Here's chapter two. Big thanks to carlos13, Sakurayuuki19, and Sanasuke. I hope you all continue to enjoy this story. So here we go again.
"Fa Mulan." the ulgy woman said. The girl between Robin and Nami jumped to her feet.
"Present!" the girl yelled. The woman glared at her and turned away.
"Speaking without permission." she hissed writting on a clipboard.
"Opps." the girl said, following the woman inside.
"What is going on?" Nami hissed again. Robin smiled.
"I remember reading a book about a country called China. I think that is where we are. Many of the girls are scheduled to meet the matchmaker to find an appropriate husbend. China is ruled by an Emporor who protects the entire vast country, but they are in constant danger of the huns. The people have certain expectactions. Men are expected to fight and woman to marry well and produce a family." Robin said.
"That's not right!?" Nami said. Suddenly there was a crash inside. Everyone looked up to see the match maker suddenly burst out. Her clothes were on fire!
"PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!" she screamed. The girl who had gone inside ran over and threw a pot of tea on her. The flames went out and her makeup smeared, including a strage mustash and beard like black mark that recently appeared. The girl then handed her the pot, gave a small bow, and walked to her family, hiding her face in her sleeve. The woman came at her and threw the pot, smashing it. "YOU ARE A DISCRASE! YOU MAY LOOK LIKE A BRIDE BUT YOU WILL NEVER BRING YOUR FAMILY HONOR!" she screached.
"WHAT WAS THAT!" Sanji scremed, jumping in front of Mulan to protect her from farther critism.
"YOU IDIOT!" Nami scremed, running over and hitting Sanji. She didn't want to interfear with their customs. The people looked at them in horror, the very idea of a woman critising a man, or even hitting him, expecially in public! Robin strolled over with Luffy, Chopper, and Zoro joining them, willing to take whatever punishment along with their captain for his stupidity. No one spoke, stairing at the strangers. Nami sighed. "We're sorry for interupting your afternoon." she said. The people backed away from them, and Nami suddenly felt like she did something wrong.
"I forgot to tell you. In this culture women seem to be seen as inferior to the men, so you yelling at Sanji and hitting him probibly didn't help us any." Robin said with a small laugh. The girl called Mulan looked at Nami and Robin with large eyes, how she wished she could be like those two women. From apperences, the woman seemed to run the men in their group. A man stepped forward.
"A woman should know her place." he said. Zoro pulled out Wado Ichimonji part of the way, he really hated that kind of talk. 'When girls get older it is natural for us to develop into physically weaker beings then males.' Kuina's voice rang out in his mind.
"You were saying?" he asked, deadly and low. The citizens backed off. Sanji turned to Mulan.
"Your such a beautiful lady. Are you alright?!" Sanji swooned. Mulan stood shocked but nodded. "That's wonderful!" Sanji said. He tried to kiss her hand but Nami punched him aside again. Mulan, her mother, and her grandmother looked horrified at them.
"We should go. Would you like to come over for dinner." Mulan's mother said, wanting to get these strangers out of the sight of the public before they do something increadably stupid. 'I'll have to explain about the culture here.' thought the woman as she looked them over.
"SURE!" Luffy yelled excitment. They all ginned and nodded to show they would accept the womans offer.
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The group followed the woman. "So, who are you anyway?" Luffy asked. The woman smiled.
"My name is Fa Li. This is my mother in law and my daughter Mulan." the woman said. Zoro looked at Mulan. 'boy this girl that, are you gonna keep up that kind of talk after I beat you, like skill is irrelevent!' his words to Kuina echoed in his mind. He saw Kuina crying. 'If only i had been born a man!' she cried. He clenched a fist. He hated this entire countrys culture, looking down on women as inferior. If only they had more girls like Kuina and this Mulan girl. Sanji watched Mulan's back as they moved. 'Poor girl, what kind of culture looks down on such beautiful and brillent young women!' he found himself thinking. The crew arrived at the Fa house. Nami looked back.
"You know, I should probibly go get the others." she said.
"I'll go!" Luffy said. Nami shock her head.
"No, you and Zoro have no sense of direction, and Sanji would probibly rather stand here. I am a navigator after all, i'll be fine." she said with a smile. Ther others looked at her in surprise, but nodded nonetheless.
"Just be careful." Luffy said. Nami nodded and smiled, walking away to find the others, wiping the makeup off her face as she left. Mulan then left with her horse.
"I hope you dont' mind but your...deer...pet will have to stay in the stable." Li said, Chopper went to protest.
"Yes of course!" Sanji said. Chopper looked at him with a horrified look. "Don't say anything, I don't think they'd be able to take that right now." Sanji whispered to the tiny reindeer. Chopper nodded sadly as he followed Mulan and her horse. The others followed Li to her home where they saw an older gentelman who was using a crutch.
"Who are our guests?" he asked looking them over.
"I thought it would be alright to invite them for dinner, they are a group of strangers passing threw. They stood up for Mulan infront of the matchmaker, I thought it was the least we could do." she said softly. Her husbend nodded.
"We are honored to welcome you to our home." he said.
"Yah, we have four more coming." Luffy said. The man smiled.
"I see. I am Fa Zhou. Please come in. I have to go out back, but I will be with you shortly." he said. Then he walked off.
"Intersting home huh Luffy." Sanji started then sighed. "He just had to run off." he said, litting a cigerette.
"Huh?" asked Grandma Fa. Sanji and Zoro pointed to the empty space that was once occupied by a rubbery captain just an instant before.
"Oh well, it's not like he can get into too much trouble." Zoro said.
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Luffy ran down the path to finally find Mulan. She was sitting on a stone bench, having wiped the makeup off her face and had taken her hair down. He was about to approch her when her father walked up. She turned from him, unable to face him after her failure. He smiled and sat down next to her. He looked up at the cherry tree above them. "My my, what beautiful bloosoms we have this year." Mulan didn't give him any response and looking over to the side he found what he wanted. "But look, this ones late." he said, pointing to a blossom that hadn't bloomed yet. Mulan looked at him as he tock her comb, then pulled back a bit of her hair. "but i'll bet when it blooms, it'll become the most beautiful of all." he said, placing the comb in her hair. Luffy smiled, it was such a nice scean. Then he heard drums. Both father and daughter were on their feet headed to the back gate. Li and Grandma as well as Sanji, Zoro, and Robin came out of the house and Chopper came running around the side. Three men rode up on horses. One was in silk blue robes while the other two were in armor and held flags.
"Mulan, strangers, stay inside." Li said as her and her husbend went out. Grandma followed, while pointing to the wall for Mulan and the others. Luffy ran after Mulan and the two climbed up to watch.
"Citizens, I bring an aproclamation from the imperial city. The huns have invaded China!" the man yelled. Luffy and the others noticed the horrified looks that passed threw the people. "By order of the emporor, one man from every family must serve in the imperial army." the man in blue continued, then he unrolled a scroll, reading a list of names.
"Well this can't be good." Zoro said.
"What do you mean?" Luffy asked.
"Well, he said one man from any family must go, but this family only has one man, and he's in no condition to serve in a military. If he goes, he won't survive." Zoro said. Mulan looked in horror at the truth Zoro spoke.
"The Fa family!" the man yelled.
"NO!" Mulan whispered. Her father handed Li his staff and started to stride forward. Mulan didn't hesitate. She jumped down from the wall and ran out after her father. "Father you can't go!" she called. Zhou froze.
"Mulan!" he said in surprise.
"Please sir, my father has already served..." she started, putting herself between her father and the soldier holding out the conscription notice. The man in blue road up between them.
"You will do well to teach your daughter to hold her tounge in a mans presence." he said. Sanji bit into his cigerette and Zoro was reaching for his sword.
"You dishonor me." her father said. Mulan looked so shattered and put out. Li tock her and led her back to the others.
"Ignore them Mulan, you should be able to say whatever you want." Sanji tried to tell her as Zhou tock the notice and came back to the others. He ignored the cane his wife held out for him and continued into the house. Mulan watched him go, and felt something tug at her heart. She couldn't let him go!
well theres the second chapter. I think Zoro and Sanji would want to help Mulan the most at first because Sanji wouldn't want to see any woman being degraded, and Zoro's experiences with Kuina wouldn't allow him to sit by and watch this either, as he beleives what gender you are doesn't matter and what does matter is skill! Let me know what your thinkin! Thanks for reading!
