AN: To all those who celebrate the holiday, hope you had an outstanding Thanksgiving. With all of you lovely people taking the time to stop by, I know I've got plenty to be thankful for, so thank you very, very much for being here as we start wrapping up the first part of this journey.

As always, hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 28: The Battle of Ba Sing Se – Part 3

When Obito opened his eyes, his first thought was surprise that he even opened them at all. After his combat with Sasuke had ended in staggering and humiliating defeat, he had been sure in that last moment before he blacked out that Sasuke would take advantage of his loss and finish him then and there. But now here he was, alive and conscious, though where he now found himself put him as at much as anything could.

His surroundings were completely white, a pure clean blankness that stretched all around him. As he staggered to his feet, he looked down to see that he was just as he had been at the moment of his defeat, his clothes and body battered and torn, though he felt no pain or discomfort from the engagement he had just been a part of. As far as he could tell, he was the only smudge of color in this entire stretching expanse of pure white.

It was when he started wondering if perhaps he really was dead, that he heard a voice behind him.

"I missed you, Obito."

He whirled at the words uttered just behind him, attempting to draw chakra to life in case the person who had just deemed it appropriate to sneak up behind him required being dealt with. But as he turned, two things became very apparent to him: firstly, he had no ability to draw chakra, rather as though his entire form had lost the ability to harness and conduct it, therefore rendering any desire he might have had to whip up any jutsu hopeless.

But the second realization outweighed the first so badly, it dissipated from his mind as quickly as anything could. For as he looked into the eyes of the young woman before him, he could do nothing more than gape, feeling his body grow numb with shock.

"Rin…"

Her name was the purest sound his lips ever could have uttered and as she smiled at him, he felt his will melt.

"I've been waiting for a chance to talk to you," she said, her voice soft and chipper. "I wish I could have before you joined forces with that Fire Lord and did what you did, but I suppose I should be happy I got this chance at all."

It wasn't lost on Obito that despite her apparent happiness to see him, there had been a tinge of disappointment in her voice as she reminded him of his actions, and he immediately began to sputter as he took a step closer to her.

"I did that all because I had to! It was the only way to get back to you, to see you again, and—"

Though she kept smiling, her eyes reflected a deep sadness that cut him to the core. "The only way? That's not even remotely true and I know you don't believe that."

He cut off and found he could do nothing more than swallow and stare into her eyes. She was right, of course she was right; he had done all that for a reason just as selfish as sacrificing the lives of who knew just how many in order to see her again. He had done it even partially so because of the thrill it gave him, the sick pleasure that had emanated through his body at the feeling of violence. But as he looked at Rin, the memory of that was just as much lost on him as the memory of his own world. It was there, he knew it to be real, but for the life of him, he couldn't imagine what it had felt like.

How could he have been so selfish?

"I know," he said despairingly, looking towards the white beneath his feet, feeling unable to even look into her eyes. "I know there's something horribly wrong with me, wrong with my people. This… enjoyment of carnage, but Rin!"

Now he looked up, desperate that she at least understand this. "What I did, even if I ignored the other paths I could have taken, I did this all to get back to you! None of this would have come up if I hadn't wanted so badly just to… see you again."

Feeling somewhat nervous then, he flicked his eyes around him to gaze at their pearlescent surroundings.

"Am I… dead?"

Rin shook her head at his query.

"Nope. You're very much alive."

This sent a rush of joy like he never thought he could feel pouring through his form. "Then Itachi was lying! If I'm alive, then so are you, wherever we are!"

Her reaction reflected none of the joy he felt however and she too looked down just as he had.

"Obito…"

As she murmured his name, it was the warmest embrace on his soul that he could have imagined, but looking at her sad expression, he knew deep down that what she was about to say was about to shatter his whole being.

"He wasn't lying."

It did exactly that and he let out a moan as he slumped to his knees.

"No…" he muttered. "You can't be…"

"You know I am," she said, once again sounding more upbeat for whatever reason. "You knew it all along, just the same way you remembered all your memories. You just chose to ignore this one because of what it might do to you."

Obito shook his head firmly. "I don't want to live in world where you're not by my side."

Slowly, she got on her knees as well to return to eye level with him. She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder and at the pure feeling that swept through him at her touch, he looked up to her.

"I've always been by your side, Obito. You just weren't willing to take things as they were. You wanted everything to be just the way you wanted it, just how you pictured it in your head. You wanted to see Kakashi and I at your left and right, sticking with you through everything. But even when we aren't there, we're in here, you know."

Her hand moved down to place itself on his chest and he took her wrist, squeezing it. In a moment that was the hardest thing he had ever remembered having to do, he let himself remember. He remembered the day he had left the cave, how he had raced through the rain, finding Kakashi and Rin and seeing… seeing that horrible loss. That horrible tear that had left him crippled, and had worked at his very being every day of his life, even when he didn't know it.

Obito waited for the agony to overwhelm him, but somehow, he felt… calm. That was all, not necessarily happy or content, but not in pain or saddened either. He looked into Rin's eyes and she nodded at him with another beautiful smile.

"That's better, isn't it?"

Affection of enormous magnitude floated through his chest and he gripped her wrist tighter.

"Yes, but… what's left for me now? What can I do now? Where am I, really?"

She gave a short, soft laugh then, a tinkling and joyous sound.

"Well, you're lying on some dirt among the rubble of the wall you just knocked over. You're unconscious and a little beat up, I can see. The Fire Lord's getting closer, and everyone standing around you thinks you're nothing short of as dastardly a villain as he is."

Her words were spoken with that same upbeat attitude, but at the reality and reminder of them, Obito grimaced. "They've got good reason to think that."

"You're no villain, Obito, you know that."

He grit his teeth and ground his fingers into his temples.

"I remember where I come from, Rin. I remember what I planned to do. In our world, I've allied myself with Madara and am working to force the world into a state of perfection by way of mental shackling, the Infinite Tsukuyomi. I was willing to do anything to see you again, to create a world where you're alive."

She shook her head sadly.

"But I wouldn't be real."

Obito bowed his head. "I know that. But I was willing to do all that for my own happiness, to live in that world of ignorance."

He looked down at his hands and stared at them, knowing now what hell he had wrought on a world not his own by consequence of his selfishness.

"And I just killed who knows how many people in an effort to expedite my own agenda. And I was willing to hurt more, to kill more."

In that moment, he felt quite so like he'd rather be anyone else.

"I'm not a good person, Rin, I know that."

She tilted her head from side to side, clearly pondering something.

"So, what's changed?" she asked. "I can hear it in your voice: if you went back today, you don't know if you'd follow through with that plan. What's happened here in a matter of days that's changed your mind on a plan that you've spent years putting together."

All those years in the cave being trained with no one but the company of Madara and Zetsu, all those years of ripping his way through the ninja world, blinding himself to the pain of others as he forged ahead for his dream. He had spent years building up his immunity to compassion, and yet in a matter of days undercover, something had happened.

There was a fleeting memory that slipped through Obito's mind, but it wasn't one of his former team, his village, anything that he remembered from his own world. He was pretending to be someone else, sitting around a campfire and watching Sasuke fight down a smile at the antics of Toph and Ty Lee; behind them, Azula sulked in the background while Mai sat close by, fighting down a smile of her own as Katara tried to snap the two other girls into behaving. Aang and Sokka were letting out boisterous laughter as Zuko and Suki chuckled at the sight and all Obito could do was think to how, despite how much he had told himself that they were of no importance to him, he remembered their names, each and every one. They were nothing to him, and yet they were everything making his decision now.

When he spoke again, his voice was thick and quiet.

"In this world or my own… I have no right. No right at all to force a world of my own onto others."

This was all he was able to say and he let silence fall between them, wondering what exactly it was that Rin thought of that.

After a moment, Rin took his hands and stood, pulling him up as well. As they looked at one another, she gave him a deep nod and he looked at her now fully radiant smile and knew she understood.

"You asked me what's left for you to do, and I think you know what that is."

She looked upwards as though she could see into the world that Obito had assisted in making a complete mess of.

"There's someone else that was pulled into this war, this violence and this hatred just as you were, and just like you, he's fighting as hard as he possibly can to protect the people he cares about, to see them safe and sound. But even with all the power he has, there's not quite enough that he has to make it through. I'm afraid I don't even know what his plan is, what it could be that he thinks he needs to do to make everything work out."

Rin intertwined her fingers with his and squeezed gently. "You need to go to him. Help him through this day, however it is you can. Or if you can't help him, help what he wants. Do what you can to make things right."

Obito looked down at her hands that embraced his, wishing he never had to let her go.

"I don't even know what's right and wrong in this world, who's truly good and evil. What's right to do, and what's not, not anymore."

Cocking her head back and forth, Rin considered this for a moment before replying, "Maybe not, but somehow, I imagine ending this war might be a good place to start."

Obito looked down at her as the white around him began to grow brighter and he knew what was happening even without being told. It was a feeling, an understanding that his time here with the person he had been willing to do anything and everything for was coming to an end. Even as her face began to fade before his eyes, he felt that same calm keeping him rooted and grounded. She was right and he would act on that, more happily than anything he had done before.

"One more thing," he managed even as this strange plane began to disappear. "Please tell me… tell me this has been real."

Her smiled widened and she leaned forward, pressing her lips against his cheek, a last action that caused tears to finally leak down Obito's face.

"Yeah, it's been real, you big dummy. Now get back out there, I'll be watching."

Azula felt nothing short of complete hopelessness and misery press their way on her mind as she stared up at the purple form of Sasuke growing further and further away above her before disappearing behind the clouds. He had left her again, that made it just how many times now? She couldn't be angry at him, not when she knew he was acting in the interest of protecting her, but as his form never seemed to start to head towards her father and his forces, she felt another layer of anxiety slip its way into her mind.

Where is he going?

She looked around at everyone who stood around her, and saw them all looking up in similar awe and emotion, all except for Toph who had her face turned towards the ground as tears rolled silently down her face.

"You…" Azula growled and as she felt eyes move to her, she closed the distance between her and the little rotten earthbender.

"What did he tell you?" she seethed down at Toph. She waited for her to tighten her face up with anger and defensiveness, no doubt to then begin to arguing back with the same venom that Azula felt, but Toph only shook her head and hiccupped as she wiped her face on her sleeve. Azula waited only a moment or so after that ensuing silence before reaching down and seizing her by the collar of her shirt, giving her a violent shake. Even as Suki and Ty Lee were on her in an instant, grabbing her under the arms and pulling her away, she let loose,

"You stupid little girl, what did he tell you?! Tell me, or so help you, I will—"

"Azula, stop it!" These words came from Aang who came storming in front of her, his large eyes furious and worried; when Azula said nothing more, he turned to Toph who had hardly seemed to react at Azula's violent touch.

"Toph… where's he going?"

At this, the earthbender gave a short, wet laugh and jerked her chin towards the sky. "Can't you guess? He said he wasn't going after Ozai, or his ships, or his army. I think there's really only one thing he could focus on then, yeah?"

As what Toph was suggesting came fully into focus for Azula, she felt herself suddenly freeze at the implication.

No. That's impossible.

Almost as though he had read her mind, Katara's obnoxious brother said in a tone full of disbelief.

"No way… like, I know he's strong, but you're not really suggesting… you're not really saying….?"

Mai looked towards the clouds above them and her face broke out into a full display of fear and shock, even as her voice remained dulled and low.

"He is. God damn him, he's going for the comet."

The reality of this possibility settled over everyone present before Gokan spoke up, the general's rumbling voice thick with denial.

"That's impossible. I don't care how powerful he is, or what he's capable of, no one can…"

He seemed to drift off a moment before shaking his head and finishing his thought. "He can't destroy a comet. He can't."

Even through her own disbelief and shock, Azula turned and gave the general a sneer. "I'm sure a couple hours ago you would have said that one man facing down an army was impossible too. Or that one man could bring down the walls of Ba Sing Se. You don't know what he's capable of."

The general fixed her with a fiery look in his eyes though his voice and face remained stoic in the face of her rebuttal.

"And I'm sure you're a much better judge of that then I. But the fact of the matter is—"

"The fact of the matter is that we have to trust him, general," Iroh said, speaking up quite suddenly. His expression had become quite determined as though he had just come to a critical conclusion. Gokan looked at him, a stunned look returning to his face.

"Iroh, you can't seriously be suggesting that we take his request at face value! We march against that force, we won't last an hour!"

Azula watched as her uncle's expression didn't change. He looked down at Obito and Azula thought, not for the first time, about burning away the rest of his life then and there. Knowing that Sasuke had brought him back alive had told her that he had another purpose in mind, and that stayed her hand.

"Sasuke gave all he had to protect this city, and those of us within. Now, he says he has a plan. I don't know exactly what that might be, but he's told us that we are to face down my brother's advance as part of it. Thus, I will go and meet the Fire Lord at the city limits, and I will fight: not because I inherently believe I know his plan, but because I trust Sasuke to do what is best for the people he clearly cares about."

The Earth Nation general didn't look convinced, but he also had nothing further to say. When he didn't reply, Iroh looked back to Azula and everyone else.

"You've all seen well enough for today, perhaps for the rest of your lives. I know that some of you may not want to hear this, but it's really in your best interests if you—"

"Not a chance."

Of all people, the one to cut him off was Jin. Azula fought down a wave of deep resentment as the girl stepped forward, her expression fierce, not at all like the dejected state she had been in since Sasuke had revealed he had used the stupid girl as bait. Everyone looked to her and she swallowed before continuing.

"I'm not a bender. I'm not a warrior, not a fighter. But this city has protected me, and so has Sasuke. I owe it to Ba Sing Se and to him to do my part in all this."

She looked down at a shaking hand by her side before clenching it into a fist. "I don't know if I've ever felt worse, sitting there in Pao's shop, listening to all those awful distant sounds and knowing I was sitting there doing nothing to help."

Looking pitifully at her, Iroh took a step in her direction. "There was nothing you could—"

As though she hadn't heard him, Jin continued over him, looking back up with a fire in her eyes that Azula knew that she had seen in the mirror herself.

"I wanted to run to the west side of the wall and help however I could, but could never quite muster up the courage. Then, this Obito person came and pulled me into it all anyway. So, I guess I'm supposed to be here somehow, for some reason. Maybe I'm no fighter, but I can help tend to the wounded and coordinate pulling them away from the battle; I already sort of did that when I tagged along when you were organizing evacuation routes."

She then chose to acknowledge Iroh, looking at him pointedly, and Azula watched as her uncle struggled, clearly trying to turn the discussion around.

"That was so very different, Jin, that was before the battle reached the city, the danger you'd be putting yourself into…"

At this, Jin then seemed to grow actually angry.

"So what?!" she snapped. "That's no different then the soldiers who stood guard atop the wall and in front of it and inside, ready to act and who were blown away without a moment's notice. I'm sure the ones not dead or injured are rallying now, ready to do whatever they can to stop Ozai in his tracks! Everyone's in danger, so I may as well do something while any second I could…"

She caught herself on that last word and Azula fought back a cold smile as she saw Jin's confident attitude falter before she regained her composure and continued, gesturing towards the sky.

"Sasuke put himself in danger more times today than anyone hiding in this city will in their entire lives, not the stubborn merchant and his family to those selfish idiots at the leadership council at the city center, probably all cowering in their bunker now. No, I'm coming to the wall too, Iroh, and don't even think about trying to stop me."

As she crossed her arms and stared challengingly at Iroh, Zuko stepped forward to, his voice much less hostile, but just as determined. "Uncle, this fight is all of ours. My father will step over everyone who gets in his way, and I won't be waiting somewhere for him to just find me when he's burned his way through this city. I'm coming to, and I'm going to stop him."

Not willing to be outdone, Azula stepped forward, flicking her brother a dismissive look. "As if you could handle him by yourself, 'Zuzu. It'll take more than just you to stop our father."

She had meant it as an insult, but when she saw the grateful and affectionate look cross over his face, she realized that he had taken it as support and she cursed silently.

The Avatar stepped up then, looking around at everyone who hadn't spoken yet as he did. He received tense nods from everyone, even Toph who had looked up from what looked like pure misery to blink away more tears and vehemently incline her chin at his look.

"I understand what you're trying to do for us all, Iroh, I really do. It was the same thing Sasuke tried to do for us before today began, but…"

He fell into a pause and Azula could tell he was trying very hard to come to grips with something in his head; after several longs seconds, Aang clenched his fist and looked up resolutely.

"Sasuke once told me that I didn't owe fighting this war to anyone. Just because the mantle of Avatar fell on my shoulders didn't mean I had to do a damn thing for anyone. And maybe he's right. But I won't just be doing this because I feel it's my responsibility."

The Avatar gestured around to his companions and Azula felt herself flinch as he passed his hand over her as well.

"I'm doing it because I want the people I care about to be safe. For the same reason that Sasuke is doing what he's doing, so too am I."

If anything, Iroh's expression was almost surprised, as though the words he was hearing didn't quite make sense to him. But after a time, he actually smiled and closed his eyes.

"I don't suppose I can argue with your heart, young Avatar. Well said."

He bowed then.

"It would be an honor to fight by your side."

Aang looked back at her uncle, looking equally surprised and Azula fought down the urge to roll her eyes when his began to fill with tears; thankfully, he shook them away before the situation became even more unbearably noble and mushy.

"The honor would be mine," the Avatar said, and with that, General Gokan stepped forward, looking both resigned and revitalized at the same time.

"Let's move then," he boomed. "If we're on Sasuke's clock, we're already late."

Without any other word, he turned and began to run back towards the fallen portion of the wall. Azula watched as Iroh summoned fire beneath his feet and hands, Zuko following suit and they both propelled themselves in the same direction; Aang took flight on his glider, soaring between them and the rest of the group broke into a silent run themselves, heading to meet the Fire Lord's advance. Azula didn't move, but watched as Mai and Ty Lee passed her, both of them refusing to meet her eyes as they followed behind General Ixa. Azula felt a shiver run up her spine as she glared at the general's retreating back; Ixa had been one of her chief military instructors and had taught her well under her father's orders. Just how long had she been plotting against her own nature, the treacherous snake?

Sokka, Suki, Jin and Katara all followed behind and Azula found herself being the last still standing there, alongside Toph.

As quiet settled as they were left behind, Azula suddenly realized what an opportunity she had. She peered at Toph's broken little face and felt her eyes widen with anticipation as she went through a hundred ways in her head of how she could make this work. Her fingers began to slide anxiously against one another as she quietly adopted a proper stance to make this as quick as she could.

"If you're going to kill me, just do it."

At Toph's words, she faltered, rattled from her preparation.

"What?" was all Azula could think to ask.

Toph sniffed and turned away from Azula and the princess felt a heat rise in her gut; how dare she turn her back on her?

"If Sasuke doesn't come back, I don't even know how I'm going to be able to handle it anyway. You may as well just take what you want now, and burn me out of your perfect little picture."

Azula made no such movement to do so, and only stared at the earthbender. All that resistance, that fire, that furious battle she had been willing to wage over Sasuke, and now she was just willing to surrender?

No, this was a trick, it must be.

But as Azula weighed that possibility, she felt a smile begin to crawl on her face. It didn't matter what this was, because she knew exactly what victory was, and what it would mean to attain it.

"Oh, you poor little thing," she jeered in a silky smooth tone, thick with scorn. "You've acted this whole time like you're the one who truly loves him, and yet here you are, completely without faith that he can be the one to save us? To save you?"

At this, Toph turned her head over, her expression becoming tight with pain and anger, and Azula relished the sight. She strode right up to Toph and bent down, putting her face just in front of the tunnel rat and wishing beyond wishing that she could see Azula's smile.

"Because I'll tell you what. Sasuke is going to come back. And when he does, I'm going to be the one waiting for him, because I never lost faith. Never lost faith in the fact that he would be able to succeed and never lost faith in the fact that he would come back to me. What have you done for him Toph? Mope and hide your feelings? Assume just now that he'll fail?"

She straightened and leered down at the earthbender with glee.

"He'll triumph. And when he does, I'll be the one waiting for him. Not you, not Mai, not whichever one of those other bitches think they can take him away from me."

Azula looked skyward, relishing the pure ecstasy she felt in that moment of clarity.

"It will be me, Princess Azula, ready to welcome him back and place myself at his side."

She turned, not willing to give the pathetic little girl a moment's more of thought.

"You think about that while you sit there and feel sorry for yourself."

With those last words, blue fire erupted from beneath her hands and feet and she soared up into the sky and towards her father, a man who was now nothing more than an obstacle for her to burn away. And only briefly did she feel what might have been hurt on her insides.

Father… I was yours. I would have done anything for you. But, it turns out, you were only there to point me on my path towards Sasuke, my true destiny.

The azure flames beneath her crackled ever hotter as her smile widened and any pain melted away into purpose.

So for that… I'll give you a quick death.

Toph felt the heat and crackle of Azula's fire carry her away as she stood there, fists clenched and heart pounding. As she saw everyone disappear into the cloud of dust that had been brought up as a result of the wall's collapse, all she could do was feel nothing short of a trembling rage that was shaking her to her core.

Azula hadn't any idea what she was talking about. It wasn't that Toph didn't have faith in Sasuke, faith was all she had to keep herself from falling into total panic, something to fuel her hope, but for Azula to say that… like Sasuke had just been a passing fancy that she had felt no real connection to?

Hell with you, Azula. Even if Sasuke doesn't pick me, he would never choose you either. You're a maniac, a complete lunatic. Jin was right, you don't know what love is, you just know what it's like to possess people like they're your toys. You think you're going to be the one to prove their worth to him? He'll see me… he will see me… he has to…

Even in her head, her thoughts began to rebel against her and she allowed herself to let out a growl of frustration.

Why can't I just… just…

"You know, dwelling on it really won't do you any good."

Yelping, Toph spun on her heel and slammed her other foot onto the ground, kicking up two spiked walls of earth to hover above whomever had just startled her with his voice.

Obito's weight was not something Toph had been able to spend a great deal of time acclimating to, but his voice was unmistakable, that cold tone that had held Jin before them and threatened her life. Toph's heart didn't slow in its beating; if anything, fear kicked it to thump even faster.

"I was only with you for a couple days," Obito said almost absently, as though he didn't even notice her poised attack. "But if was pretty easy to tell how you feel. Next time you see him, might want to air that out."

He grunted and shifted around and Toph could tell he was stretching his muscles.

"How did you…?" was about all she could manage to ask, and Obito replied straightforwardly.

"How did all of you just forget about me? Nothing special, just a little genjutsu I cast from the ground; nothing serious or permanent, just something to turn everyone's attention away from myself. I didn't want any unnecessary confrontations, so I just was waiting for everyone to move along, but you were standing there a good bit, and I'm afraid I can't wait any longer."

Through her fear, through what was almost a mounting panic, Toph didn't move, but raised her earthen weapons slightly higher.

"You're not going to touch him," she heard herself say, and was half-stunned by her own bravery. Obito said nothing back to her for a few seconds before saying softly,

"For what I've done to your world and its people, I am truly sorry."

Toph had spent years honing her abilities in sensing when people were being sincere, when they were lying, when they were hiding something; anything that wasn't outright stated, she could pick up on relatively easily, but as she listened to Obito then, all she could piece out was truth and hurt.

Ignore that. He could still have one of those things on me, manipulating what I can sense.

"I meant that, about Sasuke, I mean," Obito said and before Toph could so much as muster any sort of response, he was gone as though he had never been there at all. Immediately, she reached out her feeling ability through the ground around her but felt nothing but the now distant steps of Katara, Iroh and the others as they surged towards the battle. Remembering how Sasuke had been able to levitate himself on the roof of Ozai's palace, she yelled and tore the pieces of earth from beneath her and slung them around above her in a storm of rock and dirt. But they made no contact with anything whatsoever, and Toph dropped the pieces around her. As they fell around her with a cacophonous series of cracks and thuds, she could only hear his last words to her, echoing over and over in her head.

What's he talking about? How could he… know how I feel?

Clenching her fists, Toph thought to how she had approached Sasuke on the roof and then immediately retreated upon his denial of her advance.

Stupid Toph… you could have just talked to him about it.

She remembered how nervous she had felt when she had even thought about considering the option of telling him how she felt, but now, such a task seemed as undaunting as getting dressed in the morning. Toph had left it at that, and now she was at risk of never seeing Sasuke again.

Like hell.

She was running before she knew it, the earth practically propelling her forward as she moved after everyone else. As she pondered what Obito was up to, or what Ozai would have in store, she found she could no longer find her fear.

As she sprinted towards war, the only thing she could feel was the beautiful sting of Sasuke's lips against her forehead as her heart sang with elation and her gut wrenched with fury.

Please come back, Sasuke… I have so much to tell you.

As Sasuke broke the massive bank of clouds that had settled over much of the Earth Nation that day, he was greeted by what was nothing short of a rather discouraging sight.

For whatever reason, he had convinced himself at least partially, that something like a comet was not something all that massive by planetary scale. And while he supposed that was probably still true, when the sky opened up to him and he gazed at the blinding brilliance that was Sozin's Comet, he knew that still its size to him was an obstacle he had been a fool to overlook.

As his Susanoo fired him up into the atmosphere ever quicker, the comet barely seemed to grow in size and it was due to that which forced Sasuke to realize just how massive it was.

Can I even do this?

The doubt passed briefly from his mind and was felled by his determination. It could have been the size of the earth below and still Sasuke would be bearing down on it with relentless speed.

The technique was readied and prepared in his mind, and while Sasuke had everything about his plan thought out in its entirety, there was still that massive, unsettling and nagging thought in his head that kept him from feeling completely confident. At the end of the day, he was tuckered out: his body ached, his mind was struggling to remain entirely focused and he knew his chakra reserves were nothing short of running low. If he only had a chance to rest briefly and at least recover a little, the task before him would become immeasurably easier.

But there was no time; beneath him, Ozai's final push was closer to the city than he even might have seen, and he knew he had committed to this decision anyway. Every single thing that threatened himself and his allies beyond Obito was drawing power from this comet and while he wasn't sure exactly what would come of him carrying this out, he knew that if there was any chance that he could protect those below, this was it.

His Susanoo tightened around him as he drew closer and as the sky became nothing short of a burning white, he saw streaks of heat burning around the purple armor's creases as they roared ever closer. Knowing his window was going to be very small, Sasuke started to charge his chakra at a single point in his hand, putting as much of his remaining reserves into it as he dared. As with many jutsu, the one he was about to perform had just sort of arrived in his head without a great deal of forethought, a culmination of jutsu he remembered from his past, both the jutsu of his and others. Lightning began to spit around his hand, almost impossible to see now in the furious light that scorched down on him from the comet as their paths drew closer.

The brightness now made it relatively impossible to see and Sasuke tapped into his Sharingan to shield his vision and still maintain awareness of how close he was. At this rate, he was traveling as fast as he dared, to get the necessary momentum to really make this technique possible while making sure he didn't crash into the comet preemptively. Since, in reality, he wanted to make sure that he never touched the comet itself, but got as close as he was able without touching it at the speed he was traveling. His Sharingan made all this possible, but the preciseness of it all was rather boggling, even to Sasuke.

These were the things he focused on as the seconds ticked down until the moment of truth. Because he was trying hard to think about anything beyond the gravity of what he was about to do. Not the action itself, but the aftermath; the kiss he had pressed against Toph's forehead had been as close to a goodbye as he had dared admit that he might have to give. He had something of a plan for after his jutsu was unleashed, but with how spent he was, it was as much a gamble as anything. There was no part of him that wanted this to be the end, that he knew; he was remembering more of his own past every day, names, places, events, but even more than that, as strange as it was, he didn't know how much he wanted to leave behind these new friends either, these people who had been as revealing for him as anything. They flashed through his mind, all of their faces, from the kindest soul in Aang to the most ruthless in Azula, every single one of them meaning something to him he couldn't quite put a finger on. He didn't want to let them go. But this might be the only way to save them, and that was good enough.

The seconds became bare moments that passed both with an impossible speed and also drug on with a painful slowness. But Sasuke was ready as he cast a last protective jutsu in a shield over his body before vanishing his Susanoo a moment before he was a smudge against the surface of Sozin's Comet, a expansive and stretching white that had become his horizon.

Help the Avatar… is this what you meant, Roku? Could you have ever seen this coming?

His drawn back arm came forward as his defenses began to dissolve. He spoke the words, but couldn't hear them.

Chidori…

The tip of his fingers pushed through the heat and reached for the surface of the comet.

…Star Crusher.

He tried to think of her face, one last time.

By the time they reached the massive gap in the wall, the fighting had already commenced and Aang looked out in sadness and desperation at the chaos that had ensued once again.

When will this all end?

He landed on a raised piece of the broken wall, a hundred feet above and behind the warring sides and looked out at the carnage before him.

Somehow, the military leadership still kicking, perhaps General Ungo, had managed to rally the combined forces of the Earth and Fire Nations at the breach, forming barriers in groups that were desperately fighting back the regrouped force that was the Fire Lord's ground forces.

Despite the massive blow that Sasuke had dealt them, they were slowly but steadily pushing forward as a result of the great aid they had been lent by the power of Sozin's Comet. Their numbers were much smaller, but with one firebender being able to practically summon a firestorm by themselves, the lines of soldiers defending Ba Sing Se were being either forced back or incinerated. Without a wall to stand atop and rain earthen missiles on the airships, Ozai's air forces surged forward just behind the forces rushing across the ground.

Iroh touched down just next to him, looking over to him.

"Avatar, are your firebending abilities enhanced as well, given the comet above?"

In response, Aang reached within and pulled from his teachings that Zuko had enforced, pulling back an arm and imagining a whip curling outwards from it. Swinging it forward, he winced as the heat from his attack slashed overhead; a great curve of orange carved the air over him to go sailing down towards the battlefield, the width of a city block. It crashed down near a battalion of Fire Nation soldiers, and half of them vanished in a blinding flash.

"It seems my nephew taught you well," Iroh remarked, but Aang barely heard him. No matter the situation, no matter what the cause, he would never escape the fact that he had just killed. Every soldier of the Fire Nation he had ever put down had left a mark on his conscience, it had gone against everything he had ever learned and believed.

But if it's for the greater good… I have no choice.

Running up behind him came the rest of his friends, save for Azula who blew clean past them all, the blue fire raging from her feet and palms propelling her towards the battle with not even a look back. Ty Lee and Zuko both yelled her name to no avail as she blazed into action, stunning her fellow firebenders with rolling walls of azure fire as she soared past them, showing absolutely no mercy. Gokan cursed as they watched her make pass after pass, wreaking havoc on Ozai's frontline.

"I need to go relay that she's on our side to Ungo, make sure it gets passed along so no earthbender makes the mistake of trying to take her out."

It wasn't lost on Aang how he had caught on the words 'our side' and he knew exactly why; trusting Azula was about as wise as assuming a fire wasn't hot. The general slid down the small hill of rubble and disappeared into the cluster of scrambling men and women trying to form a last line of defense from preventing the city from being breached.

"I'm going with him," Ixa said to Iroh. "There's a fair few firebenders against the Fire Lord and I'm going to make sure they move into action."

He put a hand on her shoulder briefly and she nodded back to him before disappearing the same way Gokan had. As Iroh looked out sadly over the carnage, Jin drew up next to him, looking no less determined than she had before.

"What can I do?"

Mai, Ty Lee, Sokka and Suki all formed up behind her, looking equally like they were awaiting instructions. Iroh looked to all four of the nonbenders, looking deeply strained still about the situation, but clearly understanding too that there was no more time to be spent trying to convince them otherwise.

He pointed down towards where one of the larger pieces of the wall had fallen, about four Appas tall and nine Appas long.

"You see there?"

Aang looked too and saw that there were many people congregated behind the enormous piece of fallen debris.

"There they are gathering up the wounded and moving to evacuate them to a safer part of the city. If… if you would, please do what you can in rounding up any injured soldiers you can see, safely, and move them there where they can be treated."

Katara gave a stern nod. "I'll go with them, they probably could use another healer."

She looked to Aang then and he saw a distant look in her eyes, and he wondered what she was thinking about, but she said nothing before heading down the debris hill, followed by Jin and the rest, leaving Iroh, Aang, and Zuko on top of it. No one spared a hug or a goodbye, but the tension and fear was nearly palpable; Aang was barely able to keep himself from calling to Katara as she marched down into the fray, but knew that doing so would have been nothing short of a waste of time.

Things aren't the same between us… they might never will be again.

"Hey."

He looked over at Zuko who was staring down at him with a firm look.

"You're gonna see her again."

Even just hearing those words sent a stab of emotion though Aang's gut: affection for Zuko and Katara, hope that he was right and fear for everyone present. It struck him that he may never get a chance to say something to Sokka again, or tell Katara how he truly felt, or anything to any of the people who had just strode down into the dust and blood of the battle. But he knew deep down that Zuko's words had to be taken to heart; if he let fear and panic take control of him, he wouldn't be able to play his part in this day, nor would they if they did the same. He looked gratefully at the young man whom had so recently become one of his closest allies after being one of his most fearsome enemies for so long, and Zuko gave him a nod and a smile.

"Well put, Prince Zuko," Iroh said with a warm smile. "Now, I think it's best we—"

That was as far as he got before a bolt of fire flying high above the battlefield went sailing towards them with a glowing, furious speed. Aang barely had time to register it was coming and he found himself only able to stand there stupidly, arms hanging at his sides, totally unready to do anything to defend himself or any of the others. Zuko too appeared stunned as it drew up on them with deadly speed and precision, but Iroh stepped forward and took up a stance, swinging a hand gracefully through the air as he did. He caught the jet of flame at the tip of his fingers and he slung it up towards the sky where its redirected heat and light fizzled out.

Aang couldn't even find himself able to muster a hastened thanks as his heart pounded, but fortunately, Zuko had the wherewithal to do so for him.

"Thanks, uncle," he said breathlessly and Iroh nodded grimly. Aang noticed that despite having potentially saved all three of their lives, he wasn't so much as giving either of them a glance.

"It seems he's finally ready to play his part in this final gambit," he said, and Aang followed the older man's gaze to look and see just where the attack had come from.

Descending from one of his airships, fire burning beneath his feet with a rampant overpowering glow, Fire Lord Ozai moved slowly towards the battle. Fire coursed around his arms and even from such a great distance, Aang could tell that he was smiling. He must have been able to see Aang and the two members of his family perched as high up as they were and had been looking for a quick kill. Aang's heart only seemed to beat harder as he considered how close Ozai had been to killing him just then.

Zuko seemed to be feeling no such shock at the near miss and stepped forward, his eyes alive with as much heat as Aang had ever seen. Though his fists trembled at his side, his voice was steady and low as he spoke.

"Uncle. I know this is the last thing you want… but I have to face him. When Azula sees him, she'll attack recklessly; whatever her newfound obsession with Sasuke is, and the betrayal she still feels from father, she'll throw everything she has at him and I… I need to be there for her."

His mouth tightened in a harsh line.

"I have to put an end to this just as much as she does."

Aang waited for Iroh to agree with Zuko's assessment and tell him that he needed to steer clear of his father, but his uncle only regarded him with proud and tired eyes, reaching out and putting a hand on Zuko's forearm.

"Don't think you two will be going at this alone. This is just as much my duty as yours."

Zuko stared at his uncle for a long moment, looking to be in utter surprise of the response before his face broke into a wide smile.

"Let's do this, uncle."

From ahead of them, another jet of fire came racing their way, as wide as house this time and scorching their way with all the fury of the sick mind behind it as Ozai tried again to extinguish what he probably saw as some of his greatest personal threats. But even as Aang prepared to intercept it, dropping into a readied stance alongside Zuko and Iroh, a massive wall of earth shot up between them and the attack. Aang couldn't see it, but he imagined Ozai's attack splashing harmlessly against the sudden barrier that had been erected just then.

With a start, he realized that in the fright of the moment, he had forgotten about one very important person whom it seemed had been lagging behind.

"What kept you?" Zuko asked, almost casually as Toph marched up behind them. It was a typical way for Toph to walk, fists clenched at her side, feet pounding the ground almost like a child throwing a tantrum, but it was her expression that threw Aang off. In all the time he had known her, he could count on one hand the number of times he had seen her genuinely mad, to a point where he felt uncomfortable to be near her. It wasn't like when she argued with Katara or bickered with Sokka, this was one of those very few times where she looked practically murderous.

"I was figuring some things out," she replied offhandedly and didn't so much as stop as she walked past them, bare feet stepping confidently down towards the scene of conflict. Aang wondered what it felt like to her, to know of everything that was happening, but being only able to feel it. He had yet to become adept enough with earthbending to be able to sense the heat of fire from the ground below, but it was clear to him that if Toph was presently able to perform what was hardly an easy form of her skill, something had happened to jolt her from her despairing and agonized state that he had seen on her face throughout the entire morning and midday. She was focused and she was mad.

"Where are you going?" he heard himself ask as she drew further from them.

"I'm going down to the fight," she replied simply. "And when I get down there, I'm going to kill every Fire Nation soldier I can sense."

Leaving them with that hardly comforting thought, she too moved her way down the slope towards the fray; Aang finally found himself able to move and he made to walk after her, before turning back to Iroh and Zuko. They no doubt saw the desperate look on his face and Zuko nodded at him.

"Go. Keep an eye on her. Do what you can. We'll handle my father."

Aang swallowed and nodded back to him and gave Iroh a thankful look. The older man gave him a last warm smile before the he and his nephew lifted off from the ground on trails of fire of their own, angling towards the form of Ozai, hovering in the distance like a reborn god gazing over all.

As he found himself quite alone then, Aang chanced a glance up towards the clouds above and closed his eyes for a brief moment, hoping somehow that his silent prayer reached whoever it needed to just before he rushed into battle after Toph.

Sasuke… whatever you're planning…I hope you know what you're doing.

Ozai stared down at the violence and carnage blossoming out beneath him as an artist might look on their finest work. As he saw his firebenders whip about attacks far greater than the likes of anything that had been seen in many decades, he turned his gaze up towards where Sozin's Comet burned behind the clouds, a great orange smear against the gloom above. He pulled in deep breathes of the smoggy, iron-laced air that swirled around him on that dry, hot day.

This will be my finest day. This will be my greatest triumph.

To hell with those two freaks. Hopefully, they Obito and Sasuke had taken one another out, something he assumed could very well be the case considering he hadn't seen either of them return to battle at that point. Even if one of them were still alive, he remembered what Obito had told him about the toll it would take on Sasuke to perform as he had against his army. Ozai could only assume that the force required to topple perhaps the largest known structure to him or any of the four nations would have no doubt wore him down. If he needed to sweep in afterwards and make sure they were both removed from the picture, that would be something he would be all too happy to deal with.

At a bright flash somewhere beneath him, he flicked his eyes down and saw a plume of bright blue fire curling a hundred feet into the air. His gut surged with regret and anger, and his lip curled.

My daughter… truly, it hurts me that it had to come to this. But if this was the price to pay for the Fire Nation's rule, I don't regret it in the slightest.

Peering ahead again, Ozai saw the spot where the Avatar, his brother and his son had occupied was no empty, and soaring through the air towards them were the latter two, the other members of his family present that day. He glared at his brother, feeling a wave of anger for how he had transformed his son into a cowardly, weak shell of what he could have been. Seeing the both of them bearing down on him sent such a wave of heat flowing through him but he had no choice but to turn to the sky and send a fountain of orange fire spewing into the sky, as he let his rage burst free of him as it constantly replenished itself and fueled his every movement.

Seeing the sharp blue glint at the last second, he altered the position where he hovered just a couple feet to his left to avoid a bolt of lightning that forked by his face.

It appears she's seen me as well.

Within the next few seconds, he watched as Iroh, Zuko and Azula flew up in front of him to form a half circle in his direction. He looked around at each of them, every single one a disappointment in their own right; Zuko, once the person Ozai believed would be his greatest success in life, now a flawed and broken young man, twisted and confused beyond fixing. His brother, whom he had never seen eye to eye with, whom had always been a constant pain in his side even when public opinion was harshly against Iroh, he had still always found a way to irk Ozai in the most frustrating of ways. A constant and present reminder of both his sins and his missteps, he found it impossible to comprehend how he had never quite been able to simply take his brother out of the equation; as much of a nuisance and problem as he was, eliminating him would have been much the efficient and appropriate choice. But Ozai knew why. It was the same reason why he had exiled his son instead of having him killed outright. It was the same reason he had spent the entire day prior to his attempted murder of his daughter filled with deep dread. No matter how he had tried to cast it out, those weaker emotions had always managed to find a place in his heart.

No more could he have felt those emotions more strongly than he did as he turned his attention to his daughter, allowing himself to feel a last wave of that same dread and regret he had felt that day. For, of the three he was about to murder, this was the one that hurt the most to even consider. But at the threshold of ultimate victory, there could be no weakness. When the world was won, there could be time to worry about a new family, new potential heirs that could carry on his final legacy. Still, he let himself a last moment to mourn for the family who never would have been able to follow him on this last great journey before peace.

"Azula… I'm sorry you could not be my side this day," he said. It was strange to hear his voice isolated from any other noise just about then. The surrounding war should have generated well enough noise to make talking impossible, but so high up they were, all that could be heard for the most part were distant screams and explosions, and the powerful hum of his airships. His voice came out clear and controlled, and he did his best to act as if neither Zuko nor Iroh were there. "But for the sake of our nation, I had to make this sacrifice."

He waited for his daughter to yell angrily at him, or perhaps to tell him that she did indeed understand what he had done, as would have been his hope. But instead, a smile stretched over her face and she let out a cackle as she threw her head back. It was not lost on him as well that she still wore her noble attire, though whether this was as an insult or out of pride, he wasn't sure.

"You truly I think I care about that anymore, father? I've already left you behind; you were as much a weakness to me as you think I am to you. It's time for you to move on, otherwise, it might make me killing you a little too easy."

This was enough to surprise him into silence for a few long seconds. Azula was smiled strongly, looking no more at odds with the situation than anyone could have been. Ozai stared at her, wondering just what it was that had made her so apathetic to the idea that she was now just as serious an enemy to him as the Avatar. As though she had read his mind, she inclined her head, smirking further.

"I've found a greater purpose, father, a life dedicated to someone who means more to me than you ever did. Someone I can give myself to completely."

As she said this and he caught a glimpse of Zuko's face flickering with an uncomfortable expression, Ozai realized immediately what it was that Azula was talking about.

"Oh, my dear… you haven't fallen for that freak, have you?"

Azula seemed to bristle then, her smile faltering and he knew that he had surmised correctly.

"Don't you dare…" she seethed. "He cares about me more than you ever did."

Ozai shook his head. "I thought I taught you better than that. For you to throw yourself at someone just because you feel ill towards me, I can understand that frustration. You're hurt because of the choice I had to make, but you can't just assume this boy, this alien is the best way in which to cope."

From the distance between them, Azula stared him down before slowly shaking her head, her voice coming out almost too softly for him to hear.

"No, father. You taught me just fine. I remember what you told me."

He knew what she was going to say even before she repeated his own words back to him.

"I do what is right by my own principles. If you wish to revile me as a villain, I will shoulder that. I will deflect your hate off my armor. And you, father, are trying to stop me."

In one of her hands, fire burst to life, blue and bright.

"So I will burn you away and walk over your ashes."

In her other, lightning burst to life, crackling around her arm like a ravenous animal.

"That is the curse I've chosen to bear."

In the azure light of her bending, her smile was wicked and hungry. In another now, Ozai felt that he could have been proud of her. But the only thing he needed to know now was that she was not only dangerous, she had no reservations about attacking him. In his head, there had been a wild, impossible thought that perhaps he could turn her back to his side, despite the possibility that this could influence the comet's path yet again, or lure himself into a trap, but now, that hopeless thought was that much easier to bury.

Slowly, Ozai turned his eyes from his daughter to his son and brother.

"Well done, Iroh," he muttered with a sarcastic and bitter tone. "You've turned these two into an even bigger disappointment than your own son."

Zuko flew into a rage almost immediately, jabbing a finger towards Ozai, his voice an angry snarl.

"He's a better father than you could ever be! He's a better friend, and a better—"

At a raised hand from Iroh, he cut off and Ozai saw his brother looking down with a sad look in his eyes, though a smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"You're too kind, Prince Zuko. But we mustn't let ourselves get riled up."

Seeming to understand the meaning of this, Zuko nodded and turned back to Ozai, his determined and focused expression.

"I failed my own son, but he was no disappointment," Iroh said then, directing his voice towards Ozai. The Fire Lord genuinely couldn't remember the last time he and his brother had exchanged words; he had thrown him in prison through the orders of others after the Avatar had been supposedly killed. It must have been even before Zuko was exiled. As he looked at his older brother then, Ozai could finally see it though, that anger that he had felt conversely towards Iroh every day of their adulthood.

"There is no part of me that wants to have to do this," he said bitterly to Ozai and he could sense that Iroh was telling the truth. "But I know that I have to."

"If you're done being emotional, uncle," Azula said, "I think it's about time we end this."

With that, no more words came from Zuko, Azula or Iroh and Ozai watched as all three of them took up stances as they hovered before him. His son and brother adopted their pathetic little defensive stances while Azula pulled her arms around her body in the aggressive stance that he remembered having taught her from a very young age. Ozai closed his eyes for a single moment and allowed himself to let them all go.

Then, he opened them and let his anger and ambition course though him.

"Very well. If the path forward must take me through the three of you… so be it."

He let fire erupt to life around him, swirling around him in a cacophonous roar. Waiting for them to make them make the first move, he took in the violence of the battlefield, the hate in his heart and the joy he felt for his upcoming triumph.

There was a long moment where the four of them remained readied, waiting for the first move to be made, or deciding whether or not they would be the one to make it. But as it would happen, it would be none of them that made the first move.

For, a moment later, the sky exploded.