Author's Note: I decided to release chapter 9 and 10 together...you'll know why by the beginning of chapter 10! Just read the first two lines!
Mulan woke up early and just sat in her tent. For the past weeks, she had been waking up early. Part of it was due to Shang, his routine had become a part of hers. And the other part was just to think and be alone. She had been completely avoiding Shang for the last week, and was not sure if she was even ready to talk again. Mulan really wanted to talk to Shang, because she wanted to hear his side of the story, because she always believed Shang was innocent when he and Xiaohua kissed. Yet at the same time, she did not want to play this game again. But Mulan also wanted to talk to Shang because she missed him.
From the corner, Mushu yawned. Mulan had been seeing less of him, now that the training had started, but Mushu had been there for her whenever she needed him. "Hey," Mulan called gently, "I barely see you anymore my fierce guardian."
Mushu jumped up on Mulan's shoulder. "I only appear whenever you need me. Like whenever you're in trouble, pretty boy's being a jerk, the whole drama situation."
Mulan laughed. "And I suppose for the past weeks, I've been living in heaven?"
"No," Mushu answered, "You've just been good at hiding your emotions. Remember what we went through last war? You shouldn't be afraid to show how you feel. That's why pretty boy over here likes you so much."
Mulan smiled. Mushu always knew how to cheer her up. "So whenever I need help, you just appear. But whenever I don't, you just disappear into thin air."
Mushu nodded. "Yup, and I go back to the temple. I only appear whenever you need me. That's how this guardian thing works!"
"Then I want to be in trouble all the time," Mulan smiled as Mushu gave her a hug, "I need you around."
"But not for long, something tells me, pretty boy is going to be in your life again," Mushu replied with a smirk.
Mulan laughed, "Oh what are you, a fortune teller? Stop that!"
Immediately Shang came running into her tent. "Are you okay Mulan?" he asked with concern, "who were you talking to?"
"No one," Mulan muttered. She got up and walked out of the tent. Of course, Mushu was nowhere to be found. Shang followed her out. "What are you doing up so early Shang? Seems like I was rubbing off on you for the past weeks."
Shang laughed. Mulan missed him. But now she found herself coming back to him, and she would not do that. Mulan said goodbye to Shang but before she could walk away, he grabbed her hand.
"Wait," he said, "Can I talk to you?"
Mulan nodded. Some part of her wanted to stay, while another told her to go. She wondered what Shang was going to say, or whether or not she should believe it.
"I know you're angry at me, and I've messed up so many times, but I want you to listen to my side of the story. I'm not in love with Xiaohua and I never was. I love you. She kissed me, and I know I should have pulled away, but I wondered for one second, how it would be like to have her. There were no sparks. When she kissed me, I honestly felt nothing. I was just thinking of you. But you wouldn't talk to me. I know this is shallow, and no reason to say your secret, but that is why I told them your secret. I knew you would be there. I wanted to talk to you. And I apologize, most of all, for leaving you alone with the soldiers. I am the General. I should take up my responsibility. Not you. You only trained them the first day to help me out, and I appreciate that. But I don't know how else to make up for it. I messed up, and now I am ready to take the consequences."
"I think maybe, kissing that girl, and having to spend a day with her, is a small part of the punishment." Mulan started.
Shang laughed. But then Mulan did not finish and just turned away. "How will I make up for it?" Shang asked.
But all Mulan said was "You'll know when you think of it." "All you have to do is kiss the girl," Mulan thought and smiled as she walked away.
…
The whole day Shang and Mulan avoid each other because one, they needed space for a while, two, Shang was too busy concentrating on the training and on how to make up for what he did to Mulan, and lastly, because they weren't ready to talk. However, secretly they did want to talk to each other, and whenever Mulan glanced over to look at Shang, she would find that he was already staring at her, and they both would turn away. This also happened to Shang.
Even the soldiers noticed and occasionally some would come up and ask her if she and Shang were fine, which Mulan would respond to that with a yes. Things between her and Shang had become so confusing; Mulan was not sure what to do.
When Mulan reached her tent later that day, Mushu was nowhere to be found of course, so she decided to take a walk through the camp. It was already late at night, so soldiers were either asleep or about to fall asleep. Mulan slowly made her way to the lake. She did not want to get into the water, so she climbed up a tree and sat there. Suddenly, she felt two arms around her that pulled her down. When she reached the ground, she turned around and found Shang.
"I'm giving something to you, that Xiaohua would never have," he told her.
"You?" Mulan asked with a smile. They both laughed.
"Well besides that," he said and then grabbed her hands, "I want my first dance to be with you."
Mulan smiled. "But there's no music."
"Then I'll sing to you," Shang replied.
So as they twirled around on the grass barefoot, with their eyes never leaving, Shang sang to her, "The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful, stops me and steals my breath. It moves from mountains, thrusts towards the sky, never revealing their depth. Tell me, that we belong together. Dress it up, with the trappings of love. I'll be captivated; I'll hang from your lips, instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above. I'll be your crying shoulder, I'll be love suicide. I'll be better when I'm older, I'll be the greatest fan of your life."
When they stopped dancing, Shang carried Mulan and brought her up a tree, where they sat together. They sat high enough to where they could overlook the camp and see their surroundings. "It's beautiful," Mulan said as she leaned on Shang's shoulder. He put his arms around her and he leaned his head on hers. As they leaned there, they both forgot about the war, Xiaohua, and all the trouble they had gone through together.
"Well that was more than I expected," Mulan told him, "Now I feel like I have to make up for something."
Shang hugged her tighter. "Then can I hear you sing? You have a beautiful voice. I sung for you."
Mulan laughed. "That's because you owed me and I was kidding about the whole 'need to make up for something'. Besides when did you hear me sing?"
"In your room," Shang then started to imitate her, "'No chance, no way, I won't say it oh no. It's too cliché, I won't say I'm in love.'"
Mulan blushed a bright red and pretended to want to push Shang off the tree, "I will push you down!"
"But you wouldn't want to," Shang said with a fake pout, which caused Mulan to laugh. She leaned in and asked him, "Will you sing with me then?"
Shang nodded. "But you have to start."
Mulan cleared her throat, sat up, and then looked at Shang. "We were strangers, starting out on a journey, never dreaming what we'd have to go through. Now here we are, and I'm suddenly standing, at the beginning with you."
Shang knew it was his turn so he joined in, "No one told me, I was going to find you. Unexpected, what you did to my heart. When I lost hope, you were there to remind me, this is the start."
But together they sang, "And life is a road and I want to keep going. Love is a river I want to keep flowing. Life is a road, now and forever, a wonderful journey. I'll be there when the world stops turning. I'll be there when the storm is through. In the end I want to be standing at the beginning with you."
Shang leaned in to kiss Mulan and she leaned in too. Unfortunately, that sent both of them falling off the tree. Shang quickly grabbed Mulan and hung onto the tree branch. "Mulan?" he asked worriedly, "are you okay?"
She laughed. "Yes I'm fine. But I think I'm getting a little too heavy for you. I should just go down."
"No!" Shang said in horror, "You'll be hurt!"
Mulan laughed. "Shang, I'm only a foot from the ground."
Shang looked down and then let go of the branch. Mulan laughed hysterically and fell to the ground laughing. But Shang just stood there watching. Finally Mulan stopped laughing and Shang walked over to her, and stood above her asking, "Are you done laughing now?"
Mulan tried to hide her smirk, but couldn't. So she responded, "Nope!" and pulled Shang down to her.
