Looks like I'm back in the fan fiction game! Woo!

After much deliberation and procrastination, I've finally decided to contribute to my all-time favorite ship, Zutara. It's been a while since I've written a lengthy fan fiction though, so please bear with me. Not to mention, this is my first foray into serious Zutara writing ever. Anyway, I really hope you guys like it!

So this fic is very loosely based on Mulan, so if it doesn't seem like it at first, it's because I won't be following the story verbatim. It's more of a guideline.

Disclaimer: ATLA belongs to Bryke & Mulan belongs to Disney.

Enjoy!

Chapter One

In the glow of the moonlight, I do my best to remain quiet. It's difficult, as my hand itches to open the waterskins at my hips. Be patient. My mother's voice echoes in my mind - yes, I have to be patient. The full moon urges me forward but I hav to be careful. One wrong move, and I'll be discovered too soon.

The two men I follow speak in hushed tones, so I can't quite make out what they're saying. It doesn't matter, though. I'm not trying to spy on their conversation, I just need to know where they're going. How much longer are they going to walk? We're already a couple of hours outside the Fire Nation Capital - how much farther could their hideout possibly be? When they come to a stop, it's at the base of a cliff, a stone wall before them. I lunge behind a large boulder almost a second too late. One of the men - the younger one - turns to inspect his surroundings, hand lit with his firebending.

"We're good." I peek around the boulder, my stomach brushing the grass beneath me as I press to the ground. He turns to his companion with a nod, and the latter performs a quick earthbending maneuver, shifting a large portion of the wall, revealing a dark tunnel. Damn - there's no way I'd be able to follow them through the opening.

I let myself make some noise, allowing the robes of my costume to brush loudly against the tall grass. Moving swiftly, I push back into the darkness, where the firebender's light can't reach me. He whips around, motioning his partner to stop. Before the earthbender can close the gap, I launch a water whip his way, wrapping the thick tendril around his leg and pulling him towards me. The earthbender's head knocks against the ground and he's unconscious. I hardly have time to make sure he's not bleeding before the firebender attacks with quick, hurried jabs. He's panicked, and he can't really see past my robes.

"P-Painted Lady…" Is he aware that he's mumbling to himself? I don't speak, taking advantage of the man's momentary inability to control himself. I pin him down in a barrage of ice, though I know that won't hold the firebender for long. Once he's down, I knock him unconscious with a swift kick before he can get a good look at my face. Like his partner, he's out for the count.

I'm relieved to see that the opening is intact, though that relief is short-lived. Whatever their destination was couldn't be that far into the tunnel, as three men emerge from the opening. Farther into the darkness, the sounds of mobilization float to us as they alert the rest of their group. With more people soon to appear at the mouth of the tunnel, my only choice is retreat. With a groan, I summon my water back out of their skins, encasing my arms in thick tentacles. A single swipe of my arm manages to knock two of the men against the natural wall. The third man is quicker than the rest, dodging swiftly and getting behind me. I whip around just in time to deflect a fireball, losing some of my water in the progress.

He's a better bender than the first one, and has me cornered almost immediately, my back against the wall as I try to find a way out. Running isn't an option, as he'll likely shoot me down before I get very far. Another firebender joins him and between the two of them I'm beginning to lose stamina. Soon, I'm stumbling, left with no option but to dodge their attacks in an attempt to conserve water. Energy from the full moon hums through my skin, and I know what my body wants to do. My survival instinct kicks in, and I assume a stance I never wanted to use again.

They're shooting at me again when I'm about to take control of their bodies. Bloodbending isn't something I'll ever enjoy doing, but the rush of energy is difficult to resist. Feeling that kind of power can get addicting.

I'm distracted by a flash of a shadow as something emerges from the brush and dashes towards the nearest firebender. A glint of blue glows in the moonlight before it's snuffed out in the same moment. A grunt and a thud later, that firebender is on the ground. The one still standing is momentarily stunned, giving me the chance I need to knock him out with a single whip. Whoever it is that's decided to help me, they're also concerned with concealing their identity. They straighten up and turn to me, revealing a mask I recognize as the Blue Spirit. Sokka and his friends used to talk about him - the patron spirit of Fire Nation warriors. In all the time I've spent as the Painted Lady, this is my first encounter with him.

Neither of us speaks, but we seem to communicate well enough. With a nod, we both head into the cave. His mask is unnerving, though I'm sure I'm not any more of a comforting sight. He runs in front of me, his legs much longer, and in the shadows I can make out the silhouette of a sword at his back. When we stop, he holds out an arm, stopping me from advancing as well. The tunnel opens into a chamber, and the entrance is on what appears to be a makeshift balcony made from the wall of the cave.

It seems our fight outside didn't alert the people deeper into the cavern, and they continue to go about business as usual. Below us, the large space is filled with at least a hundred people, with more streaming in from various tunnels in the walls. We dash back into our tunnel, keeping out of sight. From our vantage point, I can still see the man who appears to be leading the meeting - he stands at the front of the room, a giant banner hanging on the wall behind him. It's the symbol of the Red Lotus. Beside me, the Blue Spirit's stance relaxes, and he moves to walk back out of the tunnel and away from the chamber.

He's just going to let them go?

I follow him out, but not before passing in front of him and turning to stop him. It's doubtful that he can see my face past the shadow cast by the straw hat and through the veil, but I do my best to express my confusion. In return, he shakes his head and motions for me to follow.

Outside, he lifts his mask. For a second I think he's going to remove it completely, but he only tilts it enough to place two fingers in his mouth and whistle. It's a piercing sound I'm not prepared for after all the sneaking around. Before I can even react, his mask is back in place and his hand takes my wrist and pulls me into the shadows and behind the boulder I'd originally hidden in. With a finger against the mouth on the mask, he uses the other hand to point around the boulder.

I hear them before I see them - hundreds of them. Despite living in the Fire Nation, I've never seen so many soldiers in one place. Unlike the Blue Spirit and me, they'll be more than capable of taking on the entirety of the Red Lotus members. The Blue Spirit obviously knows this, too, because once the last of them is inside the tunnel, he gets up and begins to walk away. He turns to look at me once, nodding before sprinting off into the night. Taking a page out of his book, I make myself scarce, too.

The next morning, the news is all over the city. Due to an anonymous tip, a Red Lotus hideout in the lands outside the Fire Nation capital was overtaken by a small army made up of the soldiers stationed in the area.

Every shop owner is talking about it, and I do my best not to react out of the ordinary to the news.

"Hello? Katara? Are you in there?" Li snaps her fingers in front of my eyes, and I realize I'm staring blankly at an apple.

"Sorry - just got lost in my own thoughts for a second…" I shake my head, trying to reassure my friend. In an attempt to play it off, I pick up the apple and place it in my bag.

"You've been doing that a lot lately, is everything okay?" Li's opal eyes show nothing but concern. I do my best to offer her a smile.

"Just worried about my dad. Sokka's last letter said he hasn't heard from dad either." It's not a total lie - I am worried about my father. That's why I've been investigating the Red Lotus.

"Oh - I'm sorry. Of course you're worried - how could I be so stupid?" She grabs her waist-length braid in both hands, almost wringing it.

"No - it's fine. Really." I try to continue shopping. Cooking for only myself has made me lax, and I keep letting myself fall behind on groceries.

Despite my reassurances, or possibly because of their lacking conviction, Li continues to shoot me worried looks. She doesn't say much else as we wrap up our shopping, but now I'm watching her and can tell there's something more she wants to tell me.

My curiosity gets the better of me as we walk through the city streets on our way back to my house.

"Are you going to tell me what's eating at you?" I'm carrying my bags in both my arms, one of them just barely missing brushing my chin. When I look over at Li, she's staring at her feet.

"I…" She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes before releasing her next words. "I've enlisted."

I try not to react, but I can't help the way my grip weakens just slightly. It's difficult to hide the falter when I'm struggling to maintain my grip on the groceries. "W-Why?"

"My family could really use the money…plus my father's too elderly to enlist himself. The letter came to our house this morning." For Fire Nation citizens, enlisting in the United Republic Army is compulsory in times of war. Every family with able-bodied members of military age had to enlist at least one of them. I knew it was only a matter of time before Li left, as her brother was too young to fight, but still. "I'm sorry - I know you're alone, and I hate to leave you…"

"You don't have to apologize, Li." I manage a smile. "Really. I know you don't have a choice. Just like I can't do anything but stay here…" It was easy to let my sorrow turn to anger in those last words.

"Katara…"

"Seriously." I nudge her with my shoulder. "Why don't we just enjoy the time you have left here, hm? When do you leave?"

"In a week."

"Well then this will be the best week you've ever had."

When she drops me off at my doorstep, it's with the promise that we'll see each other in a couple of hours for a fun night out. I'm still exhausted from the previous night, but I'm not about to let that get in the way of spending some much needed time with people. Whenever I'm alone I get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Just as I'm opening the door to my house, the feeling returns. Not even the traditional Water Tribe décor was comforting enough to subdue my nerves. For the first time in a while, it truly strikes me that I'm alone in the Fire Nation.

Even though it's been over a year since Sokka enlisted to follow our father, I still haven't gotten used to being without company. I remember when dad was first stationed in the Fire Nation when we were kids - we were so excited to see a place not covered in snow. Now, I wish we'd stayed with Gran Gran.

A knock at my door shakes me from my thoughts, and rush back from the kitchen to answer it.

"Katara of the Southern Water Tribe?" At the doorstep, a soldier greets me with the question. Unlike the soldiers from the previous night, this one isn't Fire Nation. Instead of the traditional red armor of the nation, he wears a slimmer, more practical - looking uniform. The black material is loose, allowing for a lot of movement, reminding me somewhat of the suit the Blue Spirit wore.

"Can I help you?"

"I have a letter from the United Republic Army." He bows as he hands it to me. When I take it, he looks at me with an odd mix of apprehension and expectance.

"Thank you…" I nod - a clear dismissal. He bows one more time before leaving.

When I shut the door behind me, it's everything I can do to remain upright. My hands are shaking, and my heart is doing double-time. I play with the idea of not opening it, but once again my curiosity bests me and I tear the wax seal.

I have to read the letter multiple times before the information sinks in. Every read-through numbs me further, until I don't realize that I've fallen to the floor and onto my knees. My eyes search for some hint that it's a mistake, but find nothing. The official seal of the Order of the White Lotus at the bottom of the letter almost seems to mock me.

My father's unit was attacked in an ambush, and reinforcements had arrived too late. Several bodies were missing, my father's among them.

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Thanks for reading & see you next time!