Chapter the ninth

Hi. Thanks a lot to all my reviewers. Hope last chapter's romance wasn't too cornball for you. Here's chapter nine…

"THE HUNS ARE IN THE CITY!"

Chi Fu's jaw dropped in disbelief. It couldn't be! Mulan and Shang were telling the truth. Mulan jerked her head up and heard screams from out in the village square. Shang, seeing how shocked the guards around him were, took this as an opportunity. He wriggled a free arm from one guard and punched them both square in the face before looking both ways and making a break for it.

He ran to Mulan, grabbed her by the arm and the two sprinted out of the courtroom with everyone else still in a daze. They burst through the doors to be confronted with utter chaos before them, people dashing and women screaming. While Shang was deciding where to go, Mulan prepared to speak.

"Shang, i…"

"No time." Hang cut her off. "We have to find the emperor. Where is he?"

"The huns are surely looking for him. I thought I heard someone say he was in the guest palace. Let's go!" The two ran into the village to see the gang of three and the emperor running up to them.

"I don't believe it!" cried Ling happily. "How did you escape?"

"We'll explain later." Said Shang. "Right now, we've got a country to save."

"Yeah, but the only question is how. Any ideas?" asked Yao. During this exchange, Mulan's strategic mind was whirring away, trying to think of plan.

"I have an idea." She said. The huns are obviously looking for the emperor, so we need him to get to a safe place." Her mind scanned for a good place.

"The dungeon!" she said. "Chien Po, you take the emperor to the dungeon and guard him. They'll not suspect him to be there of all places."

"I beg you pardon!" the emperor piped up, not pleased with the idea.

"Please, your excellency. " pleaded Chien po. "As we told you, she got this far. She knows what she's doing." Mulan blushed.

"Very well." Said the emperor.

"Great." Said Mulan. "Now Yao, you go into the palace and bring back expensive jewelry and things worth a lot and any sort of dress that you would find a woman in." Yao areed.

"Shang, you go determine the whereabouts of the huns and then come back and tell us what you found." Shang nodded. "And Ling, you'll stay with me and wait for Yao and Shang to come back."

"Right." Said the men together as they ran off to do what Mulan had assigned them to do.

"I just hope you know what you're doing, Fa Mulan." Said the emperor before Chien Po and he ran into the palace and disappeared.

So do i. Thought Mulan as she waited anxiously for her friends to return.

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Shang turned corners, looking for the huns, His job was the hardest out of them all. Yao looks for clothes, Chien Po helps the emperor, and I end up playing scout. He thought.He stopped to think when he had a brainstorm. He dicided to listen to where the most screams were coming from. He closed his eyes. Most of the shrieks were coming from the guest palace. Without further thinking, Shang ran up the steps and into the palace. Immediately, he ducked as a vase flew above him, nearly missing his head.

Shang heard one particular feminine scream coming from a room a little ways up the hall. Shang ran to it and poked his head in. A woman was cowering in the corner shrieking as one of the remaining huns cornered her and tried to yank off a necklace that was around her neck.

"Please, someone help!" she screamed desperately, but the other people in the building were to busy trying to save their own skins to notice. Thinking fast, Shang ran back down the hall and grabbed the vase that had narrowly missed him. Surprisingly, it hadn't broken.

He sprinted back into the room and approached the hun who hadn't noticed him. He gathered his strength and brought it down on the huns' head. The hun whirled around to look at Shang before swaying and falling down unconcious. The woman got up off the floor. She was in a fine pink dress and her hair was tied in two long buns on the side of her head.

"Thank you, sir." She said gratefully. "Your gesture will not be forgotten." She bowed her head to him in thanks.

"Please." Said Shang with a wave. "What's you name?" As she was about to answer when two more women ran into the room with rolling pins. Sensing Shang was an unwanted visitor, they ran up and the taller one whacked him on the head.

"Ow." Said Shang, rubbing his head.

"Stop!" cried the first woman. "He's a friend! He saved me from the hun!"

"Oh." Said the woman who had hit Shang. "Sorry."

"That's okay." Mumbled Shang. "It only hurt a lot."

The three women looked very alike, like they could be family. The one who hit him was the tallest and looked like the oldest and was dressed in blue. The other one who looked slightly younger than the first woman was dressed in yellow.

"What did you say your name was?" the youngest one asked Shang.

"I'm Li Shang. Former imperial captain." He answered. The three women looked confused.

"Whoa, do you know what hot water you're in?" the young one asked.

"I think so. You must've heard about the whole Chi Fu thing, right?" Shang asked.

"Yes." Said the one in blue. "But its worse now. He's sent his troops after you."

"That's just what I need. More people trying to hunt me down." Shang groaned. "What did you say you're names were?"

"I'm Princess Xiong Mei." Said the one in pink. "And these are my sisters, princess Ting Ting," she pointed to the tall one, "And Princess Su." The one in yellow bowed.

"You're the emperors daughters?" relizing this, Shang dropped his head in a bow. Su waved her hand.

"Please." She said. "We should be honoring you. You saved Mei from at least severe discomfort." Shang smiled.

"I hate to dampen the mood, but I'm on a mission to find out the hun's whereabouts. Have you seen them?" Shang asked.

"The whole group of them came in here looking for our father." Said Ting Ting. "We ran and hid, but one saw Mei and tried to attack her."

"I think they went out into the square and turned right." Added Su.

"Thank you." Said Shang. He was about to run back out of the palace when it occurred to him that the three princesses may not be safe here.

"Um, listen." Started Shang. "It's not safe for you here. Come with me and we can make it so you're safe. There are a few men who can keep harm away."

"Sounds good." Said Mei. They followed Shang out of the palace when from behind a broken stone wall they heard whispers.

"Wait here." Whispered Shang to the princesses. He crept around and listened to their conversation. It was clearly the huns, Shang could tell by the gruffness in their voices.

"First we're going for the palace and when we find the emperor, ill kill him and take China." Shan Yu was saying, unaware of Shang's presence.

"Sir, what about that soldier?" asked a hun. "That fire cracker one that set off the avalanche?"

"We kill the emperor, find him and kill him too." Shan Yu answered. "Let's go." Before they moved. Shang grabbed the princesses by the wrists and pulled them to Mulan.

"There you are!" Mulan said as Shang ran up to her. "I was beginning to fear the worst. And, who may I ask are.."

"These are the emperor's daughters, Mei, Ting Ting and Su. They were in the guest palace and so I said that we could help keep them safe." Said Shang.

"Of course." Said Mulan, bowing her head.

"I found the huns." Shang said. "They're looking for the emperor and then they're coming for you, Mulan. It's a whole revenge thing for you destroying the hun army."

"You're Fa Mulan?" asked Mei. "We've heard of you. You should be careful, too. Chi Fu is looking for you so he can interrogate you about Shang's whereabouts."

"The huns are a bit down right behind a wall over by the row of remaining shops. Whast's this great plan of yours?" Shang asked.

"As soon as Yao gets here with the stuff I'll…"

"Here I am!" called Yao. He walked toward them carrying a brown sack filled with dresses and women's jewelry.

"This is perfect, Yao!" said Mulan. "Okay, here's what's going to happen. Yao, Ling, put on these dresses." Yao and Ling looked at each other.

"What?" asked Ling. "We'll look like girls!"

"Exactly." Said Mulan. "I need you to look like girls. Just, please do it. "

"Make Shang do it!" whined Yao. Shang fixed him with his best captain-like glare.

"I've got another job for Shang." Mulan said. Then it occurred to her that the princesses could come in to play.

"Your highnesses, How would you feel about becoming a part of this plan?" asked Mulan.

"As long as we don't have to kill anyone, we'd be glad to help." Answered Su.

"Great." Said Mulan. "Here's what we do…

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Meanwhile, Chi Fu and Fi Wan weren't looking for huns, they were looking for Shang and possibly Mulan.

"They have tangled with the wrong men." Said Fi Wan. They were out in front of the palace, with their eyes only looking for the two they were hunting down. Chi Fu hadn't liked Shang from the beginning. It was as much as a personality conflict, but it had grown by the day.

"I don't care how." Chi Fu said to Fi Wan. "I want that boy found."

"Forgive me, sir." Said Fi Wan. "But do you think that the emperor will let him go after he and Fa Mulan knew about the huns?"

"That isn't going to happen, because I will have killed both of them before news gets to him" Replied Chi Fu confidently. "They are traitors and I will not rest until they are writhing with the devil for their treason. Keep looking!" Fi Wan nodded and ran off to continue his scouting.

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Mulan's plan was about to be carried out. She motioned to the gang (who know looked like women) and they and the princesses followed Mulan into the street. Mulan was also in a dress, and they were within ear and eyeshot of the bunch of burly huns. Shang was hiding nearby with a sword. The women (or what looked like women anyway) made sure to show off the fancy jewelry they were wearing. As planned, it caught the eye of one of the huns. He gestured to three other huns. Shan Yu was headed for the palace. They didn't have much time.

The three huns snuck up behind Mulan, Ling, Yao, Ting Ting, Su and Mei and prepared to grab them to steal their jewelry. Mulan nodded to the gang.

"Now!" Mulan shouted. The three huns were startled and more so as Shang ran in and booted each one of them. Yao and Ling hurried the princesses away and Mulan joined Shang in the fighting. They eventually got the huns to the ground where Mulan took off her second sash to tie the huns' hands together. They smiled when they had them down. Their eyes met once again and they ran into each other's arms.

"Shang, back in the court," Mulan started. "Why did you put yourself in trouble for me? I don't deserve anything like that."

"I told you." Shang replied. "I love you, Mulan and I don't intend to let this ruin your life."

"But what about yours?" she asked. Just then Ling came back.

"Hey, um hate to break up the party but we've still got a country to save." He said.

"Oh. Right." Said Mulan as she and Shang ran with him into the palace to find Shan Yu.

Meanwhile, the princesses were still in the street.

"Do you know what that man's name is?" Mei asked. "The short one in red."

"I think I heard Yao or something." Replied Ting Ting. "Why?"

"Oh I don't know." Said Mei. "a handsome one, isn't he?"

"I think the large on in blue that went with father was pretty nice." Said Su. "I saw him and he stopped to talk with me." She giggled.

"Girls, let's not get into this, please." Said Ting Ting. "We're princesses and they are soldiers. Be realistic." The other two sighed.

"She's right." Said Su.

"Right now, we should focus on not getting killed, wouldn't you say?" asked Ting Ting. "Let's find somewhere safe. Follow me." She led them away, still not admitting that she was beginning to have a few feelings for the thin one known as Ling.

Chapter 10 will be up soon! I'd like reviews so I can see how many people are actually reading this. TTFN.