Chapter Twenty Five: Familiar Friend, Old Enemy
A/N: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is owned by Square Enix and the Walt Disney Company. Similarly, I do not own Mulan. It is owned by Walt Disney Animated Studios.
Roxas could hardly breathe. Sora was here. He was faint, shimmery. He wasn't solid. He looked like the slightest gust of wind could blow him away. But he was here, really and truly here. Roxas wasn't hallucinating. After the times Sora had appeared in Twilight Town and Disney Castle…appearing exactly as he had the day he vanished only to fade into nothing. And then in Olympus…when those two little creatures had masqueraded as Sora…
But he was really here. Or nearly so. Sora was here, he was back, he was practically home. Roxas felt that his heart might snap in two.
"Can you hear me Sora?"
Sora nodded, and then tried to speak, but no words came out. From what little of Sora that Roxas could see, he looked confused. Sora tried to speak again, but again no words came out. Or if there were words, Roxas couldn't hear.
"Mushu, what's going on?"
"I'm not sure," Mushu said, and for once, he wasn't cracking a joke or bragging. "I can call back spirits of my family's ancestors, but I've never seen anything like this. You said he was stuck somewhere, lost. That might be it…if Sora's not anywhere on this world…then this is the best I can do. What happened?"
"Oh…Sora…" Xion whimpered, and she sounded sadder than Roxas had ever heard her. "I'm so, so sorry…"
Sora gave a small shrug of his shoulders. Roxas swallowed hard. They couldn't communicate—or at least couldn't hear anything that Sora was saying. But he was still here. This was real. This wasn't a dream or a hallucination or a trick. Sora was back.
"Sora…I guess you can hear us, even if we can't hear you. So, okay, I guess…I don't think I ever got a chance to say thank you."
Sora smiled and placed a hand on Roxas's shoulder. Roxas didn't feel the tightening of fingers or the pressure of a palm, even with factoring in the thick leather of his robe. But he felt warmth. A gentle warmth, halfway between a beam of sunlight and a late summer's breeze.
"Sora…" Xion took a tiny step forward, her hands clasped together. She looked small, frail, fearful. The same way she had looked in the Keyblade Graveyard. When they had all had a chance to catch their breaths. Sora had run after Kairi…Roxas and Xion had cried into Axel's chest.
Sora grinned at Xion, but she wouldn't meet his eye. Roxas could see the tension in her shoulders. He heard take a deep breath but it ended in a sob.
"I wish you were here with us, for real," Xion whispered. "I miss you so much."
Sora took a shaky step forward and grinned wider. He took another step and put a hand under Xion's chin. Roxas walked over towards them and took Xion's hand. He tried to give a reassuring squeeze, but they were both wearing gloves, and he wasn't sure it really worked. But he could see the teeniest smile on Xion's face.
"Sora, you can hear us, but we can't hear you," Roxas said. "But maybe…can you nod your head yes?"
Sora nodded and Roxas realized that was probably something of a stupid question. But it was still an answer on Sora's end. So they could communicate. And that meant…
"Can you tell us where you are?" Roxas asked. "Er…wait, is it a world that you've been to with Donald and Goofy? Could we find you with the Gummi Ship and bring you home?"
Sora shook his head slightly and raised his hands up to his shoulders in a defeated gesture. Roxas felt a knot form in his stomach. Sora was somewhere he didn't know. He was lost and wherever he was, they might not be able to find him, not even be able to really talk to him.
But Sora was alive. Or near enough. He was here, in front of them, in front of Roxas and Xion. That had to count for something at least. Roxas's heart ached. He had missed Sora so much.
"Oy! Down here!" Mushu leapt up onto the bench and began tapping his foot impatiently. "Remember me?!"
Sora knelt down so he could look Mushu in the eye. Right, they had known one another before. Probably really well, if Mushu could recall memories the way he did.
"Sora! You shared a paopu with Kairi!" Mushu shouted. Or said. Everything the little dragon said seemed to be a shout. "And ya didn't tell me?! What took you so long?"
Roxas couldn't help but laugh. Even after everything, he could still laugh. It hurt to laugh, but he couldn't stop. Sora seemed to be laughing too. This felt good, this felt peaceful. But then, Roxas felt a sharp pain in his heart, almost like a bee sting. No, no, no, no…
"Sora…" Xion put a hand on her chest. "You can't stay, can you? You can get hurt here…"
Sora shook his head but reached out to grab onto Roxas and Xion's intertwined fingers. Roxas felt a rush of warmth. Like the best rays of light from the sunset. Sora locked eyes with him. Even though Sora's body was blurry and see-through, Roxas could still see Sora's eyes as clearly as could be. Blue, a deep, rich blue. The same blue as the sky at the Destiny Islands. The same blue as the sea. The same blue as Roxas's eyes. The same blue as Xion's. Roxas didn't dare to look away.
"Sora! Wherever you are, we will find you! I promise!"
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Roxas tightened his grip on Xion's fingers as Sora looked away, back towards the town. Roxas bit the inside of his cheek. Slowly, he and the others began to walk towards the doors to Mulan's family estate. Back towards the direction of the noise whatever it was. Sora led the way.
"What's going on?" Mulan asked, as she descended from the altar. Behind her, Roxas could still see the spirits of her ancestors, apparently in the midst of an argument, though he couldn't make out the words. Mulan smiled warmly when she realized Sora was there. She too had missed him.
"We're not sure…" Xion whispered. "But something bad is happening…I can feel it."
Mulan walked with them, and Mushu hopped up onto her shoulder. After a few minutes, they came to the gate. Roxas poked his head out, and his stomach leapt into his throat.
Shan Yu was standing there, with the other Huns. Huge, imposing, all of them armed to the teeth. Long, lethal swords. Clubs and spears. In the back, Roxas thought he saw the archer with a bow and arrows. Their gray faces were illuminated by the fires of two burning wagons, and even from here, Roxas could see their gold eyes. They were all impelled with the powers of Darkness.
"Emperor!" Shan Yu shouted and for some reason it was almost odd to hear him raise his voice. "Surrender yourself! Keybearers, I challenge you!"
Roxas inhaled sharply. He and Xion were nearest. They were outnumbered, but surely, they were both stronger than any one of the Huns…weren't they? And they had Mulan and Mushu with them too. He was not going to allow Sora to fight. Even if Sora were able to, which Roxas doubted, he would not allow Sora to come to harm. Not after everything Sora had done for him.
"Again I say, old man!" Shan Yu shouted. "Come out! Face me!"
"He's baiting us…" Mulan murmured. "This could be a trap."
"Of course, it's a trap!" Xion said. "He wants us to fight him, so he can kill you. But Roxas and me can fight the Huns. You get one of the horses and get the Emperor to safety!"
"If you think for even a minute that I'm leaving any of you…"
"Cowardly old fool!" Shan Yu bellowed. "You would leave this village to my mercy?"
Shan Yu was holding something in his hand. Something that was not a sword or a club. Roxas squinted and then the smoldering wagons flared up. And Roxas realized what Shan Yu was holding—the little girl with the doll. The one that Yao and Ling and Chien Po had defended from bullies earlier that afternoon. She was crying and trying to squirm away, but Shan Yu's grip was tight.
"Aaaaaaah!"
"Come out, or she dies!"
oooo
Xion couldn't breathe. This was awful, so awful. If they didn't do anything, that little girl would die. She couldn't let that happen.
Xion despised bullies. And she was a Keybearer. It was her job to bring light to the worlds and make people happy. She summoned her Keyblade. The shadow of Sora smiled at her and, though it was hard for her to tell, it looked like he was pointing at his own heart and then at her heart. She felt a tiny bit of warmth on her chest.
Roxas crouched beside her and Sora pointed a finger at his chest too. Even in the dim light, Xion could see Roxas's eyes widen, and she could practically feel the warmth radiating from his chest too.
Is that your way of telling me that you'll always be with us? Even after everything I did to you? Oh, Sora…you're the most wonderful person ever…
Sora smiled at them, and it was a smile that wasn't really tranquil. If anything, it was almost joking. He pressed one hand to her shoulder and the other to Roxas's. Xion felt another surge of warmth. A moment later, Sora faded away. Xion felt like she wanted to throw up. Whether something had happened to Sora's body, wherever he was, or whether Mushu simply couldn't maintain the connection she wasn't sure. But there was no time to find out. There were bad guys out there. And it was time to fight the bad guys. She would do it for Sora.
Xion swallowed hard and began walking towards the Huns. Heartless began sprouting up, whether brought on by Shan Yu and the others, or else attracted to her Keyblade she wasn't sure. For some reason, they hadn't attacked yet…so they were probably under Shan Yu's control It was so dark out. But the fires illuminated her targets. And the little girl, squirming in Shan Yu's grip, sobbing.
"Let her go!"
Shan Yu smiled as Xion stepped closer. Xion could hear small stones crackling along. Roxas was right behind her. That made Xion feel a little bit better.
"Ah, children of the Keyblade, how nice it is that we finally meet," Shan Yu grinned. "So, have you come to face your doom?"
"You're the one who's doomed, you undead freak!"
Shan Yu scratched his chin, almost thoughtful. He grinned widely and took a step forward, the little
"Such courage is admirable, in one so young, Xion."
Xion glared at Shan Yu. She wasn't entirely surprised he knew her name, but she didn't care what he had to say. He didn't seem to have such qualms.
"You know children, the two of you and I, we are somewhat alike," Shan Yu said. He pointed at them with his sword almost casually. "We are warriors, are we not?"
"We're not the same!" Roxas shouted. "You're out of your mind."
"Nonsense," One of the large Huns said. Despite the chill of the night air, he wasn't wearing a shirt. "Keyblades are weapons of tremendous power. Only the mightiest can wield them."
"We fight to protect people!" Xion argued. She glanced behind her. The oil lamp was still on in Mulan's house, but so far, nobody else had come to see what was gong on. Could the others hear their conversation? "You're just a bunch of bullies, a pack of wolves."
"Indeed, that description is fairer than you realize Keybearer," Shan Yu said. "The wolf by itself is strong, but its true strength comes from the pack. Many, united as one. We draw strength from each other and give strength to each other. You might say…our friends are our power."
How…how dare he…how dare he! Xion began to shake with anger, but she couldn't strike at Shan Yu. Not just yet. She couldn't risk hurting the little girl in the crossfire. She had to find an opening…or get him to put the little girl down.
"Face me, then," Xion said. "Let the little girl go and face me!"
Shan Yu smirked, and if anything, Xion thought his grip on the little girl's collar tightened. The girl's sobs became gasps for air. She had to do something and fast.
"I'll handle this!"
The tiny dragon Mushu darted ahead, crawling onto Shan Yu's shoulder. Shan Yu grunted in confusion and then roared in pain when a burst of fire struck him in the ear. Shan Yu dropped the little girl to the ground. This was Xion's opening. She darted forward, Roxas a half a step behind her, and parried Shan Yu's sword. Rushing in from behind, Mulan scooped up the little girl, Mushu hopped on her back and then Mulan carried them both away. But then the Huns struck.
Roxas called out lightning bolts from Oathkeeper and Oblivion, destroying the Shadows and Soldiers that were prowling around. Xion pressed her heel into the ground. Shan Yu pressed his sword against her Keyblade. Xion grit her teeth and pushed back.
"Get them!"
Two of the Huns—the bare-chested one who had spoken earlier and another who could only be his brother—charged. Roxas dove in front of them and sent beams of light from his Keybaldes, knocking them back. A third Hun, Xion couldn't get a good look at him, ran at them, screaming. Roxas slashed at him with Oblivion and knocked him over, but he got right back up again.
Shan Yu was a much better swordsman than Hades, and it was all Xion could do to keep up with him. He struck blow after blow, and there was no hesitation in his methods. Like he wasn't the least bit afraid of getting hurt. Xion bit her lip. She wished she were stronger. If she could get an opening…
Another Hun, this one smaller than Shan Yu, but still much bigger than Xion charged at her with a long, curved sword. The wind blew his long hair around wildly. Xion screamed and slashed her Keyblade. There was a flash of light and a cry of surprise. The Hun was clutching his arm. Xion almost threw up—his arm had been cut clean off at the elbow. His hand lay on the ground, still clutching his sword. Xion felt a rush of adrenaline—she'd hurt him badly! He was out of the fight, there was no way he could last much longer! But wait a second…there wasn't blood. Why wasn't there blood?
"Hmmph! Nice try, Keybearer!"
The Hun picked up his own hand and pressed it back to his arm. His skin began to glow green—the same green as the lanterns from the cave! It was the same magic from before! The Hun grunted with effort and then gave a sinister smile.
"Get them!"
Xion took a step back and felt herself pressed up against Roxas. He was here. He was still fighting. And Mulan and the others were safe. That was something to be happy about. But how much longer could they fight against enemies that could revive themselves from lethal injuries?
oooo
Diplomacy was a skill that the Emperor had been trained in since he was a very young child. From an early age, he was taught that he commanded respect and that traditions must be upheld. He had been taught that the best offense was a strong defense. No matter how the North Wind blew, the Mountain would not bow to it.
None of what he had been taught, nor what he had learned through his many years was particularly helpful at the moment. None of the formal training in the world, or indeed, any of the worlds, could match the natural protective instincts that came from the natural bonds of family or the fire-forged bonds of brotherhood in battle. Which was clearly how the strange children with the Keyblades and the men who accompanied them saw one another. Thus, the Emperor was trying to prevent the two strangers, Lea and Isa, from assaulting Chi Fu. His own soldiers were on their feet, but their own faces showed apprehension and, in Chien Po's case, even anxiety. All of that paled in comparison to the righteous fury etched on the faces of the two strangers.
"Are you gonna apologize for what you said, or not?"
"Do not be so absurd," Chi Fu sniffed. "I have committed no crime. You show an unreasonable amount of preferential treatment to that pathetic creature. And I reiterate my point"
"She's a child!" Isa shouted, and in his fury, that strange scar on his face seemed all the more pronounced. "How dare you make such abhorrent insinuations! She knows nothing of such matters!"
"Pah!" Chi Fu growled. "Is your village so backwater that such concepts of royalty and the privileges of the court are beyond her comprehension?"
"That is enough!" The Emperor said. "Chi Fu, I will not tolerate any further comments from you regarding any of the men or women, or boys or girls, who have elected to provide us with protection!"
"Your Majesty!" Chi Fu gapped, flabbergasted. "It is only out of concern for you that I protest! We truly know nothing of their intentions—"
"Xion's risked her neck for you, since before you even met!"
"She has hardly done anything noteworthy," Chi Fu argued. "Why, in the last two days, we haven't seen hide or hair of any of the Huns or their beastly mounts. How are we to know they're even out there in the first place? We have only your word! This may well be a trick to usurp His Majesty's throne!"
The Emperor pressed a hand to his head. He was beginning to get a headache. Did Chi Fu not realize that the strangers had had ample opportunity to take illicit action if that had truly been their intent?
"Woof-woof-woof!"
The small, stubby-tailed dog Fa Mulan called "Little Brother" burst into the room, barking. Such a noisy little creature. But wait a moment…could he be trying to tell them something?
"Ugh, get that little beast away!" Chi Fu protested. "It is positively revolting!"
"Ah, he's just trying to say hello," Lea scoffed. "Hi doggy. Where's Mulan?"
"That's not his regular bark," Fa Li gasped. "That's his bark for when there's danger!"
"Danger? What sort of danger? Do you have wolves in this part of the country?" Isa asked. "That's serious, do not misunderstand my point, but it's hardly what I'd consider a threat to—"
"Emperor!" A voice boomed out from outside. "Surrender yourself! Keybearers, I challenge you!"
Everyone in the room froze, and for a moment, it was so quiet, the Emperor could hear his own heartbeat. All the people gathered, even those who had never heard the voice before, knew who it must be.
"He's found us! Oh, forgive me, your Excellecy," Fa Zhou bowed deeply. "I have failed to provide you with adequate protection, my lord."
That was hardly fair. The entire point of their coming here in the first place was to reassess the security of Mulan's own family. They were as much targets as he was.
"Your Majesty," Isa said, holding out his hand and as if by magic a very long blade appeared in his hand. "We need to get you out of here."
"Cowardly old fool! You would leave this village to my mercy?"
The Emperor's heart twinged. If he left now…there was no telling what might happen. Shan Yu could just as easily kill with impunity as pursue him. And then there was the question of if he would be able to escape in the first place. Their horses were tired from the journey, and there was little chance they'd be able to make a proper escape in time.
"Aaaaaaah!"
"Come out or she dies!"
The frightened scream of a small child, in the hands of enemies, sent a chill down the Emperor's spine. The two strangers glanced at one another.
"That's not Xion's voice."
"But she's gonna try to take Shan Yu down…"
"Roxas is going to be right behind her, you realize."
"I can't let that child suffer," The Emperor said firmly. This, he would not allow, whatever the further consequences may be. A small child was in direct peril, and it was on his shoulders.
"Your Majesty," Chi Fu protested. "You cannot allow yourself to be put into harm's way. The vile Hun will do unspeakable things to you."
"I must agree…this is far too great a risk," Fa Zhou whispered. "But surely there is something that we can do."
"New objective," Isa said. "Recover the child and destroy the Huns. Your Majesty, do not leave this home under any circumstances."
"Let's roll," Lea said. He held out his hand, and with a flash, he was gripping his own weapon. The Emperor's eyes widened—while Isa's sword had been unconventionally long and oddly bladed, Lea wielded a sword that appeared to be made of flame itself.
"We're coming with you!" One of his men, Yao, shouted. "We can't let you fight 'em by yourselves!"
"If you leave this structure," Isa argued. "Do so only to evacuate others! Lea and the children and I will draw the Huns away!"
Without another word, Isa ran out of the room, his long hair flowing almost like a cape behind him. Lea shouted something that the Emperor had never heard before, a battle cry from his own village perhaps, and tore after him, pausing only to twist his wrists, and his weapon shifting into…two wind-and-fire wheels? It could not be! Those weapons were legendary!
His soldiers, Captain Li, Yao, Ling and Chien Po herded them all back into the chamber where the Emperor had supposed to be staying. From a window, the Emperor could see flashes of fire and lightning and narrow beams of bright light.
"They're rising their lives…for us," The Emperor whispered. "What honor they have."
"I still think we must try and flee, your Majesty," Chi Fu said. He quivered with fear and glanced over his shoulder. "If we hurry, we can escape without any harm coming to us."
"But what about everyone else?" Ling protested. "We can't just leave the kids and them other guys! And Mulan's not back yet either!"
"Here I am!"
Mulan burst into the room, holding a small, terrified child who couldn't be older than six or seven. Oh, thank the heavens, Mulan had rescued the little girl. On her shoulder was—a dragon?! The Emperor's mouth fell open. He had never seen a dragon at this close a distance.
"Aww man!" The dragon said, and for such a small creature, he had a very large voice. "People! I'm not supposed to be seen by people…or am I…what are the rules again?"
"Take it up with the ancestors later, Mushu! I'm going back to help them!" Mulan said, handing the child to Chien Po. The little girl curled up into the giant's chest, barely bigger than one of his own massive hands. "Come on, Mushu!"
"You saw what happened! Those Huns shrugged off three different Keyblade users! It was hard enough beating 'em with just Sora!"
"Are we in this together or not?" Mulan asked. "I can't sit by and do nothing!"
The Emperor turned his head to the side. It seemed the utmost of poor manners to eavesdrop on someone arguing with a divine creature, even a small one. Even then, out the corner of his eye, he could see Mulan pick up a sword and run out of the room again. The little dragon did not seem to take it very well.
"What is it with that girl? Aw man, Sora's stupid bravery has to be contagious! The Huns are supposed to be dead! You can't kill dead things! 'Cause they're supposed to be dead! Wait a sec!" The dragon jumped to its feet, and the Emperor was certain it smiled. "That's it! I'll go get other things that are supposed to be dead!"
He scampered off, leaving the Emperor with Chi Fu, his soldiers, Mulan's family, and the little girl. For a moment, it was quiet, but the tension was so thick, it could be cut with a knife. Nobody spoke until the booming of a cannon head exploding shook the foundations of the house.
"You ever get the feeling, there's a lot more going on in the world than we're ever gonna understand?" Ling asked.
"Every day," Yao answered. "Now c'mon! We gotta help!"
Ling and Chien Po gave firm nods. Chien Po stopped only to hand the little girl to Mulan's mother, Fa Li.
"Soldiers! You're all very capable, there's no question of that…but are you really sure you can fight like that?"
"No. But our friend's out there," Chien Po said. "And…if this is truly the end, then I would like to be with my friends."
Yao gestured with his hand, a dragon cannon gripped under his other arm. Ling roared a battle-cry and the three men charged out of the house.
"Hang on, Mulan. We're comin'!"
Such courage…
oooo
"Oy!" Mushu shouted, banging his gong as loudly as he could. "Old dead people, listen! Heads up!"
"That's not funny," Fa Deng growled. His body held his head in his lap. What was his problem? It hadn't been Mushu's fault that Fa Deng had been captured by bad guys and taken prisoner and then executed. Besides, that had been over a hundred and fifty years ago—you'd think Deng would have gotten over it by now.
"Whatever! I don't got time for this!" Mushu stomped his talon. Dead people were so unreasonable. "Look, which one of you old people is gonna go help Mulan?"
"Guiding members of the Fa family is the responsibility of guardians," First Ancestor said. "Or have you forgotten?"
"Oh come on! You're dead!" Mushu said. "And if you're dead, then you have to know that something funny's going on. I'm bettin' Sora probably has somethin' to do with it, since his…i don't know what they are exactly. Rocko and Shee-yon or something like that. Whatever—they're havin' trouble fighting!"
"Again with the Sora kid!" One of the ancestors, Bàoyuàn scoffed. "I don't care what some stranger did or didn't do. What concerns to our family is he? It's not like he gets anything from my side of the family."
And darned lucky too. Sora's a clueless goofball, but he's my clueless goofball. Better that than getting anything from you, Whiny-Mc-Whiner Beard.
Mushu banged his gong again, but most of the ancestors didn't look like they noticed. Mushu looked up—the statues of the other guardians were still there. He'd been able to breathe fire on Shan Yu to get him to drop the neighbor kid. Rocko and Shee-yon were trying, and sure, they were probably stronger, but it was clear that Shan Yu could last a whole lot longer. It reminded him of the times Sora would fight, fight, fight but end up needing Donald and Goofy to bail him out, 'cause he used up all his energy.
But Mushu felt perfectly fine. He was a dragon. He almost never ever got tired. Say…that gave him an idea.
Mushu began to beat his gong again. This time, light shimmered out of it, and floated up to the other guardian statues. Tùzǐ the Rabbit and Hou the Monkey both glowed gold and then bam! They were alive!
"What's going on?" Tùzǐ asked. His nose twitched really fast and he stood up and held his paws together. "Where am I? When am I? How long have I been asleep?"
"I believe that it has been many years since either you or I have been called to protect the Fa family," Hou said. "Look there, seven new stones since I was last summoned. Many years have passed indeed. Is there new trouble afoot? You are in need of my wisdom? Ah, Mushu?"
"The Huns, fellas!" Mushu said. "The Huns are in the village and our family's in trouble! Let's go get 'em!"
"The Huns, here?" Hou asked. "How can that be?"
"Who knows, Hou? Point is, we gotta go help Mulan and her friends, or else there ain't gonna be no more Fa family for us guardians to guard!"
"Fa family in trouble? I will help, I will help!" Tùzǐ ran very fast around the altar, ducking under the legs of the ancestors. "If the Huns hurt Mulan and friends, then I will help! I will help and get Potions!"
The rabbit darted out like one of those cannon thingies that Yao liked using and raced towards town, not stopping for anything.
"He's not coming back, is he?" Mushu asked. Stupid gong waking up the wrong family guardian. Tùzǐ wasn't a snob or a jerk or anything like that, but he wasn't much of a fighter either. Mushu tossed his stupid gong behind his back and it hit Fa Deng in the head.
"No," Hou said. "I am afraid that Tùzǐ is most likely not going to return within a timeframe that would be advantageous to us or our family."
"And the old dead people aren't gonna be a help, either?"
"Regrettably," Hou said, "I am inclined to agree with your assertions."
"You do realize that we can all hear you," First Ancestor said. "And I must say that I expected better of you, Hou. You are supposed to be the wisest of the guardians."
Hou paused for a moment, and man, he almost looked like a person. Only way smarter. Finally, he said, "First Ancestor, it has long been said that there are times where the politest thing to say is nothing at all. So I will cease further verbal communication."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Mushu rolled his eyes. "Look, I know that you don't like me. And I ain't so fond of you either, old timer! But Mulan's out there, and she's your great-great-great-er, great times twenty-granddaughter!"
"Only nine generations separate Mulan and I," First Ancestor said. "You presume far too much. Know that I am still able to demote you back to gong-ringer, little dragon."
"Oh, enough of all that!" One of the old grandmothers said. Mushu couldn't remember her name, but he remembered she'd been the only one who had mentioned that Mulan had been trying to protect her father way back when, so she was probably the smartest. "Mulan needs our help, so let's get going!"
Smartest Grandmother stood up—yeesh, she was barely taller than Mushu was—and began walking as fast as she could. It wasn't very fast, but hey, it was something. Shan Yu and them other Huns couldn't be stopped, or at least they'd gotten a bunch tougher, but neither could the Ancestors. You couldn't kill what was already dead—though if you could make it shut up, Mushu was listening.
Some of the other ancestors were shuffling along too—the guy with the abacus, the old farmer with the pitchfork, the guy with a funny spear who had been part of an honor guard about two hundred years ago. One of those Shadow Heartless leapt up into the air, and the farmer sliced it with his pitchfork and it went poof!
Fa Deng tossed his head into the fray. It bounced off two of the Huns' heads and then landed at the feet of that Rocko kid. Who screamed like a little girl and kicked Deng's head back across the street where First Ancestor caught it. Hey, hey, hey! First Ancestor!
Now this was more like it!
oooo
Xion could hardly believe her eyes as she saw what looked like at least a dozen ghosts swarm the Huns. One little old lady—even older than Granny—slammed into Shan Yu. Shan Yu grunted in surprise and tried to punch her away, but another old ghost, holding a pitchfork darted ahead and stabbed at him. One of the bare-chested Huns yanked away the pitchfork and charged towards Mulan, but he was hit hard on the head by an old man with what looked like a ghostly staff. Oh yeah, that was the first of Mulan's ancestors.
"Stay away from my great-great-great-great-great-great-great granddaughter!"
Mulan gave a firm nod to the First Ancestor and with renewed strength, she began to fight back the Huns. A Heartless—an Assault Rider—galloped in front of her, and Xion saw Mulan cut it down as easily as it had been a Shadow. Two more Assault Riders emerged from the shadows, but they were blasted away by a tremendous explosion. Xion's first thought was that it was a Fire spell from Axel, but then she heard Yao give a whoop of triumph. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the three soldiers, Ling and Chien Po shielding Yao, who was holding the remnants of one of the cannons.
"You alright, Xion?" Mulan asked as she slashed at another Hun. Her aim was off, slightly, and her enemy kicked her hard in the leg, causing Mulan to stagger.
"Curaga!" Xion called, sending healing magic to cover her friend. Mulan steadied herself and Xion added "I'm not sure how much longer we can keep this up. How can we stop them?"
"How did they get here in the first place?"
Xion thought back to that first day back in the cave. Shan Yu and the others Huns…had been brought back by that archer with the weird spell book. Pete had been the one to give it to him…but yeah, that had to be the source of Shan Yu and the others. It was like the mordite blade—once she had destroyed that, Hades's fight had been lost, and his control over the ghosts from the Underworld broken. So she had to find the archer—come to think of it, he was the only Hun she hadn't seen yet!
If she were an archer, where would she hide? Somewhere high up? Xion squinted, but she couldn't see anything. It didn't help that she had to keep fighting off Heartless and one of the Huns. She flicked her wrist to switch her Keyblade into a claymore. It gave her greater range, which was handy. Xion ran down the street, pausing as she came to the corner. She didn't know much about magic that wasn't related to fighting, but she knew that her spells tended to get weaker the farther they had to travel. So…if the same rules applied, more or less, then the archer couldn't be too far away.
There! Xion could see a glowing green light about a hundred yards away. She charged towards it. She could finish this!
"Seize her! Zhemo, run!"
Oh no, oh no! Xion glanced behind her—Shan Yu was on top of her! Xion turned around to defend herself but he was too close! Shan Yu grabbed one of her arms and twisted it back. Xion felt like her arm was being ripped out of its socket. Yow! Ow ow ow ow ow! That really hurt. Xion yelped with fright and pain. This was bad, this was bad, this was bad!
"Now Mushu!"
A rush of flame and the slashing of steel struck Shan Yu from behind, followed by a loud cry. Xion could see Mulan standing with her sword in one hand. Mushu was perched on her shoulder and on the ground next to Mulan was a large monkey. Shan Yu snarled at Mulan and Xion felt his fingers slacken.
Xion wrenched herself free from Shan Yu's iron grip and ran as fast as she could. The archer, the man who held the book that was sustaining the spell keeping the rest of the Huns alive. She had to stop him. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her. And the archer grinned. His eyes were gleaming gold, and she could almost taste the darkness radiating off of him. He held the book out in front of him and held out his hand. He shouted something that Xion didn't understand and a glowing green bolt, almost like an arrow, rose from the pages of his book and hurled itself at Xion. His aim was off and rather than strike her heart, it grazed her arm, tearing the sleeve of her robe.
That really hurt, but she couldn't stop now. Xion was pretty sure she was crying but she was nearly at him now. All she had to do was stop the archer from using his spell book, and then the spell would be broken and the Huns would be defeated.
Shan Yu caught her around the waist and slammed her to the ground. Xion screamed in pain and fright. She tried to get up but Shan Yu was too heavy. The Hun with the spell book aimed another green bolt at her. His aim was off—Xion felt it slash her cheek. She pulled her arms free, but Shan Yu still had a tight grip on her ankles.
"Kill her! Kill her!"
Panicking, Xion's mind flew to the first weapon she could think of. The cannons she had helped unload! She flicked her wrist and her Keyblade vanished, becoming the strange tube with the dragon head. The Hun's eyes widened in terror just as Xion cast a Fire spell, igniting the fuse on the cannon. A moment later, the entire world exploded and Xion felt horrible heat through her arm. This burned hotter than anything she had ever felt—hotter than Axel's magic, hotter than that splashed coffee, hotter than anything she could think of.
The Hun she had attacked…he was gone. Xion couldn't see what had happened to him. Was he burning up too? And Shan Yu was screaming something, but the grip on her ankles wasn't there anymore. Xion felt something flaky falling on her head. Ashes? She turned her head sightly, even though it really hurt to do it.
The second to last thing Xion saw before she completely lost consciousness was Shan Yu looking in horror as he began to fall apart. It was almost as if every single injury that Roxas and Axel and Isa and everyone else had given Shan Yu that night came back all at once. Weird…but that wasn't the weirdest thing Xion had seen. Her head ached and felt too heavy. Her arm felt numb and she couldn't lift it.
The last thing Xion saw before she lost consciousness was Mulan's dark eyes peering into hers. Xion had never really noticed before, but Mulan had pretty eyes.
The last thing Xion heard was a squeaky voice saying "Elixir! Elixir! This new friend needs an Elixir!" And she felt warmth on her chest, the same kind of warmth she had felt when Sora had pointed to her heart…right before the battle.
Sora…Sora…Sora…
oooo
It was the morning after Shan Yu's defeat, and Lea was exhausted. The Huns had fallen, one after the other when Xion had blasted off the cannon at the necromancer at point-blank range. After that, fighting off the straggling Heartless had been a breeze by comparison, though Lea didn't really remember much of it.
The first order of business had been seeing to Xion's injuries. Mulan had gotten there first, trying to keep her conscious. Roxas had gone berserk, casting Cure spell after Cure spell, exhausting his own energy. And there had been a talking rabbit—apparently a friend to Mulan's dragon—that had scurried in with Elixirs and Potions about as soon as Xion had passed out. She hadn't even been out for half a minute, but Lea had refused to let her do anymore fighting.
There hadn't been much more to it than that. Tend the wounded, fight the last of the monsters, extinguish the fires in the village—though as it turns out, there hadn't even been that many of them. But then it was over…and they could head on out. The conflict regarding the boundary between life and death was more or less settled.
Mulan's ancestors had gone back to their tombstones in the altar, plus their guardians—Mushu and the rabbit and monkey. Apparently, their awakenings were unusual, but not entirely unheard of. Whether their revival was related to the bigger conflicts, Lea wasn't sure, but Mulan and her family seemed perfectly okay with them being around.
As it was, the Emperor wanted to see them in the garden before they left, and Isa had already agreed to it. All Lea wanted to do was confirm their mission was over, the Emperor was safe, and then go back to their Gummi ship. Go back to Disney Castle, and maybe get a little break to go home to Twilight Town. He wanted to get to his real bed and sleep for…a month. And then turn over and sleep some more.
Xion was holding her arm as they walked out to where the Emperor was waiting for them, under the largest tree in the garden. One of the sleeves on her robe had been burned away, and although her arm was healing far faster than it should have (God bless Moogles and their healing items), but it was still very painful. Lea noticed that Xion was limping, slightly. He frowned. He wanted to put an arm around her shoulders, but he was so much taller than her, that didn't seem very practical at the moment.
Roxas, Isa, and Mulan were already standing before the Emperor. Xion bowed deeply to him when they got close.
"Your Majesty."
"Xion. Roxas. Children, if it were not for your efforts, I don't doubt that I would not be standing before you today. You have done China a wonderful service. For this, we are in your debt."
"No problem," Roxas grinned.
"It was our honor, your Majesty," Xion said, bowing again. "I am very pleased that you are alright."
"Indeed," The Emperor said. "The last time a Keybearer provided such assistance to me, I offered a reward, and he declined, saying that the knowledge that a friend was safe was reward enough for him. In turn, for your services, I believe a reward is in order."
"No, thank you sir," Roxas said. Lea paused for a moment, while a reward was tempting, there wasn't anything practical he could think of asking for. And asking for a material reward would likely tick off King Mickey if he found out about it. He kept his mouth shut.
"It is reward enough to know that I've been of service, your Majesty," Xion said. "I live to protect others."
Okay, it's reward enough to have you around, kiddo. But there was something in the way she said that…Lea shook his head. This was neither the time nor place to talk to Xion about whether she was pushing herself too hard. But…when they did get a moment alone together…he would talk to her. Xion rubbed her arm, wincing but still smiling one of her helpful little smiles.
"Hmmm…" Chi Fu sniffed and began scribbling something on that stupid old-fashioned clipboard of his.
Lea changed his mind. Seeing that pencil-necked, rat-faced jerk lose his job would be quite a reward indeed. Out of the corner of his eye, Lea could see Roxas and Xion glance at one another and then Xion grabbed his hand.
"Such humility," The Emperor said quietly. "It is to be admired. But you were not the only ones who assisted me."
The Emperor stroked his beard thoughtfully. He turned his attention to Mulan, who immediately bowed before him.
"Mulan, I believe that I owe not only my life, but in actuality, my entire kingdom. You have risked your life for me again and again. For this, you have my gratitude. And I believe, that it is only fitting that you share in this kingdom. As I have no children of my own, I am naming you my heir."
Lea really wished that he could have had a camera, but those probably hadn't been invented in this world yet. But the look of astonishment on Mulan's face, and on the faces of the other soldiers would be something he'd be able to look back on and laugh about for years to come.
"Your Majesty!" Chi Fu sputtered. "You cannot be serious! There is no justification to allow this. A woman cannot lead!"
"I've had just about enough, Chi Fu!" The Emperor snapped, and for the first time, Lea could see that this was a man his people revered. "For three days now, you have criticized every aspect of the efforts these warriors have put forth for us. Indeed, your vitriol goes far beyond that. Your irrational hatred of Mulan goes back since she first took a position as part of the Royal Gaurd. You have constantly put yourself before others, willing to allow others to suffer if it means guaranteeing your safety, but that ends now! From this moment, you are relieved of your duties as my administrator, and will instead take an assistant's position with the keepers of my swine-herds!"
Lea had to bite the insides of his cheeks to keep from laughing. That pencil-neck, having to work on a pig farm? Hahahaha!
"But…but…but…" Chi Fu stammered. "No…no…no…"
"Ignore him," The Emperor said cooly. "With the defeat of Shan Yu, and the destruction of the foul book of magic that allowed his return in the first place, I do believe that there are far brighter days ahead of us. All the brighter, with Mulan helping lead China."
"Thank you, er, you're welcome," Lea said. "So if there's nothing else you need, I guess we'll be getting back to our own…village now."
Cover story aside, Lea was anxious to get Xion to see someone who knew what they were doing to take care of her arm. The healing spells Roxas had cast—and the Elixir that weird talking rabbit had forced down her throat—had done their job, but still it wouldn't hurt to have King Mickey check it out. There might have been something they missed. Maybe it was just paranoia, but Lea couldn't help but worry. It had been a rough couple weeks, especially where Xion was concerned.
xxxx
Since they were still getting the hang of using the Gummi Ship, it took them several hours before they got to a remote enough place where they could actually leave the world to return to their ship. Lea knew there was some sort of trick to doing it on command, but he couldn't remember the details.
The shiny marble walls and floors were a welcome sight to Lea. It had been, what, two or three days now, since they had been back here? Roxas and Xion walked over to one of the couches, and leaned against each other. Roxas already had a bar of sea salt ice cream in his hand. Xion was nibbling on one herself.
Lea grinned and he was pretty sure Isa had a shade of a smile as well. Lea walked over to the freezer and pulled out a bar of ice cream for himself. He took a large bite. Mmm…ice cold, just the thing he needed after so much rice and millet. And there was still his watermelon that he had bought back before the trip started. Excellent! A slice of chilled watermelon sounded heavenly!
"Almost done with my ice cream!" Xion called. "Oh, it's a Winner Stick!"
Lea burst out laughing. A Winner Stick, now that brought back some memories. Winner sticks could be traded in at the ice cream shop back in Twilight Town for a free ice cream. Or, if you hoarded them, you could trade for a better prize—a tiki-head tissue dispenser was fifty sticks, if memory served. A Winner stick had been Roxas's last gift to Axel back when he had fully defected from the Organization.
"Aw man, sorry kiddo, I don't think that's gonna get you a free one," Lea chuckled as he ruffled Xion's hair.
"Still," Xion said. "I'd rather use it for fuel. It's worth a try."
She slid off the couch and walked over to the strange computer-thingy at the far end of the ship. Again, Lea noticed she was limping slightly. That was definitely something he'd look into. If they could get a full day of rest, before their next mission, that would be helpful. Xion placed the stick on the monitor, and waited. The monitor began to glow red—that was odd, wasn't it usually bright blue? It flashed from red to yellow and then…
Wham!
The ship began to jerk violently and then rush forward very, very fast. Lea was thrown forward and he could see Isa floating in midair, mouthing swear words. Actually, Isa was probably swearing his head off, but they were traveling too fast for Lea to be able to hear him. He could see Roxas clinging to the edge of the coach. And then Xion somersaulting through the air. She bounced off the ceiling of the ship and then landed on Roxas. Lea thought he saw Roxas hug Xion to keep her from falling off again, but he was rolling like one of his chakrams. This way and that way, and up and down and backwards—Isa summoned his claymore to try and regain his bearings, but he lost his grip after only a moment. The watermelon rolled its way from the kitchen and bounced—bounced?—against the walls.
Finally, there was a screeching and then the ship came to a halt. Lea was on his back, and the entire ship was spinning. He could hear Isa groaning. His watermelon was miraculously still intact. And he thought he could hear the chiming of the music from the town near the castle, and the clanking of the machinery of the garage. They'd arrived at Disney Castle.
"Alright…so Winner sticks allow instant teleportation to a world. Thanks for figuring that out, Xion. That was clever…"
A moment later, Lea found himself looking up into the worried faces of Roxas and Xion. So small and frightened…and Roxas had a glob of sea salt ice cream in his hair.
"Sorry. Are you alright Axel?"
"I'm fine, kiddo," Lea groaned. "I'll be with you in a sec. We can go see King Mickey."
Just as soon as the room stopped spinning. And Roxas and Xion stopped duplicating themselves…
A/N: I have long held the position that in the original film, when Yao, Ling and Chien Po raced down the mountain "to help" 'Ping,' they had no intentions of surviving, but wanted to make sure their friend wouldn't die alone. I love 'Fire-Forged Friends' and 'Band of Brothers' as tropes, so I sought to include it here.
I don't remember where I read it exactly, but I believe I did hear at one point, the original drafts for Mulan 2 had Mulan's ancestors fighting Shan Yu's ghost. The premise was adopted for this fanfic, though it wound up being far different.
Xion dealing the killing blow to the Huns is something I had in mind from the beginning of this chapter.
Another chapter has been completed my dear readers, and with that the arc of Land of Dragons is complete! Roxas, Xion, Axel, and Isa are on their way back to Disney Castle. Where are they heading next? Stay tuned!
Thank you for reading, my dear readers! Leave a comment if you like! I appreciate each and every one of you!