Always Beside Me
By Roguefan212000
Mulan belongs to Disney.
Author s notes: Thanks for the kind reviews. The Mulan 2 soundtrack is very nice. There s a song on it that was cut from the movie. It s called Here Beside me. The song is really beautiful . It inspired me to write this story. Mulan 2 is such a sweet movie ! Anyway, I hope you like chapter 5.
"Mulan," a voice gently called her. It was Mushu. He climbed onto her bed and sat beside her. Mulan didn t look at him. Her mind was overflowing with painful memories. Mulan s dark hair shielded her face from him.
" You shouldn t feel guilty ," said Mushu. " Shan-Yu had to be destroyed , for the sake of China. You didn t have a choice."
" He is Daode s father ", she whispered darkly. His words didn t seem to have any affect on her. " How can I face Daode again?", she asked sadly.
" Mulan …Look at me ", Mushu said firmly. "You can t blame yourself. You had no way of knowing about this." She offered Mushu a weak smile . He was doing his best to comfort her. Mulan sighed deeply. " I have to help Daode gain his freedom. I owe it to him."
"You have to take care of yourself first", said Mushu. He handed her a sweet roll. " I m not hungry ", she replied . "You haven t eaten anything all day," cried Mushu." It s not good for you or the baby."
She finally gave in and took the roll from him. "Good," he said. "I want you to eat every bite." Mulan smiled at him. " You sound like my mother."
"Well… Someone has to look after you", Mushu replied. "How many months are you ?" "Two", she answered. " Why did you wait so long to share the news," he asked. Mulan sighed. " I don t know , Mushu. I felt so overwhelmed by it all." Mushu patted her hand. "Everything is going to be alright", he said. Mulan hugged the little red dragon.
In the evening, Mulan told the emperor about the events concerning Daode. " Do you truly believe he is not a spy?", he asked. Mulan nodded. " With your permission , I would like to take full responsibility for Daode."
The emperor silently considered her request. "I am certain that you mean well, but you are asking for quite a burden", he replied . "I don t want your actions to be lead by guilt. "
"Your Highness, my heart guides all of my actions," she answered. "When I follow my heart, it always leads me down the right path."
" Your heart has always been true," he said. " Very well… I will leave the child in your care." "Thankyou, Your Majesty".
Daode sat alone in a dark room. He couldn t believe that the sweet and gentle Mulan was responsible for his father s death. Despite everything, he didn t feel hatred in his heart for her. This greatly confused Daode. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of foot steps.He looked up. " Mulan", he cried. She couldn t look at him.
"The emperor believes that you are innocent ,"she said softly. "No harm will come to you now."
" I don t hate you ," said Daode . " I m not sure about what I feel for you". Mulan looked up at him. She didn t know what to say. "Your emperor is truly going to set me free," he cried. Mulan nodded. " I promised that I would prove your innocent."
"Thankyou," Daode said softly.
"Your welcome… I would still like to help you find your mother," said Mulan.
There was a knock at the door. It was Sai the servant girl . "I m sorry for interrupting ," she said . "I have some urgent news."
" Is everything alright ?", asked Mulan. Sai sadly shook her head. "General Li Shang and Bao Gung never reported to camp. I fear they maybe in some sort of trouble."
Mulan didn t notice that Sai had left the room. Nor did she see Daode s questioning glance. Her mind was filled with terrible images. Just then, Mushu walked into the room carrying a small bowl of rice. "Here s your dinner ", he said. He noticed Mulan s sorrowful expression. "What s wrong ", he asked. "Shang is in trouble," she said darkly.
Mulan s heart was torn in two. She wanted to search for Shang, but she promised to look after Daode. Mushu seemed to sense what she was thinking. "We can take him with us", he suggested . Mulan shook her head. "It could be dangerous".
" What are you talking about ?",asked Daode. He didn t like being left out. Mulan turned to look at him. " Someone I care for is in trouble".Daode saw the pain in her eyes.
"Listen up, kid", said Mushu. " Mulan is really going through a lot of trouble to help you. The least you can do is return the favor."
"What do you want from me?", cried Daode. " The truth about why your really here," Mushu replied cunningly. "You only told Mulan a half truth." Daode bowed his head. " I can t betray my mother".
"Mushu, what is this all about", asked Mulan. " I m going to tell her, if you don t ", Mushu snapped. " I thought I should give you a fair chance. I hoped you might change your mind."
Daode sighed. "My mother wanted revenge for my father s death. She wanted to kill you and the general, but her plan came undone when we were separated . If my mother sees that no harm has come to me, then maybe I can persuade her to give up her plan." Mulan silently absorbed his words. She looked at Daode. He lowered his head in shame. " I hold no ill feelings toward you", she said softly. "Will you help me ?" Daode nodded. "Wait here… I will be back as soon as I can", she said.
Mulan quickly began to pack her belongings. " Mushu, how long have you known about this ?"
" I just found out tonight . The ancestors warned me about it. Daode isn t dangerous ,but his mother could be trouble. She is a shaman ."
Mulan slung her bag over her shoulder .She quickly grabbed her sword. "Let s go ", she ordered. "We don t have anytime to waste."
" Mulan… Did you hear what I said ," cried Mushu. " That woman is a shaman."
" I don t care", Mulan snapped. "I have to save Shang."
Daode held Mulan tightly as they raced down a dirt path. Khan could sense her distress . He began to gallop faster . A single tear rolled down Mulan s cheek. The thought of losing Shang was unbearable. She prayed that the ancestors would be with her.
To be continued…. I m sorry that my chapters are short, but I m making this up as I go. Besides, I m a student. I don t have a whole lot of time. Anyway, Chapter 6 is going to be the big show down. Mulan is going to face Hua the shaman. Mushu, Bao Gung and Daode are going to help her. Poor Shang is really going to suffer. A little note to Light Bird : Did I make Mushu nice in this chapter?