Reflection (Disney Twisted Tales) - Elizabeth Lim Page 0,57
thud.
“I thought you two would be farther along by now,” he rebuked them.
“This isn’t a good time, ShiShi,” Shang said through his teeth. “We’re in the middle of a discussion.”
“No time to talk,” the lion answered. “My instincts were right. Meng Po is still looking for you, Li Shang. I found traces of her tea in the dirt not far from here. Before long, the area will be overrun with her demons. We must—”
“Not now, ShiShi,” said Shang, seething.
“Yes, now! She’s eluded us. She could be anything, or anyone.”
“Even Ping?” Shang said coldly.
“What?” The lion’s fur bristled. “What is going on here?”
“N-nothing,” Mulan stammered. “Shang, we really should listen to Shi—” She stopped, noticing Shang’s eyes were as cold as ice. Her shoulders fell.
Can you blame him? You’re not who you said you were.
“Did either of you hear what I just said?” ShiShi barked. “Meng Po is looking for us. So get off your lumbering feet and run!”
Shang folded his arms and drew himself tall so he towered over Mulan. “I’m not going anywhere until this…this imposter tells me who he really is.”
“Imposter?” the lion repeated, standing between the two. “What is this nonsense? Come out with it—both of you.”
“Ping’s ancestors don’t have any recollection of his existence,” said Shang.
Mulan stared at the ground.
“I always knew ghosts were trouble.” ShiShi dug his paws into the dirt, clearly vexed with both of them. “Ping’s ancestors probably just haven’t heard of him.”
“I thought so, too,” Shang allowed. “But Ping is hiding something.” He glared at Mulan, and despite the hardness of his expression, there was a trace of disappointment in his eyes. “At least, this Ping. For all I know, the real Ping is still at camp watching me die.”
“I am the real Ping,” Mulan insisted. She turned to ShiShi. “Please, tell him.”
A low grumble escaped the lion’s throat. He looked left and right, taking in their surroundings. The trees echoed, whistling with the quiet wind. “The boy is telling the truth, Li Shang. Your father sent him to Diyu; he asked me to guide him here. I have been with him since.”
The arrogant guardian’s face became wise and expressive, and now Mulan understood how he’d been General Li’s trusted companion for so many years.
“If you want to doubt anyone, it should be me. I was your father’s guardian for almost thirty years, yet I was unable to protect him from being killed by Shan-Yu. Because of my failure, tragedy has befallen your family.” ShiShi lowered his head, as if the jade pendant he wore weighed him down. “I’d planned to seek you out, to protect you as your guardian next, but I was too late.”
Shang stiffened. His shoulders drew in tight, and Mulan could tell he was trying to hold back the emotion of remembering his father’s death.
“Do not misunderstand me,” said the lion. “There is no dishonor in falling in battle. Not in your father’s case, nor in yours. My shame is not that both of you died in battle. My shame is that I failed to protect you and your father, and I seek to salvage what little honor I have left.
“Your friend Ping, however, is different. At first I thought he’d only promised to come to Diyu out of guilt, because you’d risked your life to save him. But I see now I was wrong about him.”
ShiShi’s defense of her only made Mulan feel worse. The truth—that she was a woman—froze in her throat.
“Ping is a true friend,” ShiShi continued. “Do not let his silly ancestors muddle your thinking. Have more faith, Li Shang. Ping risked his own life to come down into the Underworld. He battled hundreds, maybe even thousands, of ghosts to seek an audience with King Yama in his throne room, and even convinced Yama himself to give him a chance to save you!”
“I know that,” Shang said, shoulders drooping ever so slightly.
“You do?” ShiShi huffed.
“Ping told me.”
“Then?” the lion growled. “How can you be so ungrateful? If Ping cannot leave with you before sunrise, he will become King Yama’s prisoner for all eternity. Only a true friend would make such a sacrifice.”
Shang fell silent. He stared hard into the ground and wouldn’t look up. His lips were drawn into a thin line.
“Your father was the same when he was young, Li Shang,” ShiShi continued, more gently now. “He was so proud it became difficult for him to see past someone’s flaws. But he learned over time, thanks to my help.”