No Happy Endings

By: The Duchess of Arendelle

Mulan- Be a Man

AN: Here's the next installment. As always major triggers. Rape, but no graphic description, self-loathing, suicide, etc. Sorry for any and all mistakes.

"He's a she!"

"That's a woman!"

"What? A girl?"

"How disgraceful!

"What dishonor this girl has brought to her family!"

The whispers were overwhelming. The men she once called her friends, and fought valiantly beside, now stared at her in disgust and disappointment. Yao was muttering angrily to himself, while Ling rubbed nervously at the back of his neck and Chein-Po tried his best to avoid eye contact with her. Most surprising of all was the blank look on Shang's face. He didn't look angry, or happy, or sad, or upset. He just looked… blank. When she finally made eye contact with him, she saw something… sinister flash in his black irises, but the look quickly disappeared and he turned to walk away, leaving her to plea with him to come back and listen to her.

"Shang wait! Please let me explain!" she yelled at his retreating form. He paused for a second, only to yell a command at two of his privates. "Shein, Lou, get her off the ground and put her back in her tent. No one is to talk to her, mess with her, or even acknowledge her presence. If she tries to escape, kill her. Do not hesitate. This disgraceful dog of a women will be brought before the emperor himself for her heinous crimes." With that being said, he didn't spare the woman lying on the freezing snow covered ground with nothing but bandages preserving her modesty, a second look.

The two men flanked Mulan's side and forced her into a standing position. They nudged her painfully in her ribs, and jabbed her throbbing wounds. They even threw her to the ground and kicked her repeatedly, pretending it was an accident. "Oh my mistake. My foot seems to have slipped." Lou said, snickering with his companion. Finally she arrived at her tent, beaten, broken, humiliated, and tired. "Get it there." Shein scowled at her and Mulan stumbled in.

What had she done that was so wrong? Was it so disgraceful for a daughter to want to help her crippled, elderly father? To serve her country against fiends who'd wish to concur and control them? Mulan laid on her back in pain, contemplating these very questions. She was still the same warrior those men knew. The only difference was her gender and her name. The same spirt and bravery and determination still resided inside her soul. Soon Mulan had lost count of the hours. She had no idea how long she'd been dwelling in her thoughts, going in and out of consciousness. Heeding their commander's word, no one came to her tent, not even her so called 'best friends'.

But wait.

Where were Mushu and Cri-kee?

At this thought she quickly sat up, only to wince and yelp in pain. She had almost forgotten about the pain that resided in her abdomen and chest. Shaking it off, she slowly crept towards the tent's entrance. She sighed in disappointment when she saw the two burly guards standing by the tent's flap. Of course she was being guarded. Whether it was for her own safety or not was still to be known. She had seen the disgust and repulsion on the men's faces when they discovered Ping was a woman. But, she had also seen the desire and want in their eyes when they glanced down at her bandaged covered chest.

Crawling back further into her tent, she brought her legs up to her aching chest and let her head rest on her knees. For the first time since the entire fiasco began, she allowed herself to think about what her parents would say when they found out. Actually, they may know by tomorrow. Her town was only a little over a day's ride and Shang, ancestors help her, may have already sent someone to tell them. She prayed not. Maybe if she got to tell her side of the story first, they wouldn't be too upset with her. She almost laughed at the thought. Upset was putting it too lightly.

The sound of the tent's flaps moving aside drew her attention from her thoughts. She squinted her eyes in the moonlight so she could glimpse upon the face of the person who was entering her tent. She sighed in relief and uneasiness when she saw Shang enter.

"Stand down men. I want to speak with… Ping alone." He told the guards. They smirked at each other, then bowed and walked away. Mulan instantly tried to speak. "Shang! Oh thank the ancestors… I must speak with yo-" Shang cut her off by holding up a hand. "Tread lightly women. You are speaking to a captain and you will address me as such." He stated coldly. Mulan bowed her head in apology. "I am sorry Captain Li." She quietly apologized. Shang scoffed in return and sat a platter down in front of her. She didn't even noticed he had one with him.

"Eat." He said simply as he sat across from her. There was a bowl of rice, soup, and a cup of green tea. The main dish however was something she couldn't quite make out. She hesitated. "I said eat. Don't make me say it a third time." Shang threated, fist balled in his lap. Mulan nodded and quickly picked up the chopsticks provided for her. Slowly she began eating the rice and drinking the soup, but stayed away from the main course. Shang noticed and reprimanded her for it. "Why are you not eating the main dish? I killed and cooked it for you myself. Do you dishonor your commander by not partaking in his feast?" he asked. Mulan quickly shook her head and picked at the roasted meat. It tasted like nothing she could recognize, and it was slightly charred. Though it did hold a similar taste to the lizard her grandmother had cooked and forced her to eat back when she was a child. Mulan did not like the taste but she continued to eat.

Shang was now smirking at her and she tried not to think why. When she had taken at least 4 bites of the strange meat, Shang decided to speak up again. "Do you like your meal?" he asked with a friendly smile. Something was off about that smile but Mulan said nothing about it. Instead she slowly nodded her head. "Yes Captain Li, the meal is very delicious. Thank you for preparing it. May I asked what this is?" Mulan said, pointing at the meat. Shang's smile widened.

"Oh that?" he said, pointing at the main dish. "It's Mushu." He stated and watched as the color drain from Mulan's face. The short haired warrior spit the food out and looked at Shang in horror. "W-what?" she exclaimed. Shang remained calmed as he repeated himself. "I said, it's Mushu. And the soup? A special of my grandmother. Cricket soup. It's supposed to bring you good luck." He said, reaching over and drinking the rest of Mulan's soup. Mulan looked like she was going to pass out. Mushu. Cri-kee.

"Though I don't think it will bring you much luck." He told her with a harsh laugh. Mulan began to retch. She ran past Shang and out of her tent. Shang remained sitting. He smiled to himself at the sound of Mulan vomiting.

Slowly Shang rose to his feet and exited the tent. "Come back inside Mulan." He coolly called out to her. Mulan's eyes widened in shock and she turned around to look at his smirking face. "What? Are you wondering how I know your name? Well, your little friend Mushu was very accommodating with information. Though he didn't want to speak at first, one threat of me killing you and hanging your decapitated head on a spear for everyone to see had him talking fast. Funny little character he was. Too bad the first dragon I killed was a puny little thing like that." He said the last part thoughtfully. Mulan shook her head.

"No… no…" she kept muttering to herself. She looked back at Shang again and saw him gesturing to the tent. "Come now Mulan. We have much to… discuss." He said with a lecherous grin. Mulan shook her head and staggered to her feet. She broke into a sprint, but Shang soon caught her. In her condition and with his size advantage, Mulan never stood a chance. He dragged her by her short locks into the tent. Shang threw her to the ground and huffed when she kneed him in the stomach. "That's twice now you've hit me there." He growled out, pinning her hands above her head.

Mulan continued to struggle and fight. Soon Shang grew tired of her resentence and pulled a curved blade from its belt sheave. Bringing it to Mulan's throat he lowered himself to her ear and spoke. "Listen to me. This is going to happen whether you want it to or not. Now you can make this easy for yourself, or I can call my men in here to break both your arms. The choice is yours." He told her, hot breath scolding her ear. She whimpered and closed her eyes. Never had she thought sweet, noble Shang could turn into such a monster. He felt her body go limp as she stopped struggling. Smiling he kissed he cheek. "That's my girl." He said, as he began to strip her bare.

"You know Mulan, you had me so worried." Shang said to the girl below him as he removed his own shirt. "I had begun to lust after you. You as Ping." He removed her pants. "I mean, the way you moved, the way you touched me during spares. Sometimes it would be too much and I'd have to retreat into my tent and stroke myself, thinking how it would be to sleep with you. To slide into your tight hole." Shang spoke lowly. He untied the sword from around his belt and sat it aside. "I would pray for the ancestors to cure me of this sickness. But each day I saw you, laughing, fighting, talking, and I couldn't help but want to take you. And then… And then this…" he trailed off, slowly moving a finger over the blood soaked bandages.

"You risked your life for mine. Did I ever thank you for that?" Now he began to remove his pants. Mulan's eyes remained closed as she tried to block out everything that was happening. Shang tugged at his already hard member and leaned down to kiss Mulan. "When it was revealed that Ping was actually a woman, I thought I'd be happier. I thought I'd feel relieved. It's natural for a man to be in love with a woman." At this he leaned back to look down at Mulan's body.

"But I'm not relieved. It's not the same. I thought it would be, but it's not." Mulan opened her eyes at that and saw the anger, confusion, and madness in Shang's eyes. Shang had gone off the deep end.

"Shang, please don't do this. This is wrong, you are disgracing yourse-" A hand came down hard across Mulan's face, stunning the girl for a second. "Shut up! Shut your mouth!" Shang yelled, then bent down to hug her around the waist. "Don't say that Ping…" he whispered. Mulan gasped. "I'm not- I'm not Ping, Shang. Ping doesn't exists. Ping was just me dressed as a man to save my father and my country. Ping is me. Everything Ping did was what I would do as Mulan. Please just let me go." Mulan pleaded. Shang looked up at her, eyes full of fury. "No! No, you are Ping, and I will not be denied what my body has been longing for." With that said, he flipped Mulan onto her aching front.

"You are Ping, and I will take you like I would take him." He growled as, without warning, he thrust his throbbing member hard into her backside. Mulan loudly cried out in pain as he continued to take her from behind. She cried and pleaded for him to stop. Shang refused to listen, he was a man driven mad by his own repressed desires and delusions.

****MULAN****

Several hours had passed. Shang had finally passed out from exhaustion, muttering the name Ping. Mulan had crawled away from his slumbering figure. Curling up into the corner of her tent, she rocked back in forth as she prayed for her ancestors to help her. Shang had been ruthless and she was still in incredible pain, not only from the wounds on her abdomen and chest, that were now bleeding again, but also from the intense pain Shang had inflected upon her rear. Mulan continued to cry as she contemplated what her fate was going to be when the sun rose.

At some point, the former warrior had fallen asleep. She was awaken by a firm kick to the side of her ribs. It was one of the guards from the day before… Lou. "Get up." He scowled at her, grabbing her by her sore wrists and hauling her to her feet. She rocked unsteadily as the pain from yesterday hit her full force. "Put these on." He shoved a plain shirt and a pair of pants into her arms. "When you're done, go to the main camp ground, Captain Li will tell you what is to happen next." He told her. She shivered at Shang's name and the guard smirked at the sight. He stepped forward and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "We all heard the good time Shang had with you last night. Pity we couldn't hear what he was saying." He grabbed her behind and Mulan winced in pain. Lou smirked at her again before turning and leaving.

Mulan took her time putting the clothes on. She was trying to stall, but it only took so long to put on a shirt and trousers. When she was finally dressed, she slowly crept out of the tent. She instantly shielded her eyes from the bright sun beaming down on her. It was still cold, but the sun offered some warmth. Up ahead she saw all the men stop what they were doing and stare at her in silence. She looked horrible and she knew it. Blood was seeping through the shirt she had just put on. Bruises and cuts marred her once perfect face, and she was walking with a limp. She could hear the whispers as she passed. Some of the men looked at her with satisfied smirks, while very few looked on in sympathy.

Finally she reached Shang. The man stood proudly in front of the crowd that had gather. He acted as if nothing had happened between them. Like he didn't rape her while pretending she was the fictional man he had fallen in lust with. She came to a stop in front of him and kneeled, mostly because she couldn't stand much longer. He seemed pleased with this and held a hand out for Chi-Fu to hand him a scroll. He opened it and read aloud for all to hear.

"Fai Mulan. The Emperor has left your fate in my hands. Let it be known that I, Captain Li Shang, spare your life…" Mulan looked at him wide eyed and the crowd began whispering louder. Shang raised a hand and everyone quieted down. "I am not blind to the fact that you saved my life, and that is the only reason I spare you. But, you shall not go unpunished." At this he handed the scroll back to Chi-Fu and took out the same blade he held to her throat the previous night. "Rise Fai Mulan and receive your punishment." Mulan rose to her feet and Shang motioned for two men to hold her steady. Mulan didn't struggle this time. She had given up on struggling. She watched in terror as Shang held the blade over a burning flame. The blade soon began to glow a viscous red. It almost reminded her of Mushu. When the blade was hot enough, Shang removed it from the flame and brought it to Mulan's face.

"I'm sorry Ping." He whispered, low enough for only Mulan to hear. Shang placed the blade of the knife just above Mulan's left eyebrow and slowly dragged it in a crooked line across. Mulan screeched in pain as the blade cut and burned her simultaneously. When he finished the guards released her and she crumbled to the ground. Shang now spoke again, voice steady as he addressed Mulan and the crowd. "From this day forth, this mark is to show everyone that you have dishonored your family, your country, your Emperor and your army. You are now an outsider and an untouchable. Go now and return to your home, should they even accept you back." And with that Shang turned his back and left. Mulan laid there for hours. She watched as the men packed up their tents, weapons, and supplies and left for the Imperial City. She was briefly acknowledged by a watery eyed Po, but he was quickly pushed along by Yao and Ling.

After what felt like days, Mulan rose to her feet again. She had to get home. It wasn't too far from here, especially on horseback. As she hobbled along the now deserted campsite, she called out for her family's horse. "Khan! Khan! Come to me! Khan! Kha-" she stopped mid call when she saw a black and white horse head laying on the middle of the dirt path. Flies and maggots had already begun to claim the rotting flesh.

Mulan screamed out in anguish.

Khan had been in her family longer then she had. Helplessly she wondered in the direction of her home. After more than a week of traveling, the journey made longer thanks to the lack of a horse and her dwindling health, she finally reached her village. As she walked down the deserted streets, she noticed the lack of inactivity and the silence. Coming to a stop in front of her home, she took in a deep breath and clumsily knocked on her door. After a few minutes, her mother slowly answer the door. Mulan was surprised to see how much her dear mother had aged in the short time she was gone. Mulan's mother stared at the girl blankly and Mulan tried to muster up a smile.

"Mother." She began, steeping closer to the woman. "I've missed y-" Mulan was cut off by the hard slap that landed across her face. The young woman stumbled back, holding her throbbing cheek. "How dare you show your face around here?" She said angrily in disgust. Mulan stared back. "Mother?" she asked confused. Mulan's mother bristled.

"Don't you dare call me that. You don't have the right to. You are no daughter of mine." She spat at the girl. That hurt Mulan more than any of the tortures she had been put through. She looked around for her father. Perhaps he could talk to her mother for her. "Where is father?" she asked. At this, Mulan's mother seemed to get ten times angrier.

"He is in the back, under the cherry blossom tree along with your grandmother." She responded, slamming the door in Mulan's face. Mulan wondered around to the back. She stopped when she saw the cherry blossom tree. Instead of seeing the wrinkled faces of her father and grandmother, she saw two headstones. She ran as best she could to the two stones and read them. "Here lies Fa Zhou, beloved war hero and disgraced father. Zhou retained his dignity by taking his own life to spare his family from further disgrace." The death date read just under a week ago. She looked at her grandmother's headstone. She didn't have to guess how she died, the grief of losing her granddaughter and son was too much for her too handle. Mulan grabbed a hold of each headstone, weeping as she thought how all of this had been her fault.

In the background, she could hear the distant shouts of people crying, "All hail the new dynasty! The Hun now and forever!"

So they had lost the war as well. The great Chinese empire was no more. In a week The Huns had gained complete control over China and now its people chanted for the Huns out of fear. Her father and grandmother were dead. Her mother and country had disowned her. There was only one thing she could do. She glanced down at the blade that resided by her father's grave. It was not his old war sword, but it would do. Slowly she unsheaved the steal from its resting place. The blade glimmered in the sun as she held it in front of her.

With a loud cry, she shoved the blade into her stomach.

AN: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. C: