Here's another one! I won't do this no more, just nod and review, please?
My brother worked hard on this! He's actually got a plotline! I'm actually
liking it again! ^___^
Chapter 7: Nihon Lock and Load!
***Angel***
"Who is she? Some kind of demon?"
"No, no, some god we've displeased!"
"We've dishonored ourselves!"
"Soldiers, quiet!"
"But Captain Lee, she just...but..."
"I saw it with my own eyes. We will inquire of her when she awakens."
"I'm awake, I'm awake, ya'll don't have to be so rude," I sighed. A warm blanket had been draped around my shoulders as I sat against a cold rock. I was once again in my baggy, zip-off jeans, black t-shirt, and white hooded jacket. The Hun army was frozen in a sea of ice, spread out before me like one ugly picnic blanket.
"Forgive us!" Several of the soldiers were cowering at my feet. I laughed at them.
"Get up, you gibbering bunch of idiots."
Remembering what I was here to do, I lied through my teeth. "I'm here to find the Keyhole and lead my great-grandmother through her quest safely."
"Meaning me," Mulan stepped out of the tent, her hair down, a blanket draped around her shoulders as well.
"Yes. Fa Mulan, my great-grandmother."
"And who are you?"
"Angel. Er...Nai Angel. Empress of China. I am from the future."
"An Empress of the future?" Lee blinked. "Welcome to the past...er..."
"You needn't try to impress," I smiled. "I am a normal citizen as well. And your friend and ally. Come. Shan Yu is still alive."
"How do you know—"
"I know. Let us leave it at that."
With those few words, we saddled the horses and flew to the capital. I knew without a doubt now that the Huns were in fact Heartless. It is the only way that arrow could have worked on them. Shan Yu would perhaps be the only one not a Heartless. He had opened himself to the darkness.
Like all those others before him. ***
"Look at all these peaceful people," I said to myself. "Soon to be so terrified..."
"What?" Mulan asked. We had both lost our soldier uniforms and donned our old attire. People stared at her and I alike from either side of the street. What a strange sight it must have been to those people of ancient China. A woman walking with soldiers with her head held high. A second woman in strange clothing, walking differently, looking as though she owned the world, and all the people in it.
Or so it must have seemed to people who'd never heard of freedom of expression.
I walked down the street, pulling my "great-grandmother" along by her hand. She was frightened to know that soon, she would be confessing everything to the emperor himself. I wouldn't let her be.
"You do realize that this is the emperor, right?" Mushu said, curling his way around my head. "The big guy?"
"So? I've got more power in my little Keybow than he has in all of China," I said, smirking. "I'm the leader of my time. You just have to deal with it, runt."
"Runt? Runt? Who you callin' a runt?"
"You, pipsqueak."
"Hey, hey! I'm the indestructible Mushu!"
"More like the idiotic, moronic Mushu," I said. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have a sister, would you?"
"Yeah, Mishu," he said. "She's back at the temple. Good chick."
"She's my friend, in the future. She's the one who leads me."
"Where am I?"
"Being annoying to the both of us, as always. I want to meet her," I said. "See if she's the same, and all."
"Sure," he shrugged. "Not like you're going anywhere. Hey, if you happen to have a brother, I'd like to be his partner."
"Actually, I've got two," I said. "Matthew and David. You can be David's partner, if he ever gets here."
"He's coming?"
"I hope so," I said. I sighed and held my icy blue arrow in my hand. It was small again, ready to grow and be fired again soon.
"Hey, what's that?"
"What?"
"There's a name on there. It's in a language on an island not too far from here."
"Really? What's the name of that island?"
"Nihon."
I stopped short.
"Can you read it?"
"Sure. It says Spirit Detective Hieh." ***David***
The Cheshire Cat reappeared at the top of the table and we followed it. K was nowhere in sight, but neither was the "Trickmaster." The Cheshire Cat smiled and faded out again.
"The shadows should be here soon. Are you prepared for the worst? If not, too bad!"
Down from the ceiling dropped a creature quite light a big black accordion. He was many more colors and shapes, but overall, he was mostly black, folded over and over and over again. It looked as if he had a lot of fun with springs.
After a moment's hesitation, I whipped out my Keystaff. I exchanged a quick glance between my fellows and we understood as one.
"ATTACK!"
Two magic strikes, a Keyblade, and a really big shield brought the big monster to its knees. We hit the head several times.
"RAIN OF FIRE!" I shouted and the room grew dark as balls and brimstone flew down and struck the Trickmaster.
He wasn't exactly a Trickmaster. He was so easily defeated that I quickly understood the nature of the game I was in. You grow strong and you have friends and a strong heart and you always won.
Right?
"Hey, look! A keyhole!" Goofy pointed to the Doorknob, where a large keyhole had appeared.
"Lock and load?" I grinned at Sora.
"Let's do it."
"One, two, three!"
Staff and Blade crossed in a fury of white light, a flash exploded, darkening the room with its sheer brightness. A golden light emitted from both keys and flew straight into the door. With a huge CLICK we knew our job here was done.
"Let's go," I said.
"Hey, Donald," Sora said as we climbed into the Gummi Ship. "Any idea where this Ancient China is that K was talking about."
"Yeah," Donald pointed to a large map on the screen. "Right there. Goofy, fire up the engines."
And away we flew to my sister and Ancient China. ***Hollow Bastion***
"Well done, children," said the voice in the shadows.
"Well done? They locked Wonderland! They're on to us, and all you can say is 'well done?!' Pathetic, just pathetic."
"On the contrary, friend," said the voice. "The more worlds they lock, the more difficult they've made the End of the World. When they face me, despite all that those meddling Spirit Detectives have done, they will fail. And Kingdom Hearts will be mine."
"What could they possibly know about the Heartless? They fight demons! At least demons have hearts!"
"What do you know of demons, that I do not? After all, I am one."
"True."
And no one heard them laugh, for we had left them alone. ***Angel***
We ran to the city, hoping that Shan Yu hadn't made it there just yet. The entire population of the main city was gathered in the streets. But instead of celebrations, all were terrified.
"Shan Yu has the emperor!" shouted several of the people to us.
"Thanks, we'll take it from here," I said. Most of the people gawked at me as if I were some kind of giant jellyfish floating in the sky.
"Zap," I muttered.
"What?"
"Nothin', Mulan," I said. "Crikee, what's up with all that 'lucky' talk. You ain't lucky."
Crikee chirped. Mushu didn't say anything. Somehow, I knew he already knew. The remaining soldiers, those not struck down by the Hun's arrows, marched onward, a quick double-step to their pace. The emperor was in danger.
"They've barricaded the doors," I said. "Come on." I helped lift a large statue up. Maybe if we all worked together, since there were more of us, we'd be able to break it down. Apparently, I was wrong.
"All right, all right! This ain't gonna work," I said. "Mulan, any ideas?"
"I've got an idea," she said.
"Thank the gods," I muttered, knowing quite well that there weren't any, but hey, that's what they believed and I wasn't gonna mess with it.
The other soldiers continued with the statue, hoping to help by directing Shan Yu's attention elsewhere. While they did that, Mulan and I dressed Yao, Shin Po, Captain Lee (in a lovely shade of peach), and Ling into concubine dresses. I shed my jacket and used it to scale the colossal stone cylinders into the emperor's palace. Sure enough, he had three guards, his bird, and a small barricade against the door on the tallest floor, blocking our way yet again to the emperor.
Mulan and I held back as the four gentlemen in dresses distracted and later knocked out the three guards, while Mushu created a nice Mongolian barbeque for the ride home. While the trio kept the guards unconscious and unhappy, Lee, Mulan, and I burst through the doors and to the hunchbacked Shan Yu and the tall, bald emperor. To tell you the truth, he looked like an old man dressed for bed, and just wanting to go home in peace. Now who can argue with that?
Shan Yu's really crooked sword seemed to argue quite nicely, actually. His attention away from the emperor, and toward us, he accidentally made a hairline incision into the poor old man's neck. Lee cut off to one side, while Mulan to the other, and I was left at the door.
"Two women and a little boy," said Shan Yu. "Is this the only army left to you, old man?"
The emperor was silent.
"Hey, you," I said, feeling quite a lot less braver than I sounded. "Whacha doin'?"
"What am I doing?" Shan Yu took the sword from the emperor's throat. It was working. "I'm taking over China, little woman." He approached me, the crooked, wicked sword coming closer. I swallowed hard. The blade was sharp enough to split hairs. I could just imagine what it could do it my chest or limbs or head or...
Best not to think about it.
"But why?" I asked, still brave. "China's so overrated, anyway. I know. I'm empress. Vietnam is so much better."
"Viet-who?" he swung his sword level with my jugular. "What are you trying to do, woman? Are you married to this man?"
He gestured back, but didn't say anything. His attention fully on me, I circled around so he wouldn't see what was going on right behind him. I kept my own eyes focused on his black depths, but I paid close attention to the fact that the others were all making their way down a rope very quickly. Lee and Mulan were soon the only ones left besides me.
"No," I shook my head. "You don't seem to understand, man. I'm not from this time period. Hell, I'm not even from this universe. You can't kill me."
"Is that so?"
"I wouldn't be willing to find out," I lunged at him, wrenched the sword from his grasp and tossed it to Mulan. He roared and reached for her, but she tossed it to Lee. Back, forth, forward, backward, up, down, forward, me, Lee, Mulan, it never ended. Finally, I'd had enough. I threw it over the edge and shouted down for people to watch out.
He roared aloud as he soon figured out exactly what I'd done.
"Woman!" he shouted, but my arrows were already bowed and aimed right between his slim black eyes.
"You don't know what a woman can do, until she's mad," I said. "Good- bye, Shan Yu." The bow sang, twanged, and with a loud PLOP! he was gone, over the edge, tumbling down, down, down below.
Shan Yu erupted into a zillion black fragments and vanished.
Mulan, Lee, and I slid down the rope, to the emperor, our friends, and China. The Keyhole, as I'd expected it to, appeared in the emperor's hand, inside a little pendant. He smiled at me, the same old man's smile I'd received many times from my grandfather.
"I believe this is what you are searching for, Lady Angel."
"Yes, sir," I smiled. I held up my Keybow, and in a flash of silver light, a loud click, and a line from the head of my bow to the inside of the pendant, it vanished.
"This world is locked," I said. "At last."
Mulan refused her position as the emperor's council, as she always had, and climbed on her horse's back, taking me with her. The emperor presented her with his crest and the sword of Shan Yu, knowing they would do me no good, I supposed. He did, however, give me the pendant that I had used to lock this world.
"Safe journey, Lady," he said. "Angels come only once in a dynasty."
I cocked my head at him, wondering how he knew my name, but shrugged it off. We flew like the wind to Mulan's home, where I hoped to find a way to find my brother.
Chapter 7: Nihon Lock and Load!
***Angel***
"Who is she? Some kind of demon?"
"No, no, some god we've displeased!"
"We've dishonored ourselves!"
"Soldiers, quiet!"
"But Captain Lee, she just...but..."
"I saw it with my own eyes. We will inquire of her when she awakens."
"I'm awake, I'm awake, ya'll don't have to be so rude," I sighed. A warm blanket had been draped around my shoulders as I sat against a cold rock. I was once again in my baggy, zip-off jeans, black t-shirt, and white hooded jacket. The Hun army was frozen in a sea of ice, spread out before me like one ugly picnic blanket.
"Forgive us!" Several of the soldiers were cowering at my feet. I laughed at them.
"Get up, you gibbering bunch of idiots."
Remembering what I was here to do, I lied through my teeth. "I'm here to find the Keyhole and lead my great-grandmother through her quest safely."
"Meaning me," Mulan stepped out of the tent, her hair down, a blanket draped around her shoulders as well.
"Yes. Fa Mulan, my great-grandmother."
"And who are you?"
"Angel. Er...Nai Angel. Empress of China. I am from the future."
"An Empress of the future?" Lee blinked. "Welcome to the past...er..."
"You needn't try to impress," I smiled. "I am a normal citizen as well. And your friend and ally. Come. Shan Yu is still alive."
"How do you know—"
"I know. Let us leave it at that."
With those few words, we saddled the horses and flew to the capital. I knew without a doubt now that the Huns were in fact Heartless. It is the only way that arrow could have worked on them. Shan Yu would perhaps be the only one not a Heartless. He had opened himself to the darkness.
Like all those others before him. ***
"Look at all these peaceful people," I said to myself. "Soon to be so terrified..."
"What?" Mulan asked. We had both lost our soldier uniforms and donned our old attire. People stared at her and I alike from either side of the street. What a strange sight it must have been to those people of ancient China. A woman walking with soldiers with her head held high. A second woman in strange clothing, walking differently, looking as though she owned the world, and all the people in it.
Or so it must have seemed to people who'd never heard of freedom of expression.
I walked down the street, pulling my "great-grandmother" along by her hand. She was frightened to know that soon, she would be confessing everything to the emperor himself. I wouldn't let her be.
"You do realize that this is the emperor, right?" Mushu said, curling his way around my head. "The big guy?"
"So? I've got more power in my little Keybow than he has in all of China," I said, smirking. "I'm the leader of my time. You just have to deal with it, runt."
"Runt? Runt? Who you callin' a runt?"
"You, pipsqueak."
"Hey, hey! I'm the indestructible Mushu!"
"More like the idiotic, moronic Mushu," I said. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have a sister, would you?"
"Yeah, Mishu," he said. "She's back at the temple. Good chick."
"She's my friend, in the future. She's the one who leads me."
"Where am I?"
"Being annoying to the both of us, as always. I want to meet her," I said. "See if she's the same, and all."
"Sure," he shrugged. "Not like you're going anywhere. Hey, if you happen to have a brother, I'd like to be his partner."
"Actually, I've got two," I said. "Matthew and David. You can be David's partner, if he ever gets here."
"He's coming?"
"I hope so," I said. I sighed and held my icy blue arrow in my hand. It was small again, ready to grow and be fired again soon.
"Hey, what's that?"
"What?"
"There's a name on there. It's in a language on an island not too far from here."
"Really? What's the name of that island?"
"Nihon."
I stopped short.
"Can you read it?"
"Sure. It says Spirit Detective Hieh." ***David***
The Cheshire Cat reappeared at the top of the table and we followed it. K was nowhere in sight, but neither was the "Trickmaster." The Cheshire Cat smiled and faded out again.
"The shadows should be here soon. Are you prepared for the worst? If not, too bad!"
Down from the ceiling dropped a creature quite light a big black accordion. He was many more colors and shapes, but overall, he was mostly black, folded over and over and over again. It looked as if he had a lot of fun with springs.
After a moment's hesitation, I whipped out my Keystaff. I exchanged a quick glance between my fellows and we understood as one.
"ATTACK!"
Two magic strikes, a Keyblade, and a really big shield brought the big monster to its knees. We hit the head several times.
"RAIN OF FIRE!" I shouted and the room grew dark as balls and brimstone flew down and struck the Trickmaster.
He wasn't exactly a Trickmaster. He was so easily defeated that I quickly understood the nature of the game I was in. You grow strong and you have friends and a strong heart and you always won.
Right?
"Hey, look! A keyhole!" Goofy pointed to the Doorknob, where a large keyhole had appeared.
"Lock and load?" I grinned at Sora.
"Let's do it."
"One, two, three!"
Staff and Blade crossed in a fury of white light, a flash exploded, darkening the room with its sheer brightness. A golden light emitted from both keys and flew straight into the door. With a huge CLICK we knew our job here was done.
"Let's go," I said.
"Hey, Donald," Sora said as we climbed into the Gummi Ship. "Any idea where this Ancient China is that K was talking about."
"Yeah," Donald pointed to a large map on the screen. "Right there. Goofy, fire up the engines."
And away we flew to my sister and Ancient China. ***Hollow Bastion***
"Well done, children," said the voice in the shadows.
"Well done? They locked Wonderland! They're on to us, and all you can say is 'well done?!' Pathetic, just pathetic."
"On the contrary, friend," said the voice. "The more worlds they lock, the more difficult they've made the End of the World. When they face me, despite all that those meddling Spirit Detectives have done, they will fail. And Kingdom Hearts will be mine."
"What could they possibly know about the Heartless? They fight demons! At least demons have hearts!"
"What do you know of demons, that I do not? After all, I am one."
"True."
And no one heard them laugh, for we had left them alone. ***Angel***
We ran to the city, hoping that Shan Yu hadn't made it there just yet. The entire population of the main city was gathered in the streets. But instead of celebrations, all were terrified.
"Shan Yu has the emperor!" shouted several of the people to us.
"Thanks, we'll take it from here," I said. Most of the people gawked at me as if I were some kind of giant jellyfish floating in the sky.
"Zap," I muttered.
"What?"
"Nothin', Mulan," I said. "Crikee, what's up with all that 'lucky' talk. You ain't lucky."
Crikee chirped. Mushu didn't say anything. Somehow, I knew he already knew. The remaining soldiers, those not struck down by the Hun's arrows, marched onward, a quick double-step to their pace. The emperor was in danger.
"They've barricaded the doors," I said. "Come on." I helped lift a large statue up. Maybe if we all worked together, since there were more of us, we'd be able to break it down. Apparently, I was wrong.
"All right, all right! This ain't gonna work," I said. "Mulan, any ideas?"
"I've got an idea," she said.
"Thank the gods," I muttered, knowing quite well that there weren't any, but hey, that's what they believed and I wasn't gonna mess with it.
The other soldiers continued with the statue, hoping to help by directing Shan Yu's attention elsewhere. While they did that, Mulan and I dressed Yao, Shin Po, Captain Lee (in a lovely shade of peach), and Ling into concubine dresses. I shed my jacket and used it to scale the colossal stone cylinders into the emperor's palace. Sure enough, he had three guards, his bird, and a small barricade against the door on the tallest floor, blocking our way yet again to the emperor.
Mulan and I held back as the four gentlemen in dresses distracted and later knocked out the three guards, while Mushu created a nice Mongolian barbeque for the ride home. While the trio kept the guards unconscious and unhappy, Lee, Mulan, and I burst through the doors and to the hunchbacked Shan Yu and the tall, bald emperor. To tell you the truth, he looked like an old man dressed for bed, and just wanting to go home in peace. Now who can argue with that?
Shan Yu's really crooked sword seemed to argue quite nicely, actually. His attention away from the emperor, and toward us, he accidentally made a hairline incision into the poor old man's neck. Lee cut off to one side, while Mulan to the other, and I was left at the door.
"Two women and a little boy," said Shan Yu. "Is this the only army left to you, old man?"
The emperor was silent.
"Hey, you," I said, feeling quite a lot less braver than I sounded. "Whacha doin'?"
"What am I doing?" Shan Yu took the sword from the emperor's throat. It was working. "I'm taking over China, little woman." He approached me, the crooked, wicked sword coming closer. I swallowed hard. The blade was sharp enough to split hairs. I could just imagine what it could do it my chest or limbs or head or...
Best not to think about it.
"But why?" I asked, still brave. "China's so overrated, anyway. I know. I'm empress. Vietnam is so much better."
"Viet-who?" he swung his sword level with my jugular. "What are you trying to do, woman? Are you married to this man?"
He gestured back, but didn't say anything. His attention fully on me, I circled around so he wouldn't see what was going on right behind him. I kept my own eyes focused on his black depths, but I paid close attention to the fact that the others were all making their way down a rope very quickly. Lee and Mulan were soon the only ones left besides me.
"No," I shook my head. "You don't seem to understand, man. I'm not from this time period. Hell, I'm not even from this universe. You can't kill me."
"Is that so?"
"I wouldn't be willing to find out," I lunged at him, wrenched the sword from his grasp and tossed it to Mulan. He roared and reached for her, but she tossed it to Lee. Back, forth, forward, backward, up, down, forward, me, Lee, Mulan, it never ended. Finally, I'd had enough. I threw it over the edge and shouted down for people to watch out.
He roared aloud as he soon figured out exactly what I'd done.
"Woman!" he shouted, but my arrows were already bowed and aimed right between his slim black eyes.
"You don't know what a woman can do, until she's mad," I said. "Good- bye, Shan Yu." The bow sang, twanged, and with a loud PLOP! he was gone, over the edge, tumbling down, down, down below.
Shan Yu erupted into a zillion black fragments and vanished.
Mulan, Lee, and I slid down the rope, to the emperor, our friends, and China. The Keyhole, as I'd expected it to, appeared in the emperor's hand, inside a little pendant. He smiled at me, the same old man's smile I'd received many times from my grandfather.
"I believe this is what you are searching for, Lady Angel."
"Yes, sir," I smiled. I held up my Keybow, and in a flash of silver light, a loud click, and a line from the head of my bow to the inside of the pendant, it vanished.
"This world is locked," I said. "At last."
Mulan refused her position as the emperor's council, as she always had, and climbed on her horse's back, taking me with her. The emperor presented her with his crest and the sword of Shan Yu, knowing they would do me no good, I supposed. He did, however, give me the pendant that I had used to lock this world.
"Safe journey, Lady," he said. "Angels come only once in a dynasty."
I cocked my head at him, wondering how he knew my name, but shrugged it off. We flew like the wind to Mulan's home, where I hoped to find a way to find my brother.