Chapter Twenty Two: The Journey Through the Valley

A/N: When I say we're disregarding Mulan 2, I mean complete and utter striking from the canon of Rise Above the X. With that in mind, cheers! The recent storms in the northeast killed the power and with it, my creative drive. But we're back on course now, my friends!

oooo

Lea squinted into the sunset as they marched through the countryside. Being drafted into protecting a member of the royal family was not what he expected, especially since there was only one member of the entire family. Which was really begging for trouble, considering the issues of inheritance and heirs. The Emperor had no children of his own, so who was going to inherit the kingdom when he died?

Actually…now that he thought about it, Lea knew quite a few monarchs who didn't have heirs. King Mickey didn't have any children—Goofy would have mentioned it otherwise. Heck, Mickey didn't even have any nephews like Donald. Ansem the Wise didn't have an heir either, though that wasn't Lea's problem given that he didn't live in Radiant Garden anymore.

The Emperor, for his part, seemed alright, as emperors went. He had believed Xion's story, which was a point in his favor. Poor kiddo had had a rough go at it back in Disney Castle. Bad enough he snapped at her enough to make her cry, Lea didn't like that Yen Sid had never actually apologized to her for doing so.

The Emperor rode in a drawn wagon with one of his…councilmen? Lea wasn't quite sure of the connection there. The man kept a tight grip on his clipboard, but Lea had to admit the man was effective in keeping the supplies well-stocked, and also practical. Bedrolls, tents, a chest of scrolls, plus rations for everyone. The councilman had everything counted down to the last apple.

Lea was less impressed with having to travel with the three soldiers from the gates. They weren't bad, really, but they really seemed the types who had survived previous battles due to luck. Or more likely, Sora had done all the hard work and they managed to sneak into getting the credit for it. Well, Yao and Ling at least—the third guy, Chien Po didn't seem that bad. But the others, with their bragging, irked Lea. Sure, he could be a show-off, but he wasn't too proud to admit that Roxas and Xion—and by extension, Sora—were old hands at Keyblade stuff. Taking credit from them, people who earned it was wrong, even if they were shrimpy half-pints.

On the subject of his half-pints, they were walking at the head of the group, or nearly so. Captain Li Shang and Fa Mulan, the Emperor's bodyguards were at the very front on horseback, then his kiddos on foot, then Chien Po drove the wagon with the Emperor, with the braggarts Yao and Ling trailing behind, and him and Isa in the very back.

The trek was long—it had been several hours since they started the march. It had been mid-morning when they first landed on the mountainside, a bit after noontime by the time they made it to the capital. Now, it had to be nearly suppertime. Lea placed a hand on his stomach. He hadn't had a proper meal since the hot dogs he had for supper on board the Gummi Ship right after they first left Disney Castle. He'd missed breakfast and lunch.

"Your Majesty, I believe we should stop for the evening," Lea called out. "It's getting close to dark!"

"I agree," The Emperor answered back. "That would be wise. Chien Po, bring us to a halt."

Setting up camp took less time than expected, with so many hands helping, but that was when Lea noticed that his initial impression of the councilman was wrong. There were plenty of supplies, but there were only enough tents for the Emperor, his councilman, and the soldiers.

"This was an oversight that should not have come to pass," The Emperor said, frowning deeply. "Chi Fu, I expected better from you."

"With due respect, your Majesty, I did not envision that we would be responsible for so many hands. And I trust that the…outsiders have their own means of taking care of themselves."

"It's fine," Lea said as politely as he could. He was annoyed, but still…well, he could keep an eye on his kiddos well enough. "We are at your service, your Majesty."

"We should divide night watch into shifts," Fa Mulan said. "I can take the first shift, the horses need attending."

"I can do it with you. I like horses," Xion offered. "There's seven of us fighters, so we can divide it into…four shifts?"

"That sounds reasonable," Fa Mulan said. "Help me with the horses, won't you."

Lea watched as Xion scurried off to help Fa Mulan with a bag of grain. Fa Mulan's horse, a large black one, nuzzled Xion on the head. Cute.

Lea turned his attention towards the others. Roxas and Isa had gathered stones for a fire pit and were arranging small sticks into a loose pile.

"Let's keep it small," Lea muttered as he crouched low and ignited the kindling with a snap of his fingers. "I'll keep it burning hot, but we don't want it too big. It'll attract attention."

"Oh, that's very nice," Chien Po walked over, his arms full of larger pieces of firewood. "It's been chilly the last few nights."

"Right then," Lea said. "That should be enough firewood for a while, but what are we doing for supper. Is there actually enough food to go around?"

"There should be," Chien Po said, rubbing his stomach. "You can't lead an army on an empty stomach. I can make plenty of millet for everyone."

"Axel, what's millet?"

oooo

Xion patted the black horse on the nose. He was huge, even bigger than Pegasus had been, which was kind of surprising, all things considered. As far as Xion could tell, he was just a normal horse.

"He's pretty," Xion said. "I know it sounds kind of dumb, but…I've never seen a horse like him before. He's really big."

"His name is Khan," Fa Mulan said, holding up a bag of grain for the horse to eat from. "I've had him for as long as I can remember."

"That's a nice name…and what did Captain Shang name his horse?"

"That's Captain Li to you…Xion wasn't it?" Fa Mulan said and then she dropped her voice to a whisper. "You mustn't call the Captain by his given name so informally. It's extremely disrespectful."

"I'm sorry!" Xion blurted. "I didn't know! I thought…wait, wasn't his first name Li?" Xion asked. That didn't make sense. People had first names and then last names, which they shared with their families. Not that Xion had a last name. Or Roxas. Come to think of it, most of the people she talked to didn't seem to have last names…Master Ansem, Master Yen Sid, Ienzo… "Um…sorry, I'm confused."

"That's his family name," Fa Mulan explained. "How…oh, that's right. You're from Sora's village, aren't you? I thought you had the same eyes."

Close enough.

"Yes…our village does…strange things with people's names," Xion bit her lip, trying to figure out how to explain this without lying too much. "Our…family names come last."

"How peculiar," Fa Mulan said. "Well, you may call me Mulan, if you like. 'Fa' is my family's name. My father is Fa Zhou."

"Oh…" Xion said, feeling her face redden. "Sorry for the confusion. Sora didn't mention that."

"You needn't apologize for that," Mulan assured her. "There's a lot more to the world than even the Emperor's kingdom. It would be silly of me to think that our customs were the same."

"Thank you," Xion murmured. "So the Captain's horse?"

"Oh, his name is Koi," Mulan chuckled. "He's named after a type of fish."

"He's nice-looking," Xion said. Koi was cream-colored, with a few grey spots. Why he would have been named after a fish, Xion had no idea.

There were two other horses, attached to the wagon that the Emperor rode in with his aide Chi Fu. Unlike Khan or Koi, they were brown and somewhat smaller than either of the riding horses. They didn't have names either. Mulan unhitched one and led it around the meadow to unwind its muscles. Cautiously, Xion held up the bag of grain, and the remaining horse ate out of it eagerly.

"There's a good boy," Xion murmured. "Be sure to leave some for your friend."

After a few minutes Mulan was back with the first horse. Xion took over feeding the first horse while Mulan unhitched the second to lead it around the meadow. By now the sunset was almost finished and it was getting dark. Against a purpling sky, tiny stars began to twinkle. Each of those stars was another world…Xion wondered whether any of them were Twilight Town. One star was especially bright—could that be Destiny Islands, with Kairi?

Kairi…you helped kill Kairi. You helped kill Kairi and Sora got himself killed getting her back.

"I'm trying to atone for it…" Xion whispered. "I wish it had never happened. Sora…why do you feel so distant now? Sora…"

"What was that about Sora?"

Xion flinched. She hadn't heard Mulan return with the second horse. It was getting hard to see now. With the sun fully set, the only light was the campfire. It illuminated Mulan's face in the dark, her dark eyes warm.

"Er…I guess…I miss Sora, it's been a while…" Xion hesitated. She wasn't sure how well Mulan knew Sora, and whether or not she could tell if Xion was lying. They had made a connection back at Olympus, but the same logic might not apply here. "It's been a while since I've seen him."

"He does seem to travel every which way but home," Mulan agreed. "He never stayed for long when he visited us. I miss him, and I know Mushu does too."

Who's Mushu? Isa had mentioned that name earlier, and that he was connected to…Mulan's family! Right, if Sora knew Mulan then he probably knew Mushu as well. But there was something else itching at the back of her mind. For some reason, even when she concentrated hard, Xion couldn't picture Mushu's face.

"So how do you know Sora, anyway?" Mulan asked. "It's hard to tell now, but I noticed you have the same colored eyes. Are you his sister?"

"Sort of…we're…um kind of related, but we're not sure how exactly," Xion could feel her facing reddening, but she was fairly sure it was too dark to tell, even with firelight. "I just call him 'brother,' because it's easier."

It wasn't strictly the truth, but it was what she had said to Hercules back in Olympus, to say nothing of saying it to Sephiroth. And Sora had always been so helpful and kind to her. That was kind of like a brother. What would happen when, if, when Sora finally made it home? He'd probably stay on Destiny Islands…but maybe he could visit?

"Hmm…well, I can understand that," Mulan said kindly. "I think that's it on the horses. We'll take the first shift for night watch."

"Have there been any Heartless lately?" Xion asked. She glanced at her hand, and a moment later her Keyblade appeared.

"A few, here and there," Mulan said. "Shan Yu used them in the past, so it would make sense to expect that again. But for night watch, I was more referring to keeping the others safe from beasts and bandits."

"Beasts and bandits?" Xion asked. She paused. She had never used her Keyblade against regular humans. The thought wasn't pleasant. "I'm not that worried about thieves, but beasts, you mean like wolves?"

"Or tigers or bears," Mulan agreed as she unsheathed a sword from the back of the wagon. "They might be attracted to whatever the others are cooking for supper."

"Tigers…" Xion murmured. She wasn't sure she knew what a tiger was, and she didn't think it'd be a good idea to ask. Dragons she knew. Monstrous dogs, sure, and wolves were like really big wild dogs. But not tigers...

There weren't any tigers or bears that came to the campfire. Nor wolves nor bandits. There was a falcon that Xion didn't get a good look at, and it was gone before Mulan could see it. But other than that, there was nothing. It would have made for a really boring mission report, but Xion didn't mind too much. It gave her more time to talk to Mulan, who explained what her family's estate was like.

"Father's favorite spot was the stone bench under the tree. We raised chickens, and Khan of course," Mulan said. "And I had Little Brother."

"You have a brother?" Xion asked. "Did he train with a sword too?"

"Hehe…no, he's too little for that. You'll see, I think he'll like you."

"That sounds nice…there's a little boy in our…village…that I look after sometimes," Xion said. She rubbed her arm. "I miss Vivi."

"Well…when you get to go home, I'm sure he'll love hearing you tell stories of your adventures here," Mulan said. "I just hope we can make it have a happy ending."

A while later, Captain Li walked up to them, the stout solider Yao trailing behind him. Captain Li looked strong and imposing. Xion could see why he was the leader of the soldiers.

"The shifts are changing, Yao and I are taking over. Both of you, go get something to eat."

"Yes, sir."

"Alright, Shang."

Xion blinked in surprise. Mulan had told her that calling the captain by his first name was disrespectful, but maybe…did the captain want Mulan to call him by his first name? Hmm…

oooo

Roxas rubbed his hands between his gloves and shivered into the warmth from the fire. The dinner, millet with fermented fish pieces, had…not been very tasty. Very salty, and not sweet at all. But he'd been too hungry to care.

He was sitting on a rock, while Chien Po knelt in front of the fire. Most of the larger pieces had burned down to embers. Small, but hot, just like Axel had suggested.

"Thank you for supper," Roxas said politely. The large soldier, Chien Po, hummed over his cooking pot.

"Oh, you're quite welcome!" Chien Po said. "If there's one thing I know better than anything, it's food. And my tea should be ready in just a few minutes."

That was certainly something to that, Roxas thought to himself. Chien Po had had four helpings of the millet before turning his attention to the teapot.

"Yes, very nice soldier," The Emperor's aide, Chi Fu, said. It didn't sound much like a compliment though. "Now, we'll have to throw the rest away."

"Wait, what? You can't get rid of it!" Roxas protested. "Xion and Mulan haven't eaten yet."

"I have to agree," Chien Po said. "It would be a shame to waste the millet before they had the chance to eat any."

"That is not my problem. This food could attract wild animals that could threaten the Emperor or his horses."

"But the kid's right," The scrawny soldier, Ling, argued. "Mulan's got to eat something. Her turn at night watch will be over soon! You can't make her go hungry, or the other kid either!"

"Well…that's just too bad. Fa Mulan and this 'Xion' should have had the foresight to prepare rations for themselves."

"But—"

"I am the leading official here, I outrank all except the Emperor himself! And as he has retired for the evening, I am in command!"

Before Roxas could argue the point that he, himself, was not under the Emperor's command, Chi Fu poured the remaining millet into the embers. The millet ignited and burned. The stench of burning fermented fish hit his nostrils and anger burned in his gut.

Roxas bit his cheek, thinking of several words that he would like to use, but wasn't sure the meaning of, and he was pretty sure Axel would object to his using anyway.

"Is that…our dinner?"

"Oh my…"

Roxas exhaled sharply and turned around. He hadn't heard Xion or Fa Mulan approach. Even in the low light the fire offered, Roxas could see the bags forming under Xion's eyes. She looked exhausted.

"Well, i hope this serves as a lesson, Fa," Chi Fu said. "You women must learn to be prepared if you want to work alongside men."

With that, he stormed off, towards his tent. He didn't say a word to anyone else. A sudden flare of the fire catching on fermented fish illuminated everyone's faces. Roxas blinked in surprise. Xion looked upset—and very hungry. Mulan looked…resigned. Ling and even Chien Po looked mutinous.

"I hate him so much," Ling said through gritted teeth. "We tried to stop him Mulan."

"Every day it's something with him…it's been months now," Chien Po sighed. "I would hope that in the time you've spent serving the Emperor, Chi Fu would have started to see sense."

"Whether he does or doesn't," Mulan said, "I still have my duty to my Emperor. I serve him to the best of my ability. Chi Fu's actions are just that—Chi Fu's. See that his actions do not interfere with your own."

"I don't understand," Roxas said. "Why would he have done that?"

"Your village does things differently, doesn't it?" Mulan asked, as she crouched by the fire to warm her hands. "In China, tradition has long held that women do not serve in the army. I am the first to serve in the army, and the first to be among the Royal Guard. There are those, even among the Emperor's council, that object to this."

"That's…not fair," Roxas said quietly. It didn't make sense. What did it matter that Mulan was a woman? Xion was a girl, and she was exceptionally skilled and brave and fast and strong and smart and special. Among the other Keybearers, Master Aqua was probably the strongest, or at least the most skilled in magic. And Kairi was really strong too—she had managed to break through Xemnas's guard back in the Keyblade Graveyard.

Chi Fu was clearly a gigantic moron who wouldn't know which end of a Keyblade to hold even if someone glued it to his hand. Roxas scowled—that particular thought conjured an image of Chi Fu attempting to fight Heartless. A dozen images flashed through his head of Chi Fu being set on fire by a Red Nocturne, slashed by an Invisible, pushed around by a Large Body, and finally being stepped on and squished by a Darkside. The thought was rather funny.

"It's alright, Roxas," Xion said, sitting down next to Roxas. The rock they were sitting on was barely big enough for both of them. Roxas reached for Xion's hand. It was cold and shaky. She must be exhausted. "How are the others?"

"Isa wanted to get some sleep before his turn on night watch," Roxas answered. "Which is weird…because he draws strength from the moon."

"Your friend's a mage?" Chien Po asked. "Fascinating!"

"What? Oh…right, everyone in our village has some magic," Roxas said quickly. "It's nothing special where we're from."

"And Axel?" Xion asked. "Where's he?"

"Somewhere around…" Roxas looked left and right. Where was Axel, anyhow? "I think he said he was going for more firewood."

"Hmmm…"

"Well, when he gets back," Chien Po said. "Your friend can have some tea. Chi Fu may decide what gets eaten and when, but I'm the keeper of the tea pot."

Before Roxas could say another word, Chien Po handed a small cup of tea to Mulan and then one to Xion, who accepted it with a quiet "thank you."

"Here you are, Roxas," Chien Po said. "Ginger tea, which I've found to be a great help in hard times."

"Thanks," Roxas said. He sipped the tea cautiously and felt immediate warmth down to the tips of his fingers and toes. Oh, this was good!

It wasn't filling though. Roxas glanced at Xion, who still looked very hungry. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Hi-Potion. He handed it to Xion, who took a long drink and then decided to share the remainder with Mulan. Color returned to her face right away.

"So Mulan," Ling called. "We should be back in your village tomorrow?"

"By tomorrow evening, if everything goes well," Mulan said, between sips of tea and Hi-Potion. "It will be easier for us when we're at my family's home. There's plenty of room for everyone. And I think my grandmother, especially, is eager to meet all of you."

"That does sound nice…" Xion said. She took a sip of tea and her head began to droop. Roxas finished his tea and placed a hand on her knee to steady her. Xion smiled weakly at him. A moment later, her eyes fluttered shut. Roxas wasn't sure whether she even noticed she had fallen asleep.

oooo

Lea rubbed at his eyes as the sun peaked over the horizon. It was early. Way too early to be awake. It was four o'clock in the morning for crying out loud. He should be asleep right now. Back in Twilight Town, on his nice warm bed, and his warm blanket and pillow. He couldn't wait for this to be over, so he could sleep, sleep and sleep some more.

He glanced to the makeshift shelter he and Isa had set up—a single tarp over a branch. Xion and Roxas were snuggled against each other, though neither one of them was going to get anything close to a good night's sleep. Anger burned in Lea's belly. Xion had already nodded off when Roxas had explained why Xion hadn't been able to eat supper last night, but Lea knew from experience that an empty stomach usually meant troubled sleep. And Roxas had stayed up for his turn on night watch. He'd only turned in an hour ago.

Lea glanced at the tents where the soldiers were sleeping. No discernible movement, and there hadn't been for the last hour. There wasn't even the sound of snoring to break up the unsteady stillness. That was alright, then. It gave Lea time to think.

What to make of this then, their newest mission? Roxas and Xion had seen some sickos call forth previously-dead bad guys. In all his time with the Organization, Lea had seen his fair share of really icky stuff. But nothing like what this was. Or wasn't. Lea hadn't gotten a good look at whatever had gone down in that cave. But old dead dudes with swords had charged his kiddos.

First Hades and his evil god-killing sword, and now Shan Yu and his…zombie Huns. When was this going to end? Lea grimaced. This seemed a lot ickier than even the messiest jobs in the Organization had been. And was this truly connected to the mess Sora made with the Power of Waking? It hadn't just been rescuing Kairi, but Sora had also used the Power of Waking to revive Lea, and the rest of the Guardians of Light. Lea couldn't remember the details, only that things had gone pear-shaped.

Lea blew out a puff of hot air. He should have gone down into the cave with the kiddos. Maybe the three of them working together would have been able to stop Maleficent and whatever it was she was planning, before it even started.

And just what was she planning? Calling up the denizens of the dead didn't make a lot of sense, when Lea stopped to think about it. What was wrong with just using Heartless in her conquest? Aside from the whole Heartless-steal-hearts thing? Lea wasn't sure he wanted the answers.

They'd get the Emperor to Mulan's family and then what? Wait for Maleficent and the Huns to come and get them? Spring an ambush? Lea frowned to himself. As Axel, he had been an assassin. Ambushes weren't really his style. And what if Shan Yu sprung the trap on them instead? There were nine of them who could fight—the Emperor was far too old and Chi Fu was…Chi Fu. Up against six Huns, plus Maleficent…and who knew how many Heartless Maleficent was willing to use…He'd faced worse odds before.

A sharp snapping of twigs broke him out of his contemplation. Lea summoned Flame Liberator to his hand and then shifted it into his chakrams. Lea darted around and saw…the large soldier, Chien Po prostrating himself in front of the rising sun. Lea took a step forward, but then stopped. He was just…meditating. Lea would leave him be.

Minus Chien Po's murmured chanting, the valley was still quiet. The loudest noise was the caw of a falcon flying overhead. Lea smiled at that—there were owls living in the woods outside Twilight Town, but this was the first time in a long time that he had seen a falcon.

After a few more minutes, Chien Po stood up and walked from the log he'd been meditating in front of back to the pit where last night's campfire had been. He looked very peaceful.

"You're not like the other soldiers," Lea muttered, more to himself than to Chien Po. What? It was a fair thing to point out. Yao and Ling were loud and rude. Chien Po was far more soft-spoken and friendly, even gentle.

Okay, if Lea was being honest with himself, he probably had more in common with Yao and Ling, but when you had to travel to a different world—one set hundreds of years behind yours to boot—you tended to get along better with who made your job easier. So, Lea could take the gigantic soldier chef who didn't fight at all rather than the two soldiers who he had gotten into a brawl with.

"Nobody is like anybody else, we are all unique," Chien Po said. "That is perhaps the most beautiful aspects of humanity. Nobody is like anyone else."

Now that was a sentiment Lea could appreciate, even if it was kind of cheesy. Lord knew that Roxas and Xion had had to fight like hell just to be seen as individuals, and even they had at one point been willing to give it up. How many times had he heard members of Organization XIII call out to Roxas within Sora? Or Xion, who was designed to siphon power away from Roxas and become Sora.

I'm sorry, Axel. Please…let me go. I have to do this, or else— Just look. Please, Axel. You have to take care of Roxas. Please!

Lea shuddered. Xion wearing Sora's face. That was a memory he'd just as soon forget. Though ironically enough he had forgotten it entirely…due to having forgotten Xion entirely. He glanced back over at their makeshift shelter. Xion was snuggled against Roxas, who had tossed an arm around her in sleep. They looked peaceful. Maybe they were finally sleeping without being haunted by nightmares. Maybe.

"I'm going to make sure your friends get to eat, by the way," Chien Po said. "Chi Fu may be second to the Emperor on this journey, but rest assured, I am the master of the hearth."

What? Oh, right. He had cooked the dinner last night, after all. Next to Xion and Mulan, Chien Po had the most right to be upset that the food had been wasted. Lea gave a firm, appreciative nod.

The sun rose higher over the horizon and Roxas and Xion were the next to awaken. They rubbed sleep from their eyes and then went to stand guard again. Both summoned their Keyblades, and smiled identical smiles at Lea. In the early morning light, the sun caught off Chien Po's cooking pot, and for a fleeting moment, Roxas's hair looked darker and Xion's looked almost red. For a moment, he didn't see Roxas and Xion. Lea was looking at Sora and Kairi.

The moment passed almost as quickly as it had come. Lea blinked his eyes quickly and then Roxas and Xion were looking up at him.

"Axel, is everything okay?"

"Axel?" Chien Po asked. "Wait a moment, didn't you say your name was Lea?"

"Nickname from when I was a kid," Lea said quickly. "Yeah, everything's fine guys. Completely under control. Got it memorized?"

"Got it memorized," Roxas and Xion said in unison, in the exact same enunciation. Chien Po blinked.

"Do they always do that?"

"You'll get used to it."

A/N: Not my best work, I'm afraid, my dear readers. That said, with the weekend being what it was, I felt it best to get this chapter out to you as soon as possible.

In any event, I feel the chapter is about as long as it needs to be—it was initially planned to be much longer, but I can easily take my ideas for the next chapter and adjust accordingly.

So, with that in mind, read and respond my dear readers. Leave a comment if you're so inclined! Or, if you'd rather, leave a comment on somebody else's comment! What was your favorite part?

Thank you for reading! I appreciate each and every one of you!