I cannot believe I managed to leave you poor, neglected readers in a months long awkward silence! I am so so so sorry! That is the most awkardest of awkwards in the history of awkward! Please accept my sincere, heartfelt apologies and this bribe of a THOUSAND oatmeal-craisin cookies fresh from Aldi just for you! ( My latest sweet tooth craving; they're delicious!) And onwards! Onwards to China's Ming Dynasty and what has become of our poor Mulan, left indefinitely with her worst enemy!

"How…"

"You…"

Mulan broke into a nervous laugh when she and Shang stumbled over each other at the same time.

"My apologies, Captain, please…" Mulan gestured for him to continue, not knowing why, exactly, she was speaking so formally.

"No, no, you may speak first. What did you wish to say?" Shang urged.

"How…" Mulan began but almost instantly chickened out, "How is your shoulder?" She finished lamely. She couldn't bring herself to ask the question she knew she should.

"My shoulder?" Shang asked, sounding confused.

"You injured it up in the mountains." Mulan elaborated.

"Oh! Yes, of course.. It's healing nicely. Mistress Chien has informed me you're healing as progressed amazingly as well."

"Yes, I feel like I'll be able to be up and moving in a day or so."

"No need to push yourself, Fa Mulan. We are in no hurry. I want you to be completely well when we begin our travels once more. The Emperor did assign me to see you home and I will get you there alive and in one piece. That is an Imperial Order!" Shang joked lightly, drawing another laugh from Mulan. Shang basked in the sound, watching her with a gentle smile.

"It's good to hear your laughter again." He remarked tenderly.

Mulan ducked her head, and murmured something along the lines of a thank you, trying to hide the blush that had appeared in response to her words. Why did she have to be so cursedly awkward?! Speaking of awkward…

Clearing her throat and forcing herself to look back up and meet his gaze, Mulan began again.

"Captain…"

"Shang, please." Shang interrupted.

"What?"

"I would like you to call me Shang again, as you did when you were Ping. We are still friends, are we not?"

"Right, friends…" Mulan felt her heart sink. It seems Ai and Mei's observations were completely off base. Of course Shang only saw her as a friend. A close friend, but still a friend. The kiss they had shared obviously must have been a fluke. Or maybe the captain went around kissing women he barely knew on a regular basis. How was she to know? She was just a silly little country girl who took the slightest sign of affection and turned it into...

"Mulan?" Shang's baritone voice caressing her name pulled her back from her musings, "Did you want to ask me something?"

"Oh...right. Yes. Mei was just telling me that Ling has been busy spreading rumors around. It's probably nothing more than a way to get a pretty girl's attention but… Shang? Is something wrong?"

Upon hearing her words, Shang let out a low groan and threw his forehead into one of his hands.

"Shang? I'm sure most of what he's been saying has no truth behind it," Mulan was quick to reassure, "but at least one of the rumors is about our relationship and how...intimate it has supposedly become."

Shang growled something incomprehensible under his breath and Mulan had a feeling she didn't want to hear a translation of what just came out of his mouth. After taking a deep breath, seemingly to calm himself, Shang raised his head.

"What has he been saying?"

"Well...this is only what Mei has informed me of but...for instance, he has exaggerated what has supposedly happened between us when we were sharing a tent in the mountains."

"Exaggerated how?" Shang asked, unable to help himself. He had a feeling he knew what she was saying but he wanted to hear her say it herself. A blush crept slowly up her cheeks as she stuttered, "I-I...I don't know all the details but I'm assuming...r-romantically?" She squeaked out the last word and Shang had to concentrate on keeping a straight face at her response.

"The reason I'm assuming this is because he's also been saying that you...that you k-kissed me by the river." She continued in an embarrassed, but ever so slightly accusing, voice.

Now it was Shang's turn to flush red. The next time he saw Ling he was going to murder that rat!

"I realize that can't possibly be true...I mean, it's absurd really…"

Shang felt his heart sink at her words. Absurd. Really? Was that what she thought of them? It was absurd to imagine that they might have a future together? Well then, he supposed he ought to thank Ling for allowing Mulan to provide this sudden insight to him.

"Yes, that is quite absurd." He ground out, attempting to stay calm and failing, "When I pulled you from the river you weren't breathing because there was too much water in your lungs. The water had to be expelled so I used a fairly modern technique to do so. During this technique it is critical to force air down into the lungs and the only way to do so efficiently is to seal one's mouth over the victim's and blow air down their throat and into their lungs. In this way the water is forced out of the lungs. So, although this maneuver does tend to resemble that of a kiss to the average layman, it most definitely is not one." He explained shortly, trying to keep his burgeoning disappointment in check.

"Oh...I see." Mulan answered softly.

"Yes. Now, if you'll excuse me, it appears I must have a private word with Ling." Shang quickly stood and made his way to the door, unwilling to stay in the room a moment longer than necessary.

"Shang?" Mulan called softly from the bed, making him pause.

"Thank you." She murmured. Those words had him looking back at her.

She had leaned further back into the pillows to be more comfortable by that time. A few strands of her midnight hair had escaped her updo, framing her face and accenting its shape and the dark, fullness of her eyes, before feathering down her slender throat. A slight flush rested high on her cheekbones, the color highlighted by the soft green of her robe. She was so achingly beautiful to him in that moment, so utterly feminine, that she literally stole his breath away.

"For what?" He managed to whisper, heart pounding.

"For always taking such good care of me." She answered, "I truly don't deserve you."

He allowed a small smile to grace his lips. Perhaps, all was not quite as futile as he thought.

"No, Mulan, I do not deserve you. It has been a true honor to serve with you."

She returned his smile with one of her own impish grins and Shang found himself lunging for the door before he could find himself returning to her and doing something that would upset the balance they had found for themselves.

Mulan watched Shang leave and, once the door was closed, flopped back onto the pillows with a groan. What was going on!? Why was everything so complicated!? He had called her a friend and yet admitted to kissing her without her knowledge in the next heartbeat! (It was to save her life but still, with someone as attractive as the Captain, anyone would count that as a kiss!) Then, when she had tried to show her support of their "friendship" it was almost as if he grew angry! All she wanted to do was maintain some semblance of a relationship with him and if a friendship was all he was willing to have at the moment then that would have to be okay with her because she wanted to keep him in her life!

But then, when he had turned around at the door, there had been that look again. That fire. That single-minded intensity. It was the look that made her toes curl and inspired a flushed heat to rage through her. What did that look mean!? She had seen it before when he thought no one was looking, in those private moments with just the two of them. It was the same look he had in his eyes just before he had kissed her at the palace.

And then there was that! He had kissed her! Willingly and with no "obligations" to either! That wonderful, bone-meltingly, intense kiss, overflowing with warmth and passion and feeling...She had never felt so wanted, so perfect before. It was as if he didn't even see her many imperfections and flaws because she was exactly what he wanted in his life. She wanted to know that kiss again. To know it wasn't some weird fluke or a spur of the moment thing. She wanted to see that Shang again. But how?

Suddenly the door to her room creaked open a couple of inches only to close again. Mulan looked over, only to see...nothing. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she was instantly on guard. She was aware of someone watching her, but from where? How had they managed to penetrate so deeply into the house without being caught? Reaching for her blade once more, she slowly began to scan the room, starting with the door.

"Aw! Look at that, our baby girl's all grown up!" A loud voice broke the tense silence. Right in her ear. Mulan shrieked in surprise and threw herself away from the voice. With a hard thump she landed on the floor, her blankets tangled around her legs.

"Ouch! MUSHU!" She yelled, glaring up at the little dragon perched on the head of the bed.

"What? A dragon can't drop in for a chat with his favorite girl every now and then?"

"Not like that, you can't! Where have you been!?" At her question, Mushu took on an abashed, shifty look.

"Uh, I had to, uh, answer a summons to discuss some of my past behaviors with your family ancestors...Tell you what, though, promise me Mulan that you will never end up like those crotchety elders of yours! Cause, man, can your family hold a grudge! Ya break one tiny little statue of theirs and suddenly they've all got a problem with ya! Treatin' ya like your some kinda criminal instead of the all powerful deity ya are, who just helped save China by the way! That is no small feat ya know! I mean, have ya'll seen the size of your coun-TRY!?"

Whatever else he was going to say was cut off when Mulan grabbed him into a tight hug, cutting off all air flow and circulation.

"M-m-mu lan? Can't. Breathe!"

"I've missed you." Mulan choked out, holding her little friend close. Suddenly everything that had happened to her, everything she had experienced physically and emotionally, came crashing down on her all at once and she burst into exhausted tears.

"Hey, hey Mulan, what's wrong?" Mushu inquired, not quite sure how to handle the situation.

"Nothing!" She sobbed, "I just m-missed you!"

"Hey, it's alright. I'm here for you, girl. I'm here. It's alright." Mushu hesitantly patted her head and, when she snuggled him closer, wrapped his arms around her as much as he could in a soothing hug. "It's alright." He crooned softly, petting her hair, letting his girl just cry it out.

Meanwhile…

Shang took a long, slow breath as he smoothly pulled back the string of his longbow; feeling his shoulder blades pull together and his back and arm muscles tense as they fought against the powerful draw weight of the bow. He took a quarter of a second to sight down the length of his arrow and, as he released the breath he had taken in, let the string slip from his fingers, sending the arrow streaking towards his target.

There was a high pitched shriek as his arrow thudded solidly into the wood target...a hair's breadth above Ling's head.

Resting the butt of his bow on the top of his foot, Shang took a moment to admire his handiwork. After tracking down Ling, who was attempting to impress Po's younger sister, Shang had invited the man to train with him in Po's brother-in-law's private archery range. Ling had agreed, having no idea what fate Shang had in mind for him.

Once they had reached the practice field, Shang had made quick work of trussing the smaller man up and standing him in front of the archery target. It was time to teach Ling that there were consequences for being a meddling, loudmouth gossip and Shang knew of no better way to do so than to scare the crap out of him.

So far he had placed an arrow on either side of the man's torso and shoulders and one next to his left ear. He was pretty sure his latest arrow had caught on a few strands of the man's hair as it had gone by, he had placed it so close to his head. Ling was now in tears, shaking and begging his Captain for freedom.

"Have I made my point, Ling?"

"Yes, Sir!"

"What is my point, Ling?"

"To trust your actions and keep my big mouth shut, Sir!" He cried in answer.

"Good man."

"Alright, boys, playtime's over." A feminine voice called. Both Shang and Ling looked over to find Mei standing there, hands on her hips, "As amusing as this has been, mother says one more shriek from Ling and she'll give you both something to cry about. Besides, I think he's learned his lesson, Captain. Right Ling?"

"YEEES!" Ling sobbed.

"Captain, be a dear and untie the poor fool?" Mei asked sweetly. With a small grin at her manners, Shang complied. Once Ling had the majority of his arms and legs free he took off running to the house, yelling as he went, "I'm gonna tell Mulan on you, Captain!"

Mei and Shang watched his lanky form scramble for the house in amusement.

"He really doesn't learn, does he?" Mei inquired jokingly before turning to Shang with more than a hint of glee, "So! Did you tell her?"

"Tell who, what, Mistress Zhang?" Shang inquired, feigning ignorance as he began to collect his arrows from the target.

"Don't be coy, Captain, it doesn't suit you at all." Mei scolded before reiterating, "Did you tell Fa Mulan that you are deeply, madly in love with her?"

"What!? I am n…" He broke off his protestation when she faced him with a knowing look on her face, "How did you..?"

"Call it women's intuition." Mei interrupted, waving off his question, "So? Did you?"

Shang looked down at the arrow he had his hand wrapped around before tearing it out of the target with much more force than was necessary.

"No." He bit out.

"No!?" Mei was shocked to say the least, "Do you mean to tell me that you had her alone, in a space that wasn't in the middle of a warzone; both of you comfortable and fully conscious; and you didn't take advantage of that perfect moment and tell her how you really feel!?"

"I was going to!" Shang defended himself as he began to walk away, not wanting to face the indignant female, "But then she went and said that it would be absurd and I…"

"Wait, what!?" Mei caught up and yanked back on his shoulder, forcing him to face her, "What do you mean? Mulan would never say something like that! I've only spent a few hours with her and I know that! She cares for you too much to hurt you like that!"

"Well, that's what she said." Shang answered, still defensive.

"Okay. You're going to have to walk me through this. Tell me everything the two of you said to the best of your remembrance. Don't leave anything out." Mei demanded, leading Shang to a nearby bench against the garden wall.

So Shang did.

When he was done, Mei sat there in shocked silence for a long moment before slowly standing up and facing Shang on the bench.

"You IDIOT!" She yelled, whacking him firmly upside the head.

"Ouch! What was that for!"

"You! I can't believe you! I thought my husband was pretty clueless when I first met him but you take the cake! I seriously cannot believe you! How dense are you!?"

"Mei?" A masculine voice called.

"Over here!" Mei answered angrily, glaring down at Shang, daring him to make a run for it.

A moment later a very tall, well-built man strode out of the small orchard to the left of the archery field and made his way over. He stood a couple inches taller than Shang and also wore a simple tunic and chuddar that highlighted his muscular form. From his erect posture, it was clear he was also, at one point, military. That was where the similarities ended, though.

Instead of the traditional, classic dark hair and dark eyes that were most common among the people, his hair was a dark brunette that, in strong sunlight, bore auburn highlights. It was his eyes, however, that really stood out and marked him as foreign. A bright, vibrant blue that sparkled merrily when he caught sight of his wife.

"Mei, I thought I heard your beautiful, gentle voice." He teased in perfect mandarin.

"Jing Hai!" Mei scolded, "You will not believe what Captain Li did!"

"I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation, my love." Her husband soothed, wrapping an arm around his wife's petite waist and pressing a chaste kiss to her temple.

"General Zhang." Shang greeted formally, rising from his seat to bow respectfully. Zhang Jing Hai was a highly respected commander with a military lineage that rivaled Shang's own. His father had been the leader of a party that had traveled south and west in the hopes of creating potential trade alliances with the western world. In doing so, he had met a beautiful foreign woman and taken her as his wife, thus explaining General Zhang's foreign appearance.

General Zhang was also a brilliant strategist and warrior in his own right. While Shang and his father had held off the Huns near the Capitol, Zhang and his troops had been slowly rooting out and exterminating the Hun spies that had slipped over the wall further to the west and begun to infest the general populace. The fact that this famous General was Po's brother-in-law and Po had failed to mention that even once, continued to astonish Shang.

"He called her a friend, Jing! A friend! And he has the gall to wonder why she can't magically read his thoughts and intentions? He's confused as to why she hasn't thrown herself into his arms and admitted her undying love and devotion!? CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS MAN!?"

"Calm yourself, Mei." Jing Hai suggested calmly, holding his distraught wife close before looking over her head at Shang with a cocked eyebrow and mouthing, "Seriously?"

Shang could only shrug. How was he supposed to know how a woman's mind worked?

Mei pulled away from her husband and spun around to face Shang, pointing a finger aggressively in his face, "You better fix this Li Shang, before you lose the best thing that has ever happened to you!"

"It's not as bad as you're making it out to be! We parted on good terms!" Shang persisted.

"Good terms? Tell me, Shang, how is "No. I don't deserve you. It's been an honor serving with you." good terms!?" Mei mocked, deepening her voice to repeat his words.

"First of all, I don't sound like that. And second of all…"
"Is she here, Shang? Are you now guaranteed a future with her? Can you hold her in your arms and treasure her with all your being and kiss her whenever you want? Huh? Can you, Captain?" Mei attacked.

"Alright, children, that's enough." Jing Hai broke in as Shang's face turned red with suppressed anger and shame, "Mei, that was uncalled for. Shang knows he messed up."

"Then why doesn't he admit it?" Mei pointed out.

"Because that's not how military men are raised, Mei. You should know this by now, having dealt with me. Now, apologize to Shang for your behavior."

"But he…!"

"Now, Mistress Zhang." Jing Hai ordered his wife with a stern look. Mei glared defiantly before looking away and muttering, "Fine. I'm sorry, Li Shang."

"I accept your apology, Zhang Mei, and offer mine in return." Shang reciprocated stiffly.

"Good. Now, instead of berating the Captain for what as already occurred out of ignorance, perhaps we can assist him in taking the proper steps forward, hmm? And I am sure my brilliant wife, being well-versed in the feminine mind and its workings, has a plan that will allow the Captain to woo his fair lady?" Jing Hai, flattered in a flirtatious, overly-dramatic tone, drawing a smile to his wife's face once more.

"As a matter of fact, I do! Now, what we need to do is…"

Later on, as they were retreating back to the house for the evening meal, Shang pulled Jing Hai aside.

"How did you do that?" He asked, more than a little awed as to how the General had handled his headstrong woman. Jing Hai grinned fiercely, "I'm a master strategist, Captain, and I have found those skills useful not only on the field of war but on the homestead as well. I have years of experience to draw upon." Shang nodded in impressed understanding and Jing Hai relented a little.

"Plus, it helps that I love her with all my heart and I know beyond a doubt that she reciprocates my affection. Most men want their women to be meek, submissive little things that do whatever they wish and they believe that is love, but I tell you, man, they are living a very dull lie.

If you find yourself facing a fierce, headstrong, independent woman who knows her own mind and heart, and finds great pride in the fact that she is capable of taking care of herself; chase after her with everything you have. Convince her that you cannot live without her and that she cannot live without you. Fight for her and weather through every storm for her, because when she has finally gifted you with her heart, it will all be worth it. She'll keep you on your toes for the rest of your life and you'll never regret it. And when you do finally have her, do not ever let her go.

If you believe you have found this in your Mulan, you must show her all of this. Show her the future you two can have together. Win her trust! If you fail to do so, you will never win her heart."

"I see." Shang murmured, pondering over everything he had just been told. Jing Hai, pressed an encouraging hand into Shang's shoulder.

"Take heart, man! As long as you are still a part of her life there is always a way to turn things around in your favor. My wife's plan is flawless! Follow it to perfection and you will soon gain the prize!" With a grin and a friendly parting slap on the shoulder, Jing Hai jogged forward to catch Mei in the doorway of the house.

"Right. Follow the plan. Easy enough." Shang muttered to himself. Follow the plan and then...well, and then Mulan would finally be his to love and to cherish and to hold forever!

And Mushu's Back! BAM!

Alright guys! Extra long chapter just for you darlings! What do you think? I personally love Mei, she's something else right? Such a ferocious friend! Can't wait to hear from ya'll! It has been waaaayyy to long! Totally my fault, of course :(

Love you all so much!

P.S. - I'm a first time aunt now, to the most gorgeous baby girl in the world! Yay!