Shang knew he'd have to pair with Ping... he couldn't risk anybody knowing he had a woman in his ranks! How he was supposed to approach the topic without sounding strange was... another issue on its own. "When you're all paired up, you can come and sit by the fire. Do sit with your pair though, otherwise, I'll assume you're not and I will pair you myself." He walked around, deep in thought.

*Set during Mulan. For the point of the story: Shang knows Mulan is a woman, he saw her bathe, but she doesn't know he knows, and as such, continues as Ping*

Shang shivered as they passed through the mountains. It was well below freezing and they weren't even halfway to the Tung Shao Pass yet. He glanced back briefly at the soldiers. A good majority of them were shaking and chattering in their formation. If they stopped and rested while the small storm passed they would be put back by a day and a half... but they could make it up... if they rushed. Shang was very glad that his father made him do first aid training before he joined. Because of that, he knew the symptoms of Hypothermia. It wouldn't be too much longer before the soldiers ran the risk of catching it.

And once you had it... it was hard to come back from. "Soldiers!" He called. "We are going to take shelter in that cave while the worst of the cold passes!" He informed. A few of them acknowledged they heard.

Shang was particularly worried about Ping. Or... whoever he she was. He had no idea why: he probably wouldn't have cared for the runty soldier before he saw her bathe... but now... now did. Shang glanced back, making sure none of the soldiers had dropped back. More than half of them held an uncanny resemblance to the snow at this point. Ping remained holding onto her horse as she stared at the ground. They made it into the cave with no issues. Shang immediately began to light a fire, barking for some others to help. "You 3! Help me with the fire, the rest of you, set up your tents,"

They lit the fire, its warmth seeping into everyone's frozen bodies. "Forgive me, captain," A voice spoke. Shang looked over his shoulder. "Yes, Chun?" He said, raising an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it be best if we all partnered up? That way, we can conserve our body heat," Shang frowned in thought. "Actually, that's not a bad idea, Chun. Good work," He praised. Chun smiled and nodded in thanks.

"Change of plans soldiers! Find a buddy. You're all doubling up in a tent tonight. It'll keep everyone warmer, and less susceptible to hypothermia," He shouted, making sure everyone could hear. A few grumbled but paired up pretty quickly.

Shang knew he'd have to pair with Ping... he couldn't risk anybody knowing he had a woman in his ranks! How he was supposed to approach the topic without sounding strange was... another issue on its own. "When you're all paired up, you can come and sit by the fire. Do sit with your pair though, otherwise, I'll assume you're not and I will pair you myself." He walked around, deep in thought.

"Uh... Captain?" A shy voice said from behind. Shang turned around, rubbing his head in frustration. "Yes? Oh, it's only you Ping." Ping looked at the group by the fire. "It's an odd number... I don't have a pair. Am I to sleep on my own?" She asked. Shang shook his head. "No. You'll share with me. It is imperative that every man is paired with somebody," He said. Ping began stuttering an excuse. "It's not an option. I can't do with having anyone catching anything. Not when we're this close,"

~

Shang added an extra piece of wood to the fire, hoping to keep it lit enough to fend off the cold wind. Most of the soldiers, with the exception of those on watch, had gone into their tents. Shang was doing shift swap over with Chun. Ping handed over to Ling a few moments ago and had retreated into the tent, shivering and rubbing her arms.

Maybe women weren't as fit for the cold as men were? Sure it was cold, but with the fire on, it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been earlier in the day. He nodded to Chun and pulled his cape tighter as he opened the tent flap.

Ping was under her blanket, shivering violently. Shang, himself, suppressed a shiver as he crawled under his own blanket. God, it was a lot colder without all of his armour on. He bit on his lip to stop the chattering of his teeth. There had to be a way to ward off this cold...

Well, there was one thing.

His father had taught him that if he was camping or stuck in the cold with another soldier, they could sleep in close proximity to one another, sharing their body heat. But there was no way he could do that. Ping was a female! Surely it was frowned upon.

But then again... Ping didn't know that Shang knew... at least he thought so. If he were camping with Chun, he'd say the same thing!

"What are you thinking?" He heard Ping's quiet voice ask, teeth chattering. He sighed and rolled to face the woman soldier. "I was just remembering an old trick that my father taught me when we were camping in the snow. It's a good way to stay warm and I figured that we could give it a try." Shang saw instant curiosity light up Ping's eyes. "Yeah? What is it?" A violent shiver ripped through her body.

Not needing any further encouragement, Shang sat up, grabbed the edge of his sleeping mat and proceeded to shuffle it sideways until it was directly next to Ping's. He fought off the smirk that desperately wanted to appear at the sight of her heavy blush. One could put it down to the cold...

"What are you doing?" Ping asked, shivering. Laying back down, Shang threw his blanket over the both of them. "Here. We'll lay close together and share blankets. That way we'll both have two layers on top of us and we'll share the heat from our bodies." Warmth (granted not a lot) immediately seeped into his bones. "I don't know about this..." Ping answered hesitantly. "You're my captain, aren't I overstepping my rank here?" She asked. Shang, now feeling warmer and tired, sighed.

"Forget about rank. It's cold and we're just two soldiers trying to stay warm. If you really want to pull the whole "rank" card I'll just say that as your Captain I'm ordering you to share your warmth with me. I can't afford to get sick. After all, I have an army to lead."

Still, she refused to uncurl her small body. Shang sighed. Maybe it was time to play a little dirty. "Come on, you're not getting any warmer and I'm just getting colder waiting like this. Besides, we're both guys here. It shouldn't be this big of a deal." Shang insisted, challenging her slightly. He watched her eyes narrow ever so slightly. If he wasn't looking, he'd have missed it.

No doubt, in sheer defiance, she shifted closer until both of her hands and her freezing, little nose were pressed against his chest. He could feel her warm breath through the fabric of his tunic and fought down a shiver at the sensation.

"Better?" He whispered close to her ear, slinging his arm to her waist and soaking in the warmth of her body. He felt her nod in response.

Shang knew he should feel bad for feeling this way... but he couldn't shake the small attachment he'd developed to her.

He would not catch feelings. Absolutely not.

Not even when her perfect lips opened slightly as she breathed in her sleep.