Author's Note: If Riku's and Kairi's sides of the fanfic seem to go a bit
slow, you're not alone. I agree as well but don't worry; their stories
should improve as we go deeper into Secrets of Memories. Thank you,
reviewers! I'm sorry I can't name any of you guys, thanks to my memory,
which is rather infamous among my friends. I just don't think that means I
quality for a diagnosis of A.D.D. Thank you anyways and enjoy. bows
frantically
Secrets of Memories
Chapter 15: Going Great Lengths
As they fled from what surely was going to be a battle scene, Mulan ordered Khan to slow a bit, because Sora, Donald, and Goofy were obviously slow. After all, she was riding a horse. And they did happen to be on foot.
"Your friend, Aozora," Mulan ventured to ask as the three caught up to them, "will he be all right?"
Sora nodded. "I'm sure he will be. He seems to understand the whole situation a lot better than we do."
There was a sudden, static sound, the sound of two powers clashing viciously against each other. Everyone, even the horse Khan, winced.
"Are you really sure your friend's going to be okay?" Mulan asked more worriedly.
"Look, he'll be fine!" Donald snapped. "Why worry? We've got a bigger situation in our hands. Let's worry about that! Humph!"
With that, Donald stomped through the snow at a faster pace than Khan could match. They watched him silently, before Mushu turned to Sora and muttered, "I've never seen him act like that before! What happened?"
Sora sighed. "It's a very long story-"
"- and we've got no time," Goofy finished.
"To make the long story short," Sora amended, "Aozora did something, by impulse, that Donald probably would never forgive him for."
They were on the move again, faster now so Sora and Goofy had to jog through the snow to keep up with Khan.
"What did he do?" Mushu asked with great curiosity. Cri-Kee chirped in agreement.
"Like you wouldn't believe," Sora puffed into the frigid air. "He jumped us and landed on me."
Mulan winced. "That's a whole lot worse than what we had to go through."
"I don't 'think so, Mulan," Mushu countered. "That was one day. We were at it for months!"
"Getting landed on every day of the month?" Sora demanded incredulously, stopping in his tracks with astonishment.
"No, you knucklehead!" Mushu answered vehemently. "She's in the army-"
"Was, Mushu," Mulan interrupted briskly and coldly.
"Whatever," Mushu waved at her. "Keep ridin', I'll be the one talkin'. So anyways, you know you gotta train if you're in the army."
"A lot," Goofy agreed amiably; he loped through the snow as naturally as Sora seeing him being graceful. "That's why I don't like heavy weapons. Shield's fine for me. Light and strong."
"See?" Mushu gesture to Goofy. "Its tough. You get jumped by some impulsive idiot but that's only once. Mulan here's been through hell for months. Now we've got more than hell to contend with."
"A lot more," Mulan growled under her breath as the Imperial City came into full view. Donald was not in sight; he had gone so far ahead they could not see him.
"I don't get it," Sora said, scratching his head. "What's wrong with the army?"
When nobody made an immediate reply, he repeated the question.
"Answer for me, Mushu," Mulan ordered. "I don't want to talk about it."
While Goofy gave her a queer look, Mushu obeyed her wish and said, "Girls aren't allowed in the army."
"What?!" Sora exclaimed. "But why?"
Mushu shrugged his little shoulders. "Beats me."
"They think women are weaker than men," Mulan answered.
"But why'd you join the army if you aren't allowed to?" Goofy asked curiously.
Mulan pulled Khan into a slower trot; they had hit the stone road to the Imperial City and Khan traveled faster on harder roads.
"My father was one of many men ordered into the armies of the Emperor," she said quietly as they half walked half ran to the brightly lit Imperial City. "He was old and he had an old war injury. I could not let him go, fearing he would die. So I took his place."
"And made First Ancestor chase after her," Mushu added ruefully. "Had to bring her back home safely. And we were going to if you hadn't showed up!"
He was shouting at Sora's face.
"Like I had a choice!" Sora shot back. "Your world's in danger, Mushu! You helped me before, now I'm going to help you!"
Mushu blew a raspberry at him and it took all of Sora's self-control to keep him from trying to kill the red dragon who was supposed to be his former summon.
Khan suddenly stopped and snorted. Sora and Mushu stopped their bickering in time to see the great, looming walls of the Imperial City. Lanterns were lit and glowing, hanging from any spot possible. Laughter and cheers, the sounds of triumph and joy, rang from within.
"The guards are gone," Goofy criticized. "They shouldn't be-"
"They're not gone," Donald stomped from the right. "You guys were too damn slow. And the guards aren't gone. Shan Yu and his men are in the city already. We'd better hurry because that means the Nobodies are there, too."
"And the Heartless," Sora agreed with a nod. "Come on, let's go."
Donald ran forward to open the door to let Khan, Mulan, Cri-Kee, and Mushu pass without anyone having to dismount. Sora made to follow but stopped, noting that Goofy was looking over his shoulder, back to the mountains.
Sora followed his gaze. He thought he saw lights flashing.
"You think he'd be okay?" Goofy asked worriedly.
Sora gave a hesitant nod. "He'll be fine; I can feel it."
They ran after the others and into the Imperial City. They were not aware of the glowing yellow eyes from the shadows, as tall, looming creatures appeared from the surface of the earth. They looked at each other. The Keyblade Master was inside the Imperial City. So were the Nobodies. A battle is coming.
Mulan rode Khan through the streets carefully but frantically, searching for Shang and the others in the bustling crowds of celebrating people. Sora, Donald, and Goofy tailed her but kept to the shadows. It wouldn't be great for people to suddenly discover strange and outworldly people at their feet.
"How can she find anybody in this mess?" Sora scanned the streets from one dark alleyway; he had never seen so many people.
"I don't know," Donald and Goofy chimed. They were both used to the crowds of people but never considered searching for a particular person or a particular group of persons in this mess.
Right on cue, the trio heard a voice shrill out, "Make way for the heroes of China!"
"That'll be for us," the trio chorused and fought their way in the direction of the voice, pushing through crowds of cheering people.
They reached the front in time to see Mulan shouting at an imposing soldier. "But Shang! I saw them in the mountains. I wouldn't lie about this."
Sora wondered what the soldier would say. He was stunned by the answer.
"Why should I believe you?" he demanded coldly.
"Because-" Sora was about to yell when Goofy shut him up.
"Why else would I come back?" Mulan shot back angrily. "You said you'd trust Ping. Why is Mulan any different?"
With many people watching, Shang did not answer Mulan's challenge.
Completely disgruntled, Mulan turned on the others.
"Keep your eyes open. I know they're here." She wheeled Khan around and with a "Hee-yaa!", she thundered into the crowd.
"Trust her to leave us here all alone," Donald muttered.
"She's right, you know!" Sora yelled at the top of his lungs.
Shang quickly froze and turned his head around. By then, Goofy had dragged a protesting Sora away deep into the crowd of people swarming around them. Shang did not see who it was.
"What are you doing?" Sora demanded angrily as Goofy pulled him into the dark alleyway.
"Don't mess around with someone else's politics!" Donald provided for the silent knight. "That was their situation, not ours! Don't interfere when that sort of problem appears!"
"But they had to know!" Sora protested; he was confused. "There are Nobodies and Heartless in the city. What combination of enemies can be worse than that?"
Donald and Goofy had no reply.
"Well, let's just go find Mulan," Sora walked into the crowd. "We've lost her."
Donald and Goofy had to agree. They followed the darkly dressed teenager in the direction of the looming palaces of the Emperor. Goofy had a very strange feeling they were being watched but he chose to ignore it, deciding to follow Sora and Donald in the direction Sora believed Mulan and Khan went.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy managed to stagger their way up the intimidating stairs to the huge platform of the palaces just in time to see a falcon, screeching all the while, soared into the sky. A long crooked sword gripped in its talons, it soared upward before the stunned crowds of people down below.
"What's going on?" Donald wondered curiously.
One of the many statues on the palace rooftop answered the question. The fierce raptor soared above the statue and dropped the sword. Before everybody's eyes, a hand shot out from the statue and gripped the sword with its hand. Then the statue stood and Sora shuddered. It was Shan-Yu.
His men, the Huns, were already in position. The glamorous parade dragon behind the shocked Shang and some of his men tore open as Huns leapt out into the air. Before Shang and his men had time to react, they were knocked down to the ground and the Huns had the Emperor by the arm. They dragged him up the last flight of stairs to the doors of the palaces. Other Huns, who were also in position, quickly opened the huge double doors and the Emperor was pulled inside.
By the time Shang and three soldiers, Chien-Po, Ling, and Yao, reached the door, it was securely locked. They pounded on the door relentlessly to no avail. Then they rushed to one of the nearby stone statues, knocked it off its pedestal, and used it has a battering ram, also to no avail.
"They'll never get in that way," Mulan's voice muttered and Sora saw her standing in the shadows of the palaces, shaking her head.
Rather, he saw past her, to a monstrous, dark creature with bulging muscles and glowing yellow eyes. The eyes looked very familiar...but if there was one thing Sora was sure off, Mulan was going to be attacked.
"Mulan, duck!" Sora called the Keyblade into his hand, making probably up to a million people aware of the teenager in black, outlandish clothing holding a huge silver key in his right hand.
Mulan dropped to the floor; Sora quickly aimed at the monster, and shouted, "Firaga!"
He saw the monster before the fireball the Keyblade emitted obliterated the monster. It was an overgrown Shadow, a Heartless.
But why was there only one?
Shang, Chien-Po, Ling, and Yao saw the fireball sailing to the far right of the palaces. They also saw Mulan emerging from the ensuing smoke, slightly splattered in black liquid but no worse for wear. She smiled sheepishly at them, then was all business, stating, "Hey guys, I've got an idea!"
They were all a bit stunned by her unexpected, not to say shocking, appearance. But the bonds of friendship overcame that minor yet demeaning obstacle; Chien-Po, Ling, and Yao jumped to Mulan's side. Shang hesitated, still unable to bring himself to trust a woman.
That hesitation was cut quite short when they heard an exclamation of surprise. It sounded like a strangling duck. They all turned to the platform, just in time to see white creatures leaping their way up the stairs, jumping, twirling and causing mayhem amongst the crowds.
"What are they?" Shang stammered.
"Nobodies," Mulan growled. Then she saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They had set out to meet the Nobodies head-on.
"Mulan, get the Emperor!" Sora shouted as Donald cast Aeroga on his three party members. "We'll get rid of these guys and come after you! The Emperor's your first priority! Go!"
Mulan nodded in acknowledgement, then smiled to the guys. "Boys, let's save the Emperor."
Sora's arms were aching, as he hacked his way through the dancing white bodies. He was getting dizzy; flashing white colors don't help people who move rapidly. He still kept to his feet though, now making sure to stay clear of the Nobodies' dagger-like hands; he's been at the Nobodies enough times to know that.
Donald was no longer casting spells; he was conserving his energy for another rampage of magic. He was dodging the Nobodies and whacking them with his short magic staff. It was a great way to collect the magic points needed to cast magic. Goofy was helping him, since Donald was not the greatest at hand-to-hand combat. He would whirl around with his shield and destroy some Nobodies in seconds, sending a couple of blue hearts to the sky. Goofy also made sure to get rid of the Nobodies that Donald most certainly could not reach.
In a way, they were still pretty efficient, though all three of them were conserving their magic and their supplies were starting to run low.
Sora ducked under a jumping Nobody and jammed his key upward, stabbing the Nobody through the 'stomach' and releasing an explosion of light and a blue heart. The next thing he knew, something big and jet black rushed past his right shoulder, jumped up, and literally devoured the blue heart. With Sora standing in utter astonishment, the black thing landed and turned on him. Sora gasped.
It had huge shoulders, a massive chest, muscular legs, a huge head, long jagged ear-thingies, and glowing yellow eyes. The hands were clawed and were dripping blue, resulting from its feast on the Nobody's blue heart. It looked at Sora, or rather at Sora's right hand, which was gripping the Kingdom Key. Its eyes traveled upward to the shining silver of the key and Sora could literally feel the hatred the creature had for the Kingdom Key.
A Heartless. Sora's 'ancient' enemy was here.
Screams ripped through the already chaotic air. As Sora, Donald, and Goofy stared in horror, red and blue hearts started meandering upward into the sky. People down below were shrieking, running around, jostling each other, trying to get out of the Imperial City. Sora was horrified by it all; he could see the Nobodies and the Heartless in a bloodbath, trying to hit each other senseless, mindless of all the innocent people who were trying to flee.
Then there was a bloodcurdling yell and Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked up. Goofy stopped looking up when he found himself in the middle of a charge; a Nobody at his left and a Heartless at his right were charging each other and Goofy was right in the thick of it.
The knight evaded the inevitable crash just as Chien-Po, dressed as a woman, fell from the sky, with the Emperor in his arms.
His very sudden appearance stupefied Sora. Chien-Po set the Emperor on the ground and watched warily, ready to defend the Emperor at a moment's notice.
"What in heavens is going on here?" the slightly built Emperor looked out to the battlefield down below.
"Your Majesty," Sora bowed. "Nobodies and Heartless are here in battle. I suggest you do not go down there."
The Emperor started, then turned on him. He peered at Sora and Sora swore he saw the Emperor's face go pale. That was something not easy to tell, as the Emperor was already a bit pale and had a very long mustache and beard that covered about half his face.
"You're here?" the Emperor gaped. "Already?"
"Already?" Sora repeated. "What?"
"Sora, duck!" Donald yelled from behind.
Chien-Po pulled the Emperor to the ground as Sora practically 'saw' the Heartless that was jumping at him from the side. He whirled around and sliced the Heartless neatly in half before it could reach him. Then he 'saw' another one going for his feet. Sora leaped into the air and swung downward. He was almost knocked out of the air by a Nobody that came 'flying' by. Soon he found himself busy defending the Emperor; they were just as magnetized to the Emperor as to him.
"When did the Heartless ever start lifting weights?" Sora muttered under his breath as he barely avoided a very powerful punch one of the Heartless threw at him. Then, to his surprise, one of the Nobodies jumped at the Heartless and jabbed its dagger-like hands into the Heartless.
Another Heartless squashed the daylights out of the Nobody just as Ling and Yao appeared, out of breath but still safe. Behind them, though, Huns came running, screaming their heads off, to the amazement of those who had faced them. Sora stared at Ling and Yao; they were dressed as women, too. What happened to them?
"Where's Mulan and Shang?" Chien-Po demanded.
"Mulan?" the Emperor echoed. "That is a woman's name. Why do you mention a woman?"
"Um..." all three soldiers were suddenly very hesitant. But they knew they had to answer to the Emperor. "She's...ah..."
"Strike Raid!" the Kingdom Key went flashing over their heads and stopped a Heartless from advancing on the oblivious group of people.
"Be on guard," Sora ordered them from afar; the Keyblade went twirling back to him. "The Heartless are a lot better at catching people like you unaware than the Nobodies. You guys, keep the Emperor safe; this fight isn't over yet!"
With a war cry, Sora jumped into a melee of Heartless and Nobodies who were fighting each other and with Donald and Goofy.
"He ordered the Emperor," Yao said in awe. "Begging pardon, Your Majesty."
"No need," the Emperor answered in his noble voice. "He is right. The Keyblade Master knows this more than we do. He knows what must be done. Do as he says and keep on guard. But do you three have more than make-up? I'm afraid these Heartless and Nobodies don't fear make-up like men do."
They were startled by his sense of humor but they tapped at their sides, indicating the swords they had concealed under the dresses Mulan dressed them up in.
Sora was Dodge Rolling away from a Heartless when he felt a jolt in his soul, the rapid slamming of a door. He jumped up and staggered away, feeling the place in his heart. The Nobodies gave shrill cries of rage.
"Ready baby! Light me!" a familiar voice shouted out with joy and glee, all the way down from the highest roof of the palaces. Sora looked up and thought: Mushu. Then: where's Aozora?
He turned to the mountains but saw nothing. He searched into his heart, searching frantically but he felt nothing as well. Something has happened to him!
"Get off the roof! Get off the roof!" he heard Mulan screaming out. He wondered why.
In a few seconds, the question was answered.
As Shang staggered out of the palaces, woozy but okay, one of the towers of the palaces detonated. Fireworks went screaming out into the night air and exploded, as the palaces erupted into flames.
Within seconds, Mulan came flying out of nowhere and tumbled onto Shang. She hugged him in relief as Shan-Yu's sword flew out of the sky and landed on their feet, stabbing into the ground. Then Mushu and Cri-Kee descended safely as well. Then Chi Fu, the Emperor's snobbish aide, came stumbling out, traumatized but furious just the same.
His hat smoldering, he shrilled out, "Where is she? Now she's done it! What a mess!"
He glared around, the grimace very pronounced on his face. He had a look that dared anyone to oppose his opinions.
Sora sighed. He could already tell what was going to happen-
"Sora, duck!" Mulan yelled and the Keyblade Master dropped flat on the ground.
"Firaga!" and dark liquid splattered all over him as Donald extinguished a Heartless.
"Blegh," Sora got up, his Keyblade still in his hand, and looked at himself. The black goop was rolling off him smoothly, leaving nothing behind. The liquid rolled off him smoothly and formed a puddle under his feet.
"They're still here," Sora said. "Be on guard; the Nobodies and Heartless are still here."
"Not the Nobodies," Goofy remarked. "They're running away!"
"Running what?" Donald squalled and rushed to the edge of the platform.
Everybody rushed to the platform, except the still-fuming Chi Fu. They saw the masses of white stampeding out of the Imperial City, following the crowds of people that were managed to escape. The other people were still screaming, still fleeing the Heartless.
"Oh no," Sora turned very pale. He knew what was coming: the Heartless were going to massacre the people.
"That's right!" Chi Fu shrilled behind them. "'Oh no' should be the first statement! Look at this mess. That disgraceful, deceitful female destroyed the Emperor's palaces!"
He pointed at Mulan, shaking with rage.
Sora stared at the Emperor's aide, flabbergasted. The Heartless were ready to go on a bloodbath and this-this idiot was yelling at Mulan for destroying Shan-Yu?!
"She's a hero!" Shang protested as the others formed a protective circle around her.
"She's a woman!" Chi Fu shrilled in a high voice. "She'll never be worth anything!"
Shang grew very red. He stomped over to the still-arrogant Chi Fu and grabbed him by the neck of his tunic. He then blasted at the aide, " Listen, you pompous-"
"Enough!" Sora and the Emperor shouted at once.
Everyone stared at the two; Shang dropped Chi Fu to the floor.
"Your Majesty," Shang quickly stated with a bow, "I can explain-"
The Emperor held up a hand. "There is no time to explain anything, Captain Shang. Please, listen to this young man."
He gestured to Sora, who began to grin sheepishly. That was until Donald stomped him on the foot.
"Ow-hey! Oh, sorry," Sora was even more sheepish, before he saw a red heart float upwards. A red heart? He turned very serious. "Listen. Your world is being invaded by outsiders. Just moments ago, there was a battle between two of the outsiders. You were all very lucky they did not rampage all over the place and flatten even the mountains. There is no time for a brawl; we must find a way to get rid of the outsiders once and for all."
"You're an outsider," Chi Fu huffed.
"He's got a good point," Shang nodded.
"We-" he gestured to Donald, Goofy, then to himself "-are here to stop these outsiders. We are their enemy and they are our enemies. We are here to keep your worlds from being devoured by the darkness," Sora explained. " Right now, one force of the outsiders has been outdone by an act of sacrifice. I don't know what happened and I don't need to know what happened. Right now, I have to find a Keyhole to your world. I can seal it and we can finish driving these guys-" he gestured to the Heartless "-out of here forever. No complaining, no shouting, no fistfights, no nothing! Understand?"
He breathed heavily, trying to catch his breath. His stony glare fell on Chi Fu, who had begun to tremble in fear.
Then the Emperor gave a slight bow to Sora. "Do as he commands. Let us save our people and our home."
Chi Fu huffed and stomped off.
Sora was very worried. What had happened to Aozora anyways?
"How do we stop the Heartless, Sora?" Mulan asked. "You said something about a Keyhole. Where can we find it?"
Sora gave a shrug. "We have to find it..."
Everyone stared at him. He stared at the Emperor, who was staring at Mulan.
"Yes, Keyblade Master," the Emperor was saying. "Not all Keyholes are in inanimate objects."
He then gave a very deep bow to Mulan. "You have stolen your father's armor, ran away from home, pretended to be a soldier, lied to your commanding officer, dishonored the Chinese Army, destroyed my palaces, rid the world of Shan-Yu, and you know where the Keyhole is. Show the Keyhole to Sora."
Mulan gestured silently, in shock, to herself: me?
The Emperor nodded and Sora began to understand.
"You are the Keyhole..."
Without further adieu, he swung his Keyblade forward, surprising Shang, Chien-Po, Ling, Yao, and Chi Fu in the process, aimed at Mulan, and began to feel the forces of the light center on his Keyblade. Mulan was the Keyhole.
He sealed the Keyhole, then was confronted by a very serious task. "We have sealed the world from more Heartless, more Nobodies," Sora told a very stupefied set of people. "The Nobodies have already fled; we must rid this world of the Heartless."
He swung out his Keyblade, barely missed beheading Yao, and jumped off the platform into the swarming crowds of Heartless. Donald and Goofy looked at each other and then to Mulan and Mushu. Mulan had in her hands Shan-Yu's sword. The four nodded and followed Sora down the long drop. Shang pulled out his sword, prompting others to do the same. Chien-Po stayed with the Emperor and an outraged Chi Fu, as the others followed the female.
Cri-Kee, perched on the railing of the platform, watched intently as the five people, the wizard, the knight, and the tiny red dragon cut a huge path across the town square down below, sending up clouds of red hearts into the sky. Silver flashed; Sora led the charge deep into the sea of darkness.
Cri-Kee began to chirp rapidly; the Heartless swarmed behind them, in front of them, to their sides, all around them. There was a circle of people, battling valiantly against the enemy that was overwhelmingly powerful. Then there was a huge explosion.
"Oh no!" Chien-Po exclaimed while both the Emperor and Chi Fu looked on, aghast. "Mulan! Ling, Yao, Captain Shang! No!"
When the smoke dissipated, somebody stood where a large part of the wall around the Imperial City had once existed.
Sora gave a shout of welcome. It was Aozora.
Just one additional person destroyed the Heartless. Sora and Aozora teamed together and were moving through the Heartless in a fury everyone had claimed they had never seen before. And constantly, power glowed from the look-a-likes.
Donald and Goofy also moved like tempests. Donald had saved up his magic points for a good reason and Goofy had become exceptionally dangerous with his shied. They carved out sections from the swarms of Heartless surrounding them and no Heartless remained to fill in the holes.
Mulan proved herself in the intense battle. Twice she was injured but she kept to her feet. With Mushu on her head, firing balls of fire at every Heartless within reach, she gained more admiration and respect from her friends.
Sora heard Aozora mutter some very strange words. He looked at his look-a- like oddly. What the hell was he saying?
"Ascenti totellum," he heard Aozora say.
"Aozora, what the hell are you say-"
A bright flash of light engulfed the Imperial City. When the light faded, no Heartless remained.
They watched as Mulan, astride Khan with Mushu, Cri-Kee, Shan-Yu's sword, and the Emperor's medallion, waved at them, before starting on her journey homeward. Sora waved back cheerfully, remembering Mushu's promise that he would keep her safe. The Emperor was having a private discussion with Aozora for reasons he did not understand; the others were there as well to see her off. Shang was still looking in the direction she rode off to long after she had gone.
Aozora finally emerged from the literally untouched Throne Room. He looked a little off, his eyes shining very strangely.
"What were you guys talking about?" Sora asked immediately. But Aozora shook his head.'
"Later," he muttered.
"...it was nice talking to you, Captain Shang," Goofy told the captain. "I hope to meet again with all of you soon."
"We all do," Chien-Po, Ling, and Yao grinned foolishly. "Never met the King's Captain of the Royal Knights before. The best!" Then Yao added, as a quick after note, "The best after personally defending the Emperor."
Sora, Donald, Goofy, and a very silent Aozora said formal good-byes to the Emperor, were given boisterous goodbyes by Ling, Yao, and backbreaking hugs from Chien-Po. They shook hands with Shang, who looked more than ready to go in the direction Mulan had long since gone to.
"Another world saved," Sora remarked in tired relief as they marched their way back up the snow. "Aozora, what did you say back then anyways?"
Secrets of Memories
Chapter 15: Going Great Lengths
As they fled from what surely was going to be a battle scene, Mulan ordered Khan to slow a bit, because Sora, Donald, and Goofy were obviously slow. After all, she was riding a horse. And they did happen to be on foot.
"Your friend, Aozora," Mulan ventured to ask as the three caught up to them, "will he be all right?"
Sora nodded. "I'm sure he will be. He seems to understand the whole situation a lot better than we do."
There was a sudden, static sound, the sound of two powers clashing viciously against each other. Everyone, even the horse Khan, winced.
"Are you really sure your friend's going to be okay?" Mulan asked more worriedly.
"Look, he'll be fine!" Donald snapped. "Why worry? We've got a bigger situation in our hands. Let's worry about that! Humph!"
With that, Donald stomped through the snow at a faster pace than Khan could match. They watched him silently, before Mushu turned to Sora and muttered, "I've never seen him act like that before! What happened?"
Sora sighed. "It's a very long story-"
"- and we've got no time," Goofy finished.
"To make the long story short," Sora amended, "Aozora did something, by impulse, that Donald probably would never forgive him for."
They were on the move again, faster now so Sora and Goofy had to jog through the snow to keep up with Khan.
"What did he do?" Mushu asked with great curiosity. Cri-Kee chirped in agreement.
"Like you wouldn't believe," Sora puffed into the frigid air. "He jumped us and landed on me."
Mulan winced. "That's a whole lot worse than what we had to go through."
"I don't 'think so, Mulan," Mushu countered. "That was one day. We were at it for months!"
"Getting landed on every day of the month?" Sora demanded incredulously, stopping in his tracks with astonishment.
"No, you knucklehead!" Mushu answered vehemently. "She's in the army-"
"Was, Mushu," Mulan interrupted briskly and coldly.
"Whatever," Mushu waved at her. "Keep ridin', I'll be the one talkin'. So anyways, you know you gotta train if you're in the army."
"A lot," Goofy agreed amiably; he loped through the snow as naturally as Sora seeing him being graceful. "That's why I don't like heavy weapons. Shield's fine for me. Light and strong."
"See?" Mushu gesture to Goofy. "Its tough. You get jumped by some impulsive idiot but that's only once. Mulan here's been through hell for months. Now we've got more than hell to contend with."
"A lot more," Mulan growled under her breath as the Imperial City came into full view. Donald was not in sight; he had gone so far ahead they could not see him.
"I don't get it," Sora said, scratching his head. "What's wrong with the army?"
When nobody made an immediate reply, he repeated the question.
"Answer for me, Mushu," Mulan ordered. "I don't want to talk about it."
While Goofy gave her a queer look, Mushu obeyed her wish and said, "Girls aren't allowed in the army."
"What?!" Sora exclaimed. "But why?"
Mushu shrugged his little shoulders. "Beats me."
"They think women are weaker than men," Mulan answered.
"But why'd you join the army if you aren't allowed to?" Goofy asked curiously.
Mulan pulled Khan into a slower trot; they had hit the stone road to the Imperial City and Khan traveled faster on harder roads.
"My father was one of many men ordered into the armies of the Emperor," she said quietly as they half walked half ran to the brightly lit Imperial City. "He was old and he had an old war injury. I could not let him go, fearing he would die. So I took his place."
"And made First Ancestor chase after her," Mushu added ruefully. "Had to bring her back home safely. And we were going to if you hadn't showed up!"
He was shouting at Sora's face.
"Like I had a choice!" Sora shot back. "Your world's in danger, Mushu! You helped me before, now I'm going to help you!"
Mushu blew a raspberry at him and it took all of Sora's self-control to keep him from trying to kill the red dragon who was supposed to be his former summon.
Khan suddenly stopped and snorted. Sora and Mushu stopped their bickering in time to see the great, looming walls of the Imperial City. Lanterns were lit and glowing, hanging from any spot possible. Laughter and cheers, the sounds of triumph and joy, rang from within.
"The guards are gone," Goofy criticized. "They shouldn't be-"
"They're not gone," Donald stomped from the right. "You guys were too damn slow. And the guards aren't gone. Shan Yu and his men are in the city already. We'd better hurry because that means the Nobodies are there, too."
"And the Heartless," Sora agreed with a nod. "Come on, let's go."
Donald ran forward to open the door to let Khan, Mulan, Cri-Kee, and Mushu pass without anyone having to dismount. Sora made to follow but stopped, noting that Goofy was looking over his shoulder, back to the mountains.
Sora followed his gaze. He thought he saw lights flashing.
"You think he'd be okay?" Goofy asked worriedly.
Sora gave a hesitant nod. "He'll be fine; I can feel it."
They ran after the others and into the Imperial City. They were not aware of the glowing yellow eyes from the shadows, as tall, looming creatures appeared from the surface of the earth. They looked at each other. The Keyblade Master was inside the Imperial City. So were the Nobodies. A battle is coming.
Mulan rode Khan through the streets carefully but frantically, searching for Shang and the others in the bustling crowds of celebrating people. Sora, Donald, and Goofy tailed her but kept to the shadows. It wouldn't be great for people to suddenly discover strange and outworldly people at their feet.
"How can she find anybody in this mess?" Sora scanned the streets from one dark alleyway; he had never seen so many people.
"I don't know," Donald and Goofy chimed. They were both used to the crowds of people but never considered searching for a particular person or a particular group of persons in this mess.
Right on cue, the trio heard a voice shrill out, "Make way for the heroes of China!"
"That'll be for us," the trio chorused and fought their way in the direction of the voice, pushing through crowds of cheering people.
They reached the front in time to see Mulan shouting at an imposing soldier. "But Shang! I saw them in the mountains. I wouldn't lie about this."
Sora wondered what the soldier would say. He was stunned by the answer.
"Why should I believe you?" he demanded coldly.
"Because-" Sora was about to yell when Goofy shut him up.
"Why else would I come back?" Mulan shot back angrily. "You said you'd trust Ping. Why is Mulan any different?"
With many people watching, Shang did not answer Mulan's challenge.
Completely disgruntled, Mulan turned on the others.
"Keep your eyes open. I know they're here." She wheeled Khan around and with a "Hee-yaa!", she thundered into the crowd.
"Trust her to leave us here all alone," Donald muttered.
"She's right, you know!" Sora yelled at the top of his lungs.
Shang quickly froze and turned his head around. By then, Goofy had dragged a protesting Sora away deep into the crowd of people swarming around them. Shang did not see who it was.
"What are you doing?" Sora demanded angrily as Goofy pulled him into the dark alleyway.
"Don't mess around with someone else's politics!" Donald provided for the silent knight. "That was their situation, not ours! Don't interfere when that sort of problem appears!"
"But they had to know!" Sora protested; he was confused. "There are Nobodies and Heartless in the city. What combination of enemies can be worse than that?"
Donald and Goofy had no reply.
"Well, let's just go find Mulan," Sora walked into the crowd. "We've lost her."
Donald and Goofy had to agree. They followed the darkly dressed teenager in the direction of the looming palaces of the Emperor. Goofy had a very strange feeling they were being watched but he chose to ignore it, deciding to follow Sora and Donald in the direction Sora believed Mulan and Khan went.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy managed to stagger their way up the intimidating stairs to the huge platform of the palaces just in time to see a falcon, screeching all the while, soared into the sky. A long crooked sword gripped in its talons, it soared upward before the stunned crowds of people down below.
"What's going on?" Donald wondered curiously.
One of the many statues on the palace rooftop answered the question. The fierce raptor soared above the statue and dropped the sword. Before everybody's eyes, a hand shot out from the statue and gripped the sword with its hand. Then the statue stood and Sora shuddered. It was Shan-Yu.
His men, the Huns, were already in position. The glamorous parade dragon behind the shocked Shang and some of his men tore open as Huns leapt out into the air. Before Shang and his men had time to react, they were knocked down to the ground and the Huns had the Emperor by the arm. They dragged him up the last flight of stairs to the doors of the palaces. Other Huns, who were also in position, quickly opened the huge double doors and the Emperor was pulled inside.
By the time Shang and three soldiers, Chien-Po, Ling, and Yao, reached the door, it was securely locked. They pounded on the door relentlessly to no avail. Then they rushed to one of the nearby stone statues, knocked it off its pedestal, and used it has a battering ram, also to no avail.
"They'll never get in that way," Mulan's voice muttered and Sora saw her standing in the shadows of the palaces, shaking her head.
Rather, he saw past her, to a monstrous, dark creature with bulging muscles and glowing yellow eyes. The eyes looked very familiar...but if there was one thing Sora was sure off, Mulan was going to be attacked.
"Mulan, duck!" Sora called the Keyblade into his hand, making probably up to a million people aware of the teenager in black, outlandish clothing holding a huge silver key in his right hand.
Mulan dropped to the floor; Sora quickly aimed at the monster, and shouted, "Firaga!"
He saw the monster before the fireball the Keyblade emitted obliterated the monster. It was an overgrown Shadow, a Heartless.
But why was there only one?
Shang, Chien-Po, Ling, and Yao saw the fireball sailing to the far right of the palaces. They also saw Mulan emerging from the ensuing smoke, slightly splattered in black liquid but no worse for wear. She smiled sheepishly at them, then was all business, stating, "Hey guys, I've got an idea!"
They were all a bit stunned by her unexpected, not to say shocking, appearance. But the bonds of friendship overcame that minor yet demeaning obstacle; Chien-Po, Ling, and Yao jumped to Mulan's side. Shang hesitated, still unable to bring himself to trust a woman.
That hesitation was cut quite short when they heard an exclamation of surprise. It sounded like a strangling duck. They all turned to the platform, just in time to see white creatures leaping their way up the stairs, jumping, twirling and causing mayhem amongst the crowds.
"What are they?" Shang stammered.
"Nobodies," Mulan growled. Then she saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They had set out to meet the Nobodies head-on.
"Mulan, get the Emperor!" Sora shouted as Donald cast Aeroga on his three party members. "We'll get rid of these guys and come after you! The Emperor's your first priority! Go!"
Mulan nodded in acknowledgement, then smiled to the guys. "Boys, let's save the Emperor."
Sora's arms were aching, as he hacked his way through the dancing white bodies. He was getting dizzy; flashing white colors don't help people who move rapidly. He still kept to his feet though, now making sure to stay clear of the Nobodies' dagger-like hands; he's been at the Nobodies enough times to know that.
Donald was no longer casting spells; he was conserving his energy for another rampage of magic. He was dodging the Nobodies and whacking them with his short magic staff. It was a great way to collect the magic points needed to cast magic. Goofy was helping him, since Donald was not the greatest at hand-to-hand combat. He would whirl around with his shield and destroy some Nobodies in seconds, sending a couple of blue hearts to the sky. Goofy also made sure to get rid of the Nobodies that Donald most certainly could not reach.
In a way, they were still pretty efficient, though all three of them were conserving their magic and their supplies were starting to run low.
Sora ducked under a jumping Nobody and jammed his key upward, stabbing the Nobody through the 'stomach' and releasing an explosion of light and a blue heart. The next thing he knew, something big and jet black rushed past his right shoulder, jumped up, and literally devoured the blue heart. With Sora standing in utter astonishment, the black thing landed and turned on him. Sora gasped.
It had huge shoulders, a massive chest, muscular legs, a huge head, long jagged ear-thingies, and glowing yellow eyes. The hands were clawed and were dripping blue, resulting from its feast on the Nobody's blue heart. It looked at Sora, or rather at Sora's right hand, which was gripping the Kingdom Key. Its eyes traveled upward to the shining silver of the key and Sora could literally feel the hatred the creature had for the Kingdom Key.
A Heartless. Sora's 'ancient' enemy was here.
Screams ripped through the already chaotic air. As Sora, Donald, and Goofy stared in horror, red and blue hearts started meandering upward into the sky. People down below were shrieking, running around, jostling each other, trying to get out of the Imperial City. Sora was horrified by it all; he could see the Nobodies and the Heartless in a bloodbath, trying to hit each other senseless, mindless of all the innocent people who were trying to flee.
Then there was a bloodcurdling yell and Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked up. Goofy stopped looking up when he found himself in the middle of a charge; a Nobody at his left and a Heartless at his right were charging each other and Goofy was right in the thick of it.
The knight evaded the inevitable crash just as Chien-Po, dressed as a woman, fell from the sky, with the Emperor in his arms.
His very sudden appearance stupefied Sora. Chien-Po set the Emperor on the ground and watched warily, ready to defend the Emperor at a moment's notice.
"What in heavens is going on here?" the slightly built Emperor looked out to the battlefield down below.
"Your Majesty," Sora bowed. "Nobodies and Heartless are here in battle. I suggest you do not go down there."
The Emperor started, then turned on him. He peered at Sora and Sora swore he saw the Emperor's face go pale. That was something not easy to tell, as the Emperor was already a bit pale and had a very long mustache and beard that covered about half his face.
"You're here?" the Emperor gaped. "Already?"
"Already?" Sora repeated. "What?"
"Sora, duck!" Donald yelled from behind.
Chien-Po pulled the Emperor to the ground as Sora practically 'saw' the Heartless that was jumping at him from the side. He whirled around and sliced the Heartless neatly in half before it could reach him. Then he 'saw' another one going for his feet. Sora leaped into the air and swung downward. He was almost knocked out of the air by a Nobody that came 'flying' by. Soon he found himself busy defending the Emperor; they were just as magnetized to the Emperor as to him.
"When did the Heartless ever start lifting weights?" Sora muttered under his breath as he barely avoided a very powerful punch one of the Heartless threw at him. Then, to his surprise, one of the Nobodies jumped at the Heartless and jabbed its dagger-like hands into the Heartless.
Another Heartless squashed the daylights out of the Nobody just as Ling and Yao appeared, out of breath but still safe. Behind them, though, Huns came running, screaming their heads off, to the amazement of those who had faced them. Sora stared at Ling and Yao; they were dressed as women, too. What happened to them?
"Where's Mulan and Shang?" Chien-Po demanded.
"Mulan?" the Emperor echoed. "That is a woman's name. Why do you mention a woman?"
"Um..." all three soldiers were suddenly very hesitant. But they knew they had to answer to the Emperor. "She's...ah..."
"Strike Raid!" the Kingdom Key went flashing over their heads and stopped a Heartless from advancing on the oblivious group of people.
"Be on guard," Sora ordered them from afar; the Keyblade went twirling back to him. "The Heartless are a lot better at catching people like you unaware than the Nobodies. You guys, keep the Emperor safe; this fight isn't over yet!"
With a war cry, Sora jumped into a melee of Heartless and Nobodies who were fighting each other and with Donald and Goofy.
"He ordered the Emperor," Yao said in awe. "Begging pardon, Your Majesty."
"No need," the Emperor answered in his noble voice. "He is right. The Keyblade Master knows this more than we do. He knows what must be done. Do as he says and keep on guard. But do you three have more than make-up? I'm afraid these Heartless and Nobodies don't fear make-up like men do."
They were startled by his sense of humor but they tapped at their sides, indicating the swords they had concealed under the dresses Mulan dressed them up in.
Sora was Dodge Rolling away from a Heartless when he felt a jolt in his soul, the rapid slamming of a door. He jumped up and staggered away, feeling the place in his heart. The Nobodies gave shrill cries of rage.
"Ready baby! Light me!" a familiar voice shouted out with joy and glee, all the way down from the highest roof of the palaces. Sora looked up and thought: Mushu. Then: where's Aozora?
He turned to the mountains but saw nothing. He searched into his heart, searching frantically but he felt nothing as well. Something has happened to him!
"Get off the roof! Get off the roof!" he heard Mulan screaming out. He wondered why.
In a few seconds, the question was answered.
As Shang staggered out of the palaces, woozy but okay, one of the towers of the palaces detonated. Fireworks went screaming out into the night air and exploded, as the palaces erupted into flames.
Within seconds, Mulan came flying out of nowhere and tumbled onto Shang. She hugged him in relief as Shan-Yu's sword flew out of the sky and landed on their feet, stabbing into the ground. Then Mushu and Cri-Kee descended safely as well. Then Chi Fu, the Emperor's snobbish aide, came stumbling out, traumatized but furious just the same.
His hat smoldering, he shrilled out, "Where is she? Now she's done it! What a mess!"
He glared around, the grimace very pronounced on his face. He had a look that dared anyone to oppose his opinions.
Sora sighed. He could already tell what was going to happen-
"Sora, duck!" Mulan yelled and the Keyblade Master dropped flat on the ground.
"Firaga!" and dark liquid splattered all over him as Donald extinguished a Heartless.
"Blegh," Sora got up, his Keyblade still in his hand, and looked at himself. The black goop was rolling off him smoothly, leaving nothing behind. The liquid rolled off him smoothly and formed a puddle under his feet.
"They're still here," Sora said. "Be on guard; the Nobodies and Heartless are still here."
"Not the Nobodies," Goofy remarked. "They're running away!"
"Running what?" Donald squalled and rushed to the edge of the platform.
Everybody rushed to the platform, except the still-fuming Chi Fu. They saw the masses of white stampeding out of the Imperial City, following the crowds of people that were managed to escape. The other people were still screaming, still fleeing the Heartless.
"Oh no," Sora turned very pale. He knew what was coming: the Heartless were going to massacre the people.
"That's right!" Chi Fu shrilled behind them. "'Oh no' should be the first statement! Look at this mess. That disgraceful, deceitful female destroyed the Emperor's palaces!"
He pointed at Mulan, shaking with rage.
Sora stared at the Emperor's aide, flabbergasted. The Heartless were ready to go on a bloodbath and this-this idiot was yelling at Mulan for destroying Shan-Yu?!
"She's a hero!" Shang protested as the others formed a protective circle around her.
"She's a woman!" Chi Fu shrilled in a high voice. "She'll never be worth anything!"
Shang grew very red. He stomped over to the still-arrogant Chi Fu and grabbed him by the neck of his tunic. He then blasted at the aide, " Listen, you pompous-"
"Enough!" Sora and the Emperor shouted at once.
Everyone stared at the two; Shang dropped Chi Fu to the floor.
"Your Majesty," Shang quickly stated with a bow, "I can explain-"
The Emperor held up a hand. "There is no time to explain anything, Captain Shang. Please, listen to this young man."
He gestured to Sora, who began to grin sheepishly. That was until Donald stomped him on the foot.
"Ow-hey! Oh, sorry," Sora was even more sheepish, before he saw a red heart float upwards. A red heart? He turned very serious. "Listen. Your world is being invaded by outsiders. Just moments ago, there was a battle between two of the outsiders. You were all very lucky they did not rampage all over the place and flatten even the mountains. There is no time for a brawl; we must find a way to get rid of the outsiders once and for all."
"You're an outsider," Chi Fu huffed.
"He's got a good point," Shang nodded.
"We-" he gestured to Donald, Goofy, then to himself "-are here to stop these outsiders. We are their enemy and they are our enemies. We are here to keep your worlds from being devoured by the darkness," Sora explained. " Right now, one force of the outsiders has been outdone by an act of sacrifice. I don't know what happened and I don't need to know what happened. Right now, I have to find a Keyhole to your world. I can seal it and we can finish driving these guys-" he gestured to the Heartless "-out of here forever. No complaining, no shouting, no fistfights, no nothing! Understand?"
He breathed heavily, trying to catch his breath. His stony glare fell on Chi Fu, who had begun to tremble in fear.
Then the Emperor gave a slight bow to Sora. "Do as he commands. Let us save our people and our home."
Chi Fu huffed and stomped off.
Sora was very worried. What had happened to Aozora anyways?
"How do we stop the Heartless, Sora?" Mulan asked. "You said something about a Keyhole. Where can we find it?"
Sora gave a shrug. "We have to find it..."
Everyone stared at him. He stared at the Emperor, who was staring at Mulan.
"Yes, Keyblade Master," the Emperor was saying. "Not all Keyholes are in inanimate objects."
He then gave a very deep bow to Mulan. "You have stolen your father's armor, ran away from home, pretended to be a soldier, lied to your commanding officer, dishonored the Chinese Army, destroyed my palaces, rid the world of Shan-Yu, and you know where the Keyhole is. Show the Keyhole to Sora."
Mulan gestured silently, in shock, to herself: me?
The Emperor nodded and Sora began to understand.
"You are the Keyhole..."
Without further adieu, he swung his Keyblade forward, surprising Shang, Chien-Po, Ling, Yao, and Chi Fu in the process, aimed at Mulan, and began to feel the forces of the light center on his Keyblade. Mulan was the Keyhole.
He sealed the Keyhole, then was confronted by a very serious task. "We have sealed the world from more Heartless, more Nobodies," Sora told a very stupefied set of people. "The Nobodies have already fled; we must rid this world of the Heartless."
He swung out his Keyblade, barely missed beheading Yao, and jumped off the platform into the swarming crowds of Heartless. Donald and Goofy looked at each other and then to Mulan and Mushu. Mulan had in her hands Shan-Yu's sword. The four nodded and followed Sora down the long drop. Shang pulled out his sword, prompting others to do the same. Chien-Po stayed with the Emperor and an outraged Chi Fu, as the others followed the female.
Cri-Kee, perched on the railing of the platform, watched intently as the five people, the wizard, the knight, and the tiny red dragon cut a huge path across the town square down below, sending up clouds of red hearts into the sky. Silver flashed; Sora led the charge deep into the sea of darkness.
Cri-Kee began to chirp rapidly; the Heartless swarmed behind them, in front of them, to their sides, all around them. There was a circle of people, battling valiantly against the enemy that was overwhelmingly powerful. Then there was a huge explosion.
"Oh no!" Chien-Po exclaimed while both the Emperor and Chi Fu looked on, aghast. "Mulan! Ling, Yao, Captain Shang! No!"
When the smoke dissipated, somebody stood where a large part of the wall around the Imperial City had once existed.
Sora gave a shout of welcome. It was Aozora.
Just one additional person destroyed the Heartless. Sora and Aozora teamed together and were moving through the Heartless in a fury everyone had claimed they had never seen before. And constantly, power glowed from the look-a-likes.
Donald and Goofy also moved like tempests. Donald had saved up his magic points for a good reason and Goofy had become exceptionally dangerous with his shied. They carved out sections from the swarms of Heartless surrounding them and no Heartless remained to fill in the holes.
Mulan proved herself in the intense battle. Twice she was injured but she kept to her feet. With Mushu on her head, firing balls of fire at every Heartless within reach, she gained more admiration and respect from her friends.
Sora heard Aozora mutter some very strange words. He looked at his look-a- like oddly. What the hell was he saying?
"Ascenti totellum," he heard Aozora say.
"Aozora, what the hell are you say-"
A bright flash of light engulfed the Imperial City. When the light faded, no Heartless remained.
They watched as Mulan, astride Khan with Mushu, Cri-Kee, Shan-Yu's sword, and the Emperor's medallion, waved at them, before starting on her journey homeward. Sora waved back cheerfully, remembering Mushu's promise that he would keep her safe. The Emperor was having a private discussion with Aozora for reasons he did not understand; the others were there as well to see her off. Shang was still looking in the direction she rode off to long after she had gone.
Aozora finally emerged from the literally untouched Throne Room. He looked a little off, his eyes shining very strangely.
"What were you guys talking about?" Sora asked immediately. But Aozora shook his head.'
"Later," he muttered.
"...it was nice talking to you, Captain Shang," Goofy told the captain. "I hope to meet again with all of you soon."
"We all do," Chien-Po, Ling, and Yao grinned foolishly. "Never met the King's Captain of the Royal Knights before. The best!" Then Yao added, as a quick after note, "The best after personally defending the Emperor."
Sora, Donald, Goofy, and a very silent Aozora said formal good-byes to the Emperor, were given boisterous goodbyes by Ling, Yao, and backbreaking hugs from Chien-Po. They shook hands with Shang, who looked more than ready to go in the direction Mulan had long since gone to.
"Another world saved," Sora remarked in tired relief as they marched their way back up the snow. "Aozora, what did you say back then anyways?"