Reviewer Responses:

Jade Stellar: I know. Oh well, we can always pretend. ;-)

Summary:

On his way to return the helmet, Shang thinks about the woman he's going after.

Disclaimer:

Nope! Not mine! Blah, blah, blah. I'm sure you all know the drill.

Archive:

I prefer to know where, but I'm not going to object. Even if it is a MSTing victim.

Rating: G

Author's Notes:

This is going on record as my fastest update. Be thankful. ;-)

Shing is *supposedly* a Chinese name meaning victory, and I don't think Shang's horse is ever named. Sorry if I'm wrong on either count.

There is a possible sequel in the works if anyone's interested.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You will have to forgive my daughter, Captain. She says she still does not feel well, otherwise she would be here to give her farewells," Fa Zhou apologized. I couldn't bear to tell him I knew the real reason she wasn't here to say goodbye.

She hated me, no matter what I hoped her words the night before had meant. They just seemed to confuse the issue further then it already was. I loved her, but what did that mean? It wasn't as if I could expect her to marry me after all I had done.

I had hoped to stay longer, but I knew it was no use. So I left, focusing on battle strategies to distract me. It worked for the first day, and some of the next. But as I rode through a village, a small girl darted in front of me. My mount reared, barely missing her. In surprise, she fell back. I stopped to help her up. What I saw chilled my bones.

It's a doll, hauntingly familiar. A red dress, button eyes, and black hair. Another doll like that, at the Tung Shao Pass, flashed into my mind. Mulan holding that doll, wondering what the owner had been like. How could I keep going?

~*~*~

It took a day for me to return, even pushing Shing to a gallop he shouldn't have been able to carry on with for very long. He did it somehow, sensing my urgency.

From the last hill before her home, I saw a man dismount in front of the Fa home, and a distinctive figure running out to greet him. No.

They were walking around the garden when I arrived, obviously courting. I felt a surge of jealousy, but I quickly controlled it. Resentment wasn't going to help me win her over.

When they came out, she seemed too distracted to notice anything but this man. He was good looking, in a simple way. She jumped when she finally saw me, only a few steps away.

"Shang! I mean," she blushed furiously. "Captain Li. I am sorry I could not have seen you off. Wen, this is Captain Li, the man I was telling you about."

The man stuck his hand out, and I shook it. "I have heard wonderful things about you, Captain. Mulan was just telling me about your training methods. You have my respects and well wishes in further endeavors.

"Of course," he added, giving a loving glance at the woman beside him, "Mulan and I hope you will come to our wedding, if your schedule allows it."

Wedding? It couldn't be!

Mulan gave him a small smile, the one that I dreamt about. "That is, of course, if my father agrees Wen."

"I'm sure he will," Wen replied, bowing and taking his leave.

~*~*~*~

"Marriage, Mulan?" We were taking our own stroll around the garden, late afternoon sunlight casting a warm light on her delicate face.

"I have known Wen since I was a child. It is a union that would bring much honour."

"Since when has honour been the most important thing?"

"I constantly brought embarrassment to my family. Now that I have changed that, I will do nothing to risk it." She sounded so stiff, not at all the woman I knew.

"Do you think that acting like some spineless concubine is what your father wants? I have spoken with him, and he is proud of who you are and what you do. How does changing yourself help anyone?"

"I will do what I must, Captain Li. A woman's place is to be married and bear children. Just because I fought does not mean that I can shirk those duties, and I do not mean to."

"But would you not want a husband that loves you, not a man looking for a mother to his children? Mulan…" I reached out, but she ducked her head quickly.

"I will not shame my family. I will become a bride and bring them honour, true honour. Not the shameful honour of a disobedient daughter."

"You have a funny idea of honour, Fa Mulan. You see shame in saving lives, and honour in an unhappy marriage."

"How do you know my marriage would be unhappy? It is not your business to presume the state of my emotions."

"You do not mean to tell me that a woman such as yourself would be happy serving guests and little more."

"Is that what you think of wives, Li Shang? We are decorations? Our place may be at home, but we are worth more then a finely woven carpet. A marriage with love is satisfying, and every man has his amiable traits. I'm sure even you could eventually find a woman that could stand you."

With that, she turned from me, and I knew I had gone too far.

"Mulan, wait…I didn't mean it like that…I just want to make sure you're happy…you deserve every happiness, and I don't want you to miss out."

"Do you mean that?"

"Of course I do. My mother's marriage was arranged, and while she was content, she was never truly happy. I value you too much to see that happen to you, no matter whom you do decide to marry."

"Very rarely is it a woman's choice who she will marry. If a man proposes marriage to my father, I would be hard pressed to decline." Her voice was hard, but there was a sadness to it, and I would have done anything to know what she was thinking.

"And who do you wish to marry?"

"A man who has no interest in me, despite my hopes."

"Who is it? Because I'll beat him to a bloody pulp!"

She mumbled a response, and then met my eyes. I held back my optimism, but leaned in for a kiss.

There was little finesse, and it was far from the gentle butterfly wings girls fantasized of. It was hard, passionate and my last hope for salvation.

When she finally pulled back, there was a small smile on her face. How I loved to make her smile.

"That wasn't very proper Shang."

"Proprieties be damned," I growled. "It seems Wen may be out of luck when he goes to see your father."

"Looks like it," she agreed.

................................................

*FINI*

Sequel's in the works, if requested.