I cradled the doll, my eyes drooping. I had found it in the snow, but I knew its owner would not be looking for it. The burnt corpses were evidence enough of that. The smell of smoke and burnt hair still lingered in the air. The few survivors dug through what once was their village, looking for anything at all.

We managed to fight off two giant centaur Heartless. Their lances proved to be difficult; I used two of my three potions, and my magic was almost gone. The Elixirs I had made were useless without the proper ingredients. I could do maybe one more spell before I would be depleted.

"Al, your eye-"

I swatted Sora's hand away for the millionth time. I had gotten a cut on my forehead, and the blood was running down my face. He insisted I take a potion, but he was on his last too.

"I'm fine," I snapped.

This should have never happened. The lizard hiding in Ping's armour knew I blamed him for what happened to the village. We should have been here. Not in a cave looking for some imaginary figure.

"Captain!" Ping called loud enough both Sora and I turned to look. Using the wall of what used to be a house, he stood. He clutched his side, his fingers turning red from the blood. Leaving me, Sora rushed to his side. I followed, clutching the doll to my chest.

"Don't overdo it, Captain!" Sora took most of his weight, helping to support him.

"It's just a scratch." He looked at my bloody face, shaking his head.

"Captain, the enemy! Where did they go?" Ping was hurried to go.

I was a little scared. Without my magic, I was nothing but a burden until I could rest long enough it recovered.

"They went toward the summit..." Shang groaned. Sora helped him to sit.

"We'll stop them," Shang nodded at Ping's statement.

"It kind of is our fault,"

I looked to Goofy. He looked guilty, but it wasn't his fault at all.

"You're not the one who did this. We should have been here! We could have saved them!" I wiped the tears off my cheeks; the ones I didn't even realize I was crying. The doll in my hand was proof a child died because of Mushu's ridiculous glory searching.

Mushu said nothing.

"Shan-Yu and the Heartless did this, not us! Captain, if you track down the rest of the villagers, we'll handle this."

Sora pulled at my arm, coaxing me to follow. As much as I didn't want to, I did.

"We can't save everybody," He offered. His usual smile was gone, replaced with the sadness we all felt.

"Then why bother?" I asked, not looking for a real answer. We were all questioning why it had to be like this. Maybe I would have died trying to fight, but could I have saved other lives by giving up my own? Dying in a world that was not my own brought tears to my eyes. Father must have thought I was already dead.

I stopped, spotting something shiny against the snow. A sword was half buried. I grabbed it, looking it over. Other than the blood on the blade, it was in good condition.

"How much magic do you have left?" Sora eyed the blade.

"Not enough." I muttered.

My skills with the sword would be as bad as Ping's, but if it offered a chance of survival, I would take it. We headed towards the summit. My mood didn't improve all the way. I had stuffed the doll in my pocket. I didn't know the child that owned it, but with the care that was put into the tiny, flower embroidered dress, I guessed it was much loved.

The snow was packed enough from the villagers that walking was easy. The path soon died out, and luckily, the snow was still shallow. The cold nipped at my bare skin, but I didn't seem bothered by it. I dragged the sword in the snow behind me, using as little energy as possible.

A scream above us caught my attention. I shivered, the hair on my arms rising. The hawk hovered above us, returning to its owner standing on top of the summit. Behind him were hundred of Heartless, floating, just waiting for orders.

My face paled.

"How are we going to handle that?"

Sora readied himself, as did the others. I raised the heavy sword, knowing it wouldn't take long before I was too tired to fight. I had enough magic left only for one spell, so I had to make it count. One lightning bolt or fireball wasn't going to do anything; I needed something bigger.

Shan-Yu thrust his sword in the air.

"Attack!"

The Heartless piled down the mountain towards us. They all seemed to be floating types, hovering just above our heads. As the first wave approached, Sora ran towards one floating a little too close to the ground. He jumped, landing both feet on the Heartless. He stabbed the Keyblade into it, jumping once more before it disappeared. He landed on another, only this time swung around him to kill several at once. The Heartless he was on began to fall, and he jumped for another.

I couldn't copy his actions. I raised the blade, and hacked down at a Heartless that was just a little too slow. It disappeared with a black cloud. Ping was doing the same as me, aiming for the lower ones. Donald shot them down with magic, and Goofy plowed through the ones that had been knocked to the ground.

Two seems to appear for every one that I killed. My arms burned, and I wished I never fought in that cave. I panted, wiping the sweat from my forehead. This was getting ridiculous.

Sora was still jumping around above us, knocking Heartless down for us to kill. He was losing his energy too, it seemed. He jumped down, landing close to me.

"They're aren't as many, but-"

Shan-Yu charged down the mountain, his battle cry echoing off the slopes. None of us were in the condition needed to fight him.

"Stand back!" A voice called from behind us.

I turned. Yao was holding some kind of long, red thing in the shape of a dragon. The end had a string, and its roaring mouth was open.

"We'll handle this!" Ling followed.

Yao stabbed the end into the snow, squatting behind it. He aimed it at Shan-Yu, and found something in his pocket. I realized the dragon must have been some kind of firework.

Ping rushed over, pushing Yao out of the way.

"Sorry!" She grabbed the firework and ran higher up the mountain. I swatted another Heartless out of the way, questioning how any of this was going to stop Shan-Yu from killing us all.

The firework made a bang. The head flew off, aimed high above us in the snow. I bit my lip, watching as it collided with a peak. The firework exploded. The snow around it fell loose, sending it down the mountain.

"Yes!" Ping smiled, running towards us and away from the snow.

It was a good idea, but now we were all caught up in the middle of it. Sora grabbed my arm, forcing me to run with him.

"Captain?" He questioned.

Shang was standing behind us, watching the whole ideal take place. Ping raced towards Shang. Sora and I were too far up the mountain to help.

"Run for it!" Yao yelled.

But where? The snow would sweep us off the map if we let it. It was tumbling down faster than we were running. I pulled my arm from Sora, stopping. He stumbled forward, his eyebrows dipping into a frown.

"Alice-"

"Stay behind me."

I held my hands out, away from my body. I hoped I had just enough magic to pull this off, otherwise I would kill us all. Noticing I had stopped, the other troops rushed to stand somewhere behind me. I didn't hear Ping or Shang.

The wind from the rushing snow blasted my face, the closer it got. It was now or never.

The snow slammed into the barrier I had put everything into. The snow rushed around us, filtered like a current. I didn't expect the weight behind it. My barrier cracked; the spider web fractures visible on the clear wall.

"How is he doing that!?" It sounded like Ling.

I closed my eyes as another crack formed. It wouldn't last much longer.

"Alice, stop! Your nose is bleeding-"

I ignored Sora's cries. My vision started to blur; stars danced at the corners. Snow started to leak under the barrier, giving out. Another crack. One more and the wall would shatter. The snow started to slow, the weight releasing. I coughed, tasting blood. I was reaching my limit. Any longer, and I would die.

Crack.

The barrier smashed, and everything went dark.

I caught Alice before she hit the ground. Combined with the cut above her eyebrow, her face was a bloody mess. But she still saved us all.

She was light to carry, so lowering her to the ground was easy. I hovered my ear above her parted lips. Satisfied she was still breathing, I dug around my pockets for my last potion.

"Ah…" I forgot I had used it a few moments ago. Unlike her, I knew nothing about potion making or even the plants she used to heal my black eye. Her pockets were stuffed with herbs she found in the woods, but feeding her strange plants wasn't a good idea.

"Thanks, Ping." Panted Shang.

At the last second, Ping had dragged Shang behind Alice's barrier.

"It...was nothing."

"I should never have doubted you. From now on, you have my trust."

"Thank you, Captain." Ping smiled.

Shang limped over to where Alice and I were.

"I must thank Al as soon as he wakes. He is alright, isn't he?"

I was caught off guard, remembering Alice was supposed to be a boy for the moment.

"He's, uh, alive."

Shang nodded.

"Good. That was, well, incredible. Both Al and Ping deserve praise for what they have done here."

I nodded, agreeing. What Alice had done could have killed her, but she did it anyway.

Mushu popped his head out of the snow. The little dragon shook to free himself. His frown grew.

"First she uses me as a lighter, then she turns me into a cannon ball. The head ancestor's going to hear about this. You know, that's it! I give up! I can't take this no more. C'mon, Mulan. Let's quit this charade and go home, girl." Mushu managed to climb out of his snowy prison, but the damage had already been done.

"Mushu!" Ping hissed, her eyes darting to Shang.

"Huh?" Mushu turned, and finally noticed Shang standing by us. He clamped his hand over his mouth.

"Mulan? A woman? It can't be!" Shang's eyes narrowed, but it seemed like he was beginning to see past her charade. I left Alice as she was, and move to Ping and Shang just in case.

"You all knew, didn't you? You knew Ping was really a woman in disguise,"

My mouth opened, then closed. Denying it was pointless. Shang moved over to Alice, hovering his face over hers.

"This one too? I heard you call the name 'Alice', but didn't think there would be two women in my army. I can't believe you lied to me. The punishment for high treason and dishonoring the army...is death. Get out of my sight...now. You're all dismissed."

Yao and the others watched from the side. They seemed just as baffled as Shang had been. Their eyes moved from Ping to Alice.

"But Captain..." I stood in front of him. "Alice and Ping both saved you-"

"My debt is repaid."

Shang moved towards the path that lead down the mountain, leaving us to stand as we were.

"The Emperor is waiting! Move out!" The army turned, and after a few minutes, we were alone. I returned to Alice's side. Her skin seemed cold.

"Sorry, Ping," I said.

She shook her head.

"Call me Mulan. Thank you, and sorry I got you in trouble."

"It's no big deal. I thought Alice would have been the one to blow our cover. She's a little too good at acting like a lady. So Ping... I mean, uh, Mulan...what're you gonna do now?"

Mulan shrugged.

"Go back home."

Mushu stabbed his finger at Mulan.

"You know, your daddy's gonna be steamed as a chicken dumpling."

She just sighed, knowing her fate. We were at fault too.

"Relax, we'll take our share of the blame."

Her shoulders seemed to relax a little.

"Thanks. You're all wonderful friends."

I looked around. Thanks to Alice's wall, the snow had formed a makeshift wind breaker. Starting a fire and camping here for the night might have been the best plan, especially if Alice was still out cold. I voiced my idea, and the others agreed. We could make our way down the mountain tomorrow.

I helped gather whatever branches I could find. Everybody returned back with small bushels. It would barely get us through the night. The temperature was dropping, and as the sun set, I debated if we should have returned to the village.

Donald started the fire. I moved Alice closer, but she still seemed colder than she should have been. Our clothes weren't made for this weather.

"Will she be alright?" Mulan warmed a soaked cloth to clean her face with.

"I hope so,"

Alice was strange. I knew that from the start, but I had never heard of magic running out. Her bloody nose and near death experience told me she did have a limit that could be reached. I regretted bringing her here.

"Are you alright, Sora?" Mulan dabbed Alice's face, the red smears wiping clean.

"Just thinking how weird Alice is," I admitted. I wanted to know more about who she was. She was high born, with a hobby of plants. That was it.

Mulan giggled, as Donald and Goofy returned with dinner. My hope was lost when they came back empty handed.

"Where on a mountain," Donald stomped his feet. "what did you expect?"

I shrugged.

"Food?"

Mulan and Goofy laughed, but Donald went into one of his fits. I had known the duck a long time, and he would calm down at some point.

The stars came out, and shone at their brightest. Mulan moved close to the fire, using half her armour as a blanket. I checked Alice was still breathing once again, before settling down for the night. The day's pains settled in as I relaxed.

I was warm.

After feeling so cold, the warmth was a welcoming feeling. But what happened? I remembered casting the barrier, and the avalanche, but after that, nothing. I didn't press to hard for the memories. I pushed closer towards the heat source. It moved. No, it breathed.

I forced my eyes open, faced with Sora's chest. His arm was draped over me. My back was chilled, but the rest of me was comfier than I had been for a while. Still, I pushed myself away until I was free of his grasp.

Sora blinked, yawning. He must have noticed my red face.

"Sorry, about that. You were just so cold I thought you would have frozen to death,"

I sat up, looking around. We were against a snow wall.

"We're all alive?" I questioned, ignoring the fact a few moments ago he was touching me without permission. "Where is everyone else? They did survive, right?"

Sora scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, they're alright, but…" His eyes flickered to Ping. She was sleeping with her hair down, and using the armour as a makeshift blanket. I touched my own hair; it too was down and Sora had taken his jacket back.

"He found out. But how?"

"This and that. It's not important. We're free to go."

I held out my hand, testing my magic. A few sparks danced on my palm. It was more than yesterday, but still not quite enough. I needed an Elixir.

The sun started to peak over the summit when Mulan started to stir from her sleep. Donald and Goofy woke soon after. We were all tired and hungry, but up here on the mountain, our stomachs would have to stay that way until we found food.

We covered the fire in snow, the smoke cut off instantly. We gathered our things, and made our way to the trail. A familiar shape flew above us. It swooped down, and flew past where we had camped for the night.

Shan-Yu's roar threw us all to the ground. Still half hidden behind a bushy tree, we peeked around. He dug himself out of the snow, Heartless following. The Hawk landed on his shoulder. He looked around at his surroundings, before marching off north.

"Shan-Yu!" Mulan hissed.

"He's alive?" I thought all that snow would have crushed him, or being buried alive would have killed him for good.

"He's heading for the Imperial City! We've got to warn Shang!"

We took off for the trail, Mulan leading. Shang already had a day's head start, but we had the advantage of not being slowed by an army. I stumbled a few times. We made it just past the burnt village when I begged to stop. The same white flowers from the forest sprouted out between the rocks.

I swiped a handful, handing everybody one each.

"Eat this."

They did.

The taste was bitter; the petals had a terrible texture to chew on, but when swallowed, these flowers were known for their warm feeling. Sora frowned, but swallowed regardless. Donald looked like he wanted to spit it out. It didn't take long for the effects to spread. My stomach felt full, and my feet lighter. It was just an illusion, but enough for now.

We caught a glimpse of the Imperial Army, but we didn't catch up until just inside the tall palace walls. It was devoid of people. We raced past the men we had stayed with, our goal the swishing red cape.

"Shang!" He stopped, turning at the sound of Mulan's voice. "Shan-Yu is alive! He's headed this way!"

Shang's eyes narrowed. He kept walking.

"And why should I believe you this time?"

"We're telling you the truth!" I crossed my arms. This hand's head was too thick.

Donald quacked, and pointed to the hawk in the sky. It circled before landing on Shan-Yu's shoulder. He stood on one of the many towers, looking down at us. He jumped, headed for the giant iron doors.

"Guard the palace! Do not let the enemy get anywhere near the Emperor!" Shang took out his own sword.

Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po charged forward, followed by several other soldiers. Half of the army stayed put.

"That's an order!"

The men hunched over, an odd feeling washing over the courtyard. Black smoke swirled around them. Their shapes changed. Limbs grew longer, bodies wider, as they changed into Heartless.

"Captain! We'll secure the courtyard, and you can save the Emperor!" Sora rushed forward, attacking the newly made Heartless. I raised my own sword, my arms still sore.

Shang stayed put, his confusion clear.

"That's an order!" I barked.

He ran off, leaving us to take care of the Heartless. They were slow, but when they attacked, a pulse wave would knock you flying. If more than one attack at once, it was nearly impossible to dodge. We finished them off faster than I thought we would.

"The Emperor's in danger!" Mulan ran after where Shang had gone.

Shan-Yu held a sword to the throat of a very elderly man. He was thin, the fine golden silks and jewel hung off him. His face was calm, despite the impending threat.

"Now you'll bow to me!"

Shan-Yu looked to our group. His eyes narrowed, but I recognized the flicker behind them. Fear. He must have seen everything we had done at the summit, including my little magic stunt. The flower had helped enough. I furthered his fear by lighting my hands on fire.

Shang jumped down from above. Using his sword, he knocked Shan-Yu away, and took hold of the emperor. He lead him toward the palace. Chien-Po and Ling each grabbed a door, and closed it tightly. Shan-Yu got back to his feet.

"It ends now!"The nervous Mulan I met was long gone.

"Right now!" Sora readied himself.

Shan-Yu laughed, his yellowed teeth showing. A dark energy swept over him. Something wasn't right. I swept past the others, and towards the door. I didn't have enough magic to fight, but there was something I could do. I dropped the sword, and like the previous day, erected a wall. Without the strain of all that snow, the spell would last longer. Seeing what I was doing, Shan-Yu ran towards me, his sword raised. He yelled, before hacking down.

The wall threw his sword off.

Sora, from behind, stabbed his Keyblade into Shan-Yu's side. The bulky metal would do some damage. Mulan stabbed her own, Shan-Yu parrying it with ease. He slashed my barrier again. A tiny crack appeared. Sora wouldn't let him break it.

Shan-Yu seemed to grow faster in speed. He darted around, using the shadows. Sora had a hard time keeping up, landing only a few blows here and there. Mulan followed Shan-Yu's every move. She managed to scratch him with her sword.

A burst of red caught my attention. Sora's other hand held a Keyblade; his clothes had turned red. His feet were quicker and lighter. Shan-Yu couldn't run from him. Sora attacked with both Keyblades, swinging them without mercy. Shan-Yu gripped his sword tighter but it was too late.

Mulan stabbed him from behind.

Shan-Yu dropped his sword, clutching his side.

Mushu popped out of somewhere, dancing around the fallen Shan-Yu.

"Now that's what I call burning some hunny-bun! Aw, yeah! Mulan's the best! Mulan's the best! No, wait a minute, I'm the best! Mushu's the best! Mushu's the best!"

I let my barrier fall, moving out of the way for the doors. I moved by Sora, wiping the little bit of blood from my nose.

"Good thinking," He flashed me a smile and a thumbs up.

The Emperor, walking with Shang, emerged from the palace. A cheer rang out behind us. Hundreds of people gathered in the square. I let out a breath, not realizing we were being watched.

The Emperor stopped in front of Mulan. She bowed with respect; we copied her action.

"I've heard a great deal about you, Fa Mulan."

This voice was stern, but the kindness leaked through.

"You stole your father's armor, ran away from home, impersonated an Imperial soldier. You deceived your commanding officer, shamed the entire Chinese army, and dishonored your family name."

"We get the picture..." Sora muttered under his breath.

"You're a young woman. And in the end..." The Emperor tapped her shoulder, telling her to stand up straight. "...you have saved us all."

The Emperor bowed to Mulan. She looked completely speechless, as did we all. The cheering crowd's noise grew.

"Your Excellency!" Mulan wasn't sure what to do with herself. The Emperor stood, nodding towards Shan-Yu's sword.

"Captain Li?"

Shang fetched it, offering it to the Emperor.

"Take this, so the world will know what it is you have done for China."

Mulan accepted, bowing again.

"Thank you,"

We all smiled, glad things turning out as they did. Shang awkwardly stood in front of Mulan.

"Mulan."

"Yes?" She grinned.

Seeming to forget what he was going to say, Shang shook his head.

"Sora. Donald. Goofy. Alice." He bowed, his frown still present. "Thank you."

The Emperor chuckled.

"Thank you"? Is that all there is to say, Captain? If you wish to win the heart of Fa Mulan, China's bravest woman, you'll have to be a bit more eloquent than that!"

Shang was flustered, making me giggle. The Emperor or and Mulan laughed. Mulan approached us.

"Thanks for everything, you guys."

I shook my head.

"Thank you for putting up with us for as long as you did."

Mushu stomped around, looking hopeful.

"Now they GOTTA let me go back to bein' a guardian! They GOTTA!"

I frowned.

"I thought you already were a family guardian, lizard."

Sora laughed, poking fun at the dragon. He tried to grab his tail, but Mushu was too fast. He stopped when he noticed Shan-Yu's sword glowing. It was the same light from when we were in Hollow Bastion.

Sora pointed his Keyblade at it, opening another world gate. The people of China seemed fascinated by the glowing, strange light.

"Guess it's about time to be movin' on." Goofy rubbed his chin.

"You shall be missed." The Emperor bowed to us once again.

Mulan tilted her head.

"Before you go, would you care to visit my family for dinner? It isn't much, but-"

"Yes!" Sora answered, before the rest of us even had time to think about it.

"Are you sure it isn't tight enough already?" I groaned, as the strings at my waist were pulled tighter.

"You're the one who said you would love to wear one of our traditional outfits," Mulan giggled, tying the strings. She helped me slip on the dress, and pulled even more strings. The fabric was smooth. It was a long time since I wore silks, and I forgot how much I loved it. I was then sat down. My hair was pulled at, and white makeup painted on my face.

"Is this necessary?"

"Tradition!"

I sat still, waiting for her to finish.

Mulan's shoes were far too small for my own feet, but the dress was long enough my dirtied shoes would be covered anyway. Mulan showed me to a mirror.

"What do you think?"

My face had been painted white, black drawn across my eyelids and winged out. Dabs of purple, matching my eyes, were on the corner of my eyes. My lips had been painted red. The dress itself was purple and pink. Seeing myself wearing it, it didn't feel right.

"Should I really be wearing this, Mulan? You said you didn't mind, but-"

"Trust me, I have no interest in it."

We made our way outside. Sora lounged under a flowering tree, napping it seemed. Donald and Goofy had left, using the time to upgrade the Gummi Ship. They wanted to leave as soon as possible, but I wanted to linger a little more.

Sora sat up when he hear us coming near. He rubbed his eyes, and was startled to see me dressed the way I was. I would have been to.

"You look…"

"Strange?"

"Pretty."

I was glad the layers of makeup hid my red face. Mulan giggled, swiping up one of the fallen blossoms.

"You don't think she looks pretty as a blossom-"

"Hey, isn't that Shang?" Sora interrupted.

Mulan dropped the flower, and spun. Shang stood awkwardly at the entrance of the garden. Happy he had the right house after he spotted us, he marched over. He held a helmet against his chest.

Sora jumped up, saluting. I just sat. I was no longer a soldier.

"At ease, soldier." Sora dropped his hand. "Ah, Mulan! You, err, forgot your helmet. Well, your father's helmet, but I thought you might want it back-"

"Thank you, Shang." Mulan took it back, clearly amused by his flustered babbling.

I stood, gesturing for Sora to follow.

"We'll leave you two alone." I smiled, returning her teasing from before.

"Wait, Alice. You can keep that dress, if you'd like. I know you are in a hurry to leave."

I shook my head.

"I couldn't possibly. It is far too beautiful and I would hate to rid you of it."

Mulan smiled, pushing us towards the gate.

"No, no, I insist! Think of it as a thank you gift."

Shang looked me over, seeming to recognize it.

"The Matchmaker's dress really suits you,"

"M-Matchmaker? You mean this is-"

"Have a safe journey!"