The Mechanic

by Besieged Infection

AR Sora wants nothing more than the join the front lines; to prove himself in battle. He wants to help. One problem; he's a mechanic. From the shadow of a decorated war hero, Sora struggles to find his place in the worlds, all the while becoming tangled in a series of events that will change the universe as they know it. Sora/Ienzo, eventual Sora/Leon. Undergoing rewrite.

26. Compromise Me

Disclaimer: Besieged Infection does not own the rights to Kingdom Hearts. No money is being made from the production or distribution of this fanfiction.

Chapter warnings: Reference to drugs use, reference to possibility of abusive relationship.

-T-M-

Maunder, fourteen years after the Birth By Sleep incident:
Emergency progress transmissions of team Miyano part 3.

Academy - 16.22h Please confirm: Bogey is expired Apprentice Xehanort.
Miyano - 16.23h Confirmed.
Academy - 16.25h Please remain in contact while transport is arranged.
Academy - 16.35h Team Miyano, please check in.
Academy - 16.45h Team Miyano, please check in.
Academy - 16.50h Team Miyano, please check in.
Miyano - 16.55h Bogey eliminated. Request pick up.

Chapter 26: Compromise Me

The Land of Dragons (China,) fifteen years after the Birth by Sleep incident:

Overnight Ienzo had changed from a warm, confident, occasionally talkative companion into the quiet, cold man Sora had first met at the Academy. It was alarming. Among other things.

The mechanic could help but look over at his companion throughout the morning. As they rolled up their sleeping bags, packed their things, and scattered the ash from the fire the man refused to acknowledge even the basics, such as, "How'd you sleep?"

Sora was not feeling very confident about this. Even if they were to decide to return to Radiant Garden, it would take several days to reach the ship. And so they continued in silence; Sora occasionally making notes about the road or the sky. Once or twice he complained about the snow.

"I've never really walked in this much snow," he began later in the day. "It's kinda hard. Like sand, but cold and wet, and it clings in bigger clumps. You know? Like, Destiny Islands and Maunder were both really hot, and Radiant Garden was really wet. The rain there is ridiculous. But here it's like, snow, snow, snow all the time. Granted, that's because we're on a mountain-"

"Shut up."

Sora's head snapped to the side, surprised. "What did you say?"

"I told you to shut up. This is the sixth time today you've complained about the snow."

The younger man scowled. "Well, it's either the snow or your attitude. And something tells me the latter would be counterproductive."

Ienzo scoffed, but said nothing. Instead he continued on at a faster pace up a steep incline.

Stumbling after the man, Sora bit back a few choice words he knew would get him in trouble as they rounded a hill.

Both men froze in their tracks.

Below them, spread out in a small valley-like field, were the remains of a charred town. Soldiers sparsely decorated the area in a steady patrol. Sora's hands flew to his nose, wondering why he had not smelled the ash or remnants of smoke. But his face was cold to the touch; long numb and useless.

Within seconds they were approached by a thin man in long armor. "What business do you have here?"

Ienzo stepped forward boldly. "We are monks. We seek to traverse the passes."

"What happened here?" Sora asked quietly, stepping around his companion and the soldier to look down at the town.

"The Hun army," the man replied, solemn. "And I fear you are without luck. The pass has been blocked by landslides."

Ienzo made a disappointed noise as Sora continued toward the remains of the village, leaving the two behind him without a second thought. The snow wasn't as deep in this area. He was disturbed to find that the line of footsteps from soldiers were tinged a deep gray as it mixed with soot one layer beneath it. When he finally reached the village he paused, tugging off a glove and laying one tan hand down on the scorched rampart. He half expected it to burn him; to boil at the touch and melt away as if it were still on fire. But it didn't. Instead it was cold and hard.

He pulled his hand away and frowned at the soot marking his palm. The man wiped it on his robes, pulled his glove back on, and continued forward with a grimace. It wasn't long before a soldier stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder and pushing him backwards.

"Halt. What business do you have here?"

"I am a traveling monk," he parroted as calmly as he remember the monk back home doing. "I simply wish to see the damage that has been wrought here."

"Well, you've seen it. Go back to your cloisters. This is no time for a monk to travel."

Sora laughed. "Ah – but is it ever?" Calling to mind the pamphlet Ienzo had thrust at him that morning, he forced a calm, sweet smile and attempted to present the image his companion had; of a sweet, but knowledgeable monk. "If it is not the Huns, it is thieves and bandits. If it is not thieves and bandits, it is nature. If it is not nature, it is one's companions. With war I at least know what to expect." And while Sora didn't know half of what was coming out of his mouth, the man laughed so he guessed he was successful.

Looking at at him with a wry grin, the soldier patted the mechanic's shoulder roughly before allowing it to fall to his side. "You should seek our commander. I imagine he would like to know the presence of newcomers in our midst..." While he finished his sentence, his voice trailed off as he caught sight of the Keyblade strapped to Sora's back. "What a strange weapon," he mumbled, suddenly suspicious.

Foreboding flickered up the mechanic's spine as the soldier eyed him. No doubt he was questioning Sora's cover, seeing as Keyblades were not native. But instead of allowing his panic to show, the man shrugged and smiled. "It was a gift from a friend when I entered the Monastery," he says simply, hoping desperately that they were called Monasteries where they were. "While it is a blade, the edges are wide and dull as to prevent the slaughter of men."

"Dulled edged swords can still kill men," the soldier pointed out.

"Yes," Sora agreed. "But one would have to try very hard to achieve such a thing. Such effort is beyond me."

Still eying him suspiciously, the man waved Sora in front of him and stated, "This way. Our commander should like to see you."

Smiling brightly – at least they hadn't killed him – the mechanic took a few steps forward, only to pause when the man's hand clamped around the back of his neck and a small blade pressed to his throat.

"That is no sword at all," the man snapped sharply. "Who are you? Where are you from?"

A voice from behind them – the soldier that had met them at the hill – called out sharply, "He is Sora of the Xi'an Monastery; a warrior monk. You will release him."

"Explain his sword, then!" the soldier with the knife shouted.

"It was a commission from his sister, the lady Fa Shi, so that he would not be able to kill," Ienzo all but snapped; his voice dull and sharp and calm all at once. He sounded closer. He couldn't have been more than a few feet away. "Release him before he decides to turn his training on you."

Had Sora not known his limits, he would have believed it himself. Standing very still, he waited for the knife to recede. When it did he shrugged his shoulders and laughed. "I would doubt myself, to be honest," he joked, turning to face the soldier who had until that second held him hostage. I don't like you, he told the man with his eyes. Brushing past them, the soldier from the hill motioned for Ienzo and Sora to follow. "Take my place. I'll bring them to meet the commander."

The other man sniffed, but did as he was told.

Ienzo leaned over, whispering up to Sora, "His name is Ling."

"The passes are closed at the moment," the soldier – Ling – told them. "As I said earlier; landslides have closed off entire sections of the pass. There's no getting through it at the current time." Stopping before a tent, he cleared his throat and stated clearly, "Commander, we have guests."

Within seconds a man emerged, taller then most of the others in the camp, though still barely came up to Sora's nose. "Welcome, Monks," he greeted simply. "I am Lee Shang. What brings you to the mountains on this sad day?" He spoke to both of them, but his eyes were on Ienzo.

The man, Sora realized, could sense leadership.

"We seek to spread talismans to defend against evil throughout China," the mage replied simply, pulling one of the Heartless Monitoring devices from a pocket in his robes. "Our journey is nearing an end, and once we traverse the pass and reach the palace we shall return to the Monastery."

Shang sighed, shaking his head from side to side. "The pass is blocked. You cannot hope to reach the palace until we have cleared the road, which does not seem to be happening quickly."

Ienzo nodded politely. "I am of Xi'an, and if that is the case we may be of assistance."

"In what way?" the commander aside, confused.

Motioning toward the mechanic with one hand and storing the device back in the fold of his robes with the other, the shorter man announced, "This is Sora, also of Xi'an. He is a warrior monk, and has great strength within him. Depending on the damage, he may be capable to taking care of the pass with a single strike."

Finally, Shang turned his eyes to the mechanic. "Do you support his claim?"

"T'is impossible," a man at Shang's side announced snidely, stepping up to them with a superior expression and a slimy grin. "It cannot be done."

Sora almost shrugged before figuring that wasn't the time for casual motions. "If Ienzo says it is possible, it is," he says simply instead. "If he says it isn't, it isn't."

"Such lack of confidence," the man sneers. "You could learn much," he informs the commander dryly.

"Monks are not trained to have confidence," the mage cut in with a sharp hiss at the man. "Only to be pious. A soldier who is not confident is not competent."

The man with the slimy grin rolled his eyes, then turned to the board in his hands. "You have not spent much time with soldiers."

Shang sighed, and that was when Sora saw something he hadn't expected to see – a weariness to the man's facade. Not even a blink later it was gone, and the man was the confident and strong commander he was supposed to be again. "Ping!" he called. "Escort these men to the site of the landslide." This earned him a glare from the man that Sora could only assume was his attendant.

The soldier they had met in the clearing ran up, eyes wide and surprised. "Sora? Ienzo? What are you doing here?"

Sora noted how Shang startled at Ienzo's name, but kept it to himself.

"Passing through," the mage stated simply. "We had hoped to reach the capitol within the week."

Waving his hand for the two to follow, Ping lead them through town, past a cave, and up a mountain path. "We handled the blocked passages on the way up here with no trouble," he informs them confidently, and isn't that a change? The man they had met in the clearing had been demure at best. "Yesterday, however, we had a run in with the Hun army. There was a landslide, and after we retreated... well..." He trailed off as they approached a large wall of snow, completely blocking off the path. "This happened."

The wall was nearly thirty feet high, and was piled high with boulders and ice. Several men were clustered around the base with shovels, attempting to dig through the mess. However, every time they seemed to make a dent more snow shifted into the spot.

Pushing his sleeves up, Ienzo quickly announced, "I will pray for safety," before he strode forward with confident steps, slapped his hands against the mess, and bowed his forehead to touch the wall of ice. The two soldiers froze. Turning to look at the monk in surprise, they exchanged twin expressions of confusion.

"You might want to take a step back!" Sora called just as Ienzo began to murmur something lowly into the wall of ice. Much to his surprise, the men consented.

"What is he saying?" Ping mused, eyes narrowing in confusion. "He's not talking to himself, is he?"

"He's sending a prayer to his ancestors," Sora informed her with a grin as the men joined them. "In hope that the rocks will fall safely." Technically that's what Ienzo was doing, but Sora knew better. Ienzo was churning the insides of the landslide with fire and ice until they were brittle and pliant. And when they were loose enough to be moved he would call for the mechanic to step forward.

Before long the mage pulled away from the wall and joined them. He did not call for Sora like the mechanic had thought. Did not so much as make eye contact with him.

Oh, right, the man recalled with a wave of disappointment. He's not talking to me.

Quelling his disappointment, he moved toward the wall with a grim expression. He didn't immediately reach for his Keyblade, however. First he stepped up to one of the larger rocks, tapping it with his knuckles. Then another. Then another. Finally, on the fourth large rock, he pulled away with a deep breath. Grabbing at the tie on his stomach, he pulled it to allow the Keyblade to slip into his free hand. Then, bracing both hands against it like he had on the Grid, he swung.

The great, deafening boom that cracked through the air would have made him jump if he weren't recovering from the hit. Above the rock, a single tear began to sneak its way up the wall. He prepped himself for another hit. Unknown to him, soldiers began to crowd behind him with the others. Leveling the Keyblade for another strike, he smashed it against the rock.

Boom.

Again.

Boom.

And again.

Boom.

The crack steadily worked its way up the wall until he could feel the vibrations of it beginning to shift beneath his feet. And, grasping his Keyblade in both hands, he stuck the rock once more and – without waiting to see the result – booked it away from the wall in a desperate sprint. "Get back!" he wailed. "Get to camp!" He could hear the ice and rock begin to break away from the sides of the cliffs, crashing to the ground and sliding onto the path. "Move, move, move!"

Again, the soldiers obeyed, turning tail and fleeing from the collapsing structure with screams and yelps of terror. Sora followed them as quickly as he could, lungs screaming, though he stalled upon seeing Ienzo lag behind the others, wheezing and coughing. For all Ienzo was a great and powerful mage, it was easy to forget he was not a warrior. He was not in shape. More than that, he smoked. This showed more than anything as he coughed and wheezed, shorter legs fighting to keep up with trained soldiers before he stumbled and came to a dead stop, gasping desperately for air.

When the mechanic caught up he grabbed at the man's hand, practically dragging him behind as he sprinted down the mountain path toward the camp. Never before had Sora been so proud to be tall. Never felt as fortunate to have longer legs and wiry limbs. And as he dragged the wheezing Ienzo behind him, gasping for air as his own lungs fought to work through the abuse he himself put them through, he went through equations in his head.

How far was far enough? Would the avalanche end up covering the camp? Had they done it all for nothing? How thick had the wall actually been?

Sora ran until he reached the camp, collapsing into the snow with a strangled shout, Ienzo following behind like a limp rag. It was there that he realized the shaking had stopped. The noises had stopped. Everything had simply... stopped.

Then shouts.

Cheers.

Sora was picked up and placed on shoulders, carried over heads, and tossed about like a rag-doll before the soldiers deposited him on a pile of blankets and Ping shouted, "Three cheers for Sora, the strongest man in all of China!"

The mechanic looked over the crowd with a sense of foreboding. Weren't they supposed to be keeping a low profile?

-T-M-

That night, everyone settled in to celebrate around bright fires with even brighter spirits. Ienzo watched as Sora was accosted by soldier after soldier who wished to congratulate him, only one of which came above his nose. That man had seemed kind enough, and had offered Sora part of his meal. The mechanic, ever the intelligent one, politely declined, claiming that he was to stick to his humble monk's diet. In actuality, Ienzo had broken the silence to warn Sora against food poisoning before the celebration began.

It was beside the campfire, watching Sora, that Ienzo was finally approached.

Stepping around the pit, Shang settled beside the mage with a grim expression.

The smaller man frowned. "Can I help you, Commander?"

"Ienzo, charmer of Ancestors."

Turning his eyes back to the fire, the scientist sighed. "I have not been called that in a long time."

"My father spoke of you often, though you met only for a brief time," Shang told him quietly. "You were a legend among his troupes. The man who called upon his Ancestors to do his bidding." He turned to the mage with hollow curiosity. "Is that what you did today?"

"Maybe."

"When he was home from his duties, my father would tell me of your exploits as a bed-time story. 'He was about your age,' he would say, 'but younger. Barely eight winters under his belt and he screamed at the sky for his Ancestors to smite the wickedness that plagued the city. Despite all odds, a bolt of lightning fell from the cloudless sky to strike a single man that fought through a crowd of people to escape the oncoming soldiers.'"

"It was a long time ago."

"Thirteen summers yet," he announced quietly. "It does not make sense that you would join a Monastery. He claimed you had a flare for theatrics despite being such a quiet child."

"It was a long time ago," Ienzo snapped again, turning angry eyes on the commander. "Let us not speak of adolescence." At best, his words were a warning. At worst, a threat.

Shang, surprising them both, turned to the fire and spoke again. "You pass the torch to a man who is still a boy," he mutters. "He cannot begin to understand how long these men will sing him praises. It may ruin him should he learn."

"Sora is no common man," the mage snapped, temper showing through once more. Suddenly, he felt himself flush. "The praises would humble him, not enable him."

Much to his surprise, the commander grinned. "Your attitude explains much."

"Excuse me?"

"The boy my father had known might not enter a Monastery, but you..." He sighed. "A man in love might pledge himself to purity should his desires lie with one who has done the same."

Ienzo sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

"As plain as the moles on your face," he replied.

The mage's hand came up, fingers tracing the line of moles littering his skin for his disguise. "Yes, I daresay it is."

Clapping a hand on Ienzo's shoulder, the commander advised him, "Whatever you are angry with Sora for, you should seek to forgive him. It does not do to pair anger with affection."

"Most assume I am simply always furious with at him."

"I can see how a man such as that could drive you crazy."

Turning to the commander with a expression of surprise, Ienzo nodded gravely. "You are the first to recognize this."

Shang shrugged. "The greater the person, the greater their flaws."

-T-M-

The next day, Ienzo awoke to find a bleary-eyed Sora tending to the fire. "Late night?" he asked quietly, glancing over at the few soldiers who were awake – or had never gone to sleep.

"One of them men had a stash of Opium," he volunteered quietly. "He offered to take my mind off the war."

The mage went quiet.

Sora frowned. "You're making the look again. What's the look for?"

"Every time I start thinking that you're this good little boy you go and do something like this."

The mechanic chuckled at this. "Okay, seriously? Opium isn't that bad."

"Opium isn't-" Ienzo cut off, jaw hanging open. Exhaling heavily, he tugged at his robes. "You seriously just..." Trailing off once more, he found himself at a loss for words. "I honestly don't know any more."

Sora looked at him oddly before leaning forward on his elbows with a questioning expression. "What's on your mind?"

"Just-" Ienzo clenched his eyes shut, running his hands anxiously through his hair. "Where I come from, drugs are a serious thing, okay? It's not just marijuana or just opium. They're both illegal." He hissed the last bit, glancing around them nervously. "And I'm not going to lie; I don't know your island's stance on drugs. But I can't imagine opium being handed around like a party gift."

Leaning back against the large boulder behind him, the mechanic made a noise of shock. "Is that all?"

"Is that – is that all?" the scientist gasped in disbelief.

"Well, yeah. I mean, on the islands pretty much everyone smokes. It's not really something that gets talked or thought about; it just happens. And the older folks will occasionally add something extra to their pipes. No big deal. Not for us." Tugging at the collar of his robes where they were a bit too tight, the man shifted quickly from side to side. "It's just something I grew up with."

Standing abruptly, Ienzo tugged his robes properly into place before stomping off to his tent, snow crunching underfoot. Reaching for the spikes, he practically tore his tent down before folding his sleeping bag and things into it and shoving it in his sack. "Get ready to leave," he told Sora quickly, pulling out one of the ration bars wrapped in cloth they had been given for the trip. "We leave now."

"What? But – don't you want to say goodbye?"

"To who?"

"Shang."

Ienzo looked at him oddly, face scrunched, as he bent over to retrieve a tent stake that had made its way over towards Sora's tent. "Why?"

The mechanic shrugged with one shoulder, suddenly sheepish. "You two looked really cozy last night. That's all."

Staring over at the younger man for a long moment, Ienzo gathered the rest of his things, threw his pack over his shoulder, and made his way towards the pass without so much as a word. Behind him he could hear Sora stumbling to get his things together, and to smother the fire. The mage was halfway through what used to be the ice wall – cleared of debris – when Sora finally caught up with him.

"Did I say something wrong again?"

Ienzo fought the urge to roll his eyes. "I believe one disastrous relationship is more than enough to have on my place at once,"

"A relationship? You're-" Sora choked, voice going squeaky. "You're in a relationship?"

"Possibly."

"With who?!" the man asked, stepping in his path to cut him off.

Ienzo drew to a stop. Then, looking Sora in the eye, declared, "Last I checked, we had something going on between us."

The mechanic's mouth went dry. Drier than it had been after going without water two days in a row on the islands. Drier than when he'd smoked the opium and had needed, needed to drink as much water as he could get his hands on. He swallowed three times, sucking on his tongue in the hope that there was some moisture to speak, and eventually he managed a strangled, "Really?"

Looking him straight in the eye, the man asked, "Would you think any less of me if I said yes?"

"Is, uh..." Sora swallowed again. "Is that a rhetorical question?"

"No."

"Then, I wouldn't. Uh, yeah. I wouldn't, you know. Think less of you." The mechanic was a mess of energy and vibrating limbs, twisting his hands together and biting his lip as his feet shifted uneasily in the snow.

Looking up from the ground, the scientist hoarsely whispered, "Yes."

All at once, the younger man's heart stopped. His hands stilled. His feet took root to the ground. Everything – even the very air – seemed to come to a halt around him as his entire body froze all at once. "What?"

"Yes," Ienzo chuckled, stepping closer to the taller man. His feet crunched through the snow, leaving a trail of sooty footprints in his wake.

For a moment Sora figured they symbolized their relationship – but that would be silly. "You really-" he began.

With a heavy gaze and a steady hand settled on the mechanic's, Ienzo solemnly repeated, "Yes."

There was a roar in the mechanic's ears as his heart seemed to restart; blood thudding through him like a million angry soldiers. Grabbing at the man's waist, Sora plucked him up from the ground – completely oblivious to the whole-body flinch that shook Ienzo's very spine – and jumped and spun them as he laughed, giggled, and made noises he wasn't aware he could make.

"Sora!" Ienzo barked, face red. He hadn't expected to suddenly be a foot taller and spinning and his head and stomach lurched. "Put me down. Put me down right now."

Nearly falling over in his attempt to stop, Sora gently lowered the older man to the ground, only to watch in open surprise as Ienzo stumbled to the side of the path and dry heaved.

"Don't," the man managed to wheeze, then coughed. "Don't ever do that again."

Hovering guiltily, Sora asked quietly, "Pick you up? Or spin you?"

"Both," Ienzo hissed. He clutched the fabric at his knees with one hand as he beat his other fist against the rock wall. "Don't ever do either ever again. Shit, I feel like I'm going to vomit."

After a few seconds, the mechanic settled his hand against the back of Ienzo's neck and rubbed his thumb along the bumps of his spine. "This, uh, might not be the best time to bring it up, but last night I managed to give a few of the soldiers some of the monitors," he said quietly. "They're going to bring them to their families since Ping vouched for me."

Ienzo laughed. It was a happy, yet bitter sound.

For a minute he'd forgotten all about the mission.

-T-M-

For the remaining seven days Ienzo and Sora spent in China, the two traveled as they had planned. It passed as if overnight, and before they knew it they were back in the Gummi ship, pulling out of the atmosphere and setting a course for the next planet.

"So..." Sora began quietly, settling into his seat as the cloaked ship rose in the air, giving them a wide view of the surrounding forest. "Think we disturbed the world order?"

"Not a chance," Ienzo drawled dryly, forcing his seat back until he was nearly laying down. Their disguises had been removed, and his hair was once again a light periwinkle that plastered itself to one side of his face. He brushed it aside angrily before laying a cloth across his eyes. "The technology gap is too wide for them to know what the monitors are."

The younger man shrugged. "I was, uh, actually talking about the whole 'me being famous' thing. That won't mess anything up, will it?" This earned a laugh. Sora's head shot to the side to give his companion an insulted look. "What?"

"You would worry about that," the scientist drawled to himself. "Don't worry about it, okay? You're not the first outsider to go down in their history."

Smiling broadly, the mechanic reached over and took hold of the older man's hand.

Ienzo startled, sitting up abruptly to stare at the fingers looping around his.

"Is this okay?" Sora asked quietly, startled. "I was just – we're together now, right? Properly?"

Drawing his hand out of Sora's, Ienzo reset his chair and looked the man in the eye. "Sora, there's something you should know about me before we... Before we make anything official."

The man blinked. "You don't have a disease, do you?"

Even Ienzo was startled by the laugh that burst from him. "No," he said confidently. "No, I don' have any diseases."

"Okay, then. What is it?"

Tugging the bottom of his uniform's dress shirt down as it attempted to ride up, the mage looked the younger man straight in the eye and calmly announced, "My file – you read it, but a file can't tell you everything. Like..." He paused, visibly steeling himself. "It can't tell you that when I get curious about something, it's like blinkers have been put on the sides of my head."

"Blinkers?" Sora asked, confused.

"It's like I can't see anything else. My project doesn't have any flaws, and if it does I ignore them until I've figured it out or completed it. It's why, even when the first batch of Heartless escaped the lab, I didn't do anything. Even when Ansem shut us down, I couldn't bring myself to stop the project. So... we just continued without his permission."

"By 'we' you mean-"

"Me, Even, Braig, Dilan, and Elaeus." Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "And Xehanort."

Sora nodded politely. "I'm not going to say I forgive you for any of this, but I'm starting to get why you were part of it."

"I'm not asking you for forgiveness," the older man burst suddenly, leaning forward with wide eyes and an exposed expression.

The mechanic blinked, surprised. "Uh, okay. Why do I need to know this then?"

"You make me feel the same."

A beat of silence.

"What?"

Ienzo sighed, emotion retreating back under his skin as he settled back in his seat. "You make me curious. You give me blinkers. And that's dangerous for me. Just – I don't think you'd be the type to do this, but if you think I'm starting to fall into old habits, tell me."

"Okay," Sora promised. "I will." Pulling away from the contact, the mechanic settled his hands on the ship's controls and grinned big. "So, where to next?"

"Pit stop," the mage replied quietly. "We need to resupply back at the Garden."

The mechanic grinned. "Good. I was getting tired of sleeping bags."

-T-M-

Cultural Note: Homosexuality had its own niche in China until the 1840's, and was not condemned until their attempt to westernize their society. Seeing as the tale of Hua Mulan takes place some time between the 2nd and 7th century it is not something Shang finds strange or disgusting. Also, as Destiny Islands is based loosely around the Samoan and Japanese cultures, both of which have a heavy volume of smokers, Sora doesn't think it's bad to smoke. Whenever he says things like, "It's a disgusting habit," and things like that he is only repeating what others have said.

Personal note: Sorry for my absence from this fic, guys. Trying to rewrite TM killed all motivation for this story, and even made me switch fandoms, so that project has been abandoned until further notice. Long story short, I'm back.

Something Very Important: 100K. 100K. WE HIT 100K. WE FINALLY HIT 100 FREAKING K. *Ahem* Thank you for your time.

Reviews keep me breathing.

Love,
Besieged Infection