~Thanks for the reviews! I think this is going to be a long story, lol. Oh....well, I hope you like this one! Remember I don't know any of the Mulan characters or some of the lord of the rings...and yes this is like the plot lien of lord of the rings but I'm adding a lot of new ideas and stuff!

Chapter 8: Strange Feelings

The night had falling and China was getting ready for the long night. Ling, Loong, Yao, Wei and Chien Po were all in a huge room where several beds lay. They waited for Shang, knowing that he was talking to the Emperor or taking a long walk to think about what had just happened. They were very much confused themselves, about the whole thing. But they were taking it serious now, because they had also just heard that Mulan's father had died from an attack. An attack that was not by human or creature. They were called Nuzgul, the black riders. They had heard form the stories that they were unable to be seen, all that covered them was the black cloak, only showing the black armor that covered their feet and hands. They began to think that maybe it was all truth and the stories were real.

They stood there in silence, waiting for Shang or someone to come in to tell them something or someone to simply break the silence. "So.....what do we do now?" Asked Yao, breaking the long silence of the mental thoughts that burred into each and every mind.

No one knew what to say they were all speechless. "Maybe we should find that girl that they were talking about, the one who has the diamond?" suggested Loong.

"You mean Mulan....."Corrected Ling.

"Yea.... It's she the one who......"

"The one who saved China, the one who killed Shan Yu, yea that's the girl." Interrupted Yao.

"The poor girl, she lost her father and now this...." Said Chien Po in pity of his friend.

"Do you think that she is here? Do you think we should go find her and ask her what's going on?" Asked Ling.

"She's here, but I already talked to the Emperor before I left and he said that were not aloud to see her till tomorrow. I think we were suppose to see her but it got late and things were definitely getting out of hand." Answered Wei, being the wise man he truly was. He then sat there and began to stroke his small hair on his chin that were beginning to form. "But if Shang does come back in time we could always have him go talk to her? But then again I don't know?" Said Wei thinking out loud.

"What do you mean you don't know, Isn't she the one that he would always talk about?" Questioned Loong.

"Yea but he also changed after leaving to go to war, camp over those several mounts you know....he's changed. The loss of his father cut deep into him, he was really the only person that was there for him." Explained Wei. Him and Shang were close they had known each other since children they knew each other almost like a book.

"What do you mean? Where was his mother?" Asked Chine Po, interested as to why they his friends were saying that Shang was a changed man.

"His Mother died while giving birth, so his father had to take him everywhere. By the age of five to six he was already beginning to train along side with his father. He may have been strict most of the time, but he was honorable and Shang knew that his father was a great man. The loss of his father was so great to him that it changed him, we really don't know how, but we know that he is."

Loong interrupted to add more, "Don't forget about our little heroin, Mulan.....man did she do something to him. He would always talk about her after that day he went over her house to return her helmet. I mean they never did anything, at least that's what we heard. He told us that he never met such an amazing person before, he would describe her as if she was a goddess. But like I said I don't know...I never seen or met the girl."

"True, but when he left to go to intense training and even some little battles that were along the great wall, he would always come back not even say a word about it, Like it always would take part of him away every time he went." Said Wei, wrapping up the conversation with the three.

"Interesting....." Said Chien Po, leaving him and the others to think about all that the two said.

The Door opened, revealing Shang. He looked pissed yet more confused as if he didn't want to be bothered, and he needed a drink and fast. He slammed the door and walked over to his bed then sat down on the edge rubbing his eyes and head with his hands. The guys all looked at each other debating weather or not to go up to him and talk to him. "You ok, Shang?" Asked Wei.

Shang nodded his head, then looked up at all of them, "This is crazy....I mean none of this can be right, Diamond? The demon? They were just stories, fairytales....that's all." Shang sighed covering his face again. "And yet that old wizard....he starts talking about my father? What is this?" Shang began to yell, getting irritated with the whole thing.

Wei began to walk over to Shang, as he got in front of him he kneeled down and looked up at Shang. "We are as confused as you are. But it has to be right? With Mulan's father and all. Mulan being here, Why would she be here if there wasn't a good reason? Her mother and Grandmother even left to the Kingdom, Choa Nu; to stay were it's safe." Wei, explaining to Shang what he heard.

"Fa Zhou? What about?...." Shang stopped seeing that Wei was shaking his head, and lowering it.

"Didn't you hear? He failed, he listened to the diamond when it was calling to him and he failed. He was killed by the Nuzgul, the black riders they are the ones bond to it. They do not live, they do not die. They killed Fa Zhou. He's gone. Mulan has it now."

"You sound as if you believe in all this?" Asked Shang surprised by his friend, the knowledge of taking in all that and now thinking that it's all true he thought it was a joke.

"Why not?" Wei looked at him with confusion, as if asking why he was not allowing himself to admit that he too believed in it. "What about Mulan? What is she supposed to do? She needs us right now, she lost her father, her mother and Grandmother are half way across from here. And now she has this task, that sounds as real as it's going to get. Yes I am surprised, we all are.." Wei coughed lowing down his breath, calming himself down. He now whispered to Shang, "We can't let her down. Yes we are going to probably our dooms but it's like what Gundal said, we have to defend her like she did for us. I don't know what were going to do? But I know what I'm doing and that is to ride by her side, to protect her." He paused turned his head over to the others who were watching and listening to Wei as he talked to Shang. "What about you guys?" He asked.

They all paused and looked at each other, "I'm going...." Said Chien Po.

"Count us!" Said Yao and Ling at the same time.

"Well what are you going to do without a Loong by your side?" Said Loong as he lounged back in his chair acting as if he was the greatest and hottest thing there. In return he got laughs and smiles from his friends. Wei turned back to Shang, waiting for an answer.

"We need you there Shang, You know your way around better then any of us, and Mulan and Gundal are going to need that." Said Wei.

Shang sighed. "Only for China......" Shang got up and was beginning to walk out of the room for air when Wei yelled out to him.

"Yea but your going to talk to Mulan and find out what's going on with her" Stated Wei.

Shang turned around as if to say, 'You got to be joking?'. "Why me?"

"Because your the closets one to her...." Answered Wei.

Shang rolled his eyes then headed out the door. Yao and Ling looked at each other puzzled by response that Wei got from Shang. They thought he would be happy to see her again? "What was that remark for?"

Loong laughed, "He likes her, he just wont admit it!"

Mulan woke up by the bright sun's rays and immediately got to making her bed and getting ready for the day. Not having the chance to really wear the dress that Lu Tang had brought out for her to wear, Mulan decided to go through all the cloths in the closet and find that one and put it on. Mulan wasn't really the preppy, girly type but she didn't have a problem with wearing dresses, especially nice ones. It was just the makeup that she disliked. As she finished putting it on she looked in the mirror admiring the flow and the shape of it. It wasn't like a lot of dresses that she would wear, this one flared out but her other ones would not.

Just then there was a knock on her door. She jumped back at first a little surprised by it, but she gathered herself back together and walked over to the door to open it. As She opened it, she was expecting to see Gundal or the Emperor but instead she saw Shang standing there looking all honorable and strong in his shiny armor and red cape. She could see that he much more now just by looking at him. She smiled and blushed a bit, when she looked into his eyes. "Hi?" She said surprised to see him.

He nodded and looked at her, "May I come in?" He asked politely.

"Sure.." Mulan opened the door all the way now reveling what she had on. She turned and followed him as he walked in. He seemed to be inspecting the room for why she didn't know? "Can I get you anything?" She asked.

"No I'm fine...." He said not even looking at her to respond.

"Why are you here?" Asking another question. Shang turned around and looked at her then examined her from head to toe admiring the outfit that she had on, even though she was right in front of him watching him. "Shang?" Mulan said getting a little uncomfortable. Shang snapped back coughing then saying, "You look nice...." She nodded and smiled.

"Thank you..." She said shyly. Shang figured that she still wanted to know why he was here so he decided to answer.

"The Emperor called us here, to take care of you when you go on this journey. Is that true?"

Mulan stopped she could see that he either wanted to know what's going on cause he didn't seem to be believing it or maybe the lack of not caring at all? "What they told you is all true....Are you going to come or..."

"I don't know?" Shang said without letting her finish. Mulan was beginning not to like how he was acting in front of her. He seemed different and she didn't like it.

"Don't you believe me?" She asked.

Shang stopped to look into her eyes, he could see that he hit a nerve, he didn't know what to believe anymore. He stayed silent, Mulan was beginning to get upset for all the things that she has doe for him, she couldn't believe that he would not go with her or answer her or anything. "Fine....Don't believe me, but you will when you see the Orchs coming across this land like fire on wood."

"I never said I didn't believe you....." He corrected.

"Then what?" She snapped.

"Easy! Don't yell at me like that, Mulan." He ordered, but in a calming not strict way. "I just came to ask you that's all. And to actually see how you're doing?"

Mulan paused; Calming down she then sat on the edge of her bed. "Confused......Scared" She looked up at him, "I don't know what to do? The loss of my father that day was so hard...to him holding the diamond in his hands then telling me that I must tell no one and to protect it until I have the chance to destroy it? It was so much to take in...." Mulan lowered her head as if about to cry but she wouldn't let herself. Shang now saw the pain that she was truly in, he sat by her and up her arm around her even though it was improper for unmarried people to do so. Mulan leaned on his shoulder and let the small tears roll down her cheek.

"How do you know about these Orchs and other creatures?" Shang asked trying to get off the subject of her lost father.

"Gundal.....He helped me with the black riders or the Nuzgul their true name, when they had killed my father hoping and searching to take the diamond from him. Then he told me about the stories along the way and what would happen and all that." She answered, wiping away her small tears.

"Did you know that he had it?" He asked. Even though the Emperor and Gundal already told all the men that she did not till the day that she had received it.

"No....only when my father had given it to me, then Gundal explained real quick to me then had my mom and Grandmother packed up to go to the Kingdom of Choa Nu. So now I'm here no family or anything."

"I'm sorry....."

"It's ok....It was probably hard for you guys to hear too, when they told you all about this. I thought it was a joke but now seeing what happened to my father, Gundal who is a wizard. I think that there is so much more out there, that we don't know about....that when we do hear it we don't believe cause we haven't seen it or anything. I mean reading all the journals that we thought were stories and just having Gundal tell me all this is kind of amazing in a way. It's like having your whole world being turned upside down."

Shang let her words sink in, listening to the wisdom that she was saying...made him realize that she was right. She had to have been, all the rumors and stories...all was turning up into one big key. "Yea....." Was all he could think of saying. "Gundal and the Emperor told me in a way that something happened with my father, as if he was in it?"

Mulan gave him a confused look, "Really?"

"Yea...but they didn't tell me what? I'm afraid to know."

"Oh.....They never told me anything......"

"The weird thing is that I can remember something but I just don't' know what?" He paused, "Well I don't know, but I better get going I have to talk to the Emperor and the guys about this."

"Ok..." Mulan said as she walked with Shang to the door. As he was about to leave he turned to face her and smiled.

"What?" Mulan asked.

"Nothing....Just thinking about how long it's been." He said, making Mulan wonder what he meant.

She smiled and blushed, "What do you mean?"

Shang laughed, "Never mind." He then left closing the door for her. Mulan sat back down, thinking about what he might have meant by that.

As Shang was walking through the hallway, no noticing that there was a figure in the corner who was smoking his pipe, watching him. "General......" Said the man. Shang stopped and turned having his hand on his sword, getting ready to strike him. Out of the little corner with his pipe now in his hands was Gundal. Gundal approached him and chuckled, "No need for swords for me boy, even if you did you wouldn't have a chance." Shang released his sword and walked with the old wizard. "I still see that you are unsure....even when talking to Mulan you still question it, but I can see that she brought you her words of wisdom, I see it in you that it has helped." Shang held himself back; a little creped out that he knew all this. "It's alright I wont hurt you...." He paused, "Walk with me, there is something that I have to tell you.... Something that will happen for I know and have seen it."

"Alright..."

As they began to walk, Gundal got his staff and would use it as his walking stick. "Well you know how the story ever ended?" Gundal asked.

Shang stopped and thought, and wondered why he would ask such a thing but he began to have a bad feeling that it had to do with Mulan. "I don't think that there was an ending was there?"

"Well then you probably haven't read or heard what ever happened to the one who had it?" Shang shook his head. "Well it has been told from the humans, and elves that if the one who takes it back to the fires of where it has come from that, there would be a slim chance of that person getting out alive.....In this case there was another who had it.....Before the Emperor, Fa Zhou and yes Mulan."

"Why didn't you tell any of us this?" Shang asked. "And are you trying to say that Mulan will?....."

Gundal stopped and stared into his eyes, "The man who had it was old and was fascinated by it, We tried to help him but it was already to late. They took him off the mountains, and tortured him till death, but the one thing was that he did not have it with him. He was so fascinated and admired by it that he buried it on that mountain so he would go back later and find it. They never found it till now....He was suppose to take it and destroy evil forever but then again he had a weakness and that same weakness Mulan will later have, the closer she gets to the mountain the harder the power of will it will have on her. But I have faith in her.....I believe that she will go to the mountains and destroy it but it will clam her life." He announced sadly. "None of what I told must be repeated....got it?" He ordered.

Shang lowered hi head, he was beginning to feel emotions all over again, like when he lost his father but this time it felt like more, not just because it was a good friend of his, but that he knew now what would or could happen and he could do nothing to stop it.

"Be there for her while you still can she needs someone there....she needs you." He paused smiling at Shang, "But what do I know I'm just a wizard....." He chuckled then began walking away from Shang.

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There will be mood changes and everything but tell me what you thought? Why do you think Shang's father was in it? hmmmm.......lol, please write a review!