It's been a very long time since I have written fanfiction. This story came to me while watching the last episode of Avatar. While I rarely write AU, preferring short stories that can be established within the canon, this was something I had to do.

This story is not suppose to be very long; expect perhaps three or four more chapters before it's done. Think of it as...an alternate ending to Avatar.

This should be obvious, but beware of spoilers if you have not watched the full series. This was written under the assumption the reader has, and reveals the ending.

Enjoy.

He could see the fear enter his eyes, widening it. He had caught it, caught the energy and the destruction, could feel the power in his body, hungering for death, for chaos. It urged him to let it go, attack, throw it back at the one who had created it, to kill and to burn and to end this man- to end it all, this war, the pain, the suffering; all he had to do was to give in to the power, all he had to do was let go.

Shaking, struggling to contain the power, he brought his hand forward slowly, pointing it at the one who had caused so much anguish, so much grief. The lives he had destroyed, the families he had crushed, the homes he had burned...he deserved this! He had to kill him, he had to-!

No...he can't. He can't take a life...he was not ready for that burden.

Concentrating with all his might, he brought his arm to the side, and released the energy into the sky. It cracked and thundered, lighting the area with an awe inspiring display of blue lightning. Its roar drowned out every other sound, just for an instant.

As the lightning left, it seemed to take some of his own power with it and The Avatar collapsed, falling to his knees as his strength left him.

Fire Lord Ozai smirked, the fear gone in an instant as he brought his leg up, tucked tight against his body and then unleashed a powerful kick, its momentum enhancing that of the jet of fire that came out. Drawing from the comet above, it soared in all its fury at Aang, who quickly hopped to his feet, bringing up a barrier of stone before him.

The stone was thin and weak compared to the concussive force behind the fire; it blasted through as if there was nothing in its way, and Aang could only cross his arms protectively before him as it threw him back, off the column he stood on. The stone took the brunt of the attack, but he was now soaring through the air, struggling to regain his senses. Opening his eyes, he could see the sky and the pillars rushing away from him above, which meant that...

He quickly flipped in midair so that he was no longer falling head-first towards the shallow lake that was approaching him at an alarming rate. He waved his arms in large circular motions, trying to keep his panic from taking his control as he raised the water below into a large bulge, padding him from the would-be fatal fall into the water.

He hit the water as if it were a solid wall, knocking his breath out, and it absorbed his momentum before he could hit the lakebed below. The large bulge he had created fell as a great wave towards shore, dragging the Avatar along with it. As he felt the ground beneath him, Aang scrambled to his feet in the knee-deep water. Above him the fire Lord was coming at him, fire propelling him to great speeds as he rushed towards the airbender. Aang turned and scrambled away to get away to a more advantageous position, hopping on top of the water and running along its surface, crashing into the shore. He lost his balance, falling forward hard, and turned in time to see Ozai already here.

The Avatar grabbed at the earth beneath him and raised them into a protective shell around himself, hoping for a temporary relieve from the battle. He was exhausted, having given everything he's got, and it still wasn't enough! His clothing was torn, and the wound on his back ached, reminding him of his weakness, his inability to call upon the Avatar Spirit. Gasping for breath, Aang braced himself and his shield for an attack.

Outside he could hear Ozai land, laughing derisively, cruelly.

"You're weak," He spat, and Aang could feel Ozai stepping forward, towards him. "Just like the rest of your people. They did not deserve to exist in this world- in my world."

Aang shut his eyes, trying to shut out his enemy's taunting. He had to calm down, he had to focus...

"Prepare to join them. Prepare to DIE"

Aang flinched as he felt an immense blow against his shield, the temperature suddenly soaring, skyrocketing about him as fire must have roared around him. He felt the Fire Lord land some distance away, and Aang concentrated the best he could on the vibrations through the Earth like Toph had taught him, to see beyond the shell.

Ozai was coming in again, running at him...another blast of fire, heat. Sweat beaded and dripped down his small muscular frame as Aang held his shield together with all the power he could. He had to get out and fight, he knew, but to face Ozai again...to face this man whose power was unmatched under Sozin's Comet...it was terrifying.

"Come on out Avatar! You can't hide in there forever!" Ozai roared, shooting a continuous stream at his shield. He can't hold it...it's too hot, the fire was taking his air, was weakening the rock...

He cried out in alarm as he felt his entire sphere of rock being lifted into the air, and then a blast of incredible force knocked him back. It took all of his concentration, skill, and power to keep his small protective sphere together. It slammed into a stone barrier of some sort, and the barrage of fire began once more. He had to break out...he had to end this, he can't hold this any longer...

The fire stopped and he felt Ozai leap back, preparing for his next attack. And it came suddenly, with great force. His weathering defences could not hold against the pure power of the comet-enhanced fire, and as this blast hit, the stone began to crumble and fall from each other. Aang wove a shield of air before him, but he could not hold back the momentum of the attack and he was sent back, slamming into the rock behind him.

Pain.

Sharp, ragged, hard rock tore at his skin, tore through his wound, deepening the injury that kept him from the Avatar Spirit. The shock reverberated through his very being, and he gasped at the pain that racked his body, coughing as dust and debris entered his mouth and nose. He was buried under the rock, the remains of the very thing he had tried to protect himself with.

"Come on out little boy." Ozai taunted, walking forward.

Get up. Now. They're all depending on you... Aang's grip tightened around a rock as he struggled to breathe under the weight of the rubble.

"You're about to join-" Ozai began, but was cut off as the rock pile before him exploded outwards. The Fire Lord lashed out with a jet of fire, pushing the missiles harmlessly aside, grinning as he saw Aang standing in the pile of rubble. The young boy stood straight, but Ozai could see the weariness in his limbs and the hopelessness that was slowly clouding his mind.

"Back for more?" Ozai took an offensive stance, fire dancing around his hands. Aang did not respond, simply taking his own battle stance. He was breathing hard, was exhausted. Ozai was tiring as well -Aang could feel that- but he was powerful, much more powerful. He was no match for him under the influence of Sozin's comet.

At least not in a head-on fight.

Ozai, predictably, was the first one to throw a strike. Fire gushed out of his fist as he punched, charging forward at Aang. The Avatar deflected the initial blow with a powerful gust of wind, then jumped up, using the air to propel him up as much as he could. A large rock jutted out of the pillar under him, blocking another blast from Ozai below, and Aang landed on top of the column.

In the distance Aang saw the last working airship flying away from the wreck of one that was falling down to crash into the forest. He had caught only glimpses of the aerial battle, of the airships being destroyed one by one, and could only assume that an ally had been responsible for it. Maybe even his friends.

Aang hopped back off the column as he felt Ozai approach, propelled up by fire, and The Avatar grabbed onto the rock, commanding the Earth to ease and slow his fall. Up above there was a furious roar -looks like Ozai finally saw the fate of his airship fleet- and Aang hopped back off the column as fire rained down at him. Ozai send several consecutive blasts his way, and the Avatar deflected each with a shield of air as he landed onto the side of the next pillar.

"You can't run and dodge me forever Avatar!" Ozai roared, enraged. Aang scrambled up the side of the pillar, leaping from ledge to ledge, always just a step in front of the Fire Lord's attack. "You have lost! This world is mine! You can't hide from the inevitable!" He was answered by a large boulder soaring through the air at him. Ozai barely flinched, blasting the rock to smithereens with a single well-placed blow.

Aang brought up a thick wall of rock in front of him, which blocked the predictable counterattack. Before he could allow Ozai to destroy it completely, he was gone, hopping to the next column of rock. Growling with frustration, Ozai redirected his fire as he jumped off and followed. Aang suddenly let go of the air, allowing himself to fall as another fireball soared harmlessly over his head. The young boy looked down grimly with concentration. Ozai has never fought an Airbender before; he'll show him just how effective "run and dodge" is.

Both sides were slowly being worn down as Ozai threw strike after strike and Aang focused on defending himself. The Avatar had youth, natural talent, and all four elements on his side, while the Fire Lord has years of experience, training, and battle wisdom on his.

Aang landed back on the lake, softening his landing so that he barely rippled the water as he stood on its surface. He was gasping for breath, but there was no reprieve; Ozai was right behind him. Moving into his stance, Aang brought the water up above him in a large wave, but it did little. Ozai slammed through it just as Aang let go of his grasp on the water, and he allowed himself to sink down beneath the surface as Ozai crashed down next to him.

He didn't have time to think; just act. As he came up and out of the water, a few metres away Ozai was also making for the surface. Aang jumped up above the water, spinning as he went. A great gust of wind blew out from him, stealing the heat of the water as they blew past. Ice began to form over the surface of the water, getting thicker and thicker.

Moments later a hole in the ice began to rapidly melt, the form of Ozai trying to climb out. Water spouted out of the hole around him, freezing solid at Aang's command. There was calm for a long, tense moment, and the young Avatar sighed, his strength leaving him in a rush as he fell to his knees on the ice.

Was it...over? Did he...k-...kill Ozai?

His wounds from Azula's lightning throbbed, a jagged line of pain that extended from his back all the way down his left leg. He was covered in minor burns, scratches, bruises. He had taken no serious hits during the battle -or he would likely be dead- but he had little strength left.

He glanced upwards as a shadow passed by, to see the last airship hovering above them. Aang tensed, not knowing if it was friendly or not, and hopped to his feet, preparing himself for the worst.

"AANG!" He heard a familiar voice coming from the airship, and the airbender relaxed, seeing a small speck of blue on the airship's deck. It was Sokka! As Aang motioned to wave up at his friend though, the ice under him suddenly gave way. It melted in an instant, the ice turned to water then steam and the Avatar slipped down with a surprised yelp.

A hand grabbed onto his shoulder and shoved him down into the water, and Ozai's head came up over the surface, gasping for air. Aang fought to keep his breath in from the shock; the water all about him was at a scalding hot temperature, burning his exposed skin. He reflexively kicked to get back to the surface, only to be blown back down by a powerful current of hot water.

He twisted free of Ozai's grip, propelling himself away by bending the water between them, forcefully pushing the two apart. Aang broke out of the water moments later, straight up into the air. The ice was all gone now, the entire area steaming. As Ozai propelled himself off the water with a blast of fire, it bubbled and boiled all about him.

Aang landed gently back onto the surface of the lake- but Ozai did not. The Fire Lord continued up...towards the airship. Aang suddenly realized his intention, and jumped up after Ozai. But he didn't have his glider; he couldn't make it that high up! Ozai shot a blast of fire at the airship as he approached, and Aang could hear Sokka yelling. The engines at the side of the airship were damaged, and the attack caused it to explode. Sharp metal shrapnel flew in all directions, but Ozai easily brushed them away with a sweeping wall of fire.

"No!" Aang cried out as he began to fall back to earth, quickly forming a ball of air. He grabbed onto it to maintain his height as he helplessly watched the battle above. A sheet of metal ripped itself off the ship and came hurling down at Ozai; that meant Toph was up there as well.

The Fire Lord easily evaded the large projectile and continued up, propelled by the fire coming out of his feet. Aang watched the metal sheet soar by, and the airbender allowed his air ball to dissipate as he leaped for the piece of metal. It was huge, heavy, and most importantly, flat. As Aang grabbed onto it, its sharp uneven edges cutting into his palm, he swung himself in midair with all his might, bringing the metal sheet around with him like a giant fan.

The wind he generated from the metal, augmenting his natural airbending ability, flew upwards like a blade, cutting Ozai off like a wall. The firebender was thrown back from its force to collide with one of the many rock columns. As the wind reached the airship it expanded and blew outwards, catching the great machine and flinging it away as if it were some giant's toy. The Airship's momentum brought it far past the Wulong Forest, over the ocean. Aang winced as he heard a loud splash in the distance, praying for his friends' safety.

"I'm sorry." He murmured as he fell back down towards the lake, gathering the wind about him to slow his descent. Letting go of the metal sheet, it hit the water below him and was swallowed by the lake. This was his fight; he couldn't bare the thought of losing Sokka or Toph to Ozai. And if they were here to fight him, that's just what Aang believed would happen. Ozai was too powerful. As Aang landed back onto the water for the third time, he stared at the comet above. The giant flaming ball was halfway through its trip across the sky.

The Earth Kingdom will not fall today. The Airship Fleet is down; Ozai and his surviving soldiers will not be able to reach Ba Sing Se in time, will not be able to burn more of the land. He could take satisfaction in that victory at least, little as it was. Aang doesn't know about the White Lotus's attempt at liberating the Earth Kingdom capital.

His moment of rest was cut short again, as Ozai landed on the shore of the lake. Aang turned to face him, balanced carefully above the water. The battle resumed. A large powerful jet of fire came in a straight line at Aang, blasting aside and vaporizing the water. The Avatar brought up a large wave before himself, freezing it just as the fire hit. Aang was out of there in an instant, running for the opposite shore, his speed augmented by both his airbending and waterbending.

As he skidded onto shore he turned to raise a shield of rock- just in time. Ozai had followed him, and the stone barrier collapsed under the weight of an attack, but absorbed the brunt of it. Aang deflected the rest of the force with a wall of wind. So suddenly, Ozai was there in front of him, within melee range. The two traded several physical blows, each sending a bending attack with every strike. It didn't take Aang very long to realize that though he was more agile than Ozai, he wasn't nearly as strong. He fell into a quick retreat, sending up blocks of stone up from the ground before him with each step, which the Fire Lord easily jumped over.

Another shield of wind redirected a fireblast aside; barely. With a frustrated growl Aang raised a large stone wall before him, blocking the Fire Lord off. He then turned and hopped onto the side of a stone pillar, then to the top of another- at least, he was attempting to before a fireball beat him to it. The fire hit the rock with concussive force, sending Aang back. The young boy reflexively crossed his arms protectively before his face, blasting away bits of flying and burning debris with a light wind as he fell back towards the ground.

He spun in midair so that he could see where he was landing. Ozai was waiting for him. Aang saw the attack coming straight up at him, and blasted a strong current of air outwards from himself in a ball. It pushed back the first wave of the fire, back into Ozai but the Fire Lord threw aside the deflected attack and continued his stream of fire.

Aang screamed as fire engulfed him. It burned at his already wounded skin, stealing his air. It lasted for only an instant as he called in a great gust of wind over himself, blowing him out of the stream Ozai was shooting.

He fell heavily a few dozen feet away, and for one of the rare times in his life, he was not ready for this landing. There was a nasty crack! sound and pain shot up his left arm, the one he had landed on. He bit back his scream, for Ozai was advancing upon him, scowling fiercely.

Aang struggled onto his knees, holding his arm held tightly at his side. He slashed at Ozai with his right arm, releasing a blade of air. Ozai blew it apart with a small fire blast, one that continued through towards Aang. He ducked and rolled out of the way, the motion sending agony up his shoulder. He broke his roll down on one knee, clutching at his arm. He must have fractured it, and it, like everything else now, hurt.

"Fool. Fire has always fed on Air, grown stronger in its presence. You stand no chance against me!" Ozai roared, walking forward calmly. He had beaten Aang, both knew; an injury like his broken arm would greatly hamper his ability to bend, tipping the uneven scale all the way to favour the Fire Lord. Aang stared up at his opponent with grim determination, though his heart raced, beating hard against his chest. He could feel his Chakras becoming stagnant, the flow blocked as fear clogged his first.

Like hell he was going down quietly though.

Letting go of his arm he punched the ground with his other to bring a pillar of rock up under Ozai- or at least, that was his intention. Before he made contact with the ground, a sharp pain exploded in the back of his right shoulder, and blood sprayed across his vision. The force behind the blow pushed his shoulder forward, sending him sprawling on the ground. The rock under Ozai bulged for a moment from Aang's attempt but quickly settled back down without the strength of its bender.

Ozai looked up to see where the arrow came from. A small group of his troops were moving towards them, weaving between the stone pillars. It seems a good number had survived the crashes.

Aang groaned on the ground, blood pooling under him. The powerful bow had put the arrow straight through his shoulder, lodging it there, incapacitating the entire arm. He struggled to get up as the Fire Lord neared, using what little strength he had left in his arm arms to push him to his knees before a powerful hand grabbed him around the throat. Aang moved to block it by reflex, his right arm coming up for a moment before pain forced it limp again.

Ozai lifted him up in that position, and the Avatar barely resisted.

"I should kill you right now." Ozai whispered angrily. His plans for that day had failed, and though in the end he had triumphed over the Avatar, the fact a 12-year-old boy had stalled him for so long, long enough to ruin his attack on the Earth Kingdom, was infuriating. He had attacked with the intention to kill throughout the fight, but now that he was in a slightly more rational state, he was able to hold himself back.

"But I won't. If you escaped the attack on the Air Nomads and evaded us for a hundred years, I would hate to have to go through the same trouble with the Water Tribes." He loosened his grip, allowing the young boy to collapse in a heap on the ground.

"We are going back to the capital!" Ozai announced to the troops that were gathering around them now, most of them staring at Aang with awe. One in particular, holding a bow, seemed beside himself with pride. Beaming, he kept unsuccessfully trying to catch Ozai's attention.

"A great victory has been won today, though not the one we had came here to claim. We have The Avatar! A strike at the hearts of the weak who had put their hopes in this boy!"

His troops raised their weapons, crying out in agreement. Whatever morale destroyed by the destruction of the airship fleet was rekindled at the sight of the Fire Nation's greatest enemy crumpled at Phoenix King Ozai's feet.

Within hours the surviving mechanics were salvaging the remains of emergency war balloons within the wrecks of the airships in order to return the troops home. An Eel Hound was found by the shores and quickly put to work; they were the fastest animals known to travel over land and water. A messenger was sent with the lizard-like creature back to the capital, and should arrive within a day. The rest of the troops will be behind him by the next.

xXxXxXxXx

"Kid, work with me here." A voice told him gruffly, and Aang groaned, unwilling to crawl back from unconsciousness. He was afraid of what he'd find if he does.

"Damn it kid, wake up!" Whoever it was slapped him across the face and he bolted upright- or tried to. He was tied down, chains binding his ankles and his left wrist to metal pegs on the ground. A thin blanket was laid under him, another over him though it was pushed back to expose his heavily-bandaged upper torso. His right arm was free, allowing him to sit up slightly. A makeshift splint ran the length of his broken arm, and a man was knelt on his other side, a pile of medical supplies by his side.

"Welcome back ta the world of the livin' thank the gods. The Fire Lo- Phoenix King'll have my head if ya died." The man wore red and black in the style of the Fire Nation, but it wasn't the armour of the soldiers, but loose robes. A medic. Aang groaned, closing his eyes and trying to clear his head; he had a bad headache and everything hurt. What had happened to him again...?

"Haven't worked with a kid in a while. Oi, bite down on this, and try not ta scream too loudly. The soldiers are restin' outside."

Before he had any time to protest, a stiff, flat piece of what felt like strong cardboard was stuffed into his mouth and his eyes widened when the man took out a knife. In one smooth movement, he grabbed Aang's shoulder and cut the tail off the arrow that was still in his shoulder.

"Shhh! What did I tell ya about stayin' quiet?" The man scowled as The Avatar screamed. "Nothing's wrong, just getting the damned arrow out!" The man told a curious soldier who stuck his head into the tent. The soldier resumed his post with a shrug.

Aang tried his best to keep it down to a whimpering as the medic forced the remains of the shaft through his shoulder.

"...ugh...thanks..." Aang mumbled after it was over, spitting out the cardboard thing, and the man set to work on stopping the blood from flowing and bandaging it up.

"Don't thank me kid. The Phoenix King 'aint a nice guy, you'll regret me savin' ya soon enough. If yer lucky ya can still bleed ta death, that was one nasty shot through the shoulder." He mumbled, tying off the bandage. "Though I'd prefer ya don't. Don't think that'll have good consequences fer me."

Aang didn't resist as the man pushed him back down to lie on the ground, locking his right wrist to the last peg.

"Don't tell 'em I unlocked one. They're paranoid ya'll just blow the entire camp ta smithereens if you had any access ta bendin'. Ha! They're terrified of ya, a twelve year-old boy? Can you believe that?" The man laughed, putting away his supplies. "And how was I ta get that arrow out with ya tied ta the ground?"

The man pulled the blanket fully over Aang before walking off. The Avatar closed his eyes, having barely understood anything. His period of waking felt hazy and like a dream, even the pain fading away.

"Later kid, please tell one of t'guards if ya think yer gonna die. I've got quite a few other patients ta attend to." He called out before stepping out of the tent. Aang barely heard him, slipping quickly into a deep sleep, one brought about by exhaustion, his body doing its best to recover from the ordeal.

I hope the medic came across as gruff but kind. I wanted to end the chapter...not exactly optimistically, but I didn't want it to be completely bleak. This isn't suppose to be the bad ending of Avatar.

I can honestly say that writing this was painfully slow for me. Aang was one of the only characters I bonded emotionally with at all while watching the series, and making him go through all this was hard on me. Unfortunately, this happening to him is the major catalyst for this story, so I couldn't avoid it.

I never understood why smacking the wound that locked his 7th Chakra would magically unlock it. Not to mention I really didn't like how Aang simply just Avatar Mode'd the fight, which meant everything he personally accomplished in bending over the three seasons meant nothing. It just means that even if Aang fought Ozai at the beginning of the series, he would have had his rear handed to him, and then he'd go Avatar Mode and proceed to beat the living daylights out of Ozai, especially since there was no Sozin's comet.

Anyways, thanks for reading, reviews are loved, and they increase the probability of me updating.