Keep On Whacking: Re: Mix (KH)

[NGSoares]

After Mulan had retrieved the arrow, training had gone much, much more uphill. Notably, Haru saw that Roxas seemed a bit more upbeat. While he still was avoiding the other recruits, the best way he could put it was that Mulan… she almost seemed to have inspired Roxas somehow.

He was more efficient in taking down Heartless, and was actually speaking in more than one sentence. So, that evening, as he took down an Assault Rider on his own, Haru approached him. "So, something Ping did got your attention?"

"Uh… he made me feel a lot more confident?" Roxas asked awkwardly. "I feel like I should tell him myself."

"Given how he's kinda… bathing, I feel like we should wait," said Haru. The two of them went into the camp, and as they passed by Shang's tent, they saw Mushu listening into the captain and the reedy man.

"You think your troops are ready to fight?" remarked the man, and he guffawed. "They wouldn't last a minute against the Huns!"

"They completed their training," Shang retorted firmly.

"Those boys are no more fit to be soldiers than you are to be captain. Once the general reads my report, your troops will never see battle," said the advisor.

"Oh, no, you don't!" muttered Mushu. "I've worked too hard to get Mulan into this war! This guy's messing with my plans!" He peeked at Haru and Roxas, then shushed them both. "Quiet! I need to try and salvage this."

"We're not finished!" Shang snapped at the other man.

"Be careful, Captain," he warned, a hint of smug superiority in in his voice. "The general may be your father, but I am the Emperor's Consul. And, oh, by the way, I got that job on my own. You're dismissed."

Shang exited the tent, and he walked past Mulan, who balled up her fist in said in her Ping voice, "Hey, I'll hold him, and you punch!" He ignored her. "Or not." She stopped, then told him, "For what it's worth, I think you're a great captain!"

As Shang left the scene after taking one look back at her, Mushu scurried up to Mulan, mischevious grinning. "I saw that."

"Saw what?" she replied, eyes darting around.

"You like him, don't you?" he teased.

"No! I…"

Mushu chuckled. "Yeah, sure." His expression hardened. "GO TO YOUR TENT!" he ordered, and Mulan left with an amused smile. When Mulan was out of earshot, he looked at Roxas, Haru, and the cricket, rubbing his hands together. "It's time we take this war into our own hands."

They rushed into the tent as the reedy man strolled out, dressed in a towel and slippers as he held a brush and hummed.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-PFFM_ivpIw​

Inside, the cricket typed out a message, and after a bit, Mushu picked it up and read it over. "Okay, lemme see what you got. From General Li…"

Dear son, we're waiting for the Huns at the pass. It would mean a lot of you'd come and back us up.​

Mushu hummed in thought, frowning. "That's great, except that you forgot, 'and since we're out of potpourri, perhaps you wouldn't mind bringing up some!' HELLO! This is the army!" He balled up the order and threw it aside. "Make it sound a little urgent, please. You know what I'm talking about?"

The cricket saluted him, jumped back into the ink, and started typing again.

Mushu looked over the paper, and smiled. "That's better, much better! Let's go!" He picked it up and rolled it up into a scroll.
"Do you want us to deliver it?" asked Haru.

"Nah, Chi-Fu—" he nodded at the picture of the advisor happily shaking the hand of the stoic Emperor— "will know it's a forgery if you're the ones who give it to him. Gotta make this thing feel official, know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I do," said Roxas. "Should we just be on Heartless duty?"

Mushu shrugged. "Might as well." They all left the tent, following the dragon to where Mulan's horse was drinking some water. "Khannie, baby! We need a ride!"

The horse just spat the water it was drinking at Mushu, sending him falling into the grass.

"Uh… he'd recognize the horse if you used Mulan's, right?" asked Haru.

"Eh, yeah. Gimme a sec… but anything you wanna say to Cri-kee here?"

The replica stared down at the cricket. "Uh… I won't burn you?" He smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, I'm not used to this."

Roxas sighed. "Just let it go."

———
​

Chi-Fu left the lake where the recruits were bathing in, scowling at their disrespectful behavior. "Insubordinate ruffians…" he muttered, shaking water out of one of his slippers and holding the towel close to himself. "You men owe me a new pair of slippers!"

He scoffed. "And I do not squeal like a girl."

A panda suddenly took a bite out of his remaining slipper, making him screech in terror.

"Urgent news from the general!" came a deep voice. Once Chi-Fu had made his best attempt to regain his composure, he saw that atop the panda was a soldier, one he couldn't see the face of. The soldier held out a scroll, and as Chi-Fu looked at the unorthodox choice in mount he had chosen, he said, "What's the matter? Never seen a black and white before?"

He straightened back up, taking the scroll. Narrowing his eyes, Chi-Fu leaned in at the strange soldier. "Who are you?" he asked, trying to see the messenger's face.

"Excuse me?" replied the messenger. "I think the question should be, who are you?! We're in a war, man! There's no time for stupid questions! I should have your hat for that! Snatch it right off your head!" The panda started to move, the messenger glaring at Chi-Fu all the while.

"I'm feeling gracious today, so… carry on."

Chi-Fu opened the scroll, reading it over as his eyes widened. He looked around, then ran back to the captain's tent. "Captain! Urgent news from the general! We're needed at the front!"

———
​

"All right, Redboy," Yao said as they all waited at the checkpoint the next morning. "We want context on those monsters, and you act like you've seen them before. What are they?"

Ling, Chien-Po, and Mulan were by a cart that was pulled by the latter's horse… and was filled with explosives.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7-qxLEUdSLA
Haru chose his words carefully. "They're called Heartless," he answered, Donald's gaze boring into him the whole time. "They gather around people with darkness in their hearts… like that Shan-Yu guy who's leading the invasion. But the Heartless mainly act on instinct, so they're just as likely to do their own thing."

"So where's their base?" asked Ling.

"And how do we beat 'em?" added Yao, pounding his fist into his palm.

Haru scratched the back of his neck as Donald's glare seemed to deepen. He definitely couldn't mention the realm of darkness, so he lied, "I don't know where they're from. You just have to fight them off where you can… though once the invasion's done, the Heartless number will probably drop."

"I'll believe anything after seein' them and that weird key thing you and your friend have in action…"

"All right, soldiers!" Shang called, heading to the front of the group on his horse. "Our goal's a village up in the Tung-Shao Pass—that's where we'll rendezvous with the rest of the army. Move out!"

 

[NGSoares]

Day 1​

As the regimen began the much longer trek than Haru expected to the village, he noted that for some reason, he expected a song, something that made him grimace. As far as he was concerned, singing should mainly stay in Atlantica, and while he had quite a lot of good memories there, he had the feeling that if he and the others went to Atlantica now, Sebastian would rope them into a musical.

Back in Twilight Town, the only thing Haru's singing attracted was animal control, so he refused to do his Strangled Cat Impression. Ever.

At the same time… he had a creeping sense of horror.

———

Another place. Another time.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Mulan were the advance guard, being the ones who had to scout a mountain village. They entered a nearby cave, where they were ambushed by Heartless, and after surviving the ambush, they came outside to see that the village had been razed…

———​

But they weren't in the advance guard—they were with the rest of the recruits now. He sat down in the cart carrying the cannons, where Roxas was looking at the ground. "Munny for your thoughts?" he asked.

"Is every world like this?" wondered Roxas.

"Meaning…"

"Will we get roped into a war?"

Haru winced. He thought about his answer for a second before finally saying, "Nah. None of the worlds I went to last year had a war. This is probably an exception." He sighed. "Sorry if this has been a bad first impression. Hopefully things'll be more to your liking here or in the next world?"

"I dunno." He looked ahead at the vast fields around him. "It's not that I'm ungrateful—it's more that this isn't what I was expecting."

The next world on Haru's itinerary was Beast's Castle—maybe that would be more to Roxas's liking? Though that begged the question…

How would things go?

Was Xaldin Norted sometime in between the first journey and this one? It was strange that none of the apprentices had shown up in Hollow Bastion—considering what happened last year, it was odd…

Day 2​

To the annoyance of Haru, a lot of the soldiers had started singing about the kind of girl they're fighting for, or their type. So he just shut himself in the cannon wagon with Roxas, Mushu, and the cricket. "There's a certain target for your fireballs," he said. "So you'll have to wait until then."

"Whaddya mean I have to wait?" Mushu asked impatiently. "Sure, the tall guy thought I was a snake…"

"Just trust me," said Haru with a grin. "You'll know."

"What do ya think I am, some stupid phoenix comin' to give Mulan chi superpowers? I'm mainly here for advice."

Roxas simply replied, "'Chi superpowers' is the most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard." The cricket nodded at that.

"Exactly!" He laid against one of the cannons. "And what'll I know?"

"What I mean is to open fire on anyone with a black hooded cloak," said Haru. "It'll be funny,"

Day 3​

​

By the third day, it had gotten colder. The clothes the three good fairies had given Haru kept him warm, and Roxas looked himself over. "Huh…" he remarked. "So that's what the Fairy Godmother's spell did. I don't feel cold."

"Her and Merlin are great," agreed Haru, looking outside. Snow had covered the ground, meaning they were almost to the village. As such, he hopped out of the wagon to see up ahead.

"I've got a girl back home that puts all of yours to shame," boasted Chi-Fu, putting up his coat's hood. "You'd all be jealous if you saw her."

"Yeah, the only girl who'd love him is his mother!" Yao whispered aside to Mulan, making the consul glower.

"C'mon, let's finish that song!" Ling told the recruits, making the replica sit back on the wagon, groaning.

Even as the song reached its peak, Haru's annoyance by it slowly changed to dread at what was coming. There'd be a Heartless ambush at any moment—so as the recruits brought Mulan into a line and cheerfully sang, Haru summoned Shooting Star.

Spirits were high with everyone else, and he was certain the cave trap would happen.

The recruits whistled, singing, "A girl worth fighting—"

The song was cut short. Up ahead was the village…

Which was a scorched ruin, completely razed. The smell of ash and smoke filled the air.

Shang's order broke the stunned silence. "Search for survivors!"

 

[NGSoares]

At Shang's orders, the recruits trudged through the ruins, and Roxas whispered, "I can't do this…"

"Pardon?"

"I want to leave. This is horrible!" The Nobody wildly pointed around the village. "T-there's nothing left! I can't do this!" He ran.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GCPkoywwx9w​

Roxas fled through the burning village. He didn't know where he would head—as long as it was away from this horrible place.

This world had been nothing but bad experiences, and the moment he saw some Heartless nearby, he sliced through them without mercy…

And that was when he saw the bloodstained doll in the snow.

He vomited.

He wanted to cry, but he couldn't.

You had to have a heart to cry with, after all.

"Roxas!" called a voice. He turned to see Mulan slowly approaching him with Donald, Goofy, and Haru.

"Don't head over there," Haru told the Nobody, his eyes wide, as though he saw something horrible. "You don't need to see what's past that cliff."

Mulan picked up the doll, holding it to her chest. "…who did this?" she murmured.

"I don't know," Roxas answered. "I saw some Heartless… but they might be scavengers if the Huns raided this place." He tightened his grip on the Kingdom Key, knuckles whitening as he stared at the doll with wide eyes. "And I don't know how to feel—or if I even can about this without a heart."

"What are you talking about?" asked Mulan. "That doesn't make sense."

He sighed. He wasn't sure whether to spill the whole truth about his nature as a Nobody to Mulan. Glancing at the others, he saw Donald waving his arms and Haru mouthing, "No."

"I'm just… bad at expressing myself," he lied. "Really bad." Looking around the wreckage, he said, "I dunno if this is the best time to discuss this."

"You're right," agreed Mulan. She saw Shang putting a sword in the snow, with a helmet atop it. "I'll be right… I'll be right back." She left with the doll, and Roxas saw her place it at the sword.

Shang got back on his horse, saying, "The Huns are moving quickly. We'll make better time to the Imperial City through the Tung-Shao Pass." His expression became less somber—more determined. "We're the only hope for the Emperor now. Move out!"

So they continued onward, into the mountains.

———
​

"We're almost there," Haru said uneasily.

"More future vision stuff?" wondered Roxas. He looked down from the ridge, where he saw the distant Imperial City.

The replica nodded. "There's supposed to be a giant swarm of Rapid Thrusters—these bee-like Heartless—that'll be summoned by Shan-Yu at the summit. Get ready." As soon as they said that, they reached just that—the mountain's summit.

It was a wide snowfield that led up to a slope, all in the shadow of a much higher mountain.

There was a loud screech, and a falcon flew over the recruits, heading towards the top of the slope. Roxas summoned Kingdom Key, looking at the figure on horseback that the falcon was flying to.

If what the future vision said was right, that was Shan-Yu.

A low buzzing filled the air.

Flying above the warlord was just what was predicted—a colossal swarm of Rapid Thrusters.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ-ciY0VV88​

"ATTACK!" ordered Shan-Yu.

The swarm began its advance.

 

[NGSoares]

"Clear out the Heartless!" commanded Shang. "We need clear shots with the cannons!"

"Got it!" agreed Haru, a wild grin on his face.

A Bolt Tower spawned—that was what Roxas would prioritize. As he took down any of the Rapid Thrusters that got in the way, he saw the recruits firing cannons at any archers on the cliffs surrounding the snowfield. Arriving at the Bolt Tower, he wiped it out with a melee combo.

"The towers are immune to Thunder magic!" Haru yelled to Donald over the buzzing, then incinerated a Rapid Thruster with Fire.

"I got it!" Donald destroyed a few of the Thrushers with Thunder, then turned around to wipe out a Bolt Tower with Blizzard.

Goofy charged in, going for a spin attack that drew in more of the Heartless, while one of the cannons all but reduced one group of them to ash.

Suddenly, one of the Bolt Towers fired an electric beam at Roxas, but he batted it back, destroying the larger Heartless, before casting Water to take out two more towers.

As for Haru, his Keyblade had transformed into Double Arrowguns again, and he opened fire on the Thrusters and Bolt Towers with magic bolts of his own, along with spamming Fire… and he was laughing about purging the insectoid Heartless in flame all the while.

"IS THIS WHAT YOU MEANT BY HIM BURNING THINGS IN HALLOWEEN TOWN?!" Roxas yelled over the buzzing bees.

"YES!" quacked Donald, casting Thunder on more of the Thrusters. "AT LEAST THERE'S LESS PROPERTY DAMAGE INVOLVED."

The Arrowguns suddenly grew larger, then fused together into a Magic Launcher. He did a melee combo on multiple Thrushers, then finished off a Bolt Tower with a huge magic blast. After that, he shot at more of the Heartless with white orbs, before casting Fire, which came out as flaming spheres.

Whenever a sphere made contact with the swarm, it caused a fiery explosion… and Haru looked absolutely ecstatic.

Between the Magic Launcher and the others, the Rapid Thruster swarm was eventually cleared out.

Unfortunately, only one cannon was left.

​

Even worse, atop the slope, Shan-Yu was no longer alone.

Now, he was accompanied by a countless number of Huns on horseback.

Shang turned to face everyone. "Prepare to fight," he said. "If we die, we die with honor."

With a fierce battle cry, Shan-Yu charged. His steed galloped down the slope, and behind him was his army. A massive cloud of powder snow was left in their wake, and they were heading straight for them.

Roxas clenched his fists, taking a deep breath. He couldn't be afraid now.

"Yao," Shang ordered calmly, "aim the cannon at Shan-Yu."

Yao shifted the cannon back and forth, trying to find the best trajectory to open fire.

Meanwhile, Mulan? As the Huns closed the gap between them, she looked at her sword. For some reason, she tilted the blade side to side, then lunged, taking the cannon and racing towards the invaders. "Sorry!"

"Hey!" Yao shouted.

"Mulan! What are you doing?!" cried Roxas.

She planted the cannon in the snow, not aiming at the army… but at the mountain.

Pulling out a piece of flint, Mulan tried lighting the cannon's fuse, only for Shan-Yu's hawk to divebomb her, knocking the flint into the snow.

However, she didn't seem to see it, as she pulled out Mushu and squeezed his midquarters, forcing fire out of his mouth. Mulan crouched, holding the cannon tightly before it shot off.

Shan-Yu's horse reared back from the explosion, and all the while, Mushu ranted, "YOU MISSED! HOW COULD YOU MISS?! HE WAS THREE FEET IN FRONT OF YOU!"

BOOM!​

Snow dropped off the peak, coming into the pass like a white wave.

An avalanche.


//Haru and Roxas have learned Sliding Dash.

 

[NGSoares]

The ground shook as the white cascade of freezing death rolled down the mountain as a grin crossed Mulan's face. However, she stumbled at the tremors, and her grin faltered when she saw Shan-Yu looming right above her. He was enormous, with fists easily the size of his head.

The warlord's eyes narrowed with rage, and with a vicious cry, he swung his sword.

A slicing pain ran across Mulan's midsection, and on nothing but adrenaline, she made a run for it, grabbing Shang's hand while Shan-Yu, along with his troops and any remaining Heartless, were buried beneath the snow.

They all hid behind a rock, and the rumbling got louder as the snow washed over them, going off the cliff. Roxas bit his lip, waiting for it to end…

And when it did, he looked up to see about fifty hearts fly out of the snow.

Shan-Yu, the Heartless, and the Hun army were nowhere to be seen… and the recruits broke out into cheers.

"Ping… you are the craziest man I have ever met," said Shang, gasping for breath. "For that, I owe you my life. From now on, you have my trust."

"Thank you, Cap—" Mulan's eyes rolled back and she groaned before collapsing into the snow, which slowly started turning red.

"He's wounded! Get help!" called the captain. "Ping… hold on."

———
​

Mulan had been taken to some tents that were quickly set up, so Roxas sat on the rock they had used to hide from the avalanche. For about thirty minutes, they waited in silence until the doctor emerged from the tent. He whispered something to Shang, who entered, and the Nobody couldn't help but gulp.

"I can explain," he heard Mulan say.

Chi-Fu then threw the canvas aside. "So it's true!" he cried.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S0zsZT8awNk​

Shang stormed out of the tent, and the consul followed him out, dragging Mulan out with him. "I knew there was something wrong with you!" snapped Chi-Fu before he undid Mulan's topknot, letting her hair down for all to see. "A woman!"

He shoved Mulan into the snow. "Treacherous snake!"

"My name is Mulan," she countered firmly. "I did it to save my father."

"HIGH TREASON!"

"I didn't mean for it to go this far!"

"ULTIMATE DISHONOR!"

"It was the only way. Please, believe me!"

Chi-Fu scoffed, giving Mulan a belittling glare before heading over to Shang. "Captain?"

Shang silently walked to Mulan's horse, where her sword was sheathed, and drew it. The horse whinnied in fear, but one of the soldiers pulled on its reins to restrain it. He advanced towards Mulan, while Chi-Fu blocked Ling, Yao, and Chien-Po from coming to help.

"You know the law."

Mulan closed her eyes, and Shang raised the sword—

"Get away from her!" shouted Haru.

"You four were complicit in this!" Chi-Fu admonished. "Weren't you?!"

And Shang dropped the sword, silencing everyone.

Mulan opened her eyes, looking up at him.

"A life for a life," Shang told her, avoiding eye contact. "My debt is repaid." He started his way down the pass. "Move out!"

"But y-you can't just…!" Chi-Fu protested.

"I said, 'move out,'" he repeated. He turned to Haru and the others. "Before I go… you knew." It wasn't a question, just a statement.

Roxas glared at Shang. "I don't see how it was such a big—"

"I cannot have untrustworthy soldiers," Shang cut him off. "Deception alone brings dishonor—you're all discharged. Go home." And with that, he left the scene.

———​

Mushu had set up a small campfire, one they had all gathered around. With Mulan changed into her training outfit, she gave them a forced smile. "Thanks, everyone," she said.

"It… it's no problem," Haru uneasily replied. "So what'll you do now?"

"Go back home."

"Your daddy's gonna be steamed as a chicken dumpling," Mushu mumbled, poking at the fire.

"We'll take our share," Haru offered, glancing at the snowfield. If his future vision was right…

"Thanks," Mulan said, her smile becoming more genuine. "You're all such wonderful friends."

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1MPuWUMGUAk​

Clapping suddenly echoed across the summit, along with a whooshing sound that made Haru freeze. "Gotta admit, that was quite the show," came a familiar voice, with a slowly applauding Xigbar emerging from a dark corridor, a smirk on his face. "The avalanche thing gets you full marks."

Everyone got to their feet at that.

"Go away!" Donald fiercely shouted.

"No Organization!" added Goofy, raising his shield.

"Xigbar!" Haru exclaimed, his expression darkening at the sight of one of his most personal enemies. "You're back?!"

"No shit," confirmed the freeshooter with a coy smirk, unfazed by the cold mountain air as he approached the group. "Can't keep me down for long. Nice to meet you, Roxas."

Roxas grit his teeth, summoning the Kingdom Key. "Shut up!" he shouted.

Xigbar chuckled at that. "You really think that's polite, shutting me down like that?" he drawled. "Huh, that's the exact same angry look he gave me, like I drowned your goldfish." Leaning back against a cliff, he said, "No good will ever come of trying to play hero, especially for rookies. If you do, you only end up in last place."

"My father couldn't go to war," Mulan spoke up. "In his state, he would've died…"

"Yeah, you did it for your dear ol' dad—but you ever think about what your family is wondering?" Xigbar countered dismissively. "Running away just to prove yourself?"

"What do you know, anyway?" Roxas argued. "If you were there, you'd see how admirable Mulan was! She did what she thought was right!"

"I don't admire someone recklessly leaping into danger if it means dragging everyone else down with them. Getting all of you discharged at one certainly counts." Xigbar rolled his eye. "And spare me your 'power of friendship' bullshit—I've heard it all before. Yeah, hearts are powerful when connected… but what happens when you put all those connections in one place? Some of them may end up breaking."

"Who cares?" Haru cut in, pointing Shooting Star at Xigbar's neck. "Stop beating around the bush, then get the hell out of here! You'd be doing us all a favor."

"Wow, you really wanna see me go that bad?"Xigbar arched a teasing eyebrow. "I expected a little bit of a warm welcome here. Especially since I came here to toss you some hints."

"Like we'd listen to anything you'd say!" snapped Donald.

"The game's changed, big time," informed the freeshooter, a wide grin on his face. "Since Sora's in dreamland, I need you to pass on a message to him—he needs to accept the power he's given. Find the hearts tied to his."

"We already told you, we don't need you messing with us! Can't you take a hint?" Haru asked.

Xigbar scoffed. "As if!" He turned away from the group, heading down the trail. "With all that Xemnas took from you, that leaves you with no choice but to follow our trail of breadcrumbs. And at the end, you'll see just what that means for Sora and his connected hearts, including the two of you. In fact… his reward's coming in hot. You're all so close!"

And with that, Xigbar left the scene before Haru could ask what he meant, with the telltale whoosh of a dark corridor signifying his departure. Silence fell over the summit except for the crackling of the campfire.

"Whose hearts was he talking about?" Haru asked no one in particular, frowning. There were so many hearts tied to Sora…

"Don't let him bother ya," Mushu reassured him. "He's just tryin' to mess with ya for a laugh. I'm sure Sora's gonna be fine."

Even with Mushu's words, Haru couldn't stop thinking about what Xigbar said. He pushed those worries aside and smiled at the dragon, nodding. "You're right," he said.

"Eeyup!" Goofy agreed. "We're proof that he can't knock us down!"

"We're a team!" Donald grinned. "All for one and one for all!"

"Yeah!" Haru exclaimed.

"I guess… count me in." Roxas smiled.

"Attaboy, Roxas!"

As they all began their way down the mountain, Haru briefly stopped to think over the chat with Xigbar. With what he still had from his future vision, he had bits and pieces of an idea about what the freeshooter meant for Sora's reward—would his heart be damaged if he woke up Ven? What was it?

 

[NGSoares]

As soon as the six got further down the mountain, there was a bone-chilling bellow of rage from the snowfield beneath where the avalanche hit.

​

Haru peeked down the mountain to see Shan-Yu rising out of the snow with what looked like his most elite troops, and they stumbled forth, with Shan-Yu's gaze focused solely focused towards the city down below.

At the sight of that, Mulan narrowed her eyes, then got on her horse almost instantly.

"Uh, home is that way," Mushu chided impatiently, pointing in the direction they all came.

"I have to do something," Mulan responded.

Mushu trembled. "Did you—did you see those Huns! They popped outta the snow! Like daisies!"

"Are we in this together or not?" countered Mulan.

Mushu stared at the cricket, then grinned. "Well, let's go kick some Hunny buns!" he cheered, whooping as he climbed onto Mulan's shoulder. "You four with us?"

"You know it!" answered Haru.

"Guess that means we're comin'!" Goofy agreed with a chuckle.

"…yeah. I'll help," said Roxas. "But how will we get to the city in time?"

Goofy hummed in thought. "I got an idea!" He set his shield down in the snow. "How about some sledding?"

"Will you… have enough room?" asked Mulan, arching an eyebrow.

"I'll take the horse. Hopefully he can support two people?" offered Roxas. At Mulan's nod, he hopped on her horse, while Donald and Haru got on the Star Shield.

"And we're off!" exclaimed the redhead, with Goofy pushing the shield so it could go down the hill, while Mulan beckoned for her horse to break into a gallop.

———​

The streets of the Imperial City were alive with the sounds of celebration.

A parade went down the main road leading to the palace, with Shang's troops traveling besides a lion dance as kites flew above them. Performers played the suona and drums as confetti fell, and a herald proclaimed, "Make way for the heroes of China!"

The crowds on both sides of the road burst into applause at that, but despite the grand festivities around them, the mood was somber.

Mulan rode through the crowd on horseback, the others behind her as they ran beside the parade. "Shang!" she called.

"Mulan?"

"The Huns are alive!" she warned him. "They're in the city!"

"You don't belong here, Mulan." Shang turned away, refusing to look at her. "Go home."

Roxas pushed in front of Shang's horse, summoning the Kingdom Key. "She's telling the truth."

The captain just shook his head, ushering his horse forward, but Mulan rode up to his side. "Shang, I saw them in the mountains. You have to believe me."

"Why should I?" replied Shang.

Now the horse was right in front of him, with its rider giving him a firm gaze. "Why else would we come back? You trusted Ping," Mulan said. "Why is Mulan any different?"

Shang was silent for a moment before just riding away. The rest of the procession continued onward, with Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po all giving them various looks of sympathy.

"Keep your eyes open. I know they're here."

Drums started playing on nearby towers, and fireworks went off. Mulan dismounted, and Mushu asked, "Now where are you goin'?"

"To find someone who will believe me."

They followed the parade into a huge, open courtyard that stood before the Emperor's palace. The palace itself was raised above the ground, connected to the courtyard by long stairs, and the glittering curved roof was supported by pillars. Around the building were four towers, letting off fireworks of all the colors of the rainbow.

The courtyard was filled with civilians, with many holding colored lanterns and applauding.

And up at the gates of the palace, with front doors flanked by two guardian statues, the Emperor descended the stairs to meet the parade.

Chi-Fu handed Shang the sword of Shan-Yu, and the lion costume stood at their back, almost sounding like it was breathing heavily.

Shang's expression was unreadable as the drumming came to a stop and a gong rang out, silencing the crowd.

The Emperor spread his arms. "My children!" he declared, his voice echoing across the courtyard. "Heaven smiles down upon the Middle Kingdom! China will sleep safely tonight, thanks to our brave warriors!"

Back in the crowd, Mulan told someone, "The Huns are hiding here!"

The man huffed, walking away as if Mulan wasn't even there.

"So, if I was tanky enough to survive an avalanche, where would I hide?" Haru mused.

"Not among the crowd," said Donald, looking around. "Seems a bit obvious."

Mushu crawled up on Mulan's shoulder, scanning the courtyard and the stairs leading up to the palace. "Huh, those dancers don't know about personal space, do they?" He pointed at the lion costume right behind Shang.

"Your Majesty," said Shang, holding the sword out. "I present to you the sword of Shan-Yu."

"I know what this means to you, Captain Li," responded the Emperor. "Your father would have been very proud."

A loud avian screech echoed through the courtyard, and out of nowhere came Shan-Yu's falcon, snatching the sword in its talons as the crowd gasped. It flew up to the palace's roof, and screams erupted from the crowd.

Hiding amongst the statue was Shan-Yu, who grabbed the sword and got to his feet.

The lion costume broke apart right after, with the Huns jumping out, and before Shang could do anything, they knocked him to the ground before grabbing the Emperor and dragging him into the palace.

The palace doors slammed shut, and Shan-Yu laughed.

 

[NGSoares]

With the chaos that erupted, Haru and the others were able to get up the stairs to the palace doors. There, they saw that the recruits were using one of the guardian statues as a battering ram, which was where Haru pointed the Keyblade at the palace doors.

"What are you doing?" asked Shang.

"Fun stuff!" he exclaimed, a light appearing at the tip of Shooting Star. It gathered in full, and a beam shot out of the Keyblade. There was a clicking noise when it hit the palace doors, and the battering ram pushed through, opening the door.

Shang stared at the Keyblade. "Can this unlock any lock?" he asked.

"Yep!"

"I have an idea," Mulan spoke up. "Yao, Ling, Chien-Po, come with me. And… look out!"

Heartless charged out of the palace, and while they were easily defeated due to being completely outnumbered, Shang's eyes widened in realization. "The Heartless are just so Shan-Yu can buy time!" he told the troops. "We'll do a pincer attack—half of us will secure the palace, while… Mulan, what is this plan?"

It was pretty simple, when Roxas thought about it—climb the pillars up to sneak into the palace while Haru caused a distraction. So as he climbed up the pillar using his white shirt, while Yao, Ling, Chien-Po, and Mulan climbed with silk sashes and Shang with his cape, Haru, Goofy, and Donald would rendezvous with them after clearing out the Heartless.

———​

The Emperor was dragged up onto a covered balcony by two of the Huns, who had him restrained.

It was then that Shan-Yu, hanging down from the roof, made himself known. "Boo." He dropped down onto the balcony, ordering, "Guard the door." The elite troops ran downstairs to do just that, leaving him alone with the Emperor.

Shan-Yu paced around the Emperor, smiling. "Your walls and armies have fallen, and now it's your turn." He leaned in, relishing in the moment. "Bow to me!"

———​

In a nearby hallway, Mulan and Roxas peeked around the corner. At the sight of Shan-Yu's elites guarding the door, she glanced at the trio, all dressed for action. "Okay, any questions?" she asked.

"Does this dress make me look fat?" wondered Yao. Ling slapped him with his hand fan. "Ow!"

Mulan motioned for Shang and Roxas to hold their positions, while she and the three soldiers raised their fans before walking out.

"Who's there?" demanded one of the burlier guards.

With her and the soldiers having changed into regal dresses befitting that of women from the palace, and the latter three having on makeup to add to that, they were indistinguishable from the staff. To complete things, the four let out high-pitched giggles as they strode into the Huns' eyesight.

"Concubines," the first burly guard dryly remarked, lowering his partner's sword.

"Ugly concubines," added the other.

"He's so cute!" commented Ling in a falsetto voice, giving the first guard a smile. The guard awkwardly waved back, only for the second guard to elbow him with a glare.

An apple with a bite out of it rolled out of the bottom of Ling's dress, and Shang's face met his palm.

The guard picked up the apple, giving it to Ling… and he, Yao, and Chien-Po all pulled out fruit and grinned.

Watermelons were shoved on the burly guards' heads, blinding them before Chien-Po pushed them together, knocking them out.

Ling stuffed an apple in the swordsman's mouth, then kicked him in the groin before headbutting him.

Yao slammed the biggest of the guards into the floor, and Mulan kicked the bow out of the archer's hands before pinning him down, holding him in place with the bow. "Shang! Roxas! Go!" she shouted.

"You heard her!" said the Nobody, and the two of them ran by the brawl right as Haru, Goofy, and Donald caught up.

"Room for three more?" asked the replica, throwing open the doors to a stairway, one they ascended to the balcony.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yjtlazyum6o​

Shan-Yu drew his sword. "I tire of your arrogance, old man," he spat. "Bow to me!"

The Emperor's gaze remained straight ahead as he calmly responded, "No matter how the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it."

Roxas saw what he assumed was rage run through Shan-Yu's body before he raised the sword for a killing blow. "Then you will kneel… in pieces!"

Shang suddenly rushed at Shan-Yu, blocking the sword with his own, and while he was knocked to the floor, he took the opportunity to kick Shan-Yu into the balustrade.

Another attack from Shang made Shan-Yu react much quicker, with him grabbing Shang's arm before heaving to try and throw him off the balcony, but Shang swung around the pillar, using the momentum to kick the warlord in the face before punching him while he was down.

Shan-Yu rolled him over, and Shang kneed him in the stomach before rolling him again so he was on top.

Mulan and the trio arrived on the scene around that time, and she said, "Chien-Po, get the Emperor!"

Chien-Po picked the monarch up, telling him, "Sorry, Your Majesty," before he jumped onto the balustrade, tying his sash to one of the lantern strings.

"NO!" roared Shan-Yu.

The large soldier made his escape with the Emperor, sliding down the string as the crowd applauded.

Snarling furiously, Shan-Yu punched Shang before slamming him into the floor, then advanced on Mulan… who picked up his sword and severed the rope.

All the warlord could do was lean over the edge of the balcony, staring at the crowd in disbelief.

​

He screamed in rage before tearing his sword out of the pillar, turning to Shang. Picking him up by the cape, he yelled, "You! You took away my victory!"

A shoe hit the back of his head. "No! I did!" Mulan put her hair into a topknot.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2-jbIbVcXoQ​

Shan-Yu's eyes widened. "The soldier from the mountains…!" He tossed Shang aside, knocking him unconscious as his hawk flew onto the balcony, landing on his shoulder as darkness radiated from him.

Haru and Roxas summoned their Keyblades, Donald and Goofy drew their weapons, and Mulan unsheathed her sword. "It ends now!" she declared.

"Right now!" agreed Haru.


//I have been waiting to use that Xenoblade 3 reference as a threadmark since this arc started.

 

[NGSoares]

Before any of them could make their first move, Shan-Yu waved his arm, causing a pair of Nightwalkers and an Assault Rider to spawn as his hawk took flight.

In response to that, Mushu popped out behind Mulan, and she dashed forward, wreathed in the Fa guardian's flames and hitting the first Nightwalker, then slicing it in two with her sword. She did it again to destroy another Nightwalker, while Donald and Haru froze the Assault Rider with a joint Blizzard, and Roxas cried out in fear, as he found himself caught in a blade lock with Shan-Yu, who was shrouded in darkness.

So he pressed, doing his best to put all of his strength into pushing back against the Hun. "You think you can overpower me?" taunted Shan-Yu with a grin.

"No…" Roxas replied, then his blue eyes met yellow-on-black ones. "But that doesn't mean I can't try!"

With a yell, he put his back into his pushing, flipped the jagged sword, and shoved Shan-Yu backwards with a strike from the Keyblade, making the dark aura die down.

He jumped, spinning sideways, but his two targets—Roxas and Mulan—managed to get out of the way in time.

Haru, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky—he was picked up by the hawk while Shan-Yu summoned more Nightwalkers, then turned his attention to Goofy, who attacked with his trademark Goofy Tornado.

The hawk dropped him, and Shan-Yu was on him in seconds, slicing Haru with his sword, only for Donald to heal him up.

"I'll deal with the Heartless!" Haru told them. "I have an idea!" So he did just that, while Donald struck down the hawk with Thunder.

Roxas was now on the defensive, guarding with his Keyblade as much as he could from Shan-Yu's attacks, though Mulan did her flame charge with Mushu to push him back.

He saw Haru's Keyblade shift into Double Arrowguns again, and he opened fire on Shan-Yu, both with Fire and magic bullets.

The distraction was just what Roxas needed—he did a Sliding Dash towards the distracted Hun, along with a blow to try and knock him off his feet.

It was around that time that the hawk recovered, and it screeched before divebombing Roxas, knocking the Keyblade out of his hands, though the arrowguns incapacitated it yet again.

Darkness surrounded Shan-Yu, and he laughed before charging at Roxas, who had little to no time to summon his Keyblade—but this time, Shan-Yu pushed him back against the edge of the balcony.

Roxas put his back against it… and kicked Shan-Yu in the chest, using the balustrade as something to bounce off of.

Haru's arrowguns had become a Magic Launcher by then, one that he immediately started blasting Shan-Yu with… and the Hun charged out, punching the replica in the chest before the hawk tried to pick him up again.

Mushu rocketed in the air above himself, Roxas, and Mulan, where he was on the hawk in seconds, raining fireballs on the battlefield and burning away its feathers. "Now that's what I call Mongolian barbecue!" he remarked with a laugh.

The darkness around Shan-Yu only intensified, and he did a jump attack on Haru, making him hit the ceiling.

Haru looked down at the warlord and smiled. "POINT BLANK, ASSHOLE!" he yelled, then did just that with the Magic Launcher.

Mulan and Roxas once again had Mushu rain down fireballs on Shan-Yu's head, and he responded from the hit by snarling before he punched the Nobody in the chest with a fierce counterattack, sending him rolling across the floor.

"Now for you…" he spat, running after Mulan, who went down the stairs and slammed the doors shut.

Shan-Yu just punched through the door, storming after Mulan even as Haru shot Magic Launcher's finisher at him.

Roxas, clutching his chest from the haymaker, barely saw a kite flying towards one of the fireworks tower, right before a pillar fell through a wall and he saw Mulan climb onto the roof.

———


View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9PpyZKOtbDg
​

This had to be perfect.

Mulan lined herself up with the fireworks tower that Mushu had gone to, measuring the distance with her hand and backing to the center of the rooftop. She then heard an enraged yell behind her, and an injured, burnt Shan-Yu broke his way onto the roof.

He panted, and a smile crossed his face when all Mulan had to pull out was a fan. "It looks like you're out of ideas," he taunted, then thrusted the sword forward—

And Mulan caught it in her fan.

She turned her arm, disarming Shan-Yu and pointing his own sword at him. "Not quite!" she countered. "Ready, Mushu?!"

"I am ready, baby!" exclaimed Mushu on the other end of the roof, revealing a rocket strapped to his back and a match that he lit with his fire breath. "LIGHT ME!"

Shan-Yu lunged at Mulan, and she kicked him in the face, then did a roundhouse kick to knock him to the ground.

When he recovered, she drove the sword into his tunic, pinning him to the rooftop, and the rocket's fuse was lit.

The rocket sped towards Shan-Yu, who couldn't move out of the way. His eyes widened with fear, and he screamed as the rocket hit him in the chest, sending him right at the tower.

Mulan grabbed Mushu and broke into a run away from the tower. "Get off the roof, get off the roof, get off the roof!" she chanted.

The tower went up in a massive explosion, fireworks shooting off in all directions as Mulan jumped, grabbing a lantern and swinging down the cord, where she landed right on Shang at the palace's doors.

Shan-Yu's sword and Mushu landed nearby, the dragon laughing as Haru and the others came out of the palace.




//Haru and Roxas have learned Air Slide.

 

[NGSoares]

"Now that's what I call burning some Hunny-buns!" cheered Mushu. "Mulan's the best! Mulan's the best! No, wait a minute—I'm the best! Mushu's the best! Mushu's the best!"

"That was a deliberate attempt on my life!" ranted Chi-Fu, storming out of the palace with the top of his hat burnt off. "Where are they?! What a mess!" As everyone got between him and Mulan, he snapped, "Stand aside! That creature's not worth protecting!"

"She's a hero!" Shang retorted.

"She's a woman! She'll never be worth anything!"

Shang picked him up by the robe. "Listen, you pompous—"

"That is enough," declared the Emperor, and his word silenced everything except the fireworks.

"Your Majesty, I can explain…"

He simply lifted his hand, and Shang went quiet. Roxas awkwardly bowed, before everyone parted to show Mulan, who quickly did the same.

"I've heard a great deal about you, Fa Mulan," he told her, making her slightly lift her head. "You stole your father's armor, ran away from home, impersonated a solider, deceived your commanding officer, dishonored the Chinese army, destroyed my palace—" he gestured at the burning fireworks tower, and Haru tried his best not to roll his eyes. "AND…"

The Emperor's expression softened. "You have saved us all." He smiled, and bowed to Mulan.

Chi-Fu did a double take, then dropped to the floor, kowtowing.

Shang, Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po did the same, while Haru looked at them all before kneeling, with Donald and Goofy following suit.

Mulan turned to look behind her, her eyes widening as the entire crowd in attendance bowed to her.

She stood there, speechless, trying her best to find what to say. Roxas smiled, and he followed everyone else in bowing to Mulan.

After a few moments, the Emperor stood up straight. "Chi-Fu."

"Your Excellency?" replied the consul, getting back up.

"See to it that this woman is made a member of my council."

Chi-Fu sputtered at that. "B-but there are no council positions open, Your Majesty!" he protested.

"Very well." The Emperor pointed at Chi-Fu. "You can have his job." His advisor promptly fainted at that.

"With all due respect, Your Excellency," said Mulan, "I think I've been away from home long enough."

The Emperor gave her an understanding nod. "Then take this." He presented Mulan with a medal that had a dragon on it. "So that your family will know what you have done for me." He then picked up Shan-Yu's sword. "And this, so the world will know what you have done for China."

Trembling, Mulan came forward and wrapped her arms around the Emperor in a hug.

"Is she allowed to do that?" muttered Yao, and the others shrugged.

"Mulan," Shang spoke up, getting her attention. "Haru, Roxas, Donald, Goofy… thank you."

"'Thank you?'" repeated the Emperor. "Is that all there is to say, Captain?"

"Uh… you fight good."

At that, Mulan laughed. "Thanks for everything," she addressed the four.

"I actually want to thank you," said Roxas. "If… if it wasn't for me watching you train and how hard you worked, I would've never gotten my confidence back." He thought back to the spar with Leon in cold storage and smiled. "So yeah. I'm bad at this, but thanks."

"It… it was my pleasure," replied Mulan.

A glow suddenly radiated from Shan-Yu's sword, which floated out of Mulan's hands and into the air.

Roxas thought back to what had happened with the Restoration Committee card in Hollow Bastion, and after Haru patted him on the shoulder and nodded, he summoned the Kingdom Key.

Beneath Roxas's feet materialized a crown symbol, and pointing the Keyblade forward, he was transported to a plane of light.

A beam shot up from Shan-Yu's sword, revealing a Keyhole in the air—a Gate.

The Nobody pointed the Keyblade at the Gate and a beam shot out, entering the Keyhole and releasing a blinding light.

When Roxas could see again, he was standing on the palace stairs again.

"Okay!" cheered Donald.

"Guess it's time for us to be movin' on," agreed Goofy.

"You shall be missed," the Emperor told them all.

"We can come back to visit, right?" asked Haru.

Mulan nodded. "Of course," she answered, while Mushu gave him a thumbs up.

"We will look forward to your return," said Shang.

"What they said!" Yao cut in.

"You two play nice!" teased the replica, making both Mulan and Shang look ten times more flustered.

"Whoa… watch it, soldier!" stammered Shang.

As the four left, Mulan said, "Good-bye… Haru, Roxas, Donald, Goofy. If you see your friends, tell them we said hello."

"We will!" called Haru. Just another thing to tell Sora and Riku… along with Xigbar's message.



//Obtained Hidden Dragon!

 

[NGSoares]

Around the same time that Haru's group had arrived in the Land of Dragons, another story was unfolding...




When Sora came to, he awoke to gentle lamp light, a yellow neon sign shaped like a fleur-de-lis, dusky brick streets, and a homely-looking plaza beneath an eternal night sky. "Huh, this is…" he noted, looking the place over.

It was unmistakable to him, and a place he had fond memories of. "Traverse Town."

​

Going by where he was… it looked to be above the café in the First District. Sora definitely recognized the two lamp posts, and parallel to the café on the other side of the plaza was the door to the Third District.

Where he had met Roxas.

At the top of the stairs was the Accessory Shop, with its large yellow sign. Sora knew for a fact that Leon and the others had returned to Hollow Bastion… and far more unsettling was how empty the First District seemed now.

The worlds had been restored—of course it was a ghost town.

"Hey, what's with my clothes?!"

Sometime between opening the Destiny Islands' Sleeping Keyhole and his arrival in Traverse Town, his clothes had changed. Was it some kinda… Mark of Mastery outfit? While it looked similar to what he was wearing before he entered the Sleeping Worlds, the plaid was gone, and a large X crossed his shirt's chest.

"Must be more of Master Yen Sid's magic," he concluded.

​

Sora couldn't help but laugh. "Home away from home," he remarked.

Speaking of which, someone else was missing. "RIKU! HELLO? RIKU!" he called as loudly as possible. Hopefully his voice carried enough that Riku could hear him.

It certainly worked on the Islands before they got Gummiphones.

"Shut it. Talk about noise."

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp0viroPHgk​

Landing in front of him was a teenage boy around his age. He had on headphones, ones that went over his spiky orange hair that briefly made Sora feel a pang of envy. The boy looked Sora over, then made direct eye contact with him.

"You're Sora, right?"

"Yeah, but… wait, how do you know my name?"

Instead of answering the question, the boy grabbed Sora's hand and looked it over. "Mind removing your glove?"

After Sora did so, the boy said, "Looks like you aren't a Player."

Wait, what? "A 'Player'?" Sora repeated, testing the words on his lips. "Well, you're right about me in trying to—"

The boy sighed. "No, not that kind of player," he responded exasperatedly. "I mean a Player in the Game." He opened his palm to reveal… what was that, a brand? It was a timestamp of some sort, and was going down.

"Players get marked with this time limit, and this Game, I can't afford to lose," he explained. "I need my Game Partner."

This was practically another language to Sora, having only vague ideas of what the stranger meant. So he rested his arms behind his head and replied with a smile, "Okay… I don't know what you mean by or know about any 'Game,' but how can I help?"

"What? Time-out. Do you trust every total stranger you meet?" The stranger's eyes looked down at the ground.

Well, yeah—helping people was what he did best. He was just as capable as the others he adventured with last year, and Sora was set on helping the stranger win this weird "Game."

"Look… sorry, you're no good. You're not a Player, and my pact's with someone else."

Plan B!

"Okay, so we can't be partners. Why don't I help you out as your friend?"

"Now we're friends?" the stranger snapped, turning away. "It's not that easy."

"Not saying it is," he pressed with a grin, "but you can make it easier." Just because this was a dream didn't mean Sora couldn't befriend anyone.

"Yeah, sounds great. Whatever." And the stranger dashed up the stairs, leaving Sora behind.

"Cool! Lead the way!" Sora called. He wanted to help in any way he could, and the stranger didn't seem like he was with the Organization.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynk-4E1PFtc​

Sora was sure he'd run into Riku eventually. Maybe he was in that waterway connected to Merlin's house? Either way, he mostly knew his way around Traverse Town, and as he looked around the First District to try and fully remember the town's layout, he thought he saw more buildings beyond the side of the First District he had started out in.

'So, the First District has the northern door to the Second District and the eastern door to the Third, which also connects to the Second,' he mentally listed. 'Then there's that alleyway behind the Second District's hotel that leads to that waterway I made that promise to Kairi in, and that connects to Merlin's house, which can also be entered from the Third District.'

Yeah, that was about right.

"It's my lucky charm. Be sure to bring it back to me."

The memory of his promise to Kairi made him wistfully smile at the thought, and he ran up the stairs.

Opening the northern doors, Sora followed the stranger into the Second District, catching up in the main plaza in front of the Gizmo Shop—apparently, this was where Haru had met Maleficent for the first time. The stranger turned at the sound of Sora's footsteps.

"Hey, I never got a name," Sora told him.

The stranger stopped for a moment, but before he could reply, weird creatures that resembled neither Heartless or Nobodies spawned around them. "Dream Eaters!"

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=deVkA48enPg​

Another creature appeared by the stranger, and Sora muttered, "That's a pretty weird name."

"Not me, them!" snapped the boy.

"Oh, right! Sorry!"

The Dream Eaters closed in, and the stranger instructed, "Don't let them gang up on us! Let's split up!"

In Sora's hand materialized the Kingdom Key. "Got it!"

"Oh, uh… and it's Neku," added the boy.

"Huh?"

"Neku Sakuraba. You asked what my name was." He avoided eye contact with Sora.

"'Neku Sakuraba,'" echoed Sora. "That's a mouthful!"

"No. It's really not," Neku countered.

Sora laughed before getting in a fighting stance. "C'mon, Neku! Let's take 'em!"



//In the quest that was the prequel to this fic, Traverse Town was where the entire timeline went off the rails.