battle cry of a generation
sora/mulan - kingdom hearts 2

01. motion

It's the two of them against a cave full of shadows, and with a nod they both launch themselves at the enemy, attacking in tandem, whirling around in a dance of death; her father's sword cutting down another Heartless while his Keyblade slices through five, the empty hearts swarming all around them.

02. cool

The snow in the mountains is beautiful and whiter than sand, although very cold, and something deep inside Sora causes him to flop down on his back and make a snow angel – but Mulan is there to pull him back up and drape a blanket over him, telling him to snap out of it, the Captain is coming this way.

03. young

So, since the Captain still thought she was too young and inexperienced to be a good fighter-- "Time for Plan B," Sora announced, grinning.

04. last

After seeing the mountain village as it once was, lively and beautiful, coming back to see it burned is a shock – she vows that she'll never again let a village be burned and he thinks he wouldn't mind if he never again had to see such wanton destruction.

05. wrong

Well, you were both wrong about Mushu being an all-powerful guardian dragon, but somehow it turns from a tragedy into a joke, as your shared disbelief turns to laughter.

06. gentle

It almost broke his heart to see how gently she took the doll and brushed off the ash, placing it to face the setting sun in memory of a little girl who would no longer be there to play with it.

07. one

It's just one more tree to climb, like being sent up to retrieve an errant arrow (or to get a seagull egg for supplies), so she tries not to think of it as being fifty feet straight up without footholds but as just another tree, because if it's just another tree then she won't fall (he's too far up to catch her, they'll both die if they fall from this height) and she makes sure to dig her nails into the wood as she climbs (he never admitted to being a bit afraid of heights, either).

08. thousand

The seconds fly by in the whoosh of wind against her face, the pounding of his shoes against the tightly-packed snow, and her heartfelt battle cry of rage for what Shan-Yu did to Shang while she was busy pretending to be a hero; then time freezes when the Heartless begin pouring over the edge of the ridge by the hundreds and thousands, and he charges into the fray ahead of her.

09. king

They shared many stories around the fire, stories about a mouse king and queen living far away, of the sea king living deep below, stories describing a fearsome animal king who was bravest of all, the tale of a skeleton king of terror, and of a king whose greatest treasure was his own beloved daughter; but Mulan thought that the best part was the ending: "And someday we'll take you with us to see them all, okay?"

10. learn

Mulan reached over and readjusted the chopsticks in Sora's clumsy grip, sighing as she wondered if it would have been a better idea to just let him use his hands to eat.

11. blur

The weeks go by in a blur as he trains and drills beside Ping, and for a little bit he can pretend that he's just another soldier instead of the Keybearer, that the only important task at hand is to make sure his steps and attacks are timed exactly with hers.

12. wait

"I don't think I'm ready for this," Sora had insisted, but she had turned a deaf ear and laughingly watched Khan gallop away, Sora clinging to his back for dear life – "Well, you did say you always wanted to learn how to ride a horse," she said innocently.

13. change

He thinks that sleeping in a white room took a year out of his life, but for all the changes that took place it might have even been two -- either way, it's been a lifetime, she says understandingly; and tells him how a year ago she might have been engaged to be married, but here they are, two boys in the army.

14. command

On the count of two-and-three-fifths out of three Mushu sneezes and sets off the cannons in front of them, setting off a chain reaction that ultimately gets them both blamed for playing with fire and disobeying commands (sometimes she wonders how it's possible for a duck to smirk, but Sora doesn't seem to worry about it, so she won't either).

15. hold

They fight and win and continue winning, so when the Captain grudgingly acknowledges her improving skills, Sora utters a whoop! of exhilaration and gives her a one-armed hug, and she feels warm in his embrace.

16. need

Sometimes, there are days when you just need a pat on the back and an encouraging word, like We'll get 'em next time, right Ping? or Everything will be alright, I promise.

17. vision

As she daydreamed she had a vision of the future, and to her surprise Sora was not in it.

18. attention

He couldn't help it that his shoes stuck out farther than anyone else's feet when they all stood in line, so would she just stop giggling already?

19. soul

When Mulan caught sight of her reflection, with her short hair and bulky armor, it made her wonder if she really had turned into a boy, body and soul; but as she watched Sora join the fistfight that broke out in line she decided that she was most definitely still a girl, and stood primly aside.

20. picture

"What a strange picture," Mulan marvels, looking at the photograph that had fallen out of Sora's pack; and Sora feels oddly reluctant to tell her that it isn't me when she points to Hayner and the others, asking "Who are you with?"

21. fool (with 35)

"It's not that it really matters if he likes me, but I would have liked him to-- I mean, I wanted to gain his respect, not that I really liked him— and oh, I was such an idiot for thinking this plan would work, and even if we get to the city on time he'll probably still hate me, and-" she faltered, seeing the thunderous look on Sora's face.

22. mad

Sora's never gotten the hang of royalty, partly because the best example he's had is a secretive mouse; so he feels no remorse in getting angry as the Emperor lists all the problems Mulan has caused (she just saved your life, you jerk!) and impatiently muttering "We get the picture..."

23. child

Sora acted like a child most of the time, joking with his friends and even taunting the Heartless (and only a child would dare to taunt such demons), but one look at his eyes showed her that he was anything but.

24. now

"The thing about fights is that they never end where you want them to," Sora remarks almost casually, as they run down the mountainside in pursuit of a black-robed figure and a dragon Heartless; "I wouldn't mind if it all ended now," Mulan sighs.

25. shadow

She told him how she still jumped at the shadows in the room sometimes, and he laughed, but she noticed that his fingers didn't loosen their grip on the chain of his Keyblade.

26. goodbye

When the new road was opened, Sora explained sheepishly that they never said goodbye ("Because it seems so final, you know?"), and Mulan smiled and told him that she never said goodbye either ("We just say 'until we meet again'.").

27. hide

She'll readily admit to having been enamored of the otherworldly stranger, as her grandchildren all know from having heard the stories so many times, but she stresses having made the sensible choice, by choosing a soldier who lived in her own world (she doesn't admit to wondering about what happened to him, or if he ever found his way home again).

28. fortune

"That's a lot of munny," he had to admit, but she just shrugged and said "Well, you never seem to pick it up, so.."

29. safe

He pushes her behind a rock and drops a Potion in her lap, hoarsely yelling for her to stay away until she's fully healed as he charges the Heartless with renewed vigor.

30. ghost

"How do you know that you aren't afraid of ghosts? You haven't met one, have you?" he demands, and the look on his face is priceless as she solemnly answers "Of course I have. My entire family lives in my backyard."

31. book

"But how can a bear live in a book?" she laughed incredulously, and for the first time Sora realized how preposterous the Hundred Acre Woods actually sounded.

32. eye

Sora always trusted his eyes, in battle (aim for the enemy's weak spot) and for evaluation (each new world has people with different eyes to see from), so he can't help but feel betrayed as he blurts out You're a girl!.

33. never

They take turns staring at each other -- and blush when they catch each other doing so -- because she's never seen anyone with such light hair, and he's never seen anyone with such curiously shaped eyes.

34. sing

As they scout out the mountain pass late into the night, Mulan begins to sing an old folk song to keep herself awake, but no matter how hard he tries to fit his mouth around the strange syllables he just can't manage to mimic her words; so he whistles along.

35. sudden (with 21)

"Don't explain," Sora ordered; and they walked in silence along the road to the Imperial City until he said "I know exactly how you feel", and that was the first time Mulan heard about the sarcastic boy named Riku who was his best friend; making Shang's curt dismissal seem a little more hopeful.

36. stop

"I can't do this!" Mulan cried, biting her lip and scowling at the ground; "So let's take a break," Sora said gently, "and we'll try again later".

37. time

Winter is the snow on the graves of the dead, spring the cherry blossoms falling in her path, summer sends rain from many skies, autumn's winds are sweltering rumors of a black shadow in the mountains; he comes back in winter and doesn't say hello.

38. wash

Beads of water were still falling from the uneven ends of Mulan's wet hair as they walked back to camp, and although she was gratefully thanking him for standing guard as she bathed, Sora was entirely too absorbed in watching the water drip down to the sandy ground and didn't hear a thing.

39. torn

He blinked back tears as he watched Mulan and Shang move closer, and wondered why – was he jealous of their happiness, or was he jealous of him?

40. history

History told of the legend of Fa Mulan, the brave warrior maiden who saved a nation, but in her opinion they left out the most important part: that she wouldn't have gotten very far if it hadn't been for a diminutive dragon, and a boy and his friends from another world.

41. power

Light is what he believes in, light to pierce the darkness and open hearts, light to bring warmth to cold hidden places; she prefers the dark, darkness to disguise and change, and the velvet blackness of the nighttime sky.

42. bother

"Is something wrong?" Mulan asked, placing a hand on Sora's shoulder, and remained unconvinced when he jumped and blushed, shaking his head 'no'.

43. god

"Do you believe in God?" he asked one night, watching the stars twinkle in unfamiliar constellations, and she answered "What for? The Ancestors are much more sympathetic."

44. wall

She had been surprised when he asked what the long winding shadow in the distance was, and he had been surprised to find that it was a stone wall; "The Great Wall," she corrected.

45. naked

She honestly didn't mean to have seen him, and it only happened once, but that was enough to cause her to turn red for a week whenever she had to look at him – which was often – and of course – Sora being, well, Sora – he didn't notice anything.

46. drive

She's seen how he pushes himself too hard when he fights, how he borrows his friends' power and abilities when his own begin to fail him (he borrowed hers, once, as well; without warning, merely pulling on her strength and calling it to himself, and it frightened her to feel herself being yanked away), but she especially remembers the time he drove himself to the limit, where each step brought him faltering to his knees and the darkness began to cover him in shadowy tendrils, his eyes glowing eerily as they turned toward her and – wake up, ping, you're having a nightmare again.

47. harm

He hadn't really known her long enough to really get attached (and as every new world reminded him, there was still Kairi to get back to), yet he couldn't help but exhale a noisy sigh of relief as Shang darted in to keep Mulan out of harm's way.

48. precious

I would do anything for my friends, you say, and it's nice to know you both have the same convictions.

49. hunger

In a burst of nostalgia, she begins to list the foods that her mother would make, from special treats to plain soups, until finally Sora places a hand over her mouth, groaning "You're making me even hungrier!"

50. believe

"Who's he think he is, some sort of hero?" Shang grumbles good-naturedly, after the magic and light that means Sora has departed on a new road fades away; "I'd believe it," she says, truthfully, and waves goodbye.

author's notes: These were written with the Epsilon themes on Livejournal community 1sentence, and originally posted there. Why Sora/Mulan, though? Because it's fun, and crack-y, and something other than Sora/Ariel. :D