Chapter 10

As the team approached the town, they heard the matchmaker's familiar snarl.

"I've found matches for hundreds of men! But the Golden Dragon of Unity himself couldn't find matches for you three! Come back when you get personalities!"

"Nothing has changed." Mulan muttered. Shang looked at Mulan with his best lover eyes, calming her.

Unexpectedly, three familiar singing voices greeted their ears...

Ling began, jerking his thumb at the matchmaker:

"Well I don't need her

To be all smug and snooty!"

"PBBT!" They stuck out their tongues. The matchmaker stormed off and slammed her door. Ron snorted - in his mind, justice had been served.

Yao opened his shirt, showing off a medal. Then he jumped into a kick.

"I got a plaque right here

That says I kicked Hun booty!"

Chien Po sat on a statue's pedestal.

"We found everything we dreamed we'd find

When we got back from war."

The other two followed Chien-Po's lead, and they sang together.

"Everything but…"

A girl passed by, wearing a dress in various shades of blue. They started to sing again. "A girl worth fighting for!"

They stood up, and Yao punched Chien Po in the belly: "Hey, suck in your gut!" The three sang together again: "There's a girl worth fighting for!" The girl they now sang about was working at a tea stand. She was wearing a dress similar to Mulan's green one, with a large pink flower and two hair sticks securing her bun.

"My girl will laugh at all my jokes, but tell it to me straight!" sang Ling.

"She'll rub my head when I get sick…" sang Yao.

"And let me pick off of her plate!" added Chien-Po. "If Ling can find a girl who likes his chopstick nose trick?"

Ling had approached the tea stand girl and took the hair sticks from her bun. The girl looked up. Ling twirled the sticks around in his fingers like a show-off drummer in a rock band, crossed his eyes, and stuck them up his nose.

"Ooh, he really better just propose quick!" warned Yao.

Shang shook his head. He could tell this was not going to end well, but it wasn't his place to interfere. And it didn't end well - the girl lashed out with a nasty left cross and punched Ling square in the eye. He fell backwards and the hairsticks embedded in the dirt. Yao and Chien-Po helped him up and made a run for it.

Kim decided to at least be a little helpful. She spotted a bucket of water, picked up the hairsticks, and washed them off. After drying them on her riding outfit, she handed them back to the girl with a bow. The girl looked surprised at the newcomer but smiled.

Ling, Yao, and Chien-Po ended up going into a bar. The team waited outside, figuring the three would be out sooner or later.

"Well I have to say, based on today, I'm cranky." sang Ling, blotting his bruised eye with a wet cloth.

"I'll just spend my life with you two," sighed Chien-Po in resignation. Yao snatched the cloth from Ling, and sang, "Pass the hanky."

Then disaster struck. Ling pulled a chair out from under someone while singing "When there's no one there to steal my chair," and Yao spun into someone while singing "Or twirl around the floor." This started an all-out brawl.

"Wish that I had a girl worth fighting for!"

"I would be true to a girl worth fighting..."

"I'd make fondue for a girl worth fighting…"

"I'd even kiss you for a girl worth fighting..."

The bar owner eventually had enough and literally kicked the three out.

"...for." They finished the song dejectedly. But their frowns turned upside down when they saw who was waiting for them…

"Mulan! General Shang!"

Shang gave Mulan an affectionate nudge. "If you three aren't too busy disturbing the peace," he chuckled, "I'd like you to join our team on a mission."

Yao stood up, and noticed Kim and Ron. "Wow General, when you sang about having all the strength of a raging fire, I didn't think you'd bring one with you."

Kim rolled her eyes. "The name's Kim, not Raging Fire."

"Pardon me." Yao blushed.

"Oh by the way, I'm…" Kim fidgeted. The cover story of being married to Ron, while she liked it, still felt awkward. "I'm already married."

"Lemme guess, your husband's name is Coursing River?" joked Ling as he jumped to his feet.

Now it was Ron's turn to speak up. "Ron's the name."

"Now that we've settled introductions, are you in?" asked Mulan.

"A mission to save China?" asked Ling excitedly.

Mulan grinned. "Naturally."

"I'll be leaving behind a few broken hearts…" said Yao, "But count me in!"

"Sign me up!" Ling thumped his chest.

"When do we start, General?" asked Chien-Po.

Shang quickly returned to command mode. His tone and expression were that of steel.

"Tonight."