"I hope you comfortable, airbender."
Xiaodan lifted her head slightly and glared at Azula with a dislike so intense it bordered on loathing. She spat curses and insults at the princess, but any retort she made was muffled by the cloth around her mouth. It didn't matter though, judging by Azula's smug look, she knew exactly what the older girl was saying.
Azula but on a mockingly hurt expression, bringing one dainty hand to her chest. "What? You aren't comfortable? Well that's unfortunate. As the future Fire Lord, I strive to make sure all my honorable guests are well taken care of." She walked closer to dualbender with a cruel little half-smile and touched the chains that bound Xiaodan to a pillar that supported the roof of the pathway that lined the edge of the plaza where Azula was to be coronated in a few hours. "Perhaps these need to be tightened, then you'll be more comfortable. Dai Li!"
Two Dai Li agents stepped out from behind the princess, and at Azula's flippant gesture, moved around the Xiaodan's pillar, grasping the chains and pulling on them. Xiaodan made a muffled sound of pain, her shoulders protesting as they were pulled further above her head. If her feet weren't trapped to the ground with manacles made of stone, she would have been forced to stand on her tip-toes just to alleviate some of the tension in her arms and shoulders.
"There. I'm sure that's much more comfortable. I'm sure being out here for a few days like this will make you much more willing to discuss your unique bending talents." Azula said with satisfaction, stepping back and smiling in a manner that could have been sweet if not for the cold glint in her eyes. "If not, I'm sure I can think of some other method."
Xiaodan dropped her chin to her chest and closed her eyes, focusing on breathing through the pain in her shoulders and upper back. She also really didn't want to give Azula the satisfaction of seeing how much she hurt right at the moment.
Her efforts must have been pretty bad because Azula laughed and turned away, gesturing for the Dai Li agents to follow her. "Come, I have to prepare for my coronation."
A spark of defiance surged through Xiaodan then and mustering up the strength, she yelled loud enough to be heard around her gag, though her voice was still slightly muffled and distorted. "You won't win, Azula! My brother and friends will beat you and your father!"
"Oh, Azula..."
The princess tensed and whipped around, glaring at the tall, dark-haired woman with sad eyes standing just behind her prisoner. Azula scowled and crossed her arms as she ignored the woman, focusing her furious gaze on Xiaodan, "My father will win. The comet has already arrived and there will be no stopping him! The Avatar and your friends will either die in the fight or be captured, in which they will most likely be put to death as traitors to the Phoenix King anyway."
Xiaodan curled her lip beneath the cloth and snarled loudly. "You're wrong. Aang will beat you father and then you. You will fail, Azula!"
Azula sniffed haughtily and turned to continue walking away, calling nonchalantly over her shoulder as she walked down the path, "I can't wait to take all that precious hope you have and burn it out of you."
Xiaodan glared at the princess's back until she and her Dai Li agents had disappeared back into the palace then she bowed her head and closed her eyes, unbidden tears slipping down her cheeks. She prayed fervently to the Universe and any spirit that would listen that Azula was wrong, and that Aang would succeed against the Fire Lord. She just had to keep believing in her brother, even as the sky turned a deep reddish-orange as the comet drew closer.
Zuko stared at the red sky grimly as Appa flew closer and closer to the Fire Nation capital where his sister was. Katara glanced at him then said reassuringly, "Don't worry, Zuko. We can take Azula."
"I'm not worried about her." Zuko replied with a frown, "I'm worried about Aang. What if he doesn't have the guts to take out my Father? What if he loses?"
"Aang won't lose. He's gonna come back. Him and Xia." Katara stated confidently, then she looked straight ahead again. "They have too."
Zuko looked down at his hands, dread settling heavily in his stomach like a stone. "I hope you're right, Katara."
Silently, Katara hoped she was too.
Lounging back in a chair in the royal bathing chamber, four female servants prepared Azula for her coronation; one brushing her long hair, another filing her nails, a third scrubbing her feet, and the fourth holding up a bowl of cherries for her to enjoy.
She was having such a nice day so far. The preparations for her coronation were running smoothly so far and she'd managed to rile up her prisoner. Sighing silently in contentment and closing her eyes, Azula plucked a cherry from the bowl and popped it into her mouth. Something cracked between her teeth as she chewed the chair and her eyes shot open in surprise. She raised her free hand to her mouth and spat the offending object into her hand, staring coldly at the cherry pit before holding her hand out to the servant girl holding the bowl of fruit.
"What am I holding?"
The servant girl moved the bowl around to look into the princess's hand then replied quietly, "A cherry pit, Princess."
"Correct." Azula stated coldly, closing her hand around the cherry pit and staring down at the girl. "And what day is this?"
"It is the day of your coronation." The servant girl whispered, bowing her head fearfully.
"Yes it is. So please, tell me why on the most important day of my life you decided to leave a pit in my cherry?" Azula demanded harshly, glaring at the pit in her hand before throwing it at the servant girl's head.
"It wasn't a decision." The servant girl hurried to say after flinching when the pit struck her face. "It was just a small mistake."
"Small?" Azula hissed, "Do you realize what could have happened if I hadn't sensed the pit in time?"
"I suppose you could have...choked?"
"Yes." Azula agreed with the servant girl's hesitant reply, sitting back in her seat and staring down at her coldly. "Then you will understand the severity of your crime."
Trembling, the servant girl set the bowl aside and bowed low until her forehead touched the ground. "I understand, Princess. Please forgive me."
Azula scrutinized her for a moment then sighed in a nonchalant manner, "Oh very well. Since this is a special day, I'll show you mercy." The servant girl's eyes closed and she smiled slightly in relief. Azula narrowed her eyes and continued harshly, "You are banished, leave this palace immediately!"
The servant girl stumbled to her feet slowly and walked backwards out of the room, keep herself bowed at the waist to avoid angering the princess any further. Azula settled back in her chair with a hum of satisfaction then she glared at the other three servant girls who were looking at her instead of doing their allotted tasks.
"What are you all looking at?" She demanded harshly, "I have two feet that need scrubbing. And make sure you get between the toes." She held up the foot pumice with her foot, "I will not have my first day as Fire Lord marred by poor foot hygiene!"
The servant girl at her feet quickly grabbed the foot pumice and set back to work while the other two did the same. Azula watched them through narrowed eyes for several moments then closed her eyes once again. Of course, her previous contentment had completely evaporated and all she could hear was that annoying little Air Nomad's words cycling through her mind.
"You will fail, Azula!"
Suki twisted around in the saddle, staring at the bright red light streaking across the horizon as the giant eel-hound swam through the water, heading towards the Fire Lord's airship base. Strangely enough, the sight of Sozin's Comet was actually kind of beautiful. Furrowing her brow slightly, Suki mentioned this to Sokka and Toph, "It's weird to say, but the comet actually looks beautiful."
"Too bad the Fire Lord is about to use it to destroy the world." Toph snarked darkly, crossing her arms over her chest. Suki winced and nodded with a muttered agreement to the younger girl's statement.
The eel-hound scurried out of the water when he reached the shore of the airship base and laid down tired as Sokka jumped down, helping Toph out of the saddle as Suki hopped off. The three quickly ran up the side of the crater that served as the airship's base, their eyes widening in disbelief.
"We're too late!" Sokka exclaimed in dismay, staring at the airships as they began to lift into the air, "The fleets already taking off."
"Then we're taking off too." Toph growled in determination, "Where's the closest airship?"
"It's right-Ahh!" Sokka screeched as Toph grabbed him and Suki by the back of their shirts and catapulted the three of them into the air by bending a pillar of rick up beneath their feet.
Toph kept a tight grip on both Suki and Sokka's shirts as they flew through the air before they slowly began falling back down. Her grip loosened and she bit back a squeal as she fell blindly. Luckily, both Suki and Sokka had landed on one of the airship's catwalks and they quickly caught the blind girl before she landed on her face.
"Ugh." Toph grunted as her stomach connected with Sokka and Suki's arms, the air whooshing out of her lungs. She mumbled a quiet 'thank you' as they set her back on her feet, then the three of them raised down the metal walkway, climbing up a nearby ladder and into the main body of the airship.
At the front of the airship fleet and completely unaware of the three saboteurs that had snuck onto one of his airships, Ozai stood on what would have been the prow of the main airship, his arms crossed over his chest and his Phoenix King robes fluttering in the wind. A cruel smile spread across his face as he watched the sky continue to turn red with the comet's approach.
"C'mon, c'mon..." Xiaodan muttered with a grunt as she attempted to heave herself in an effort to break the rock keeping her feet firmly pressed to the ground. It had been over an hour since her little 'talk' with Azula, and she'd been struggling to free her feet since then. If she could just get her feet free, then she could work on her arms. And she had to get free as soon as possible because the last thing she wanted was to be Azula little experiment.
'"Well, well." Xiaodan's eyes narrowed and she turned her head, following Azula as she circled her. The princess came back around to stand in front of her and smiled darkly as she drawled, "If it isn't Zuzu's little girlfriend, the firebending Air Nomad. What are you doing so far away from your friends, peasant?"
Xiaodan bared her teeth in silent defiance. Azula tossed her head back with a laugh, finding her prisoner's resistance amusing. Looking back down at the older girl, Azula's smile sharpened and she shrugged her one shoulder languidly.
"It doesn't matter, I suppose." She mused idly, beginning to pace around Xiaodan once again. "My father will be very pleased when he learns that I have you prisoner. You see, I told him all about your...unique talents and he was positively fascinated."
Xiaodan froze, her breath catching in her throat as the full impact of Azula's words hit her. Ozai knew. He knew about her ability to dualbend. Xiaodan tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but had little success. If he knew, who knows what he would do to her?
No. Xiaodan shook those thoughts from her head. She had to believe that Aang would beat Ozai and then he and their friends would come for her, if she hadn't escaped on her own by then. Ozai would not win, not against her brother. She just had to keep believing that.
Azula stopped in front of her once more and narrowed her eyes when she saw the resolute expression on the older girl's face. Well that just wouldn't do at all. The princess reached out and caught Xiaodan's chin, her sharp nails digging into the soft skin of the dualbender's cheeks.
"My father is very eager to learn how you can bend two elements and would have preferred to question you himself, but..." Azula trailed off and tilted her head, regarding Xiaodan with an almost innocent expression. "Since he's preoccupied at the moment with being the Phoenix King, I could take care of it for him..."
Fear shot through Xiaodan at the pleased, almost eager expression on the princess' face and she struggled not to show just how scared she had become...'
Xiaodan grimaced at the memory, feeling the faint pains from Azula's earlier questioning in her body, but she ignored them and refocused on freeing her feet. Right now, she had her hands wrapped around the chains connected to the manacles locked around her wrists, which were already red and raw from all her previous attempts to break free. She froze abruptly she heard the door at the end of the pathway behind her burst open, a young woman dressed in the simple robes of a servant rushing down the walkway and past Xiaodan with her head bowed.
The dualbender watched the woman glance fearfully over her shoulder, her eyes simply passing Xiaodan by as if she didn't exist, before she raced away as if her life depended. If the girl was a servant to Azula, Xiaodan wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. Craning her neck slightly to get a look at the palace, Xiaodan waited to see if any more people would come after the young woman, but after several moments passed and no one followed, Xiaodan went back to trying to free her feet.
The stone cracked, but didn't break and Xiaodan huffed, slumping tiredly despite the extra strain it put on her shoulders and arms. Sweat dribbled down her face, stinging her eyes and she blinked rapidly to clear them then craned her neck to look out from under the walkway roof she was chained under, grimacing at the crimson sky overhead.
Xiaodan closed her eyes. She could feel a heat beginning to build in her stomach, flooding her body with a power she hadn't felt ever before. Her eyes snapped open and the ember depths burned brightly with inner fire. She strained again and more cracks appeared in the rock shackling her feet.
The comet was getting closer.
"You will fail, Azula!"
Azula clenched her teeth, the blue fire that blazed in front of her throne shooting up with her anger. She couldn't get the airbending pest's words out of her head and she swore to herself that once she was crowned Fire Lord and her father had won, she would lock the little worm away in a dark hole somewhere. After, of course, she rubbed hers and her father's victory in the girl's face. Smiling sadistically at the thought, she was abruptly pulled from her musings by footsteps approaching her throne. Her eyes snapped to the Dai Li agents she had called for five minutes ago.
"You sent for us, Princess?" The lead agent questioned as they kneeled before her dais. "Is everything alright?"
"Actually everything is not alright." Azula replied irritatedly, glaring through the flames at the men. "Do you know how long it took you to get here?"
"A..." The Dai Li agent hesitated, his brow furrowing in confusion at the question. "A few minutes, I guess."
"Five, to be precise." Azula corrected him curtly, "In which time an assassin could have snuck in, done away with me, and been on his," Her eyes narrowed as she thought about the prisoner chained up in her courtyard, despite the improbability of her getting free. "Or her, merry way."
The Dai Li agent bowed lower as trepidation began to fill him. "My apologies, Princess."
Azula ignored his groveling and demanded sharply, "Is this how you plan to treat your new Fire Lord? With tardiness and disloyalty?"
"The Dai Li would never betray you."
"And I'm sure that's just what you told Long Feng before you turned against him and joined me." Azula scoffed. She tapped her nails against her knees before lifting her chin up and barking, "You're all banished!"
The Dai Li agent jerked his head up, staring at the princess in disbelieve. "But-"
"Goodbye!"
Eyes narrowed dangerously, Azula watched as the lead Dai Li agent glared at her once before straightening abruptly and walking out of the throne room, the rest of the agents following him in pairs. She tapped her nails against her knees again and called out flippantly, "Please send in the next group on the way out."
She tilted her head down slightly and glared straight ahead, her disheveled hair falling into her face. The Air Nomad's words pounded at her temples and she growled lowly. Azula swore to herself that after her coronation, she would find out the irritating girl's secret then lock her away in some dark hole where her brother, if he survived, would never be able to find her again.
"You will fail, Azula!"
"No, I won't." The princess hissed darkly under her breath. "I never fail."
Sokka, Suki, and Toph snuck through the airship, easily avoiding any crew members thanks to the fact that Toph could use her seismic sense in the almost entirely metal airship. Suki and Sokka snuck towards what Sokka figured was the door leading to the airship's cabin.
He pressed his back against the wall to the left of the door and gestured for Suki to do the same on the opposite side. "Shh."
Toph quietly walked up to door and raised her hand, knocking on it a couple times with her knuckles. Inside the cabin, the three pilots and the captain turned towards the sound, frowning underneath their helmets just before the door was kicked inwards after the last knock.
Toph fell onto the fallen metal door, metalbending it around her like armor then barrel-rolled to her feet. She felt the a blast of fire scorch the metal, but when it didn't harm her, she smirked. She sensed the captain take a step towards and firebending another blast at her, but she easily rolled backward and kicked up her leg, metalbending the section of the metal floor the captain was standing on up into the air.
The captain groaned as he smacked into the piped ceiling of the cabin, his pilots staring at metal sheet pinning their captain to the ceiling. The pilots whirled around and blasted Toph with fire enhanced by the comet and the young girl, quickly pulled to plates up from the floor to shield herself from the flames.
The flames shot past her on either side and burst out the door, forcing Sokka and Suki to spin away to avoid the fire, Suki covering her face and turning away from the heat as Sokka did the same on the other side. As soon as the flames died down inside the cabin, Toph leapt out behind the metal shield in a butterfly kick, bending another part of the metal floor and the large pipe in the ceiling at the two closest firebenders. The metal pipe slammed into the pilot nearest to her, trapping him against the wall to her left while the wall piece pinned the second firebender to the opposite wall.
Having landed on her back, Toph kicked herself up to the ceiling and clung to her with her feet, before swinging the rest of her body upwards. She scurried across the metal pipes towards the last firebender and the main pilot, who sent a fire blast at her only to miss by a hair. Toph dropped down behind him and smirked beneath her metal armor, raising her arm just as the firebender swung his arm around, attempting to hit her with a whip of fire.
His arm hit her metal covered one and the fire was redirected out the nearby window, shattering the class and injuring the firebender's arm. Grinning beneath the metal covering her face, Toph shot her fist forward, the metal covered appendage connecting with the firebender's face just as he looked up at her.
Standing on either side of the doorway, Sokka and Suki blinked in surprise as the last firebender flew out the door and crashed into a wall at the end of the hall. Glancing at each other briefly, they looked into the room, their eyes widening at the now mangled cabin.
Toph peeled the metal from her face and looked towards the two older teens cockily. "That's how it's done."
"Good work, Toph." Sokka praised her as he and Suki walked into the cabin, side-stepping any holes or pieces of metal that were sticking up. The blind girl smirked and proceeded to remove the rest of her impromptu armor as he moved to stand in front of her. "Time to take control of the airship. Take the wheel."
"That's a great idea!" Toph exclaimed sarcastically, assuming the other teen was talking to her. "Let the blind girl steer the giant airship."
"I was talking to Suki." Sokka deadpanned as Suki walked around him to the steering wheel of the airship.
Toph blushed slightly in embarrassment. "That would make a lot more sense."
After taking the wheel, Suki looked over at Sokka and asked, "What are we going to do about the rest of the crew?"
Sokka tapped his chin in thought then grinned and walked towards the speaker, "I've got an idea. Take us down closer to the water." He waited until Suki had done what he'd asked, then he picked up the speaker and cleared his throat, speaking in his 'Wang Fire' voice. "Attention crew, this is your Captain speaking. Everyone please report to the bomb bay immediately for hot cakes and..." He hesitated and looked at the two girls, who shrugged. "Uh, sweet cream. We have a very special birthday to celebrate."
Throughout the entire airship, the crew members stopped what they were doing and gathered in the bomb bay, all of them murmuring to each other in confusion and curiosity.
One elite firebender turned towards the engineer standing next to him and introduced himself, "Hey. I'm Quin Lee, I work up in communications."
"Oh, hi. I work down in the engine room." The engineer replied somewhat awkwardly. "It's probably why we've never met before. Big airship, you know?"
"Huh."
"Yep."
Quin Lee fidgeted awkwardly for a moment then asked, "So, do you know who's birthday it is?"
"I can't believe the Captain remembered my birthday!" A second elite firebender exclaimed excited as he approached Quin Lee and the engineer, "He really does care!"
Immediately after he'd finished speaking, the bomb bay's doors opened up beneath the entire crew's feet, dropping them into the ocean below as they yelled in shock. Inside the cabin, Toph and Sokka tossed the three pilots and the captain out the broken window to join the rest of the crew in the water below.
Toph dusted her hands off and tilted her head towards Sokka in amusement, "Well, that plan worked better than I expected."
"Yeah, I know right." Sokka paused then scowled at the smirking blind girl indignantly. "Are you saying my plans don't work!?"
"I think Xia once put it that your plans only work ninety-percent of the time." Toph replied then patted his shoulder in mock sympathy. "It's just a fact of life, Snoozles. Deal with it."
She walked over to stand beside Suki and Sokka scowled harder at her, crossing his arms with an indignant huff. His plans worked, it just usually was the second or third plan instead of the first one. Groaning in dawning resignation, he uncrossed his arms and shuffled over to stand on Suki's other side, his gaze focusing on the larger airship at the head of the fleet.
Narrowing his eyes in determination, Sokka grabbed the throttle and pushed it forward, "Fire Lord Ozai, here we come."
In the throne room, Azula leaned boredly against one of the pillars that were on either side of her throne, staring disinterestedly at the blue flames in front of her. She had just finished banishing several more guards and servants and was debating on having her prisoner brought to her next.
Footsteps caught her attention and her gaze flickered to the left, her lip curling slightly as her two advisors approached.
"Azula, we heard what happened." Li exclaimed in disbelief and worry as she and her twin sister approached the throne. "Why have you banished all your servants?"
"All your Dai Li agents?" Lo added.
"And the Imperial firebenders?" Li asked as they kneeled before the dais.
Azula sniffed, "None of them could be trusted. Sooner or later, they all would have betrayed me." Her eyes narrowed and she growled, "Just like Mai and Ty Lee did."
"Azula," The twin advisors beseeched their charge, their voices blending together as they spoke in unison. "We are concerned for you and your well being."
Azula's eyes widened and she whipped her head around to glower at Lo and Li dangerously. Perhaps her father had sent word to them that he no longer felt she was cable of being the next Fire Lord. Perhaps he thought that she would fail in her duties.
"You will fail, Azula!"
Azula snarled, "My father asked you to come here and talk to me didn't he?! He heard what that freak Air Nomad peasant said and now he doesn't think I can handle the responsibility of being Fire Lord." She stood up and moved away from the pillar, walking towards the one near the back. "But I will be the greatest Fire Lord in Fire Nation history. I will not fail!"
"I'm sure you won't fail." Lo said cautiously after exchanging confused looks with her twin. Neither knew what their princess meant when she spoke of the Air Nomad she had chained in the courtyard. "And I'm sure you will be the greatest leader in our history, but considering everything that has happened today..."
Li took up where her sister left off, "Perhaps it's best if you postponed your coronation."
"What?!" Azula whipped around, the flames surging upward with her anger. "Which one of you just said that?!"
Lo and Li's eyes widened and they pointed at each other simultaneously, more than willing to throw the other under the carriage so to speak, in the face of the princess' fury.
"What a shame..." Azula drawled, her tone deceptively pleasant as she eyed her two advisors from behind her bangs. "There's only one way to resolve this. You two must duel each other." She smiled cruelly and glared down at the two elderly women, "I order you to fight an Agni Kai."
"But..." Lo muttered then chorused with her twin sister, "We're not firebenders."
"Alright, fine." Azula pouted in disappointment then pointed at Li, "Lo, you're banished." She pointed at Lo next, "Li, you can stay."
Lo and Li watched as she across the dais. Li looked over at her sister in confusion, "But I'm Li. So who's banished?"
Lo shrugged, just as confused as her twin.
Zuko inhaled deeply then exhaled slowly. He could feel the power of the comet surging through him, filling him with a power he'd never imagined, and as he sat in Appa's saddle, he worked on controlling it, molding and tempering it.
Sitting on Appa's head, Katara glanced over her shoulder at him and was startled. In that instant, framed by the red sky caused by the comet, she could see why Iroh believed Zuko was meant to be the future Fire Lord. He looked regal, sitting in the same lotus position that Aang and Xiaodan took when they meditated, his normally stern expression determined, yet surprisingly serene at the same time.
Katara shook her head and faced forward once again, her eyes narrowing when she saw the volcano that housed the Fire Nation capital in the distance, it's peak jutting out into the red sky like a fist. They were almost there. Her hands tightened on the reins and she pursed her lips, her resolve to help Zuko defeat his sister strengthening.
"Ba Sing Se, the Order of the White Lotus is here." Bumi drawled as he stood with Jeong Jeong, Piandao, and Pakku behind Iroh on a stone platform with a banner marked with the Order's symbol, waving in the breeze.
"Here to set you free." Pakku continued somberly.
Standing in front of the other four masters, Iroh closed his eyes and breathed deeply, feeling the power of the comet surge through him. "Only once every hundred years can a firebender experience this kind of power."
He exhaled then inhaled deeply once more through his nose, a ring of fire appearing around the stone platform the five masters stood on. He continued to breath deeply, and on each inhale, the ring of fire grew larger and larger, pulsing and growing in intensity with each breath he took.
Iroh snapped his eyes open and raised his arms, thrusting his hands forward with a battle cry. The flames surrounding the rock platform surged forward and converged in front of him into a giant ball of fire. A high-pitched whining could be heard as the fire spun around and around, gathering power and energy before Iroh unleashed it. The massive fire blast shot forward like the comet blazing across the sky and slammed into the wall in front of it, demolishing it easily. Debris flew everywhere, landing among the line of Fire Nation tanks that had taken up a defensive position in front of the wall.
Grinning maniacally, Bumi hopped forward and stomped the ground, flinging his arms behind him as he bended the stone platform he and his fellow masters stood on forward, along with the other two platforms the other members of the Order were on.
The platforms slid towards Ba Sing Se, fire blasts being launched at them from the destroyed section of the wall. Iroh deflected the blasts without difficulty, his golden eyes narrowed. Behind him, Jeong Jeong, Pakku, and Piandao leapt off the stone platform, quickly followed by Bumi after the three platforms had reached the hole in the wall.
Pakku jumped over a nearby building and landed on the roof, waterbending an enormous wave over the building and down towards the Fire Nation soldiers that had gathered below. Piandao jumped up behind him, leaping over the wave and landing on it just as Pakku turned the water into ice, freezing the soldiers below in place. The master swordsman slid down the frozen wave, slashing the soldiers' spearheads, as Pakku skated down the ice wave behind him.
As they slid onto another street, Piandao darting into an alley across the street as Pakku unfroze the wave and waterbended it in front of him, freezing it again to block an incoming fire blast. The ice barrier shattered and another fire blast followed the first, about to hit Pakku until a great wall of fire erupted in front of him, stopping the attack.
Pakku looked up and inclined his head to Jeong Jeong, who was floating in the air on a disc of fire above the large intersection of streets. The former Fire Nation admiral inclined his head in return then redirected his attention to another street filled with Fire Nation tanks.
The line of tanks fired at him and Jeong Jeong raised his arms up, blocking the incoming attack with another wall of fire. He lunged forward on the fire disc and thrust his arms towards the street, sending the wall of fire down it and towards the tank, forcefully pushing them back.
More tanks on another street fired at him, but Jeong Jeong blocked the attacks once more with a fire wall, pushing it down the street at the tanks like he did a few minutes before. The tanks were flung back, landing in a pile at the end of the streets.
Xiaodan strained against the stone encasing her feet, the rock cracking until, with a wordless cry that caused fire to spew from her mouth and incinerating the cloth that had covered her mouth, the stone shattered in a burst of white fire.
She went limp, panting heavily for several seconds before getting her breathing back under control. Opening her eyes, which she hadn't even realized she'd closed, she looked down at her feet and smirked in satisfaction. Ha, even tired and sore as she was, she still got a boost from the comet just like every other firebender.
Hurried footsteps grabbed her attention and Xiaodan quickly pressed her feet against the ground to hide the fact that she'd freed them, then she craned her neck, watching with slightly narrowed as as two elderly women hurried down the path, completely ignoring Xiaodan's existence just as all the others who had earlier.
"I fear for the princess' sanity." One of the woman said, just loud enough for Xiaodan to hear.
"Yes," The other woman agreed somberly, "Perhaps we should send word to her father and tell him that she has banished nearly everyone in the palace."
"Perhaps..." The first woman agreed before they disappeared from Xiaodan's sight.
Xiaodan frowned and pressed her the back of her head against the pillar as she mumbled under her breath. "So that's why all those people were in such a hurry to get out of here..."
Shaking her head, she decided that what Azula wasn't her concern at the moment and getting her arms free was. Xiaodan cracked her neck then took a deep breath before swinging her legs up, pressing her feet flat against the pillar, straining against the manacles around her wrists. Unfortunately, they were a lot harder to break than the stone that had encased her feet.
Running her fingers through her hair a few times, Azula pulled it back into a topknot as she stood in front of the full length mirror in another section of the bathing chamber. After smoothing her hair back into the topknot, she held it in place with one hand and reached down to the table beside her, plucking a red ribbon from the table and leisurely winding it around the base of the topknot.
She looked up at her reflection hopefully once she'd tied the ribbon in place, her expression twisting into a scowl when she saw that her finger was caught in the ribbon. She tried to pull away, but when it remained stuck she yanked her finger out and grabbed a pair of scissors from the table with snarl.
"Alright hair," She growled, grabbing her bangs that were hanging limply in front of her face with her free hand as she lifted the scissors in the air. "It's time to face your doom!"
She lifted her bangs in the air and brought the scissors down on them, releasing the thick strands of hair as soon as the scissors sliced through them. The strands fell around her bare feet and Azula grinned maniacally at her reflection, her hair a complete mess.
"What a shame..." A soft, familiar voice murmured and Azula's grin disappeared. "You always had such beautiful hair."
"What are you doing here?" Azula glared at her mother's reflection in the mirror, finally addressing her after ignoring her presence for most of the day. Ever since she'd seen her standing beside her prisoner in the courtyard.
Ursa smiled at her daughter gently, "I didn't want to miss my own daughter's coronation."
"Don't pretend to act proud. I know what you really think of me." Azula spat furiously before her anger died down and she glared off to the side. "You think I'm a monster."
"I think you're confused. All your life you used fear to control people." Ursa's voice was sad and Azula glared into her reflection, her lips turned down in a harsh frown. "Like your friends Mai and Ty Lee."
"But what choice do I have?"Azula whipped around with a snarl. She stumbled forward and leaned against the table, sneering angrily. "Trust is for fools like Zuko and his so called friends. Fear is the only reliable way! Even you fear me."
"No." Ursa denied with a soft smile. "I love you, Azula. I do."
Azula closed her eyes tightly and lowered her head slightly, her lip quivering as tears slid down her cheeks. When she had stumbled against the table, her hand had landed on the hair brush there and she gripped it tightly at the moment before whipping around and throwing it at the mirror with a scream of rage.
The hair brush slammed into her mother's reflection, shattering the mirror. Azula dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around her stomach as she began to sob brokenly. Behind her, the room was completely empty.
Still perched on the prow of his airship, Ozai closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, drawing on the power of the comet as his airship drew closer to the edge of the Earth Kingdom. He exhaled slowly and opened his eyes, smiling cruelly.
Unbeknownst to him, the zeppelin that Sokka, Suki, and Toph had commandeered had fallen out of formation, flying in front of the rest of the fleet and far below them. Sokka, peering out of a spyglass at Ozai's airship, grimaced as he lowered it. "We're not going to catch up in time..."
Suki murmured sadly, "No..."
At the front of the fleet, Ozai spread his arms out to the side and tilted his head back, basking in the power of the comet before lowering his head once more and smiling sadistically. He raised his arms straight up in the air then thrust his left hand down towards the ground beneath as his airship flew over the land.
A small, but incredibly powerful flame formed in front of his palm and it steadily grew larger until it erupted into an enormous blast of fire that shot from his palm and ignited the earth below. Ozai grinned sadistically as he watched the land burn beneath his fire.
Standing atop a tall pillar of stone, Aang watched as Ozai began his assault, his face set grimly. Perched on his shoulder, Momo chirped fearfully at the encroaching flames. Aang reached up and touched the lemur's ears gently, "Momo, it's time for you to go."
The lemur chirped again then leapt off Aang's shoulder, flying far out of sight. Aang closed his eyes and breathed deeply, before swinging his leg around in a spinning kick, followed by several more as he earthbended several giant sections of the rock pillar beneath him towards Ozai's zeppelin before jumping to another pillar.
Ozai jerked back as the giant chunks of rock whistled past his airship, striking engine that was located on the side of the airship. Ozai stumbled, losing his balance and ceasing his attack as the zeppelin jerked and began to descend, the engine smoking dangerously. The Fire Lord looked down, his eyes widened with fury and shock as he saw a figure perched on a rock pillar.
Aang twisted around, gathering his energy before unleashing a huge fire blast at the engine of Ozai's ship, completely destroying it. Straightening, Aang turned to watch the zeppelin as it floated past him, his eyes focusing on the man standing on metal prow.
His surprise faded and Ozai's face twisted in fury and he untied the sash around his waist, his Phoenix King robes and armor flying off. His ripped his cloak of last, incinerating it before he jumped off the prow, propelling himself towards Aang with firebending.
Aang took a fortifying breath as he watched Ozai fly towards him, his airship crashing into the field of giant stone pillars.
"What just happened?" Suki exclaimed, staring out the window of the airship she was piloting in shock.
Sokka quickly raised his spyglass to his eye and nearly dropped it. "It's Aang! He's back!"
Toph straightened and she moved to Sokka's side, grabbing the sleeve of his armor and asking urgently, "And Xia? Is she with him?"
"I...I don't see her." Sokka replied, worry spiking through him as he peered through his spy glass once more, searching for any sign of the dualbender. He exchanged panicked looks with Suki as Toph gripped his sleeve tighter.
Fire streaming from his bare feet, Ozai landed on the stone pillar in front of Aang, his golden eyes narrowed evilly. "After generations of Fire Lords failed to find you, now the Universe delivers you to me as an act of providence."
"Please listen to me." Aang spoke steadily, staring at the Fire Lord pleadingly. Around him, the fire from Ozai's initial attack burned brilliantly. "We don't have to fight. You have the power to end it here and stop what you're doing."
"You are right." Ozai mused, his lips curling at the corners in a vicious smile, "I do have all the power. I have all the power in the world!"
He threw his head back, unleashing torrents of flames from his mouth and hands. Aang closed his eyes briefly in resignation before shifting into a defensive stance. Ozai closed his mouth and looked at his adversary as the flames died down,then he narrowed his eyes. The Fire Lord jumped, spun around to gain momentum, then slammed his fist into the pillar beneath him.
Fire erupted from his fist, creating a circular wave of flame that spread out towards Aang. Aang leapt over the attack quickly and when he landed back on the pillar, he slammed his feet and his hands down on the stone, earthbending the top off. He earthbended the large disc up into the air while he still stood on it and flipped it around, kicking it Ozai, who jumped away using his firebending. Aang landed back on the pillar in a crouch.
In mid-air, Ozai propelled himself at Aang using a jet of fire from his foot. Aang narrowed his eyes and ran forward, jumping at Ozai from the pillar then did a backwards spinning kick, bending a huge arc of fire from his foot at the older man. At the same time, Ozai swung his leg around and shot his own fire blast from his foot, the two attacks colliding in a fiery explosion.
"Go Aang!" Sokka shouted excitedly, swung his hand down and slicing through the air. "Airbending slice!"
Suki eyed her boyfriend for a moment then looked towards Aang's fight in concern. "Shouldn't we be helping him since Xia isn't there?"
Sokka quickly shook his head, "The Fire Lord is Aang's fight, which is probably why Xia isn't there. We," He gestured towards the three of them, "Need to stay focused on stopping this fleet from burning down the Earth Kingdom."
"And how do we do that, Captain Boomerang?" Toph asked sarcastically before continuing in a normal tone. "I can't see outside of this floating hunk of metal."
Sokka thought for a moment, peering out the window at the other airships flying behind them. A grin spread across his as an idea came to him and looked over at the girls, "Airship slice!"
Suki raised her eyebrow at Sokka in confusion then stepped aside when he gestured for her to do so. The Water Tribe teen quickly took the wheel and began pulling several of the levers on either side of it, before spinning the wheel to the left.
The airship rose high into the air, higher than the rest of the fleet flying behind it, then it banked heavily to the left.
Among the fleet, the most elite firebenders stood at the prow of their individual airships and in unison, they thrust their palms towards the ground, torrents of fire powered by the comet soaring towards the earth below. The powerful streams of fire converged into one massive wave as they hit the ground, razing the land and creating an immense amount of smoke and destruction.
Gripping the sill of the broken window, Toph turned her head towards the fire burning below, feeling the heat against her face even from so high in the air. "Whoa...That's a lot of fire, isn't it?"
Sokka glanced over at her with a grimace then silently turned back to the wheel without responding, spinning it to the right as it came to face the side of the airship at the end of the fleet. He quickly began pulling several levers, steadying the ship. He pulled another level down and glanced down at a nearby dial, the needle turning all the way to the max.
Outside the airship, the engine shuddered then exploded, unable to take the stress it was being put under. Sokka gritted his teeth and released the wheel, rushing towards Toph and grabbing her hand.
"It's gonna be rough ride. We need to get to the top of this thing fast." He dragged Toph towards the cabin's door, Suki rushing after him. He pushed Toph out the door first then stopped in the doorway, Suki pausing in front of him.
"Then what?" She asked, responding to Sokka's previous statement, staring at her boyfriend worriedly as Toph ran ahead.
"Watch each other's back and if we make it that far, I'll let you know." Sokka replied, then ducked his head and pressed a quick kiss to Suki's lips. They stared at each other for a moment before running after Toph, stumbling as their airship jerked when it made contact with the first zeppelin in the fleet, ploughing through it.
Suki reached the ladder that led to the top of the airship right before Sokka and she quickly began climbing up after Toph, who was already halfway to the top. Below her, Sokka just managed to jump onto the ladder as the floor beneath him was demolished. He grunted when his hand slipped slightly before he managed to pull himself back up, quickly scaling the ladder after the two girls.
Reaching the top, Toph quickly thrust her fist at the hatch, forcing it open before quickly climbed out. She stumbled to the left slightly as Suki and Sokka climbed out after her, Sokka quickly grabbing her hand before she could slid off. Holding her hand tightly in his, Sokka raced to the front of the airship with Suki running along right behind Toph.
The airship that they had taken control of slowly continued to plough through the other airships, steadily destroying them and itself in the process. Just as the three were about to reach their end destination at the end of the airship, the back end of the airship tore and began to fall off, separating Suki from Toph and Sokka.
"Sokka!" Suki cried out in horror as she stumbled back, landing on her backside and reaching out to Sokka and Toph as the gap between them increased.
"Suki!" Sokka shouted, lunging forward and reaching desperately for Suki as she jumped off the ruined airship to the one below.
"I'm okay!" She shouted. "Just finish the mission!"
"No..." Sokka rasped heartbrokenly, the tip of the airship he and Toph were still standing on floating farther and farther away from Suki.
"Sokka," Toph screamed, fear coating her voice as she reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt, "I think we've gotta-"
"Jump!" Sokka shouted along with her and he wrapped his arm tightly around her waist, holding her close to him and jumping as the tip of the airship slammed into another zeppelin. They grunted in pain as they hit the enemy airship below the one they had just destroyed, debris raining down on them.
Sokka lunged towards Toph, shielding her smaller body with his own as more debris fell around them.
Xiaodan grunted and pressed her feet more firmly against the pillar, yanking furiously on the manacles that encased her wrists, the chains connected to the manacles rattling against the stone. Footsteps reached her ears and she jerked her head up, her eyes widening when she saw several men in red robes walking into the courtyard. Flipping back down into her original position before she'd freed her feet, she pressed her back against the column, watching as the men she recognized as Fire Sage walked across the plaza to the temple at the very end.
Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Azula step out onto the pathway, looking more than a little deranged with her hair pulled back messily and the robes she wore were rumpled. The dualbender quickly ducked her head, using her hair to shield her face and hid the fact that her gag was no longer in place, just in case the princess decided to look at her.
But Xiaodan didn't have to worry and she watched through her hair as Azula stumbled past her, making her way to the center of the plaza before walking in a jerky, almost uncoordinated manner to the temple at the end where the Fire Sages were waiting for her.
Swallowing thickly, the head Fire Sage stepped forward and, in a trembling voice, instructed Azula to turn and kneel before him and his fellow sages. Azula dropped to her knees and bowed her head, staring numbly at the ground as the Fire Sage began to intone the ceremonial words.
"...By decree of Phoenix King Ozai," The lead Fire Sage spoke loudly as he stepped up behind Azula, holding up the Fire Lord diadem after it was handed to him, "I know crown you Fire Lord-"
Something in the sky caught the Fire Sage's eye and he paused, staring in amazement. Azula's eyes narrowed and she whipped her head around, scowling fiercely at the distracted sage.
"What are you waiting for?! Do it!"
Xiaodan gasped quietly, her eyes widening first in surprise then joyous relief when Appa's growl split the air, the giant sky bison landing in the middle of the plaza. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes when she saw Zuko standing on Appa's head, Katara perched in the saddle. Neither seemed to notice her, but that wasn't surprising considering she was practically hidden behind the column she was chained to. She shifted around, tugging the chains quietly as she moved around the pillar to get a better look at plaza.
"Sorry, but you're not going to become Fire Lord today." Zuko stated determinedly as he jumped off the sky bison's head and faced his sister. "I am."
Azula cackled mockingly, "You're hilarious."
Katara's eyes narrowed as she joined Zuko's side, "And you're going down, Azula."
Hesitantly, the Fire Sage made to crown Azula, but she raised her hand, signalling him to stop. "Wait."
The Fire Sage stepped back hurriedly as Azula rose gracefully to her feet, the robe falling around her and practically swallowing her delicate-seeming form. She sneered at her brother, "You want to be Fire Lord. Fine. Let's settle this. Just you and me, brother. The showdown that was always meant to be." Her smile became deranged. "Agni Kai!"
Zuko's eyes narrowed, "You're on."
"What?" Katara whispered his surprise, looking at her friend in disbelief, "What are you doing? She's playing you. She knows she can't take us both, so she's trying to separate us!"
"I know." Zuko replied softly without taking his eyes off his sister. He took in her messy hair and the she stood almost listlessly beneath the Fire Lord robe. "But I can take her this time."
Katara opened her mouth, but before she could reply, Azula spoke up.
"Oh, Zuzu, before you and your little snow savage make a decision, why don't you look over there." She waved her hand flippantly towards the pathway to the right, "There's a little surprise waiting for you."
Zuko jerked his head to the right, his breath catching when his eyes met familiar ember colored orbs. "Xia!"
"What?!" Katara gasped, whipping her own head around and gasping again when she saw her friend chained to one of the pillars supporting the walkway's roof. She went to rush forward, but a wall of blue fire stopped her.
"Ah-ah-ah!" Azula cooed, wagging a finger sternly at Katara. "That's cheating." She turned her sadistic gold eyes to her brother, who was staring at Xiaodan in disbelief, and smiled. "Oh, brother, why don't we make this duel a little more interesting. You win and you get to be Fire Lord and your little girlfriend goes free, but if I win..." She trailed off, her smile sharpening dangerously as she let her words hang in the air.
Xiaodan, having heard each of Azula's words called out as reassuringly as she could. "Don't worry about me, guys. I'll be fine."
"Zuko..." Katara whispered, her panicked eyes still locked on Xiaodan's. "You can't fight her alone. You even admitted to your uncle that you would need help facing her!"
Zuko swallowed thickly and looked back at Xiaodan, who was staring at him fearfully. More scared for him than for herself. "I know, Katara. But I have to do this. There's something off about Azula. I can't explain it, but I think she's slipping." He closed his eyes for a moment then clenched his teeth in determination, "And this way, no one else has to get hurt."
Xiaodan watched with barely held back panic as Azula stumbled down from the temple and kneeled before the steps, her back to Zuko, who was in a similar position at the other end of the courtyard, the two sunken fountains on either side of the path. Clenching her teeth, she grabbed the chains just above the manacles and closed her eyes, focusing heat she felt burning inside her into her palms. The metal slowly began to heat beneath her palms, smoke curling upwards.
Zuko glanced first at Katara standing a few feet in front of him then at Xiaodan, but her eyes were closed. He noticed her hands wrapped around the chains holding her to the column, noticed the small wisps of smoke curling up from her palms and he smiled slightly. Azula had underestimated his girlfriend.
Slowly, Zuko stood and turned around. Across from him, Azula did the same, shrugging the Fire Lord robes from her shoulders. She smiled thinly at her brother and drawled in a slightly sarcastic voice, "I'm sorry it has to end this way, brother."
Zuko shifted into his firebending stance and narrowed his eyes at his sister. "No, you're not."
Azula's smile became vaguely demented and she assumed a stance far more awkward and jerky than her brother's. Her smile widened for a brief instant and then she spun around, thrusting her palm out and shooting a blast of blue flame at her brother.
Zuko raised his hands up, jumped forward, and then brought his arms down in front of him, bending two waves of fire from each hand. The separate arcs of fire merged together and shot forward, colliding with Azula's blue flames in a wall of fire.
Xiaodan jerked, twisting further around the pillar to shield herself from the flames, all without letting the chains go. She could feel the metal steadily weakening and she focused more of the comet enhanced power into her hands.
As the flames dissipated, Azula leapt forward on a jet of fire and kicked a blast of fire before performing three spinning kicks, consecutively sending out wave after wave of blue fire at Zuko.
Aang landed heavily on one of the stone pillars before leaping away again, twisting around just in time to block a blast of fire from Ozai that pushed him back. Ozai followed up his fist attack with a downward kick, a large arc of fire shooting from his heel.
Aang deflected the attack with a small burst of fire as he landed on a protruding rock. He earthbended a small boulder from the large rock he was standing on and kicked it at Ozai, who dodged the attack. The Fire Lord countered by thrusting his fist towards Aang, blasting fire at the young Avatar.
Aang quickly leapt to the top of another stone column to avoid the attack, quickly pushing himself off the pillar and onto the side of a nearby waterfall. Ozai landed on the rock he'd just jumped off of and kicked another blast at Aang.
Aang waterbended the waterfall and redirected it towards Ozai, extinguishing the fire blast and forcing Ozai to jump away. Narrowing his eyes dangerously, Ozai flew towards Aang and shot a wide burst of flame at him, forcing Aang to leap away to the top of the waterfall.
Aang spun on his heel as Ozai flew after him. He gasped loudly and flung himself back when Ozai flipped and shot a fire blast at him from both feet. Aang slid down the other side of the rocky slope, landing on a boulder and quickly lifting it into the air to block another fire blast.
Ozai continued to chase after Aang, shooting a stream of fire at him from his fist. To protect himself from the attack, Aang spun around and airbending a small tornado around himself that deflected the fire before he landed on the side of a stone column.
Ozai landed on a rock nearby and slammed his fists down, shooting another stream of fire at the young teen. Aang hurriedly swung around the pillar as the fire flew past either side of the pillar and he quickly pushed off of the column, landing on the side of another. Using airbending, he pushed himself back towards the first pillar and kicked the entire top half of it at Ozai.
However, Ozai swerved to avoid the attack, flying around it to the other side and shooting a concentrated fireball at Aang, catching him by surprise. Aang's eyes went ride and he flung his hand up to block the attack, the fire flowing past his body, but the force of the attack still pushed him back.
Aang grunted in pain as his back his the side of one of the stone pillar and he dropped down to a small ledge protruding from the pillar, rolling down small slope for a few feet. Grinning ferociously, Ozai flew towards Aang and landed on the same ledge in a crouch just as Aang shoved himself to his feet.
Flattening his back and arms against the rock, Aang earthbended the rocks around his body to create stone armor. Ozai's eyes narrowed and he thrust his fists forward, firebending a strong blast of fire at Aang, walking towards the young Avatar and pushing him towards the edge of the ledge. Ozai stopped his attack for a brief instance and swung his arm at Aang in an effort to hit him with a fire blast, but Aang leapt away, shedding the stone armor.
Flipping backwards in mid-air, Aang focused his gaze on Ozai and fired a blast of wind at him. The momentum of his attack pushed him towards a nearby stone pillar and he grabbed it, holding on tightly as he watched Ozai, who had leapt away from the wind blast, charging lightning in mid air. As he landed on a rock, Ozai shot the lightning at Aang.
Aang, still clinging to the side of a rock column, felt his eyes go wide with fear, but before the lightning could hit him, he swung his arm around to the side, creating a tornado around his body. Using the tornado, he evaded the lightning and flew around to the top of the pillar as Ozai fired another bolt of lightning at him.
Ozai growled and chased after Aang, continuing to shoot lightning at him. Aang jumped another rock pillar and rolled forward to avoid another lightning bolt. His eyes widened when he straightened up and saw lightning fly right towards him. With no time to dodge, Aang raised his hand with his finger pointed at the lightning, grimacing in pain as he absorbed it into his body.
Turning and allowing the lightning to flow through his body and to his other hand, Aang pointed at Ozai, who stared back at him in shocked fear. The look caused Aang to hesitate, and instead of redirecting the lightning at his opponent, he pointed towards the sky and let the lightning shoot from his fingertip harmlessly. Exhausted, Aang collapsed to the ground, panting heavily at the strain his body had just undergone.
Ozai stared at Aang's limp form for a moment then smiled cruelly and spun around, kicking a black of fire at the young boy. Aang's eyes widened and he rolled backwards, raising a stone wall in front of him to block the firebender's attack, but the fire blasts through the rock and blew Aang off the stone pillar.
"Aahhh!" Aang screamed as he plummeted down to the shallow water below. He tilted himself upright and frantically flailed his arms around, managing to bend the water up into a spout just before he hit the water. The waterspout caught him and softened the blow, creating a large wave as the spout fell down, carrying Aang with it.
Breathing heavily, Aang stood, the water lapping at his waist, and looked up. His eyes widened as Ozai rocketed towards him, his face twisted evilly.
Xiaodan watched as Zuko and Azula fought, blue fire colliding with orange every few minutes. She glanced over at Katara, who appeared to be equally riveted by the battle between the two siblings, her hands clasped close to her chest. She gave a surprised cry and cringed back as roared past her, kicking her feet up and blasting the flames away from her.
Focusing intently on his sister, Zuko pulled his fist back then punched it forward, releasing a powerful stream of fire that collided with a stream of Azula's blue fire. Both attacks pushed against each other for a moment before slipping to one side. Zuko gritted his teeth as he kept his stream of fire going while keeping the enormous blue flames on his other side at bay, but he was slowly being pushed backwards.
The prince quickly pivoted on his foot to strengthen his stance and to keep himself steady against his sister's onslaught while keeping the fire streaming from his own fist. Almost simultaneously, the two siblings stopped their attacks, regarding each other warily.
Azula looked over her shoulder, her eyes widening when she saw the temple behind her was on fire from her supposedly weak older brother's attack. She turned her eyes back to Zuko, anger and fear pulsing inside her at the idea that maybe Zuko was actually stronger than her. Driven by the anger and fear, she charged forward then propelled herself up into the air with a blast of fire, which she then swung down at Zuko.
Just before the attack hit, Zuko spun his body in a circle and thrust his palms out to the side, creating a wall of flames that split the blue fire in half. The orange and blue flames swirled around Zuko for a moment before dying down, revealing Azula crouching a few yards in front of him.
Panting heavily and gritting her teeth, Azula narrowed her eyes in determination and rage. Across from her, Zuko opened his clenched left fist and pulled it back, thrusting his right fist forward and launching to immense fireballs at Azula. The two fireballs spiralled and entwined around each other, creating one massive fireball as it drew closer to the princess.
Azula's eyes weren't the only ones that widened, Katara and Xiaodan gasping in surprise at the powerful attack. Shooting fire from her feet, Azula quickly dodged to the right, narrowly avoiding the fireball, then she propelled herself forward while still in the air, skating over the ground on jets of fire shooting from her feet and fists.
As she skated forward on the blue fire, she punched first her right fist then her left fist at Zuko, firing to blasts at her brother. Zuko narrowed his eyes and placed his hands near the ground, firebending a blast against the ground and catapulting himself into the air to avoid Azula's attack. He spun in mid-air, swinging his heel downward and firebending an arc of flames that blocked Azula's second fire blast. As he descended, Zuko pressed his hands together and swung his arms down, creating a massive fire whip that destroyed the a third blast of blue fire Azula sent at him.
Zuko landed in a crouch with his arms still extended, blue and orange flames dancing around him. Snarling, Azula swerved to the right to avoid her brother's most recent attack, shooting a blast at him as she used the jets of fire shooting from her feet to circle around him, an enormous trail of blue fire following behind her.
To defend himself from her attack, Zuko firebended a large sphere of flames around himself then he tried to counterattack by shooting fireballs at her as she circled around him, but she was too fast. Narrowing his eyes, Zuko stopped shooting fire blasts at his sister and crouched on the ground, performing several spinning-sweep kicks that created a powerful ring of fire that expanded outward.
Azula, still using jets of fire to propel herself forward, widened her eyes and tried to stop her forward momentum and block Zuko's attack with a shield of blue fire at the same time, but she wasn't fast enough, and her brother's attack connected with her weak shield.
"Ugh!" She grunted as she fell forward, rolling across the ground due to her own momentum and bouncing a few times before sliding to a stop. Her back arched and she gasped in pain, squeezing her eyes shut before she forced herself to stumble back to her feet. She would not lose!
Breathing heavily and almost growling with rage, Azula hunched over slightly and glared at her brother through messy strands of hair, her loose topknot having come undone during her tumble.
"No lightning today? What's the matter?" Zuko called out, his voice angry and somewhat mocking as he thrust his palm forward to emphasis his words. His gaze flickered towards Xiaodan briefly and he saw her staring back him, pride and worry warring for dominance on her face. His anger grew at her situation and he looked back at his sister with a small sneer, "Are you afraid I'll redirect it?"
"Oh," Azula snarled and raised her voice to a furious screech, "I'LL SHOW YOU LIGHTNING!"
Lightning began crackling at her fingertips as she waved her arms and moved her fingertips around in circular motions, but her movements were far more dramatic, jerky, and irregular than usual. Closing his eyes briefly, Zuko breathed in and out deeply then shifted into his stance, extending his palm out towards Azula to receive the lightning.
Azula grinned maniacally as she finished generating her lightning, her gaze focused on her brother with predatory intent before her eyes flickered to the Water Tribe peasant standing a few yards behind her brother then to the Air Nomad freak before returning to the other girl. Her smile became a wicked smirk and she thrust her arm forward, pointing her fingertip to her brother's left, releasing the lightning directly at Katara. As much as she wanted to hurt her brother right then by getting rid of his girlfriend, her father would be displeased that she'd killed the Air Nomad before learning her secrets.
Xiaodan watched in horror as the lightning shot from Azula's fingertip and streaked across the plaza, straight past Zuko and towards the defenseless Katara. Zuko's own eyes widened in shock and he pivoted to the right, lunging forward and catapulting himself in between Katara and the lightning with a small burst of fire from his foot.
Katara stared at the lightning coming at her, frozen in shock and terror. She braced herself for the pain, but suddenly Zuko was there, jumping up in between herself and the lightning strike.
"Noooo!" Zuko shouted, extending his his finger out and absorbing the lightning in mid-leap. Katara and Xiaodan watched in horrified shock as Zuko absorbed the lightning still coming from Azula, electricity crackling around him.
Zuko hit the ground, lightning shooting out of his other arm and into the air above the crater that held the Fire Nation capital. He curled his legs close to his chest, his body jerking and twitching as the remaining electricity surged through him. Groaning in agony, he rolled onto his back and clutched his chest.
His sounds of pain snapped Katara out of her stupor and she raced towards her friend, "Zuko!"
Another lightning bolt hit the ground in front of her and she leapt back with a cry of fear and surprise.
Azula cackled and began to prepare another lightning strike to stop the young Waterbender from reaching her brother, but she was suddenly knocked to the side by a powerful blast of air. She flipped in mid-air and landed in a crouch, digging her heels into the ground to stop her from skidding back any further.
Azula jerked her head up, a snarl twisting her features in an ugly expression. Standing a few feet in front of Zuko and Katara was Xiaodan, her chest heaving as she stared back at the princess with unrestrained fury. The manacles were still wrapped around her wrists, but the several inches of the chain hung from them, the ends melted.
"Xia!" Katara gasped, staring at the dualbender's back in shock. There were rips in the older girl's tunic, her samghati having been long since lost during her initial capture, and Katara could see red welts flashing through the torn fabric. It made her heart clench, knowning that her friend had been hurt intentionally by Azula during the short time she'd obviously been held prisoner, and she didn't even want to contemplate the reason behind the injuries.
Azula's snarl turned into a maniacal grin and she stood up, swaying from side to side before cackling madly as she charged at the older girl. Forget her father's orders on keeping the freak alive, she was going to finish this now.
Baring her teeth, Xiaodan rushed forward to meet the princess, pulling her fist back in readiness as white fire swirled around it. She may not be at full strength, but just like in the Crystal Catacombs when Azula had struck Aang with lightning, the protective fury that surged through Xiaodan was more than enough to numb her fatigued and sore body for the time being.
Terrified, Aang stared at Ozai as he rocketed towards him over the water, leaving a wake behind him. Thinking quickly, Aang turned away and began swinging his arms in circles, using waterbending to propel himself over the water and towards the shore. He stumbled forward and fell, pushing himself up and swinging his arms around, earthbending a small, but thick sphere of rocks around himself just as Ozai reached him.
Ozai hovered over the rock sphere and began to laugh mockingly, "You're weak! Just like the rest of your people. They did not deserve to exist in this world, in my world." He dropped to the ground and stalked towards the rock sphere. "Prepare to join them. Prepare to die!"
He lifted both arms and leaned back then smashed both fists into the rock sphere, releasing a powerful blast of fire on impact.
Inside the rock sphere, Aang closed his eyes as pebbles fell around him, the stone cocoon shaking as it tried to remain intact against Ozai's assaut. His breath quickened, terror filling him as orange light seeped from in between the individual rocks that made up the sphere.
Ozai gritted his teeth as his attack blasted downward then rose up in a bright orange cloud. He leapt back, landing a few feet away from the rock sphere in a crouch before he straightened. Ozai inhaled deeply then charged, thrusting both fists at the sphere and releasing a blast of fire.
Author's Note: OHMIGAWD! GUYS ONE CHAPTER! And an epilogue, but that's besides the point! There's only ONE freaking chapter left of the series! -spazzes and dies of heart failure-
You guys are so awesome! 1k+ reviews and only 63 chapters! I can't...I just can't even...afsdgskdjfghdf! Seriously, there are not enough adjectives to adequately describe how awesome you guys are. Chapter 64 will be posted Saturday and the epilogue on Monday!
PS - Just in case anyone is curious, Xia is not actually taking Katara's place as Azula's ass kicker. She'll fight for a little while, because she pissed, but she's rather comprised at the moment, from, ahem, Azula's not so tender attentions, so she won't actually win against Azula. Also, Xia's not a master firebender, and even when she's gone crazy, our little dualbender is seriously outclassed by Azula in that regard. She'll need to rely mostly on her airbending, which will be hard because of the comet, which is pretty much gonna allow her firebending to be the dominate element for the time being. So don't worry about Xia stealing Katara's thunder, Katara still kicks some serious ass in the next chapter!
SPECIAL SUPER THANKS to everyone who has read, faved, alerted, and/or reviewed! You guys rock!
REVIEW REPLIES!
Dream lighting: Hope you like the chapter!
Kingdom Hearts Slayer: Thank you! And it'll be Xia and Zuko's granddaughter who helps Korra in the LoK sequel :D
Molly Grace 16: Thank you! Last chapter was a bit slow, but hopefully this one picks up a bit more! And thanks for all your help with this chapter too. Y'know, I almost completely forgot about the modern-AU version, and now that you've reminded me, I've developed some ideas with my sister and we'll both be working on that while I'm writing Possibilities! Anyhooties, hope you like this chapter!
TigerLily2214: Hope you like the chapter!
Daenerys86: Aw, thanks! To answer your question, we will be seeing Xia in the LoK sequel, but not until either the second or third season. She will be frequently mentioned before that though. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
Anonymous: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Tdfmellark12: Haha, I imagine that Azula wouldn't keep a platypus-bear prisoner. She'd probably have it cooked and its fur turned into rug. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
LadyAmazon: Yup! Poor Xia...thankfully, she gets some payback. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
Anon Guest: Haha, Xia has officially been captured by both Fire Nation siblings, though I imagine she preferred her time as Zuko's prisoner over Azula's. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!
Anon Guest: Thanks! I hope you like this chapter!
Counting Sinful Stars: Especially insanely powerful/skilled old people, who can kick the asses of the younger generation without breaking a sweat XD Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
Lilnightmare17: Hope you like this chapter!
TheDivines: Thanks, I'm glad you like the last chapter! I always found it ironic that Ozai was voiced by Mark Hammil, all things considered. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
Guest CS: Thanks! Hope you like the chapter!
88dragon06: Glad you liked the last chapter! Not a lot of fluff in this one, but there's a bit in the next along with more action and butt-kicking! I hope you like this chapter!
Ela: Aw thank you, I'm glad you like the story! I've never been a fan of insta-love in some fanfiction, I mean it works in some cases, but in others it's kind of annoying. Sorry, I couldn't update sooner, but I wanted to make sure this chapter was perfect before posting it. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
Layla347: Hope you like this chapter!
Ghost Angel14: Yay, now I'm excited for the review and oh wow, really?! I'm so honored! Thank you! Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
SheWolfTitianium: Buahahaha, baby bending XD My sister literally almost did a spit take when I showed her your review, it was great! I hope you like this chapter!
Muirgen79: Yeesh, me either. She's scary when she's not having a mental breakdown, but now...Yikes. And don't worry about Xia, she gets in some good hits before Katara takes over the fight and kicks Azula's ass. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
MidnightWolf191: Me too, it's gonna be weird as all get out not working on it anymore. But I hope you like this chapter!
The Almighty Pyro: I'm glad you like the sound of the LoK sequel and thanks for all the prompts! I already have an idea for the whole pregnancy ones, especially the initial 'Hey I'm pregnant' moment. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
Saint River 2.0: Just a little trouble for Xia, nothing she can't, hopefully, handle. With some back up. I wish the writers had given June a bigger role too, or at least made a small comic about her or something. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
Digi-fanCapp: Haha, I know right? Not a lot of taunting in this chapter from Azula, but there will be some in the next one, I think. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
Iveya Jade's psycho mind 08: Heh, I live to surprise! Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
Little Bucky: Hope the chapter was worth the anticipation!
thatgirlweallluv: Hehe, hopefully it will end in a surprising manner! I hope you like this chapter!
Larissa Gates: Muahaha, yes, yes I did. Xia's very rarely a damsel in distress, and I wanted her to be one for a short period. I'm glad you liked the way I put her into the scene, I took a gamble doing something a little different, and it looks like it paid off which is awesome! Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
DanX: Thank you!
Penpal678910: Thank you, I'm glad you like the story! And hell no! When I started writing this two years ago, I never thought I would finish it, but daaaamn am I happy (and a little sad) that I am! It'll be the first story I've ever managed to complete. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!