You Will Never Find Love - A twisted Mulan Story

Chapter 4

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Okay, greatest troops of all time may have been a bit of an overstatement. The soldiers were in a huge fistfight. Their clothes were ripped, and their faces were cut, and bruised. Some soldiers were holding up others by the hair. Everyone was yelling and covered in sticky rice. A soldier stumbled up to where I stood, saluted, and then fainted, falling onto his face. Chi Fu's face contorted into a disgusted frown.

"Most impressive, captain," he said, marking something else on his clipboard. I gritted my teeth in anger. This was going to be a long three weeks.

My father stepped over the unconscious soldier, and mounted his horse.

"He looked back at me. "Good luck, captain!" he shouted above the noise. He kicked his horse's side and it cantered off, out of the camp to join the army that was already waiting there.

I sighed. "Good luck, father," I whispered, lowering my eyes, and hoping against hope that he would come back alive this time too.

Chi Fu turned to me the moment my father was out of sight. "Day one," he said, raising an eyebrow at me. I scowled, and strode over to the soldiers, hands on my hips.

"Soldiers!" I yelled. Everyone stopped fighting, and as one, they backed up to reveal a man in the middle of the chaos. He lay on the ground, covering his head with his arms, his legs curled up into his chest.

"He started it!" One man called. The others shouted in agreement. I walked up to the cowering man. He peeked out of his hands and his eyes widened when he saw me. He jumped up, dusted himself off, and stood awkwardly at attention.

I got up in his face, staring into his eyes. "I don't need anyone causing trouble in my camp!" I said, voice full of danger. He backed up nervously.

"Sorry," he muttered. Then he cleared his throat. "Uh... I mean... Sorry you had to see that. But you know how it is when you get those... manly urges! And you just gotta.. Kill something! Ya know, cook... outdoors..." he looked worried.

I sighed. "What's your name, soldier?" I asked. Chi Fu would have to write this guy up in his report.

The guy swallowed and stuttered out a sentence. It may have been a response, but I couldn't tell. Neither, apparently, could Chi Fu. He tapped the guy on the head with his quil.

"Your commanding officer just asked you a question!" he said.

"Right," said the man. "Um... I have a name! And, it's a boy's name too..." he stopped talking, as if he was waiting for a response from someone. Then, he nodded his head to the side. "His name is Ling," he muttered.

I felt my face flush in anger. "I didn't ask for his name! I asked for yours!"

"Uh... Achoo!" he said.

"Achoo?" I asked in disbelief.

He glowered at something over his right shoulder. "Mushu!" he growled.

"Your name is Mushu?" I asked.

"No!"

"Then what is it?" I shouted.

"Ping." he said, eyes wide with fear. "My name is Ping."

I smiled. It wouldn't be hard to make this guy's life miserable. "Ok men, tonight, thanks to your new friend Ping, you will pick up every single spilled grain of rice. The real work begins tomorrow." I left them there to complete the task.

Instead of returning to my tent, I wandered the perimeter of camp, heading for the lake. Ping was different from the other men. I wasn't quite sure why, but he had a different aura about him. I sat down under a tree, and closed my eyes. Ping's eyes floated in my mind. The way his black irises sparkled in the sun. I gasped.

"Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no!" this couldn't be happening! Not after I had finally learned to control it!

"You figured it out much faster than I thought you would have," came a voice from next to me. I didn't even need to turn around to know who was talking.

"This is my test?" I asked, voice deadly quiet.

The witch smiled. "Very good, Shang. This test just may destroy you," she said, laughing.

I couldn't breathe. I felt my chest constricting. I was going to faint out of anger. "Why do you do this to me?" I whispered.

The witch smiled wider, if that was possible. "Everyone needs some good challenges in their lives, Shang. So I am just giving you a few extra." She disappeared in a cloud of feathers.

***

No matter how much I tried, I couldn't get Ping out of my mind. When I finally made it back to my tent, later that night, Chi Fu greeted me at the doorway. I waved him aside. I didn't want to talk to anyone right now. Especially not my lunatic adviser. I drifted off into a fitful sleep. When morning came, I was woken up by harsh sunlight shining into the tent. I opened my eyes and saw Ping holding the canvas.

"I hate to wake you, general," he said. "But the time has come for breakfast."

I got up and met him at the flap of the tent. When I approached, I realized self-consciously that I wasn't wearing a shirt. I blushed. Ping smirked, and ran a hand down my bare chest. I felt my face get even redder.

"You know what?" Ping whispered, his face only centimeters from mine.

"What?" I breathed.

Ping leaned closer. He brought his lips to my ear and opened his mouth to speak.

Suddenly, I was shaken awake by Chi Fu. I couldn't believe it. What was Ping about to tell me? I guess I would never know.