Always Beside Me

By Roguefan212000

Mulan belongs to Disney .

The sun slowly rose above the gentle green hills , it generously offered light and warmth for a new day. The beams of light glided through the window to warm Mulan s face . The sun forced her to wake up. Mulan carefully eased out of bed, she did not want to wake up Shang .

Mulan frowned as she stretched her arms , her body ached with stiffness . She slowly approached Mei s cradle to gentle y pull the blankets aside.

The cradle lay empty ! " Shang , wake up !" , Mulan shouted .

The panic in her voice quickly chased away any signs of weariness .

" Mei is gone! ", she cried. " I know the shaman woman took her " .

Before Shang could respond, a great roar could be heard from the garden . An unfamiliar voice was arguing with a certain little red dragon . The two quickly dressed and rushed outside .

A great white lion stood in front of the Li family temple . His sea blue eyes were set ablaze by rage.

" I am the guardian of Li Mei ", the beast shouted . " You are not needed in this mission. "

" What kind of guardian are you ", Mushu retorted . " Its your first day on the job, and things are already going wrong ."

"Mushu", Mulan cried.

She folded her arms as she looked down at the little dragon.

" Its not my fault ," he cried. " Its the over sized fur ball ".

" We do not have time for this ," Shang snapped.

An hour later after supplies were gathered and plans were set ….

" My sister is a priestess , " said Shang . " She will know how to handle a shaman . Her village is not too far from here."

" We may need more help than that ," said Mulan solemnly . " I have to go to Daode . Besides , the shaman will return to her village sooner or later . One of us should be there. "

Shang rested his hand against Mulan s cheek. " She nearly killed us ," he said softly . " You should not go alone ."

Mulan gently squeezed his hand. " I will not be alone , the guardians will be with me , " she answered.

This did not make Shang feel any better.

" I do not care about what happens to me , " Mulan said sadly. " I just want Mei back."

Mulan struggled to keep her tears from falling , but one by one they came . She hated to cry in front of him. Shang wondered how many times , she had tried to hide her tears from him. He pulled Mulan into a tight embrace .

She was his strength just as he was hers . Shang would not be whole without her . He would not let the shaman live , if she destroyed his family .

Hua s once beautiful face was darkened by hatred . It is the great curse , which destroys even creature s of beauty. She gazed at the innocent life, which rested in her arms . Little Mei was lost in a enchanted sleep.

Hua no longer felt human emotions like pity or shame . There was too much poison in her soul. She cautiously descended the stone steps towards the under world . It was not a cold dark place as one might think .

Instead, a brilliant light filled this solemn place. This realm had a sun and moon of its own. The landscapes consisted of silver deserts which were framed by rivers of fire .

A face less figure stood beside the gateway of souls .The being s voice did not sound male or female .

" What is your business here , " asked the creature.

" I offer you this human child , in exchange for an army ," Hua answered .

A growl of pleasure echoed through the under world .

" It has been centuries , since I have tasted human blood", the beast answered . " But it is hardly worth an entire army ."

" My lord , I promise that you and your people shall have much more ," Hua said darkly.

" Then by your word shaman , my warriors shall be at your command, " the beast answered.

The under world shook violently as the gate of souls was opened.

To be continued …… Another chapter will be posted very soon