Chapter 27

CHAPTER 3 THE LAND OF DRAGONS NAMINÉ WAS TYPING AT THE MANSION’S COMPUTER. She wasn’t quite used to it yet, and slowly pecking at the letters with her index fingers took all her concentration. “Here…?” She turned to Axel. “Right. And then like this, see? Man, this is a pain, though.” The computer here worked nearly the same as the ones the organization had, so Axel knew how to use it to some extent. But there was still plenty he didn’t get. And when they tried to look things up, they kept meeting a “No data” message. Apparently, it wouldn’t be that simple to find out everything they wanted to know. Naminé let out a small sigh and looked down at the sketchbook in her lap. DiZ—no, Ansem the Wise. What is he trying to do? What is he trying to get us to do? Then they heard the door open. Naminé and Axel turned. “Welcome back, Riku,” she said. He had just returned from the brief meeting with Sora and his friends. “What should we do now, Naminé?” Riku asked as he reached for the little freezer under the computer. He removed a bar of ice cream and took a bite. “…Aw, is it good?” Axel teased. “Seriously, you’re like a little kid. Even though you look like a mean old man.” Riku made no response, keeping his gaze fixed on the computer screen. The comment did rub him the wrong way. But mentally, Axel was definitely older than him by at least a little. Not that you could tell from looking. “Axel, any idea what the organization’s up to next?” he asked instead. “Well, if I was in charge,” said Axel, “I’d be working on getting Sora to replenish the ranks and destroy the Heartless at the same time.” Riku looked up from the computer. “How?” “By finding someone really powerful somewhere and making them into a Heartless. If you pulled that off, there’s a pretty good chance it’d create a powerful Nobody. And then it’d be up to Sora to take down the Heartless, too.” Riku folded his arms. “So, do you know where ‘someone really powerful’ might be?” “I know,” said Naminé without turning away from the screen. “If it has to do with Sora, I know.” I can feel it. It might be faint now, but I can feel him. “What do you mean?” Riku asked, and Naminé hung her head, uncertain how to answer. In the sketchbook on her lap, there was a drawing of Sora and his two friends. As Riku sighed, Axel stole the ice cream out of his hand. “There’s plenty in there. Just get your own. And you call me a little kid,” Riku grumbled. At his irritation, Axel only shrugged and chuckled to himself. When they woke up, the trio found themselves aboard the Gummi Ship, which was flying smoothly through the Other Sky. “Oh man…” Sora’s shoulders slumped. “I thought I would get to find Kairi…” “Hmm… Y’know, Sora,” Goofy said to distract him from feeling so discouraged. “The photo and the ice cream…I wonder if they’re some sorta clue.” Donald picked up the thread. “Who would’ve left ’em for us?” “…Riku?” Sora softly said his oldest friend’s name. “A-hyuck! Ya think so?” “I’ve got a feeling…” Sora stared at the photo. He sensed that Riku had left this picture and ice cream for them. That his friend had been watching over them this whole time. When he thought of that, Sora’s spirits rose, just a little. “Gee, maybe you’re right,” Goofy said brightly. “Look, there’s the new world!” Donald dashed to the porthole. Pressing his bill against it, he could see red buildings with wide, flat roofs. “Doesn’t look like anything we’ve seen before…” “Hey, what if there are more Heartless? I can’t use the Keyblade…” The weapon materialized in his hand, and Sora eyed it anxiously. “That would just help the organization.” “But Sora, I think ya have to use it,” Goofy said carefully. “If we don’t fight ’em, the Heartless’ll just keep on hurting folks.” “Yeah…I guess you’re right.” He gave Goofy and Donald a hopeful smile. “Okay, let’s go!” His friends nodded. The members of Organization XIII were gathered in the usual marble hall—all five of them. This organization, formed with thirteen members, was now whittled down to only five. Xemnas, Xigbar, Xaldin, Saïx, and Luxord. Of the Nobodies who as humans had once been Ansem’s apprentices, half remained. “So Demyx is no more. So sad…,” Xigbar said flatly. Not a hint of emotion showed in his face. But that was only natural for a Nobody, with no heart to feel anything. “And we still haven’t found out where Axel went?” said Xaldin. Saïx scowled with displeasure at the name. Unexpectedly, Xemnas spoke up. “Everything is proceeding according to plan.” The others all turned to him. “What we don’t yet understand is the nature of the Keyblade’s chosen—this Sora. Saïx, you will eliminate Axel. Luxord, Xaldin, Xigbar—I have a special task for you three.” It was a rare occurrence for Xemnas to deliver specific orders from his own mouth. “Turn great hearts into Heartless and let Sora defeat them.” Saïx raised his head at that. “And you know where to find suitably substantial hearts, I trust?” Xemnas went on. The other three nodded. “Change a great heart into a Heartless, and you might end up with an extra-useful Nobody. Leave it to our fearless leader to figure out how to replenish our personnel,” Xigbar remarked with a nasty grin. “Again, everything is proceeding according to plan,” said Xemnas. “Do not let anything interfere.” With that, he stood up and summarily disappeared. The ship landed at the foot of a mountain. Bright white snow covered about half the slope, all the way up to the peak. It was their first time visiting this world—the Land of Dragons. “Gawrsh, it’s kinda chilly,” said Goofy, gazing up at the snowy peak. “Oh, wow! I’ve never seen snow before!” Sora dashed up the slope. They climbed through wooded hills until they reached a ruined village amid the snow. The place had been burned down deliberately, or so it seemed. The small houses were charred black, and the scorched timbers here and there told a vivid story of misery. “This is terrible…,” Sora breathed. Goofy kept walking into the center of the village. “Ya think the organization did it?” Even as he said it, they caught sight of someone—a man in a black cloak, like the organization members, over at the other edge of town. “Wait!” Sora started chasing after the figure, but another voice called out to them. “You three!” They stopped in their tracks and turned to see a boy with glossy black hair and fine features, slender enough that his ability to move in armor was surprising. “Uh, sorry, can’t talk,” Sora told him. “We gotta catch that guy…” “I’m following him, too,” said the boy. The trio exchanged glances. “What’s your name?” Sora asked. “I’m Mulan—er, I mean, um…” The boy looked at the ground in apparent frustration, and then a tiny dragon poked out from behind him. “Ping!” the dragon exclaimed. “Hey, little guy,” said Goofy, leaning toward the dragon. “What now? Excuse me? The name is Mushu! And I may be little, but I’m also lithe, lethal, and legendary! Now y’all scram before I get my dragon dander up!” “Um…” Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at one another again. This was an odd pair they’d encountered. “Mushu is one of my family’s guardians,” the boy explained. “I am Ping, son of Fa Zhou.” “How come you’re pretendin’ to be a boy?” Goofy wondered. Ping, or Mulan, looked sheepishly at Mushu. Sora and Donald jumped in surprise. “You’re a girl?!” blurted Sora. Encouraged, Mulan grinned. “…You didn’t notice?” “Never would’ve guessed!” Sora could still hardly believe it, peering at Mulan to see what he’d missed. “Well, maybe I don’t have to keep it up for now,” she murmured to Mushu. “I’m Sora,” he introduced himself. “That’s Donald, and that’s Goofy. We’re—wait, what are we doing? We gotta catch that guy!” Mulan nodded. Riku ran through the mountain snow and came to a rocky ridge. With a glance behind him, he let out a deep breath. Sora saw me! But he probably has no idea it was me in this cloak. Actually, even if he saw my face, he still wouldn’t know who it was. Still, Riku was a bit rattled—just a tiny bit. He didn’t want Sora to see him like this. But he wanted to help. He stared at the white powder under his feet. It never snowed on the Destiny Islands. It was the first time he’d ever seen it. It might be fun to play around in this snow with Sora. Pretty childish, but…well, nothing wrong with that. A hint of a smile came to Riku’s face—and just then the mountainside rumbled. He looked up to see a swarm of Heartless streaming from the summit, straight at him. In a way, he might get his wish after all. The four climbed through the snow. “I heard snow was cold, but it’s really cold…,” Sora mumbled, gazing up at the soaring peak. His mind began to wander. It could be fun to play in, though, if Riku and Kairi were here. Mulan was watching the summit, too. “Hmm… It looks like he got away.” “How come you’re after somebody from Organization XIII?” asked Goofy. Mulan turned to him with a blank expression. “The what?” “The guy we just saw,” replied Sora, still searching the mountainside. “He’s one of them.” “The bad guys!” Donald gestured angrily with his wand. “I knew it,” said Mulan. “There’s a rumor in the Imperial City about a spy in black lurking in the mountains. I was up here tracking him, but when you arrived, I lost him…” “Sorry,” Goofy had to say. “No, don’t apologize. But I wonder where he could be.” As she glanced up again, a rumble shook the mountain. “What was that?” Mulan lowered her center of gravity. They could see huge numbers of Heartless advancing down from the summit—straight toward them. “Here, too?!” Donald jumped, gripping his wand, and struck out ahead. Goofy followed. “Guess we gotta take care of ’em.” “Showtime, Mulan!” Mushu crowed, appearing atop her head. She nodded. “Don’t forget about me!” Sora ran after them. Suddenly, he thought he heard someone call his name. “Wha…?” He turned—and found the man in the black cloak. “It’s you!” He held the Keyblade ready, but the man only shrugged and pointed to something behind Sora. Without thinking, he whirled around, and the sight that greeted him was a swarm of Heartless. “Whoa!” Apparently, they would have to take on this sneak from the organization and the Heartless all at once. “Guys, over— Hey, where is everyone?” He would have to act alone. Sora rushed at the man in black, and the Keyblade clashed against his opponent’s blade. Huh…? Something felt strange. Sora paused, mystified—but the moment he did, the man knocked him away and sent him tumbling into the cold powder. “Gah!” He braced himself for another attack, but now there was a mob of Heartless between them. The man in black tore through the mob toward Sora, knocking them aside. The Heartless and Organization XIII were both enemies of Sora. But when he saw this man taking down Heartless before his eyes, he got the odd sense that maybe this one was helping him. But what was that other feeling I had? What did it mean? Sora got to his feet and dashed toward the man. “Yaaaargh!” But the man lightly dodged, almost as if to mock him, and Sora ended up in the snow again—this time face-first. “Hey, what gives?!” he complained, spitting out a mouthful of wet slush, and the man beckoned him in a challenge. “You better not be making fun of me!” Scattering the Heartless, he tried rushing the man once more. The Keyblade and the other blade met with a clang! For all the fighting they were doing, the man’s breath wasn’t labored in the slightest, and he never said a word. Something does feel strange… Wait, Sora realized. I’m fighting someone from the organization, but this is kind of…fun. Here he was, surrounded by throngs of Heartless, trying to fight someone who seemed to outmatch him, and he was enjoying himself. “If you think you’re gonna win, think again!” Sora slammed into the man and knocked him flat on his behind. Without losing a second, he leaped in and brought down the Keyblade, but the man rolled out of the way and jumped up with an arrogant shrug of his shoulders. “Hey—you’re running away?!” Sora shouted, as the man sprinted back in the direction they’d come from. “This isn’t over!” He began chasing after the man—and stopped in his tracks. This exhilaration… Now he remembered. It was the same as sword fighting with Riku. Like they used to do every day on the beach. “He… No, why would he…?” Sora murmured. That couldn’t be right. This was impossible. Well, not impossible—but there was just no way. And yet… “Riku…?” Sora tried to catch up, but there was no trace of the man now. “Sora!” Goofy called, jarring him out of his contemplation. “There you are!” Donald came running with Mulan close behind him. “Didja get him?” Goofy asked. “Hmm? Oh…” Sora just gazed after the man, still distracted. “He’s gone.” “You lost him?” Donald scolded. “Well, quit staring into space already!” “Um…” Sora turned awkwardly to Mulan. “So, what should we do now?” “I think we’d better get off the mountain,” she replied. “Yeah. Okay,” Sora agreed. The other three began trudging down the slope. Belatedly, he started after them—but not before one last look. There was nothing to be seen but a whiteout of snow. He was gone. The mountain rumbled again, shaking under their feet. Donald peered toward the peak and jumped in alarm. “Wak!” Where the swarm had appeared before, there was now one enormous Heartless. It had huge reptilian, clawed hands, with a snarling face resembling that of a guardian lion statue, and its body was covered in metal plates. They prepared for another fight, but the Storm Rider sailed over their heads, down toward the foot of the mountain. “It’s heading for the city!” Mulan cried, and they clambered as fast as they could through the slush down the mountainside. At that moment, Riku was crossing swords again, this time with an Imperial Army man in the palace. “You won’t get near the emperor!” Shang growled, but Riku took the split-second chance to thrust Soul Eater forward, and he crumpled slowly to the floor. He had to speak to the king of this world without a moment to lose. If Shang insisted on getting in his way, Riku had no choice but to knock him out for a bit. He became aware of the emperor’s quiet gaze and let out a breath in relief that the man seemed not at all agitated by the commotion. But that was only suitable for an emperor. Riku approached the throne. “Huh? Everything’s fine…” Sora scanned the city streets, which were perfectly peaceful. He still wanted to find that man in the black cloak, but protecting the city was their first order of business. “This way—to the palace!” Mulan called. “We have to warn the emperor and Shang!” “Who’s Shang?” asked Donald. “The son of General Li. He’s protecting the emperor now, and he’s very brave…” Mulan’s cheeks flushed pink as she described him. Donald and Goofy exchanged a look. “Anyway—we have to hurry!” She took off running. They followed her through the city, but just as they were about to reach the palace gates, yet another swarm of Heartless blocked their path. “Not again!” Donald groaned, his shoulders slumping. “Let’s make it quick!” Sora hurtled straight into the swarm. It took only a few seconds to end the battle. They ran across the wide stone-paved square and headed into the palace. Inside, it was unexpectedly quiet. “Gawrsh, maybe there’s nothin’ goin’ on here after all?” Goofy scratched his head and took the lead. The others fell into line behind him. “There he is!” Donald pointed with his wand. There, at the door to the throne room, stood someone in a black cloak. “Stop!” Mulan shouted, and the man turned deliberately toward them. She braced for a fight, along with Donald and Goofy, while Sora instead stepped forward. But the man before him now, dressed in the organization’s black cloak—this couldn’t be Riku. His build and his height weren’t the same. And yet…he’d felt it, fighting on the snowy mountainside. The impression of Riku. Sora let out a tiny sigh and spoke up. “…Riku?” The man pushed back his hood. “Nope. Never heard of him,” he said scornfully, gesturing with one hand. A cluster of Nobodies appeared—Dusks. As Sora held the Keyblade ready, the man simply left them to fend off the Nobodies and disappeared into a dark rift. “C’mon,” said Sora, his voice low. “What made you think that was Riku…?” asked Donald. He couldn’t get himself to answer, facing the Nobodies instead. But that was Riku. I know it was. Sora knew the man they’d just seen wasn’t Riku. But the one on the mountain was. “Aw, Sora…,” Donald fretted when he didn’t reply, then shot off a spell. “Blizzard!” They had Mulan and Mushu fighting with them, too, and soon the Nobodies were gone. But Sora stared into space with the Keyblade in his hand. If that was Riku, why is he going around dressed like the organization? Is he on their side now? Why wouldn’t he say anything to me? “Guess it wasn’t Riku,” said Goofy, peering at Sora with a hint of concern. The boy only hung his head. “Sora, hurry!” Mulan flung open the doors to the throne room. “The emperor and Shang are in danger!” Inside, a handsome young soldier stood ready to defend a dignified old man with a white beard. The former could only be Shang, and the latter was undoubtedly the emperor of this land. “We saw a huge monster fly out of the mountains toward the city!” Mulan reported. “Ah. So it is as the young stranger said,” the emperor remarked to Shang. “What stranger?” asked Donald. “Not long ago, we had an unfamiliar visitor steal into the palace,” said the emperor. “Shang battled with him but was quickly defeated.” Shang’s gaze was fixed nervously on Mulan. He looked away. “To my dishonor…” “It seems this young stranger was the man in black I’ve heard whispers about,” the emperor went on. At that, Sora perked up. “Did he mention the name Riku?” “He didn’t offer his name. Rather rude, in fact.” “Rude? Then it was Riku!” Sora couldn’t help a little hop of joy. Behind him, Donald and Goofy exchanged a worried glance. It was Donald who gave voice to Sora’s doubts. “Riku’s in Organization XIII now?” he whispered to Goofy. “Gawrsh…” Goofy cocked his head. Come to think of it, he hadn’t told Donald or Sora or even the king, but the one who’d helped him before had been in the organization, too, black cloak and all. So maybe that meant that Organization XIII wasn’t made up of only bad people… Goofy shook off the thought. Organization XIII wasn’t made up of people at all. They were Nobodies. “Goofy?” Donald eyed him dubiously. Shaking his head to himself again, Goofy thought harder. If Riku was in the organization… “What did that man come for?” Mulan asked the emperor, while the others were lost in thought. But before he could answer, the palace shook with a terrible roar. Shang dashed to the emperor’s side. “I’ll check outside!” Mulan whirled toward the door. Shang didn’t like that idea. “Mulan!” “You protect the emperor, Shang! I’ll be fine—with them!” “Y-yeah!” Sora nodded jerkily. “That’s right!” “Oh yes, I’m aware. We need not worry while you defend us.” Sora blinked in surprise at the emperor’s words. What could Riku have told him…? But there was no time to ask. “Hurry!” Donald started moving first. “Okay, let’s go!” They ran back up the corridor out of the throne room and opened the doors. Outside, the Heartless they’d seen on the mountain were about to wreak havoc. The four nodded to one another and ran out into the wide square. The Storm Rider floated above, staring down at them. “How can we defeat it?” Mulan asked, just as a fierce gust of wind swept down from the mountains. It flung Sora into the air. “Wh-whoa!” He wasn’t actually flying, but the wind made it possible to jump much higher than normal. “All right. Donald, use your magic! Mulan and Goofy, stop this thing from moving!” “Got it!” Mulan grabbed on to the Storm Rider’s tail as it wriggled just close enough to the ground, and Goofy in turn grabbed ahold of her, anchoring her against its writhing body. “Here goes! Blizzard!” Donald let loose a spell, and the Storm Rider spun around toward him. The metal plates on its body began clashing and clanging. “Sora! Quick!” Goofy called, hanging on to the creature’s tail along with Mulan—but it flung him off, and he crashed into the paving stones. “Goofy!” Donald ran to him, while overhead Sora clung to the Storm Rider’s horns. The boy managed to slide onto its flat forehead and gain footing, then stabbed it with the Keyblade. It thrashed its tail in pain, throwing off Mulan, and fell with a roar. Finally, it stopped moving. “Mulan!” Sora leaped down from the Storm Rider’s head and tried to get to Mulan and Goofy. The creature flailed limply and crashed into the roof of the palace. Heavy tiles scattered every which way. “Look out!” Sora cried—but a shadow like black lightning streaked toward them to cover Mulan. It was Shang, letting the dangerously large tiles shatter against his armor. Then the pair got to their feet, still holding each other. “We did it!” Sora jumped triumphantly. As he watched, the Storm Rider dissipated into light, and the freed heart rose into the sky. Mulan and Shang stood unmoving, gazing into one another’s eyes—until eventually they realized that everyone else was watching and edged back from each other, flustered. The trio laughed. As if their glad laughter was the cue, fireworks lit the sky in celebration. “You have served our nation bravely. It would please me to grant you a boon,” the emperor told them, solemn and stately. “What do you wish for?” Sora took a step forward. “The guy in black who came to see you… Will you tell me what he said?” The emperor leaned toward him slightly. “That is all you request?” “Yes.” Seeing Sora’s earnestness, he nodded. “In this land, there are currents of power known as the dragon paths. They give life to both man and nature and are the source of our good fortune. But it would seem someone of evil intent disturbed one of our dragons and transformed it into what you call a Heartless. I believe that young man came to warn me of the danger, which would have allowed me to alert and prepare my troops.” Sora wondered at that turn of phrase. “…Would have?” The emperor chuckled. “I was about to—but then he told me the situation had changed.” “He said a certain wacky trio had arrived, and they would take care of things,” Shang explained. Sora looked at Donald and Goofy. He couldn’t imagine those words coming from anyone else but his old friend… “That’s gotta be Riku!” he exclaimed. Beside him, Donald hung his head. If he was wearing that black cloak, did that mean Riku had joined Organization XIII? “What’s he doin’ hanging out with the organization?” Goofy mumbled. Sora wasn’t discouraged. “No idea. But at least I finally know he’s okay. That’s good enough.” Good enough, he thought again. Even if Riku was in the organization now, Sora was glad just to know that he was all right. Really, really glad. “Now then, Fa Mulan.” The emperor turned to her. “Do you have a request?” Mulan stared at the floor, seemingly tongue-tied for some reason. “Could Shang—I mean, the captain…” “Go on, child.” “Could you please grant Captain Shang a vacation?” she said a little too loudly. “I hardly expected such humble requests…” The emperor rose from his throne, slightly nonplussed, and stepped toward Mulan. “But in this case, I’m afraid I must refuse. Captain Li’s responsibility is to protect the emperor.” Mulan looked down again, her disappointment obvious. “However, Fa Mulan…” “Yes, sire!” She raised her eyes. “Would you be willing to serve alongside him in my guard?” “What?!” Mulan and Shang both exclaimed. The emperor turned. “Two reeds are stronger than one. But the choice is yours.” “Thank you, Your Majesty!” Sounding delighted, she made an obeisance with one palm against her fist. Then she went to Shang. As Sora looked at them together, he noticed his vision growing blurry. “Sora…?” Goofy set a hand on his shoulder. Donald peered into his face. “Crying for joy?” “I’m not crying!” Sora turned away and scrubbed at his eyes. He was not. There was no reason to cry when he was glad. Riku was alive. I want to see him. I have so much to tell him. Riku…! Sitting down on the threadbare sofa, Riku bit into a sea-salt ice cream bar. He and Naminé and Axel were idly passing the time in the parlor on the mansion’s first floor, each with an ice cream bar in hand. “You’re in a pretty good mood,” Axel remarked. Riku glanced up. “Seeing Sora just made you that happy, huh?” “I don’t feel like telling you.” A little smile crossed Riku’s lips as he took another bite. “Y’know, it’s creepy when you smile with that guy’s face,” Axel said dryly, following suit and nibbling on his own ice cream. Silence fell over the room. He paused in his munching to stare hard at Riku, then finally asked, “What is Sora to you?” The question caught Riku off guard. He groped for words. On the sofa opposite him, Naminé spoke up instead. “Sora and Riku are best friends.” Axel’s eyes crinkled as he remembered his own best friend—the only friend he’d ever had, in fact. “If your best friend goes away, you’re sad, and if you get to be with them, you’re happy,” Naminé added. “Isn’t that how it is, Axel?” “…That’s about the size of it.” Axel nodded and sat down on the remaining empty sofa, staring at the sea-salt ice cream he held. “So you are capable of sincerity,” said Riku. Axel only shrugged at the jab and finished his ice cream pop.