He glanced once more at the sheet before him that Mulan had previously overlooked before handing it across to her.

"Another messenger?" she asked.

"No," Shang said, almost totally without emotion, "They've reached our northern boarder."

Mulan looked up sharply from the sheet of paper. "The Great Wall," she breathed. "How much time does that give us?"

"A month, tops," Shang replied. "The Imperial guards and troops are already being dispensed from the palace to protect the Emperors people."

The implication of history repeating itself for those troops was a prospect that didn't need to be voiced, it already lay heavily before Shang, it always did.

"Shang," Mulan reached out a comforting hand.

He shook off the memories abruptly. "More conscription notices are being delivered, in two weeks the numbers here could double so two Lieutenants will be sent to help train the troops."

"OK," Mulan nodded slowly, trying to process it all. After a pause she said patiently, "Anything else?"

"Uhm, well," Shang suddenly looked incredibly uncomfortable.

Her brows knitted slightly, "What?"

"Mulan, you're a hero, I mean THE hero of China, people honor you and respect you but, uh. . .well, there are other people that - "

"Yeah," Mulan cut him off, studying the floor as if it were particularly interesting, "I know."

"Meanwhile - while I trust your combat skills completely -" he added quickly. "You're, uh, the only woman in a camp full of men and, well. . . I mean - "

Mulan sighed, "That I have to be prepared for gossip? Look, Shang, I know that too, I -"

"No, well, I mean that too," Shang cut HER off now. "But I mean that, well, you have to be careful. Uh. . . I mean - "

"Don't. I mean, I get it," she replied, looking up at him sharply, feeling a bit of unbidden pink rising in her cheeks. She hadn't really been expecting that, she hadn't even really thought much about that. Somewhere in the back of her mind that pesky little voice said that it was nice to know that he cared but she shoved that away as quickly as she could. He was her comrade, her friend, her fellow Captain. It was his duty to warn her or, whatever it was that he was doing, it meant nothing. "I'm fine, Shang. Seriously."

He cocked an eyebrow at her, although he still looked sort of uncomfortable.

As a matter of fact Mulan wasn't feeling too comfortable herself, but Shang obviously wasn't going to be the one to change the subject. "So. . . Any news on who these two Lieutenants might be?"

"Not much, although I do know that Yin Po is being considered," Shang replied, thankful to be on familiar ground again.

"Yin?" Mulan asked, almost laughing. "Poor Yin, he's going to get to the Emperors palace and get told to turn around and come straight back here."

Shang chuckled and their conversation drifted comfortably back into more normal, safer grounds.

Before she left him that night she remembered the training she would be doing in the evening at the last second and reminded him of it as well. "You know, if you still want to come. . . ?"

"What, not working in the mornings anymore?" Shangs eyebrow arched teasingly.

"Yeah, right," she scoffed. "Have you got any idea just how EARLY that is? I mean, I was there before you today!"

Shang laughed, "Uh, yeah, sorry about that."

Mulan shrugged, dismissing it completely, "I should have been paying attention."

"Training tomorrow evening?" Shang asked as Mulan made her way towards the tent flap.

"Yeah," she smiled at him, lifting it up and stepping halfway out of the tent. "Tomorrow EVENING."