Love or Law

Invasion of Peijing

"Well...I should probably go help Mei..." Mulan tried to excuse herself quickly. She still wasn't exactly sure where she stood with Shang. He didn't look angry but still...

"Mulan." She froze when she felt his hand on her arm, stopping her from leaving. Looking back she was met by warm intensity and a look she couldn't quite interpret. She waited for him to say what he wanted to.

"Walk with me?" He asked simply. His voice was carefully casual but she could now see the question in his eyes, the plea. Slowly she nodded. He smiled warmly then took her hand and wrapped it around the crook of his elbow. She tried and failed to stop her blush. It had been awhile since she had been so close to him, especially when he was still shirtless!

As if suddenly realizing the fact himself, he suddenly pulled away stuttering, "Oh, r-right. Sorry! Let me just, um...yeah. Don't leave yet! I'll just...!" With that he jogged away from her but not before she saw that his ears and the back of his neck were bright red. She smothered a giggle, glad she wasn't the only one.

He didn't go far. He had draped his tunic over a bench near where he had been sparring and was quick to pull it over his head. Mulan wasn't sure whether or not to be grateful for the shirt. On the one hand she could now look at him without blushing. On the other hand, she kind of missed the view.

Then he was back at her side and once again wrapping her hand around his arm. Together they stepped across the lily pond bridge, taking their time. Mulan could tell he was trying to come up with the words he wished to say to her so she stayed quiet. If there was one thing her military training had taught her, it was patience. Well, that and a mean roundhouse kick.

"Mulan, I feel I owe you an apology." He finally said.

"What?" Those were not the words she'd been expecting.

"I've put you through so much these last several months and I feel like it could have all been avoided if I had just..."

"No, Shang! I made the decision to join the military. If anything, I should be apologizing to you for everything I've...!"

"Mulan."

"No, listen. I should have...!"

"Mulan!"

"What?!"

"Can I finish my apology at least, before you start yours?" Shang asked with some amusement.

"Oh. Um...I guess? But you really don't have to..."

"I want to. I also want to explain a few things to you so will you please wait until I'm completely finished?"

"Of course!"

Shang quirked an eyebrow at her, a small smile on his face and she shrugged in response, "I'll try my best, anyway."

"Thank you." He grinned, then reached for her hand again. She'd been so agitated she hadn't even realized they'd stopped walking, let alone that she'd pulled away from him to try and make her point. She let him pull her close again and they continued walking down the garden path they were on.

"As I was saying, I have several things to apologize to you for but the first and foremost is that I'm sorry I didn't inform you the second I knew who you really were." He paused to see if she would react but, true to her word, she didn't say anything. She was going to let him explain. Shang continued with more than a little trepidation.

"When I first...discovered you, you can't begin to imagine how shocked I was. A young woman in our ranks! I'd never heard of any woman trying to pass herself off as a man. I knew what the punishment would be if I exposed you and therein lay part of the problem. Yes, you were one of the soldiers under my charge but I also really enjoyed your company. You had so much spirit and determination. I viewed you as the little brother I never had. I couldn't expose you. I had already tried to order you to leave and you remember how that went." Mulan laughed a little at that, drawing an answering smile from Shang. "So I decided to try and get you to voluntarily leave."