I'm not sure if this will be continued or not. If anyone remembers me from before my hiatus, then this will seem familiar.
The alarm blares into her ear and she is startled awake, instantly rolling out of bed and pulling her hair up into the standard bun. She slips into the traditional slippers and pulls on her tunic, belting it tightly at the waist before stumbling out of her dorm. The tatami mats click dryly under her feet as she joins the line of soldiers standing stiffly in front of their rice paper doors.
"Stand straighter, you useless cowards, what if the General was here to see this?" The whiny voice of Chi Fu fills the hall and she rolls her eyes imperceptibly, deeming it too early to be hearing such a high-pitched sound. She counts his footsteps, hearing the usual sixteen before the man stops in front of her. "Fa Mulan, demerits for lateness. You don't get extra time to primp just because you are a woman."
She grits her teeth. She was not the last one out of her dorm, but Chi Fu firmly believes in forbidding women from joining The Academy. The fact that she's the only woman currently enrolled in the prestigious school makes her situation all the harder. But she got into The Academy on her own terms, her skill and determination, and Chi Fu is not going to take that away from her.
Still, scrubbing floors after hours because of fabricated excuses is starting to wear at her nerves.
"Yessir," she replies sharply, staring straight ahead stoically. Chien Po gives her a sympathetic look from behind Chi Fu's back. The odious man himself smirks, opening his mouth to start in on her again.
There's a quiet rustle from the end of the hall as the rice paper door is slid open once again and Mulan stills, fingers curling slightly before she forces herself to relax.
"That won't be necessary, Councilman. I'm sure she has enough demerits due to your antics already." Li Shang enters the scene, voice cool and calm despite his slightly curled upper lip. Everyone knows how much Chi Fu and Li Shang hate each other. Mulan blames it on their testosterone-fueled power struggle.
The aforementioned Councilman swells like a bullfrog. "Excuse me, Captain, but it is my responsibility to hand out punishment for whomever deserves it, and Fa Mulan has repeatedly caused - "
"If you'd like to discuss the matter further, we can take it to my office. Now if you'll excuse me, the soldiers and I have training to start."
Mulan feels hot shame crawl down her back as Chi Fu storms off. She's just a student - fights should not be initiated on her behalf. But it's not her place to tell her superior what not to say, so she stays silent and curses Chi Fu only in her mind. Li Shang gives her a detached once-over before striding to the head of the group. He waits expectantly, then at the lack of movement, says, "Move! We don't have all day - get out on the track and do the usual twenty."
There's an organized scramble for the exit and Shang moves to the side, watching the trainees pass by with a slight frown on his face. Mulan starts to step out of the hall when he takes her wrist, pulling her away from the current and to him. Chien Po, Ling, and Yao give her worried looks before filtering out of the area, soon leaving Shang and Mulan alone.
"Captain, I - "
"Be careful," he says quietly, cutting her off. "Chi Fu is not the only one holding such a biased view. It'll be increasingly hard for you to fit in comfortably as you move up the ranks, especially after graduating The Academy."
She bows her head, hyper-aware of his thumb as it rests against her pulse. "Thank you, Captain."
"Get your twenty done. I don't want to see you lagging behind because of a mere thirty second delay."
"Yessir." Mulan hurries out into the breaking sunrise and blinks as the light hits her eyes, the track focusing before her with small dots already scurrying around it. She jogs down the hill, the familiar rhythm of her feet pounding against the earth vibrating through her body.
She swears she can still feel Shang's fingers around her wrist.