Hi! Sorry that this took so long, but I honestly have no attention span for these kinds of things. So basically, the story picks up from right after Katara has her little swear-fest. (First chapter) Enjoy!! -- Raven Heart

If I owned Avatar: The Last Airbender, do you really think i'd waste my time writing fan fictions about it? (the answer is no i wouldn't so yeah.)

There was a stunned silence in the clearing after that. Even the usually stoic Mai was left with wide eyes and a slack jaw. Azula's complexion turned steadily from pale alabaster to beet red. " You-"

Snap.

Katara screamed and then fell still, her arm broken. She had finally passed out as a result of the punishing torture of Azula.

Azula hissed with distaste, kicking Katara's motionless form away from her, muttering "Fucking useless Water-peasant …" she stalked away, back towards Mai and Ty Lee "When she wakes up, get her to talk. If she won't…." Azula left the sentence hanging, but twinjets of flaming smoke curled from her nostrils, leaving no one in any doubt of Katara's fate.

For nine hours, Katara did not stir. She lay in the dirt where Azula had left her, her arm sticking out at an unnatural angle. Finally Azula bound Katara's feet to her good hand and the Fire Nation Princess and her cronies drifted off to sleep.

Zuko had been waiting for this, he had been motionless all day, watching, waiting, thinking. Now, he acted.

Creeping out of the bush where he had been concealed, he moved silently over to the sleeping forms huddled around the campfire. First thing was first: Ty Lee.

He stood motionless over the sleeping acrobat; he had been dreading this, almost as much as he had feared Katara would wake up before they went to sleep. But he knew that there was no other way. They would wake if he tried to carry Katara's dead weight through the forest, a feat that was impossible to do silently; or even quietly for that matter. And he could not bind them, without a struggle that would wake the others.

It was wrong, dishonorable; he should fight them like a true warrior…

He knelt.

I can't be doing this… it's not right…

He bent a string of flame between his two pointer fingers, connecting his hands with a thread of light.

I'm sorry.

A quick slash cut the girl's neck halfway through. No scream escaped her lips, no gasp, no sound. Ty Lee was dealt with.

He repeated the procedure with Mai, looking away from the face of the girl who had once liked him, perhaps even loved him, and apologizing to her lifeless form as well.

Next, Azula.

He looked down at the face of his sister. His blood, his flesh. There were echoes of their mother in her face, the fine bones, the finely sculpted features. But his mother had never looked so evil, so malevolent. Even in sleep her face was twisted with hate and pride and wrath. An arrogance that stemmed from a lifetime of being doted on and spoiled and praised bubbled underneath the smirk that was almost permanently playing with her lips. He had no love for her. But still… he couldn't kill her while she was lying down.

Azula's scream ripped through the night and she woke to find herself on fire, having been thrown into the recently re-awoken campfire by Zuko. She leapt out and pulled the fire off of her with her bending.

"How dare you?" she shrieked, flames bursting from her nostrils and pouring out of her mouth in rage, "How could-" she broke off noticing that her companions were still asleep. "Mai! Ty Lee! Get up you lazy-ass useless pile of-"

"They're not getting up this time Azula." Zuko said in an emotionless voice. "This time, it's just you and me."

"What the hell do you mean they won't get-"

Zuko through a ball of white flame into the air, illuminating the clearing as though it was day for a split second. For the briefest of instances Azula could see Mai and Ty Lee clearly and her face drained of all color.

"Like I said, Azula, it's just you and me."

The fight was epic; brother and sister were joined in a fiery dance of death, anger, alliance, and betrayal. It was timeless, an endless waltz of action and reaction. Blocks and attacks exchanged hands faster than they could think. It was the first time that they had ever fought in this situation before; Zuko was confident and calm. Azula was scared and furious.

What is going on?! Azula thought as she blocked an attack with difficulty. Zuko has never been this good before! He's actually getting… stronger!

And then, it happened.

With a vicious swipe Zuko cut passed Azula's defenses and hit her face with a flaming fist. She went flying with a scream, clutching her left eye. She writhed on the ground panting and gasping as Zuko stalked closer to her, a flaming fist raised. She looked up at him in fear and fury as he towered over her waiting for him to deal the deathblow.

Zuko knelt next to his sister, eyes never leaving her face.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Kill me already and have done with it." Azula snapped. If she survived this encounter she knew that she would have a scar to match Zuko's on her face. In exactly the same-

"What happened to your scar?" she hissed with rage and surprise.

"Love." Zuko said simply; and plunged his still flaming hand into Azula's stomach.

Azula screamed. She screamed and screamed as the most excruciating pain she had felt in her fifteen years coursed through her slim frame. All of the flames she had ever bent pulsed through her body, scorching her veins raw. It seemed to go on forever, and yet she continued to scream, until she could take the pain no longer, and passed out.

As soon as Azula stopped writhing, Zuko rushed over to Katara, who was finally stirring. He cut the cords binding her and lay her on her back, trying to move her arm as little as possible.

"Katara?" he said, emotions returning to him in a rush. "Katara! Are you alright?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him for a long moment, un-comprehendingly. Then her vision cleared.

"Zuko?" she gasped weakly, "Wha- what happened?"

"I'll explain in a little while, do you think you can heal your arm if I get you some water?" He asked, full of concern.

She considered it for a moment. "I-I think so," she said at last. "Yes, I'm sure of it."

He rushed back to the campfire and took a jug of water back to Katara, who proceeded to bend it all over her right arm with some difficulty, considering she could only use her left to do it. When there was only about a mouth full left in the jug, she stopped and exhaled softly. The water glowed and sunk in to her flesh. With a series of sickening cracks and snaps, her bones realigned themselves and knitted back together. She shuddered and gasped for a moment, and then became calm.

"That's better…" she murmured, laying back down to rest.

Just then, a moan came from near the campfire. It was Azula.

Katara gasped, but Zuko lay a hand on her shoulder in a re-assuring kind of way before making his way back over to his sister.

Azula was groggy, sore, and nauseous, but alive. No… that's not possible... she rolled over and vomited on the ground. Ok, defiantly alive then…She looked up; and straight into the face of her brother. "What did you do to me?" she rasped, her voice ragged from screaming.

"I did the one thing that I could think of that was worse than killing you." He replied, no hint of a smile in his voice. "I took away your bending. Permanently."

Azula was suddenly terrified, and tried to bend; even a little bit. She couldn't reach it. She could no longer feel the fire at her core. No matter how hard she pushed, the flames would not come.

"How?!" she barked raggedly, her eyes wild and desperate.

Zuko pointed to her stomach. "I destroyed your Fire Charka. You will never be able to bend again. For as long as your spirit remains in the cycle of reincarnation, you will be normal." He showed next to no emotion as he said this, he knew that he was destroying his enemy from the inside out, but she was still a human. He had no love of hurting people. "The scar tissue will also restrict your movement, so no more fighting; ever."

At that moment, the sun rose, bathing the clearing in golden sunlight.

Zuko felt the rush in his stomach as the fire in him roared to greet the new day.

Azula felt a wrenching pain where the fire used to be as she saw the sun, but could not feel its power and warmth.

With that Zuko left his sister's side, scooped up Katara in his arms, and disappeared into the forest, leaving Azula to deal with her misery, alone.

End

So what did you think? I really like this ending, if i may say so myself... the thing with the Charkas just sort of came to me. I don't know, mabe it was a little much... i just think that death is to good for that evil thing. I love reviews!! If I get ten new ones i'll write an epiloge for what happens to Azula. Oh, Bribary... i love you so...

- Raven Heart