A/N: Long chapter is so long. I just wanted to get through this so we can move onto the good parts. As per usual, wrote this when I was young, having fun making it better. No judgment. Hahaha….except to my 15 year old self.
As predicted, the air only got colder the further up the mountain the group climbed. Snow was still drifting down from the low clouds as a chilled icy wind pulled at her hair and deposited snowflakes and bits of ice in her thick curls. She tucked one of the curls behind her frozen ear and held it there as her gaze turned skyward. A hawk screamed through the clouds towards the summit. The trail was slippery and rocky and her boots did little to give her traction on the treacherous, steep rocks.
"We've gotta be almost there by now, right?" Donald asked as they stopped to catch their breath on a flat expanse of snow.
Mulan turned to scan the huge area they had stopped. "We're not going to a place Donald. We're looking for someone."
"Well we've been looking forever." He grumbled.
Eleanor looked up at the ridge line where a huge shadowed figure stood glaring down at them. His hulking shoulders stood in stark contrast against the colorless sky behind him on the ridge. He held a crooked sword in one of his massive fists. "Sora..?" She set a hand on his chin and directed his sparkly gaze to the man. "You don't suppose he's who we're looking for."
"Who is it?" He waved her hand away and took a few steps across the snow.
"Pete?"
"Or.. A heartless?"
Donald and then Goofy took a step in front of Mulan, whose eyes were narrowed in the direction of the ridge. Suddenly, hundreds of shadows crowded the silhouette of the man. A swarm of flying heartless.
"Shan-Yu." Mulan muttered. "Leader of the Huns."
"Get Mulan out of here El." Sora's keyblade appeared in a flash. "Make sure she's safe and get the Captain-"
"No!" She took a step towards him.
"No?" He turned to her.
"Donald and Goofy are fully capable. I will not leave your side a second time." Their eyes met as deep laughter filled the snowy ravine. "Now would be good!" She shouted back to the two.
"Uh, on it!" Goofy grabbed Mulan's arm and they were gone in a flash.
"I won't let you out of my sight anytime soon." She muttered under her breath as her antiqued keyblade appeared in her hand.
"I could get used to that."
"You have made this fight too easy. I was warned of the keyblade and its wielder. I was told he was a warrior and here, I am faced with children." The man was suddenly behind them in a rush of shadows and the small buzzing heartless that whipped around them in a wild frenzy. "I will show no mercy, even to the weakest opponents. Kill them." He ordered to the heartless before he was gone.
"He'll be back." Sora's hand on her wrist stopped her advance after the man. "We have to stop the heartless from getting any further down the mountain. Do you trust me?"
"With all my heart." She searched his face.
"Then remember how we took out those big heartless? These are nothing compared to that. It'll be a breeze to beat these small fry." He turned and set his back against hers. "And we made the best team back there, don't you think?"
Eleanor smiled despite herself. The way Sora spoke made her blood ignite in her veins. She was inspired and wanted nothing more than to make the warrior of light proud of her. The keyblade in her hand glowed and a bright flash sent the heartless around them reeling backwards. It seemed like there were hundreds of the monsters, but the pair made fast work of the heartless in the snowy ridge. When Sora's keyblade sliced through the last shadowy monster, they were both out of breath and smiling like morons. She fixed her bangs as the keyblade clenched in her hands disappeared.
"Shall we rejoin the others?" Eleanor took a few steps towards Sora. "You were amazing, by the way. You are a gifted fighter. You make wielding that blade look so easy and graceful."
"I was hoping I would look more tough than graceful." He pouted, completely glancing over the compliment she had paid him, which earned a giggle from her.
She tilted up her chin as she stopped inches from him. "Oh so tough Sora. And brave and dashing as well. In fact, you're the bravest person I know."
An uncharacteristically bashful look passed over his bright face. "We should, uh, we should get moving. That guy will probably try to head wherever the most people are don't you think?"
"Lead the way then." She bowed and held out her hand in the direction the others had run.
The pair picked their way carefully back down the mountain side, over the snow and the slick icy rocks. It was harder climbing down then it had been climbing up to begin with. When the former pirate would slip on the ice, the keyblade master would quickly grab her elbow of her hand with a laugh.
"Will you watch your feet insteada the sky already? Maybe you won't slip so much." He teased as they approached the burned outpost.
She rolled her eyes. "Maybe if you weren't so good at catching me I wouldn't fall so much." Their eyes caught again and she smiled softly.
"Sora, Eleanor!" Goofy's voice made them turn away from one another. "Did the man get away? We couldn't see anything!"
"Yeah he did, but the heartless are taken care of." Sora explained, blinking to regain focus and made his way to Goofy's side. "What's going on down here?"
"We've been found out." Donald said sadly.
"Found out?" Eleanor turned to Mulan.
The girls armor sat discarded in a pile beside the charred wall of the outpost. She shook her thick black hair out and carefully put it back in place around her shoulders. "The captain heard us talking, and so there's nothing much we can do now. Well, that is to say nothing much I can do now. You all need to go warn the captain about that man. His name is Shan-Yu, leader of the Hun army. If he has control of those monsters the imperial city is in danger. They'll listen to you, but as for me.." She sighed deeply. "I want to thank you for everything, Sora, Donald Goofy, you risked everything to help me and I am so grateful."
"Well gawrsh, what are you going to do now?" Goofy asked.
"It's time I went home." Mulan looked up at the sky. "My family has got to be so worried. I've been selfish."
"Your Daddy is gonna be more steamed than a dumplin'. And the guardians.." Mushu slipped out of the back of the warrior's shirt. "I don't even want to think of what they might do to me."
"We'll go with you." Eleanor said without thinking. She looped her arms through one of Goofy's and one of Donald's. "It's the very least we could do."
Sora jumped up and down enthusiastically. "That's right! We'll keep you out of trouble and explain everything to your dad."
"There's no way he'll be able to be upset with you." Goofy grinned.
Before Mulan could answer a piercing roar cut through the silence. Donald and Goofy jumped and Eleanor covered her ears. Sora took a half step in front of Mulan.
"Is that the heartless?" Donald asked.
"Oh no the Imperial City." Mulan grabbed the sword from her forgotten armor. "We have to protect the Emperor and warn Shang. If it's the heartless, Shan-Yu won't be far behind."
"You heard the lady." Goofy called and rushed after Mulan. He was followed shortly by Donald.
Sora grinned. "That's the spirit!" He grabbed Eleanor's wrist and pulled her forward. "Come on we have to protect the Emperor!"
In a rush, the group slipped back down the rest of the mountain path. Eleanor's mind wandered but Sora's hand in hers managed to keep her at least mostly grounded. The mention of the Hun army had gotten her thinking Jack had told her about Huns, the armies in the far-east. They were an ancient people, and this China was different then the China where Jack had traded for spices and treasure. This was a completely different world. It put her mind in a whirlwind and she could hardly tell her left from her right. She could look to Sora, her anchor with eyes like the sky but she couldn't see how she could explain what was happening in her mind to him. Suddenly, she realized that she just wanted to go home, to Jack and the ocean.
It was then, when her whirling mind became too distracting and Eleanor's toe hit a rock as they neared the bottom of the path. Her hand ripped away from Sora's as she hit the dirt and couldn't bring herself to stand up.
"Eleanor?" Goofy called back as they all skidded to a stop around her. "Gawrsh, are you alright?"
"Yes, yes I'm fine."
"You're crying." Donald pointed out matter-of-factly.
"I am?"
"We have to keep moving." Mulan urged.
"Donald and Goofy will stick with you again. I'll help out here. I've pretty much got catching this one on lock by now. We'll be there as fast as we can." He gave them a thumbs up. Donald, Goofy and Mulan nodded and rushed down off the path and away. With a sigh Sroa squatted in front of her and held out his hands. "Now you gotta tell me what's going on right now." He demanded softly.
She sat up on her knees and kept her eyes on her hands in her lap. "I-"
"Look at me."
His eyes were the bluest blue she had ever seen and a short sob escaped her mouth, which she quickly covered with her fingers. "Oh Sora, I just miss Jack. I miss him so much."
"Hey stop that. No sad faces." He hesitated as tears slipped down her face. He tugged her forward by the hands and into a tight hug.
Her arms wound around her shoulders and she held him tight. "I'm sorry. I'm being so selfish. I was trying to keep my mind off of it but suddenly everything just sank in."
"Explain to me what's selfish about missing your home and the people you care about?" He sat back on his heels and took her face in his hands. He carefully wiped at the tears slipped down her face. Her hands still clung desperately to the hood that hung loosely down his back. "What do you think I've been doing for so long huh? I've been to darkness and back looking for my friends and I've missed them every second of the way." He carefully caught her tears that were making slower and slower tracks down her face. "Hey you know what the best remedy for those tears is?"
Eleanor laughed quietly despite herself and pulled her hands bashfully from the backside of his neck to wipe at the rapidly drying tear tracks on her face.
"There it is!" Sora pulled her up to her feet. He hesitated before adding. "You know, you should smile more."
"Yes well, than I wouldn't be a very fearsome pirate would I." She sniffed but avoided his gaze out of embarrassment. "Thank you for everything Sora. You are a treasure."
He scratched the back of his head and allowed a soft smile to spread over his face. "Come one we better get moving but you promise me you're okay."
"I give you my word."
Sora seemed satisfied with her answer. Together they moved as fast as they could in order to catch Donald, Goofy and Mulan at the gates to the Imperial City. A crowd had begun to gather in order to watch the return of the victorious soldiers after the defeat of the Hun army. The scream from the mountains only meant that their terrible leader was already inside the walls somewhere more than likely. Eleanor took a short moment to admire the great walled city. Jack had told her stories of the far-east, but she had to think that this Imperial City was worlds and universes away from Jack's China. She shook her head as the sounds of a battle raged in the courtyard. Mulan spotted the Captain and his troops among the swarms of heartless, soldiers and Huns.
"Shang!" She shouted as she drew her sword. "The Emperor is in danger with all these monsters."
"Why would I believe any of you?" The Captain eyed them all suspiciously.
Sora growled. "You trusted Ping didn't you? So why shouldn't you trust Mulan."
A hawk screamed as it cut down out of the clouds and towards its keeper at the end of the courtyard, where Shan-Yu's hulking figure stood with his crooked sword pointed at the Emperor.
"Shan Yu." Shang's voice was quiet.
Mulan brandished her stolen sword with a huge smile. "You protect the Emperor, we'll clear the courtyard, can we agree to that?"
Sora nodded to Donald and Goofy who grinned in return and dove into the heartless with their weapons out and shining. Eleanor kept her eyes on Shang, as her keyblade filled her ready hands.
"Apologies are in order, but it will have to wait until later." Shang set his hand over his heart. "I will see to the Emperor's safety, if you take care of Shan-Yu and this mess."
"Yessir Captain." Sora half saluted.
"Let's toast some hunny bun kids." Mushu slipped from the back of Mulan's shirt with a wicked smile as they both sprinted towards the palace.
A grunt over Eleanor's shoulder made her turn. What appeared to be a hun stumbled towards her with a rusted sword clenched in his mud caked fist. With a little effort, the man swung the sword at her middle. She easily deflected the blow with her keyblade. The hun soldier stumbled backwards away from her as black smoke began to leak from under his ancient armor. His face distorted and his eyes blinked into a bright yellow.
"Heartless! All of them!" Sora's voice came from somewhere behind her. "I'm going to help Mulan! Can you handle these heartless?"
"You got it Sora!" Donald waved his staff in the air and summoned a few fireballs, that flew towards the heartless soldiers and exploded into a rain of sparks.
"These heartless are no problem at all." Goofy smashed through a group of heartless with hardly any effort at all.
"Right." Sora took a half step back before running the direction Mulan had run.
"But-" Eleanor tried to call out to him, but before she could say anything else, he was gone. She turned to the mass or heartless with a nervous breath. As the monsters advanced she swung the weapon once and then again. She narrowed her gaze at the creatures. Her keyblade glowed bright, and instead of ignoring it, she let the weapon guide her hands.
There wasn't a lot of all the swordplay jack had taught her, that applied to the use of the strange weapon. It was almost as though the keyblade had a mind of its own, it wanted to flip and stab and pull her in dizzying circles. Not to mention the cumbersome and awkward size of the blade made it almost impossible to wield the way she would the lightweight silvery blade Jack had taught her to use. She thought that it was a wonder how easy and graceful Sora made it look.
The keyblade spun her in a sweeping circle and she tilted back on her heel in order to let its momentum spin her around and jump up into the air. She slammed the butt of her blade into a huge cluster of the heartless.
"How do you like that?" Eleanor turned, slightly out of breath, and expecting to see the battle almost won. Instead the heartless left in the courtyard twitched and began to melt into the ground. She looked quickly up to the palace. Shan-Yu stood over Mulan, and held Sora up in the air by the collar. The keybearer was struggling for air against the hulking man's grip. Black smoke was curling up into the air from underneath the Hun leader's armor, like it had with the other soldiers.
"Possessed by the darkness as well." Eleanor glanced back at Donald and Goofy who had stopped at each of her sides.
"Together?" Goofy's gloved hands tightened around the handle on back of his shield.
"We'll follow your lead." Donald urged with a nod.
Eleanor nodded and rushed forward as the massive man dropped Sora to the ground. Her blood ran cold as he raised his sword high above his head in order to strike Sora down. She slid to a stop and held out her weapon in his defense. Donald and Goofy helped Sora to his feet. Her gaze fluttered back to him briefly to check his face for injuries. Thankfully, a split lip that was leaking blood down his chin seemed to be his only injury.
"You're okay?" She asked breathily.
"Fine." His answer was short as he glared up at Shan-Yu.
The man turned his yellowed gaze on Eleanor with a deep chuckle. "Little girl, I am hardly intimidated by you." His voice was a mere hiss through his pointed teeth. Darkness leaked from his skin and hands. "You will have to do much better than that. Tell me, is the boy is he what you want?"
She turned to Sora briefly one last time. The blood dribbling from under his lips offset his brilliant glare in a fantastic way but she held out her keyblade to Shan-Yu. "You hurt him. That's all I care about."
"And I will again." The dark smoke that swirled around him shot up towards the sky with unnatural speed. It pulsed and grew bigger and bigger until it created a solid form far up above them. It curled until a massive winged heartless roared in the sky above them. Massive tambourine shaped arms banged clattered under its huge colorful body.
"Oh bugger." She murmured.
They noticed Mulan had disappeared as she appeared on the roof above the heartless with Mushu on her shoulder. Sora's bright eyes followed her gaze up to the roof.
"We have to get on top of it." He said quietly to Donald and Goofy.
"You have to get on top of it." Eleanor glanced back to him quickly. "Go now."
Time seemed to slow. Sora swiped the blood from under his lips with the back of his hand as the trio signaled up to Mulan. Shan-Yu growled as they began to flee, but Eleanor took a half step in front of him and blocked the attack directed at Sora with her own keyblade.
"Your fight is with me." Her voice was strained but she met his gaze with fierce intensity.
"As you wish." He conceded with a low growl.
"Eleanor-" Sora had paused.
"Go and quickly, or else that monster will get out into the city and thousands will be in danger." She cut him off. He stayed where he was for another second before disappearing into the palace and pulling the massive heavy door shut.
Eleanor set her jaw as she and the Massive Hun leader circled one another. She summoned all the courage she could and her keyblade responded with a bright flash. Shan-Yu took a step back with a dark smile.
"I grow tired of this. Come at me or I will murder your friends where they stand. The heartless will obey my every command."
Eleanor rushed forward and sung her keyblade in order to block his rusted sword. He used the bounce from her defensive move and took a half-step back. With a mighty growl, he unleashed a mighty barrage of blows. She was able to dodge most of them easily, and the last one she ducked down towards the stones under her feet. He acted quick and snarled his massive hand into her curls.
"No!" Her keyblade flew from her hands as he jerked her down onto her knees.
"I was warned about you. I know what you are. Incomplete." His voice was a low snarl at her ear that made her shiver. "I was told not to fear you. You or your incomplete heart. I can see through your veil of light."
She struggled to free herself from his grip on her hair. Her hands grabbed hold of his and she dug into his skin with her nails. "What do you mean? Incomplete." She whispered shakily.
Instead of an answer, the sound of his sword swishing through the air made her suck in a breath. With a huge effort, she yanked her hair free enough to avoid his blade. Instead of slicing her neck where it was aiming, the dulled weapon sliced through her hair with a painful snag. Shan-Yu stumbled backwards and threw her hair from his clenched fist. She stood quickly in one swift motion and her keyblade stabbed up through his middle.
"What do you mean, incomplete?" Eleanor asked angrily.
Her question only elicited a laugh from the man, who was now smoking and slowly disappearing into the night air.
"Tell me!" She repeated urgently.
"I only know what I was told, girl. You are what's leftover. They told me not to fear you, but I underestimated you clearly." With that he was gone.
Eleanor fell to her knees. "Left over from what." She ran a hand through her messily chopped red hair. What was left on her head was an uneven and hacked bob, with at least a few red curls left around her face, but nearly nothing left in the back. What had been her beloved curls, lay on the ground scattered in tangled strands or blowing away in the wind. "Incomplete."
Somewhere above and behind her, the massive sky-borne heartless roared. Without its master, it was easy prey for Sora's silvery keyblade. When it crashed to the ground, and the Imperial guards carefully crept back into the courtyard, Sora rushed to Eleanor's side while Shang and Mulan saw to the Emperor. His hands found hers quickly as his bright eyes looked her over to be sure she had suffered nothing but the loss of her long hair.
He pulled her to her feet with a warm, comforting smile. "You're alright. What a relief. That was so awesome. I mean besides your hair.."
"Nothing to worry about. The good thing about hair is it grows back." She avoided his imploring gaze like the plague.
"What did he say to you?"
"Incomplete. He's the third one to call me that. Incomplete. What does that mean?" Suddenly she was staring into his bright eyes and he had no answers for her.
"We'll figure it out together. But for the record, you look complete to me."
He offered her a soft smile, that she only half returned. The rest of their time in the city was a blur, goodbyes and promises to return before the bright flash that returned them to the Gummi ship. The word incomplete was buzzing in her ears and all she wanted to do was lie down and think, even though she knew she couldn't. The only thing she was sure of was that Sora would function as her anchor, and they would figure everything out together.