Midnight was approaching and nearly all the guests had left. Even Shang's mother, it seemed, had started home without them. Ling returned to the table with his back hunched forward and tears still slowly making their way down his face. He caught the attention of Mulan first, who immediately rose and walked up to give him a hug; Shang and Chien Po joined in soon after.
"It's going to be alright. I promise," Mulan assured him, stroking the boy's back.
"We're all here for you too... if you ever need to talk," Chien Po added.
"Thanks, you guys," Ling returned as he pulled away and wiped one of his eyes dry with a sniffle.
As the group began to separate themselves, they became aware of approaching footsteps and the ground illuminating behind them. They turned to find Fa Zhou and Li walking towards them with a lantern.
"You're still here? I thought everyone had left some time ago," Mulan's mother remarked.
"Without saying goodbye!? Never!" Shang replied with a smile.
"Well you children are welcome to come inside out of the cold if you wish," Fa Zhou was sure to offer.
"I actually think I was gonna head home. Thank you though," Ling declared, giving the Fas a grateful smile. Chien Po nodded in agreement.
"Shang and I should probably be heading home too, it's getting late," Mulan added.
Her parents' expressions turned somber, but they nodded their heads in agreement.
"We understand," Fa Li said sadly.
"But first..." Mulan began before tiptoeing up to whisper something into her dad's ear.
Shang watched and smiled as Fa Zhou's expression turned to curiosity and surprise.
"Well ... I don't mind..." Fa Zhou started before turning to Shang, "...but his mother?"
"She'll be fine," Shang chuckled.
"Then by all means, go ahead," Fa Zhou replied with a smile.
Mulan let out a light squeal of delight before racing inside the house.
Fa Li stared at her in confusion before turning to Zhou and Shang, "What just happened?"
"Apparently the couple has decided they're taking the dog," Fa Zhou explained.
"...oh."
Mulan returned moments later with Little Brother in hand.
"Sorry, Mom," she giggled as the dog squirmed in her grip.
The four exchanged their final goodbyes and promised to visit again soon before mounting their horses and making their way out of the estate. At the gates they found Ling and Chien Po readying themselves to leave.
"Are you going to be alright?" Shang asked Ling.
"I'll be okay," he tried to assure them.
"We can take you home if you want," Mulan offered, "you don't have to travel on foot this late."
"No, no," Ling replied as he tried to brush off the suggestion, "I'm a trained soldier, I can handle myself. And I'm sure you two have much more exciting things to do right now then escort me home."
Mulan and Shang exchanged a pair of awkward glances before he spoke again.
"Besides, I have Chien Po here too. We'll be fine!"
"I'll make sure he gets home safely, I promise," Chien Po assured the couple.
With that, the couple gave them a friendly nod and motioned for their horses to proceed forward. They watched to see the two soldiers make their way down the road before allowing themselves to pick up their own speed, making well on their way back to the Li manor.
As Mulan and Shang left, a small figure atop the walls of the Fa gates watched them on their way. The red dragon couldn't help but let out a sigh as he watched them go.
With the combining of the temples, Mushu was now free to keep his residence and his pedestal here without issue; all his troubles were gone. However, as Mulan and Shang's silhouettes faded farther into the distance, Mushu couldn't help but feel a sense of longing and emptiness come over him. With his head held a bit low, he made his way back into the estate, sparing a moment to catch a final glare in their direction. It wasn't so bad; he was still here. After all, it's not like he would never see them again. Right?
Mulan and Shang arrived home early morning. Shu's horse was in it's stable, so at the least the couple knew she had made it back. Mulan ruled it best to also settle Little Brother in the stable for now, and figure out that situation in the morning. Once they made it inside, the exhaustion of the day caught up with them and they wanted nothing more than to sleep.
While Shang left to wash, Mulan began changing out of her wedding dress and into her sleeping clothes. As she did so, she couldn't help but feel a strange sense come over her. It was as if she weren't alone; like someone else was there. Her suspicions turned to fear when she could swear she heard the room door swiftly open and shut.
Now on high alert, Mulan slowly backed up towards the wall and carefully scoped the room, looking for the source of the noise. Now it was eerily silent. Her gaze shifted in all directions, and the longer she spent without finding the intrusion, the greater her anxiety grew.
"Hey!" a voice announced.
Mulan flinched back with a gasp, bumping her head to the wall, before finally finding the intruder, "...Mushu!?"
The dragon stood next to her on the floor, giving her a smirk before extending his arms, "C'mon, don't leave me hanging!"
Mulan immediately picked him up and pulled him into an affectionate hug, "What are you doing here!?"
"Where else would I be? I'm your guardian! Wither thou go I goeth, girl!"
She giggled and gave him a compassionate smile before another thought crossed her mind, "Wait! What about your pedestal?"
"Don't you worry about that," Mushu shrugged it off, "a quick talk with the residents and I'll be up the corporate ladder in no time!"
"Well," Mulan replied, trying to stifle a yawn, "it looks like you've got it all figured out then..."
"Oh, don't you be stayin' up on my account," he told her as he patted her cheek, "you've had a long day, you need to rest."
"No, I'm fine..."
"I have to get myself settled here anyway. Don't you even worry. You get your sleep! That's an order!" Mushu insisted before scurrying out of the room.
The serpent made his way up the rafters in an effort to scope out the house and figure out where to go. Climbing over the various rooms in the home he began to get a feel for the layout, making navigating the structure less complicated. Once he was able to locate the Li family shrine, he made his way over.
Mushu entered the stone room slowly, crawling on all fours. It was cold and dark, and the sound of his claws hitting the floor echoed through the otherwise silent room.
"...Hello?" he whispered. No response.
He timidly made his way further inside the shrine, looking around for any signs of life; or afterlife.
"Hello!" he announced again, a bit louder, "My name is Mushu... I'm a guardian from the house of Fa!"
With that, the engravings on the shrines began to illuminate and the light streaks of spirits slowly started to escape from them. These were the Li ancestors. As they took form, one could clearly see the difference between these spirits and the ancestors of the Fa house. The women were all extremely poised; much like Shu. They held themselves upright with their chins high and all of their arms folded or behind their back. As for the men, they were almost all well built and stood with dignity; even in death they didn't break their posture. Many of them seemed quite young for spirits, but with their state it came as no surprise; their full uniforms, some with gaping holes running directly through their ghostly forms, and others with large arrows or various other weapons still stuck in their bodies. There was absolutely no denying the Lis' military lineage.
"Yes, my wife has been telling me every day of Mulan and the Fas," a deep voice spoke through the crowd.
Making his way towards Mushu was a short but sturdy man. A well groomed beard framed his face and judging by his tattered uniform one could deduce he was engaged in a long and heated battle right before his passing, finally taken down by a sword through the heart. It was General Li, Shang's father.
"My dear Shu is much less than enthused," the general chuckled off, "but I knew Fa Zhou well. He was an excellent soldier and a great man. I am honored to welcome his daughter into the house of Li."
With his sentiment, a good number of ancestors shared a look of annoyance, many turning away or rolling their eyes.
"You'll have to forgive them," Shang's father told Mushu, "many are still upset at my son for choosing not to marry a lady of noble birth. As you've probably realised, that includes my beloved."
Mushu nodded in agreement, about to offer his own two cents before being cut off.
"The real issue at hand is much less about your son's wife, and more about what your son has done," an older ancestor angrily interjected, looking the general in the eye before turning to Mushu, "specifically the reason he is here."
"Hehe..." the dragon laughed nervously, "I ... I can explain..."
"The Li family already has the greatest guardians in all of China!" he declared, "we've no need for this Fa infestation!"
Mushu looked up at the ghost in fear, unsure of what to say.
"He makes a point," General Li agreed, "my son was raised with the utmost respect for our customs and traditions, and his actions were most unorthodox. What force could've possibly led him to defy the rules and combine the temples?"
"W... w... what force?" Mushu repeated in a stutter.
The general nodded and the other ancestors looked to the dragon with curiosity, skepticism, and hints of anger in their eyes.
"I guess... well I guess it was love."
His sentiment did little to ease the minds of the Li ancestors, who simply continued their staring.
"Yeah ... yeah, that's right," Mushu declared, "Mulan plays by her own rules, yes, but that's why Shang loves her! He combined the temples so that instead of saying goodbye to who she is, Mulan could carry her family and guardians, like me, over with her, and our two houses could be united instead of his ... yours ... just taking over completely."
While many of the ancestors scoffed at the notion of "love" acting as any kind of explanation or justification for the boy's actions, others were able to accept that what was done was done and all they could do now was deal with the situation at hand.
"So what brings you here, little one?" another Ancestor asked him.
"Yes. You could've continued your role of guardian from your own estate. And one would think a guardian such as yourself would find heaven in his home sanctuary."
Mushu thought back; they weren't wrong. He had earned himself a life befitting a god on his pedestal back home. By choosing to come here, he'd be abandoning that life... but it wasn't without reason.
"I decided to come here," Mushu started with a shaky breath, "because I also love Mulan. We've been through so much together and my friendship with her is a hundred times more valuable than any pedestal. I came here so I could stay by her side."
"That was very noble of you," General Li told him with a smile, "however you do understand that you cannot expect the same status here that you enjoyed at the house of Fa?"
"I do," Mushu said as he exhaled and slouched his back slightly, "but I'm alright with that. Who knows? Maybe I can even work my way up!"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," the General chuckled before turning to the other spirits. After many of them gave various gestures of approval he turned back to Mushu.
"Welcome to the house of Li, great Fa guardian. If you'd like to reside here, there is much you should learn. I trust my old friend will be happy to teach you."
With General Li's sentiment, a large shadow blocked the moonlight that was coming in through the shrine's opening. Before it stood a majestic jade lion who announced his presence with a powerful roar.
"My name is ShiShi."