Disclaimer: I do not own Mulan, Walt Disney does.
Summary: A secret that was kept puts Mulan in a whole new world of disaster.
A/N: This story is written as a reply to a challenge at kpslashhaven. Mature rating (So this is for adults only but what the heck…no one abides by this rule anymore! LOL) Yuri, pairing Mulan with an original character. I didn't see the second Mulan so this story ignores that one.
I got lucky and got me a beta, thanks to Love Robin. (I learned a lot sensei!) So this is the edited version.
Fa Zhou's Son
Chapter 1
The banquet had passed its peak as the merry making dwindled down leaving noisy, drunk and
sleeping soldiers, the Emperor was kind enough to grant his army a night of celebration inside the great wall of the palace, complete with entertainment from the palace's renowned courtesans. The banquet was of course dedicated to the heroic deed of Soldier Fa Ping who with his friends trampled the great Shan Yu, leader of the Mongolian invaders. At the center of the banquet table was Captain Li Shang slowly drinking his cup of the emperor's finest wine. At his right was Ping who hardly touched his first cup of wine. Mushu, the dragon was nowhere to be found as well as cric-kee. Yao, who was sitting at Captain Shang's left was already drunk and ready to call it a night with his "lady", while Ling was trying his best to get along with his own. Chien-Po had disagreed to drink wine and be with a woman as he argued it is not appropriate, him being raised as a monk. "So, Chien has a good reason for turning down a woman," Captain Shang said, smirking at Ping who had nottaken to having a woman by his side, "But you Ping…, what is your reason?" the captain loudly blurted out after some time of thinking and him having loose tongue with all the liquors imbibed.
All eyes were diverted to Ping's location, even the drunk Yao looked at him waiting for an answer, "
Well…," Ping was speechless as he tried to come up with a good reason to turn down women.
"You can't be raised by a monk," Ling offered,
"I'm not…"
"Don't tell me you're celibate!" Yao shouted
"Hey, I just said he wasn't a monk!" Ling argued with the smaller Yao and this turned out to be an elbow war between the two.
"Stop it, let's hear what Ping has to say." Chien-Po in his usual mellow voice said. As usual he had to separate the two before once again focusing on Ping.
"Well…," Ping looked at Captain Shang, who had a smirk pasted on his face. Ping frowned, "How come you wonder about me having no woman by my side and yet you don't have yours?" he threw the question back at his captain.
The captain's smirk widened, accompanied by his face turning a darker shade of red, "Do not divert the question Ping, but to feed your curiosity, mine was hand-picked and is now waiting at my chamber. So will you answer the question now?"
Ping was taken by surprise and his eyes widened.
"Buddha bless you… are you saying that you are still a virgin at this point?" The blush that crept up Ping's face was all the Captain need to affirm the answer to his question.
"I am a virgin!" Chien-Po said frowning… well more of pouting.
"Yeah, but Ping," Yao pointed at the embarrassed soldier, "is not a monk… and he looks healthy to me!"
"We can always solve that," Ling said smiling evilly at the growing blush on Ping's face.
"What do you mean…?"
"Good call, Ling! Well since you won't choose from any of these women," The captain looked at each of the women in the room, "…I think it will be good If I…," Captain Shang pointed a finger to himself, "…choose one for you and yes," he smirked, "…she will be waiting for you at your chamber as well!"
"NO CAPTAIN…!"
"I am your captain and I order you to have a good time as this banquet is in your honor!"
"But I am having a good time!"
"No, we don't believe that…," all the soldiers said in unison.
xxxx
[Present]
Fa Mulan dropped on her bed limbless as she once again rekindle the memory of the day that had changed her life… probably forever. She had shamed her family over and over and this time, she knew that if she divulge to her family what she discovered about herself, her mother might die and her father would kill himself from anguish and humiliation. As for Grandmother Fa… she was not sure what her odd grandmother would do about the information. But one thing was for sure… she was now the bane of Fa Family's existence.
"Now you really did it... ," Mulan whispered before she took a pillow to cover her face… and if she was lucky, she could die of suffocation and prevent her family from being shamed further.
xxxx
Fa Zhou, Fa Li, and Grandmother Fa were all sitting on the floor around their dining table and having a conference. It had been two weeks since Fa Mulan had arrived home bringing the family honor when she led the Chinese Army in trampling down the Huns from invading China. As a proof, she even offered her father the emperor's medallion to be hanged on his small office for his friends to see.
"It has been two weeks, and aside from eating, our daughter has not gone out of her room, not even to talk with us. Was there any problem? Did she encounter any during her stay at the army?" Fa Zhou asked, frowning and demanding answers from his wife.
"I tried to talk to her dear, but she keeps on saying that everything was alright," Fa Li said, sporting the same frown directed now to her husband's mother, who was smiling, unlike them.
"Don't look at me, it's not as if I can read your daughter's mind," the matriarch said in her usual cheery demeanor.
"But something must have gone wrong!" Fa Zhou tapped hard on the table.
Silence.
"Well…maybe she fell in love with a soldier?" Fa Li offered.
"That should have made her happy, we had a hard time getting her a husband!" Fa Zhou said with a small smile on his face.
"But maybe the soldier is already married…," Grandmother Fa interrupted blowing the couple's bubble.
"You are not helping at all mother!" Fa Li reproached.
"Oh come on… my granddaughter had to pretend that she is Zhou's son to be able to join the army. How can she find another man to be interested in her if she was supposed to be a man?" Grandmother Fa shook her head, "I don't think she can go out now as Mulan or if she could, everyone will be asking her about her brother, what's worst? Once you get out there, Zhou, everyone in our place would be looking for your son. And how are you going to make one now and speed care for him to be say... twenty one so that he would be the same age as when he had saved China from invasion?"
The couple looked at the old woman in shock.
"And if the Emperor finds out that she had deceived the crown, the penalty is death whether she saved China or not…," The matriarch continued.
The couple's thoughts ran fast and both were heading on the same conclusion. Their daughter's fate had changed drastically since Mulan decided to take the place of her father to fight off the Huns. "This is all my fault," Fa Zhou said sadly, he raised one hand to massage his balding head, "If it weren't for my illness, Mulan would never have thought of going to battle in my stead."
Fa Li stood up and hugged her husband from behind, "No, Zhou, don't say that. It is not for us to know when we are going to be sick or not and our daughter is a bright woman, she knows the consequences of her action and she pursued it. She is as free spirited as you." Fa Li felt her husband relaxed and she would guess he was smiling. Fa Zhou may be a strict father, but he dotes on Mulan and she had never seen a father loved a daughter so much as her Fa Zhou, "As a matter of fact, I don't think there's any other woman in this country that would rival your daughter's free spirit!"
xxxx
"Xiang Fei Yi!" The emperor's son, the crowned prince, successor to the throne had it with his youngest daughter. He was marching toward his daughter's room after receiving yet another scroll containing the list of things he had to pay for. Well he was his father's son and he knew how righteous his father could be, if it was him in this situation he would do the right thing and compensate the people he had made trespass.
But well, the emperor only had two sons and both of them acted the way they should have, while he, fortunately or unfortunately begat two sons and two daughters and this one… his frown deepened at the thought of her, had been the realization of his worst fear in raising a family.
"Xiang Fei Yi!" he bellowed after forcefully opening his daughter's room door.
His daughter was sitting in front of her mirrored closet, her personal servant attending to her long, silky, raven colored hair. She was sitting there as if she was the most magnanimous thing you'll ever see in your life, her shining, light brown, almond eyes were that of an angel… if he do believed in them. His daughter was a picture of a woman who would do no horrible things and yet... . He looked at her daughter's form, she was wearing her usual 'house-clothes' : A traditional Chinese dress in Green silk with plain white cloth wrapped around her waist.
Xiang Fei Yi smiled her sweetest and turned to face her father. She gave him "that" look that would melt any man's heart… the one she oh so cleverly used with her strict grandfather, "Yes Papa? You called?" her voice was full of sweetness the crowned prince knew to be toxic and lethal.
Xiang Mien sighed and opened the scroll in front of his daughter, "And pray tell what is this list about?"
Fei Yi's eyes widened in an expression of shock, "Oh my… Papa, who would do such horrible things and come here to make you pay for it?" she asked in a very concerned voice.
If smoke could really 'flow'out of human orifices, Xiang Mien would swear he saw smoke coming from his own nose and ears, "Don't toy with me young lady!" he said, then mumbled, "Oh, Fei Fei, why did you leave her to me to care for all by myself?"
"You were saying, Papa?"
The crowned prince looked at his daughter, "You cannot fool me with that innocent act of yours young lady… or should I say young woman. In two weeks, you will be reaching your 19th birth day and I will announce your engagement to Prince Takehiro Masashi… ,"
"NOOOO!" Fei Yi stood up suddenly and banged her hand on top of her cabinet, "You cannot make me marry that man! He is hideous and he is not Chinese!"
"True, but it will serve two purpose, for one it will unite us with their people and two, it will relieve me of your unnecessary troubles that has been sullying our good reputation."
Fei Yi's jaw dropped, "You think I am sullying our name… I don't…," she dramatically dropped back to her chair. The crowned prince looked at the servant and motioned for her to leave which the servant hurriedly did.
Xiang Mien closed his eyes and stepped closer to his daughter, "Forgive me daughter I didn't mean for it to sound that way but…"
"I was just having fun like a normal woman does… and you accuse me of…"
"I said forgive me for using the wrong term…"
"No… you mean it Papa…," Fei Yi started crying, tucking her face on her crossed arms and resting them at the back of her chair.
Xiang Mien's eyes rolled, "Oh come on, Fei Yi…"
"You do not love me… you only love your reputation and you don't care if I hurt or not…"
"You know that's not true!" He was now on the defense, and tried to get away from his daughter's attack. His salvation came in the form of his father who was watching them in amusement.
"I was heading this way when I bumped with Shu and she told me you two are having a discussion. Was I interrupting?" he asked in his mild manner way.
The young princess looked up to see her favorite grandfather, "Oh, Grandpa!" she hurriedly stood up and ran to her grandfather's arm who enveloped her as if she was a fragile thing,"
"You are not interrupting at all, Father. As a matter of fact I am glad that you came," Xiang Mien smiled at the emperor.
"Oh... ," he looked down at her granddaughter who had a frown on her face. "Why is that frown on that lovely face of yours, Fei Yi?"
"Oh for Buddha's sake, I was just…"
"Father is forcing me to marry that ugly Prince!"
"Prince?" The emperor asked, his eyes directed on his son who nodded his head. "Oh, I think you are making a big mistake there my son," he smiled when he looked at his granddaughter who beamed at his declaration.
"I was just trying to do something right, it will unite us with their people plus Fei Yi had already come of age a year ago and she is turning a year older, she needs to marry and there's no one I could think of that suits her better than the Prince," he argued.
The emperor nodded his head, "You have a good intention my son, but you have not thought of this for long have you?"
The crowned prince frowned at his father.
"I was just stating, our country has just drove off the Huns from invading. We have been fighting to continue on existing without the influence of outside forces. What do you think our people would think if you decide to marry our dear Fei Yi to a foreigner?"
Silence
"But Fei Yi needs…"
"I don't want to marry yet and grandfather thinks…"
"I think it is a bright idea to marry off our dear Fei Yi and I have the best man in mind!" The emperor said cheerfully
"…I should marry…," Fei Yi pulled away from her grandfather's embrace, "You want me to marry too... Grandpa!"
The emperor waved his hand, "There is this fine young lad who had saved not only my life but the entire of China and I am afraid that after this, every woman in this country would beg him to take them as his wife. I feel it is most appropriate for such a lovely woman as our dear Fei Yi to get a hold of this man, don't you?" the emperor smiled.
Xiang Mien frowned, "You mean the young soldier with Captain Shang?"
"Yes, one and the same," the emperor agreed
"But grandpa he is so lame! There is no way I will marry him!" Fei Yi said, crossing her arms in front of her, "Besides, I am still young and I have more things to learn…."
"And he is just a soldier…."
"True, he is as you say 'just' a soldier but he is also our hero. Imagine what our people will think of you when they learned that the crowned prince had chosen him to marry your daughter? People's trust will soar, their fears will be alleviated for they know that the Empire is secure with Ping around," he smiled, "And I like this Ping."
"If you like him grandpa, why don't you marry him yourself?"
"Xiang Fei Yi!" Xiang Mien called out in reprimand.
"What?"
"Well dear Fei Yi, if I were a woman I might have but too bad I am not." he smiled, "He is also young, you both could learn about many things together," he said cheerfully, "Mien?"
The crowned prince too smiled, "I think I get the logic in your words father."
"Of course… I wouldn't be emperor if I am not good." He turned around, "I will return to my chamber to read on more scrolls…," he looked at the scroll in his son's hand, "That must be the list of things to pay?"
Xiang Mien sighed, "I'll take care of this,"
The emperor nodded and left the room leaving daughter and father alone. "You two are conniving old people."
"Watch what you say, Fei Yi,"
"I can't marry this Ping! Besides, he might not like me!"
The crowned prince smirked, "It doesn't matter if he likes you or not, he will marry you. I better go and have this wedding arranged."
"But father!"
"Good night dear Fei Yi!" he said now cheerfully and then left his daughter on her own.
"This is bad…," Fei Yi said dropping on her chair once again.
xxxx
Fa Mulan decided to skip dinner saying she had no appetite from eating too much junks. She knew her parents were worried about her, she knew that there were far more problems than what she had in mind and one of those was her pretending to be a man… fighting a man's battle. She was afraid that if the empire knew of her deceit, her father would pay a great price, probably his head. She should worry more about that but every time she tried thinking of a solution, she ended up thinking about her current situation and go down memory lane…
As it was, Captain Shang had his way with Ping. Thirty minutes after his decision, Ping was brought to his room forcefully by his so-called friends. Even Chien-Po helped…as a matter of fact, it was him who carried Ping to his chamber when it was obvious that Yao and Ling couldn't due to their inebriated state. Ping's quarter being situated next to Captain Shang's meant the captain had one last say before they both were pulled inside, "I would be waiting to hear either you or your woman scream, Ping," he said, smirking before disappearing.
Ping was sweaty when he came in, he stood still when he saw a woman dressed in a light sleep gown, sitting on her knees at the foot of the large bed waiting for him. She had her head bowed down.
"Look," Ping started, "This is really all a misunderstanding," he said nervously
The woman looked up at him and he was astounded to the beauty presented before him… she probably is the most beautiful woman she had ever seen in his life. He apologized to his mother secretly as he thought that this woman was even prettier than his own mother and she probably would have any man she wanted….
"You are very… beautiful…."
The woman smiled genuinely, "You are very kind, Master Ping…."
"Master…?"
"As I am yours tonight… you can do to me what it is you want thus you are my master," the courtesan replied while smiling suggestively at Ping, "It will be my honor to serve the Hero of China,"
Ping gulped, "Ah…," and he gulped more when the woman stood and stepped closer to him as if she was a predatory tigress, "Er…, what… ahhhh… your name…?"
"Does it matter, Master?" the woman said and took hold of Ping's hand then she pulled Ping towards his bed.
"Ye… yess… i...it doessss?" Ping was so nervous he could feel his knees shaking, even his voice.
"You have such a feminine voice for a hero," the woman said before pushing Ping on the bed. "And if it does matter to you, you can just call me Mei, that's the name I go for around here as we courtesans reserve our real names to family," she said while disrobing.
Ping's eyes widened and in reaction he sat up and tried to grab for the opened robe to get it back on Mei's body but the courtesan moved a bit fast and he instead got a grab of one breast in one hand and the end of a robe on the other.
"You are very eager master… I was instructed that this will be your first time?"
If Ping's eyes could get wider it would have. "Ahh No… actually that's were the misunderstanding comes in…."
Mei's one eyebrow rose, "You mean you're not virgin at all?"
"What…," Ping frowned and realized Mei's point, "Oh no not that…."
"You are a virgin then?"
"Yes but… I really cannot be with a woman…."
Mei straightened and her brow never returned back to its original position, "You like another man?"
"Yes… ah no! I don't like men… well actually I was looking for men before but well I was not doing good at finding one then I got into this war and I don't see them the same way and…."
"You talk too much master, so you don't fancy men the way you fancy them before now?" Mei said pushing Ping on his back and she started removing the knots on Ping's trousers and robe, "Do you fancy women now?"
"What…?" Ping was busy pushing Mei's hand off his clothes, "I don't… I just… I don't fancy anyone or anything at all! I am fine being by myself…."
"Ahhh, then let me help you with that…."
"No Mei…."
But Mei was more adept with disrobing another, she was making good of removing the Hero's clothing in less time than Ping could stop her and a gasp was heard from Mei's luscious lips. She stopped disrobing Ping and looked at the blushing soldier beneath her with slacked jaws. Under her was a womanly chest being obscured by elastic strapping.
"That's why I said I cannot…."
"You… you're really a woman…."
Ping was so nervous and scared that Mei would scream and alert Captain Shang, she held onto Mei's wrist, "Please don't tell the Captain…don't tell anyone…I can explain…"
There was a long moment of silence making Ping more nervous than she was before. Mei didn't ask for explanation and Ping wasn't giving anything despite saying she would. "What is your name then…I'm sure it's not Ping."
Ping frowned, "Well… why does it matter?"
"I can't have sex with someone I do not know the name."
"What? Can't you see I'm a woman just like you!"
"I know. And so?" Mei then continued disrobing her by first unwrapping her chest. Ping held onto Mei's hands.
"We cannot do that… I am not attracted to other women…."
Mei smiled wickedly, "And yet I can feel your pulse jumping up in delight…."
"I am nervous!"
"You can't fool me… Ping," she said and using her well skilled hands finally unwrapped Ping fully, "Ooohhh, you're one pretty specimen!"
"You can't have sex with another woman!"
"Of course I can and you're not the first woman I served like this!"Ping was stunned to silence making Mei's job easier, "If it relieves you from worry, I will not blurt out your secret to anyone, this will be between me and you but you do get the dilemma right?"
"Dilemma?"
"Your friends expects you to have a good time with me tonight, the Captain expects you to finally have an experience after this, he even expects you to scream if I don't and we both can't fake a scream… me I just don't fake orgasms while you on the other hand I'll guess had no idea what an orgasmic scream sounds like…."
"You… you're serious?"
"As a heart attack Master Ping, so I'll go for Ping tonight, I know you want to protect your real identity and I can't fault you."
Silence
"I don't know how…."
Mei smiled, "That's why I'm here…"
Ping's eyes widened again when her trousers were finally removed from her and Mei leaned forward and started kissing her lips.
Mulan closed her eyes as the vision of the older and more experienced woman assaulted her brain. The taste of Mei's lips, how soft it was against hers. The taste of Mei's tongue and how it felt as her tongue assaulted her body, landing on her firm, perky breast… that well experienced mouth on her nipples… and all the activities there after that had, for the first time lead to her screaming and her wanting more.
And that which lead to her problem now.
When she found Mei that first time in her chamber, she knew she wanted this to happen, she was attracted to her at once. Unlike with guys… Captain Shang was good looking, as a matter of fact, she knew a lot of women wanted to get his attention, he was well sculptured and well educated yet she never felt that attraction she felt with Mei the first time they meet. And that set her mind to wonder… had she been attracted to girls all along without her knowing it? She did not have much in the way of female friends, aside from her mother and grandmother, her only female acquaintance was Shao Li and she was not an attractive woman.
"Are you still thinking about your tryst with that courtesan Mei?" Mushu, the tiny ancestral guardian dragon interrupted Mulan's musing.
"Leave me alone…."
"I told you, there's nothing to think. You are what foreigners call 'sapphic' and believe me, I got no problem with it… not one bit!"
Mulan sat up on her bed and looked at Mushu who was standing on the table in front of her, "I said leave me alone, Mushu," she rolled her eyes,
"Your parents are worried and your grandmother promised me a lot pain if I don't get you into shape," Mushu whined, "Even Cric-kee is getting feisty!"
Mulan dropped her body on the bed once again, "I have once again shamed my family! How can I harbor such feelings? It is not normal!"
"Well you fighting the war and winning it wasn't normal for a Chinese woman too, but look at it as a form of change… though a radical one!"
"I can't have this change."
"True but there's no other choice, so you better embrace it."
Mulan sat up again, frowning she asked, "Why should I?"
"Because whether you like it or not, the people of China will be looking for Ping and not Mulan."
"But… what will happen to me?"
"That remains to be seen… but whatever happens, Ping and Mulan are one and the same person and sooner or later, change will come to this country and you won't have this problem any longer."
Silence.
"What if that change doesn't happen?"
"It will… maybe not in your lifetime but… at least I know the people that are close to your heart will understand, and they may not like it at first but they will still be there to back you up."
No reply
"Are my parents doing okay?"
"Well aside from worrying about your mood swings, yes they are fine and healthy. Your grandmother is as feisty and as unconventional as ever. Oh I am fine too though I'm being reprimanded by your ancestors a lot for putting you in this situation…."
Mulan smiled for the first time, "Well if my ancestors who were bent on living by the family tradition accepted my heroic deed… how hard would it be for them to accept that I am attracted to another women?"
Mushu smiled, "That's the attitude girl! Now come on and stop killing yourself over Mei… I'm sure there are prettier girls out there and virgins to boot!"
"Mushu!"
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at her door and by her mother's voice, "Mulan dear, I'm sorry to interrupt your rest but a letter from the palace has arrived, and it is addressed to Ping!"
Mulan and Mushu eyed each other
-End Chapter 1-