The sun gives life to all, but there are times when we went to shut it off from the world. I think this would be one of them.

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"That's a problem." He said in response to Hakoda's question. "It's my sister and her friends."

He saw Ty lee jump from the gondola docking station onto the metal wires. She started running. "She could fall to her death, but she shows no sign of fear." He admired.

They heard the roar of flames, and saw Azula rocketing along the cable, seemingly from a wheel of some kind.

"This is a rematch I've been waiting for." Suki said from next to him.

"Me too." He didn't know why he said it. He wasn't looking forward to fighting his sister again.

They both landed. Suki turned around to take on Ty lee, Zuko and Sokka went for Azula.

He tried to read her expression. He found nothing. The girl could easily hide what she was thinking. She raised her hands, as if she was about to attack. False alarm. She spun and kicked out, sending a wave of flames at the two. Zuko jumped to block it. Blue met red, and both vanished. For a time, Azula just kept throwing flames at Zuko, who would easily block them, turning them into nothing. From behind, he could hear Ty lee and Suki battling it out.

From Zuko's aft, Sokka appeared, sending a clumsy throw of his sword at the fire princess. She easily dodged, having seen it coming from miles away. Sokka shied back behind Zuko, just in time, as Azula assaulted them with more venomous flames. Zuko sent them on their way.

Seeing an opening, he fired at her feet, causing her to jump in the air. Sokka saw this as an opportunity, and attempted to disembowel her. He flipped his blade up, the sun glinting from the ash coloured metal. She saw it at the last second and dodged being cut open by a hairs breadth.

Zuko blinked. He rubbed his eyes, trying to get them to see properly again. Being blinded in battle was a hazard. In most people's cases, anyway. As Sokka's sword swept up, the sun reflected from the sharp point, glaring angrily into his eyes like an arrow. He couldn't see a thing.

Taking a chance, he blindly threw a ball of flames at Azula. It seemed to have sailed in her direction, though she dodged it. The girl landed in a push-up position, her legs in the air. She was expecting them to attack whilst she was in the vulnerable state. She glanced up. Zuko was rubbing at his eyes, and Sokka was watching her every move. "The perfect opportunity to hurt them." She thought.

Bringing her legs forward, she kicked an immense amount of fire in their general direction. Sokka saw it coming, but Zuko, still blinded, got hit full on. He screamed out in pain.



The only clothes he had left on the front of him were a few charred remains of his shirt and his pants. The skin underneath was charred and blackened. He was in the worst position possible. His vision was starting to clear up, though not completely, and he was in so much pain he knew he would pass out soon. He staggered, not thinking clearly, and forgetting that he was on top of a moving carriage. He almost walked straight of the edge, but Sokka ran over and grabbed him, pushing him back to the centre. Unfortunately, Azula was standing at the centre as well, watching intently, trying to figure out what had befallen her brother.

She saw him stumbling towards her. He fell to his knees in front of her. His eyes had a pleading look in them. "Azula..." he coughed. "Help me!" Azula contemplated the situation. For a moment, she was tempted to help him. But only for a moment. Lifting him to his knees. She whispered into his ear, "Goodbye, Zuko." And then she pushed him. He tried to stop himself, but couldn't. He fell screaming off the side of the gondola. Azula decided to be nice.

Flowing through the movements she needed to separate positive and negative energy, she charged her hands. Once crackling, she leaned over the edge and shot the falling body with all she had. He seemed to float for a minute, and then resumed his descent. With a splash, he landed in the boiling volcanic waters. There was no thrashing or struggling.

And then she felt cold. It wasn't from the realization of what she had just done, nor from the fact that from underneath her she heard the warden call out "Cut the line!"

No, the reason she felt cold all of a sudden was because of the sword blade jutting from her lower belly. Isn't it curious, she thought, that all i feel is cold?

She felt the sword withdraw from her body, sending numerous stabs of pain all over her. Her life didn't flash before her eyes though. She saw the many thousands of people that had stood before her, begging, pleading for their life, only for her to snuff it out, like a candle on the wind. And then there were the defiant ones. The ones that spat at her feet, saying how evil she was, how she would never prevail. She liked those ones the best. She saw a memory of her and Zuko as they were kids, just five years old, playing hide and seek, laughing and pretending to shoot each other. Then she died. Tumbling forward off the side of the carriage, she did numerous flips through the air, then landed, not far from Zuko, in the steamy water.

Ty lee and Suki looked over the side. The acrobat gasped, then jumped off onto the passing carriage. She sat down, leaning against the metal arm.

Suki just stared, feeling some sorrow for the prince who had just helped them escape. Sokka was tearing up. Suki embraced him, then guided the boy back inside.

"What's going on?" Hakoda asked.

Sokka started to explain, "Zuko's dead. Azula killed him..." they could see him hesitating.

"Then Sokka stabbed Azula." Suki finished for him.

Hakoda just nodded. "They're going to cut the line." He pointed to the docking station. They spotted the massive metal saw cutting through the steel cable.

"Then i hope this thing floats." Suki stated, trying to lift the mood. It didn't work.

Then there was a blur of movement. The guards looked like they were flying backwards, landing on the walls. Only then did Sokka realise it was Mai, Zuko's ex girlfriend, apparently saving them. The gondola jerked forward, and started moving.

Suki spotted the girl, Ty lee was it? Jump from the descending carriage, and run into Mai's embrace. The shocked girl just hugged her, then Ty lee pointed to the water, and they both fell to the ground.

At the opposite docking station, Sokka told Chet Seng to throw the warden back inside.

Suki looked around; "Azula was on that island... She must have come here somehow."

"She's right." Hakoda agreed. "There's probably a war balloon over there." He pointed down the side of the cliff. They all ran down, and were greeted with huge zephyr.

Once safe high in the air, Sokka glanced out the window. "Rest well, Zuko."

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