Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter 23 of Sparks Ignite! I know you all are really looking forward to reading this chapter so let's get right into it! As always, I do not own Avatar or its characters. Onto the story!

Fate and Destiny are a funny thing. They are so permanent, but yet can be changed by the smallest thing. It can cause the moon and the sun to collide. Or the most opposite Sparks to Ignite.

Chapter 23: The Fall

It was like he fell in slow motion.

"SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

And everything stopped.

Sokka and Aang heard Katara's cry for help and came running out onto the balcony, Toph already 4 steps ahead of them, having felt the whole thing. But they did not expect to see the girl sitting on the ground, holding onto the Fire Lord with blood spilling out of his mouth.

They ran to their aid, Sokka yelling behind him, "Somebody get the doctor!" as he went to Katara. Iroh was only a few paces behind and was taken aback at seeing his nephew in this state. Tears filled his wise eyes, but he knew he had so many people inside, who needed to be taken care of. Iroh turned to Katara, "Take care of my son…" he asked of her. Katara nodded, then turned to Sokka, "Get me water. Now!" she told him. Iroh took one last look at them then turned to a guard, "Nobody goes in or out until we get to the bottom of this. But keep the guests calm" he told them, rushing back to the ballroom.

Sokka grabbed a glass of water for Katara and immediately she bended it over her hands, laying Zuko flat. She closed her eyes and did everything she could to focus. It was clear to her within moments that there was a foreign substance in his blood.

Poison.

Somebody did this to him. Somebody was trying to kill him.

Iroh looked around the ballroom as everyone was looking around, trying to figure out what was happening. He got himself up onto the podium, "Please everyone! In your seats!" he called out.

Everyone turned to the sound of his familiar voice. While there still was a sense of chaos in the room, they all moved in unison to their chairs. But the muttering and whispers of what just happened to the Fire Lord did not diminish.

Iroh cleared his throat and called out, "I know you all are confused about what is happening right now. But it is of upmost importance that everyone remains calm. All of you will be pulled in small groups and asked a few questions"

This started a small uproar of questions from the crowd and Iroh allowed them for a moment before raising a hand and the voice hushed quickly. "All of your questions will be answered as soon as we have answers" he continued, "I thank you all for your patience. Servants will be around to fetch everyone a nice cup of tea. I find tea calms even the most turmoiled spirits" he spoke as he moved from the podium.

"I need to get as much of the poison out of him as possible" she said, not paying attention to the three behind her, who all shared a look at the word poison. Katara put all of her focus into manipulating his blood, a technique she had begun to practice since after the war. She used his own blood to separate out the poison and move it out of his body.

Katara moved him onto his side, letting some of the black poison fall from his lips. But as she continued searching, she realized the poison was too quick. Some of it had already moved to his organs. She was going to have to go bigger.

The doctor and a nurse ran out onto the balcony, pulling a gurney behind them. Katara stood quickly, "Get him onto the gurney" she then turned to the doctor, "Do you have a bath in your hospital room?" she asked him. The man looked at her confused, "Yes we do… Why" but Katara cut him off, making instructions before he could continue.

A guard moved next to Iroh, "Sir?" he asked. Iroh turned to him, recognizing him as one of the men from their long voyage at sea. The guard cleared his throat then spoke, "I think you may want to talk to this one…"

The small boy sat in front of Iroh and the guard and sobbed, "I didn't know who he was… He yelled at me that if I didn't bring Zuko his tea quickly he would get angry and banish me from the palace…" the young boy continued to cry, overwhelmed with his shame. Iroh moved next to him and kneeled to his level, "This is not your fault young one… Nor are we accusing you of anything…" the guard looked at him questioningly at this statement, "Do you remember what this man looked like?"

The boy sniffled, "I can try to remember…" he told the older man. Iroh smiled and nodded, "Try your best…" he said as he stood and moved next to the guard, whispering in his ear, "This boy was manipulated by a force far greater… He is not at fault here… Now, I must be with my nephew… Inform me if the boy gives us any details…"

Katara felt like it was all in slow motion as they ran down the hallways to the hospital room. Would they be able to make it in time? Would they be too late?

They slammed open the doors to the hospital room. "Aang! Help me fill this tub" Katara instructed as she turned on the faucet. Together, they helped to pull the water from the faucet faster, trying to fill the tub as quickly as possible as the doctor began to remove his armor and give as best of an exam as he could.

Zuko's body had begun to convulse, his eyes having rolled behind his head. Blood continued to spill from his lips, black from the poison. If anybody else would have looked at him, they may have deemed him too far gone to save. But Katara wasn't going to give up.

"Sokka! Aang! Help me get him into the tub" she told them, as she brushed some of Zuko's hair back from his eyes. The two boys moved him into the tub, much easier without the weight of the armor. Katara looked down at him and placed her hands into the water. She closed her eyes and put all of her energy and focus onto her hands. She remembered what the female northern water tribe member had taught her so long ago.

"Sometimes it is hard to put enough into these types of healing treatments… You need to focus everything into it… Like you are losing the person you love most…"

The water glowed blue and small ice crystals shined in the glistening light, and when Katara removed her hands, the glow diminished slightly but the bluish tint and sparkling light remained. "What did you do?" Aang asked her. Katara let out a breath, the majority of her energy gone, but she continued to push and pull the water, "It's a water tribe healing technique for patients that need more time. His body is partially frozen in time. He's enough alive where his injuries will not worsen, but the water is moving his organs for him"

The doctor watched in awe, "This is a fascinating technique…" he told her, studying her every movement. Katara couldn't bring herself to smile, "It's something I've been working on perfecting for a long time… And something I always hoped I would never have to use"

Everyone in the group stepped outside the hospital while the doctor inspected Zuko and Katara kept the bath moving. Without the bath moving, he would only survive in it for 2 days max. Even if she kept up the bath constantly, it wasn't a permanent fix. And they didn't have that time to waste.

Iroh rushed down the hallway and stopped when he saw the group outside. His face fell, "Is he…?" he asked, solemnly. But Aang shook his head, walking to the older man, "He's still alive… Katara managed to save him for now… The doctor is taking a look at him now"

Iroh let out a breath and nodded, taking a place against the wall. "Who may have done this Iroh?" Sokka asked, his arm wrapped around his wife, who looked exhausted and frightened. Iroh shook his head, "We don't know… Trusted generals are interviewing everyone at the party… But everyone was searched before entering… It must have been somebody already in the palace…"

They were all quiet for a few moments. "So, anybody could have done this? Who do we trust?" Toph asked, sounding more like a scared little girl then she had in a long time. But Iroh shook his head, "We don't trust anyone… Right now… We trust each other and only who I tell you to trust… Otherwise…"

They stood in silence, their hearts anxious for what lied ahead. Meanwhile, two men, one in a black cloak, watched as the palace unfolded into chaos with a small grin on his face.

Dun DUN DUUUNNNN! Holy cow! Two long suspense filled chapters in a row! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Can't wait to share the next one! Until next time!