I snuggle closer to him, my cheek resting against his chest. "Thank you," I whisper. "For everything." My fingers trace gentle circles on his arm as I nestle further beneath the covers of her sleeping bag. It's still hard for me to believe that this is really happening, that he would risk so much for me. But I know now that no matter what happens in the future, Cliff will always be a part of my life.
Pulling my pants back up, I gather my shirt and silently slip out of Mulan’s sleeping bag. When the sun rises, she will be Ming again, and we will fight alongside each other as brothers. But tonight she was Mulan, and we were so much more than just brothers to each other.
I watch him slip out of the sleeping bag, my heart feeling heavy with regret and longing. As soon as he's gone, I pull my own pants back up and attempt to compose myself before drifting off to sleep. Tomorrow we will train and fight just like any other day, but tonight...tonight was a memory that neither of us would ever forget.