Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Author's note: The following story is a re-written story of what happened during Crossroads of Destiny

Fallen

"I'm sorry, Katara." Aang whispered softly. Despite their distance, Katara heard it clearly. Aang turned away, creating a tent of crystal as he sat down to meditate.

An incredible explosion of spiritual light destroyed the crystalline tent in which the Avatar was meditating in. Every eye in the cavern was focused on the Avatar as he rose out up in a bright pillar of light, eyes and tattoos glowing intensely.

Katara's eyes filled with hope as Aang rose higher. The Avatar State could turn the tides of the battle. Aang was going to save the world, as she always believed he would. But all that hope was cruelly taken away in an instant. The Fire Nation princess who had been biding her time struck with deadly precision. A blinding flash of light erupted from her fingertips.

High up in the air, the Avatar arched backwards. His mouth opened in a scream of pain that never left him. He was suspended in the air momentarily as the lightning traveled throughout his body, exiting from his left foot. And then, he fell.

Azula smiled with grim triumph, smoke still trailing from the tip of her fingers. After a hundred years spent by her forefathers in search of the Avatar, she was the one who had slain the Avatar.

Aang saw the eyes of the Avatar Spirit floating in front of him start to close. The sphere of cosmic energy surrounding him suddenly disappeared. The Avatar Spirit fell to its side. The environment vanished into nothingness as Aang started falling…

Tears flowed from Katara's eyes as she watched in horror. She felt a distant feeling of pain, as if she too were struck by the lightning. No. It can't be…it can't end like that. Nothing else mattered now. Katara only saw Aang: the world's last hope, her hero, her savior, her best friend, her crush fall to his doom. The octopus form swirled around her, turning into a massive tidal wave. She had an expression of steely determination as she sent the wave crashing over the Dai Li agents, racing to catch Aang before he hit the ground. She wasn't sure if he was still alive, but she refused to give up hope. There could be a chance that he was alive, no matter how unlikely it was.

Katara caught him just a few feet above the ground. Aang was surprisingly light. There was no breathing, no heartbeat, not even the slightest sign of life at all. He just lay dead in her arms.

Katara looked up at her opponents, unharmed by the tidal wave. She suddenly lost the will to fight. It felt like something within her had died. She embraced the possibility of death as Zuko and Azula advanced on her. In fact, she even welcomed it. For the first time in her life she had learnt the feeling of hopelessness. It felt strangely numb, like falling asleep.

A blast of fire appearing out of nowhere startled everyone. Zuko's uncle jumped between Katara and the Dai Li. "You've got to get out of here! I'll hold them off as long as I can!" The Dragon of the West ordered, sending fireballs all over the place.

Katara wanted to stay put, to just let it end once and for all, but there was certain forcefulness in Iroh's voice that made her obey. She got to her feet, slinging Aang's arm around her shoulders. As she made her way over to the waterfall, she took a last look at Iroh, who released a powerful breath of fire from his mouth.

Bringing out a large stream of water, Katara wrapped it around her and Aang, propelling them up. She tightened her grip on Aang. It seemed like ages before they had finally reached the top.

"Katara! Aang! Let's get out of here!" Sokka called as he steered Appa to land. Katara was kneeling on the ground, oblivious to her surroundings. Sokka noticed that she was holding Aang, who seemed to be badly injured.

Sokka leapt off Appa, landing lightly. "Come on, Katara. Let's go!" He shouted again. As he got closer, he realized that something was amiss. The way Katara held Aang: she was cradling him.

"Katara…what happened?" Sokka found his own voice a little shaky with fear. He only hoped the scenario wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. Katara looked up, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Sokka swallowed hard. Never in his entire life had he seen his sister look so defeated and lost. She had always been the epitome of hope.

"What's going on?" Toph asked as she slid off Appa. "Wait…where's Twinkletoes?"

Sokka glared at her. "What is she talking about? Aang is lying in Katara's arms." He thought silently. And then the truth suddenly hit him. Toph knew where people were because she felt their heartbeats with Earthbending. If she couldn't sense Aang, it could only mean that…

"Toph, Aang is…" Sokka gulped, the word was stuck in his throat. Taking in a deep breath, he forced the remaining word out of his mouth. "Dead." Sokka caught a glimpse of the disbelief and shock on Toph's face before she turned away. The Earth King, sitting in Appa's saddle, lowered his head in grief.

A deep growl from Bosco broke the silence. Sokka was the first to recover. "Katara, come on. We have to leave!" He tried to get Katara to stand up, but she wouldn't budge. Heaving a sigh, he reached out to remove Aang from her tight embrace. But Katara had a death grip on him. She refused to let Aang leave her side.

Helplessly, Sokka called out to Toph. "Help me get her onto Appa. We have to leave now!" Snapping out of her daze, Toph raised a ramp leading up to Appa's head. Together, they pulled Katara to her feet. This time, she offered no resistance.

"Appa, yip-yip!" Sokka yelled, clambering into the saddle. As the magnificent bison lifted off, Sokka turned to look at his sister.

Katara carefully leaned Aang against Appa's shoulders. She suddenly remembered that there was still a chance to save Aang. But it might not work, a tiny voice in her head told her. I still have to try it, Katara thought fiercely as she reached for the amulet given by Master Pakku around her neck. She didn't know exactly what magical properties the water had. All she knew was that if this didn't work, nothing else would.

Removing the amulet, Katara uncapped it, drawing out the small amount of water within. The water spun in circles above her hand, emitting a faint source of light. Ever so gently, Katara slowly pulled Aang up into a sitting position so that she could look at his back. The skin where the lightning had struck was blackened.

Katara could feel the tension of everyone watching as she brought the water over his back, pressing it lightly onto the burn. She watched unblinkingly as the water glowed brighter, covering the wound. This has to work. Aang can't just die.

The glow faded away, leaving the burn as it was before. Aang had not shown any sign of life at all. Letting out a small whimper devoid of hope, Katara held the fallen Avatar closer as tears started to gather in her closed eyes. Her mind was still rebelliously struggling to fight the facts.

Suddenly, she noticed a weak flash of light through her closed eyes, which was closely followed by a soft groan of pain that could scarcely be heard. There was no mistake about it. With a gasp of joy, Katara pulled Aang away from her, looking at his face. She found two grey, half-opened eyes staring back. Aang managed a weak smile.

Katara's eyes lit up with delight, relief and even love. For what seemed like a small eternity, they simply gazed into each other's eyes, each expressing a complex mix of emotions. Then, Katara pulled Aang to her, embracing him tightly. Aang gave a small sigh of contentment, feeling Katara's hair being blown lightly into his face.

-o-

Back in Ba Sing Se, Azula sat on the throne which was formerly the Earth King's. "We've done it, Zuko. It's taken a hundred years, but the Fire Nation has conquered Ba Sing Se." Azula's triumphant voice echoed off the walls in the empty throne room.

"I betrayed Uncle." Zuko, who had been staring silently at the steps leading up to the throne, suddenly said in a regretful tone. The three words were directed at himself, but his sister spoke up anyway.

"No, he betrayed you." Azula paused for awhile, letting it sink in. "Zuko, when you return home, Father will welcome you as a war hero."

"But I don't have the Avatar. What if Father doesn't restore my honor?" Zuko asked quietly, looking away uncertainly.

Azula stood up, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder. Zuko looked at her sadly. "He doesn't need to, Zuko. Today, you restored your own honor." Azula reassured him.

Zuko turned away, looking down once again. He clearly remembered what that Water Tribe girl had told him when they were in the catacombs.

"This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I have been saving it for something important."

If what she said was true, then the Avatar might be alive. Zuko forced that thought out of his mind. No, no one could survive a lightning strike as fatal as that. The Avatar had fallen for good. However, the less Zuko tried to think about it, the more it kept coming back to him.

Zuko opened his mouth to say something, but quickly decided against it. It would be better if nobody finds out. The Avatar can't be alive. You're thinking too much.

-o-

Katara released Aang, wanting to tell him something. "Aang…" She started softly, only to find that he had fallen unconscious.

"The Earth Kingdom…has fallen." Kuei, the Earth King, announced gravely as he glanced sadly down at Ba Sing Se, which was growing smaller. Toph hung her head in gloom. Sokka stared ahead blankly.

Katara watched the sleeping boy next to her hopelessly, still unwilling to let go of him. As Appa flew over the outer wall of the Earth Kingdom capital, Katara looked onwards at the shadowy and cloudy horizon. The future was bleak.

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