Chapter 14: The Consequences of War

Hey guys! To those of you who haven't read this on chapter ten, I have seen your complaints about the threesome and I completely understand. Therefore I have removed it and replaced it with Kataang fluff. Sorry about that, but I thought it would be something funny. Nonetheless, it has been removed and is no longer a problem. I am very sorry for those who did not like it. Thanks for reading my apology statement and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Responses to reviews:

Javier: I'm glad to hear that you like all the action. I hope I've been writing it decently, but I always feel like my writing's off. Thanks for reading and the review!

Guest: Thanks! I'm glad that you liked it! Thanks for reading and the review!

Lloyd16: Well I'm glad that you like it, but unfortunately this story has one more chapter after this one, so I'm sorry if you were hoping for more. Thanks for reading and the review!

Kataang29: Glad you think it's cool. I've enjoyed writing it a lot. Thanks for reading and the review!

Ashley Barbosa: Yeah, they did get pretty close sometimes to an early end. Thanks for reading and the review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Time seemed to slow down as the soldiers surged forward, giving Aang a new perspective on the situation at hand. All that he had worked for, all that he had done over the eight years he had been protecting the city, every moment, every time he stopped someone from being kidnapped, every drop of blood, sweat, and tears he poured into it led up to this moment. There was no going back. He couldn't even if he wanted to. Ozai was right about one thing. Aang was made to be a peacekeeper, and the only way he could see keeping the peace was to go through with his mission. As these thoughts surged through his mind, the soldiers finally ran close enough to snap Aang out of his thoughts and take out his blade. Aang and Katara met the soldiers in a clash of bending as Aang sent back whatever was shot at him while Katara struggled more, sending water at them and dodging when she couldn't bend what they threw at her back to them.

"Give up now and we'll make your death quick," one of the soldiers promised while shooting a flame at Aang. Aang just dodged it and knocked the soldier off his feet with a gust of wind, leaving him dazed as Aang took advantage of the situation. Quickly running over to the soldier, he ended his life with a swift blow to the throat and watched as the other soldiers froze in fear. They had thought themselves nearly invincible.

Aang stood up from the soldier and turned around to them. "Power doesn't make you invincible," he told them wisely. "It just helps you survive a little longer." The soldiers got back into their stance, but Katara had snuck up behind them as he had their attention and lodged both blades in two of their throats, making them fall dead to the ground as the other soldiers backed up and looked between the two in fear.

"You'll never get us!" one of the soldiers yelled defiantly before charging at Aang. Aang dodged his attack of a fire dagger and sent him hurtling into a wall with a strong gust of air. Unfortunately for Aang, this soldier was quicker on his feet and managed to get back into a fighting stance. Aang groaned inwardly and moved up to resume the fight. Meanwhile, Zuko and Mai were keeping Ozai on his toes.

Zuko attempted to stab Ozai in the heart, but Ozai simply stepped out of the way and let Zuko crash into the wall. Mai glared angrily at him as she took a shuriken out and tried to catch him by surprise, but no matter what they did, Ozai always appeared to be one step ahead of them. "What, you can't kill a simple man?" Ozai taunted as he shot some fire at Mai. Zuko stepped in and cut the flames before shooting some back which Ozai simply dodged, setting a plant on fire.

"Stop moving and we won't have that problem," Zuko shot back before moving up and attempting to slice his throat. Ozai just grabbed his arm and threw him into a wall, making Mai furious as she charged him. Ozai laughed evilly as he waited to kill her, but as she arrived, she faked a jump and managed to graze his arm as he just barely managed to avoid getting killed by her blade. He growled in pain and turned to face her when Zuko took him by surprise and kicked him into another room, making a large hole in the drywall with Ozai's figure. Zuko turned to Mai. "Shall we?" Mai nodded and they ran into the room.

``Why do you even bother?" one of the guards taunted as he shot some water at Aang who redirected it in the form of an ice fist which the soldier just barely managed to dodge. "You know you can't beat us."

Aang shook his head as he shot some fire at the soldier he was facing. "Even if that was true, I would still be fighting. This is too big of a deal to just let go by. Ozai can't be allowed to take over the world."

The soldier snorted as he shot some more water at Aang, but Aang just made it evaporate with fire, leaving the guard without his second element. "You'll pay for that!" he growled before getting back into the fight.

Katara was finally getting the upper hand on her opponent. He clearly hadn't had that much training, and he was beginning to show it as he grew tired. "Surrender, now!" he yelled weakly.

"Sorry. Not gonna happen," Katara replied as she sent a volley of ice daggers at him. He just barely managed to dodge them, but what he hadn't been expecting was the puddle that he was currently stepping in. Katara froze the water and turned to him.

He attempted in a futile effort to break the ice, but he was not a waterbender and his weapon wasn't strong enough to shatter it. Katara took her chance at this distraction and charged forward, dodging a blast of fire before she turned around behind him and stuck her blade in his neck, promptly ending his life before she moved in to help Aang. Aang was still keeping the soldier busy. This soldier proved to be wiser than the other he had faced. Every time he took a step in one direction, the soldier would take a step in the opposite direction, making his job harder. Aang shot forward on a gust of air and knocked the soldier back into a wall, leaving him dazed as his hurt head tried desperately to regain its bearings. Katara and Aang nodded to each other before they charged him, Aang with a blow to the heart and Katara with a blow to the head. The final soldier fell dead at their feet as they panted heavily, doing their best to catch their breaths. "Well at least that's over," Aang sighed in relief.

"Yeah," Katara agreed with a breathless laugh. "They were definitely more challenging to fight than the others we've fought before." Then a thought popped into their minds at the exact same time. "Zuko and Mai!" they yelled in unison while looking at each other before running into the next room.

"How long can you keep this up, son?" Ozai taunted as he shot a pillar of flame at him. Zuko dodged it and sent some back in the form of a fire bomb, but Ozai just put a fire shield over it and let it explode into it. "You still have much to learn."

Zuko rolled his eyes as they all ganged up on him. "And you still have to die," he responded icily, feeling all of the pain from his father's punishment come back. Running forward without another word, Zuko shot some fire at his face and attempted to stab him in the back, but Ozai dodged both attempts on his life and turned around to taunt him.

"Oh please," he replied dismissively. "You couldn't kill me if you tried." Aang took the initiative and sent a strong gust of air at Ozai, temporarily disorienting him before he charged him. Ozai managed to just barely dodge Aang's blade that was aimed for his heart and kick him away. Aang had been expecting this, however, and managed to land on his feet as he resumed the fight. They all backed Ozai into a corner, making him growl as he looked at them. "So this is how it's going to be, is it?"

"Yes," Zuko agreed with his blade out. "It is."

Ozai smirked evilly and looked to Katara who was checking up on Aang and used it to his advantage. Without another word, he kicked a flame at the distracted Katara and sent her back into the wall, making Aang gasp as he saw her not move. Fury flooded through him as he turned back to Ozai. Don't lose control, don't lose control, he begged himself, but it was too late. He was already gone. The rage and worry he felt inside finally consumed him and closed his eyes for a moment, opening to reveal the furious blank white eyes of the Stormborn. Ozai's smirk dropped as he recognized the unmatched rage in his eyes. "Uh oh…"

Toph was having the time of her life. She had never had as much fun as she was now. Being able to destroy things was always a favorite pastime of hers, but destroying the expensive equipment of an evil tyrant? It didn't get better than that. "Sunshine, we need to get moving!" Toph yelled as she finished smashing the remnants of a machine.

Ty Lee came cartwheeling in with a guard right behind her. "Sorry, I've been a little busy, bandit," she replied before flipping around and disabling the soldier by hitting his pressure points and making him fall to the ground. She swiftly took his life and returned to Toph. "So what's next?"

"We need to get into that room," Toph pointed across the hallway. "According to the blueprints, that's where the last of the devices are being kept."

"Okay! Let's go!" Ty Lee said cheerily before walking up to the door. The door was locked and shut tightly, much to their annoyance as they attempted to open it.

Toph tried punching it, but it wouldn't budge. "What's the deal? Usually my fist can at least make a hole in it," she grumbled while rubbing her damaged knuckle.

Ty Lee shrugged as she surveyed the door and noticed a vent above them. "Oh! I'll go in the vent and unlock it from the other side!"

"That could work," Toph mused as she thought about it. "Go ahead, Sunshine. I'll be waiting." Ty Lee nodded before she ran up the wall and dove into the vent, leaving Toph bored as she not-so-patiently waited for Ty Lee to open the door. Ty Lee crawled through the vents until she found the opening to drop down into the room. Taking her chance, she kicked the vent cover open and dropped down and was surprised to find a few soldiers there watching monitors.

"Things aren't looking good for the boss," one said as Ty Lee crept over to the door and prepared to punch in the code that was on the wall next to it.

"What do you mean?" the middle soldier asked as he looked closer. "I mean, it's kinda freaky that the Stormborn's eyes are white, but…"

The third soldier spoke up. "He's right. That's what happens when a Stormborn loses control. The Stormborn is going to take out the boss, and us with it if we don't get out of here."

"Yeah, you're right," the middle soldier agreed as Ty Lee punched in the code quickly. "Let's get out of here." They turned around quickly when they heard the door open and were greeted by the wolfish grin of Toph.

"Who's ready to have some fun?" Toph smirked as she cracked her knuckles. The soldiers just took out their swords and got into a fighting stance, but they hadn't seen Ty Lee sneak up behind them. Before any of them knew it, Ty Lee had hit all of their pressure points and sent them to the ground before quickly taking their lives. "Hey!" Toph complained as she walked in. "At least let me in on some of the action."

Ty Lee just shrugged with a smile. "Sorry!" she responded cheerily. "I'll try next time!" Toph just rolled her eyes and took off her meteorite bracelet, turning it into a large pile of rocks around them.

"Watch out, sunshine!" Toph warned her. Ty Lee stepped out of the way and Toph sent all of the rocks at the equipment, smashing them to pieces before she looked at the wreckage with a satisfied smirk. "That should take care of that." She turned to Ty Lee. "Okay, all of the equipment's been taken care of. We should go outside and join the fight."

"But what about those guys?" she pointed to the people on the monitor. "Shouldn't we go help them?"

Toph shook her head as she started walking out of the room. "There's four of them and one tyrant. If they can't kill him, then they don't deserve to be called heroes. Come on, we've got to help them outside." Toph took off running down the hallway towards the door while Ty Lee hesitated. She had heard what the soldiers were saying, but if what they said was true, it sounded like they would be fine. Shaking her head, she took off after Toph to join the fight.

The battle raged on outside, but the students and Masters were making headway. Especially with Suki and Sokka reinforcing them. Sokka made his way over to Piandao and saved him from a soldier sneaking up behind him. "How's it going, Master?" he asked as he stabbed another guard.

"It's going very well!" he yelled back over the noise as he sliced a soldier and kicked another one away. "With you two here, we'll get this done even sooner!"

Suki came from above and landed on a soldier with her blade in his throat before resuming her attack. "Enough chit-chat! We need to fight!" Sokka and Piandao nodded in response and got back to the fight.

Iroh shot some flames at another soldier who was being distracted by Bumi, taking his life as his skull smashed into a wall. "How are there so many soldiers?!" he asked in annoyance. Another soldier came running up to him, but he just kicked him away to Sokka who stabbed him and sent him to the ground.

"No clue!" Sokka responded quickly. "But I sure hope there aren't anymore."

"Agreed," Iroh laughed before getting back into the fight.

Bumi cackled as he picked up a large amount of Earth and sent it towards a portion of the soldiers. "Enjoy!" he yelled cheerfully and watched as the rocks crushed them. Satisfied with his work, he turned his attention to another group of soldiers. "I haven't had this much fun in years!"

Pakku came up behind him and froze the soldiers in place with ice. "Me neither, old friend. Me neither," he agreed with a grin. Bumi cackled again and took a large rock before shooting it out in shrapnel, quickly taking the soldiers lives.

"We are doing well!" Jeong Jeong yelled as he killed two soldiers. "It won't be long before they run out of soldiers to send out!"

"I hope so!" Piandao agreed as he killed another soldier. A loud rumbling could be heard from the top of the building, making them all pause as they looked up to see what was happening. "That can't be good." Nothing happened for several moments, so they went back to their fight. I wonder how Stormborn is doing, he thought as the fight continued.

Ozai just stared dumbfoundedly into the blank, furious eyes of the Stormborn, completely too shocked for him to think clearly. Aang's rage couldn't be matched by anyone. He had hurt the girl he loved, and he would pay for that mistake. With his rage only building, he slowly rose up on a ball of air and hovered over the group. "Ozai," Aang snarled in the voices of his ancestors mixed with his own. "Prepare to die." Without another word, Aang summoned each of the elements and surrounded himself with it before returning his attention to Ozai, his death glare unflinching.

Ozai finally snapped out of his daze and made the decision to run. Kicking open the door to his right, he ran out with Aang right behind him, obliterating everything in his path. Once Zuko and Mai finally got out of their shock, Zuko looked to his fiance. "Check on Katara! I need to go make sure Aang doesn't destroy this place!" Mai nodded while he ran out of the room. With a quick rush to Katara's side, Mai knelt down and turned Katara over. Fortunately, she didn't seem to be too damaged. A few bruises and scrapes, but nothing fatal.

"Katara," Mai shook her, hoping for some kind of response. "Katara, wake up." Katara finally groaned a little, making Mai sigh in relief. "Wake up, Katara."

"Don't wanna," Katara yawned before turning over on her side.

Mai looked at her in disbelief. "Katara, we're kind of in the middle of a battle right now," she said incredulously. Katara's eyes widened as she remembered where she was and quickly sat up and looked around, noticing Aang wasn't there.

"Where's Aang?" she asked worriedly with fear evident on her face.

"He's um…" Mai trailed off, not knowing how to describe what had happened. "Glowing right now." Katara looked confused as Mai sighed. "Ozai shot you back into a wall and knocked you out, and Aang wasn't sure if he had killed you or not, and I guess that triggered him."

Katara's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Triggered him?" she asked in confusion before realization dawned on her. "Oh no! The Stormborn Effect! He's going to destroy this place if we don't stop him!"

"Well come on! We need to get going!" Mai yelled as she stood up and offered her hand. Katara took it and they quickly took off after the others, trying their best to catch up amidst the destruction Aang had left behind in his fury. After a few more moments, a loud crash could be heard as Zuko came flying into a wall, groaning loudly as he rubbed his head. "Zuko!" she yelled before she ran up to him with Katara right behind. "What happened?"

He groaned again and rubbed his head, trying to numb the pain. "I tried to get to him inside his air shield, but the wind just blew me into this wall." The pain made him wince before he got back to his feet. "Come on. We need to get to him before this whole place comes down!" They followed him as they attempted to catch up, but Aang and Ozai had a good head start on them. "Where are they?" he growled in frustration.

"Stay away from me, weakling!" Ozai yelled over his shoulder as he shot some flames at him. Aang just air bent the flames out of his way and continued his pursuit, completely oblivious to the damage he was causing as he pursued his prey.

"You will die," the Stormborn promised as he shot some flames at him. Ozai narrowly avoided the flames and continued to run, knowing that if he stopped he would die. A few soldiers who had gone inside from the fight to live were standing in the hallway as Ozai charged through. Taking this to his advantage, he grabbed one of the soldiers and threw him at Aang, but the soldier was cremated in the flames surrounding him. "Your soldiers will not save you!" his mixed voice yelled.

Ozai growled and continued his run as Aang continued his obliteration, leaving little left from what used to be the floor they were on. "Why won't you die?!" Ozai yelled as he turned around for a split second and threw a fire bomb at him. Aang didn't flinch and simply bent the air to move it out of his way, destroying a room in the process. Seeing his luck hadn't panned out, Ozai continued running until he came across a room with a large chandelier in the center. Perfect, he thought with a smug smirk before he changed directions and ran into the room. Aang followed in behind him, having no idea what Ozai was planning.

Zuko, Mai, and Katara had finally caught up with them after following their trail of destruction to see them go into another room. "Come on!" he called behind him as they ran. "If we can catch up with Aang, we can make sure he stops before even more damage is done to this place!"

"Yeah, this place looks like it's about to go down as it is," Mai agreed as they finally reached the room. As Ozai was backed into a corner, Aang hovered just below the chandelier.

"Ozai!" his multi-layered voice rang clearly throughout the room. "You shall perish for your transgressions! You will be made to suffer!"

Ozai smirked as he looked up to the chandelier. "No, Stormborn! Today you will be the one made to suffer!" Aang raised his hand, ready to strike, but Ozai shot a quick flame at the string holding the chandelier and sent it crashing down on him.

"Aang!" Katara cried desperately as it landed on top of him. A large cloud of dust kicked up from the ground, making everyone cough and close their eyes as the noise coming from Aang quieted down. Katara rubbed her eyes and looked at the wreckage of the chandelier, unable to see his body. She dropped down to her knees with tears streaming from her eyes. "Aang," she whispered brokenly as her tears hit the ground.

"It's over!" Ozai yelled gleefully with his hands raised in triumph. "The Stormborn is dead! No one can stand in my way now!" He turned to them with an evil smile. "And you'll be the first ones to die during my reign!" Before another word could be said, a large shockwave shot throughout the room, setting the place on fire as a few sparks activated with the gas from the ovens in the nearby kitchen. Aang slowly rose in a ball of electricity with lightning daggers in his hands.

"It's not over," his multi-layered voice responded as lightning coursed through his body, making Ozai's eyes widen in fear.

Katara gasped as she saw her love. "Aang!" She tried to run to him, but Zuko and Mai held her in place. "Not yet," Mai whispered. Katara still struggled, but she couldn't get loose from their grip, so she waited.

"No!" Ozai yelled desperately as the three moved to surround him and Aang hovered above him. "I will not die like this!" He shot some flames at the three surrounding him and barely managed to dodge Aang's slice of the lightning daggers and ran out of the room, much to their annoyance. Aang didn't hesitate and followed him, leaving a scorching trail as he went.

Zuko looked to Mai. "Come on! We still haven't gotten him to calm down yet! We need to move!" Mai nodded and dragged Katara who was still slightly in shock from all that had happened. They followed the trail and were amazed as they saw a hole in the ground where Aang had followed Ozai.

"He really is powerful," Mai muttered to herself as they looked at the hole in amazement.

"Now's not the time!" Zuko yelled over a crashing sound from below them. "We need to get to them."

Katara didn't hesitate and jumped down with Mai and Zuko right behind her. Fortunately for them, Aang was still leaving his mark on the building as he hunted Ozai, not willing to stop until Ozai ceased breath. After a few minutes of running, they finally caught up enough to see Aang chasing Ozai down a hallway before they took a sharp left. "Come on you two! We need to get to him!" she yelled over her shoulder before resuming her focus on getting to him. No matter what happened, she had to get to him. She had already thought she lost him once, and she wasn't going to allow that to happen again. They ran after them as they felt the building shake, its foundations clearly weakening the more Aang chased his quarry.

"We need to get to him now!" Mai yelled as they returned to running. "The building's on its last legs already! It's not going to be able to take much more of this!" The building shook more, making them temporarily lose their balance before they caught themselves, proving her point before they ran after them. As they ran, Katara couldn't help but worry for her brother. Please God, protect all of my friends and family, she begged as they continued their pursuit.

More sounds of destruction came from the building as the battle raged on, leaving Sokka worried for his sister. I hope she's okay, he thought to himself as he took a soldier's life. Fortunately for them, the soldiers numbers had been dwindling, and it wouldn't be long before the battle was won. Everyone was becoming tired, though, as they fought. There had been many soldiers, and even the masters seemed to be wearing down. "How many more of these guys are there?" Sokka complained as he stabbed one and sliced into another.

Suki came in from the side and stabbed a guard in the throat with her blade and smashed in another's skull with her fan. "There's not too many left now!" she yelled over the noises of war. "We're almost finished!"

"We'll be finished once Ozai is dead!" Piandao yelled as he sparred with a soldier. "This fight is not yet over!"

Meanwhile, Iroh and Bumi were fighting side by side, holding off a group of soldiers who had come in at the last moment. "Why are there so many?" Iroh complained as he shot some fire at another.

Bumi cackled as he threw a rock at a soldier who got sent back into the wall. "You've gotten old since I last saw you. Are you sure you don't want to sit this one out?" he teased before taking on more soldiers. Iroh just let out a long sigh as the fight continued.

Jeong Jeong, however, was not tired. Despite preferring peace to war, he was enjoying himself as they battled. "It has been a long time since we've fought together, hasn't it old friend?" he grinned at Pakku who was backing soldiers up with a water whip.

Pakku grinned as he froze the soldiers against the wall and let Jeong Jeong make short work of them. "It has, old friend. Though I must admit, I miss those days. Back then I didn't feel as creaky as I do now."

"I agree. Those were the days," Jeong Jeong laughed as they turned to help a group of students who were holding their own against a large group of soldiers. "But let us not focus on our past glories, but our present ones!"

"To battle!" Pakku agreed as they rushed forward to help the students.

Toph and Ty Lee were holding their own amongst the sea of chaos. Toph was having fun while Ty Lee supported her, disabling enemy soldiers whenever she got the chance. "You know that you can stab them, right?" Toph yelled over the noise.

Ty Lee shrugged. "Yeah, but I'd prefer to let someone else do that. I don't want to get blood on my nailpolish." Toph rolled her eyes as she continued to fight.

"But the blood will look just like your nail polish," Toph taunted as she stabbed a soldier and sent a boulder at another.

Ty Lee looked down at the blood on her hand and compared it to her nails, gasping as she realized Toph was unintentionally right. "Oh my gosh! I didn't even think of that!" Needing no more convincing, Ty Lee stopped hesitating and helped Toph take out a group of soldiers, finishing the job within minutes. The cries of war lessened as the soldiers went down in number, making the resistance fighters have renewed energy as they moved to finish them off. A loud boom came from the middle of the building as a chunk of what Toph could only assume was an office came crashing down near a group of students. The building began to shake every few moments or so, making them worry as the battle raged on.

"Don't do anything stupid, Twinkle Toes," Toph muttered as she continued to fight.

Aang wasn't himself. That was plain to see. The destruction he was causing would have made the real Aang pause, but he had no control over himself. Not this time. The rage from his love being hurt had sent him over the edge, and there was no going back until Ozai had paid with blood. Ozai continued running down a hallway with Aang right behind him. He was amazed that he had survived this long, especially with the electric tendrils reaching out to grab him every so often. If it hadn't been for his agility and reflexes, he would be long dead. "Stop moving!" the Stormborn's mixed voice yelled at him.

Ozai didn't answer as he continued running, not knowing where he was going, but knowing that if he stopped he would die. He was growing tired, though, and it was only a matter of time until what little energy he had left was spent. Not far behind them was Katara, Mai, and Zuko trying their best to catch up. The building was only getting worse under the Stormborn's wrath, and it wouldn't be long before the damage became irreversible. After a few more minutes of running, they finally caught sight of the electrified Stormborn. "Aang!" Katara yelled as they ran, trying to get his attention. Fortunately for them, Ozai had decided to stop running in circles and to try and escape another way. Taking a sharp right turn into a large room everyone filed in as Ozai was backed into a corner.

"Surrender now and your end will come swiftly," the Stormborn promised.

Ozai glared at him. "No! I will never surrender!"

"Then you will die a slow death," the Stormborn responded with a face of stone. Aang could hear the words he was saying, but he couldn't quite register them. All he could think about was how Ozai had hurt Katara. He wasn't fully in control, but he didn't care. Ozai had caused too much suffering, and he would ensure that it never happened again.

"Aang!" Katara yelled over the sizzling electricity. "Please! Calm down! We need you to be calm! I need you to be calm!"

Katara's words broke through him as he continued his death glare at Ozai, finally snapping him back to reality as he regained his control. Taking a deep breath, he slowly exited the Stormborn Effect and lowered himself to the ground, the electricity sizzling out until it was gone. "I won't end it like this," he told Ozai as he looked at him from under his hood.

"You are weak," Ozai said in disgust. "Just like your people. And you will die, just like them!" he yelled as he launched an attack at Aang. Aang merely broke it and walked towards Ozai with his friends next to him.

"You're wrong, Ozai," Aang responded as he looked to his friends with a smile. "My people were never weak, we were strong because we had each other. I am strong because I have a family. Who do you have?"

Ozai growled as he looked each of his foes in the face. "You will not take me alive!"

"We were never planning to," Zuko shot back as he got into a fighting stance. Ozai growled again and shot some flames at him, but Zuko dodged and sent some of his own right back. "Your whole path has led to this moment, father. Everything you've done to this city will be paid for today."

Ozai snarled. "We'll see, son." Without another word he restarted the attack, taking Mai by surprise as he shot some flames at her. She merely dodged them and sent a shuriken his way, but he managed to avoid its sharp edge and sent a wall of fire towards Katara. Aang stepped in and air bent it away before he sent his own blast of fire, narrowly missing Ozai who had to duck from the stream of fire that was inches from his face. "You can't kill me!" he shouted. "I'm invincible!"

Aang shook his head. "No one is invincible, Ozai. Least of all you." Ozai glared at him and started up the motions for electricity, but Aang quickly knocked him off his feet with a gust of air and ran over to him with his blade by his throat as everyone surrounded him. Ozai continued to glare at Aang as he awaited his death.

"Well?" Ozai sneered, doing his best to hide the fear in his voice. "What are you waiting for? Finish the job!"

"No," Aang shook his head before looking to Zuko. "I'm not the one who you burnt for the sake of keeping in line. The decision's yours, Zuko. Whatever you decide, I'll understand."

Zuko was silent for a moment. He hadn't been expecting this to happen, and he didn't know what to do. On one hand, it would be fitting to put the man who had put him in so much misery to death himself, but on the other, he was his father. Could he really kill him in cold blood like that? Looking down at the defeated man before him, he let out a long sigh and nodded slowly as he took Aang's place with his blade out. Aang walked over and took Katara's hand as she kissed his cheek, completely relieved that he was there by her side. "Father," Zuko started as he looked down into the seething eyes of defiance. "We haven't always had the best relationship." He laughed bitterly. "In fact you could say that before you hurt me we never got along. What I'm trying to say is… even though I've hated you for years, before I do this, I want to tell you that I…" he took a deep breath. "I forgive you."

"What a touching moment," Ozai mocked him as Zuko rolled his eyes, completely expecting this but still being annoyed anyway. "Were you hoping for an apology? For me to get on my knees and beg for your forgiveness? Never," he snarled. "You are not my son."

Zuko looked him in the eye one last time. "And you are not my father," he agreed as he took a deep breath and moved his blade to his chest. Without another word, he buried it as far as he could go into Ozai's chest, making him howl in pain until Zuko was sure that Ozai wouldn't be able to live from the blow. Slowly retracting it, he stood up and looked at his quickly dying father. "Goodbye, father."

"Oh, this isn't goodbye," Ozai laughed weakly as he pulled a box with a red button out of his pocket. "We will see each other soon, in hell." He pressed the button and a few explosions came from below them, shaking the building as it lost the last of its support. The building groaned as Ozai grinned evilly at them. "See you on the other side, weaklings," he laughed before coughing up blood and his eyes finally dimmed. The group didn't have much time to react as another rumble of the building went off, causing the building to shake more.

"Uh oh," Aang muttered as they all looked at each other.

The fight was coming to a close as they fought with Ozai, the soldiers down to a few small groups backed up against the tower. "This battle is almost won!" Piandao yelled triumphantly as everyone else cheered with him. They all gathered in a large group and surrounded the remaining soldiers. "Soldiers! Put down your arms now and you will live!"

"We're mercenaries!" one of the soldiers yelled back. "We fight until we die!"

Piandao sighed and shook his head. "If that's how you want it, then so be it!" He pointed his sword at them. "Finish them!" The students and masters roared in approval as they surged forward with renewed energy, ready for the long battle to finally be over with.

"We need to make sure that none escape!" Suki yelled to Sokka as everyone else ran forward.

Sokka thought about it for a moment when an idea came to mind before he radioed in to Toph. "Bandit! You and Sunshine need to go to the left side of the soldiers to make sure none of them escape. Silver and I will cover the right side."

Static came in and then the sounds of Earth being shot forward with some muffled cries. "Fine! We'll move out now!" she yelled over the noise as they made their way forward to their position.

Sokka looked to Suki. "Come on, we need to make sure that this gets done." Suki nodded and followed him as he led the way to their position and waited. Not many tried to escape, but every once in a while a soldier would come running out in an attempt to get away but would be met by Suki or Sokka's blade. It wasn't long before there was one last group of soldiers left. Seeing that there was no escape, they prepared themselves for one last battle when the building shook loudly, making the team worry for their friends who were still up there.

"Do you think they're okay?" Suki asked worriedly as the students surged in on the rest of the soldiers.

Sokka looked up to the weak tower with worry in his eyes. "I hope so," he muttered before returning his attention to the task at hand. "We'll worry about them later. Let's make sure this gets done." Suki nodded and was about to run off to help finish the fight, but two large explosions from the center of the building. "Oh no," he gasped as a large chunk of the tower came down straight for the soldiers. The soldiers who hadn't noticed what was going on looked at the retreating students in confusion as a piece of the building landed on them, finishing off the last of Ozai's soldiers.

Suki gasped as she saw the building start to crumble. "Be careful, you guys."

"Come on!" Aang yelled as he took Katara's hand and ran towards the stairs. "We need to get out of here before this whole place comes crashing down!" Zuko and Mai were right behind them as they ran down the stairway, already exhausted from their battle, but the adrenaline from fear of death giving them the energy they needed to continue on.

Unfortunately for them, the stairs were already on fire and starting to spread, slowing them down as Aang air bent the flames out of their way. The smoke was starting to get to them as they ran. "Careful, Aang!" Katara yelled as he almost tripped on a broken railing that was on the steps. He quickly stepped over it and continued running as they made their way down the stairs. After a few flights, Aang looked at the numbers and saw that they were on the tenth floor.

"Okay guys!" he yelled over the crackling of the burning building. "We're close enough to the ground where I can jump down safely and get us to the ground." They nodded in response and followed him to a broken window where an office used to be. He picked up Katara and looked back to Zuko and Mai. "I can only carry one person at a time, but I'll be right back!" he promised before jumping down. The building shook some more as Zuko and Mai tried their best to keep their footing. Another burst caused Mai to fall on her butt as some of the floor gave way underneath her, making one leg dangle in mid air while she held herself up with her arms. "Mai!" Zuko shouted as her ran over to her and attempted to help. Another shake of the building made Mai go deeper, causing the floor to give more until she started to fall. "I got you!" Zuko told her as he grabbed her hand and tried to yank her up.

The building began to shake more and more as it rapidly fell apart. Mai looked around and knew that the building didn't have much time left. "Zuko, you have to let me go!"

Zuko looked at her in disbelief. "What?! I'm not letting you go!" The building shook more as Mai slipped farther, bringing Zuko a little closer to the hole. "Aang! Where are you?!" There was no response as another shake of the building got them closer.

Mai looked at him sadly. "Zuko, you have to let me go. You'll die if you don't."

"But you'll die if I do!" Zuko argued without letting go, trying to keep his feet snagged on a firm piece of metal that had wedged into the floor. The building continued shaking as they argued, becoming more and more dangerous as time passed. "I'm not letting you go! I don't want to live without you!"

Mai smiled sadly as she squeezed his hand. "But you'll have to, Zuko. I'm not going to make it out of this, but you have a chance. Let me go."

"No!" Zuko refused with tears in his eyes. "I'm not letting you go!" He turned to look over his shoulder, but Aang still wasn't there.

Mai sighed sadly and kissed his hand. "I love you, Zuko. No matter what, always remember that."

"No," Zuko whispered with tears streaming down his face, keeping an iron grip on her hand.

"Goodbye Zuko," she said before she finally let go, dropping out of Zuko's sight.

"NO!" Zuko screamed as he reached forward to catch her, but it was too late. She was gone. His sobs shook throughout his body as Aang finally reached the top and walked over to Zuko, seeing the tears streaming down his face.

"Zuko, what's wro-" he cut himself off as he noticed Mai wasn't there. "Oh," he muttered with deep sadness for his friend.

Zuko whipped around and glared at him. "You! What took you so long?! Why weren't you here sooner?! If you had been here a minute sooner, we could have saved her!"

Aang looked down sadly as the building shook again. "I'm sorry, Zuko! I tried to get here as fast as I could, but there was only so much I could do!" The building shook with a heavier force as it started moving forward. "You can yell at me later! Right now we need to get out of here!"

"No! If Mai died, then I'm dying too!" he yelled back as he prepared to jump into the hole, but Aang grabbed him and slung him over his shoulder. "Let me go!"

"I'm sorry, Zuko," Aang muttered before he ran over to the window and jumped, slowly making his way back down as the building crashed into the park that was behind it. Fortunately, those who had been in the park had seen it falling and wisely ran away. Aang watched as it finally fell down, kicking up a dust cloud throughout the city. After a few moments, they finally landed and he set Zuko on the ground who fell to his knees and burst into tears, only able to think of his lost love. "I'm so sorry, Zuko," Aang muttered as he knelt down next to him. Zuko continued crying until Aang awkwardly gave him a hug which Zuko returned, feeling the anger he previously had towards Aang go away.

Piandao walked over to them and put a hand on Aang's shoulder. "It's over. The battle's won."

Aang nodded reluctantly as Zuko continued to cry into his shoulder. "But not without a price," he murmured before he returned to comforting Zuko. "Not without a price."