Chapter one:

The sky above them had become dark, the clouds seeming to bleed as the sun began to rise in the east. In reality Zuko was sure that all his sister wanted right now, was blood. His, Katara's, even her own; she probably wouldn't have cared. Azula's eyes were flaming with so much furry that her brother almost felt sorry for her... almost. Feeling bold he raised his hands high, taunting his sister, pushing her even more to that breaking point.

"What no lightening, afraid I'll redirect it?!" As he said these words, Zuko watched as the look in Azula's eyes went from pure hatred to a horrific, playful, crinkle as her lips split wide releasing a deafening laugh. It made Zuko physically cringe as the sound reached his ears. He was reminded of his father's cruel laughter every time he had hit Zuko as a child. It reminded him of that time... when... not so long ago Zuko had spoken out against an old frail commander in his father's war room, and then received his scar as punishment. It was the laughter of a maniac.

Azula stood straight, eyebrows raised in a way that could only be her contemplating mischief. She threw her head back and her laughter joined forces with the nature made lightening striking in any place it could find.

"Lightening?!" You want lightening brother! Fine then, I'll show you lightening!"

Her gaze left Zuko and traveled to what lay behind him. More accurately who stood behind him. Katara. Bending down the fire princess constructed one last bolt of lightning and without hesitation released it with all that furry she had built up inside.

Zuko moved to redirect this one too and yet in only a matter of seconds realized that he didnt have time to. The lightning bolt wasn't headed for him but rather something else. Katara. His sister had aimed the bolt perfectly so that way it would fly straight to the water-benders heart. He didn't think, he didn't stop to wonder why Azula had changed targets all of a sudden. He already knew, just like he knew that if he didn't do something soon he was going to lose more than just the Agni-Kai. Leaping quickly to the side, his arms spread wide as a fire hawks wings, Zuko took the blunt force of his sister's wrath, before he fell withering to the ground.

What happened next happened so quickly and yet all he could do was lay there breathing heavily and watching with fear, listening to Azlua's laughter as the air recharged once more with her lightening. The fire prince could only do one thing as he laid there on the courts hard stone floor. He watched as his sister threw lightning bolt after lightning bolt towards Katara. Thankfully Katara had learned the art of fighting and countered the insane girls attacks. Azlua, he knew, was giving her all against the water-bender. She would not be kind and gentle as he had been during his and Katara's training. His sister, he knew, would aim to kill, maim, and torture.

It killed Zuko to have to watch as the girl he had come to view as a friend, battled his sister. The realization that he could not help her, watch her back, or do anything but watch, hit him harder than the bolt of lightning that had hit him square in the chest. And it tore him to shreds.

Slowly his eyes began to slip shut but Zuko forced himself to stay awake. No, he thought. He needed to stay coherent long enough for Katara to finish the Agni-Kai. Laying there, eyes straining as fire and water met again and again, turning the air around them to nothing but charged steam, Prince Zuko of the fire nation began to pray. He prayed to Agni, but more importantly he prayed to the moon goddess Yue as they called her. He prayed that she would grant Katara her power though she was not full. He prayed she would see her friend through this fight, this internal war. Yue, he realized, must have heard his prayers because only seconds later he watched as Katara literally froze Azula, tied her wrists with a metal chain, then carefully melted the ice surrounding them, leaving both of the girls heaving and gasping for air. That was it. All he needed before he finally let his eyes slip close.

The fight with the fire princess had tired Katara out almost to the point that the girl felt like falling where she stood and falling asleep. But she couldn't. Taking one last look at the fire breathing girl, yelling, screaming curses, Katara rushed to Zuko's side, tears streaming down her face. She didn't care to slow down before she threw herself to her knees hands already glowing bright blue. Katara kept her eyes on the wound before her as she carefully began to heal her friend. "Thank you Katara." Zuko's voice was raspy as he tried to sit up, wincing from the pain in his abdomen. Gently the water-bender pushed him back down, slipping her other hand beneath his head to use as cushion against the hard stone floor. She kept her hand glowing over his wound.

Her voice was just as raspy as Zuko's and came out as a whisper as she said, "I think that I'm the one that should be thanking you. After all..." The girl trailed off as Zuko's body contracted with heavy coughing fits again. A few minutes passed before Katara had him calmed down once more. She smiled weakly, "After all you saved my life." It was his turn to smile. "And yet you are the one who finished the Agni Kai… thank you." He tried to sit up again and this time Katara let him. Together they faced the High Sage and his followers. "It is over," the high sage announced, bowing his head. The others followed one by one. Yet Zuko was not paying any attention to them, his full attention on the girl beside him. "What should we do with her for now?"

Katara didn't need to ask who he was talking about, but she could not hide the fact that his question had surprised her. He was asking her what to do with his sister… the princess of the fire nation. She only looked towards the other girl, not much older than herself, and frowned. She couldn't help but wonder how Zuko and his sister had fallen apart. Katara didn't know what she would do if her and Sokka ever became that way. Tears fell from her eyes, trickled down her cheeks and slipped off.

Zuko felt the girl beside him release a shudder and knew it wasn't from the sudden wind that had picked up so quickly. Painfully due to his still opened wound, he tightened his arm around her waist and pulled her into an embrace which she returned, glad to have a distraction, a way to tear her eyes from the beaten, broken girl still spitting blue flames in her corner. Katara buried her face into Zuko's neck and on impact could feel just how hot he really was. Most of his heat, she gathered, had to have come from the fact that he was a fire bender, however, there was excess heat that could have only come from the pain he must have been in. Immediately she threw herself backwards, and turned toward the sages. "Take her somewhere where she won't be bothered, and won't harm anyone. Prince Zuko needs medical attention greater than I can administer. He needs a real doctor." Katara was surprised to hear that her voice had not once cracked. She had stood, her head held high and gave her orders. It felt… good. It felt… right.

Slowly the sages dismantled, the younger ones taking on Azula, while the older ones helped Katara take their prince to a healer. It wasn't a miracle of any sorts, and Zuko was still in pain, but the bleeding had stopped for now, and Katara could breathe more easily. Afterwards they went and found the rest of Team Avatar, crowded around a big lump of skin that could only by Ozai. Zuko hadn't said anything has he stood there looking at his father, as the young avatar explained that he merely taken the fire lords bending ability. The prince could not hide his scorn as he walked away from his father, telling the sages to place the ruthless man in the nearest cell available.

The world was still in flames but they were diminishing, and he would make sure, that as future fire lord, those flames remained put out for as long as he reigned. He would do it with the help of Aang and Katara and the rest of their team, together bringing a new world to raise. As he stood and watch the sun rise above the mountains he looked to Katara, the girl who had risked her life to get him to where he was now. Yes, he thought as the sun brightened her face and she smiled at him, the world they knew was over. A new one taking its place.