You knew you were dreaming of him again, but you just couldn't wake up. Just like before, it only showed some scenes of the boy and his friends the week that you left... it was like a movie you were trying to watch on an old TV set. It clears up for about a minute, then moves on to a new scene where it fuzzes out again. This dream was about the Struggle tournament. You saw the mayor, yelling things to a crowd. But it was like someone put on a mute button. Then it was the boy vs. Hayner. Pence yelled, "Focus Rox--!"
Then it showed how Seifer (the head Twilight Town's Disciplinary Committee) was about to finish off his friend Vivi (this quiet boy who looks like a Heartless, but isn't. He isn't as bad as Seifer, Rai, and Fuu because he doesn't follow them around as much) when Vivi suddenly inherited mad fighting skills and knocked out Seifer.
Then it was the boy vs. Vivi and just when he was about to finish him off, everything froze. A hooded guy suddenly appeared. One of the members of Organization XIII.
"It's me... You know, A---." The hooded guy had red, layered hair and piercing green eyes. He looked familiar to you, but you don't know how. Him and the boy were fighting. The boy had the Kingdom Keyblade... the one just like Sora's...
Everything was back to motion and the boy just defeated the champion Seizer (a guy with layered gray hair and wears a lot of purple. Even his eyes are purple... I think...). He was smiling and waving to the crowd - looking really happy. Then he held out his trophy with four crystals on them on one hand and the Champion Belt with another.
Hayner, Pence, Olette, and Roxas were sitting on the Station Tower. Roxas broke off the crystals from his trophy and gave one to each other them. Your other three friends thanked him and asked what he was going to give you. "I'll give her this one... I already have the Champion Belt," he answered. He held out the blue one that you have to the sun, smiling. Then he said quietly, "Thinking of you wherever you are..."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Haruna... Haruna wake up..." a voice whispered quietly, shaking your shoulder. You moaned as you turned your head to face the person. "....Roxas...??" you said in a dazed voice. "Nope. It's me, Sora," he said a little louder. Your eyes gained focus to see that Sora was squatting over your futon, smiling at you. You sat up and blinked a little, stretching your arms and yawning. "Why did you wake me up so early?" you whined, looking at Sora (who's already dressed up in his black outfit. Heh... he probably changed while you were sleeping...). He grinned from ear to ear, his eyes full of mischief. "I need to show you something really cool. Get ready and meet me at the cockpit," he said and ran off. With a sigh you changed from your pjs to the outfit that the fairies gave you (the black and white one). After that you headed to the cockpit, being careful not to wake up Donald, Goofy, Chip, Dale, and Jiminy, who were sleeping in their rooms.
"Sora...??" you called out as soon as you entered the cockpit. This was your first time going here and you saw many buttons and gadgets around. Above you was what looked like a strong glass ceiling where you saw all the stars and space. "Woah...." you said, gazing around you. Then you saw Sora sitting on a chair with a wheel on his hand. "Hey... come here!" Sora called you, motioning you to come over with his head. You stood beside him and looked at him. "Oh... right..." he said looking around. "They haven't installed a chair for you here yet..." Then he scooted over for you to sit next to him. "C'mon Haruna. I won't bite..." he teased, smiling as you tried to sit down next to him. On the plus side, both of you somehow managed to sit down. However you were uncomfortably too close to him, but he didn't seem to mind.
"So, what's this all about, Sora?" you asked. He was grinning again. "Well, I know that we both want to find our friends, right? And yesterday Chip and Dale said that it'll take us a couple of days until we reach a new world. So, if I just speed things up a bit with the wrap-seed button, then we'll get in there in just a few minutes!" Sora said, revealing his master plan. "A-Are you sure you even know how to drive this?" you asked nervously, afraid of the answer. You clearly remembered how the other boys reacted when Sora offered to drive the ship last night. Sora looked thoughtful for a while. "Nope... Not really. Donald and Goofy wouldn't let me drive..." he admitted. "I wonder why..." you mumbled, praying that you'll get out of this alive. "Anyway, I'd hold on tight if I were you..." he smirked as he put his hands on the ship's wheel. One arm was also around you, but just in case he doesn't catch you, you held onto him (slightly above the waist) and buried your head on his shoulder, getting ready for your possible death. Suddenly, the entrance to the cockpit slammed open as Donald and the other boys came in. "SORA NO!" they all yelled in unison just when Sora pressed the warp-speed button.
Even if you were inside the cockpit, you felt yourself being pulled back as if there was a black hole behind you - smashing you hard into Sora. Donald and Goofy lost their balance and hit the wall on the other side of the ship as Jiminy, Chip, and Dale held on to their life on the edge of the door. Sora was holding the wheel on one hand and holding you on the other as you clutched him tightly - screaming like hell as Sora laughed as if he was watching a hilarious comedy movie. You felt the whole ship spin around as if it was a non-stopping, super fast, loopy and twisty rollercoaster. Then, just as fast as it started, it stopped. You and Sora fell on the ground. It didn't take too long for Donald and Goofy to rush back over. "Sora! What the hell is your problem?! How many times have I told you NOT to touch the Gummi Ship controls!" Donald yelled angrily. Unfortunately, Sora didn't hear him as he started laughing hysterically on the floor. "Man! That was crazy!" Sora said happily as you manage to get him off you. Then you rubbed your head and huffed while giving Sora a stare of doom. "Remind me to take out that wrap-speed button later..." Chip said to Dale as Dale nodded. Then Jiminy said, "Look on the bright side. At least we made it to a new world... It's called the Land of the Dragons..."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"I can't believe it... Twilight Town's disappeared..." a voice said. The person who spoke had a black hood, just like the Organization XIII.
"They are trying to hurt the girl... trying to weaken her heart. It's working and they know it. Haruna is greatly troubled with this lost..." another man said in red.
"Really? She doesn't seem like it's bothering her."
"She does not want Sora and her new friends to worry about her. She's afraid of becoming a burden to them. And she also wants to remain strong for her journey."
"And Roxas? What will happen to him now that he and Sora-"
"He can still communicate to Haruna through her memories and feelings. Let's just hope that Roxas doesn't bring back her true memories, Ansem... Otherwise Haruna will be the only one that can stop him now..." the other man interrupted.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The four of you were walking through the thick bamboo grove. By the looks of the place, you were in ancient China and during your short walk, Sora kept on bragging on how fast they were able to get to this world with his mad-skilled warp-speed button-pressing. Suddenly, you saw a large rock with a long, dragon-shaped shadow on it with evil red eyes and a soldier looking frightened. The four of you huddled together. "A Heartless?" Donald asks as Sora nodded his head in agreement. "Let's the jump on 'im!" Sora said. "Wait... what if-" too late. Sora and Donald already ran off before you could finish your sentence. "Gawrsh. I think they should've looked before they leap," Goofy said as both Sora and Donald fell behind the rock - yelling, kicking, and punching whatever they could get their hands on like wild animals. They didn't notice a little red lizard scurry away to the soldier (both now hiding from the sudden attack). As you and Goofy carefully peaked behind the rocks, Sora and Donald were strangling each other. "You guys! Stop!" you yelled as they looked at each other and realized what they were doing. Both of them jumped away from each other, letting go and coughing nervously.
"Is that Mushu?" Goofy suddenly said as Donald and Sora came to your side. "Mushu! We missed you!" Sora said happily. "Well, you better HOPE I miss YOU or else you're - Sora, Donald, Goofy!" the little lizard said happily. "Do you know them?" the soldier asked. "KNOW them? Man, we used to kick all kinds of bad guy butt together! I helped these guys out of a lot of tight spots 'cause I'm a mighty dragon, right?" Mushu said, nudging Sora's leg as Sora laughed a little. "Something like that. And... you are?" Sora asked the soldier. "I'm Mulan. Um, no, I-I mean..." the soldier said, disguising its voice to a deeper voice. "Ping!" Mushu exclaimed. You tilted your head to the side. "Mulan Ping?" you said confused. "Just... Ping. I'm the son of Fa Zhou," Ping said. "You know Mushu?" Sora asked. "Mushu is one of my family's guardians," Ping explained. "Gawrsh. We didn't know we were borrowin' someone as special as a family guardian...." Goofy said. "And that puts you three up to your eyeballs in debt to Ping here. Well, guess what, kiddies? It's payback time!" Mushu said. "Hmm... Sounds fair," Sora reasoned. "Thanks. Maybe if I'm with guys like you, I can fit in!" Ping said. "What do you mean 'fit in'?" Donald asked. "You're pretending to be a boy, aren't ya?" Goofy said.
"WHAT?!" Donald yelled in surprise. "You're a...girl?!" Sora said in shock. "You didn't notice?" you said bluntly to them. "Nope! Not me!" Donald (Nope!) and Sora said (Not me!) at the same time. Ping smiled. "Wow Mushu. I think my disguise is really working!" Ping said, walking away as you and Goofy followed her. "I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you... These guys fall for anything..." Mushu said, pointing to the still surprised Sora and Donald. "Hey!" Donald shouted. "I'm right here!" Sora added as the two of them ran to catch up.
"So, why are you dressed up as a guy?" you asked casually. "Because I'm taking over my father's place in the imperial army to fight Shan-Yu and the Huns. I'm sorry to say, but I don't think you'll be able to come along. They'll kill you if they see a girl here. That's why I'm dressed up like this... Um...:" Ping said sadly, and then looked unsure of what to call you. "Oh. My name's Haruna. And don't worry, I understand. I guess I can wait by the Gummi Ship..." you started, but then Donald yelled, "No way!" He and Sora finally caught up with you guys. "Maybe you forgot, but we're a team! We can't just abandoned you, remember? We're your friends and if a Heartless comes out of nowhere, how are we gonna be able to protect you?" Sora asked, panting slightly.
"What other choice do I have? Besides, how am I gonna be able to come with you guys? If you haven't noticed, I'm not a guy," you said as they all had thoughtful looks on their faces. "Is there anyway that we can disguise her?" Goofy asked. Then, Ping had an idea. "Come here. I can lend you something to wear," she said as you and Ping ran off away from the guys, leaving them confused. "Since the four of you aren't really soldiers, they can pretend to be your bodyguards and you can dress up as a noble lady or something. Tell them that you were sent from the Emperor to check on the captain's army and the others can be soldiers protecting you. Luckily, I brought along spare clothes... just in case."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Is she ready?" Sora asked impatiently as Ping showed up. "I am NOT coming out!" you shouted from behind a tree, trying to hide yourself from the boys. "Oh, come on. You don't look that bad. You look really pretty in that dress," Ping said smiling. At the word 'dress', the guys all looked interested as you sulked deeper into your hiding spot. "I've never seen Haruna in a dress before," Jiminy stated, making things even worst. Before you knew it, you were being dragged towards them in your traditional Chinese dress (the blue outfit that Mulan wears in the end of the first movie. The only difference is that it's too big on you, you're carrying a light-blue fan, and you're wearing black slip-on shoes) and with your black layered hair pulled into a loose bun (since with layered hair you can't really put into a bun without the sides sticking out unless it's like... really long hair >< And you have a white sakura/cherry blossom on your left ear). 
You literally saw their mouths drop as they all said "Woah..." You forced a smile as Ping explained the plan. "Is it really that bad?" you asked Sora quietly after Ping finished. "Huh? No! Of course not! Haruna, you look really..." he trailed off and you could feel your cheeks burning as his eyes wandered up and down your body (the first time he's really checking you out d~-^d). "C'mon you two love birds! Get a move on!" Mushu shouted as the both of you realized that you were last ones there. Blushing a little, you both hurried over to catch up with the others. Eventually, you went to a training camp where all the men soldiers were. You felt a little uncomfortable with all these guys around and to make matters worst, you were all dressed up (which was something that you only did if you really HAVE to). You could see a lot of the men eyeing on you as you walked closer to Sora (because he's the closest), holding his arm like a little child. Sora looked at you from the corner of his eye to see that you were a little uncomfortable. He stood up a little straighter to make him look tougher as he walked.
"I wonder what this line is for..." Sora said, seeing a long line. "I think it's for food..." you whispered to him. At the word 'Food', both Donald and Sora rushed over to the back of the line, leaving you with Goofy and Ping. You saw excitement in their eyes when all of a sudden; a short and rough-looking man came and shoved Sora in line. He was wearing a red soldier outfit and had a blue eye that he can barely open. "About time we got some grub!" he said as if they weren't even there. "Hey! No cutting!" Sora yelled angrily. "Oh yeah?" the short dude said. You gasped when you saw him punch Sora square on the face as he lost his balance and fell. You rushed over to Sora's side as the soldier in red saw you. "Is your little girly here to kiss your boo-boos away?" he mocked as you both glared at him (you helped Sora sit up). Suddenly, two other guys came up in front of you. One was a skinny and tall guy in yellow and the other was a large and calm-looking man in blue. "Hey! A space in line!" the skinny guy said as he rushed over to take your spots greedily. But then the guy in blue knocked him out of the way accidentally. "I wonder what they're serving for lunch today?" he said, thinking out loud to himself. "Knuckle sandwiches!" the guy in red said, running over and punched the skinny guy.
Donald was furious at them to take their places in line as he grumbled, "Why I oughta..." and rushed over to tackle the guy in yellow. Sora leapt away from you and ran over to pull the short guy's hair. The rest of you looked worried, hoping that they would stop. It seemed like the fight would never stop if you guys won't do anything. "Stop it you guys!" you yelled, getting tired of them fighting. "Please..." Ping added. They all stopped and stared at the both of you. "Please?!" the guy in yellow said bewildered. "What a girl..." the short guy said with a sneer. You rolled up the sleeve of your dress and held a fist out. "What's that supposed to mean, punk?!" you spat. "Uh... Knock it off!" Ping said more boldly.
"Why should I?" the soldier in red asked, making it perfectly clear that he doesn't give a damn to what Ping says. "You punched me!" Sora said. "And cutted in line!" you added. "What a shrimp!" the soldier in yellow teased. "Who are you calling shrimp you bastard?!" you screeched. "We should go back in line..." Ping said, obviously not wanting to have anything to do with the incident any longer. "Who's side are you on? I just got slugged!" Sora said. "Want some more?" the red soldier threatened, holding out his fist. "Soldiers! Get back in line!" a voice commanded. "Captain!" the other soldiers said as you all got in line. You hid behind Sora, hoping that the captain wouldn't see you. The Captain eyed you and you could've sworn that he saw you until he walked back to the front of the line. You sighed with relief as you saw Sora shake his fist at the guy in red who was further in front. You put your hand on his shoulder. "Don't. He's not worth it Sora..." you said as he sighed. "I guess you're right..." he said quietly. "You, girl! And all of your party members! Report here now!" the captain suddenly ordered as you exchanged glances with everyone. Then you, the boys, and Ping ran over towards the captain. You saw the skinny guy and the short guy wave mockingly and sneer at you five.
"Why are you here, girl? There are no girls allowed to join my army," the captain said harshly. "Sexist..." you mumbled so that only Sora could hear as he tried to cover his smirk. "What was that?" the captain demanded to know. "Uh... she's been sent by the Emperor to see your progress captain. We're here as he bodyguards and this man have leaded us here," Sora said motioning over to Ping. "Hmm... Well you can tell him that everything here is going well..." But suddenly, all of you turned around to see these monsters come out of nowhere. "Heartless!" Sora shouted as he took out his keyblade. You did the same as Donald and Goofy also got out their weapons. Ping looked unsure of what to do at first before she got out her sword. At that, Sora, Donald, and Goofy fought the Heartless as if they were nothing; you and Ping had a little trouble - especially Ping who kept on tripping over and stumbling. You could tell that Ping was afraid because she was being hesitant to fight and occasionally, you had to go in and attack on-coming Heartless that were about to pulverize her. It wasn't long until the other three finished off the rest.
"You three. I want you to join my advance army. Your fighting is encouraging," the captain said. "Captain, sir, I - " Ping started. "You should go home..." the captain said. "What? Ping was an incredible fighter! You should let him have a chance! We'll prove that we can work together as a team! All five of us!" Sora said as the captain's forehead wrinkled. "Fine. You have three assignments. There have been sightings of those monsters from before around this area. Your mission is to defeat them all," he said.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
(Sora's Point of View * < Read Memo )
"I can't believe that we went through all those missions and fought all those bastard Heartless!" Haruna said out of breath. He had to agree with her. The five of you were up all night, fighting more of those damn Heartless. "Hey, you did a great job fighting. Both you and Ping really kicked ass," Sora complimented, by Haruna didn't hear him as she continued to talk to Ping. "I need to take a bath..." she said to her. Ping looked thoughtful for a while and suddenly had an idea. "There's a place where we can take a bath. The soldiers use it to go around swimming there. When no guys are around, we can use it," she said as Haruna smiled. "Sounds great!" then Haruna turned to the boys. "No peeking, kay?" The boys saluted. "Yes ma'am!" they all said as Ping led Haruna to the place. As soon as they made sure the guys were keeping a lookout for any other people that might be coming, hung their clothes somewhere near them, and got into the water, the two of them started talking in a deep conversation as the three boys kept a lookout and respectfully not turn to look at them.
"Haruna, do you like Sora?" Ping asked, catching Sora's attention. He couldn't hear Haruna and he was tempted to get closer to hear what she has to say. He could've sworn that she said no, but he wasn't sure. "I do not!" Haruna suddenly shouted as he heard water splash. "Wha-? Haruna doesn't like me?" Sora said, sounding sad. "Well, don't worry about it Sora. At least you still have Kairi, right?" Donald said reasonably. "B-But I thought we were friends!" Sora said as Donald and Goofy sweatdropped. "Uh Sora... I don't think that they meant 'like' in that way... Of course Haruna likes you!" Goofy said. "Are you sure? I mean, she probably feels bad about losing her other friend and doesn't think that we're really a team! What if she's mad because I almost crashed the Gummi Ship?!" Sora panicked, and then determinedly, he said, "I need to make it up to her!". "Oh boy... Here we go again..." Donald grumbled.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
(Your Point of View)
"Haruna, do you like Sora?" Ping asked while you were scrubbing your arm with soap. You gave her a funny look as if she was speaking a whole different language. "Well... I like him as much as I like everyone else. I mean, to be honest with you, I only met him not even a week ago..." you admitted as Ping smiled at you. "Well, do you believe in love in first sight?" she asked as you could feel your cheeks redden at how this conversation is leading up. "Why?! Do you?!" you asked, turning away from her. You were beginning to feel really awkward.
"Maybe..." she said slyly as an idea popped into your head. "Oh! I know. You like the captain, don't ya?" you said, smiling widely at your discovery. She averted her eyes away from you. "Well... It's hard to say... I have to admit that when I first saw you and Sora, I was a little jealous. People like him are hard to come by. He seems to really have a strong liking to you for someone you just met," she said as you sort of understood why she thought you liked him. "Well... He IS really nice and funny... And he has a sweet personality and everything... but..." you sighed. What about Roxas?
"I think that you have a strong liking for him too..." Ping grinned at you as you shot her a glare. "I do not!" you shouted as you splashed some water at her direction. Then Ping started giggling like a typical schoolgirl. "You could've fooled me. I thought that you two were an item when I first saw you two," Mushu said who was nearby, but he was covering his eyes with his ears (like in the movie). "I really do think that you like Sora, and it's obvious that he likes you too," Ping said with a smile as a blush started creeping up your cheeks. "Just keep this between us okay...??" you asked, almost beggingly. You didn't want to discuss this anymore. She nodded. "I promise."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"You guys... I spotted Shan-Yu by a small cave near the summit," Mushu said two days later after you guys moved camp. Of course, your party had to go first to secure the summit for any Heartless or Nobodies that might be lurking around. During the process, you made friends with the soldiers from earlier whose names are Yao (the short red guy), Chein-Po (the one dressed in blue), and Ling (the skinny dude in yellow). "Really? We have to tell the captain!" Sora said, getting ready to rush over to captain Shang. "Wait a minute! Before anyone does anything, we should consider that in order for Ping to be recognize, she'll have to do something that will please the captain, right? So if she captures Shan-Yu, their leader, then that captain will surely see my baby the way she truly is!" Mushu said. "I think that's a good idea. What do you guys say?" you said, turning to the others. "Yeah! Of course!" Sora said right away. You smiled a little and looked at the spooky cave nearby.
You, Ping, and Sora led the way as Goofy, and Donald trailed behind the three of you. "This place is kinda creepy... I have a bad feeling about this..." you whispered to Sora, holding onto his arm (you do that a lot now. Especially since you're surrounded by a whole army of men). "Don't worry about it Haruna. If there are any bad guys around, I'll protect you. That's what friends are for, right?" he said as you nodded. Then you saw Ping look at you from the corner of her eye as you let go of Sora's arm and walked on your own. You still remembered your conversation with Ping during the time you two went to take a bath. Within the couple of days, you noticed that Sora's been acting really 'friendly' towards you, but you tried to keep a small distance from him, even if he was just being nice. You didn't see the hurt look on Sora's face.
"Dead end..." Donald said, seeing nothing but walls and a few shrines and light. Donald sighed and walked away. "Wait for me Donald..." Goofy said, following him. "No! Don't!" you suddenly called out as an invisible barrier appeared, keeping you, Ping, and Sora stuck. Suddenly, swarms of Heartless appeared out of nowhere and came to attack you. You and Sora both got out your keyblade and stood together, back against back. Ping was in one corner fighting off some of the Heartless. "Let's do this Sora..." you said as he smirked. Then, all three of you fought as much Heartless as you can (during the week, you became used to fighting the Heartless that it was almost second nature to you). At the end of the long battle, you were tired as you panted lightly. "You were awesome Ping!" Sora complimented as Ping smiled. "Thank you. You both did great too!" she said as you all smiled back. Donald and Goofy were once again reunited with the three of you. "I think we saw Shan-Yu while you guys were fighting. He went out the cave, but we couldn't catch him because another barrier was blocking the entrance too," Goofy said. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Sora said as he ran off and you all were left to follow him.
When you came out, what you saw was unbearable. The campsite was burned to the ground and many of the soldiers were either hurt or dead. Ping spotted the captain as she ran over to help him. "What happened?!" you asked in surprise. "Tell the Emperor I'm sorry... I failed. Shan-Yu and his monsters gave us a surprise attack and headed towards the summit..." he said. "No way! We can't give up now! We'll stop him," Sora said. Before he could answer, you all ran towards the summit. Tons of Heartless greeted you at the top. Sora glanced at you then turned to the others. As if they could read minds all of you nodded to each other as Ping, Donald, and Goofy went out to search for Shan-Yu, leaving you and Sora to fight the Heartless. Both of you stood back-to-back and held out your keyblades. "Ready Haruna?" Sora asked you. "The question is... are YOU ready Sora?" you asked back as he smirked. "More than ever..." Then, the both of you attacked.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
After countless encounters with the flying Heartless, you and Sora were getting tired and were quickly losing energy to fight all of them. "There's too many of them! We'll never make it!" you shouted to him while blocking a couple of their diving attacks. Sora used the wind to help him twirl around with the keyblade and hit the surrounding Heartless that were around him. "Don't give up, Haruna! We'll get through this!" he yelled back while slashing a few more Heartless. "I wouldn't be too sure about that if I were you. It looks like those Heartless that you two are beating up have a lot of little friends..." Mushu said as he pointed at the top of the summit. Both of you ceased from your fighting and, with wide eyes, saw billions of Heartless in where Mushu was pointing. There was also Shan-Yu there, commanding them to charge as they all ran down the summit, getting ready to attack.
You and Sora had enough problems as it is as the two of you attacked the still many Heartless. It seemed like if you killed one Heartless, two more shows up. "I got this!" Yao (the red soldier) said, suddenly appearing behind you with a rocket in his hand. He was with the captain and the other soldiers as Donald and Goofy tried to fill him in. But just then, Ping knocked Yao away from the rocket and aimed it at another summit. Then, she was desperately looking for something to light it up until her eyes caught Mushu. She used Mushu's dragon fire and lit up the rocket. Then you all watched it soar, not towards Shan-Yu, but near the summit of another mountain. You could hardly hear Mushu yelling at Ping as the rocket exploded, sending out a massive avalanche.
Acting quickly, you ran towards Sora and pulled his hand while trying to find a place to hide from the oncoming snow. As you did this, Ping quickly ran over to save Captain Shang. Just then, a Heartless attacked her from behind, stabbing her as blood seeped through her uniform. He quickly slashed it with her sword as she quickly took him behind a large bolder where the rest of you were. All of you huddled together, trying to save some space for the soldiers at the edge, making you and Sora squished together by Goofy and Donald - both your lips almost touching as you faced each other. Like a protective brother, he hugged you tightly as the roar of the avalanche continued for a good ten minutes.
When everything seemed to be over, you saw Ping lying on the floor, blood tainting the white snow where he laid. "Mulan! Oh man! C'mon, girl! Wake up!" Mushu said, patting her face as she opened her eyes. Then she saw Shang look at her angrily. "So... You're a woman?" Shang said, looking mad. "Mushu!" all of you shouted as Mushu realized what he's done. Mulan sat up and called, "No! Shang..." But he ignored her and turned to the four of you. "And I'm sure that all of you knew about this too? I bet you were lying that you work for the Emperor too!" Shang accused as all of you looked at the floor like guilty little children. "You're all dismissed!" he said, disgusted as he and the other soldiers reluctantly followed. Yao, Ling, and Chein-Po looked back at you one last time sadly before they walked away.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
After you tended Mulan's wounds and she changed from her uniform, all of you were sitting away from the summit and in another cliff, huddling by a tiny fire. All of you were exhausted - especially you and Sora. There were three blankets that you all shared. Donald and Goofy were fighting over their share, you and Sora were sitting close to each other with the blanket wrapped lightly around you two (Animeangel: Lucky...) since neither of you felt like arguing with either Donald or Goofy (not to mention that it was really cold), and Mulan had one for her own as Mushu sat close to the fire. "So, what do we do now?" Donald asked, coming next to the fire. "I don't know... It looks like there's nothing else we can't do..." Sora said sadly to Mulan. "It's not your fault... I guess that I can't bring the honor to my family after all..." Mulan said, wiping away some of the tears from her eyes. She's been silently crying for a while. Suddenly, you all heard a loud rumble as you all got up and looked at the summit. "Look!" you shouted as a hawk flew by and landed on the snow. Suddenly, Shan-Yu's arm popped out of nowhere as he pulled himself up. Some of the remaining Heartless appeared by his side as well. You all watched in horror as he made his way towards the Emperors castle.
"We must warn Shang!" Mulan said.
Once you all were near the castle, there was a parade to honor the soldiers that defeated Shan-Yu. Mulan quickly went to the front of the parade to warn Shang, but by the looks of it, they didn't believe her. Then, something caught your eye as the hawk that you saw before flew towards a rooftop. Then, all of a sudden, Shan-Yu appeared as people screamed at the sight of him. "Shang! Protect the Emperor! We'll handle him!" Mulan yelled as you all ran after him. But when you got to him, he held the Emperor captive. "Bow to me!" Shan-Yu commanded. Then, you had an idea of getting the Emperor safe into the castle as you took off the belt from your dress and used it to help you climb the pole. You manage to go inside an open window and open the castle door as Shang (apologizing) grabbed the Emperor and took him inside the castle. He locked the door behind you. Then, all of you went to attack Shan-Yu while protecting the castle gates.
The battle was fierce and all of you were tired from the last encounter from the billons of Heartless that you all fought earlier. But you noticed that Mulan seemed very determined and quickly became an excellent fighter. In fact, she seemed to be able to fight Shan-Yu the most during the fight with the help of Mushu. After the battle, Mulan held Shan-Yu's sword and the Emperor came out. "I've heard a great deal about you, Fa Mulan. You ran away from home, dressed as an imperial soldier, join my army, helped disguise a young girl as one of my nobles..." he said. "We get it already..." Donald sighed. "...And..." the emperor continued, "you saved all of China..."
Suddenly the Emperor bowed to Mulan as everyone followed him - including you guys. Mulan looked lost at this, but then smiled. "Can we have an autograph?" Sora joked. "Thanks you guys... for everything! I'll never forget what you've done," Mulan said gratefully. "We can come back... right?" Sora asked. "Of course! Captain Shang, do you have anything else to add?" the Emperor asked. "Er... Yes.. I apologize for before. We are all grateful," he said, flustered. "If you want to win the heart of China's greatest hero... you could at least say something nice to her..." the Emperor said slyly as Mulan and Shang blushed slightly as you gave Mulan a look. Then, she came up to you and said, "I really do think that you like Sora, and it's obvious that he likes you to." That was the exact same thing she said to you before. Then, Sora saw you blush as Mulan giggled. "Well we'll be seeing ya! You two play nice!" Sora said to Mulan and Shang, who were once again flustered. Then Shan-Yu's dagger started glowing as you all exchanged glances. Then, just like in Hallow Bastion, he locked the gate and you all got ready to travel to a new world.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Back in the Gummi ship, you were in Sora's room, looking out the window again from his bed. During your trip in the Land of the Dragons, Chip and Dale made sure that either you or Sora went near the wrap-speed button as they put another large restriction sign that banned both of you to go three feet near the button. What Mulan had said to you before you left really started bugging you. Suddenly, you heard the door knock as footsteps approached you. "Hi Sora..." you said, not even looking around to tell it was him. He sat down next to you and looked out the window as well. "Hey, Haruna. You like me... right? And you're not mad because I almost crashed the Gummi ship?" he asked as you remembered what Mulan said. You blushed lightly, hoping that he didn't see you. "Uh... well, of course I like you Sora. You're a great friend!" you said, hoping that he meant 'like' that way. He smiled. "That's good. You're a great friend too. I know that it's almost a week since we met, but it seems as if I knew you for years... I don't know why... but you're like a best friend to me," he said as you nodded your head. "Me too..." you said. It surprised you how much you and Sora had in common. From the feeling of Twilight Town disappearing, to him being a best friend to you... maybe more. One thing's for sure, your journeys with Sora will be a very interesting one.
"I was worried about you back there. You were avoiding me for the past three days," he said as you began feeling guilty. "I'm sorry Sora. I didn't mean to hurt you... it's just that..." you had no idea how to tell him that the reason that you were avoiding him was because of Mulan's teasing of you possibly liking him. Then you put your hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "Sora... You'll always be my friend no matter what. And no matter what happens, I'll always like you because of what you've done for me," you said truthfully as he smiled a little. He nodded, looking at you and feeling a little more happier about what you've said.
"So... Who is this Roxas guy anyway? I mean, I know that he's a friend of yours, but..." Sora started as you immediately got the hint. "Oh, right. I don't really remember exactly how we first met... but I think I met him through Hayner and the others. When I first saw him, I felt like I knew him from somewhere and I still don't know why. We clicked easily and became best friends in just a couple of days. All of us were really close with each other and then summer came. Summer flew by fast and my parents took me in a cruise on the last week of vacation. When I came back... he was gone. No one remembered him except for me. I went to look for him and then I found you..." you explained, then you got out the blue crystal from your pocket (You're wearing your normal clothes again). You looked at it, still close to the Land of the Dragons as sunlight reflected through the window. "I made a promise to him..." you said, holding it up and admiring it. "... Before I left the station... I promised him that I'll never forget him..."
"I know you won't. You'll find him again. I just know it..." Sora said scooting closer to you until you could easily tilt your head to lean on his shoulder as he also looked at the crystal. "I made a promise to someone too. I promised that I'll come back to her one day, after I find our other friend..." Then the room fell into silence - not because of an awkward moment - but because as the sun was setting in the Land of the Dragons, the crystal shimmered with a breath-taking light. An empty feeling hit your heart. An image of Roxas flashed in your mind. You really missed him, more than anything. If only you could just see him smile one last time... "Thinking of you wherever you are..." you whispered.
"Huh?" Sora said as you blinked a couple of times. "Oh... nothing," you smiled as you put the crystal safely back in your pocket. "Oh yeah... what were going to tell me at the Land of the Dragons? You know, when I was wearing that dress. You said 'Haruna you look really...' and then... yeah..." you said as he seemed a little nervous about something. "Uh... I think that dinner's ready. Let's go eat!" he said as he grabbed your hand and ran out the door.
Onward to result >>
Animeangel: Ha ha! I am SO proud of myself! I finally learned how to play Hikairi on the piano! (I know that song is kind of old and I'm kind of late in learning it, but oh well. My piano skills stink...) So I'm currently trying to perfect it and memorize it and everything. Heh heh. And the best part is that I learned it all by myself! No stinkin' piano teacher can tell ME what to do! Even if it took me a whole month to play it and everything since all the school activities in the way and stuff.
Anyway, here's my lovely assistant - Haruna! She's gonna be the host for the results from now on. Now 'cuse me, but I'm gonna play Hikairi for the hundredth time today! *zooms off*
Haruna: Eh heh.. *sweatdrops* Uh... okay. So I guess that Roxas is gonna be doing is funny dance today because of all the results on the banners that I'm sure everyone is working well on. ^^;
Roxas: I already told all you people that I'm not gonna dance and no one can make me! *grumbles* I already danced the YMCA for Sn0wyTiger... *crosses arms over chest*
Haruna: Aw, c'mon Roxas. I've never seen you dance before. And I'm REALLY interested on what you're gonna do. Please? For me and all the fangirls that love you?
Roxas: *glares* I'm strongly disliking you all right now...
Haruna: That's because you love us and you can't say no.
Roxas: *shoots Haruna a stare of doom*
Haruna: *sighs* Fine... if you don't want to dance. Then at least sing something...
Roxas: Like what?
Haruna: *looks thoughtful* Well... *smirks* you could sing 'Baby One More Time to Sora'. AND dance while you sing.
Sora and Roxas: WHAT?!
Sora: I'd rather not get involved in this... -___-
Haruna: Well.. sucks for you. Anyway, we're all waiting for you Roxas. *gets out radio from backpack and old Brittany Spears CD, plays '...Baby One More Time'*
Roxas: I already told you... I'm NOT-
Haruna: I'll give you fifty bucks.
Roxas: *goes over to Sora and starts dancing, sings* HIT ME BABY ONE MORE TIME! ^^
- After the song has ended -
Roxas: Okay... pay up...
Haruna: Ooh... Sorry. I only have two dollars left.
Roxas: WHAT?!?!
Sora: *sits in corner* I'm gonna have nightmares of this day for months ... -___-
Haruna: *receives piece of paper from Moogle* Oh! And this is VERY IMPORTANT. Animeangel isn't able to update anything at all next week due to her vacation to the islands.
Sora: Destiny Islands?!
Haruna: o.O No... So, yeah. No updates or anything. So if you messaged her about something and there's no response from her for like... a week... it's not that she's ignoring your or anything, so don't feel bad. And it was sudden and last minute. So...
Roxas: Does that mean we have a little vacation to?
Sora: PARTY TIME AT ANIMEANGEL'S HOUSE!!!
Animeangel: *suddenly appears* I HEARD THAT! And yes. I'll be leaving tomorrow. I find it so ironic that I'll be going on a cruise for a week and Haruna left for a week and everything. AND IT WAS ALL LAST MINUTE! I just found out yesterday that we're actually doing something over vacation. It's funny how everything I write seems to come true >.< . *hugs Roxas* ROXAS! I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU!!!
Roxas: *pats Animeangel's head* Eh heh... I'll miss you too... *sweatdrops*
Haruna: *grumbles* Just be lucky you're my creator...
Sora: *still chanting* PAR-TY! PAR-TY! PAR-TY! WHOO!!! ^^
Animeangel: *sweatdrops* I feel the love Sora ><
