Disclaimer: I do not own Mulan

Shang's POV

Shang stirred in his sleep, he could hear someone talking, but he couldn't initially identify the voice. All he wanted was for them to stop talking and then he registered that the voice was talking about him, and it sounded like Mulan. He was really confused for a moment. The first thing he noticed was that it looked like Mulan had snake like things going up to her hands, but he was also half asleep so that didn't mean anything, he could have been imagining those. He continued to listen to her feeling his anger and confusion grow with the things she was saying. That's when her head popped off. Which if he was being completely honest terrified him, but still he wasn't fully awake, so it didn't mean it really happened, but he was beginning to have his doubts. Then came the last comment. This one quite different from the others.

"Ooh-we, that boy can peel paint," said Mulan, although her voice sounded decidedly more male than usual, more male than when she was pretending to be Ping.

He got up then, suddenly quite awake and alert, covered his mouth with his hand and was halfway towards confronting her when he stopped with a sudden realization. He finally processed the fact that Mulan's head had popped off and that her last comment had sounded so male voiced it couldn't have possibly been her. It was either a dream, or someone was playing a joke on him, on both of them. He continued on his path to find Mulan, much calmer than before. He found her not all that far from the tents, sitting on a rock and keeping watch.

"Mulan," he called out as he approached her. She stood to face him.

"Why, hello, general. Out on nightly maneuvers?" she asked with a hint of a smile in her eyes. Shang took her hand and sighed.

"Not exactly," he said, finally smiling. "I just had the strangest dream, or at least I think it was a dream, it's a little hard to tell," he said.

"Want to sit with me and tell me about it?" she asked as she led him to the rock she had been sitting on, luckily there was a second rock right next to it.

"Well, you and the princesses were standing outside my tent, and you had these weird snake-like things going up to your arms, which was weird, and probably should have been my first clue that it wasn't you, but I was half-asleep so I wasn't processing properly. You were saying these awful things about me, calling me general hardhead, making fun of how I like to always have a strategy, saying that I had garlic breath. What made me realize it was probably a dream though was when your head popped off and the last comment you made about how I could peel paint sounded quite male, even more male then when you were pretending to be one. So, I stormed out here fully prepared to yell at you, when I realized it couldn't have possibly been you, so either I was dreaming or someone is playing a prank on me, on both of us," he said, glad to have it all out in the open.

Mulan smiled softly, resting her hand on top of his.

"You know I would never say bad things about you Shang, I love you," she said. Shang smiled, she always did manage to make him feel better.

"I know, I love you too," he said. A few moments later he decided to return to his tent and get some more rest.

Mushu's POV

Meanwhile, up in a tree Mushu was getting quite upset. His plan was foolproof! He couldn't believe he had failed. If only he hadn't made the head pop off or if he had made the last comment in the false Mulan voice. Maybe it would have worked. He had to come up with another plan and fast. That's when he noticed the princesses, and the guards, leaving the camp. This was it! He would tell Mulan that they left the camp and convince her to go after them by herself, without Shang, and then he would wake Shang up, Shang would see they all left and be furious. Now this plan was foolproof. He scurried off to go and talk to Mulan.

Mulan's POV

Mulan was sitting on the rock keeping watch, thinking about Shang's dream, or not dream, they didn't know.

"Hey, Mulan," she heard a voice call and looked down to see Mushu looking up at her.

"What is it Mushu?" she asked, expecting him to have some advice or something.

"I just thought you would like to know, the princesses and the guards have left the camp," Mushu told her. Mulan's jaw dropped, she had not been expecting that when he came to see her.

"What?" she exclaimed. "I have to go tell Shang," she said.

"You can take care of this without him, let him sleep," Mushu said. Mulan considered what he said for a moment and then shook her head.

"I may be able to handle it without him, but he needs to know, and he needs to make the decision on whether or not I go alone, not me," she said and walked off to Shang's tent, not noticing Mushu banging his head into a tree behind her.

"Shang," she called out when she got to his tent, gently banging on the pole of his tent, for she knew him to be a light sleeper, most of them were after the war against the Huns. He poked his head out a few moments later.

"What is it Mulan? Time for a shift change already?" he asked her. Mulan grimaced.

"Not exactly," she said. "The princesses, along with Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po are missing, I found footprints that I assume lead toward the village. I am willing to handle this alone, but wanted to make sure that you knew," she told him. Shang sighed internally, this was not something he wanted to deal with tonight, but he felt the need to go with Mulan, plus he always enjoyed spending time with her.

"I'll come with you, I know you can handle it alone, but I want to, plus it's always good to have back-up. I'll be right out, just let me get dressed," he said. True to his word a few moments later he was by her side and the two were saddling up their horses. It took them some time to get to the village and to find the princesses, and their guards.

Shang's POV

When they finally found the group, they were at a bridge looking at the moon, Shang went to go confront them, but Mulan gestured for him to wait a moment, he looked at her strangely but her eyes said to trust her, and so he did. One of the girls made a comment about how the moon looked different than the one at the palace, that's when Mulan chose to make her entrance.

"I know I've never seen anything like it," she said, and the group immediately panicked. Shang chuckled, both at her wit and at their reactions.

"Mulan! Shang!" they all exclaimed.

"We're listening," Shang said choosing this moment to step beside Mulan. It was slightly amusing to watch them all scramble to explain. Mei found her words first.

"We're in love," she cried and Shang's sprits fell. He let them have their moment before he stepped up.

"I am so happy for all of you, but you must know that you cannot be together, although I do wish you could, your father needs the alliance with Qui Gong in order to hopefully prevent the war with the Mongols, I am truly sorry," he said. The group paused, knowing he was right. Mulan and Shang led the downtrodden group back to camp and as they walked, Shang swore to himself that he would find a way for them to be together.

A/N: I like to think that a lot of Shang's anger towards the group stemmed from his fight with Mulan, so I chose to take that and run with it. This will probably be a two or a three shot depending on how the next chapter goes.