A/N I know I said I'd be gone today, (in my notes on my homepage) but it turns out, I'm not leaving until this afternoon, so I get to post today, before anyone wakes up. And, as you might notice, today's chapter has somewhat of a theme to it. To all my American readers: Happy Independence Day! To all my non-American readers: Have a happy day, no matter where you are! Hope you like it. Also, after seeing the episode Zuko Alone, and realizing that Iroh is, indeed, older than Ozai, I'm going back to the first chapter and switching their ages. So Iroh was sixteen when Lara was born, Ozai was fourteen, instead of the other way around.

Enjoy!

12: Knock on his door late at night. Run away before he opens it.

Lara did not spend her birthday in her room. She spent her birthday running away from Ozai so that she would not have to spend her birthday in her room.

Eventually, however, she was captured. And so she spent the day after her birthday in her room.

But that did not mean that she wasn't still annoying. Oh, no. She was just annoying from her room. And inside that room, her annoyingness simmered. Angrily. Simmered angrily. Because she was alone in her room, and couldn't annoy anyone but herself. And that's a very bad idea.

So it simmered. See previous paragraph.

Now, as you know, when annoyingness simmers, it becomes more and more annoying. Until finally, Lara could no longer control her annoyingness. It was in control now.

And Ozai beware.

Lara's annoyingness was simmered to the boiling point.

Ozai's temper was frayed to the breaking point.

That is not a good combination.

Each had a different approach to what to do about their simmering/fraying character traits. Ozai went around yelling at and occasionally frying random people. He also ordered two different Earth Kingdom villages burnt, one general executed, and wrote a very threatening letter to Zhao about capturing the Avatar. Not to mention the Zuko voodoo doll….

But Lara was wise. She allowed her annoyingness to simmer, knowing that it made her more powerful. And so it simmered. All day, while she was trapped in her room. All evening, while servants snuck into her room to put out the candles, thinking she was asleep. And about half of the night, while everyone else slept.

Until, eventually, it was night. Late night, midnight. Ozai-is-asleep-type-night.

And Lara had a plan.

Slowly, agonizingly slowly, she crept from her room.

There was a noise from the corridor nearby. Lara ducked into a closet.

It was General Vahe, looking for a midnight snack. Unfortunately, his private candy store, as Lara knew (don't ask how) was in the closet she was hiding in. And he was coming slowly closer.

Quickly and cleverly, Lara sent a fireball rolling like a tumbleweed down stairs, and ducked into a closet. When she peeked out, Vahe had left, presumably chasing after the fireball/tumbleweed.

That was the way things work in the Fire Nation.

And so, the coast was clear, and Lara put her plan into action.

She slowly crept up to Ozai's bedroom door. The guards, as usual, were asleep. Stupid guards. Anyway, she crept up to Ozai's bedroom door. She stretched out her hand. Closed it into a fist. Reached forward… Just a little more…

In trying to reach Ozai's door, Lara accidentally took one step forwards. Right onto the Squeaky-SleepTime Furby Plush Doll (Fire Nation Edition) that was lying in the arms of one of the guards.

SQUEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAK! Announced the Furby.

And that woke the Furby, the guards, and the Fire Lord.

Ozai burst through the door.

"What is it?" the Fire Lord said.

"Who goes there?" the guards said.

"I love you," the Furby said.

"I love you, too," Lara said.

That was a mistake. Because with that, Ozai and the guards simultaneously realized that she was there. Which (hopefully) they would have anyway, but if Lara had kept quiet, she might have postponed her doom.

Hahahahahahahahaha! Lara keeping quiet! Oh, that's a laugh!

Returning to the story…

At least our hero did one thing right that day. Night. Whatever. As soon as she realized that Ozai knew she was there, she ran. Fast. Into the most active place she could think of.

The Throne Room, where the servants were preparing for Fire Day, the annual celebration celebrating the Fire Nation. There would be fireworks, and food, and a contest to see who had the best interpretation for the Fire Nation's National Anthem.

At the moment, a fat, black-bearded man was practicing. Which only added to the noise and commotion.

"FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE NATTTTTTTIOOOOOOOOON!"

"Hold it steady, hold it…. WATCH IT!"

"Lara… WHERE ARE YOU?"

"MY HEART BURNS FOR THEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"No! Don't put the drinks over there, you idiot. That's where the Princess Azula always burns when she's angry. Every year."

"Found you!"

"Yipes!"

With that, Lara managed to trip over the roast Turtle-Duck, knock a torch out of a servant's hand, and thereby light the fireworks.

It was a very splendid display. And Lara used them to shut out the noise of her brother's voice.

"LARA!" Ozai screamed.

Lara couldn't hear him over the din.

"What?" she called.