Disclaimer- I don't own any of the characters here that you might recognize from the movie.

Summary- It's been a year since Li Shang and Mulan last parted. When the emperor calls upon Mulan for a secret mission, she and Shang encounter once again. They're both determined to put their feelings for each other in the past, but sometimes love has its own rules...

A/n- This is my first Mulan fanfic. Hope you like it. Please read and review!



Chapter 1

Mulan sat on a bench by the lake, absentmindedly playing with her raven- colored hair. She gazed down at the surface of the crystal-clear watery waste, and furrowed her eyebrows together in deep thought. Beside her stood a majestic peach tree, its exquisite flowers showering radiant beauty to anything that have the fortune of admiring them. A gentle breeze blew across the yard, scattering fallen petals in all directions. Spring has finally come again, Mulan noted as a single petal landed softly on her lap.

Hearing footsteps near her, Mulan looked up and smiled as she saw her father slowly coming her way. He held a walking stick that was shabby and made out of wood, but it served its purpose well. Fa Zhou developed his limp when he went to fight in a war in his young adulthood. Now he is quite old, and sometimes depended on Mulan to get most of the work done around the house. Mulan didn't mind. She loved her father dearly and would do anything to repay her debts to him as a child.

"Hello, Baba," Mulan said as he took a seat next to her. She dropped her hands and glanced around nervously. What she was checking for, she didn't know.

"Mulan," Fa Zhou said, his voice rough with age, but a gentle sound within it all the same. "Have you made up your mind yet?"

Mulan stared at the swaying trees in the distance, weighing the options in her mind. "I don't want to abandon you here, Baba," She spoke finally, her hand reaching up to her hair again, twirling it around her fingers.

Her father studied her silently, his questioning eyes roaming over her delicate face. Only moments ago had the emperor sent a messenger to their home to deliver a message to Fa Mulan. It was brief, and only asked that Mulan report to the Palace if she can as soon as possible for a secret mission. Fa Zhou knew that she truly wanted to go, but her guilty conscience of leaving him here is making her doubt her decision.

Mulan is a precious child. She doesn't spend her time learning how to become a proper lady, but in her father's eyes she already is one. He had accepted long ago that she was not meant to be a mere housewife, staying home all day, not living a real life. Fa Zhou had suspected that when he first laid his eyes upon her at birth. Last year, when she came home from the war he had no more doubt that she was not just any girl. She has a vivid dream for her own life, and having a husband bossing her around is definitely not included. Though Fa Zhou knew she would fall in love and get married eventually, he knew the man would be one to respect Mulan's independent nature.

Fa Zhou understood how much Mulan's savored freedom. He would not tie her down to a boring life full of tedious chores just for his own sake.

"You would not be abandoning me at all, Mulan. Your mother and grandmother will take good care of me, and I'm not that old as to not be able to embrace chores again. Go, my daughter. We will all be all right." He smiled at her, and reached out a hand to stroke her arm. Mulan lifted her head and stared into his eyes, as if searching for the truth. She was quiet for several moments, then she gave her father a big hug.

"Are you sure you'll be okay with me gone, Baba?" she murmured, her head against his shoulder.

"We managed before when you went to war, didn't we?" He answered, releasing her and standing up. "Now, go pack, and get ready for the long ride."

Mulan picked a full bloom flower from the tree and handed it to her father. Fa Zhou took it without a word, accepting it for the sign that Mulan needed to see. He held it under his nose and breathed in deeply, the sweet smell of the freshly blossomed flower tingling his nose. Mulan watched his father intently and the corners of her lips tugged up slightly.

She waved her father good bye and went inside the house. The young girl entered the kitchen, where her mother and grandmother stood beside the stove, sipping tea peacefully. Mulan positioned herself behind her mother and shifted her feet uncomfortably. She watched the teapot on the stove boil for a moment and then turned her eyes on her mother and grandmother.

Mulan looked at her their tired face, full of lines and wrinkles from aging and hard labor. Her grandmother's hair was pure white, while her mother's was close. They both had large bags under their eyes from lack of sleep. Mulan saw how thin her mother had gotten, and she pictured a small breeze of air blowing her away. She looked so fragile. As for her grandmother... her health was not so good. She was often worn out, yet she helped out as much as she can around the house. Now, by the weary way she was leaning against the counter, Mulan thought she would fall down if she doesn't sit down soon.

Can I really leave them like this? Mulan asked herself. She knew that whatever the emperor wanted with her could only take several days or less, but more likely it'll result in at least a month. She had a sudden vision of her family falling apart without her there to hold them together. Despite what her father had told her, she still didn't know what exactly is the right thing to do this time. Biting her lip, she stood contemplating for some time, then finally spoke.

"Do you really think everything will be fine if I go, Mama?" Mulan asked, her voice soft, her eyes pleading.

Her mother turned to her and chuckled in that loving way of hers. Handing her daughter a cup of warm sweet tea, she answered: "Of course, Mulan. We can most certainly care for ourselves. I know you're worried about your Baba, but you have never seen how he can be in his childhood. Even though physically he has aged, deep inside he still has his fighting spirit. He wants you to go. We all do."

Mulan's grandmother nodded her head in agreement, and playfully clacked her tongue. "And this is the emperor asking for you, child. He knows about your family life. If it wasn't important, then he surely would not have bothered you."

Glancing from one woman to another, Mulan saw what she hadn't expected to see in their eyes. The two pairs of eyes shone with pride and determination. Nothing in them contained any sort of despair or discouragement. They're proud of me, Mulan realized. They perceived that the emperor chose ME out of all the other soldiers he could have chosen for this mission. Perhaps the honor I will bring to them again will provide them with hope and optimism for the future.

Mulan's Mama smiled at her. The expression should not have been that much big of a deal, but Mulan saw the undeniable praise in there. At the same time, it gave her the feeling that even without her, the Fa family are capable of getting through anything as long as they have faith.

Her mind made up, she whispered a passionate "thanks" to the females of her family, and left the room with a content sigh.



Later that day, Mulan was in the barn saddling up her horse. She felt more certain that she was doing the right thing, that she weren't leaving her family behind to fend for themselves. They're all a lot stronger than you think, even at their age, Mulan told herself, trying to focus her attention away from troubled worries.

She led her horse out to the courtyard, and swung her traveling bag over one shoulder. Her parents and grandmother was outside waiting for her. Mulan stood in place for a minute, letting the warm afternoon sunshine warm over her. She had a feeling that she won't be able to enjoy the sun much once she heard His Majesty's news.

She walked over to everyone and embraced them all. She muttered for them to take care and then bid farewell. Mulan didn't want any big emotional scene. She had hopes she won't be gone long, and before she knew it she could possibly be home with her loved ones again.

Mulan swung her leg onto the horse's back and soon she was galloping through the large open gate to the Imperial Palace. She didn't look back. She had the sneaking suspicion that terrible worries and fears would torment her all the way to the palace if she did.

After some time riding, and just as her tense body was starting to relax, she heard a voice from above. Slowing the horse down a little, Mulan glanced up and gasped in surprise.

"Mushu!" She cried, as the dragon in question landed on her shoulder. "What're you doing here? And weren't you made a guardian dragon?"

"I became travel size for your convenience," Mushu said in his trademark tone. "And I couldn't just let my baby go off all by herself, could I?"

Cri-Kee, landing beside Mushu on Mulan's shoulder, chirped happily. Mulan laughed in spite of her nervousness. She could always count on her animal friends to cheer her up.

Mushu had accompanied her last time when she went to war in her father's place. Because she knew her father most likely would not have made it back alive if he went, Mulan cut off her hair and took Fa Zhou's armor. Late at night, she rode her horse away from home, where she went to the camp where she was to meet the captain. She was disguised as a boy, but she certainly didn't act much like one at first. Being picked on by some of the other guys were not fun, Mulan mused. Soon, however, she gained everyone's acceptance and they were treating her as an equal. She even managed to defeat the Hun Army, but even that resulted in the discovering of her true identity. The captain, Li Shang, spared Mulan her life before she had saved his in the mountains. They left her in the snow, feeling desperate and alone. That had become a bonus when Mulan saw the five remaining Huns and got to the Palace in time to stop them, therefore bringing honor to her family at last.

I wonder where Li Shang is now, Mulan thought as a pang shot through her heart. Does he still remember me? Does he even think about me anymore? It's been a whole year since they last parted at Mulan's home. Mulan had not heard from him ever since.

Shaking off the question of why he didn't keep in touch, Mulan turned to Mushu, trying to distract herself from the painful memories of the days she spent after the war wondering about Li Shang. Right then she did not want to be pondering over a certain handsome captain when she should still be worrying about her father.

"So, what do you think the urgent news is from the emperor?" Mulan asked, trying to sound more like her old self.

"How should I know?" Mushu remarked, the usual obvious sarcasm in his voice. "But he probably wants you to fight again for him, seeing how successful you were the first time." He added as an afterthought.

"The remaining Huns has yet to make an appearance this past year, Mushu. Why'd they choose now of all times to attack again?" Mulan stated.

It was true. She had been rather skittish this whole year, afraid that the Huns would strike at a bad time, demanding her attention away from family. Though this time it may or may not be them, Mulan still had an intense feeling of dread deep down inside. Gulping down her trepidation, she grinned at Mushu and shook her head.

"I don't know," Mushu said carelessly, already bored with the conversation. "I just have one of those feelings guardians have sometimes. You better be careful out there, girl."

Mulan nodded and was silent the rest of the way to the Palace. She was lost in thought about all the possibilities of the future, and all the what ifs of the past...



It was night when they finally arrived. Mulan glanced up at the dark sky with the beautiful full moon. She shivered slightly, definitely paying attention to all the eerie hootings of the owls in the forest not too far away and the occasional sudden snapping of tree branches. Mushu and Cri-kee were both covered inside her cloak, drawing warmth from anything possible. The cold night air had been a disadvantage for Mulan when she was trying to get by in only a simple cloak. It was a relief when she at last was shown inside the palace to see His Majesty.

As they walked down the hallway, Mulan found herself admiring the paintings of all the fierce warriors and gorgeous landscapes that hung on the wall. Every single stroke was carefully done, and nothing as far as she could see was out of place. The only word that could do them justice is 'perfect'. If only real life was that way, she thought.

After several silent minutes of turning into random hallways, they finally entered a chamber. A butler quickly summoned her in, and soon she was face to face with the emperor. Kneeling in his presence as she was supposed to, Fa Mulan felt a little nervous and kept looking around after she was told to stand up. It was the first time she has ever been in the ruler of China's chamber. Somehow the room wasn't quite as exquisite as she had expected.

"Fa Mulan," The emperor stated simply, his eyes twinkling, his tone knowing. Even though he acknowledged her with such fondness, Mulan knew by his tense body form that something was incredibly wrong. It has to be because of the secret mission he messaged to her about.

Mulan murmured her greetings properly back to him. There was that terrible feeling of anxiety again. She pushed it down and willed it to stay there while she plastered a friendly smile on her face.

Just as the emperor opened his mouth to begin to say something, the door to the chamber burst open. Mulan watched on openmouthed as the butler ushered the visitor through.

It was Li Shang. And all Mulan could do at that moment was stare.



A/n- I know the beginning was rather abrupt. But what can I say? I didn't think it was really necessary to go on about this and that. Well, hopefully later chapters will be more interesting. I had to get the start of the story out somehow. Anyway, please review! Just tell what whatever you thought of this. Reviews are totally my biggest inspiration. :D