She had been stupid to think she could do this.

Hiding her waterbending was easy, but training to be a solider? It was impossible. Hiding that she was a woman? That was nothing compared to the torment her training was. Zuko was relentless in his training- pushing his men further and further with every day that passed. Most of the men sailed along with ease, though it seemed like the three men that had become her "friends" were suffering just as much as she was. In truth, the only good thing that came from any of this were the little sneak peaks she would take at Zuko, with his chiseled muscles most often on display for them all to see. She couldn't help but to look, scar or not she found him to be quite the good looking young man.

Worse of all, she was certain everyone around her knew that she wasn't cut out for this, that she was never going to make it to war; even Zuko himself had told her to pack up and go home. But she couldn't do that... She couldn't return home yet. Not like this. She would never bring her family shame in such a way. And so, she supposed that was why she woke long before even day break, rising and dressing in the dark, tying her hair back in its simple bun as she always did every morning. But then she left her tent, crossing the army camp to stand before the tall pole that five days before, Zuko had shot an arrow up at the top of and handed out two golden weights to tie about your hands, insisting that both represented strength and discipline. Though all the men in the camp had tried, none had yet to achieve the goal of the arrow.

At least, not yet.

She would not be a failure, she would not be a disappointment. No, she would grow and she would become strong. Strong enough so she might protect both her home and her family. She would not lose. And so she had found both of the weights and tied them around her wrists before she slung them around the pole and made her first attempt at climbing... Bam! Back to the ground she tumbled, hard, but she got right back up and took a deep breath. She knew she could do it, no matter how many attempts it took. She maneuvered them again, this time getting it so the two weight's cords wrapped around one another and she realized as she pulled herself up onto the pole that this was how she would get it done.

And so, she began to climb.

Though every muscle in her body screamed out in protest, she climbed. And though she nearly tumbled back down a few times, she climbed on. And as the sun rose up over the horizon, as men stumbled from their tents in a sleepy stupor, she was pulling herself up to the top. She could hear their steady cheering as she climbed over the top and settled down, the arrow grasped tightly in her hand. Within her chest, her heart was beating, her every muscle aching now that she'd made it to the finish line. Katara looked down and saw Zuko slipping from his tent, clearly intrigued by the noise of his men just outside. With a grin, she tossed the arrow down, watching with joy as it struck point down at his feet, her grin only widening when the prince tipped his head back to look up at her there on the pole.

Of all his recruits, Zuko had never expected him to retrieve the arrow. Ping was his name, a strange name for a strange kid, he supposed. Listening to all the cheers go up for the kid, Zuko could not help but to smile as their eyes met and Ping raised his hand to give a little wave. He looked exhausted but happy. Happier than Zuko had ever seen any of his men since their arrival a few weeks before. He had given up on that one, to be honest, but maybe giving up on the young man was the wrong choice, clearly he was proving himself to be a whole lot more than he'd originally let on.

Maybe he had finally found a soldier to be proud of.

[ x x x ]

Ash was falling to the ground like snow.

For a single moment she was transported back, back to the moment when the Fire Nation had attacked her small village. Ash had fallen that day too, the day that her mother's life had been taken when it should have been hers. Katara could not force her legs to move as she stared out at the remnants of the village they were passing through. Yet another Earth Kingdom village destroyed by the Fire Lord's rogue army. These were the horrors of war that she already knew.

"Ping?"

Turning at the sound of her new name, Katara turned, surprised that it was Zuko that stood behind her. "Commander," she replied, sapphire hues narrowing ever so slightly before she turned back around to face the destruction. He stepped up close to her side then and Katara was well aware of how their arms brushed now that they stood side by side. She spared him a sidelong glance a moment later and was surprised to see the grief in his golden eyes as he too stared out at the charred remains of the village; Katara wondered if he knew how sad he looked.

"I noticed you were not with the others," he admitted a moment later, bringing reason to his joining her there on the hillside. "You have not yet seen a scene such as this, have you soldier?" Zuko asked, pivoting his body so he now faced her, focusing those same golden eyes upon hers.

I noticed you were not with the others... For a moment, the woman she was focused upon those words he spoke, her heart skipping a beat. "Only once," she replied, turning away from him then to focus her own gaze upon what once was someone's home, where a family had once lived in peace. "My own home was destroyed by your father's army when I was a little girl." She dared not speak much more than that, for fear of his discovering who she really was, but that little piece could surely do no harm. Besides, you'd have to be a real idiot if you thought she was from the Fire Nation, her looks alone gave her away as someone from the Water tribes. "So I have seen this once before but I was lucky to survive. Along with others in my village, we did not all die out so easily."

"I'm sorry," Zuko's words came quick and quiet, surprising her more than his very presence had. He turned to look at her again, mouth turned with a frown, looking as if there were more words that he wanted to say. But instead, he set his mouth and took a step back, turning as if to go. But then he turned back and reached out, his warm, strong hand clasping down upon her shoulder. Nothing was still yet said but Katara felt her heart beating faster within her chest as their eyes met. For a single fleeting moment, there was nothing but the two of them in the whole wide world. But then he drew back and the world swung back into motion around her. Zuko traipsed back across the hill, to where their small army had paused in their trek, leaving her to stand there a few moments longer in solitude.

But then she too retraced her steps back towards the group, rejoining the ranks of soldiers, well worn from their days of travel. "Let's move out." Zuko's voice called out and the men at once sprung to attention and back to traveling they went, but to where none of them could really say.

[ x x x ]

When their small army of men had finally come to a stop for the night, Katara found herself to be exhausted. It had been days since their last overnight stop and she wasn't certain she could walk another step. The men around her felt the same, she could read it on all of their faces, but not a single man complained aloud. In their short time together, the men had grown to respect Zuko as their commanding officer and thus would not speak ill of him or any of the choices that he made along the way.

It was late into the night and despite it all, Katara found she could not sleep. And so she left her tent, tiptoeing around all the others, careful to avoid waking any of her sleeping comrades. She quietly slipped away from the army camp to take refuge at the side of a trickling river, her body suddenly yearning for the touch of water. At the water's edge, she slipped her feet into the current, relishing in the feel of the cool water against her skin. Her every muscle ached with the need to bend, to feel the water between her fingers, to let the power of the moon flow through her... But even here, alone in the night, she dared not bend. The penalty was too great.

And so she waded further out, soaking her robes to the knees; reaching her hands into the river to cup the water in her palms, rising it up to splash the water against her bronzed skin. There in that moment she felt the most peace she had felt in weeks. Beneath the moon's pearly white glow, she felt safe.

He could not help from staring.

Zuko had never before felt such a draw to another human being. He found himself looking forward to their moments alone, enjoying both Ping's comapny and conversation. This moment felt private, as if he should not be staring, but Zuko couldn't help but want to know more about the young man. He wanted to know his every thought, far beyond those pertaining to war. Zuko knew there was more to Ping than he'd let on- those sapphire colored eyes had been the first giveaway. He's from the Water tribes, his uncle had said back on that first day, when the boy's appearance had surprised many of the Fire Nation officials. He wasn't the only one of course, there were a few Water tribe natives within their ranks, but none that struck him like Ping did. Ever since that first day... He couldn't help but want to be near to him.

So, despite his nervous heart, Zuko stepped out from behind the tree lines and made his way towards the river bank. Ping, hearing his footsteps, turned from his place in the river and raised his hand in a wave. Back to the shore he walked, stepping out onto the edge and carefully wringing the dripping water from his robes. "Commander," came his usual greeting, his smile wide and bright in the moonlight. "It's late, you know. I thought everyone to be sleeping."

"I saw you leaving," Zuko admitted with a grin, shrugging his shoulders. "I wondered what could draw you from your bed so late after days upon days of travel." Ping chuckled as he dropped down onto the ground, gesturing for Zuko to join him, which he promptly did.

"I couldn't sleep, so I thought a dip in the water might help." Katara spoke softly, trying to maintain the voice that belonged to Ping. It was strange, living a life that was not hers all this time, sometimes it was hard to remember just who she was anymore.

"Do you miss it?"

The question caught her off guard and she swiveled to look at him, capturing the sight of his profile illuminated by the moonlight. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond, but then he turned to face her and their eyes met and suddenly Katara knew she could be honest with him. "More than anything." She said with a wry smile, turning her gaze back out to the river. "Though I miss my family more." A deep sadness was taking root but she fought against it, knowing better than to show the emotions she felt inside.

"I'm sorry." Zuko's apology surprised her the second time as much as it had the first time. "Sometimes I forget what my soldiers have to leave behind to come and fight for me or for my father." He sighed, knowing all he had given up was nothing compared to some of his men. But, he missed people too. "I lost my mother when I was a kid," he found himself to be speaking on, explaining to Ping the mystery that was his mother's disappearance. "This war does nothing but tear families apart..." He spoke quietly now, hands clenched into fists as he fought to find the words to say. "I never wanted to be a part of this, but my father..." He raised a hand, gesturing towards the scar upon his face. He fell silent then, head bowed for several long moments, at least until he felt the warm pressure of hand on his own shoulder. Raising his face, Zuko turned to look at Ping, who was smiling in his direction, a smile that offered him just a little bit of hope.

"We all have duties to our fathers," Katara heard herself saying, her hand still yet clasped on his shoulder. This moment felt so intimate and she found herself to be a little more than disappointed that she was not who she said she was to this man. "But it does not define you." She stood up, finally removing her hand from his shoulder as she drew herself to her full height. Zuko followed suit, towering over her with his tall, solid frame. "You can still choose your own path, if you wanted to." Her smile was fleeting and then she was gone, slipping away into the night with a racing heart.

Zuko remained there by the water a few minutes longer, unable to forget how it had felt to have his skin against his, even for a moment.