1.1 CHAPTER 1: Rumors
"Little Brother!" Mulan cried, ruffling the fur between his long ears as he pranced on the ground at her feet. "Good doggy! Help me with my chores today?" Grinning she tied the chicken feed to his collar and a stick with a bone attached to it above his head. In moments he was crashing around the room, colliding with doorways, chasseing after the bone always just slightly out of reach.
Laughing Mulan opened the door for him so that Little Brother could chase the bone around the yard, feeding the chickens in her place. It felt so good to be home and back in the rhythm of her old life, (well, for the most part,) chores and everything. To her surprise many people had insisted 'the great heroine of China' deserved a better life style, but that wasn't what SHE wanted. Playing hooky from her chores was more fun when she was actually expected to do them! Besides her family needed her to do these things and she had to find some way to keep busy.
It had been a full three months since Mulan had returned home and she was still relishing every minute of it. She made sure to keep in touch with many of her old, and new, friends, even if it was only periodically. To her surprise Mulan had found herself drawn to keep practicing her skills and keeping strong and fit so it had become scheduled into her everyday life. The Emperor had issued a statement that if she ever wanted a job on his board the offer still stood. That idea was always nestled comfortingly in the back of her mind with other warm thoughts and images, the part of her mind that she was actually least likely to speak.
"Keeping busy, I see." Grandma Fa had seemingly come out of nowhere.
"Grandma!" Mulan gasped, jumping at her sudden appearance. "I – uh – good morning."
"And to you, if I don't give you a hear attack." Grandma snickered, "dreaming of your Captain again?"
"What?!" Mulan exclaimed. "Hardly."
"Uh-huh," she nodded, raising a sarcastic eyebrow.
Mulan rolled her eyes. "I haven't even seen him since the weekend when he stayed for dinner, Grandma."
"But you two have written?" she pressed.
"Of course, he IS my friend you know," Mulan replied.
"That's good enough for me." Grandma winked suggestively.
"Grandma," Mulan decided to change the uncomfortable subject. "What are these rumors that I keep hearing in the streets? Threats of war..?"
"I've heard exactly what you've heard, Mulan. IF they are true what will you do? when they start to gather troops to be trained. These are the things you should be considering at the moment… And, of course, if you DO go you will get to see the great Captain Shang again! But have you come to any decision yet?" Grandma asked, the teasing in her voice practically gone and the gleam in her eyes dead serious.
"Honestly?" Mulan sighed leaning heavily against the doorframe, "I haven't got a clue."
"You'll get one," Grandma replied confidently. "And Mulan?"
"Yes Grandma?"
"When I said 'sign me up for the next war'… Do you think they'd let me in?" She asked. "You know, find myself a cute boy and all that."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Mulan!"
She froze, spinning around mid round-kick searching for the owner of the vaguely familiar voice.
"How's my baby been, huh?"
"Mushu?" Mulan squinted into the quickly falling dusk. "Is that you?"
A slightly larger red lizard than she remembered straightened up on the rock where it was perched. "Did ya miss me?"
Had he been big enough Mulan would have wrapped him in a fight hug, but since he wasn't she settled for a peck on the top of his head.
"'Ey! None 'a that mushy stuff missy!" He exclaimed, drawing back. "But I missed you too."
Mulan smiled down at him, "you actually convinced my ancestors to let you come out and visit?"
"Well," Mushu eyed his feet sheepishly. "Not EXACTLY."
"Mushu! You snuck out?" Mulan demanded, only slightly cross.
"Not EXACTLY."
"Oh," Mulan looked a little startled at this. "Really? Then what?"
"See, you know all 'a the rumors that have been circulating?" Mushu asked slowly.
"Yes," Mulan replied hesitantly. "They're…true?"
"Well, lets just say they're not false."
Mulan groaned, "You're joking."
"Little Brother!" Mulan cried, ruffling the fur between his long ears as he pranced on the ground at her feet. "Good doggy! Help me with my chores today?" Grinning she tied the chicken feed to his collar and a stick with a bone attached to it above his head. In moments he was crashing around the room, colliding with doorways, chasseing after the bone always just slightly out of reach.
Laughing Mulan opened the door for him so that Little Brother could chase the bone around the yard, feeding the chickens in her place. It felt so good to be home and back in the rhythm of her old life, (well, for the most part,) chores and everything. To her surprise many people had insisted 'the great heroine of China' deserved a better life style, but that wasn't what SHE wanted. Playing hooky from her chores was more fun when she was actually expected to do them! Besides her family needed her to do these things and she had to find some way to keep busy.
It had been a full three months since Mulan had returned home and she was still relishing every minute of it. She made sure to keep in touch with many of her old, and new, friends, even if it was only periodically. To her surprise Mulan had found herself drawn to keep practicing her skills and keeping strong and fit so it had become scheduled into her everyday life. The Emperor had issued a statement that if she ever wanted a job on his board the offer still stood. That idea was always nestled comfortingly in the back of her mind with other warm thoughts and images, the part of her mind that she was actually least likely to speak.
"Keeping busy, I see." Grandma Fa had seemingly come out of nowhere.
"Grandma!" Mulan gasped, jumping at her sudden appearance. "I – uh – good morning."
"And to you, if I don't give you a hear attack." Grandma snickered, "dreaming of your Captain again?"
"What?!" Mulan exclaimed. "Hardly."
"Uh-huh," she nodded, raising a sarcastic eyebrow.
Mulan rolled her eyes. "I haven't even seen him since the weekend when he stayed for dinner, Grandma."
"But you two have written?" she pressed.
"Of course, he IS my friend you know," Mulan replied.
"That's good enough for me." Grandma winked suggestively.
"Grandma," Mulan decided to change the uncomfortable subject. "What are these rumors that I keep hearing in the streets? Threats of war..?"
"I've heard exactly what you've heard, Mulan. IF they are true what will you do? when they start to gather troops to be trained. These are the things you should be considering at the moment… And, of course, if you DO go you will get to see the great Captain Shang again! But have you come to any decision yet?" Grandma asked, the teasing in her voice practically gone and the gleam in her eyes dead serious.
"Honestly?" Mulan sighed leaning heavily against the doorframe, "I haven't got a clue."
"You'll get one," Grandma replied confidently. "And Mulan?"
"Yes Grandma?"
"When I said 'sign me up for the next war'… Do you think they'd let me in?" She asked. "You know, find myself a cute boy and all that."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Mulan!"
She froze, spinning around mid round-kick searching for the owner of the vaguely familiar voice.
"How's my baby been, huh?"
"Mushu?" Mulan squinted into the quickly falling dusk. "Is that you?"
A slightly larger red lizard than she remembered straightened up on the rock where it was perched. "Did ya miss me?"
Had he been big enough Mulan would have wrapped him in a fight hug, but since he wasn't she settled for a peck on the top of his head.
"'Ey! None 'a that mushy stuff missy!" He exclaimed, drawing back. "But I missed you too."
Mulan smiled down at him, "you actually convinced my ancestors to let you come out and visit?"
"Well," Mushu eyed his feet sheepishly. "Not EXACTLY."
"Mushu! You snuck out?" Mulan demanded, only slightly cross.
"Not EXACTLY."
"Oh," Mulan looked a little startled at this. "Really? Then what?"
"See, you know all 'a the rumors that have been circulating?" Mushu asked slowly.
"Yes," Mulan replied hesitantly. "They're…true?"
"Well, lets just say they're not false."
Mulan groaned, "You're joking."