Naminé - Shang Yu

I saw the emperor - unharmed - just as one of the Huns did. He was closer towards the unprotected man; but I knew I was faster. Since I had given my sword to Roxas, I didn't think I could beat him through confrontation.

"Your Highness! Please duck!" I yelled, giving him a moment to bow down before I once again threw the wooden bar. As his head bumped against the stone floor with a dull thunk, I knew he was out cold. Okay, that's one down.

The attackers seemed to be trying to kill Roxas first - he was a bigger threat - but a few began to notice that we were swiftly taking them down. Roxas' sword was practically flying. Once Roxas would give them the initial strike, I would quickly knock them out with the heavy wooden stick. There was no time for words - there was a certain amount of trust passed between us.

But they kept coming. Even though they were in worse condition than us, they had the power of sheer numbers. We were too occupied with two or three men trying to slice us in two. Thankfully, more guards had arrived from the bottom, and they helped take down the attackers. I yelled for someone to take the Emperor to safety, but no one seemed to hear - and it was getting more and more difficult to center our strategies around him.

My spirit lifted momentarily, when I attained a bow and arrow from one of the men from the roof.

But it didn't last long. Only a minute later, Roxas yelled out, pointing towards the door to the palace.

While the other warriors had us distracted, Shang Yu himself had emerged, waving down from the rooftop. He had the emperor in a chokehold, and the elderly man was hanging limp. He watched us start forward, before swiftly retreating higher up onto the roof.

We both ran - passing the Huns, once again through the large doors. Roxas' breath was heavy.

"There's another way to the roof." He said, frowning. "The stairs farther down this way. We'll be able to attack him from both sides, that way."

I nodded, and Roxas glanced down. "I'll take the one on the right. I'm sure he's heading that way - you only attack if it's necessary." I knew at once he was thinking about my injury.

"Roxas - don't worry-"

Roxas cut me off with a squeeze of his hand. "I'll see you soon, Naminé."

"...Okay." We separated; I headed down another weaving maze of hallways to the left. I found the stairs, climbing up them while pressing my hand again to my side. There was a smear of blood left on my hand.

At the top of there stairs, I had to clamber up a short ladder. At the top, I pushed open the small doors. The breeze helped calm me as I carefully hoisted myself onto the small flat section of the roof. Palms stretched outwards, I edged carefully across the roof. I had to get to the main section as quickly as possible.

Shang Yu's large figure was straight ahead; his long cape, which I could only guess why he even had in the first place, fluttered behind him. He was standing on one of the palace balconies - a string of paper lanterns illuminating both him and the Emperor. I couldn't see Roxas, but I hoped he was somewhere near.

"I see you there, soldier." He suddenly yelled hoarsely, his head snapping in my direction. I froze in my place. "Just what do you think you're going to do? Kill me?"

I saw it then - movement on the roof. "Roxas." I said under my breath. If only Shang Yu was...distracted.

I shook off my nervousness, opening my mouth. "What makes you think you can win?" I said loudly, my voice shaking. "It's over, Shang Yu."

The man took a step towards the edge of the balcony, a sly smirk on his face. "It's not over until I say it is."

I crept closer. I spotted the jagged blade of his long dagger, attached to his belt. I attempted to goad him closer. I stood, swaying a bit in the wind. In the dim light, his eyes met mine.

"You're a girl." Shang Yu's tone sounded amused. "Even better, I suppose."

With a shake of my head, I pulled my hair up, tying it at the back of my head. I held my chin up as Shang Yu stared. Behind him, I saw Roxas drop silently onto the balcony, creeping towards the emperor.

"The soldier...from the mountains!" He roared. "You're the one who-"

I nodded. "And I can do it again!" I called, letting confidence fill my voice. Roxas just needs a few more seconds. He was hoisting the emperor over his body, struggling to clamber back onto the roof, where he could take the man to safety.

With another angry yell, Shang Yu hoisted himself onto the railing, jumping forward onto the roof. For having such a large build, he was scarily limber on his feet. I felt my heart jumpstart, before I turned, fleeing as quickly as I could while managing to keep my balance on the roof. I was at the disadvantage; while I may have been lighter, three steps of mine were one for him. I could feel him getting closer, and forced myself to run, even though I continually felt myself losing balance.

"Are you suddenly afraid, warrior? Come back here and fight!" The footsteps thundered behind me. At one moment, I was jumping over the gap which led directly down into the gardens. The next, Shang Yu had shoved me, and I was falling forward much too soon.

With a yelp, I half-landed on the other side, my hands struggling to find purchase on the tiles. I skittered down, my chest aching as I shakily kept my grip. Shang Yu had jumped, and now stood in front of me, glowering.

"You look scared." He said quietly. And I was scared - I was too far off the ground, and my arms were quickly tiring. To my surprise and fear, Shang Yu gripped my shirt, hauling me upwards. He jumped down to the flatter part of the roof. He held me off the surface with one fist, holding me over the other side of the roof. I felt dizzy; we were on one of the tallest points of the palace, overlooking the entire courtyard. In the crowds below, I heard the screaming as they saw my predicament.

"I want you to die by my own hands." Shang Yu spat. "And this way, all of China will be here to witness your death." He paused, glancing at my face. "The foolish woman who thought she could defeat me." His eyes gleamed.

"Naminé!" Shang Yu looked up, both of us staring as Roxas ran as fast as he moved towards them. "You put her down!" He yelled again, holding his sword in front of him. He looked more angry than I had ever seen. His chest was heaving, and his lips were in a tight line.

"And why should I?" Shang Yu replied. I felt his grip loosen on my shirt, and I fought back a whimper. Sweat coated my forehead as Shang Yu lowered me even further over the roof.

Roxas took a step forward. "I was the one who told her to do what she did! You accomplish nothing by killing her!" I squeezed my eyes shut. There's no way he'll believe that.

Shang Yu looked thoughtful. "Or...I could just kill you both." As he uttered those words, I held my breath; with one swing, I heaved my right leg behind his knee, knocking him off balance. His grip went slack, and I swung myself forward onto the roof. I was breathless as I crawled a few feet away, silently reaching for the bow and arrow slung over my shoulder. It was a wonder it had kept in place.

Shang Yu looked back and forth between Roxas and me; I aimed the bow in his direction, while Roxas still claimed his sword.

There was a second where none of us moved. Then Roxas darted forward, with a speed I had never pegged him for, ducking under Shang Yu's swinging fists. Roxas, taking the sword, forced it between two tiles, where it stuck. He had stabbed it through the thick material of Shang Yu's cape.

"Kill him, Naminé!" He yelled, running towards me while Shang Yu pulled. That's an order. I breathed in slowly, holding my stomach in as I let my fingers go loose. The bow moved so quickly, Shang Yu had no time to move. It struck him directly between his armoured chest plates. As he sunk down onto his knees, a stricken look on his face... I couldn't help it.

I felt my body go limp.

Author's Note: You should all be very happy I wrote this "alternate-original" ending. : D I kiiiiiinda was going to have Naminé die.

FFnet was glitching for me earlier, and I couldn't publish this chapter, send PM's, etc. (which includes review replies). I'll try to catch up!

Okay - I figured I should talk a little bit about why I decided for Shang Yu to be killed this way. One, there is no Mushu in this story, so no way for him to be killed by fireworks. Two, I wanted Nam to use her bow&arrow skills a bit, since that's her "strong point". And three, no paper lantern in ancient China could be used as a zipline to escape XD