Title: I'll make a man out of you
Author: Scout Graham
Pairing: Ping/?
Rating: No idea yet
Disclaimer: I do not own Mulan... hahaha owning people, that's called slavery. It's also illegal.
Summary- Mulan with a trans twist... if you don't like stuff like this don't read it. 3

Chapter Two- If I were truly to be myself I would break my family's heart.

Mulan returned home numb from the dishonor she had just brought upon her family. As she led Khan to his water past the sad look of disappointment on her father's face she felt truly lost. She walked over to her family's small pond to be alone with her thoughts for a while. She looked at her reflection in the pond and wondered how she would ever be the perfect bride or daughter; she didn't even know the person that was staring back at her. She slowly wandered her way to the shrine for their ancestors. Looking at the pitiful reflection again on the shined stone of her ancestors' graves she removed her makeup and wondered if her reflection would ever show the person that she was inside. She left the shrine of the ancestors that she had disgraced and chose to sit under a cherry tree to think instead. As she heard her father approaching she felt the nervous sadness that comes with talking to someone that you've let down. She listened as he tried to make her feel better, but he sure as hell wasn't helping. She wished that she could've believed what he said about her being a late bloomer, but she knew that it wasn't the case. At least he still loved her, she was very lucky to have a father who loved her even though she was a disgrace.

The sound of the war drum interrupted their moment as they both rose to see what was going on. Mulan's mother kept Mulan from leaving with her father. This didn't stop Mulan though; she instead climbed one of the front walls to see what was going on. There were three men on horseback, two of them wearing the uniform of the Imperial Army. The men in uniform reminded her of the scrolls and posters she had seen earlier. In that second she realized that the conscription was upon them. Without thinking Mulan ran to her father as his name was called, she had to stop them. He was an injured war hero; they surely wouldn't make him serve again. Apparently suggesting this was another dishonor, she was just raking them in today. Quietly her grandmother escorted her back to their house. She would let her father cool off for a while and then would try to reason with him.

It was dinner time and Mulan's Mother had asked her to fetch her Father. So Mulan was walking through her house silently when she happened upon her Father practicing his sword skills. She watched as he made ornate patterns with the long blade, his work was the result of many long hours training and fighting with that same sword, he was not the great Fa Zhou for nothing. She almost forgot about his bad leg until in the middle of one of his patterns he stumbled, wincing in pain, and grasped at his leg. He would never be able to survive training with his leg like that, never mind fighting the Huns. Mulan knew that she had to convince him to stay or she would lose him forever.

At dinner everyone was silent, it wasn't often that a daughter disgraced a family twice in the same day but Mulan had somehow pulled it off. She didn't even care about the honor that she had lost anymore she was too busy worrying about her Father. The thunder and lightning outside only add to the mood as Mulan pours the tea for her family, finally she has had enough.

"You shouldn't have to go" she says angrily as she slams down her teacup.

"Mulan!!" her mother hisses through clenched teeth as she tries to quiet her unruly daughter.

"There are plenty of young men to fight for China!" Mulan rambles on trying to make Fa Zhou the war hero, her father, see her point.

"It is an honor to protect my country and family" her Father says calmly.

"So you'll die for honor?!?!" Mulan yells incensed. This angers her Father very much.

"I will DIE doing what's right." He says standing; his rage is evident in every word. Mulan starts to speak but he cuts her off.

"I know my place, it is time you learned yours." He says his words sting Mulan as she runs out of the house almost in tears.

After sitting in the rain thinking about it, Mulan has come to a conclusion. There is only one thing she can do and now she must pray to her ancestors for help, which she was going to need a lot of. After her she lights her incense and leaves her prayer, she quietly sneaks into her parents' room and takes the conscription notice. Her next stop is her Father's armory where she takes his sword and cuts her hair to the suitable length for a boy. She ties it up and puts on the rest of her Father's armor. She saddles up Khan and gets ready to leave. It's strange to think about leaving behind her family and life but this new one feels almost right. Ever since she put on the armor something clicked, she was comfortable. She tells herself that the only reason she's doing this is to save her father but knows that that isn't the case. With one last look at her home she spurs on Khan hopefully into the new life that she is making for them. She doesn't know that the first ancestor was listening to her prayers and is sending her help. She also doesn't know that her family awakes to find her missing and is heartbroken. She only knows that she likes the feeling of the wind on her face and the armor on her body as she rides Khan through the dark night.

"At dawn she takes leave of Father and Mother,
In the evening camps on the Yellow River's bank.
She doesn't hear the sound of Father and Mother calling,
She only hear the Yellow River's flowing water cry tsien tsien."