Dedicated to all ZukoxKatara fans that are sick and tired of the same plot.

This is for you.

If I could have sunlight,

In the palm of your hand,

I'd take the moonlight,

Instead…

Chapter One: A Message That Might As Well Be Death (With A Box of Chocolate)

No one in the Fire Nation knew how to feel the morning the Banished Prince came back with the Avatar.

There wasn't a parade waiting for him, no coming home salutations at the harbor where his small, stolen Earth Nation boat pulled up. That is what the heir to the Fire Nation had been reduced to—a scarred Prince who took two years to find a small boy even with a whole ship crew. And he even lost that, hence the stolen ship. Some thought it was a mockery, others an embarrassment, but most didn't care because it didn't change things. Zuko had come, with the Avatar, in trade for his honor.

No one in the Fire Nation knew how to feel about that, except one.

Priestess Sayuri was pacing in her small bedchamber, trying to think over the sound of the bustling city outside. It was market day and rumors were flying about Zuko and the Avatar and other important things. She had been the only one seen it coming, and the weight of responsibility fell on her shoulders, though her grandfather said. Let nature take its course.

But the nature had been disturbed. When prince Zuko captured the Avatar, the world lost balance. Again. For the umpteenth time. Sayuri couldn't blame Zuko though. After all he was blinded by pride; he would not let his father discern him so easily.

But that was just it—his father was using him, and his pride, his hunger for the throne, everything that made Zuko who he was. He knew Zuko would search the Avatar to his death to regain his honor, and it played into his hands. If his son died finding the Avatar, he would lose his eyesore disgrace. If his son found the Avatar he would wait until the comet, take Ba Sin Xe, then kill the Avatar.

And then he would kill Zuko, too.

But Sayuri knew that Zuko would not listen to her. She knew because she had tried, and she had gotten a face full of not so nice words thrown at her, and a vase.

Sayuri was left with one choice. After locking the door, Sayuri opened her drawer to the bureau and took out a painting of her grandfather Shyu, some ashes, and a candle. She pulled the curtains to her window shut, then sat on the floor, and carefully placed the painting down. Unscrewing the bottle of ashes the priestess sprinkled them in a circle around the candle set atop of the picture.

Then she called upon her grandfather. Grandfather, wherever you are… The candlelight flickered. Sayuri pushed harder, The Avatar has been captured. Zuko is home.

The comet is coming.

What do I do, grandfather? Who shall I call upon?

The candle sparked. Sayuri watched her grandfather's form twist itself into the glowing flame, and fill the room with a blue array.

"My granddaughter," he said. "I am glad to see you."

"Grandfather, Zuko has come back, with the Avatar. I don't know what to do. He won't listen to me. I've talked to Iroh. There's nothing he can do either…" Sayuri paused. After a moment's thought she said, "I think he's become a bit more hard headed. Or stupid, one."

Shyu laughed. "No, he's not stupid. Zuko is hard headed and strong willed. He is like the flame itself, his pride consuming his judgment. He will not listen to anyone. His name and reason in a sentence together do not fit. In order to restore balance, we need to improvise."

"Like…?"

Shyu's eyes gleamed with a hint of trickery. "Zuko is sixteen, no? Being that he has returned to the Fire Nation, legitimately, it is time for him to be bestowed upon…a wife."

Sayuri blinked. "Zuko? A wife? Grandfather Zuko might have sex appeal but he's…he's unbearable! No one can live with him! All he does is sit and complain and when he's not doing that he's yelling and when he's not doing that he's sleeping. No one likes a complaining, yelling, sleeping guy no matter HOW much sex appeal he has! And believe me, Zuko has a LOT of sex appeal. You'd be surprised."

"Indeed," Shyu said. "But I'm not thinking of Zuko. I'm thinking of the Avatar, he is the one who needs help. Inside, help."

"And where are we suppose to get that?" Sayuri asked getting irritated. "Through job interviews?"

"Through his friends," Shyu replied calmly.

And then he relayed a plan so crazy, so unbelievably mad…it just might work.

They had lost Zuko somewhere in the Earth-Fire peninsula, but it didn't take Sokka nor Katara to hear of what had happened. The Fire Nation had Aang.

All hope was lost.

"We have to rescue him," Katara said, confidently. She was slashing waves, her frustration and horror bending itself into the water through her.

Sokka tried to reason. "Katara, we can't just march into the Fire Nation and grab Aang…." Katara wasn't listening. Her thoughts were a span to three mornings ago to now, but it seemed like an eternity ago.

It was unthinkable. Aang had been captured. She could not have helped him then. She could not help now.

"…And I really don't think spraying water all over everywhere is going to help in any way," Sokka was saying. "Why don't you sit down and rest Maybe I can go and…"

Whatever was after the 'and' never came, but there was a very surprised gurgle as Sokka fell backwards a mouth full of water spewing from his lips. From Katara's own lips were very mean words. "I don't think sitting doing nothing will help either! Aang is in trouble! Not just trouble, trouble but…trouble! As in…"

"As in, if you don't save him, the world as we know it is over." Katara snapped around. A girl was standing directly behind them. She did not look malicious or threatening. As a matter of fact she looked a tad younger then Katara but Sokka saw the markings on her eyes an froze. They were the markings of a Yu Yan archer.

She was a Fire Bender.

"Who are you?" Katara demanded. "Do you know anything about Aang…the Avatar?"

Sokka grabbed his sister's shoulder. "Stay back. She's a Fire Bender…"

But The Yu Yan Archer did not attack. She instead said, "I have a message from the Priestess Sayuri from the Sage de la Crescent Fire Temple of Roku, Shiyu."

"Couldn't have you just said Shiyu?" Sokka asked. "It would have, you know. Saved time."

"What's the message?" Katara asked hastily, before Sokka could say anything else that might get them killed.

The Archer suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Understand, what I'm about to tell you is ah…serious business concerning the Avatar…"

"We know," Sokka said. "You gave us a three minute long introduction from who it was from."

"Right," she said. "Ok. Shiyu advices not to free the Avatar, he is fine as of right now. The Fire Nation will not kill him until after the comet. Seriously, it's not as bad as it sounds. Someone is looking after him anyway, and I think they're teaching him Fire Bending."

"Who?" Katara asked anxiously.

The Yu Yan shrugged. "I…don't know. It's secret. But I trust Shiyu's word on it, and so should you." Katara and Sokka nodded so the Archer continued, "He does however want you to enter the Fire Nation disguised. He wants you to gather as much information and relay them back to his granddaughter priestess, Sayuri."

"Now, the important part. Sokka you will be disguised as a new recruit for the Kendo fighters and Katara…"

"Yes?"

A long pause. Then, "…You as one of the selected Maids…for Zuko to choose to be his uhm…"

"Yes?"

"To be his…wife."

That's it for the first chapter. Read and review and tell me what I can do better or if you think it's perfect or crap or…whatever is floating in your mind. And give me suggestions for what should happen and maybe I'll use them.

Maybe, but it's unlikely.