a sharp hit on her forehead.
"Gawrsh, what happened?" Goofy asked nervously as he helped her to her feet.
Donald sighed uneasily. "We're locked here by some invisible barrier."
He lightly tapped the air with a feathered finger. Yet, instead of passing through the air like it should, his hand remained plastered against an invisible surface. Goofy gulped. He had suddenly realized that his three friends would have to fight on their own without them...
And from the path further up the tunnel, none of them were even close to noticing the gleaming eyes and shady complexion of Shan-Yu, who laughed quietly at their foolishness as he swiftly exited the cave...
KHA: *ish playing COM* Mwahaha!!
Audience: You've been stuck at the same place for three days now, KHA.
KHA: O.o Vexen's hard...
Akyra: All right, let an EXPERT handle this!
Roxas: You're not an expert. You were a card half the time.
Akyra: O.O At least I was actually THERE.
Roxas: *le gasp* You just WAIT until 358/2 Days comes out!
Akyra: BRING IT ON! *insane fighting*
Audience: Uh, KHA? You died again.
KHA: NO! *sobs* Ooh! By the way, I put a nifty little chapter report on my bio page, so you guys can see my progress. I'm also rewriting the first three chapters of An Extra Heart because I finally re-read them for the first time last week and my brain almost imploded from the sheer terror of it all. I never realized Akyra stole Kairi's lines... that needs to be fixed! :) FWEE!