WARNING: The following is an unofficial, fanmade story,. Kingdom Hearts is owned by Square Enix, the Walt Disney Company, and Tetsuya Nomura. I don't know if the folklore that inspired Mulan and Raya are owned by anyone, but if so... I'm interested in talking to them!
Deep within the snowy borders of the Land of the Dragons, a young man was wandering with no goal in his mind. He had long spikey red hair, eyes of a strong green, and his outfit consisted of a long dark red jacket with a scarf the shade of magenta around his neck and black gloves to protect his hands, black pants and long black boots, with the underside being a dark gray.
The individual's eyes were pointing at one thing and nothing else. That being, the ground. He had no aim or destination, but he did not feel the need for one.
In his mind, finding his way back would have caused more trouble if anything.
There seemed to be someone else though. As he started hear some footsteps, though he couldn't know from where because of the fog.
He did briefly think about trying to look for the direction of where the sound was coming from, but his mind said:
"Oh come on, be honest for once. Does it really matter?".
The sound got closer and closer, until the red-haired boy was able to see the face of the other figure that was roaming in the snowy fields.
His hair was blonde and slipped back in a low ponytail, his one eye green, as the other was permanently shut with a vertical scar, presumably became of a past battle, and a short beard rounded off his face. When it came to clothes, the colors of his outfit and leather armor were not as saturated as those of the regular soldier who fought for Mulan and Namaari, altering between dark gray and beige.
"You're... You're not one of them, are you?", asked the one-eyed soldier.
"What do you mean with them? If you talkin' about those imperials, then I have nothing to do with them, or anyone for that matter."
"You have us. With your help, we can put an end to the tyranny that's plaguing China. And more!", replied the one-eyed man, bringing up his arm to offer a handshake.
The red haired boy thought about the offer for a second, with his head back to pointing to the ground, but he eventually decided to accept the handshake.
"... Could this be my atonement for you, Kairi", he thought.
"Great to have you! You can call me Gav. Come with me, I'll show you the way.".
Meanwhile, our guardians of light, who now had their own "base", were looking at where to head for their next mission. Tonitrus had an interesting idea to bring up in regards.
"This could be a risky idea, but I thought of returning to the Land of the Dragons. I still have strong memories of how badly it ended, but I feel it's going to be much more manageable for what we're currently able to do. Besides, Namaari can't get away with what she did to Mulan and especially Mushu.", he said.
"Yes. Last time, it put the two of us to our absolute limit, but we've increased both our number and strength, and the power you showed against Cecil might be enough to stand up against her phoenix.", replied Riku.
"On that topic... That technique could use a name, if it doesn't already. It's definitely stronger than even the evolutions of Magnet we can do, unless Nyx somehow has a stronger one. Any ideas?", asked Roxas.
"H-Field will do. After all, it is the part of the magnetic field where you see its strength.", responded Nyx.
"H-Field... I like it! I can roll with this no problem. Thanks Nyx!", reacted Tonitrus.
"Eh, it's nothing.", she replied, with the smallest of smiles barely visible.
When their destination was set, they departed from their base and began their second visit to the Land of the Dragons, hopefully managing to save Mulan this time.
But there was more to it, apparently. When the planet was just within the range of the Gummiship, our guardians of light saw a small but strong energy point. And it seemed to be one protected by light. In response, some of them had started to speculate on whom it could be.
"... Do you think it's one of us?", asked Xion to Riku.
"I hope so... I'm really concerned about Kairi. The others at least had some kind of experience with a Keyblade, but I can only imagine what she could be going through...".
"Not like Axel is in better waters. Unlike us, he left of his own accord."
"... Him? How do you know that? And why would he have done that?"
"Out of guilt. At least, that was what he told me when I last saw him. He thought it was his fault that we all got exiled from each other, and he was to blame especially for the fact that Kairi was completely powerless, while it was his job to help her, now that Sora's gone. He didn't think to be worthy of us anymore."
"I see... If we see him here, hopefully I can tell him that we still care, despite everything."
They landed at almost the same spot as last time, that being deep in the snowy borders of the empire, but there also was another thing that happened again, even though they did not expect it this time.
"Riku! Tonitrus! I missed you so much!"
Those words came from Mushu, who recognized the two guardians of light immediately and jumped straight into them in an awkward but warm hug.
"I thought you were gone... But I'm not going to ask, it's such a relief!", said Tonitrus.
"I'm the one to be relieved here! You got knocked down big time back there!"
"Yeah... I'm still going to remember that even when this is all over. Anyways, how are things here? Same as always?"
"Kind of... Mulan and Namaari still rule with an iron fist, but there is a game changer! I can show you what I'm talking about, if you and the other friends I see on the back don't mind, of course."
"Of course! After all, the very reason why we're here is to help you bringing Mulan back to normal.", replied Xion
"Ah, right, perfect! For a sec I thought you just wanted to make a tour of China, then I bet you'll love to hear you're not the only people who want to put an end to Mulan and Namaari's reign of terror... You'll see what I mean when we get there. Follow me!"
"More manpower? I really like the sound of that!", replied Roxas with a smirk.
Mushu showed them the way for a while and there was indeed something going on with the snow. At one point, the ground was starting to descend more and more, until an entry for what looked like a big base started to show up. The tiny dragon seemed like he had found just what he was looking for.
"Ah, home sweet home! Come on in, they're all waiting for you!", he said to the group of Wielders.
Upon entering, they were greeted by Gav, who seemed to be the one running the place, and then introduced himself:
"I'm honored to meet you. I'm Gav, and just like you, I also want to stop Mizrabel, so I made this hideaway for people who share the same goal. Please, make yourself comfortable."
The inside of the base had a lot more depth than expected when looking at it from the outside. The whole thing seemed to be carried by huge stone artifacts as pillars, and the space in each hole was used to create numerous rooms. There was everything one needed for living in there, like a small tavern, a nursing room, and a shop for other essential needs, as to make sure ventures in the outside world were kept for only extreme necessities.
Nyx was particularly intrigued by the artifacts that kept the base together, so she asked the one-eyed man:
"These artifacts... They look like they have been here longer than all of us combined. Are these by any chance the ruins of an ancient civilization? Maybe even one that predated the very first Keyblade War?"
"Ugh... I can't say to be honest. They were here when I found the building, and I never thought of that as long as we didn't get crushed by the ceiling collapsing... But there's always room for imagination!", he replied, with a smile.
Riku then jumped straight into business and asked Gav about their goal:
"Do you know where Mulan and Namaari are right now? We could actually stop them this time."
"Let's all sit down and think this through...", he replied.
After a fine meal, the one-eyed man looked at everyone deep in their eyes, looking deep into their desires, and then he stood up, and said:
"LET'S FREE ISIGNIA!"
Some of the more energetic members cheered alongside him, while the more composed ones smiled at the scene, and they all started venturing into the capital.
In the shadows, the red haired boy from before recognized them, and thought to himself:
"What... Are you doing here? You're not here for me... Are you?"
With the aid of Gav and Mushu, the guardians of light then rushed to the capital of the Land of the Dragons. Riku, Tonitrus and the red drake were more than eager to have their rematch against them, while the others were ready to aid their friends in ending this thing they left behind.
However, when they reached the capital, an incredible amount of overwritten soldiers were shielding the walls of the city, a number even greater than the ones they saw just when Toontown was attacked. But that could not stop them at this point. Everyone showed they could take multiple of them on their own, with or without the aid of their teammates. Just one attack could take down a group of soldiers, and it did not take long for the heroes to clean off the roads of the Overwritten.
Of course, this got the attention of the two rulers , and only a few seconds after the group got their breath back for the whole battle, there they were.
This time, Mushu and Tonitrus were not afraid when seeing them. But rather, a type of anger that had them very concentrated on their target. Mushu should be the one most enraged here, but he was just silently staring at them, like he had nothing to say. Meanwhile, Tonitrus was furious, looking daggers at the two of them. Namaari was getting pleased by the anger of the two and finally broke the silence, saying:
"I'm impressed. You actually dared to return here. We didn't even know that you could survive the flames of a Phoenix, or an entire swarm of Overwritten... This perseverance almost got you dead, and it will hit you for good, unless you put your soul at peace and learn your place."
"Yes. But you know what? Better to risk it all trying rather than submitting to your malicious ideas. This is what the Mulan I know would have done.", replied Mushu.
Those words awoke something in Mulan, and for a few seconds, she was able to gain back her control, but not long enough to let her say anything. Tonitrus noticed this, so he brought out his Keyblade, and pointed it towards the swordswoman, saying:
"To the Mulan that is sealed inside Mizrabel's curse... Keep fighting, we'll get you out of there. To the one that's depriving her of her freedom... Your time has come.".
"... Do you really think that things will be different from last time?", she replied.
"Those words mean nothing. You're not speaking from your heart."
After he said that, he ignited his H-Field, which caused a small shockwave that knocked back some objects from the nearby area before they started going back towards and then rotate around him. He looked at his opponent with a serious face and said: "Ladies first", as to give her a chance now that their powers were much more comparable.
Annoyed by his new transformation, she counterplayed by summoning Fenghuang, which started charging towards the blonde boy. He predicted that, so he jumped over the phoenix, dodging the attack, leaving behind trails of scrap which then hit the fiery bird as a counter attack. Fenghuang then charged a fire attack, which prompted Tonitrus to block it by making a barrier out of the scraps around him. He did block the fire attack, but he was left vulnerable behind, and Mulan was ready to slice him, until Mushu jumped in time and blocked her sword. Her focus jumped on the little dragon, but he counteracted with a flying kick, which hit her arm and made her lose grip of her sword. He then gave Tonitrus the cue to finish off Fenghuang. So, his Keyblade temporarily absorbed all of the scraps, and in one piercing attack, the Phoenix was struck down. Mulan, who was trying to fight back against her little friend, felt a strong pain in her heart after the fiery bird vanished, and not long after, she passed out.
Only Namaari was left. Tonitrus was so eager to destroy her a second time, so he charged into her at intense speed, but... He too felt something in his heart, and milliseconds after, he got knocked out of the H-Field form, and not reaching Namaari for a few centimeters.
She saw how close he was to reaching her, and couldn't help but laugh.
"I really enjoyed that little trick you did! Too bad it ended so soon..." she said, while pressing a boot on the powerless blonde boy's head.
"You... Cannot... Win...", he said, still feeling confident despite being unable to fight back.
Something awoke inside Nyx as she was seeing Tonitrus in that position. An intense feeling of rage, but also fear, and despair. The others were going to go aid the blonde boy, but she stopped them, saying:
"Stay there. She's mine."
She ran towards her at full force and then, rather than using her magic, she started straight up beating her, releasing a scream every single hit. As exhausted as Tonitrus was, he could feel the pain come from Nyx's voice. He felt bad seeing her in that state, but at the same time, she was doing it to someone who did not deserve any mercy.
She almost ended her completely, until something emerged from a dark portal that knocked her out.
After the portal vanished, the blonde boy could see that the one who joined the situation was no other than Lilium, and he was completely horrified by what she was going to do, now that he was completely powerless.
"I see you still can't control your power. How funny. It's thanks to that I lost Cecil. And now, it brought you back to the ground where a rebel like you belongs.", she said to Tonitrus.
"No... I'll keep getting back as many times as I want... Until you'll all be-" tried to say Tonitrus, until she kicked him in the gut, forcing him to the ground back again.
"You monster... You'll pay for what you've done!", said Riku. He was not going to let his two pupils get struck down, so he started rushing towards her, until she cast a Reflex barrier that let him and the other wielders out of her reach.
"Stay where you are, Riku. Unless you all want to know the true void.", she said.
He punched the ground out of frustration, but Roxas went behind him and said:
"Whatever happens, we'll save them. No point in despairing now."
Riku said nothing in response, but he slowly nodded.
Inside the barrier, now that Lilium was free of intervention from the others, she told to the impotent blonde boy:
"Fret not. The spark you have is an immense one. You might be a very valuable asset to our armada..."
As she said that, she took Namaari's unconscious body and started making it float out of the ground. He already was starting to feel afraid of what she was planning to do.
"Your hearts are going to merge... To make the perfect warrior. One whose strength could reach or even eclipse mine... And complete the utopia of the great Mizrabel.", she said.
Mushu was still in the barrier, and took this opportunity to stop the masked girl from making the blonde boy from fusing with Namaari. Even if that had the cost of him merging in his place. A very risky move, but it was the only way he could pay him back for all the good the guardians of light did to him.
Thus, the hearts of Mushu and Namaari were merged into a single creature. Their bodies were absorbed in a red light before going up in the clouds, and giving life to a massive red dragon who now inhabited the skies, and threw a cry at the warriors there present.
"Ugh... That worm had to get in the way, didn't he? Oh well... Time to end this properly...", said Lilium, annoyed by the accident, who decided to end the blonde boy on her own.
But once again, something came in her way. And she was not happy of who it was.
"... Axel!? I thought you gave up on your friends... And why does everyone want to get in the way of my work today?", she said, getting more and more frustrated.
"Sorry to break it to you, but you won't break another heart with me around. You better get that memorized!", he replied.
"I... Fine. But you better look at the sky, as that thing doesn't look too friendly..." she said, before vanishing away.
Riku, Xion and Roxas could not believe what they were seeing. They headed to him, and after two quick hugs, as to keep the real reunion for later, and after that, they properly healed Tonitrus and Nyx, as to get them ready to fight the colossal dragon in the sky, as it was starting to approach them.
Tonitrus thanked them for the help, saying:
"Thank you for the help. I really dodged two bullets at once... As for Mushu... There must be a way to get him out of that fusion... Any of you have ideas?"
Nyx got some of her composure back and replied:
"Long ranged offense is our best bet. Leave this to me when you think of a better plan".
She then started flying closer to the dragon and went right away with the magic attacks she mentioned. Thunder attacks here and there worked, but the dragon's attack had high range and speed. Nyx had to take some genuine effort to avoid its tail swipes, and whenever it blew fire, she had to increase the level of her Reflex.
"Is she going to hold it on her own?" asked Tonitrus, worried about Nyx.
"I mean, I too want a part in this, but... She seems to hold her own. Maybe we'll find an aperture soon.", replied Roxas.
Funnily enough, just as he said that, one of the dragon's tail swipes reached the ground, giving them the opportunity they needed.
"What are the odds! Now we can start rail grinding on it!", said Axel.
"You can do what with that?", asked Tonitrus, confused.
"I'll show you. Hey Riku! Wanna join in the fun?", replied Axel.
"Why not. Let's do this."
They jumped on the dragon's tail and, to the blonde boy's surprise, they actually clung to it, and were now riding their way to the head of the dragon. It did recognize the three wielders going up, so it ignited its scales as to give some obstacles to them. Not that it mattered, as they got to the top, and went on the offense, aiding the blue haired girl who was still facing off the dragon by herself. The three hit the dragon at once, and the impact was strong enough to get the dragon to fall on the town's walls.
Back in the ground, the Dragon gave one intense roar of fear and frustration. Tonitrus was motivated in finishing off the abomination and freeing Mushu from it, and said:
"Mushu... I hear you. You've absorbed the darkness I was meant to take
But now... I'll free you from it."
He tried to get back into H-field, and with the help of his companions, he was able to get back in it. But he did not stop there. As Mulan, now free of the control of Mizrabel, also lent him her power. Absorbing Fenghuang on top of the H-Field, hw gave one final attack to the dragon, finishing it off, and finally separating Namaari and Mushu.
The little drake could not believe what was happening. He was not only free, but he also saw his friend was as well, so the first thing he did, was hugging his friend, for the first time in a very long time.
"MULAN! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!", said the little drake, shedding many tears of joy.
"It's okay. The nightmare is over.", replied Mulan.
Tonitrus then looked at Namaari, who was left unconscious at the entrance of the wall, and said:
"Maybe we should do something about her... She has done so much damage to all of us, and it might be for the best to make sure she doesn't do any more of it."
After Mulan got out of her reconciliation with the little drake, she answered the blonde boy, saying:
"I should take care of this, since I was the one who fell into her manipulations. I'll exile her to a very remote place, as to make sure she can't get back here that easily."
The blonde boy nodded at the proposal. Before they parted ways, he shook hands with both her and Mushu, promising both that they would always return to the Land of the Dragons if they ever needed help again.
On their way back, Nyx, who was feeling a little agitated, used a moment of calm to request something to her fellow wielders. Once they got her attention, she asked:
"Sorry... Is it okay if Tonitrus and I have a private moment? You go ahead, we'll reach you at the ship."
"Take the time you need. You know we'll be waiting for you.", replied Riku.
"Besides, it's likely I too will take a little lecture soon, so this will be a good chance..." replied Axel, looking at Roxas and Xion.
Now that it was just her and the blonde boy, the latter asked:
"Did you have something to say?".
The blue haired girl was starting to tear up, until she broke down and formed a strong hug around the blonde boy.
"I was... Afraid..." she sobbingly said.
"For earlier? When I was on the ground?", he asked, feeling the warmth of her heart.
She closed her eyes and nodded.
He returned the hug and said:
"I've had closer calls. What matters most is that I'm here now."
"I'm sorry... I... Never appreciate a friend until it's too late. Only now, was I able to feel everything you're doing. And to that I say, thank you."
"You've also got the others to thank. Without them, we wouldn't have gotten where we are now."
"Yeah. Just one thing: promise me you won't talk to them about this, okay?"
"Anything for a friend."
And with that, they resumed together their travel to their ship.
... Finally this is done. The last two months have not been easy for me, as I had to move to a new place, start a new job (which I am enjoying luckily), and other things that have noticeably slowed down the rate at which i upload chapters. But in the end, I was able to complete the first chapter of Season 2 of KHFL, and I'll take what I can get. And also, yeah this marks the entry of Axel into the team. I hope I did him justice, as while I had to do some drama stuff here and there to round off where he was around DDD and KH3, I am gonna try and get him back to his KH2 roots, now that he's found his flame again.
Hopefully, chapter 11 won't take as much to make... Until then, I'll catch you later