It was much too big to be called a sword, Mulan liked to think. The blonde man cut through their enemies with ease, slicing them into pieces with a single stroke. No matter how thick the armor or powerful the Heartless, he struck them down with a grace and precision that was unmatched throughout the entire army.

He was not Chinese, nor was he a Hun. He ignored all questions of his past. If he were anyone else the Captain would have long ago asked him to leave. But he was simply too great of a soldier. He often cut down dozens of enemies all on his own, and could carry the tide of battle on himself.

Mulan envied him. He was everything she strove to be. If she were half as strong as him, she would easily be able to win over Shang's trust. She found herself watching him a lot during meals and during training, desperately trying to discover the secret to his strength.

He didn't talk much. He sat by himself, his green eyes closed, his massive sword lying next to him. His exotic yellow hair was spiky and pointed in all directions. He looked and dressed so strangely, anyone would have picked him out of the crowd.

She wondered who he was. Who he was really. Everyone did. But no one had ever gotten an answer out of him.

One day she found herself coming home from taking a bath. As usual she found herself taking an out of the way route back to the camp, avoiding the usual traffic. The others would be along soon. To her surprise she came across Cloud walking the other way.

They stared at each other. Mulan horrified, Cloud impassive.

"Ping." He said formally, her eyes flickering across her untied hair. He said nothing more, but in that moment Mulan was sure. He was well aware of her secret.

He said nothing of it to the Captain, or to the others. But she began to notice his eyes meeting hers more often than they had in the past. She tried not to let the idea excite her.

She wondered what he thought of her, hiding herself in this way among the army. How she fought alongside them and trained with them in secret. She wondered if he thought her odd.

"A Girl worth fighting for would be something, huh Cloud?"

Mulan found herself turning around to find a man nudging Cloud, winking. Cloud looked away.

"Yeah." He said, his voice soft. "It would."

"Have anyone like that Cloud?"

"I did." He said, his voice quiet. "Once." He sounded depressed. He bent down, almost sentimentally, and pulled up a flower. Mulan stared at it, noting the tenderness in his expression. The woman had died.

She found herself longing to know more.

"Cloud." She said, as they passed by a group of maidens in the fields. They looked up at them as they passed, and giggled amongst themselves, many of them staring straight at Cloud. "Who was she?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Did you love her?"

He stared at her. "No."

It was such a surprising thing to hear that the conversation ended right then. She backed off, refusing to continue to satiate her own curiosity.

That very night he was the one to approach her.

"Ping." He said, standing over her somewhat awkwardly. "I wanted to speak with you."

"About what?"

"I wanted to apologize." He said bluntly. "I don't want to alienate you. You're a good soldier."

It was a very stiffly given compliment. She wondered whether he was being genuine or simply trying to make her feel better about herself.

"It's alright." She said, her voice quiet. "I can understand that you may not want to talk about it." She paused. "There are many things that I myself don't want to talk about."

"Your real name?"

She flinched a little, but then relaxed. It was not accusatory. "Fa Mulan."

"So you are the daughter, not a son."

"My father had no sons." She told him plainly. "He was asked to come to war, but was not in good health. I came in his stead."

"Did he send you?"

She paused, wondering whether to be honest with him. "No. I came of my own volition."

"I thought not."

He fell silent. Mulan did not know how to continue the conversation either.

"Do you want to tell me about her?" She asked, almost a little reluctantly. Cloud did not answer right away.

"She was special." He said, at last. "And now she has returned to the planet."

Returned to the Planet… the peculiar way that Cloud referred to death. She had been right, after all.

"Did you love her?"

"No." He said. "I did not lie to you. But she was special all the same. She was someone that I wanted to protect."

"Like a bodyguard?"

She was surprised when he smirked. "Exactly like that." He said, sounding amused.

The conversation faded into silence again. Mulan stared at him, taking in all of his facial features and tried to read him. Once more she came up empty.

"There is a girl I love." Cloud murmured, so quietly that Mulan could barely hear. "She is walking the Earth trying to search for me. But I- I simply cannot find it in me to marry her." He gave her a look. "You remind me of her."

Her heart jumped. "How so?"

"You both have incredible strength of mind and character." He told her. "No matter what happens, Fa Mulan. I want you to stay true to yourself. Stay true to your values, and someday all of China will know your name. You are a warrior because you choose to be one. Never forgot that."

He left her sitting there speechless. Her chest seized up and she almost felt like crying. To be acknowledged in such a way by such a great warrior made her feel happier than she had been in a very long time.

And best of all, was that wonderful freeing feeling of no longer being alone.