DISCLAIMER: don't own AVATAR.

Don't know what to say, so on with the story!

Chapter 11: Planning

"So," Prince Maiku began.

"What's first? Who'll be our hostages? When do we strike?" The guard Maiku was with chuckled.

"You're just like your grandfather. Ready for a battle. Completely opposite of your parents. Never truly wanted to fight, they did." The guard said gravely.

"We will wait." Maiku stood up.

"Wait? Wait for what?" The guard, from behind his mask, smiled.

"Your mother is gone, but she will return. Something, something in the stars, it isn't right. We must wait for the Fire Lady Kellie, she will return, and when she does, that's when we shall strike." Maiku nodded, and sat down. He looked into the black holes that served for eyes in the mask of the guard's helmet.

"May I ask what your name is, soldier?" From behind his mask, the aged soldier grinned.

"You may call me Iroh."

"K-k-Kellie?" Zuko stuttered in horror. Aaron looked up at Zuko teasingly.

"What, you couldn't recognize your own girlfriend?" (A/N: remember, Aaron doesn't know that Zuko and Kellie are married yet)

Zuko shrugged.

"Well, if she was clean, or at least wasn't so thin, she might have been recognizable." Aaron nodded.

"How did you recognize her?" Zuko asked, deduced that Aaron had already known who the girl was considering he had yelled her name.

"She looks exactly as she did when she was younger. When we would go out in the back yard and played in the mud." Zuko wrinkled his nose.

"She played in the mud?" Aaron chuckled.

"She didn't tell you?" Zuko shrugged.

"Guess not." Aaron said with a smirk.

"Is that a bad thing?" Zuko asked. Aaron shook his head.

"No, I'm just surprised. She usually tells people all about herself. I find it strange that she didn't tell you that she played in the mud." Zuko shrugged.

"Whatever." Zuko looked around.

"I'm surprised she found this place." Zuko said as he knelt down and rubbed a hand against the earth. Aaron looked at Zuko from over his shoulder.

"Why?" Zuko looked up at Aaron, then down at Kellie, who was lying, still asleep, at Aaron's knees.

"Years ago, my sister and I ran away from home, but just for a week. W had enough food to last us a month, and somehow, we got over the mountains without going through them, and found a quiet place next to an old and abandoned well. There was also a little cottage, looked as if it had been built only a few days before. My sister and I lived here for a week, then returned." Aaron cocked his head to the side.

"But what does that have to do with my sister?" Zuko fought back a scowl and a sneer.

"This is my sister and my old hide out. But time has corroded it." Zuko walked over to the cottage, and rubbed the walls with one hand. Aaron almost gaped.

"And if I'm right, all of our food should be right-" Zuko paused as he dug his fingers into the earth in a corner of the cottage, and pulled it up, revealing a box full of dried fruits and meats, and a bottle full of clear water.

"Here." Aaron crawled over to the box, he first looked at the box, then to Zuko. He quickly took a piece of jerky, and began to munch on it. Zuko took a swig of water.

"What about Kellie?" Aaron nodded at his sister.

"What about me?" Aaron and Zuko whirled around to see Kellie sitting up, and rubbing her head.

"And once again, I ask, what about me?" Aaron and Zuko looked to each other, smiled, and nodded.

"Nothing." Just then, Kellie noticed the box full of food.

"There was food here? How come I didn't know, Zuko! You never told me there was food here!" Aaron raised an eyebrow at the Fire Lord.

"You took her here before?" Zuko nodded.

"We were going on a hike, and stopped here, but, the next day, we ended up with you." Zuko said calmly to Aaron. He nodded.

"Makes sense, I guess." Aaron shrugged.

"But now, I want out of this forest, I want to go back to the Palace." Kellie coughed, and looked into the well. Aaron and Zuko ignored her, until her voice, meek and soft, spoke up.

"I think you'd rather stay beyond the world, than go back to the Palace." She said so quietly, it was basically a whisper. Zuko looked at his wife.

"How come?" Kellie sighed.

"Zuko, it's been 13 years, and Zula, she's, the," Kellie closed her eyes, and bit back a big lump in her throat.

"Fire Lady." She said so quietly, but Zuko heard it. Yells of rage were heard for miles, and a raging inferno could be seen for even more miles.

The messenger looked at the bright red in the sky, confused. But either way, he blew the horn.

Miles away, Zula heard.

"ZUKO! CUT IT OUT!" Kellie screeched. She willed her husband's flames lower and lower, she used the water to douse the flames that had hit the plant life, but her husband's rage continued. Kellie ran up to Zuko, through her arms around his neck, and didn't let go. She knew she was hurting herself, she knew she could feel the horrible heat that lay just beneath her husband's skin, but she refused to let go. Zuko only calmed down when Kellie shed a single tear of pain, and it trickled down her cheek, and onto Zuko's shoulder.

Aaron looked around in amazement as the fire immediately disappeared. But when he saw his sister hugging Zuko, his gaze darkened. Especially when he saw the slight burns on her arms from the heat that Zuko gave off.

She needs to dump him, he's going to hurt all her life.

Aaron thought.

Kellie was wheezing. It had taken all of her to not let go of Zuko, even when he was burning hot.

Zuko picked her up, and carried her back to the cottage, where he laid her down gently. After a bit of water and some dried fruit, she was feeling a bit better.

"Zuko, I'm sorry, but, I don't know!" Kellie wailed. She honestly didn't know what to say. Zuko looked at the small fire they had just made.

"I know. But what about Maiku? What did she do with him?" Kellie bit her lip and looked away.

"Please don't get mad again." Kellie pleaded quietly. Aaron looked at Zuko hatefully.

Sounds like he's abused my sister.

"I won't get mad." Zuko promised. Kellie sighed.

"She took Maiku, fed him lies, Maiku is gone, and Rymeku remains…" The former Fire Lord's eyes widened, and the fire grew ten times its size, but then the flames lowered again.

"That rotten she-Devil! If I ever see her again, I'll kill her! I'll-" Kellie quickly silenced him.

"Zuko, no one truly deserves death. I thought I told you that?" Zuko sighed, and bowed his head.

"Yes, you did tell me." Aaron smiled softly. He would have to write a letter to Paul and Brandi thanking them for all those wonderful lessons in Youth Group…

"Zuko," Kellie gently took his hand in her own, and gave it a squeeze.

"We can get Maiku back, and get you back on the throne." Zuko was about to ask why his wife why she had said 'you' instead of 'we', until he noticed his wife's eye flit back to her brother very quickly.

Oh.

Kellie still hadn't told her brother he and her were married.

"Couldn't we sneak into this Palace thing and try to get rid of this Zula character?" Aaron asked. Kellie smiled at her brother.

"I've always wanted to fight for my life." Zuko grinned.

"I know I have," Zuko said thinking back to that incident with the earthbenders.

"Great. So how are we gonna do it?" Kellie asked, leaning on one knee, raising an eye at her husband.

"Ok, here's what we gotta do…"

ok, I think the title of this chapter didn't fit, but I couldn't think of anything else! And I'm sry 4 the long update, but I have quite a few stories going, along with some I'm just beginning to make. (coughcoughsierracoughcoughanothercoughcoughsequel)

but if you like what I write, than plz, don't hesitate to read whatever meaningless stuff I write! Inner Devil: that's a serious lol. ME: um…

INSANITY AT ITS FINEST
LONG LIVE THE HIPPIES!

Zukoscute2