Little Tsu: Well, Zuko wasn' able ta come up with a plan in the last chap that would successfully make things right again. However, will things go as he hopes in this chap?...Or will somethin' he hadn' planned for at all occur all together?

Side note: I'm attemptin' ta update with a splinted broken thumb on my dominant hand...Not easy & since I did the stupid move only yesterday, it'll take 3-6weeks ta freakin' heal...Whoopie...=.=

Ch: 9

He couldn't believe it...How could this have happened?

Zuko had woken up early only a few days after he had decided on a sure fire plan. The order he had given to be special made had finally been completed and was sent to his room this morning. However, where he thought he would finally be forgiven, he found himself standing in the center of Sheon's bedroom. The bed was untouched and the pedistool that her Messenger Hawk, Chrono slept on was vacant with not a single bit of food or water in his dishes. Even the specially made armor, the helmet, chest plate, and razor sharp talon 'boots', were no longer where they usually rested and always perfectly polished. Instead, a rolled up piece of parchment had been found at the foot of her bed, which was now held within Zuko's grasp limply and opened.

Prince Zuko,

If you're reading this, then that means I'm already gone. I didn't mean for this to happen and worst yet, I had never wished to ever leave your side. However, my mind and heart ache and I fear that I can't remain any longer. I know that you love Mai and that you were merely confused and frustrated when you kissed me that night on Ember Island. I understand that completely now. I had always promised that I would remain at your side and loyal to you, alone and it breaks my heart to end up breaking that very promise I made when we were younger. Mai loves you though and since you return those feelings no matter how confused you are, I have no right as a mere weapon to come between that. I have left the Fire Nation and thus, betrayed our people. I know that the Avatar lives. I saw it in my dreams and so I've decided to go and help him. I'll become his teacher and train him to firebend. When the time comes, I'll return. But this time, it'll be to bring down Fire Lord Ozai and finally end this terrible war that left myself and so many others with no home or family.

I love you Prince Zuko. I can finally admit to you and myself that, but I don't deserve you. I pray to Agni that you'll escape this war and find happiness.

Sheon

Clenching his teeth tightly together, he struggled to fight back the tears as the small box within his other hand fell out of his grasp and clattered to the floor. The top fell open, spilling its contents as it revealed a simple necklace with two amber gems each on either side of a beautifully carved flaming heart made from an amethyst gem. Tilting his head down, his amber eyes locked onto the necklace and knelt down as he gently picked it up. Gazing at the item with shimmering eyes, he finally pocketed it and left the room. Zuko had never felt so broken before; not even when his father banished him...He had failed and now, he had no clue as to what to do now. He needed advice now more than ever before.

Coming to a conclusion, Zuko hurriedly slipped out of the castle after stopping off at his room to grab a hooded cloak and made his way to the holding chamber where they were keeping Iroh. When he arrived, he quickly knocked out the guard there while hidden by the cloak and hesitantly walked towards the cell.

"What is it that you want? I have nothing to say to a young man who chose power and his father over a life of peace and happiness..." Iroh didn't even bother to turn and face them. He knew exactly who it was that had come to visit him and he was still very disappointed in his soon to be eighteen-year-old nephew.

Eyes softening dispairingly towards this, Zuko sat down before the cell on his knees and tilted his head down. "Uncle, I'm sorry...I made a mistake. I let Azula's words cloud my mind and sway me to her side; made me betray one of the only people who ever truly believed in me...I want to make things right again Uncle, but I need help. I can't do this alone. Please Uncle..."

Casting a slight glance over his shoulder at his nephew, Iroh saw merely the shell of a man now. Something else had happened to have caused this. It hadn't simply been the terrible mistake that he had made back in Ba Sing Se. Finally turning around to face his broken nephew, he spoke up. "Welcome back my nephew...All hope is not lost. You can still redeem yourself. The Avatar is still alive. You can help him and his friends to finally put a stop to this war; to stop your father's ruthless reign..." At seeing the sudden flash of heartache that flickered in his eyes at the mention of the Avatar though, he became curious towards what that other thing was that was troubling him. "But that is not all that is troubling you, is it Prince Zuko?...What is it that has you more broken than ever before...?"

"It's...Sheon. I...I did something...a few weeks back and...now she's gone..." Tilting his head in shame and heartache, Zuko closed his eyes tight in an effort to fight back the tears that threatened to fall again. "She left to go help the Avatar end this war..."

"Prince Zuko, look at me." When he saw the young prince reluctantly do so, he continued with a tentative tone. "What did you do? Sheon is incredibly loyal to you. She would not abandon you so easily; she would rather be killed than ever leave your side..."

"I...I kissed her..." Tilting his head back down and off to the side, he explained what happened on Ember Island. "Mai and I had another argument, but...this time it had been over Sheon. She didn't like how close we were and said that a 'weapon' like her didn't deserve to be associating with a prince of an entire nation; that once the war was finally won by our nation, she would become expendible!" Clenching his fists in his lap in a struggle to reign in his anger, he forced himself to keep going. "I yelled at Mai, telling her she had no right to insult Sheon like that and that whether she liked it or not, she was my best friend. We brokeup after that and I was going to leave the party on Ember Island to get some fresh air. That's when...I saw this other boy flirting with Sheon...He was a player trying to lure her away for some alone time...I...I got so mad that I knocked him away from her and then dragged Sheon outside to the beach..."

"Go on nephew...What happened next? I do not think it ends there, does it?"

Shaking his head in a silent reply that it wasn't where it ended, he continued the rest. "Sheon and I ended up in an argument and...she mentioned about how she had been jealous of Mai and hurt by seeing me around her...I didn't understand what happened during that moment, but something in me finally snapped and I kissed her...When she pushed away from me a few moments later, she looked so...hurt and betrayed...She told me to stay away and ran off..."

"I see...Zuko, you may have been oblivious to it and she as well, but I knew since you were both still children that she has loved you. Sheon was pure of heart like you were. She never let power and the Fire Lord taint her heart. However, though she has always held a strong will and fierce determination in everything she, herself, stood for, she also had a great and powerful weakness..."

"...Me..."

"That's right...You are her greatest strength, but...you are also her greatest weakness. It is because of her love for you that she seems to have run away to help the Avatar. She believes that if this war finally ends and your father, the very man who caused you such pain and anguish for so long, is defeated, that you can finally find peace and happiness again...Sheon believes this with all of her heart and also probably thinks that in doing this, things will settle between you and Lady Mai so that you can be happy with her..."

"But that's-!" Rising up onto his feet at this, he shook his head as Zuko rested his palm against his chest; his other hand stretched out slightly at his side. "That's not what I want! At least not the last part! Mai can't make me happy! I know that now! I was only truly happy when Sheon was with me!"

"...You love her..." Eyes softened faintly as an understanding smile graced his features towards his nephew. "Your emotions have been conflicted and very turbulant, but finally you have settled a part of those emotions; the ones that revolved around Sheon." At seeing the dawning of full realization appearing within Zuko's eyes, he sighed softly and came to a conclusion himself. "Zuko...Listen carefully to what I am about to say, understand?"

Snapping out of it, Zuko nodded his head faintly. "Yes Uncle."

"The day of the solar eclipse is soon. When that time comes, I am going to escape from here and leave to help the young Avatar and his friends. Sheon will most likely be with them by then, but she will need help if she will successfully teach the Avatar firebending. She cannot do it alone..." Iroh then narrowed his gaze towards Zuko as he said this last part. "...The Fire Nation will become the enemy till we can take it back from my brother,...but will you follow me and finally carve the path you were meant to take rather than the path that you have been forced down?"

Zuko seemed slightly surprised by this. Not so much as the plan his uncle intended to make, but rather that he was asking that he come with him; willingly betray his father and nation to help the Avatar in finally putting an end to this hundred year war for the better of all the nations. As he seemed slightly hesitant in coming up with a decision, the image of Sheon's bright, affectionate smile while calling out his name and reaching a hand out towards him for him to take appeared in his mind. This caused Zuko to finally close his eyes gently for a moment. When he finally reopened them, those amber eyes were narrowed once more and beheld a fire in them towards the resolve he decided on.

"Yes Uncle...I'll betray our nation in order to save it and help the Avatar...Anything to finally bring an end to this war and get Sheon back..."

End

(Till the SEQUAL)

Little Tsu: Ta be honest, I WAS gonna end it here and be all evil and cliffhangery. Or eventually make a sequal, buuuut...I decided not ta do that ta all ya poor readers. I'd rather not have an angry mob chasin' after me. lol

Till next chap!

Ok, I lied...I totally decided ta end it here. The note on the next 'chap' will explain my reasons for it.