Yay, this is one of my favorite chappies :3
Char: Even though it gets insanely depressing?
Me: Eh... well... I kinda cried when I wrote that part... and it didn't help that I was listening to If Everyone Cared by Nickelback...
Char: There ya go, then.
Me: Buuuut Anxclof makes the first of many cameos in the Disney worlds in this one!
Char: Tch, big deal.
Disclaimer- In the wise words of the Wizard of Oz, "not no way, not no how". xD
"Hey! Hey Char! Wake up!"
Char groaned and put her jacket over her head, the way a sleepy teenager would muffle their parents via their pillow; not even caring that this exposed her bare face to the poorly-covered snow.
"Wake up!" the tiny voice shouted again, and the weight pounded against her back again.
"Dammit," Char grumbled under her breath, careful not to let her tormentor hear the curse word. More loudly, she called, "Ryou, get off me; I'm up. You'll break my back if you do that anymore."
She winced at the squeal of delight that greeted her words, but to her relief the weight on her back lifted. She managed to push herself up, running a hand experimentally through her hair.
Suddenly her eyes widened as the events of last night sank into her head. Damn, she never had found out who had been lurking outside the tent, had she? Char berated herself for being so stupid, for dismissing it as nothing when she didn't catch it. People saw what they wanted to see, she told herself.
Ryou was sitting cross-legged on the ground with his hands on his ankles, shifting restlessly from side to side. "'Mornin', Char!" he chirped.
Char couldn't hold back a grin as she gathered up her jacket. "Good morning to you too, Ryou."
"I've been in here for… fifteen minutes!" Ryou attempted to hold up his hand to show the minute count, and frowned at his limited amount of fingers.
"Yeah, it was kinda funny," Sora's voice chuckled from behind Char.
The redhead turned and saw the brunette shouldering on his own jacket. She could've wailed in relief at the clear look in his dark blue eyes, with no trace of remaining embarrassment from the night before.
Char assumed he was expecting her to smack him for that remark, but she was still a little too sleep-gummed to do so. So she just shrugged. "I'd like to see you be laughing when you've got a five-year-old jumping on you as your alarm clock."
"Actually, I'm seven," the little boy corrected in his small voice. He leaped to his feet and held up one hand, and two fingers on the other. "See?" (1)
Char laughed, feeling that she sounded a little too loud. She never had been good with kids. (2)
"Where are Mu – Ping, Donald and Goofy?" she asked in an attempt to change the subject. For some reason she'd been expecting the three others to still be asleep.
You should have more confidence in them, the voice urged, and Char decided right then and there that her conscience must be bipolar.
"They're outside," Sora explained. Under his breath, he added, "Mushu wants to tell us something, but I told him to wait until all of us could hear it."
Char blinked in surprise. "Uh, thanks."
The brunette responded with a quick grin before directing his gaze at Ryou. The boy shot to attention as Sora looked at him.
"Ryou… we have to go out for a little bit. You know…" Sora winked. "Soldier stuff."
"Oh!" Ryou gasped and held a finger to his lips. "Your secret's safe with me, Sora, sir."
Char laughed. "Right."
She was about to turn around and follow the Keybearer outside, but a sudden tug on the hem of her jacket made her look around. It was Ryou. Great, what now?
However, her initial aggravation was choked back by the pang that shot through her at the look on the little boy's face.
"You're comin' back, right?" he asked, still clutching onto her jacket.
Char sighed, resisting the urge to tear her jacket away from his hands. "Why wouldn't we be?"
Ryou tapped the side of her head with a finger on his free hand, but he had to strain upward in order to reach her. "You said last night that soldiers can die in battle…"
Damn, he's right.
"It's fine," Char insisted. "Trust me."
Ryou put his fists stubbornly on his hips. "Promise?"
Char cast a helpless glance at Sora. The brunette just shrugged in response, looking like he was holding back a bout of laughter.
Turning back, the redhead puffed out a sigh. "Alright, fine. I promise I'll come back."
Ryou grinned and clapped his hands.
"Now, isn't your mom worried?" asked Sora.
The little boy made a sudden noise of realization and dashed out of the small opening in the tent flap.
Char groaned and ran her fingers through her bangs, causing them to move briefly off of her forehead before falling back into place.
Sora laughed sheepishly. "Kind of annoying, huh?"
"This, my friend, is why I am never having kids," Char grumbled as she followed him out of the tent.
True to Sora's word, Mushu was standing before them in the snow, his tiny arms wrapped around his shoulders and one foot tapping the ground impatiently. Mulan caught sight of them and waved, only to get a smack in the ankle from the little red dragon.
Too un-soldier-ish, Char assumed with a chuckle as she took her place next to Donald.
"Alright, now that the gang's all here," Mushu said, craning his neck to see everyone, "I finally found my girl's chance!"
Donald tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"Well," the red dragon began, pacing around in the snow and creating little pinpricks of tracks, "I just saw this real shady guy skulking outside the camp. And I'm sure it's Shan-Yu!"
Char's eyes widened. Even though she was pretty sure last night's visitor had been female, it was entirely possible that it could've been the opposite.
Had Shan-Yu come to kill them last night?
Apparently, the others were equally shocked.
"Shan-Yu?" Mulan gasped.
"Ain't that the guy we're supposed to be fightin' against?" asked Goofy.
"We have to go tell the captain," Sora said, already making as though to walk over to Shang.
"Wait!" Mushu yelled, and while it wasn't very loud, it was obviously the top of the dragon's lungs. This caused everyone to stop and listen. "Everybody use their heads a sec. Now, why are we here?"
There was a moment of silence; Donald and Mulan exchanged glances, and the latter just shrugged helplessly.
It occurred to Char that she really didn't have any idea why Mulan was going through with this dangerous venture in the first place – the black-haired woman had mentioned bringing honor to her family, but that was it.
It was Sora who finally spoke. "To make the captain see Mulan – er, Ping's talent? And bring honor to her family. Right?"
"Exactly," Mushu said. Pacing through the snow like this, he thoroughly reminded Char of her master during a lecture. "So, let's go find Shan-Yu by ourselves. Then, if we're lucky, we can fry him up good!" He made his point by pounding one tiny fist into his other palm.
"Key word being, 'if we're lucky'," Char muttered.
"Ah, you need to look more on the sunny side of life," Mushu said, grinning at the redhead. "This'll make Captain Muscle-head notice my girl!"
Mulan looked for a moment like she was thinking of protesting the nickname "Captain Muscle-head", but in the end she didn't say anything.
"Alright," Sora said, smiling determinedly. "Where is he, Mushu?"
"Now we're cookin'!" Mushu chirped. "Shan-Yu's in a cave right outside this village."
"Good," Donald sighed in relief. "No more climbing."
"Hopefully," Char muttered.
The group headed toward the cave, Mushu leading the way in an odd line of humans and animals.
"Well, this isn't conspicuous," Char said under her breath.
Sora chuckled softly. "Yeah, but at least we'll get to cream Shan-Yu and get Mulan some points with Shang."
Char looked at the brunette, whose dark blue eyes were sparkling at the prospect of a fight. She hesitated. The words that wanted to come out were "why do you care?", but somehow she just couldn't get them past the tip of her tongue.
She turned her gaze back ahead of her and saw the cave mouth loom up to meet her; she stumbled in her attempt to not fall inside.
Mushu looked as though he was restraining the urge to burst out laughing at the redhead, but he just pointed at the cave. "I saw him go in here."
"It looks kinda scary in there…" Mulan swallowed nervously at the yawning blackness that lay beyond the cave entrance.
"Please," Char snorted. "It's probably just you."
Mulan flashed her a quick smile. "You're right. Let's go."
As the group headed toward the cave, Char suddenly halted in her tracks. Something was nagging at the back of her mind.
You're comin' back, right?
Promise?
"What's goin' on, Char?" asked Goofy, who had nearly run into her back when she'd stopped.
The redhead blinked, reality suddenly rushing back in all its icy clarity. "Oh, um…" She hesitated, searching for the right words. This is so stupid, but… I probably should make sure.
"Shouldn't one of us maybe stay out here and keep watch?"
Mushu growled impatiently, shifting from foot to foot. "Girl, does it matter? Once we take care of Shan-Yu, nobody will need to keep watch anymore."
"I'm just saying, though – being cautious won't hurt…"
Char's voice trailed off as everyone looked a little incredulously at her. Prickles of discomfort were starting to make their way up her shoulders. "Uh… what?"
"You're just being paranoid," said Donald.
"Yeah, everything'll be fine," added Sora, winking at her. She considered hitting him on the side of the head for such a friendly gesture, but thought better of it.
Maybe I am just being paranoid…
The redhead took a deep breath to fight back the nausea threatening to take solid form in the back of her throat. "I guess so."
"That's the spirit," Sora said happily, playfully smacking the back of her shoulder.
And then she had to slap him, because the whole shoulder thing reminded her of a bunch of arrogant little boys.
The inside of the cave was dark and dank, and stalactites and stalagmites impeded their path; sometimes the rock formations were joined together in the middle, which didn't help.
Sora stopped to open the chest nearby, obtaining a Hi-Potion as he did so, and chanced a look behind him. Donald and Goofy were talking, and Mushu, yet again, was giving Mulan one of his "pep talks". As usual, Char was the odd one out.
The brunette frowned slightly as he continued on his way. Char had been out of it ever since they'd entered the cave, her eyes darting about nervously. While normally he'd approve of her sharp eyes and the way she was looking out for everything, this time it unnerved him. What had happened to make her feel so anxious about this trip inside the cave?
Perhaps it had something to do with the way she had randomly left the tent in the middle of the night.
Sora had awoken then – because of another dream of Riku scorning him and condemning him for Riku's own crimes, the brunette remembered with a twinge of shame. (3) He'd noticed Char was still awake, and that she'd gone out to look for something; he had just pretended to be asleep until she had returned and gone to sleep as well.
Maybe she's still worried about it, Sora assumed. That has to be the reason.
The Keybearer was certain he had it pinned. But he'd been wrong before.
The gang finally reached the back of the cave, which was a large clearing that looked like a shrine of sorts. Grotesque dolls lined the wall on shelves that, to Sora's disappointment, looked to be long abandoned.
Mulan sighed. "Dead end."
"But…" Mushu leaped down from the woman's shoulders and looked around frantically. "I know I saw him! Man, he was here; I swear on… on…" He hesitated, trying to think of something that was sacred enough to be sworn upon.
"Come on; let's just go," Mulan sighed, turning as if to leave.
Donald grumbled in agreement and followed.
"Donald, wait for me!" Goofy called, hastily running after them.
Sora chanced a look at Char, and winced visibly at the look in her icy eyes. It was a mixture of smugness and yet nervousness at the same time, and the expression on her face was thoroughly reminiscent of one who is trying not to vomit.
"We should go," she said quietly.
Sora hesitated, then blurted out, "What's wrong?"
Char was silent for a moment, which in all honesty frightened him even more than if she'd shouted in reply.
Then she spoke, and her words frustrated Sora all the more because she was clearly trying to change the subject.
"Well… we should probably leave now." She grinned a little weakly. "Shang will be on our asses wondering where we were."
Sora blinked, then smiled back. "Yeah, you're right."
The two of them turned and headed toward the exit.
Anxclof watched the group turn back, and her grip unconsciously tightened on her Keyblade. She couldn't take her eyes off Sora. Even though she knew in the place where her heart should be that he wasn't really the boy she had cherished, that didn't stop the pang of longing she felt.
These feelings usually puzzled Anxclof to no end. She had never been a philosophical Nobody – hell, the Superior had had enough philosophy for everyone; and she believed in spending her time taking action, not just thinking about it. But thinking about why she felt these things, when Nobodies allegedly had no hearts, got the brunette deep into her contemplation.
A swaying of motion out of the corner of her eye turned her attention back to the Keybearer and his friends. She shifted from her spot in a hidden nook of the tunnel; her muscles tightened in preparation to pounce.
And yet… Sora's blue eyes reminded her so much of…
Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up.
Char caught the swish of black-and-white, and got just enough time to pull Sora out of the way before the golden shaft of the Keyblade slammed into the ground.
"Well, aren't we clever," the owner of the Keyblade snarled, stepping out of the shadows. Donald, Goofy and Mulan looked on, wide-eyed.
Char's eyes widened as she recognized who it was. The arrogant green eyes, long brown hair… the redhead recognized the outfit as well. It was none other than Anxclof.
Probably come to get her friend back, Char reasoned. She felt a rush of sympathy for the Nobody; Nobodies usually inherited the feelings they had known from their past lives, and clearly Anxclof was no exception.
The thin blades appeared in Char's hands almost unbidden.
But sympathy wasn't a cause for surrender. Damn it, Char would keep Riku's promise if it was the last thing she did, because she never broke her promises.
"I thought I heard you sneaking around last night," she growled, putting one sword out in order to keep Sora out of the way.
"Sneaking around? Sora, what is she talking about?" Mulan looked helplessly at the Keybearer.
"I heard something too," Sora murmured. His eyes were huge, as though he couldn't possibly imagine someone he didn't even know trying to kill him. "Who are you?"
Anxclof's eyes flicked over to the brunette. Char watched as the emerald orbs changed from anger to almost… longing.
"Roxas," she whispered. "You really are gone, aren't you?"
"Huh?" Sora frowned. "It's Sora."
"Damn it, I know!" the female Keybearer spat, her temper instantly roused by Sora's ignorance. She turned back to Char and swung her Keyblade out to the side. "So, it was you, wasn't it?"
"And if it was?" Char retorted, despite the fact that her pulse had spiked tangibly at the name "Roxas". She hardly noticed that the two of them had started to circle each other, like riled-up tomcats, ready to strike at any moment.
Anxclof opened her mouth for a reply, but a zap of static against her elbow-length gloves made her snarl in pain. She looked down, to see a scowling Donald holding up his staff.
"I don't know who you are or what you want with Sora," the duck growled angrily. "But we're not gonna let you kill him!"
"You're badly outnumbered," Mulan added, sounding awkward in her attempt to be tough. Goofy had his shield out as well and looked ready to throw it at any given moment.
Anxclof's eyes scanned the area, as though weighing her chances. Then she laughed – a loud, sardonic caricature that made the stalactites rattle. "Don't make me laugh."
"I believe we just did," Char snarled, and charged.
After that, it was an all-out clash of blades. Sparks flew in the cave as steel struck repeatedly against steel. Char's brown jacket swung in a dark blur, in stark contrast to Anxclof's mostly-white coat.
In the meantime, Sora and Mulan were dashing about around the two female teens, getting a few slashes in here and there; but not wanting to risk getting hacked in half in the others' ire. Donald and Goofy, their weapons really being ones of distance, were sitting back doing the best they could.
At last, though, even Anxclof realized she was outnumbered and, in comparison to Char, outclassed. She smirked. Guess my sword skills are out of practice.
She allowed her Keyblade to disappear and backed away from the group. Even she knew when to let things go.
Char's chest heaved in fatigue, and her eyes were still wild from the fight. The hands that clutched the hilts of her blades stained her gloves red with blood. As for Sora and Mulan, they were badly cut in some places along their faces and shoulders. While Donald and Goofy were unscathed, they were looking on in shock.
"Hmph," Anxclof muttered, raising a fist to wipe the blood away from where it was running down her forehead. She smirked more widely. "Oh no, it seems I've been defeated." Without turning around, she put out a hand and summoned a dark portal behind her. "Guess I'll come back another day."
"If you're lucky, there won't be another day," Donald shouted.
"Lucky. Heh. There's one way to look at it." Anxclof waved nonchalantly. "Be good for me, 'kay?"
She chanced a look at Sora and felt the pang again. "Roxas," she whispered. "Don't think you can hide within him forever."
Sora wasn't aware, but something deep inside him stirred at her words.
Without another word, she stepped back into the portal, which promptly swallowed her up.
There were a few moments of awkward silence. Then Mushu, in that almost annoying way he had, piped up from Mulan's pocket, causing everyone to jerk in surprise. In Anxclof's sudden attack, they'd forgotten all about the little red "guardian".
"Well, that was what I call kickin' some tail, girl!" He clapped Mulan on the shoulder.
Mulan looked down at Mushu. "But… it wasn't even really me." She glanced guiltily over at Char, who met her eyes evenly and wiped some blood away from a wound on her shoulder.
"And Shan-Yu…" Goofy pointed out.
"Man, that hun is old news," Mushu scoffed. "We're gonna tell the Captain how one of Shanny's big, bad assassins popped up in here, and how Ping here effortlessly took him out!"
"I hope he believes that…" Char sighed, blowing her bangs out of her eyes.
Sora could have wailed with relief. The fight had restored his friend to normal; her icy eyes were bright and clear with clarity again. (4)
Then he blinked. Since when had he started thinking of this bloodthirsty, temperamental girl as his friend?
At any rate, they filed out of the cave, with Char and Sora at the group's head.
"Hey," came Char's voice beside him, quiet and unaccusing. Sora nearly fell over in his shock: she was actually speaking to him like a normal person.
Char caught the surprise, but didn't say anything about it. "I just wanted to say… You looked good in that fight."
Sora looked at her with wide sapphire eyes. "Really?"
"Yeah, I mean it," Char said. She was rubbing the back of her neck now; whether it was in sheepishness or the urge to get this over with, Sora couldn't tell. She flashed him one of her fanged grins. "I guess that little training session paid off, eh?"
Sora groaned, thinking back to the "session" of last night. Truthfully, he thought of it as nothing more than a madcap dash on his part to avoid getting stabbed. But if he voiced that aloud, he probably would end up getting impaled. "Don't remind me."
Char chuckled. "You'll thank me someday."
"You sound like my dad."
The redhead laughed again, but the laughter trailed off when they exited the cave. She halted in her tracks, so abruptly that everyone else nearly crashed into her back.
"Char, what…?" Mulan's voice trailed off as she saw what Char had been looking at, and the confused expression on her face was replaced by horror.
The village that had served as temporary camp was in ruins.
Buildings were still aflame, as though the destroyer had just hastily left. The blackened wall that had served as the village's entrance was falling apart, the ashes dark against the snow. Most of the people left were dead; some of them were still bleeding, moaning and crawling about.
It was one of the living that had caught Char's eye and held it.
The child couldn't have been any older than six or seven years; however, he was small enough to be five. Blood seeped in a gaping wound on his chest, from which the sword had never quite been removed. Mulan held back a gasp as she recognized the jagged blade design of the Hun leader.
Char spoke at last, but the single name, obviously meant to be a shout, came out strangled and choked in shock and horror. "R… Ryou!"
At the sound of his name, the boy turned his head, and moaned, as though even that small action caused him an immeasurable amount of pain. "Char?"
As though the word had stimulated her, the redhead ran over on unsteady legs. Sora nearly ran behind her for support, then realized that there was nothing he could do. He felt an unmistakable pull on his heartstrings at the horrid sight before him.
"Ryou…" Char put one bloodied hand over her mouth and fell to her knees. "Oh, gods. Oh, no, I'm so sorry…" Her voice broke on the last part.
"Why?" The little boy tilted his head and coughed, causing more blood to spill. "You… kept your promise…"
"What promise?" Char whispered. Her free hand clenched into a fistful of snow, which melted in a powdery surge of agony against the drying blood. "You're dying. There's nothing I can do about it!" Her voice rose to a shout.
Ryou shook his head fiercely, even though the action obviously caused him even more pain. "You… came back… alive."
With one last, shuddering breath, his eyes closed.
Mulan slowly walked over and put her ear to the boy's crimson chest. Char didn't even look up, but she knew that the other woman had shaken her head.
Sora, Donald and Goofy could only look on in shock, unable to do anything.
Silence reigned, but for the sound of a single woman keening near the back of the village. Char raised her head slightly and caught a glimpse of the middle-aged woman she had seen come get Ryou back last night. The older woman's eyes were glazed and dark with tears, and she hardly seemed to care about her own injuries.
The redhead's icy eyes seemed to harden, and she got to her feet on limbs made of stone and walked over.
At the tap on her shoulder, the woman looked up. The grief in her face was obvious, even for Char.
"You're… Char, aren't you?" she asked, attempting to smile, only for her face to crumple into sobs again. "You… met my son…"
"Who killed him?" Char asked abruptly.
The other woman's eyes widened.
"Who killed your son?" the redhead repeated.
At that, Ryou's mother looked down and put one hand over her face. "Sh-Shan-Yu himself. H-he… went and stabbed him, as an example… for those of us who would dare to defy him."
Char's eyes hardened even more, until they truly resembled the chips of the substance that they were colored after. She put one hand on the other woman's shoulder.
"I'll make sure Shan-Yu doesn't get away with what he did," she whispered. "I will avenge your son."
Ryou's mother stared at Char for a long moment, as though hardly believing that a stranger would do such a thing. Then she let out a long, shuddering breath.
"Thank you," she murmured.
"Captain!" Mulan suddenly shouted.
Feeling as though she'd just been dunked in icy water, Char looked around and saw the source of Mulan's fear. Captain Shang was leaning against one of the walls for support, while blood oozed from a long red weal on his side.
Sora and the others rushed over; the redhead followed more sedately at the rear.
"Captain, you're hurt!" Sora gasped, already groping around in his pocket for a Potion.
Shang shook his head. "It's… just a scratch." He attempted to get up, but grunted in pain and put his free hand over his wound.
Mulan immediately fished a Potion out of her pocket and handed it to him; Shang gave it a suspicious look before uncorking the stopper and drinking the healing liquid inside.
"Captain, the enemy – where did they go?" the young woman asked.
Shang looked up at her, his dark eyes clouded with pain. "Shan-Yu headed… toward the summit…"
Sora finally chanced a look over at Char. The redhead's face looked to be carved in stone.
"We'll go stop him," the brunette said, looking determinedly at Shang. "It kind of is our fault…"
"You mean my fault," Mushu murmured, just loud enough for the group to hear.
"No," Char's voice sounded suddenly. Everyone looked at her in surprise. Her chin was lifted defiantly and her ice-blue eyes blazed in anger. "Shan-Yu and the Heartless did this, not us."
"Captain," Sora said, "if you get the surviving villagers to safety, we'll handle this." He emphasized this point by clenching one fist.
Shang nodded. "Good luck." He looked over at Char. "And, Char – from the way you acted back there…"
She glared at him, clearly expecting a rebuke for being "soft".
"…I can see you've got passion and heart," the captain finished. "Although you are a woman, you're clearly of good caliber. You have my trust."
Mulan was staring at Char the entire time, a small flame of jealousy lurking in the back of her eyes. Sora felt a twinge of discomfort; if the two females didn't get along, this could lead to trouble.
Shang pointed up the scree-covered slope. "The summit is that way."
"Gotcha," Sora said, giving the other man a grin for good measure.
Then the five of them started up the mountain.
(1) EEEEE he's just so adorable :DDD And yes, I did get the name Ryou from .hack/G.U.
(2) Yes, some authors integrate a little piece of themselves into their characters, and this is no exception. I'm horrible with little kids, too...
(3) Here, I think Sora's mindset kind of makes sense. I can imagine him having nightmares about what the Keyblade and temptation did to his friendship with Riku. Even our happy-go-lucky little spikehead has to have inner demons ;)
(4) Angels by Within Temptation is a REALLY good song to listen to during that part. I mean, it's kind of useless now, since you already read the chappie, but maybe if you reread... (hint hint) XD
Me: Told you. Insanely depressing. But it's very important, because if Ryou HADN'T died, Char still wouldn't give a flying fuck about what happened to the Land of Dragons.
Char: I suppose it's a "revenge" kind of thing?
Me: Yup! We're going to be wrapping this world up in the next chapter.
Char: FINALLY. You've been stuck on this part for, what, like, two months?
Me: Oh, shut up.
Char: No, how about not?
Me: ...Furbies...
Char: ("meep"s and hides in the corner)
Me: ALSO! MUY IMPORTANTE! I'm getting VERY close to the end of the material I've already written out! So expect the updates to get less frequent. However, Christmas break is coming, so I'll probably spend the ridiculously short amount of time writing.
Char: Joy, more torture.