If we were Together: A year has passed since their separation, and Riku and Sora have grown both in size and in mentality. Sora slept in her chamber regaining her memories while Riku watched over her clouded in the gray spaces between light and darkness.
Chapter 5: Be A Man!
The destruction was massive. Big smoking buildings littered the area and a falcon circled overhead giving a shrieking cry before landing atop the shoulder of its master. Shan-Yu eyed the area a sinister smile spreading on his lips as he admired his own work of destruction.
From atop the hill in a shroud of Bamboo trees two figures watched, one human, one mighty dragon, the flames casting a shadow to give him a more sinister and authoritative appearance. Mushu, the dragon spoke to the human, "See that Mulan? That's Shan Yu, leader of the Han Army. Now's your big chance to go over there and show him what you're made of. I can see it now, Fa Mulan whoops public enemy #1 you're gonna be famous I talking about A list!"
Mushu was always one for the flair and the spotlight, he'd found his chance for redemption inside the trembling female who duck behind the bushes watching the fearsome man stalk across the burning village.
"I don't know, Mushu," Mulan interjected. "I haven't even joined the army yet. I have to take my father's place to uphold the Fa Family honor."
"Please, you're just scared, admit it!" Mushu counteracted getting a slight whimper from her.
"Aren't you?"
~Sora~
On the other side of the brush Sora and her friends arrived looking around the lush closed off area. It was Goofy who spotted the shadowy figure staring down at the trembling woman. When Sora and Donald caught sight the three of them bent down in huddle. "A heartless?" Donald questioned.
"Let's get the jump on him," Sora determined not wanting to take a chance. Ignoring Goofy's warning both Donald and Sora charged them, scaring Mushu from his hiding spot and into the comforting arms of Mulan. Sora screamed to a halt recognizing the little figure right away.
"Mushu?" She remembered the pint-sized dragon from her summoning days. Mushu had been the last of the summoning gems she had learned to wield and she remembered his powerful fire techniques had been quite useful in battle. So, this was his world.
"That's right, I know you've heard of me. I'm little lethal and legendary!" Mushu threatened popping over Mulan's shoulder.
"Hey Mushu!" Sora chirped in happy to see a friendly face. "We've missed you!"
"Yeah well you better hope I miss you or.. or… Sora, Donald, Goofy!" Mushu paused in his rant when he recognized the faces of the assailants. The three of them smiled warmly at him and he pat Mulan on the shoulder giving her a sign everything was okay.
"You know them, Mushu?"
"Know them? Man we used to kick all kinds of bad guy butt together. You know I helped these guys out of a lot of tights spots." Mushu casually walked up and leaned on Sora's leg. "Cuz I'm a mighty dragon."
"Something like that," Sora giggled and held out her hand to the person. "It's nice to meet you, what's your name?"
"I'm Mulan.. err I mean." Mulan struggled a moment forgetting her cover.
"Ping!" Mushu interjected.
"Mulan Ping?"
"Just Ping," Mulan gruffed her voice. "I am Ping, son of Fa Zhou!"
"How do you know Mushu?" Sora asked.
"Mushu is one of my family's guardians."
"We didn't know we were borrowing someone as important as a family guardian."
"That's right, and that puts you three into debt with Ping here, and guess what kiddies, it's payback time." Mushu circled around Ping jumping onto his shoulder a plan hatching in his head.
"I see, well I suppose that's fair. What do we need to do?"
"Well you see, Ping here was just on his way to join up with the imperial Army."
"Ah, Mushu," Ping interjected whispering. "You forget the Army forbids a woman to join."
"If your'e talking about Sora, that's no problem. She's a natural born tomboy." He jumps back down circling around Sora and he tugs off the skirt portion of her clothes making her squeak and blush the skinny pants doing nothing to hide her female hips. "Hmmm this may be tougher than I thought. You used to have a little boy's figure."
"Mushu!" Sora pulled her skirt back up blushing and she paused. "Hmmmm… no girl's allowed huh? Some army."
"I know, right?" Ping said in a plain girl voice and caught herself holding her mouth.
"Oh, now I get it, you're pretending to be a boy aren't you?" Goofy deduced. Donald and Sora looked wide eyed.
"You're a girl?" Sora shouted as Donald gaped.
"You didn't notice?" please with herself Mulan smiled bashfully.
"Not me!"
"Uh uh!" Donald agreed.
"I think it's working." Mulan smiled at Mushu.
"I don't know, those two will fall for anything." Mushu disagreed making Sora frown at him.
"Hey!"
"Now back to the problem at hand. Sora you act boyish enough but you have to look like one. We need to disguise you up a bit." Mushu tapped his foot rubbing his chin.
"Say Sora," Goofy spoke in. "Why don't you try using the powers of the clothes. The fairies did say that they had magical powers which you had to find out.
"I suppose I could but this isn't exactly what I would call a normal situation for this." Sora looked to her hands, Closing her eyes she harnessed the power feeling them warm and light up. As if sensing the need in her heart she felt her chest tightening up with a bind, her skirt and pants shirting to baggy shorts and her hair piled up on her head in a tight bun.
"Not bad, not bad at all!" Mushu circled her again nodding in approvement. "One last thing!" Mushu went through some of Mulan's belongings and came out with a plain black cloth. He darted up Sora's shoulder and tied the cloth around her head in a bandana fashion. "There! Now you look like a boy!"
"What do you guys think?" She looked to Goofy and Donald who were stroking their chins thinking on her appearance.
"Suits me," Goofy nodded in approval. "You look boyish enough to me, Kinda weird actually."
"Yeah, spooky really." Donald rubbed his arms. "Kinda like uh...um..."
"Deja Vu…" goofy finished.
"Yeah that's it!"
Sora frowned and tugged a little at the shirt. She looked inside to see the tight bands across her chest holding in the female mounds tight to her chest. "Man I just got these and now I'm off hiding them. I hope they don't disappear because of it, that'd just suck."
Sharing a laugh the group moved on down the hill, stopping briefly at a moogle for supplies. The imperial army had set camp near the wreckage of the village being sure to keep their eyes on the enemy as much as they could. Tents built up hosting all the soldiers. As they entered Mushu whispered into Mulan's ear. "You remember what I told you, right? Just Mimic Sora, she's got the manly thing down pact!"
"I heard that!" Sora grumbled as she got in line behind some soldiers. She felt a firm shove from a short warrior with a blackened eye and snarling mouth "Hey! No cutting!" She complained growling at him.
"Get out!" Donald agreed frowning at the bad manners. He let out a squawk as the man turned around only to lay a fist into Sora knocking her over. Shocked and deeply angered Donald lay into him attacking the man shoving him down and smacking him with his fists. Not one to take it laying down the man fought back, and fell forward as two other soldiers pushed their way in front of them.
"Hey A space in line!" The skinny man said with glee.
"I wonder what they're serving for lunch, today." The bigger one said in an almost peaceful manner.
"Knuckle sandwiches," the brute warrior answered the question laying his next punch into that of the skinny male. After gaining her thoughts back Sora was ticked off, she joined the fight. It was an all out brawl now pushing shoving and stomping all over each other.
Not one for violence Mulan could only shout. "Please!" The word stopped the fighting but not the way she intended. She heard the snickering from the males and got her back up. "knock it off!"
"Knock what off?" not caring for the girly behavior he shrugged off the order.
"You punched me!" Sora snarled rubbing her sore jaw, knowing it would bruise harshly.
"Cutting in line!"
The Skinny man looked to Sora laughing as he watched her rub her jaw pouting cute like. "Ha what a shrimp!" The boy was a child and girl like, hardly worth his time.
"Let's just get back in line, okay?" Ping suggested his voice firm again.
"Whose side are you on? I just got slugged!" Temper rising, her feelings of revenge sore in her head, she turned her attention to Ping… but a sharp order from across the field had her backing off. The captain approached and not wanting to anger him the lot of them squared off in line acting as if nothing was wrong.
Sora felt the urge to reach around the large male to return a punch to the brute, but she didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble for Ping… so she resisted and hoped soon for a battle to work off the anger.
Sadly enough she got her wish. Just as things calmed heartless popped up out of no where. Not used to such beings the troops fled scattering across the camp. Sora not willing to back down from a fight she pursed, using her anger from before as a weapon as much as her keyblade.
She caught the eye of Li Shang who stood on the sidelines prepared to give orders if necessary. The boy was a one man army, he thought, though he looked small and young his power was unmistakable and the skill he wielded the blade with was better than even some of his elite soldiers.
The duck and dog fighting alongside her had skill of their own using magic and good stronge defensive measures. The only one that seemed to be out of the loop was the one in true China armor, though he managed to hack away at a few his obvious lack of skills and fear of his enemies caused him to frown in disappointment.
Once the enemies were thwarted he gathered them all up together, approaching Sora first. "You, what's your name."
"I'm Sora, sir." She stood tall and at attention her hands in fists at her side.
"Sora, you impress me, I can see that your young age has not done anything to hide your skill and experience. You fought well and are welcome to join my army."
Sora's smile came quick and easy, she felt a flutter in her heart to have her hard work noticed and appreciated. "Thank you, sir! Oh these are my friends, Donald, Goofy, and Ping."
"Donald and Goofy, you two also showed great skill and harbor the same welcome as Sora… but as for you Ping, you should return home. You've no business fighting a war."
"But, sir, that would dishonor my family!" Desperate for the same recognition and welcome Ping stepped forward as he spoke.
"You rather dishonor my troops?"
"Sir, if I may!" Sora interjected. "Ping is my friend, please give us a test, we'll show you he has true potential as a soldier."
Once again impressed by Sora's diplomacy and knowledge Li Shang wavered a bit in his firm decision. "Hmmm, very well. I shall give you lot three missions. Do well and I will consider giving Ping the same honor."
"Yes, Sir!" The lot of them answered at full salute.
Li Shang gave them a moment to prepare, and himself a moment to come up with three solid missions that wouldn't affect his overall plan should the group fail. Sora pulled Mulan aside whispering to her in privacy. "You okay with this?"
"Yes, I must do well, I cannot go home empty handed." She takes a deep breath wringing her hands feeling the fear well up in her gut. "How do you do it Sora? How do you battle so well and fearlessly?"
"Honestly?" Sora thought about it and gave a smile. "It's because I have to." She watched Mulan's eyes widen a little in surprise. "I have circumstances, Mulan. Reasons to why I wield the keyblade. I never planned this I never wanted to become what I am, but it's the path that's been laid out for me."
"So you follow your chosen path?"
"In a way… you see I could have given up the keyblade, passed it on to someone who was more than willing to harbor the responsibility… but my heart wouldn't let me. It wouldn't let me fall back on what was safe and familiar. My heart wanted me to take on the burden, to fight for the cause, for the peace!"
"So, you follow your heart then." Mulan touched her chest smiling.
"That's more like it. I prefer leading my life with my heart. It's never steered me wrong before."
"Thank You, Sora. It's a comfort to me to know I have someone like you to help me see the light." She put a hand on her shoulder, tempted to hug the girl but knew it would rouse suspicion. Mushu who had overheard the conversation suddenly popped up.
"What am I, chopped liver?" Mushu crossed his arms. "You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me, yah know! I'm a mighty dragon guardian!"
"Yes, Mushu." Mulan laughed petting his head. "Thank you, too."
"Now that's more like it. Now come on, let's go kick some hunny buns!"
That chapter lingered on, i wasn't expecting to have to break it up, but it does leave me with some good splicing chapter options. I've decided to do some skips in certain areas where I felt the story might go stale and fill in with seperate POVs you didn't see beforehand. Next Chapter will be interesting.
Next Chapter: Dishonor, and Discomfort