A/N- MUAHAHAHAHAHA!I know something you don't! Sorry, I just had to gloat there for a moment. I just love how ya'll are all frantic, and guessing at everything. I don't want to reveal much, but I will tell you this: it's gonna have a happy ending.

Chapter 3

Ming-Su patted Mulan's hands gently. "You did the right thing."

"But how come it hurts so much?" Mulan whispered.

"The sting will stay there for quite some time. His memory will stay stuck to your heart forever. However, if he were here right now, he would have told you himself that you did the right thing."

This touched Mulan as nothing else had. Shang would have approved of her actions. She remembered the argument that night when the princesses and the guards went into town. She remembered how he said that honor and tradition meant nothing to her. Well, he would have said differently if he could see her now.

"Now, child, it is time to stop living in the past and to look ahead into your future." Ming-Su said in a very business like way. "You will be taking my place soon and I need not only to train you, but to help plan your wedding."

Mulan looked up, horrified. "Train me?" She gulped.

"Yes, train you. We shall start tomorrow, because today I wish to run over the wedding plans with you."

"Um…okay. To tell you the truth, I don't know much about weddings."

Ming-Su raised her eyebrows. "Surely you know a little? You were engaged to marry another man before, weren't you?"

She blushed sheepishly and said, "My mother and grandmother took care of the plans. I was too busy going on missions for the emperor to worry about it."

Ming-Su raised her eyes heavenward and said, "Gods, help me." She opened the dowry chest and took out one of the spools of silk. "I planned on having your dress made out of this material. What do you think?"

Mulan gasped. "Oh my! It's lovely," She whispered as she ran her hands over the lush, deep crimson silk.

Ming-Su smiled. "It is, isn't it? This is what it will look like," she said as she pulled a piece of parchment out of the chest with an ink drawing on it. It was the traditional wedding robe with the sash around the waist to hold it in place tied into a large bow in the back and long, flowing sleeves (A/N- Think of a Japanese kimono).

"It's gorgeous, Ming-Su," Mulan admitted.

"Of course it is," The lady waved aside the compliment. "I designed it, everything I design is beautiful."

Mulan smiled. Apparently modesty is something that the Queen of Qui Gong does not need.

She unfolded a second piece of parchment with an ink drawing depicting a large room with beautiful decorations of dragons and floaty cloth laced all over the walls and across the ceiling. "Now, this is what the reception hall is going to look like."

Mulan gave a second gasp. "Oh…It's absolutely breathtaking…"

"Yes," Ming-Su said proudly. "These are the same decorations as the ones at my wedding."

Mulan smiled. "I'm honored."

Shang walked up to Jade's door. He heard a faint sobbing coming from the other side. "Jade?" He asked as he knocked. "Jade, can I talk to you for a moment, please?"

He heard a few crashes and a yelp. This triggered something in his brain and without invitation he burst into the room. "What happened?" he asked urgently. "What's wrong?"

Jade was on the floor holding her foot. But other than that, everything else seemed fine. She looked up at him. Her makeup was messed up and her eyes were puffy and red, but she gave him a look with her eyebrows high up on her forehead. "Shang, what are you doing here?"

He felt a warm flush slowly rise to his cheeks. "Uh…I thought you were in trouble," he said stupidly.

"I'm fine," she sniffed as she turned away.

Shang felt guilt and sympathy tug at his heartstrings. "Here, let me help you," he said as he came to her side and brought her to her feet.

"Thank you," She whispered as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

Shang, not understanding in the matters of women, merely stood there uncomfortably. "I uh, wanted to talk to you."

Jade stood there, facing him defiantly. "So?"

"Are you alright?" He asked lamely.

"I told you already, I'm fine." She said.

"No, I meant…you know…with your mother and all."

And all of a sudden, Jade burst into hysterical tears. "You don't have to say it so insensitively!"

Shang took a step back, horrified. "I never meant it like that, I—"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," She cut him off. "All I do is care about you, Shing, and you just go and insult the memory of my mother!" She glared at him angrily and gave a lame attempt at shoving him out of his room. "Well I won't ever care for you again!"

Shang was extremely tempted to saying that that would be a good thing, but he controlled himself. "Look, I never meant it like that—"

"Just get out, Shing. I don't need you to try and cheer me up." She said as she turned her back on him.

He merely shrugged and walked out of the room and closed the door. Outside was Thien, looking at Shang with an amused expression. "My sister's a bit hysterical, huh?"

Shang nodded as relief spread across his body. He was glad to know that he wasn't being truly unreasonable.

"Women tend to be like that," Thien said as he put his hand on his shoulder, which was by no means an easy feat, considering Shang was much taller than he. He was not what one would call, "well-built", but Thien's wonderful personality and character made up for his rather lacking physique. He was easy to talk to, genial and generally pleasant to be around. He made for a very good confidant.

"I heard you talking to my father earlier. I have to say, that I'm a little relieved though, that you will stay."

"Well, your father kind of guilt-tripped me into doing it so…"

Thien grinned. "I know. I hate it when he does that to me."

"Why is Jade like this?"

"She's spoiled," Thien said simply. "She was spoiled by both my mother and my father. They could never tell her no. Whenever she wanted something, she always got it, no matter what it may have cost. To tell you the truth, it was rather annoying, but I put up with it."

"Gods know how you do," Shang replied as he shook his head.

"I love her, but sometimes I just want to throw her out on the rice patty and make her work a decent day for once in her life."

Shang smiled. "Amen to that."

The men both laughed for a while. Then Thien finally looked Shang dead in his eye and said, "So, do you remember anything?"

"A little," He replied.

"What do you remember?"

"I remember…my father. Or a father-like figure. He may have been a soldier."

"Anything else?"

Shang paused, then said, "I remember a girl."

"Did you love this girl?"

He shrugged, but deep down inside, he knew that he really did. "I don't know. I just remember that she was beautiful. And she was brave."

"Sounds like love to me."

Again, Shang just shrugged.

Meanwhile, old man Mekhi walked into Jade's room. "Daughter, I think that soon enough, Shing will marry you."

She stuck her nose up in the air and said, "Hmph! I wouldn't care if he were the last man on earth!"

Suddenly, her father adopted a harsh tone that he had never used on his daughter before.

"Jade, you are becoming old."

At this, she gasped.

"I want grandchildren! Your brother refuses to marry, so you must be the one. You cannot be picky at this point of your life. Whatever comes along, you must deal with."

Jade glared angrily and cried out dramatically, "Fine! I will marry the cad, if I must."

In Lord Chin's palace, Mulan was walked around the palace restlessly when Prince Jeeki rounded the corner. Immediately she froze and felt a warm feeling creep throughout her whole body. She bowed and looked down, not knowing what else to do.

"Please, Mulan, let's drop the formalities." Jeeki said softly. "I am your fiancé. I don't want you to bow to me anymore."

Mulan blushed as she kept her head down. Why was she feeling like this? I'm insulting Shang's memory, she thought angrily to herself. I can't be feeling like this!

"Mulan, look at me," Jeeki commanded imperiously.

She looked up and he brought his beautiful face down to her own, giving her a soft kiss. And after a few minutes of kissing Jeeki, she realized something that made her extremely happy. Not because she felt sparks blow up inside her stomach, but because she felt absolutely nothing. Not a thing. And she realized that no matter where she went in life, what she did, she would never feel for any man the way she still felt for Shang.

Jeeki finally pulled away and looked at Mulan with an eagergleam in his eyes. "How was that?"

And Mulan could not help smiling. She had finally come to grips with Shang's death and nothing would ruin her perfect memory of him. Ming-Su was right. She would always keep his memory in her heart. "That was just fine."