CH. 4

Back at the Fa Family home after getting word about Shan Yu and his Huns reaching over the great wall and now inside the border of China. Let alone being informed about their beloved Emperor officially announcing martial law, meaning that the military itself has absolute power and authority over China and its people. Inside the Fa home, John, Mulan, and the others were in the living room in silence. No one said a single word as the room was quiet. John had already had his mind made up on what to do moving forward. He looked at his scroll for a few seconds before glancing back at Zhao, who was eyeing his scroll as well. John looked back at the window with a determined facial expression.

"I have made up my mind, and know exactly what I have to do." John took his eyes away from the open window and looked at his family.

Mulan felt uneasy when hearing her husband say that. "What do you mean by that, my love?."

John approached his wife and her family calmly and mannered. "I mean, that your father will not be participating in this war. But I am."

Zhao put his cup of tea down. "So, you are going to take what is left of my manhood?."

"You and I both know that you will not handle myself and Shang's method of boot camp training, depending on if we are going to train new troops. On top of the matter, your age and your body are unable to maintain the desired fighting condition," explained John.

Mulan watched her father hold onto his scroll tightly. Seeing that he needed much more convincing.

"And what if I do not want to do it, John?. Me and your father go way back. He can vouch for me." Zhao pointed out.

"Yes, that is true." John nodded before crossing his arms. "But my father is not in the room. And I also have absolute power over this village and the people living here. Meaning that now I am ordering you to stay here with my wife and the family. They needed you more here than the Imperial Army needs you on the front. Let me represent you in this war. Let me carry your family's name."

Zhao sighed in defeat. He knows and everyone else knows that he will not survive the first sight of action. "Very well, son, I will submit."

Li, Grandma Fa, and Mulan were relieved to hear this and are glad that John talked some sense to Zhao. The old man handed his scroll to John who declined to take it. Saying that he will let him hold onto anything that is left of his manhood which Zhao gratefully appreciated it. With that said John headed out of the house with Mulan trailing behind him. She is happy that her father has accepted staying home but she is greedy. Mulan wanted her husband to stay in the village as well. And she is going to try her hand in convincing him into staying.

"John?." Mulan got her husband's attention. "Where are you going and getting ready to do?."

John turned to look at his wife. "I am going back to our house, and getting things packed that I needed before making my way to base camp tomorrow. Plus, I am planning on getting there in the early morning. Count tomorrow and the day after tomorrow will be the deadline for all nonmilitary men to check in before training cab begins."

"But, what about your arm?." Mulan tried to use that excuse to convince her lover.

John looked at his former injured arm and moved around a bit before looking back at Mulan. "My arm is in proper working condition, Honeycomb. I am able to hold a gun or sword with no issue. I'm in outstanding health."

Mulan frowned on this since this was unfortunately true. "John you can not go. I will not let you."

"Is that so?." John looked at his wife unamused. "Well, I can see a lot of possibilities that the odds are not on your side. So you might as well get that out of your mindset."

Mulan crossed her arms and boldly said. "Then, let me come with you!."

"Come with me?." John looked to the side as he could not believe that he heard this. He looked back at her. "Mulan, I am sorry but you can not come with me. You know why."

"Because I am a woman?." Mulan got upset about it. "In case you have forgotten, John, I am not an ordinary average girl. I am a farmer girl. I am stronger than I look."

John sighed in slight frustration. "This is not because you are a woman, Mulan. Do not throw that shit at my face. On a personal note, you will not survive a week of boot camp with your flat feet. Especially from running, marching, and constantly standing up at all times day after day. Let alone you have no kind of skills in the heat of battle."

"Then you can teach me!." Mulan, pointing out the obvious. "I promise that I will not slow you down or be an issue."

"Mulan you know the rules of our country." John grabbed both hands of Mulan's. "A woman is not allowed to do the same things as men much less enlist in the army. You know the deadly consequences if you dared to break the law. And I will not get to that point at all. I will be damned if that happens."

"But you have martial law on your side. You can simply do whatever..." Mulan jumped back when being yelled at.

"End of the fucking Discussion, Mulan!." John upsettingly said in anger. "Drop it!."

Mulan instantly lowed her head down with instant few tears running down her face. John softens at seeing this as he did not mean to raise his voice with Mulan. That is one thing he will never do but his own wife has pushed him to this point. He got closer to being able to lift her chin as Mulan still had tears running down her face. He took the moment to wipe the tears off her face and then kissed her by her nose.

"I am so sorry to raise my voice at you, Mulan. I did not mean to ever do that. And I will never do so again." John sees that she is calming her tears down and sucked her snots back into her nose. "I love you. I am not fighting this new war and hopefully be able to kill that bastard Shan Yu for the sake of the Emperor. Or the people of China. I am doing this for you and you alone. I need to do this to both keep you alive and your freedom intact. Cool?."

Mulan sniffed the snots back into her nose and nodded. "Cool."

John smiled. "Excellent."

The two hugged it out in a good warm embrace for a good few seconds before John broke the hug and gave a quick kiss on her lips. Mulan let go of her lover as he resumed back to what he had planned on doing back at their home. And get himself ready to depart from the village and get right back to the full-time military. Leaving Mulan to wipe away her tears while slowly making her way to go pray to her ancestors. Feeling so helpless and not able to successfully keep her husband to stay home and also not getting her way, Mulan started singing the same song she sang after the incident with the matchmaker.

Mulan sang about her own reflection with the pain in her heart with the mindset of losing her man in this war for China just hurts her even further than it should. Let alone she had noticed the same cricket was following her, assuming that the little fella had overheard the slight fallout conversation between herself and John.

Look at me

I will never pass for a perfect bride

Or a perfect daughter

Can it be

I'm not meant to play this part?

Now I see

That if I were truly to be myself

I would break my family's heart

Who is that girl I see

Staring straight back at me?

Why is my reflection someone I don't know?

Somehow I cannot hide who I am, though

I've tried

When will my reflection show who I am inside?

When will my reflection show who I am inside?

Nighttime arrived during that day as John had finally packed everything that he needs to embark on heading to the assigned camp for the now war. He packed his gun rifle, his pistol, his sword, ammunition, and some food. Currently, he was in his training room which is where his armor is inside his armor cabinet. John took the moment to just look at his black armor with dark blue outline shined nicely. Long with his both tached and detachable square badge, which is the signature badge of his Commando Elites faction.

His badge has a well-detailed head and face of a dragon that had a thunderbolt X behind it. What stood out about the page that shows that he is the sole leader of the commandos is that he has a red ruby-like background on the badge. John never thought that he would be wearing his armor for war again. He wore his armor for being a drill sergeant for training new men at boot camp or acting as the commanding officer for misbehaving boys in the JROTC program. But now it looks like he is going to be using armor to fight. He sighed at seeing the same reality once more of the battle of war.

Little did John know that Mulan was in the doorway leaning against one of the edges of the doorway frame. She too is admiring the shiny polished cleaned armor before looking back at her husband who was still looking at his battle armor. Mulan seductively smirks at how to break his attention. She slowly approached her man with her hips swinging left and right. Next, she gently wrapped her arms around John who jumped a bit but relaxed when he looked to see his wife rubbing her head gently against the side of his cheek.

"You know something, John?." Mulan opened her eyes to look at her husband with a loving smile. "I just love seeing you in military uniform. It truly turns me on and gets me very aroused. It is making my whole vagina soaked wet. I just love it."

John chuckled at hearing this. "I'm sure you do."

He turned himself around to face his woman. "What brings you to the training room?."

"What?. Can a good loyal loving wifey not show any sort of kind of support for her good strong loving man?." Mulan faked her hurt facial expression and laughed a bit off. "Well, anyways, beloved, I have made something very special for you. It is in our dinning room table."

"Oh?." John had a look of intrest. "Then in that case what is it?."

Mulan waved her index finger playfully. "I can not tell you. You will have to see it for yourself. Here, let me guide you to my surprise."

Mulan took John by his hand and guided him right out of their training room. She took her time guiding him in the hallway while humming a tune as John just loves hearing her sing or tune. It was very peaceful and delightful to John. Her singing voice is always enjoyable and a must hear. Mulan and John managed to reach their dining room on where the big object is on the table covered on top with a kitchen cloth. Mulan motioned John to sit down while she went to her seat. Next, she reached out to the cloth and lifted up to reveal a big freshly baked pie. John's eyes grew wide at seeing his favorite kind of sweet baked goods.

"It is a strawberry pie. Your favorite kind of sweet baked good." Mulan happily said when seeing how pleased her lover looks. "I used the strawberries that was left that we picked and made you a huge helping for us to pigout on. Call it a going away gift since you will be leaving off to join your brother and father in the war. I figured we should spend the night eating one more time."

"Ah, Mulan you should not have slaved yourself over a hotstove to bake this for me." said John, grabbing his fork.

Mulan grabbed her fork and digged her side of the pie. "Why not?. I am your wife and I love you very much. So do not mind nor do I not hesitate to in cooking and ensuring that you are well taken care of. Since you always have done so all those years before we even got married."

John can not argue about this since he does do those things for Mulan. The two ate the pie quietly as neither said anything else. The two have eaten silently while thinking on what to say to each other since this might be their only chance to say anything with no regrets. But Mulan, however, wants to keep the atmosphere clear and positive.

"John?. I'm... I'm sorry." Mulan break the ice with sadness. "Sorry for how I acted when the Emperor's advisor came to our village and how I acted back at the farm. I was out of my place."

John shook his head before swallowing a piece of his pie. "No. No, Mulan you were not out of your place. You know and I know, that I valued your voice, your thoughts, and your opinions on anything that comes to your mind. It matters to me so much. You have the right to speak your peace like all the rest of the men. So you have no reason to apologize."

Mulan sighedly smiled at this for John valuing her more than just a bed warmer or just a fuck toy. "It is just that after hearing what the doctor said about your arm, and what happens if you come back worse than you were before."

John watched Mulan shake uneasily as she started tearing. This got his attention big time as he has never seen her this way ever. Mulan cried a bit on what has come to her mind before managing to continue telling her reason.

"Just the thought of Shan Yu and his men at our country border, I feared that you would not be coming home to me alive but instead in a wooden...coffin!." Mulan failed to fight back her tears as her heart is in absolute pain. "If you ever come home dead and I had to bury you and I have to live my whole life without you?. I... I...I just do not want to live anymore!. I... I... I will just...I will just go and kill myself!."

John slammed his hands on the table before getting up from the table. "No, you will not kill yourself, Mulan!."

Without any warning he approached his crying wife and pulled her by her biceps and got her back to her feet. He shaked her roughly but not too roughly in order to break her crying. In order to make her stop crying and make her listen to him.

"Mulan, I am not taking my black ass to lead my Commandos to war once more and risk my life, just so you can go kill herself by either drowning herself or even hanging your own damn self!. I will be damn if you fucking do that or even try the fucking attempt. So do not even fucking think or act upon it!. Is that fucking clear, Mulan?!."

Mulan sniffed the snots back into her nose before nodding in understanding. "Yes, beloved. I understand very good. I will not think or attempt to commit suicide."

John calmed down and had compassion on his face. He then pulled his wife into a strong hug. Mulan hugged back while savoring the sweet, warm, loving embrace that she is currently having with her husband. To ensure that Mulan would not ever think about something so too low and too stupid about doing it, John began to come up with things to say to her in order to give her at least some bit of comfort.

"I will make a promise to you, Mulan." John hold his lover tightly. "I promise to somehow survive this war and kill Shan Yu and return home to you. When I do return to you, we can finally start making our own little family. Will settle down and become a family man and family woman."

Mulan breaks the hug to look at her man. "And what if you do not come home to me alive?."

John wiped Mulan's wet face. "If I do not come home to you alive, I would want you to keep on living for me. And live a good life."

"I can not." Mulan nudged her head with John's. "Not without you my love."

*Tomorrow Morning*

"Give those Hun bastards some hell." Grandma Fa spoke with enthusiasm.

John hugged Grandma Fa. "I sure will."

Li waited for her hug as John approached her. "Look out for yourself and for your brother, John. We will be praying for you both."

John broke the hug and looked at his mother in law with a smile. "Thank you. And I will."

Li smiled when letting him go. John walked next to his father in law. Zhao smiled proudly before placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Make us all proud, John. Stop Shan Yu and save China once more." said Zhao.

John nodded. "I will with my elites."

And finally after Zhao let his hand off of John's shoulder, he then approached the last member of his family. His wife. Mulan was a bit upset about the whole thing but had to ball her upsetness inside her and just gave her husband a fake smile. John sighed when looking at his woman as he played her hair a bit before pulling it back behind her back. John placed his hand on the left side of her face. Mulan put her hand over his hand. The two savored the moment of looking at each other as they probably would not see each other depending on the war battle situation and the chances of limited days off.

"I promise to write to you every chance that I can get." John spoke as he rubbed Mulan's soft smooth cheek. "I hope you will do the same."

"I will once the grey clouds move from over my head." Mulan said, honestly. "Do not forget your helmet. You can not go to war without head protection."

John can see that she was being metaphorical about it but rubbed it off before grabbing his helmet from her. He tried to kiss her on the lips but she stepped back to prevent it. This concerned Zhao, Li, and Grandma Fa as they had never seen any woman who would reject a kiss from their military husband before he goes off to war.

"Mulan!." Li spoke with a warning in her voice.

"My child that is your husband." Grandma Fa argued. "You need to give him something for him to be motivated and be reminded of what he is fighting for."

Mulan looked down at her feet and did not say any words. She did not even bother looking back at John. This angered Zhao at how his only daughter was acting towards her own husband.

"Mulan..." Zhao get stopped.

"No, father in law, please do not." John looked at his father in law before looking back at Mulan. "I understand. This is all happening too fast. Stay with the family for the time being, Honeycomb."

John put on his helmet before getting on his horse. He then looked at one of the four troopers that are part of his Commando Elites. He looked at his wife and her family for a few seconds before looking back at his men and spoke in his military voice.

"Commandos!. Move out!" John grabbed hold of the rope bridle. "Ha!."

John led the way out of the village with the other following behind in top speed. Mulan and her family watched until they can no longer see them from sight. During the time they did limited work on the farm due to curfews after being informed on the active hours they got from the troopers who are assigned to govern their village. The day became night as a storm came poured rain as Mulan was finished putting on her father's armor and took his scroll. Let alone used his sword to cut her hair and rolled her new haircut in a bun to make herself look manly.

"My duty is to my heart." Mulan told herself this when she ties the sword to her waist.

Mulan then headed out to go get her horse and leave as quickly as possible before being stopped. After lashing out with her father about not him convincing her husband to stay put and temporarily govern their village for the war, but her father defended John's decision and even raised his voice on her. Telling her that he and John knew where there was and it was time for her to know hers. This had caused Mulan to run out of the house and cried while sitting down in the statue of the Great Stone Dragon. Her mind began to get extremely anxious as she fears John's life.

She would do anything to ensure that her lover comes home to her alive and in one piece. Which is where she is right now. After calming down her horse after she thought she was a stranger or thief trying to get her, Mulan got her out of the stable and looked back at her home for a short second before getting on her horse and busted out through the double doors. Take the back roads to reach the boot camp tomorrow. The head ancestor saw this and warned Grandma Fa through her sleep as she jumped up in shocking fear.

"Mulan's gone!." Grandma Fa cried out.

This awaked Zhao and Li from their sleep. Zhao was confused at first but then he looked at his nightstand and noticed that his scroll was missing. His eyes grew wide in realization on what his daughter was about to commit. After checking his armor cabinet to see that his armor and sword is gone, Zhao crippled his way out of the house and tried to run out to get her but got tripped by his cane.

"Mulan!." Zhao slowly tried to get up.

Li ran to her husband in deep fear. "You need to go after her. She is going to get herself or someone else killed!."

Zhao sadly sighed as he looked at his wife. "If I did expose her to the others, then they will demand for John to have her pay the consequences of breaking the ancient law with no hesitation. And I for one would not make the poor boy slain his own wife. All we have to do now is pray that those two survive the war and come back home to us."

Grandma Fa watched the two silent tears as she looked in sadness. The only thing left that they can do is pray. "Great Ancestors. Please look after our Mulan. She has no idea what she just got herself into."

Little did Grandma Fa know that the head ancestor of the Fa Family is going to answer her prayer in their dramatic time of need.