Summary: Zuko and Katara go to battle with Azula for the last time.

A/N: Sorry if it seems rushed at the end. I really wanted to finish before the day was out. Anyway, enjoy.

Momentous

It was nighttime, but the comet painted the sky with shades of red and orange. If you looked closely, you could still see the stars. If the comet hadn't meant that if they failed, the Fire Nation would destroy the Earth Kingdom and take over the world, it would have been beautiful. If only that was the case.

Zuko and Katara sat in silence as he steered Appa towards the Fire Nation. At times, they became uncomfortably aware of each other and the silence became awkward, but mostly they were just preparing themselves for what was to come. Azula was a prodigy. She was one of the greatest benders they'd ever seen, but there was more to it than that. She was crafty and manipulative. She couldn't be outsmarted. Everyone was scared of her, though no one would admit it. The worst part was, they knew she'd never stop fighting. She'd never give up. When they went to fight her, it would be a fight to the death.

Katara glanced over at Zuko. His expression was usually serious and a bit angry looking, but now the anger was mixed with anxiety too. "Zuko, don't worry. We can take Azula."

"I'm not worried about her. I'm worried about Aang," he admitted. "What if he doesn't have the guts to take out my father? What if he loses?"

"Aang won't lose," she said confidently, "He's gonna come back." And then for her own sake, she added, "He has to."

But, honestly, she wasn't sure what was going to happen. She knew that there was a lot of pressure on Aang. She knew that what he had to do was completely against his beliefs, and none of them had helped him try to find an alternate solution. Now that they didn't know where he was, she felt really guilty about that. Thinking about it now, asking a twelve-year-old to kill someone, even if it was someone as evil Ozai, was a lot to put on his shoulders. So, would he come back? Could he face this?

"Katara," Zuko said softly, interrupting her thoughts. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this."

"What do you mean?" she asked

"This fight is between me and Azula," he told her. "I shouldn't have asked you to come."

He knew that he couldn't face her alone. His uncle had been right about that and he'd admitted himself. But, he couldn't live with himself if anything happened to her because of him. Especially with these newfound feelings he'd discovered. And right now, it seemed like Katara getting hurt was almost inevitable.

"I came because I wanted to," she reassured him. She looked away and blushed and added, "And besides, you need me."

He gave a small smile. "And you never turn your back on people who need you?"

She smiled back and touched his shoulder, "That's right."

When they finally arrived at the Fire Nation, they saw the Fire Sages about to crown Azula. The one holding the crown noticed Appa and stopped, leaving the crown hovering above her head. "What are you waiting for?" she snapped. "Do it!"

"Sorry, but you're not going to become Fire Lord today," he said firmly. "I am."

Azula laughed almost dismissively. "You're hilarious."

Katara jumped of Appa, standing at Zuko's side. "And you're going down."

The Fire Sage was about to crown Azula, but she stopped him. "Wait. You want to be Fire Lord? Fine. Let's settle this, just you and me, brother, the showdown that was always meant to be. Agni Kai."

Katara glared at her. She was as manipulative as always. "You're on," said Zuko, causing Katara's eyes to widen.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "She's playing you. She knows she can't take us both, so she's trying to separate us."

"I know, but I can take her this time," he said.

"But even you admitted to your uncle that you would need help facing Azula,'" she argued.

"There's something off about her. I can't explain it, but she's slipping," he looked and her added. "And this way, no one else has to get hurt." You don't have to get hurt.

Katara nodded reluctantly, but she was still ready to jump into the fight at any moment. She wouldn't let him do this alone.

"I'm sorry it has to end this way, brother."

"No, you're not."

And then, the battle began.

It began with a huge explosion, Zuko's orange flames against Azula's blue. The fire that they blasted at one another set houses and buildings, destroying everything in its path. It was almost mesmerizing to watch. Where Azula had skill, Zuko had determination. The fighting seemed to last for hours, though the battle wasn't really that long at all. It pained Katara to stand back and watch, knowing that any second he could be gone. Right now, all she could think about was him, though in the back of her mind, she knew Aang was in a worse battle.

"No lightning today?" asked Zuko. "What's the matter? Afraid I'll redirect it?"

Azula had gone crazy with rage. "Oh, I'll show you lighting."

Bolts of lightning erupted from her hands and she prepared herself to strike. When she was ready, she glowered at Zuko, but her eyes shifted to Katara and with a menacing smile, she sent it hurdling towards her.

Katara was frozen. She knew in a matter of seconds that she would be dead. She'd never figured out her feelings. She'd never been able to tell Aang or Zuko how much they meant to her. She'd never them or Sokka or Toph or any of her friends again. She knew going into this that there was a good chance she wouldn't make it out, but now that it was happening, she was more terrified than she'd ever been in her life.

At least that's what she thought until she saw Zuko, jumping in front of her, letting the lightning strike him instead. "Zuko!" she cried, rushing towards him. He lied on the ground, writhing in pain.

She'd almost reached him when she had to jump out of the way of a burst of blue flames. She tried to reach him again, but Azula laughed sinisterly and sent more fire in her direction. She was sending strike after strike, not stopping once. All Katara could do was run. She didn't have time to think of fighting back. Azula wouldn't allow it. She tried to hide behind of one the columns, but it was destroyed with another blast of Azula's fire. Katara tried to send an attack to where Azula had been standing, but she had used her fire to fly away and was now right behind her. She knew she couldn't run forever, but right now there were no other options.

She looked down and saw that there was water under one of the vents. When she looked up, she saw a chain hanging on one of the columns. An idea formed. She knew it was a risky one, but she also knew that Zuko didn't have much time left. She grabbed the chain just as Azula reached her. "There you are, filthy peasant," she sneered. Katara sent another attack at her, causing her to run over the vents. She raised the water so that they were both completely frozen in ice. Azula's hand was pointed right at Katara's face. Katara melted the ice around her, chaining Azula to the vents and then melted the water around them completely. She made sure that the chain was tight enough so that there was no way Azula could break free, and then ran to Zuko, who lay unconscious on the ground.

She gently turned him over, and he groaned in pain. She wouldn't let him die, not for her. There was a big star shaped scar in the center of his chest. She gathered some water from her pouch and moved her hands over it. The water glowed and she waited anxiously to see if it would be enough. Tears welled up in her eyes when he finally opened his and a huge grin crossed her face.

"Thank you Katara," he said weakly.

"I think I'm the one who should be thanking you." Before she knew what she was doing, she pressed her lips hard against his. She pulled away as suddenly as she had kissed him. He stared at her with large eyes and bright red cheeks. "I…I'm sorry…I didn't mean…I've just been having these feelings….and um…I've been really confused…and-"

He silenced her with another kiss. She was shocked at first, but she felt herself wrapping her arms around him, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. He reached up and cupped her face in his hands as the kiss turned from passionate to sweet. "It's okay," he breathed when they finally broke away, her head resting against his. "I didn't mind."