A/N: Oh hey! I just knocked this out today, and I was super excited about it. Hopefully, I will keep this trend up. I will really hold myself accountable to not leave you guys hanging by the end of this story. I have free time right now and I will be writing/posting as much as I can! It'll get less canon in the next chapter after this one, I promise. You will see things that start to diverge from the original story and into more of a "Zutara world" if that makes sense. Either way, enjoy this chapter and I hope you like it! (This is not edited so sorry if there are any mistakes). :)
Song Muse for this chapter: Until We Go Down by Ruelle
Katara couldn't believe was Zuko was letting himself do. After a short visit with his uncle, Iroh, he had decided to confront his insane younger sister. His uncle had encouraged him, but Katara had come to care quite a bit about Zuko, much to her surprise. After him coming with her to try and avenge her mother, the two had a growing connection that Katara couldn't help but admit was real. Even though there was a big part of her who did not want to feel that way, she did, and it wasn't possible to make it go away this time.
As they rode up to the palace on Appa, Katara's nervousness continued to grow. What if the two of them wasn't enough? What if their entire plan wasn't enough? What if they failed? What if Aang failed and the Avatar ceased to exist? As she thought everything, a growing anxious feeling washed over her, but, equally forceful, a determination to not fail grew as well. She had Zuko with her. He knew his sister's every motives better than anybody, didn't he? Well, maybe her father knew more since they had been in cohorts, but Azula had also shared her father's views, something that Zuko did not, at least not anymore. Katara bit her lower lip, hearing the booming voice of the announcer down below, nearly announcing Azula as Firelord.
"By decree of Phoenix King Ozai, I now crown you Firelord-" he had begun, but then stopped, his hands stopping just before the symbol of the Firelord had been put into Azula's hair. She noticed immediately, her head turning, her lips speaking something that Katara couldn't quite make out.
Then, Appa roared as he prepared to land, causing Azula's fiery gaze to fall upon them. He landed with a thwump! and then Zuko stood on his head. Katara watched Azula carefully, there if Zuko needed her, just like he had been when he went with her to confront the man who killed her mother.
"Sorry, but you're not gonna become Firelord today," said Zuko, leaping off of Appa's head, staring down Azula. "I am."
At those words, Azula laughed as Katara dismounted Appa as well, moving to stand next to Zuko. Katara was determined to have Azula taken down once and for all, no matter what it took
"You're hilarious," said Azula, a huge smirk on the princess' face.
"And you're going down," Katara countered back, her eyebrows creased, her body filled with nerves and adrenaline.
Azula's smirk disappeared, and she waved the man holding her symbol of Firelord away, moving to stand.
"Wait," she ordered. "You want to be Firelord? Fine, let's settle this. Just you and me, brother, the showdown that was always meant to be. Agni Kai!"
Katara stared at Azula, her eyebrows still creased. Surely Zuko would say no to that, right? He couldn't be baited like that. Her adrenaline was dying down, slowly but surely. But what she didn't expect were the words that next came out of Zuko's mouth.
"You're on."
Katara looked at him, missing the grin that then spread across Azula's face. Katara's lips parted slightly as she looked at her companion with surprise.
"What're you doing? She's playing you. She knows she can't take us both, so she's trying to separate us!" Katara remarked.
"I know, but I can take her this time," Zuko replied.
"But you even admitted to your uncle that you would need help facing Azula."
"There's something off about her. I can't explain it, but she's slipping... And this way, no one else has to get hurt."
With that, Katara could tell what he was saying was true, so she gave him a single, curt nod and followed them to the Agni Kai arena.
Zuko didn't know exactly what it was that made him agree to an Agni Kai with his sister, but he did know that something was incredibly off about her. Her hair was dishevelled and chopped, surprising him since her hair was almost unnaturally perfect no matter what she did. That day, she was not like that. That day, she had bags under her eyes, like she hadn't gotten enough sleep, and her smile seemed too devious, even for her. Usually there was a level of calculation, but her eyes showed him that instinct and slight fear was fueling her fire. Was she really prepared for this battle, when Zuko had gotten the true meaning of firebending under his belt, especially since her fire burned with anger and hatred, while his burned with light and life?
As he kneeled across from her in the arena, he felt a certain calmness in the decision he had just made. He took a few deep breaths and then stood, turning around to face his younger sister. He narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at her in the dimming light.
"I'm sorry it has to end this way, brother," Azula sneered, discarding her Firelord frock and giving him a deceitful grin.
"No, you're not," Zuko replied, already in his starting stance.
Azula took an interesting starting stance for a moment, and then the world before him erupted into blue flame, but he was ready.
He lifted his hands, creating a fiery orange wall that met the blue flames in the middle of the arena. His training these past few weeks with the Avatar and his new friends did make things a lot different. He had refined his fighting style, and he was extremely prepared to face Azula, especially since Ty Lee and Mai weren't necessarily on her side anymore. Besides, this was an Agni Kai. This was a one-on-one battle until the end.
It had been going on for minutes, their fighting, but it seemed like hours. Zuko's stance was strong, and when Azula ceased her bending to look behind her at the line of fair that almost got to her, she flashed crazy eyes at him, her lips curled downward in a deep frown. The grace that she once had when she bended was gone, and it was almost like she was an animal run by instinct and bloodlust, a step beyond Zuko could ever comprehend. Whatever move she made, Zuko was ready for it. He was surprised that she didn't start generating lightning in this fight already, but maybe she was saving her big guns for the last moments, when she knew it was going to be too late. He was prepared for anything.
Zuko noticed that she was breathing heavily, seemingly winded by the effort of fighting him, and she barely dodged his moves without getting scathed herself. It was difficult, somewhat, to see what her loyalty to their father had made her into. Would he have been like that, had he not seen or experienced what so much of the rest of the world had? Would he have gone mad, like she seemed to have gone? His scar meant so much more to him now - it was when the start of his rebirth had begun.
Once particular hit knocked Azula off her feet, her hair astray from her loose bun and her chest heaving, trying to get every breath in and out of her lungs. She had hit the ground hard, and Zuko wasn't surprised that he was still standing. He was happy that he was, though, especially since he had been slightly worried before he had seen her. Now, he wasn't. He was sure that he could win this. That's why he didn't care when he taunted her.
"What's the matter? No lightning today?" he yelled. "Afraid I'll redirect it?"
"Oh, I'll show you lightning!" she yelled back.
Zuko assumed his position, ready to redirect it back at his sister, put an end to this once and for all.
What he didn't expect was for her eyes to shift to the right. What he didn't expect was for her aim to go to Katara instead of him. What he didn't expect was that he wouldn't have the chance to even redirect it back to her because he would be struck in the chest to protect his companion.
"No!" he shouted, as he ran in front of Katara to shield her from the blast. His body convulsed with the electricity it was exposed to in mid-air while the lightning passed through him. Seconds later, he rolled onto the ground, flinching as his damaged muscles took most of the blow.
Then, everything went black.
Everything had gone south for Katara, seeing his crazy sister strike him like that. Her heart beat quickly, a sense of adrenaline pumping through her veins.
"Zuko!" Katara shouted, taking the water from her pouch as a crazed Azula laughed manically, running towards her and blocking her pathway to Zuko. No matter what, she needed to get to Zuko, who was still convulsing on the floor. He had managed to get himself on his back, so it would be easier for her to heal him, but first, she had to deal with Azula herself.
Katara ran from her blasts, rolling on the ground before standing. She looked for Azula, a blast of blue fire telling her she was on the roof. Lightning illuminated the sky once more, and Azula seemed to have lost her last shred of dignity.
"I'd really rather our family physician look after little Zuzu, if you don't mind!"
Katara looked at the Princess, creating a shield of water to protect her until she could run from Azula's offensive onslaught. She ran to a nearby building, Azula's blasts burning the tips of Katara's hair. She hid behind one of the pillars, waiting for Azula's next move, or the next move she could make towards Zuko.
"Zuzu, you don't look so good!"
Katara felt the electricity in the air and managed to move at the last moment to a different pillar before Azula had another strike of lightning go towards where Katara had been just standing. With that, Katara decided it was time to go on the offense, twisting a deluge of water before sending it to where she thought Azula was standing. Katara was surprised to see that she wasn't there, but she knew Azula couldn't be far. As she heard thrusts behind her, Katara ran in the opposite direction of where Azula was, preparing herself for more attacks. Katara deftly dodged Azula's attacks by surfing on waterbent ice around the arena, stumbling underneath another building as Azula's biggest infero shot at her. Katara tripped off her ice path, and as she landed, she realized just where she did land.
She did seem hidden at the moment, and she looked up, a chain hanging from a nearby torch. She could do this. She had to do this.
"There you are, filthy peasant!" Azula sneered, stumbling towards Katara with a determined look in her eyes.
Katara was quick, narrowing her eyes as Azula came closer, sending ribbons of water towards the Princess before shifting to the side and letting Azula nearly shoot a bolt of lightning at her. But before that could happen, Katara shot her hands upward and bent the water beneath them, freezing them temporarily in a moment of time. Katara eventually breathed out, making select parts of the ice into water. This rendered Azula helpless and Katara could see the fear in the girl's eyes. Her hands moved to Azula's, binding them with the chain and then chaining her to the grate beneath them. The water then fell, and Katara ignored Azula's grunts of protest before running towards Zuko.
She had to get to him before it was game over.
