The Fire Around Us

Author's Note: Please review!

Chapter Summary: A battle to save Meili results in a devastating loss.

Shang felt catatonic as he rode his horse, following the footsteps in the snow.

As a man of honour, Shang was horrified that he had broken his vow to Mulan to never blame her for Meili getting kidnapped. And now he was certain that his marriage was holding on by a thread.

Shang didn't know how to make a marriage work. His mother had died when he was a young boy, and he didn't remember much about seeing his father and mother together as a couple. There weren't any couples for Shang to get role models from. He didn't know how he and Mulan could move past this argument.

Divorce was a shameful option, and Shang knew if he and Mulan went that route, they would bring dishonour to their families. Shang would likely lose his General title, and Mulan stripped of all her recognitions as the hero of China.

Shang would never abandon his daughter, ever. He didn't want to leave Mulan, either. He loved her. And he knew she loved him. But he feared that they were going to stay together out of obligation and to avoid public scrutiny. And he didn't want he and Mulan to grow to resent one another, and give inadvertently raise Meili to believe that this is what love is.

Shang had to make it right with Mulan. But how?

"Help! Please, help!" A stranger's voice shook Shang from his thoughts. The group looked ahead and saw a man, who looked injured, running towards them. Everyone rushed over to the man, who had keeled over.

"Sir, what happened?" Shang asked, putting his General voice on. The man was groaning, clutching his bloodied side.

"Our village was attacked. By the Huns," the man croaked out, wincing in pain.

The group finally took in their surroundings. They recognized where they were: they were headed towards the village that Shan Yu had previously destroyed. It was where Shang's father and his army were slaughtered. How could Shang forget?

"When did this happen?" Mulan asked, seeing that this man was dying. He continued clutching his side.

"Now, it's happening now. The leader, and the woman…demanded milk for their daughter. When people tried to flee, a battle broke out," the man said, coughing out blood.

Mulan and Shang quietly gasped. Meili was still alive. They had to act fast. But they couldn't leave this man to die alone, it was too cruel.

Chien-Po got off his horse and he took the man's hand into his. Chien-Po's eyes were soft, kind.

"Sir, would you like me to stay with you?" Chien-Po asked softly. Sensing the end was near and he was afraid, the man nodded, accepting the kindness from this stranger as he approached the end of his life.

Chien-Po looked to his friends and nodded. "I will join you guys when I can," Chien-Po said.

The group wasted no time and they charged for the village, hoping to save Meili, and as many of the villagers as they could.

Chaos and destruction of the village could be seen from afar. The screams of the villagers were piercing as they tried to escape the carnage of the Huns. The memorial statue honouring General Li and the slain villagers were destroyed, but that was the least of Shang's concerns. Instead, he worried about how he was going to save the villagers, as well as his baby daughter.

Mulan spotted Shan Shin first. He was slashing about with his sword, oblivious to the fact that Mulan, Shang and the others had arrived. Mulan felt her blood boil, seeing Shan Shin. She was going to kill him, the same way she killed his father.

Shan Shin spun to kill a villager when he made eye contact with Mulan. The Hun lowered his sword and smirked ominously. He relished in powerful joy when he saw Mulan clutch tighter to her sword.

"Mulan, so good of you to join us," Shan Shin taunted, his henchmen laughing. Mulan felt a rage building inside her.

"Where is Meili, Shan Shin?" Mulan yelled over the chaos. Gong appeared by Shan Shin's side, holding Meili. Mulan's eyes softened at the sight of her infant daughter. She had confirmation that her daughter was alive.

"Give me my daughter, now!" Mulan screamed. Mulan's yelling caught the attention of Shang, the group and the Huns. This gave the villagers the opportunity to flee.

Shan Shin smirked and he began circling Mulan. He looked so much like Shan Yu, especially the way he chuckled darkly.

"Are you willing to fight to the death for Meili?" Shan Shin asked, waving his sword. Mulan raised her own and stared directly at Shan Shin.

"Just watch me," Mulan said darkly before charging at Shan Shin. The Hun leader did the same thing.

Mulan and Shan Shin fought ferociously, their swords clashing together. The group fought off other members of the Hun army, and Shang kept his eye on Gong, who held on tight to Meili.

Shang wanted to charge at Gong and snatch Meili and run. But it was too risky. Acting brash like that could cause harm to Meili, perhaps even get her killed. Shang paid attention to the way that Gong held his daughter. She didn't hold Meili like a hostage. Instead, Gong held Meili…with love. Shang could see that this Hun woman would not hurt his daughter.

And he was going to use that to his advantage.

Not wanting to distract Mulan as she battled Shan Shin, Shang motioned for Mushu to come over. The small red dragon slithered over. "Mushu, I need your help," Shang whispered to him.

"What can I do?" Mushu asked, ready and eager to help Mulan save Meili.

"I need you to be a snake," Shang said, crouching down to explain his plan. Any other time, Mushu would object to being mistaken for a lizard of any kind, but this was for a good cause. He slithered towards Gong and Meili, trying to look as much like a snake as possible.

Gong was shielding Meili from the chaos of the fighting surrounding her when she felt something slithering up her leg. When she saw a red snake making its way up her, she screamed, trying to shoo it off. But her screaming was unsettling Meili. She tried consoling the baby, but Gong also didn't want this red snake to bite her or the girl. Using her free hand, Gong began swatting away at Mushu.

While distracted, Shang ran over and grabbed Meili from Gong's hold. When Gong tried to grab for the baby, Shang knocked her down and ran.

"Mulan! I've got Meili!" Shang shouted, running past her as she continued to battle Shan Shin. Instinctively, Mulan stopped to marvel at her daughter, cradled safely in her father's arms.

For the first time in days, Mulan felt like everything was right in her world.

And then she was knocked to the ground by Shan Shin. She hit the ground with a thud.

"You took away the only person that ever mattered to me. I'm going to make sure your daughter grows up an orphan," Shan Shin screamed, bringing his sword down to kill Mulan. She stopped him in time with her own sword. Mulan got up to her feet to continue fighting, not oblivious to the other members of the Hun army closing in on her.

Shang looked back and saw his wife getting ganged up on by the Huns. In that moment, Shang realized that he loved Mulan and he loved her so much he could forget everything that was said in the Tung Shao pass, he could forget the fights and anger. He loved Mulan, and he loved Meili. And he wanted them to be a family. Shang was not going to abandon Mulan.

Shang had to think fast. He glanced over at the carriage, and remembered that the cannons were in there. He was going to do what Mulan would do in any situation.

"Ling! Take Meili and get out of here," Shang said, forcing his daughter into Ling's arms.

Before Ling could ask what he was doing, Shang ran to the carriage and he grabbed two cannons. Once Ling saw the cannons, he knew he had to get Meili as far from the village as possible.

"Mulan, get down!" Shang yelled, crouching down and grabbing two rocks. Mulan turned, saw the cannons and she lunged down, just in time for Shang to fire the first cannon at a pack of Huns, blowing them into the destroyed village. Fire soon ravaged the village.

Mulan looked around. She saw Shan Shin on the ground, his arm on fire. Filled with the strength of a raging fire, Mulan grabbed her sword and she plunged it into Shan Shin, punishment for his crimes. Shan Shin howled in pain.

"Say hi to Shan Yu for me!" Mulan taunted as she plunged her sword deeper into Shan Shin. As his life started to slip away, Mulan pulled her sword out. Shang grabbed Mulan's hand, his eyes wide at the fire around them.

"Mulan, we need to go now!" Shang exclaimed, running with her towards the carriage.

Shang was suddenly pulled back. He glanced back and saw Gong, who bared her teeth. Mulan saw her husband on the ground and instinctively went to help him fight off Gong.

But Mulan was being pulled back by Yao.

"Mulan, we have to get out of here!" Yao exclaimed, the fire around them becoming out of control. Mulan struggled against his hold on her.

"No, not without Shang!" Mulan screamed, trying to run back to her husband who was wrestling this Hun woman off of him. Despite this fight, Shang looked back at Mulan, his eyes determined, but still desperate.

"Yao, get Mulan out of here!" Shang screamed.

If Shang was going to die with honour, he needed to die knowing Mulan and Meili survived.

Knowing what he had to do, Yao picked up Mulan and he ran towards the carriage as fast as he could. Mulan tried wiggling out of his grasp, desperately screaming Shang's name, willing the fire to keep away from Shang.

When they reached the carriage, Mulan saw the fire reach the second cannon and lead to a massive explosion. Her heart sank, waiting for Shang to emerge from the blast.

But he never came out.

Yao put Mulan down, and Mulan collapsed to her knees, crying. The last thing she and Shang did was fight, and now he was gone. She wanted him to know that she forgave him, that their fight could be forgotten, that they could have a fresh start with Meili. And now it was gone.

"Mulan, I am so sorry," Ling said softly, crouching down beside a sobbing Mulan. The weeping woman got up and she took Meili from Ling's arms and held her daughter close.

She was reunited with her daughter, the last piece she had left of Shang. Now more than ever, she was going to cherish Meili.

"We need to get to the palace," Mulan said, still crying. Before Yao and Ling could say anything, Mulan retreated into the carriage with Meili, to grieve privately. The two men sighed. They felt hopeless in comforting their friend, while also reconciling the loss of their other friend. But an order is an order, and they got on their horses and made their way to the palace.

Inside the carriage, Mulan nursed Meili. Once done, she burped her and held her daughter close. Mulan had felt so happy having Meili back, and felt like her happiness was inappropriate with the death of Shang. Mushu and Cri-Kee emerged, and Mushu sighed.

"Oh Mulan, Shang would've wanted you to have survived to protect Meili," Mushu tried to comfort Mulan, who had tears silently streaking down her face. Mulan shut her eyes tight and pressed her cheek against her daughter's.

"What about what I want? I just wanted us to be a family again," Mulan said, her voice breaking.

Mushu was going to say something, but Cri-Kee jumped in to stop him.

Sometimes, words just aren't enough.

To be continued…

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