A/N: I cut this chapter into two parts, since it was getting a little long. What would you guys prefer? Two part world chapters, or one really long one? Reviews always welcome.
Two days after leaving Hollow Bastion, the Gummi Ship dropped to the ground. I stood at the door, eager to get outside. I emptied my pockets and lined then with plastic wrap, hoping to find more plants I could use. Sora had said our next world was Land of the Dragons. Dragons meant dragon scales. Dragon scales meant I could finally make potions to boost my magic.
I bounced on my heels, biting my lip.
"You seem happy," Sora smiled.
I froze, realizing I had let my guard down.
"W-Well, yes, I am excited to see dragons."
Sora snorted, pushing the latch of the door open.
"I'm sure you'll be a little disappointed."
My nose wrinkled.
Hot, humid air blasted into the open door. The air smelt of greens, but with the sweat that was already clinging to my skin. Tall green poles hid our ship way. I stepped down and onto the ground, my shoes kicking up dust. I examined the poles. Smooth, green leaves sprouted from the sides every so often.
"These are plants?" I questioned. There was hardly a plant I didn't know about, but this was the most strange.
Sora gave me a nod; Donald and Goofy already following the trail. We jogged to catch up. I looked around, trying to find the tops of the plants. I would have to take a sprout, and see if I could use it for anything. Inventing a new potion before I got home would be a dream come true. Father would-
The three stopped.
"What-"
I heard the voice. The words were mumbled, but the shadow figure ahead, twice as tall as we were, made my face pale.
"A Heartless?" I breathed, afraid my voice would give away our location.
"Let's get the jump on 'im!" Sora and Donald ran ahead, weapons raised. I didn't follow.
"Gawrsh, maybe we better look before we leap," I looked to Goofy, agreeing.
A yell made me run towards the direction of Sora and Donald. A girl in armour stumbled backwards, a red lizard jumping into her arms. Sora still has his Keyblade raised, but everyone was confused.
"Is that Mushu?" Goofy broke the silence.
The lizard in the girl's arms stood up. I squinted my eyes. It was long with big eyes.
"That's right, I know you heard of me! I'm little, lethal, and legendary! Now y'all scram before I get my dragon dander up!"
Dragon? Strange. I just thought I heard the small lizard claim he was, in fact, one of the mightiest beasts to roam among us. It continued to wave his fist at us.
Sora let his Keyblade disappear. Donald lowered his wand, letting out a squawk.
"Hey, Mushu! We missed you!" Sora smiled, while the lizard fled from the girls arms.
"Yeah, well you better hope I miss you, or else you're-you're...Sora!Donald! Goofy!" He looked at me. "I don't know you."
I rubbed my forehead, mirroring the confusion of the girl.
"Do you know them?" She asked.
"Know them? Man, we used to kick all kinds of bad guy butt together! Yeah, you know, I helped these guys out of a lot of tight spots. 'Cause I'm a mighty dragon! Right?"
I let a giggle slip.
The "dragon" looked at me, frowning. I couldn't help but laugh more.
Sora scratched the back of his head, letting Mushu have his moment. Trying to imagine this tiny lizard fight anyone but dust bunnies was hard.
"Something like that. And...you are?"
The girl bit her lip.
"I'm Mulan. Um, no, I-I mean..." She coughed, giving off a manly sound.
"Ping!" Mushu called.
"Mulan Ping?" Donald said.
"Just...Ping." Her voice was deeper. "I am Ping, son of Fa Zhou."
I shook my head. It was none of my business to know why she was disguised as a boy.
"You know Mushu?" Sora seemed happy.
Ping nodded, gesturing to the lizard.
"Mushu's one of my family's guardians."
I held back another laugh.
"We didn't know we were borrowin' somebody as important as a family guardian," Goofy rubbed his chin.
"Yeah, that's right!" The lizard pointed a finger at us. "And that puts you three up to your eyeballs in debt to Ping here." Ping smiled awkwardly, uncomfortable with the whole situation. "Well, guess what, kiddies? It's payback time!"
"Mushu..." Ping scooped up the lizards, placing him on her shoulder.
"Ah, they don't mind. Ain't that right?"
I did mind, but didn't protest my feelings.
"Hmm, sounds fair," Sora looked to us, already making up his mind.
"What is it you want us to do?" If I was getting involved once again, I needed to know what was going on.
"See, Ping here was just on his way to join the Imperial army. We gotta go find the other recruits over at the training camp."
Army? I did not sign up for war.
"Would you join us? It'll be easier to fit in if I'm with guys, like you." Ping looked to me. "I'm sorry, what was your name?"
I blinked, realizing that I had not introduced myself yet.
"My apologies. I'm Alice Févi ."
"Hey," Sora interrupted. "What did you mean, "fit in"?"
"Well, um, uh, don't-don't worry about that." Mushu tried to cover.
I groaned.
"Ping is pretending to be a boy."
Sora and Donald jumped in surprise, letting out a gasp. Goofy must have noticed a while ago.
"You're a...girl?" Sora looked her over, and I wondered how something so obvious cold have been overlooked.
"You didn't notice?" Ping seemed pleased with herself, but fooling those two was no feat.
"Not me," Sora admitted.
Ping whispered to Mushu.
"I think it's working,"
"For them," I rolled my eyes.
"Hey!" Donald stomped his feet.
"Well," I gestured to the pathway. "Shall we?"
Mushu and Ping looked at each other.
"You're a girl," Mushu stated.
My eyes narrowed.
"Thank you for noticing."
Ping shook her head.
"What he means is, no women are allowed in the army. That's why I'm dressed as a boy,"
I wasn't expecting that. Faerydae didn't discriminate because of gender. I could dress or say whatever I pleased.
"What are we going to do then? I could just stay behind-"
"No, you're not! We'll just have to disguise you too!" Sora shrugged off his jacket, dropping it in my arms.
"Sora, this isn't-"
"Wait! I have an idea! Sit down!" Donald gestured towards the ground, and I had a bad feeling about it. Still, I did. The duck searched one of Sora's pockets, finding what he was looking for. A marker.
"I'll fix her hair," Ping offered.
Donald inched forward with the marker, the tip nicking the corner of my mouth. I frowned, promising I would return whatever he did to my face. Ping swept my hair up, pulling and twisting it into a tight bun. My bangs still fell loose, too short to be included. Donald's marker drew over the bottom of my face, and I realized he must have been drawing facial hair.
"You look great, Alice! Or, should we call Al?" Sora snorted.
I stood, brushing the two off me.
"You really think this will work?" I doubted I looked like a boy at all. Pushing off my knee, I stood.
Ping and Sora looked me over. Ping looked doubtful, but Sora seemed confident in the work that had been done to my face.
"I think you'll have to be careful," Ping admitted.
I shook my head, zipping up Sora's jacket to hide my chest. The two bumps were nothing to brag about, and the thick fabric hid them easy. But what of the rest of me? My limbs would seem too slender for a boy's.
"Well, might as well give it a shot." I suggested. I was confident I could use my magic fast enough to escape if I really had to.
We followed the dirt path. It was well packed from being walked on. The tall plants started to grow shorter, a opening revealing the camp that rested at the bottom of the hill. Tents lined up in rows; campfire smoke rising. I swallowed my fear and pushed my shoulders back. Confidence was key to this.
Mushu climbed on my shoulder.
"What is wrong with you two? Alice here looks like she could walk with a tower of books on her head, and you," He looked to Ping. "look like you have a secret to hide! Remember, girls, manly!" I narrowed my eyes. It was easier said than done.
Ping straightened up and tucked her legs together. She strut into the camp, right behind us. I tried to forget my narrow hips, and tried to walk at a wider pace. A few eyes lingered on the strangers waltzing through the gate, but nobody said anything.
A group of men were forming a line. At the beginning there were two pots; one seemed soupy, and the other was clumps of white. Sora didn't hesitate; he joined the back of the line.
"Is this a good idea?" I hissed.
"It's fine," He shrugged. "I'm starving anyway."
My stomach growled too, but my first thought wouldn't be to take a ration that wasn't mine. A short, plump man with a black eye stomped towards us. The scowl on his face was fierce. I retreated my gaze, fearing he would be the type to say something. Instead, he shoved into line before Sora. Sora stumbled back into me.
"About time we got some grub," The man grumbled.
Sora balled his fist. I pulled on his shoulder, stopping him from starting a fight.
"Hey, no cutting!"
The man turned, his face growing redder the farther his eyebrows dipped down.
Donald pushed past us.
"Get out!"
I bit my lip. The man raised his own fist, and swung it towards Sora. It collided with his jaw, throwing him backwards to the ground. I managed to grab his arm, but Sora's weight dragged me down with him. Donald leapt at the man, and started throwing his own punches. I felt like the duck must have had some rage he needed to let loose, but was a man cutting in line really enough to set him off?
"Back off!" The man managed to throw Donald off for a moment, only to have him return.
"Uh-oh," I groaned.
"Hey, a space in line!" A tall, skinny man cut in front of the fight, his rather large friend following. They must have been blind if they took no notice of the fight. Or it was a daily occurrence.
"I wonder what they're serving for lunch today," The larger man seemed rather cheerful.
The first man managed to get Donald off him long enough he could properly stand.
"Knuckle sandwiches!" He turned his attention to the tall, skinny man and threw a punch at him. The two started fighting, and Donald ran back in.
"That does it!" Sora ran to join his friend, leaving me, Goofy and the large man to watch, confused.
I could cast a few spells to distract them long enough, but was magic freely used here? Sora mentioned after Hollow Bastion I should think before I resort to magic but things were starting to get out of control. On lookers were inching forward, wanting to get involved in the fight. Sora seemed to be holding his own, but even from here his black eye was starting to be visible.
The space between us and the fight would have to be enough. I raised my hand-
"Please!" Cried Ping, forgetting her manly voice.
The group stopped, and looking at Ping. I lowered my hand, not wanting to bring more attention to myself.
"Please!" The tall skinny man scoffed, dropping Donald.
"What a girl!" The first man rolled his eyes.
What was wrong with being a girl? A group of girls would not have started a fight because of a mere line-cutter.
"Uh...knock it off!" Ping corrected herself, trying to fit in.
"Knock what off?" The man turned and retook his place in line.
"You punched him," I glanced at Sora. He had a dorky grin of his face, and his skin was bruised, but he seemed like he had fun.
"Cutting in line!" Donald raised his fist, and I prayed there wouldn't be another fight. At this rate, be would be kicked out before we even officially joined the army.
"L-let's just get back in line, okay?" Ping gestured to the line, and I took my own place, crossing my arms.
"Whose side are you on? I just got slugged!"
I sighed.
"You're all children-"
"Soldiers! Get back in line!"
A taller, broad man with shiny armour and a red cape frowned at our group. He was rather handsome.
"The Captain, Li Shang!" The tall, skinny man scrambled to get in a proper line, the rest of us following. The Captain walked the line, looking each of us over. My heart raced the moment he reached me. I lowered my eyes, but kept standing straight. He stopped at me, but continued on. I let out a sigh of relief. Sora was eyeing the man who punched him; shaking a fist out of sight of the Captain.
I looked towards the Captain's back and he eyed some other strangers. I caught a glimpse of yellow on the ground. I squinted.
"Sora," I tugged at his sleeve.
"Shh! You'll get us into trouble-"
"What are they?" Ping pointed at the black creatures forming from the ground's shadows. Maybe a dozen, the Heartless stood, growing in height until they were fully formed.
"Heartless!" The Keyblade was in his hand in a second.
The Captain turned, annoyed at our talking, until he saw the black creatures on the ground. He seemed confused, but Sora wasn't waiting for orders. He charged forward, swinging the Keyblade at two. It sliced through both with ease.
I was a little more torn. Ping rushed forward with a sword, stabbing and swinging relentlessly, not hitting a single one. I wanted to fight too. Donald thrust his wand in the air. A small fireball killed a Heartless. That was enough for me.
My palms sparked with electricity. The camp was open enough I wouldn't have to risk all of our lived for one spell. I raised my hands, casting lightning down. Three Heartless were in the way. I ran forward towards Sora. Five surrounded him. I lit one on fire, and cast lightning down once again for another. Sora killed the other three.
I panted, my heart racing. It scared me how much I was starting to enjoy fighting. We finished off the rest with ease.
The soldiers watching seemed to have their mouths open in shock. Sora scratched the back of his head; I looked everywhere but at the captain. So much for not drawing attention to ourselves.
"You four. What are your names?" The Captain demanded.
"I'm Sora. This is Donald, Goofy, and Al."
Shang nodded his head, seeming pleased with us. I still couldn't believe he was buying my act of being a man.
"You're welcome in my troop. Your battle skills are encouraging." Shang turned to leave.
Ping rushed to stand in front of him.
"I am the son of Fa Zhou-"
"You should return home." He interrupted.
I frowned. Ping was far from battle ready, but I too was new to this as well. In the small handful of fights, I was slowly learning how to read the enemy. Ping would be able to do the same with practise.
"B-but... That would dishonor my family!"
"You'd rather dishonor my troops?"
Ping wasn't having any of it. She was determined to stay.
"Don't make me-!"
"If Ping trains hard and does his best, he'll get stronger in no time." I pitched in, trying to sway his mind. It didn't seem to be working.
"Just give us an assignment! We'll show you how well we can work together," Sora gestured to all of us. I didn't want to be put on missions in a war I knew nothing about.
"So...you want to be tested? Our orders are to ambush Shan-Yu's army on their way here. They should be coming through the mountain pass."
"We'll smash them!" Donald quacked.
If Shang or Donald though we were strong enough to take on an entire army by ourselves, they were idiots.
"I doubt that," I let out a sigh of relief at the rejection. "You five will be the advance party. Scout out the mountain for my troops, and make sure it's clear and safe."
"That's it?" Sora actually seemed to be a little disappointed. "No problem. Right?"
"R-right." Ping wasn't so sure. She gripped the hilt of her sword, lowering her gaze. This was her only chance to prove herself.
"I'll brief you on the details later. Remember, the smallest mission may have the greatest purpose. Rest up; you have a share of dinner and supplies waiting for you. Tomorrow at dawn the mission will begin."
"Sir!"
I followed Sora's awkward salute until the Captain left. I dropped my arm, glaring at Sora.
"How dare you volunteer us for a mission! In case you haven't noticed, we aren't soldiers!"
Sora took his place in line, putting his hands behind his head.
"You worry too much. This'll be fun,"
Reaching the front, we were handed a bowl of the white stuff. The soupy stuff, now that I could see pieces of meat and vegetables, was poured on top.
In my free arm, I was given a sword, blanket, and what looked like a makeshift pillow.
"Find a tent. You can fit three in each one. Next."
I nodded, moving out of the way.
"I supposed Ping and I will share one, and you three can have one to share."
Sora was already trying to eat without utensils. He too had a blanket and pillow, but a sword was as useless to me as it was to him.
I rolled my eyes, not bothering to tell him to wait.
Ping and I found two empty tents beside each other. The worn red fabric wouldn't keep the rain out, and looked like a strong breeze would wisp it away.
We dropped our things and sat outside the tents, food bowls in hand. Ping handed me two sticks.
"What are these?" I asked, examining the smooth wood.
"Chopsticks. Have you never used them before?"
"No," I admitted.
Ping tried to show me, but after ten minutes of failing, she went back to eating her meal, leaving me to struggle. Sora was finished his in a few moments.
I found myself staring at his bruised eye. The damage wouldn't be permanent, but if I could find some herbs, I could make the color fade faster.
Finished with my meal, I stood and stretched.
"I'm going to go explore the area. I need to find some herbs,"
Sora nodded, his attention directed towards the card game going on a few tents down. The crowd was getting bigger, and I wanted to be away from it.
"I'll join you," Ping offered.
I gave her a smile, and we snuck off.
I pulled at a purple plant, making sure not to damage the leaves. It had a habit of releasing a terrible odor if handled the wrong way, but in teas it was delicious. I found it strange other worlds seemed to share the same plants. I had handfuls of leafy greens, all for different purposes. Ping took an interest in what I was doing, but had no talent for telling each plant apart.
The woods around us were blooming with life. Green trees stretched towards the sky, while the ground floor was covered in white flowers. I would have loved to make a flower crown like the ones my father used to make, but as a boy, I could not. I was already tired of hiding my identity.
A bird flew over my head, landing a few meters away. It pecked at the ground, and I saw why.
"Care for a break?"
"Of course!"
I followed the bird's path until I stood at the tiny pond it drank from. The water was crystal clear; the stone bottom perfect for what I had in mind. I leaned over, pressing my palms against the water. Steam started to form; the water swirled to be murky from the heat.
This far out in the woods, there would be nobody from the camp around.
"That was amazing! How do you do it? Even back at the camp there was lightning."
I stripped off Sora's jacket, placing the plants on top of it.
"Magic," I didn't think lying to her would do any good. "Where I'm from everybody can do it." I took off my clothes one piece at a time, folding them neatly on the shore. Ping followed my actions.
"I wish I could do that. At least then I'd have a better chance of staying…"
I grabbed the purple plants, and stepped into to the hot water until it was up to my waist. I sat, breaking the leaves underwater. Hot water acted as a neutralizer for the smelly plant; it would make the water smell fresh and flowery.
Ping slipped into the water, right behind me. The hot water relaxed my sore arms.
"If you don't mind me asking, why are you here in the first place?"
Ping let her hair down. It fell to her shoulders; the silky black strands made me envious.
"My father. He is getting older, and can't walk properly. Soldiers came to my village, and demanded all men go to war, including him."
"So you took his place?"
"Ping nodded.
I would have done the same.
Ping splashed some water at me; the color was a slight shade of purple.
"Enough gloomy talk! Why are you here?"
I returned the splash, smiling.
"Sora saved me, and I'm travelling with them until I find my home."
Ping leaned back, giving her hair a quick wash. I felt like doing the same. Just because I had to act like a man didn't mean I had to smell like one. I combed my wet fingers through it.
"He seems nice,"
"He is," I twirled the ends of my hair in the water. "A little bit childish sometimes, but he has a good heart."
Ping stopped, a grin stretching across her face.
"Do you like him?"
I too stopped.
"Well, yes-" I understood what she meant. "No! Not like that, anyway,"
"Are you sure? He's the reason you're our here picking plants."
I would have been out here regardless of Sora's black eye or not. The local plants were all things I could use. I had potions to make, and items to invent with them.
"What about you and Captain Shang," I faked a dreamy eyed gesture. "I saw you staring at him."
Ping's cheeks grew red.
"Because I was mad at him!"
"Of course," I teased, glad she was distracted from her questioning me.
We dressed and left as the water started to grow cold. I picked some more plants on the way back, and found a round rock that I could use to grind herbs while we were here. Walking back to our tents, there was a rather large crowd. Sora sat in the middle of it, two cards in his hand.
The man who had punched him sat across the table, his face red. He had about a dozen cards.
"Just give up, Yao." Sora dropped a card on the already large pile in the middle.
I never played card games, so what they were playing was lost to me. Sora seemed to be wining though, with one card left.
"I ain't done yet," Yao dropped two on the pile.
Sora smirked, drawing one card, looking at both, then dropped them into the middle. He grabbed a rather large bag that jingled.
"I believe this is mine,"
Yao flipped the table, yelling profanities. I grabbed Sora's arm and pulled him through the crown, pushing him into the tent. The crowd was cheering, the next game already started.
"You're going to get yourself killed."
I pointed for Sora to sit, and he did. I fetched the bowl I used for dinner, now washed, and dumped the plants in. I used my rock to break the leaves and grind them.
"Nah. Yao, Chien-Po and Ling are actually good guys once you get to know them."
"Who are they?"
"Yao punched me, Chien-Po is the big guy, and Ling is the tall one."
"Ah."
I continued mashing until the leaves were a thick paste. I held my hand over the bowl, warming it. Sora watched.
"We're pretty lucky we picked you up,"
I gave him a glance.
"Don't you mean, 'We're pretty lucky that Heartless swallowed you up'?" I dropped in front of him, scooping a small amount with my finger. Sora closed his eyes, and let me spread it. His skin was a dark shade of purple, and if I didn't get rid of the swelling, he wouldn't be able to see out of his left eye until it healed.
"You smell nice,"
My cheeks grew red, but I kept working. If I stopped, Sora would see my face.
"Ping and I found a pond in the woods. We took a break in it,"
I wiped my finger off on a cloth, all of Sora's bruises covered. He dropped onto his back.
"It's warm. Feels nice,"
"Don't fall asleep with it on. Wipe it off after half an hour, and the swelling should be gone in about an hour or two."
He just nodded.
I returned to my own tent. The sky was growing dark; the stars twinkled in the night sky. A bright moon illuminated outside the camp. Ping looked torn. Her eyes moved back and forth between the armour she had been wearing, and the bed.
"Do you think it's safe to sleep like this?" She gestured to her underclothes, that clearly showed she was a woman. I took off Sora's jacket, and half my own clothes, and crawled under my thin blanket.
"I honestly have no idea. This whole thing is ridiculous anyway. Yes, I'm a woman, but I feel like that shouldn't matter."
Ping decided to sleep as she was.
"That's just how things are."
"Things should change."
Morning came far too early. The tent let all the sunlight filter in, waking me. I woke Ping, we both dressed, and went to go find breakfast. The men were giving me funny looks up until I went back inside our tent.
"Is something wrong?"
Ping handed me a cloth.
"Your, erm, facial hair is smudged."
I let out a sigh, and with Ping's help, removed all of the marker off my skin. If I was banished, at least I had more ingredients to work on back at the ship.
"Knock, knock!" Sora poked his head in, his own bowl of food in his hand. He took a seat beside me.
"You fell asleep with it on, didn't you?" I eyed the slight green tint his skin had.
"How could I not? It was relaxing,"
I shook my head. I made tea with the rest of the purple plants, and we all enjoyed a cup, until it was time to go.
Shang's tent was the biggest, and the nicest by far. Four times the size of ours, the fabric wasn't worn, but new. A table in the center had maps, and against the wall was a very comfy looking bed with furs. What I would have given to sleep on it. The ground left my back and legs sore.
Shang narrowed his eyes at my face, and lack of drawn on hair, but seemed to take more interest in Sora's now green eye.
"Your mission is to secure the path over the summit so our company can pass. I've authorized you to be let through to the summit. You're to kill anyone and anything that is not our own. Don't let me down!"
We were shown a map of where we were going to meet. The path way long, and with the forest patch as well as the open mountain, we were sure to run into creatures. I stretched, readily myself for the fights to come.
A small fence acted as a barrier between the camp, and the world outside of it. The grass was longer from lack of people, and the creak that flowed was clear. Tiny fish swam down it as we crossed a makeshift bridge.
"Your home is very beautiful, Ping."
She nodded, clutching her sword. I had left my own back at camp. I would have injured myself trying to use it.
"Are you alright?" Sora asked.
Ping nodded once more, not saying anything. Her legs were shaking and she wouldn't look up.
"It's okay to be scared. Heartless are-"
"Here!" I called.
Several morphed out of the ground, only these ones were different. Bright red, they had long claws and funny hats. It didn't take them long to strike.
Sora leapt, stabbing one in the chest before Ping could even register that we were attacking. I stayed back with her, hoping to offer some back up if necessary. She threw the sword around, the Heartless dodging with ease. They seemed amused by her fail attempts.
"Watch it!" One came too close. It raised its arms to attack, long claws ready. Ping was scared stiff. I pushed her shoulder, and thanks to the bulky, heavy armour she wore, she fell over. I turned to cast a spell to stop the Heartless, but it was too late. Two of the four claws caught my arm.
I cried out, falling to the ground. The cuts were deep and bleeding. Sora must have heard my cries. He rushed over, and killed the Heartless before it could turn. He grabbed my arm, and despite my protests, looked it over.
"Those Heartless have poison in their claws, we have to hurry-"
I was already starting to feel the effects of it. My head felt light; my heart was slowing. I had a very great urge to sleep. Sora shook my shoulders, trying to keep my eyes open.
"This is all my fault!" I heard Ping yell.
Sora grabbed the back of my head, holding it up. I tasted the familiar potions I had made before we landed. The feeling to fall asleep started to fade, and my arm stopped throbbing. I blinked, the cloud over my mind disappearing.
I looked over my arm, the claw marks still red, but the wound was closing.
"Alice! I'm so sorry!"
I shook my head. I offered Sora my hand to help me up, but instead he wrapped an arm around my waist and hauled me up. My legs shook a little, but on the ground I could see why. A red puddle sat where I had been lying. The potion had helped, but recovering fully would require a day or two.
"I'm fine," I said, noticing Sora still hand his arm around my waist. I gently pushed him away, offering a smile. "Let's keep moving."
The group hesitated, but we kept walking. I did my best to seem alright, but I was still a little dizzy. I had my own potions, but unsure of what lay ahead made me weary of using any more.
We ran into more Heartless the farther we travelled. Both Ping and Sora stuck to my side. I casted lightning and fire, killing a few with the far range. When the last one was dead, I shivered.
"Is it rather cold?"
Ping pointed down the path.
"Snow will start to form soon. Can your magic keep you warm?"
I tested pressing my palms to my face, like I did the water. I shivered with warmth.
"We'll buy warmer clothes when we reach the village." Sora led the way.
I had never seen snow before. It was cold, but turned wet when you held it. I found when you grabbed a pile, it could be packed and formed into a ball. I threw it at Sora. The snowball hit his left shoulder, breaking on contact. He turned, grinning. He scooped up his own snowball, and threw it back. I tried to dodge, but it still hit me on my hip. I returned another, forgetting about how cold I was.
We reached a narrow path, ending our fight. I could see smoke and smell something that had been grilled. Rice for breakfast didn't quite fill me.
The village was small; maybe three dozen houses crowded the flat area. People hurried about doing mundane things. They took notice of us, but said nothing. I dug in my pockets for the coins we had been collecting. I found what seemed to be a restaurant, and the source of the meat smell.
"I'm not hungry; I will look around." Ping left.
"Me too," Donald said. "Maybe I can find some supplies here…"
"Gawrsh, wait up, Donald!"
"I guess it's just us," Sora shrugged.
Walking inside there were only three tables.
"Welcome, welcome-Oh! Soldiers! Come, sit!" We took a seat, and the older man placed plates, chopsticks, and two bowls of rice in front of us. He left, returning with grilled meat, covered in a caramel colored sauce. My mouth watered. I, although it was rude, had resorted to stabbing my food with the chopsticks.
"Here," Sora reached across the table. He placed his hands over mind, trying to position them right. "Move your finger," I did, and to my surprise, I could open and close them.
I tried picking up some meat, with success.
"Thank you," I said after swallowing.
He shrugged.
"If I need lessons on table manners, I'll ask you as a favor."
I giggled.
"I'm sure you'll never have a need to learn the uses of having three forks, three knives, two spoons and several other things that could be replaced by chopsticks."
He laughed, and we continued eating.
Halfway through our meal, we heard someone yell outside.
"Captain Li Shang!"
We threw coins on the table and dashed outside. Ping, Donald and Goofy were already there. Shang led the way, followed by many soldiers. The villagers made way, standing to the side in awe.
Shang nodded to us, and we saluted.
"Sir!"
"Good work, soldiers. Not a single threat on the way." His eyes dropped to my arm. "Soldier Al. What happened?"
I froze. I couldn't tell him because of Ping I nearly lost an arm and possibly could have died to poison.
"Erm, a Heartless, Sir. Ping saved me."
Shang looked to Ping, clearly not buying the lie.
"Did he?"
"Ping sure did great!" Goofy added. "He was like a one man army,"
I looked to Goofy. One-man army was a little much.
"Hmm...Fine. I'll let you join my troops... But I'm still not convinced you have what it takes to be a worthy soldier. At ease."
Shang and his group continued forward, heading towards the summit. Our orders were to head back to camp, as were outlined before we departed.
Sora shook his head, wanting to go after Shang.
"It's all right, Sora. I'll find a way to show him what I'm made of,"
I nodded.
"He doesn't seem easy to please."
We shared a laugh, and agreed it was time to head back to camp. I was growing tired, and I hoped there would be no more fights on the way back.
Mushu poked his head out of Ping's armour, crawling to the ground to stop us. I looked around, and nobody had spotted him.
"Okay, girl! Here's your chance! I just saw this real shady guy. And I know it's Shan-Yu."
Ping scooped up the dragon.
"Shan-Yu!? That's the Hun leader! We've got to tell the Captain!"
I was already turned and ready to run towards where Shang had left.
"Wait, wait-wait-wait WAIT! Everybody use their heads a sec. Now, why are we here? To make the Captain see Mulan's, I mean, Ping's talents and bring honor to her family. Right?"
We nodded, but I wasn't liking where this was going.
"So, let's go find out where Shan-Yu is, by ourselves. Then, if we're lucky, we can fry him up good! Though just tracking the guy down should earn us our stars... Captain Musclehead will have to notice my girl!"
"Are you insane? We can't just-"
"Okay. Let's go," Ping unsheathed her sword.
"We'll help out." Sora volunteered us once again.
I just groaned, knowing there would be no way out of this mess.
"Now we're cooking'! Shan-Yu is in a cave outside the village!"
Following Mushu's directions, we found a small cave on the outskirts of the village. Half covered in snow, it would be hard to spot unless you knew of it. We readied ourselves, and ventured in. Finding it too dark, I raised my good arm above my head and formed a fireball. Light sent shadows in every direction, but at least we could see where we were going. The walls opened up to a large room. A small shrine sat in the wall. The villagers must come here often.
"Dead end," I muttered, eyeing the lizard.
We looked around, but nothing so much as moved.
"There's nobody here..." Donald groaned.
"You're crazy. Check again!" Mushu clamoured out, darting back and forth, looking for Shan-Yu. He found nothing.
"Oh, well..." Donald left for the mouth of the cave.
"Wait for me, Donald!" Goofy followed the two of them disappearing from sight.
"Hey, wait up!" Sora called.
The ground shook. I yelped, trying to keep my balance. I felt something strange. Something that was too familiar.
"Run!"
We dashed for the exit, but I knew it was already too late. A magic barrier had already been erected. I banged my hands against it, but we were trapped.
"Sora! Alice!" Donald and Goofy banged against it, but we were having no luck.
Sora grabbed my shoulder.
"Can you get rid of it?"
I shook my head.
"It's too powerful, I-"
Heartless started to appear, more than I had ever fought before. We were trapped, and it seemed like if we didn't fight, we would die.