CHAPTER TWO:

AN EVIL PLAN

THE BIRDS CHIRPING loudly in the small town in China were loud as they flew in the air in the morning sky. The chirps of crickets added to the sound as the insects all hid beneath the tall grass, way below the birds that flew high in the sky and above all the civilians in the small town of China. In the L/n residence, the same beautiful tree near the small river could be seen where it always was, the pink petals occasionally falling down onto the ground as it flew down, some even landing and floating on the water.

Right by the large trunk of the tree, a bench could be seen, the same bench Y/n's father had been sitting at before she had came back home. The same bench her father would sit at while she was off to war, wishing and hoping she'd make it home alive and well.

Turning the corner as she held her lover's hand in hers, Y/n led Milan to the bench, facing him as she sat down as they stared into each other's eyes. Meanwhile, just from the doors of her small house, her parents and grandmother were watching the whole ordeal between the couple. They watched as Milan went down on one knee, his mouth moving as he popped the question.

A loud cheer escaped Y/n as she rose her arms before jumping on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and shoulders as they both fell to the ground. Milan let out a chuckle as he instantly hugged her back, pressing a kiss to her temple as he continued to chuckle at her reaction, relief filling him that she said yes.

The girl's grandmother gasps, smiling. "She said yes."

Her father looks at his wife who sniffles, wiping a tear that fell. "When one's heart is overfilled with joy, some may spill from the eyes."

"You can say that again. I win the pot." Her grandmother exclaims, bringing out some coins that were attached to a rope.

"Actually, you bet he would propose before sundown. I bet he would propose before noon." Her father reminds.

The girl's mother steps forward. "But, you don't gamble."

"Betting against my mother is not a gamble." Her father states, holding out his hand for the coins. "It's an investment."

Letting out a groan, clearly displeased that she lost the bet between her and her son, Y/n's grandmother places the coins into his opened hand, letting out another groan.

🗡

Only a few hours had gone by since the proposal with Milan and Y/n and the girl's family watching the entire ordeal between the couple. Inside her own home in her bedroom, Y/n was fixing her dress while holding a large cloak in her arms as she looked at herself in the mirror, wanting to look decent at least.

The sound of the dragon she called her friend, Mushu, cries filled her ears after she had told him Milan had proposed to her. The red dragon held a piece of cloth in his paws as he wiped at his tears, trying not to continue to cry. At the end of the girl's bed, Cri-Kee was watching the entire thing, occasionally rolling his eyes at the dragon's reaction.

"What a happy, happy day. My little baby's getting married." Mushu cries out with a smile.

Y/n shushes him, looking down at him. "Mushu, someone will hear you."

"I can't help it. You know dragons are very emotional." Mushu argues, making her smile. "Oh, it seems just last month you and I were saving China."

"It was last month." Y/n replies.

"How time flies. You know, baby, this must be a magical moment for you." Mushu comments.

"It's not everyday I get engaged." Y/n states.

"No, I meant telling me you're engaged. After all, you know I'm the guy that gave you and Milan the hookup. Am I a guardian or am I a guardian?" Mushu asks, falling into her arms.

Y/n chuckles, hugging him. "You're more than that, Mushu. You're my most trusted friend."

Mushu gasps, his eyes widening as they were filling with tears. "Oh, that did it."

"Are you crying again?" Y/n questions.

"No, I just got some exfoliating cream in my eye. Of course I'm crying, girl. What you think? Oh, Y/n. I'm just so happy for me." Mushu tells her, hopping on her head.

"You?" Y/n repeats with a chuckle.

"This wedding business is a big status boost for me. When those ancestors look up the career ladder, all they gonna see is my behind." Mushu rambles, twisting a strand of the girl's hair.

"So glad my getting married is helping you out, Mushu." Y/n jokes.

"Alright, I get you, Miss Missy. But, you know, I'm think about you too. In fact, I'm gonna plan your wedding. First, I gotta work me up a theme. You know, theme is everything. How about Rainbow of Memories? No, that's too junior prom. I've got it. The theme is Think Pink. You know, pink is the new red, girl. It's simple, it says it. Now, watch my smoke." Mushu rants, hopping near her window. "Cri-Kee, to the fabric store."

The girl watches as Mushu hops out the open window with Cri-Kee right behind her. Hearing a familiar voice she's always loved calling out her name, she turns to the doorway of her bedroom, seeing her fiancé peak in.

"Seems your grandma invited someone to help us celebrate the engagement." Milan informs.

Y/n scrunches her face up, wondering who it could be. "Really? Who?"

Holding his hand out, Y/n places her hand in his, letting him lead her to the front door of her house before they both peaked out just in time to see all of the civilians of their small town as they all yelled out 'congratulations' at the sight of the couple. Catching sight of Milan's family in the middle of the crowd, Y/n smiles as she waves at his parents and grandmother, to which they smile and wave back. Y/n's grandmother walks by with plates in her hands and one on her head with food. After announcing for the crowd to make way for the happy couple she stated, the crowd looked at the couple before bowing.

"Now, this is a battlefield." Milan jokes.

"What's our strategy?" Y/n asks, pretending to flex her arms.

"Divide and conquer." Milan replies, making the two of them chuckle.

The couple walk towards the crowd, deciding to converse with everyone. Y/n's parents stood near the front door as they watched people ask the couple about their wedding. However, they frowned when they heard that both Y/n and Milan had different opinions on the wedding. While Y/n wanted a big wedding, Milan wanted a small one, most likely with just family and a few friends. As Milan wants lots of children, Y/n only wants one or two. It continued going on and on, making the older couple worried.

"Oh, dear. Did you hear that?" Y/n's mother questions.

The girl's father frowns. "Not exactly a harmonious couple, are they?"

"What should we do?" Her mother asks.

"Perhaps we should give our gift to the children now." Her father suggests.

Suddenly, the gates at the front of their residence opens up with a kick, followed by a neigh from a horse. All of them look over as a soldier rides up to the newly engaged couple who stood in the middle, stopping just by them.

Fa Milan, L/n Y/n. Orders from His Majesty the Emperor." The soldier announces, handing them two scrolls.

"Is there trouble?" Milan questions.

The soldier nods. "Yes, sir. Report to the Imperial Palace."

"We'll leave at once." Milan assures after sharing a glance with his fiance.

🗡

After the small party for the newly engaged couple, the said couple found themselves in the stables of the L/n residence as they put the saddles and everything they'll need to go the Imperial Palace. They were happy they'd get to see their good friend, Li Shang, as his name was on the scroll they had been given, even if Milan had seen him days ago, considering he was Shang's second in command. At the top on a wooden pillar, Mushu stood with Cri-Kee as he watched the couple. A frown laid on his face as he remembered the news the girl's ancestors had told him earlier.

After waking the ancestors up to announce that Y/n was getting married, he had tried telling them about wedding plans and what he wanted to do for the girl's wedding and hoped they'd help. However, they had kicked him out of the temple after telling him when Y/n was married, he'd go back to his normal job. Ringing the gong to wake up the the ancestors. He didn't want that. He liked his job at the moment, even if the ancestors didn't like it. He didn't wanna go back to being treated badly, even if the ancestors had the same distaste against him they always had.

"This must be pretty important for the Emperor to want us and Shang." Milan states.

Y/n smiles. "He knows a winning team when he sees one."

Mushu scoffs, just loud enough for Cri-Kee to hear. "Since when are they the winning team? The ink ain't even dry on my pink slip and I'm being replaced." Cri-Kee chirps at him, almost as if he was yelling. "Yeah, I know, you're right. How could I have been so selfish? Look at them. Those two clearly got it going on. Cri-Kee, I've made a decision. I gotta kiss my pedestal goodbye, because my girl's happiness comes first."

Cri-Kee chirps in agreement to his words before they looked over at the sound of a thud. They watched as Y/n's parents walked into the stables, Y/n's mother holding a flower in her hands as the said girl soon looked over at her parents when noticing them.

"Ba-ba. Ma-ma." Y/n calls.

"We were just admiring the Mudan tree." Her father informs.

"It's so lovely this year." Y/n points out.

"The blossoms reach for the sunlight above, yet unseen, the roots reach for the rainwater below." Her father quotes, placing the flower in her hand, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Sun and rain, so different. Yet only by working together do they create harmony and life."

Y/n nods. "I know, Ba-ba. The lesson of yin and yang."

"And to help you remember that lesson..." Her father begins, trailing off.

The couple watch as the older couple take off their necklaces they always wore around their necks, the pieces attached to the rope being yin and yang. They watch as the girl's father attaches them together perfectly.

"Father, mother. Your necklaces." Y/n breathes out.

Her mother shakes her head. "Not ours. Our great-great-grandparents."

"And now, yours." Her father adds, placing one around her neck and the other around Milan's.

Milan smiles. "Thank you, sir."

"Oh, they're so beautiful." Y/n whispers, holding hers as she looks down at it.

"But you'll be surprised how heavily they can weigh. To share the burden, you must work together. Like the sun and rain." Her father explains.

At his words, Milan looks to his lover, seeing her smile at her parents, making him smile before she looks up at him, staring right into his eyes as they both smile at one another. Milan reaches his hand forward and holds hers in his. Eventually, they pulled away where Y/n was hugging her parents goodbye before her and Milan would be leaving.

"Wait a minute." Mushu murmurs. "Old man L/n F/n got a point now. Y/n and Milan are as different as sun and rain. And when the infatuation wears off, their tree of life's gonna wind up with root rot." Cri-Kee chirps, narrowing his eyes on the dragon. "Oh, yeah, sure she seems happy. That's the real tragedy here. The girl don't even realize how miserable she is. That's why I gotta nip this thing in the bud." Cri-Kee chirps angrily. "This is not about my pedestal. This is about Y/n making the biggest mistake of my-- Uh, I mean, her life. Man, how could I have been so selfish? Y/n's a girl worth fighting for. And after all, I am the girl's guardian. Cri-Kee, I'm gonna break them up."

At his final words, Cri-Kee makes a very angry face before falling back on his back, completely done with the dragon in front of him. However, Mushu seemed to have thought differently as he raises a brow, looking down at the cricket.

"Oh. So I guess that means you're on board." Mushu concludes.