Survivor Guilt

He sits bolt upright in his bed, sweat making his normally fever hot skin cold and clammy.

It's the same nightmare that's been plaguing him for years now.

It is the showdown between him and his sister that has been a long time in coming; their final reckoning. He goads and taunts Azula, knowing that her sanity and reason has long since fled her, sparks of madness dancing in her eyes. Azula then shoots the lightning...but she doesn't aim for Zuko. She aims for Katara instead. The next instant happens in slow motion. He runs, desperately trying to stop the lightning from hitting her-

And fails. It all happens in less than the blink of an eye, as the lightning falls short and strikes her. He cradles Katara in her final moments, and she says nothing, her beautiful blue eyes brimming with tears and reaching up to touch Zuko's face, only to fall short as she breathes her last.

The rest after that is a blur as he goes after Azula in an almost blind fury, and he takes her down, and the last thing the fallen princess sees is his flaming fist coming towards her face as he strikes the killing blow.

However, it is a hollow victory because he failed to save her, and she is dead. And it's all his fault. If only he hadn't asked her to come with him, to fight beside him, she would still be here, living, laughing, loving. She would have become an even more powerful water bender, a great healer, and perhaps even a wife and mother.

"I'm sorry, Katara," he chokes out to the darkness, as if seeking undeserved benediction from her spirit.

It should have been me.

A/N: My thoughts on what would have happened if Zuko hadn't stopped the lightning in time. I'm actually fairly pleased with how this one came out.