The fourth installment of Triad of Keys. I love the story behind Kingdom
Hearts. ^__^ Review, everyone. Please?
Chapter 4: Mao, Ping, and Squall
**Angel (Mao)**
"Order! People, order!" A skinny, shrimpy man, if he could be called a man, called to the troops.
"I'll take a pan fried noodle!"
"Ooh, sweet and pungent shrimp!"
"That's not funny!" the man shouted. The troops all laughed anyway.
"Soldiers!"
Silence was immediate. All stood in a single line, including myself and Ping.
"You will assemble swiftly and silently each morning," said Captain Li Shang, sliding out of his shirt. "Anyone who acts otherwise will answer to me."
"Ooh, tough guy," muttered a short, chubby man beside me. His name was Yao, I think.
"Yao," said Shang. Yup, I was right. He shot the arrow in his bow to the top of a pole. "Thank you for volunteering. Retrieve the arrow."
"I'll get that arrow, pretty boy," he muttered. "And I'll do it with my shirt on."
He began climbing up the pole, but Shang called him back. The annoying scrawny man from before carried, with great difficulty, a case to the base of the pole. He placed a gold weight on Yao's right hand and dropped it. Yao fell hard.
"This represents discipline. And this," he attached a second weight to Yao's other hand, "represents strength. You need both to reach the arrow."
Yao was able to reach about a quarter of the way up before he slid back down. Each man (or secretly, woman) in the camp tried, and all failed miserably. None so badly as myself, I think. I couldn't even get the weights off the ground. I knew how to do it, obviously. Mulan had been my favorite Disney movie. I'm just not a strength person, I guess.
"We've got a long way to go," murmured Shang. He took several poles from a pot and threw them to the troops. Yao tripped Ping with hers upon catching it, but I was hit in the head with mine.
"Let's get down to business, to defeat the Huns," Shang said.
We had martial arts lessons (Yao dropped a scorpion in Ping's clothes, resulting in a very embarrassing hard hit from her), followed by archery lessons, balancing lessons, more martials arts, fishing, dodging abilities, more martial arts, balance, aim, and strength lessons. We did this day in and day out for two weeks.
Then, on the fifteenth day, Shang told Ping to go home.
"Try it again, Mulan," I smiled at her.
When I awoke the next morning, she was sitting on top of the arrow pole, holding both discipline and strength in her hands. Shang allowed her to stay.
As the weeks passed, all gained strength and more.
"I've got to get a bath," Mulan said, sighing.
"Go on," I said. "I'll stay here and train."
Throughout these past weeks, Mulan and I have become good friends. We are, after all, girls. Mushu never talks to me. I don't know why. He probably thinks I'm here to steal his job. Crikee, however, is a big talker. I can understand cricket, ever since I was transformed into a Chinese person. Probably because I claimed to be a guide.
I trained some more, knowing that the next day we would be marching off to battle.
**David**
Sora and I looked and looked all over Traverse Town. We saw no sign of Kairi, Riku, or Angel. I was beginning to give up hope of finding them here at all. As soon as we entered the Second District, I knew that this was no longer just a game. It was real. A man lost his heart and became a Heartless, right there in front of us. I knew it was still bothering Sora, but I didn't know what to say. How could I?
"So.you're from a world different from here, aren't you?" Sora asked. We had been silent for quite a while.
"Yeah, I am," I said, smiling sadly. "I lived in a place where none of this is real. It's only make believe."
"Really? What was your world like?"
"Not so many bright colors or cool clothes," I said, thinking. "I lived really close to the beach, in a place called Norfolk, Virginia. My mom didn't have any legs, and my dad was in the Navy. I never really was curious about the world outside my own. Reading about it was fine with me.
"But not Angel. She was always looking for something more. She craves adventure, new places, new people. She loved her old friends, as they were always very dear to her. But she was always looking for character, and in the strangest places. She's a writer, a dreamer. A romantic."
I laughed. "You probably think I'm crazy, to talk about my sister so much."
"Nah," Sora shook his head. "Just shows that you love her. She is you're sister, after all. Wish I had a brother or sister."
"Hmm.I'll be your brother," I said, grinning. "Adopted brother, ya know?"
"Okay," he grinned. "Brother."
We were silent a few seconds.
"Let's go see if Cid saw anything yet."
"Good idea."
We reached the Accessory Shop again and talked to Cid.
"Still haven't found 'em yet? Keep your chin up. Take another look around town." We thanked him and headed back out. Maybe Angel had ended up elsewhere.
"They'll come at you out of nowhere."
Squall!
"Who are you?" Sora knelt into a defensive stance.
"And they'll keep on coming at you, as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade and the Keystaff. But why? Why would it choose kids like you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" We both said at once.
"Never mind.now. Let's see those Keys."
"Not on your life!" I shouted.
"What? There's no way you're getting this!"
"All right, then have it your way."
Squall Lionheart.the man who fought a sorceress and won in Final Fantasy VIII. His Gunblade was legendary to me. It swished through the air. Suddenly, I thought of what my sister had said to me. Would I be able to survive in another world?
I struck once with the blade of my Keystaff. Then, something overpowered my hands, my thoughts, for just a second. I visualized fire and brimstone of legendary proportions.
"Rain of Fire!" I shouted. My staff swished through the air, coming to a rest at the horizontal level, both ends of it wreathed in white lights. Tiny flames rained down onto Squall's jacket. He pat his shoulder, putting out the small flame I'd managed. The blunt of the Gunblade struck my forehead and the world went dark once more.
Apparently I wasn't as strong as I'd hoped.
***
David doesn't seem to understand that I'm not going to make him any more powerful than Sora. ^__^ Mary-Sue-itus in a guy? How often does that happen? David likes Yuffie, but I decided not to use it in this story. Why? He's ten. It's more of the girl-kick-butt type of like than love. Well, please, as always, review.
Chapter 4: Mao, Ping, and Squall
**Angel (Mao)**
"Order! People, order!" A skinny, shrimpy man, if he could be called a man, called to the troops.
"I'll take a pan fried noodle!"
"Ooh, sweet and pungent shrimp!"
"That's not funny!" the man shouted. The troops all laughed anyway.
"Soldiers!"
Silence was immediate. All stood in a single line, including myself and Ping.
"You will assemble swiftly and silently each morning," said Captain Li Shang, sliding out of his shirt. "Anyone who acts otherwise will answer to me."
"Ooh, tough guy," muttered a short, chubby man beside me. His name was Yao, I think.
"Yao," said Shang. Yup, I was right. He shot the arrow in his bow to the top of a pole. "Thank you for volunteering. Retrieve the arrow."
"I'll get that arrow, pretty boy," he muttered. "And I'll do it with my shirt on."
He began climbing up the pole, but Shang called him back. The annoying scrawny man from before carried, with great difficulty, a case to the base of the pole. He placed a gold weight on Yao's right hand and dropped it. Yao fell hard.
"This represents discipline. And this," he attached a second weight to Yao's other hand, "represents strength. You need both to reach the arrow."
Yao was able to reach about a quarter of the way up before he slid back down. Each man (or secretly, woman) in the camp tried, and all failed miserably. None so badly as myself, I think. I couldn't even get the weights off the ground. I knew how to do it, obviously. Mulan had been my favorite Disney movie. I'm just not a strength person, I guess.
"We've got a long way to go," murmured Shang. He took several poles from a pot and threw them to the troops. Yao tripped Ping with hers upon catching it, but I was hit in the head with mine.
"Let's get down to business, to defeat the Huns," Shang said.
We had martial arts lessons (Yao dropped a scorpion in Ping's clothes, resulting in a very embarrassing hard hit from her), followed by archery lessons, balancing lessons, more martials arts, fishing, dodging abilities, more martial arts, balance, aim, and strength lessons. We did this day in and day out for two weeks.
Then, on the fifteenth day, Shang told Ping to go home.
"Try it again, Mulan," I smiled at her.
When I awoke the next morning, she was sitting on top of the arrow pole, holding both discipline and strength in her hands. Shang allowed her to stay.
As the weeks passed, all gained strength and more.
"I've got to get a bath," Mulan said, sighing.
"Go on," I said. "I'll stay here and train."
Throughout these past weeks, Mulan and I have become good friends. We are, after all, girls. Mushu never talks to me. I don't know why. He probably thinks I'm here to steal his job. Crikee, however, is a big talker. I can understand cricket, ever since I was transformed into a Chinese person. Probably because I claimed to be a guide.
I trained some more, knowing that the next day we would be marching off to battle.
**David**
Sora and I looked and looked all over Traverse Town. We saw no sign of Kairi, Riku, or Angel. I was beginning to give up hope of finding them here at all. As soon as we entered the Second District, I knew that this was no longer just a game. It was real. A man lost his heart and became a Heartless, right there in front of us. I knew it was still bothering Sora, but I didn't know what to say. How could I?
"So.you're from a world different from here, aren't you?" Sora asked. We had been silent for quite a while.
"Yeah, I am," I said, smiling sadly. "I lived in a place where none of this is real. It's only make believe."
"Really? What was your world like?"
"Not so many bright colors or cool clothes," I said, thinking. "I lived really close to the beach, in a place called Norfolk, Virginia. My mom didn't have any legs, and my dad was in the Navy. I never really was curious about the world outside my own. Reading about it was fine with me.
"But not Angel. She was always looking for something more. She craves adventure, new places, new people. She loved her old friends, as they were always very dear to her. But she was always looking for character, and in the strangest places. She's a writer, a dreamer. A romantic."
I laughed. "You probably think I'm crazy, to talk about my sister so much."
"Nah," Sora shook his head. "Just shows that you love her. She is you're sister, after all. Wish I had a brother or sister."
"Hmm.I'll be your brother," I said, grinning. "Adopted brother, ya know?"
"Okay," he grinned. "Brother."
We were silent a few seconds.
"Let's go see if Cid saw anything yet."
"Good idea."
We reached the Accessory Shop again and talked to Cid.
"Still haven't found 'em yet? Keep your chin up. Take another look around town." We thanked him and headed back out. Maybe Angel had ended up elsewhere.
"They'll come at you out of nowhere."
Squall!
"Who are you?" Sora knelt into a defensive stance.
"And they'll keep on coming at you, as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade and the Keystaff. But why? Why would it choose kids like you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" We both said at once.
"Never mind.now. Let's see those Keys."
"Not on your life!" I shouted.
"What? There's no way you're getting this!"
"All right, then have it your way."
Squall Lionheart.the man who fought a sorceress and won in Final Fantasy VIII. His Gunblade was legendary to me. It swished through the air. Suddenly, I thought of what my sister had said to me. Would I be able to survive in another world?
I struck once with the blade of my Keystaff. Then, something overpowered my hands, my thoughts, for just a second. I visualized fire and brimstone of legendary proportions.
"Rain of Fire!" I shouted. My staff swished through the air, coming to a rest at the horizontal level, both ends of it wreathed in white lights. Tiny flames rained down onto Squall's jacket. He pat his shoulder, putting out the small flame I'd managed. The blunt of the Gunblade struck my forehead and the world went dark once more.
Apparently I wasn't as strong as I'd hoped.
***
David doesn't seem to understand that I'm not going to make him any more powerful than Sora. ^__^ Mary-Sue-itus in a guy? How often does that happen? David likes Yuffie, but I decided not to use it in this story. Why? He's ten. It's more of the girl-kick-butt type of like than love. Well, please, as always, review.