Disclaimer: AtLA is property of VIACOM and Nickelodeon. No profit is made from this story.

Several days passed. Katara stayed in the Fire Nation, much to her own inward annoyance. She could be in the South Pole by now. But she wanted to find out why Zuko hadn't burned her old Water Tribe clothes, and she just couldn't ask him now. The whole palace was waiting for the news that he had broken up with Mai.

That morning, Katara slept late. She didn't know what had made her so tired, but she did know that, when she woke up, golden afternoon light was pouring through her open window.

Feeling groggy, Katara stumbled across the room, changing into a red dress, everything a blur. As she went about tidying herself up, her vision began to clear and she managed to regain control of her limbs. By the time Katara had walked downstairs and outside, into the gardens, she felt almost normal again.

Toph was with Appa, seated on the giant sky bison's side.

'Hey Sweetness. What kept you in bed for so long?'

Katara shrugged, walking over to join her friend. She stroked Appa on the nose. 'I don't know – I shouldn't even have been tired since I went to bed early.'

Toph made a 'mmm' sound in agreement. 'Maybe you're coming down with something.'

'Who knows?' As Katara spoke, Toph stood up suddenly and walked over to her.

'Sparky broke up with his girlfriend yesterday,' she said under her breath.

'Oh. That's … oh. Why are you telling me this –?'

'Katara.'

She spun around, even though she knew who it was. Toph must have felt Zuko's arrival before Katara had even known the Fire Lord was there.

'Oh. Zuko?' Although she hadn't intended so, her greeting came out as a question.

'I … ah … have some news.'

Katara glanced at Toph, who shrugged.

'For both of you – you might want to sit down.'

Without a word, the threesome walked away from Appa, across the gardens, until they arrived at a small pond where a flock of turtleducks swam. In an oddly childlike action, Zuko sat down on the soft grass– and Toph and Katara did the same.

Then Zuko stood up. 'Stay here,' he said, 'I'll be back in a minute.' He left the gardens.

Katara waited until Zuko had entered the palace before she spoke. 'Do you have any idea what all of this is about?'

Slowly, Toph shook her head. 'No. But his heartbeat says it isn't good.'

*

Zuko returned a good twenty minutes later, carrying an armful of scrolls.

'Sorry I took so long,' he apologized, sitting down again, 'several court members attacked me in the halls and wouldn't let me go.' Neither Katara nor Toph laughed because they both knew he was dead serious.

'Anyway,' Zuko cleared his throat, 'I just want you to know that what I'm about to tell you isn't remotely good – it's terrible.' Katara felt the blood drain out of her face. Zuko continued.

'As you probably know, the libraries in Ba Sing Se host the world's most accurate documentation of the lives of the Avatars, their scrolls beginning with accounts of the seventh Avatar, unnamed, an earthbender. History cannot take us beyond this point.

'Avatar Lura was the eighteenth Avatar, and the accounts and descriptions of her lifetime are documented in scrolls across the nations. She was a waterbending master, developing many of the waterbending forms seen today.' Zuko paused. 'But she was also a prophetess of sorts, sometimes spending months meditating in order for the spirits to grant her, and I quote, 'dark visions of the future', which she would record on scrolls.' After saying this, Zuko took one of the scrolls he had placed beside him and opened it, handing it to Katara.

'Please read this aloud.'

Katara took the scroll, quickly scanning the first few lines before she started to read.

'Today I, Avatar Lura of the Southern Water Tribe, entered the Spirit World for the fourth time through meditation. The spirits did not wish to grant me access, but the recent unrest throughout the lands has caused me to seek out their guidance. It took a great toll on my energy, but, after a great deal of concentration, I reached the Spirit World.

'Upon arrival, the spirits, although displeased that I had broken their barrier, granted me visions. There, in the Spirit World, I entered a trance and –'

'Sorry,' interrupted Zuko, 'but I forgot something before – going into a trance in the Spirit World is potentially fatal, if you spend too much time in one your physical body, your heart, stops working and you die.'

'Okay,' said Katara, and then continued.

'– saw a great many things, terrible things. I saw three people, two clothed in blue, and one in gold. Only one of this three was a woman, yet only just so. The boy clothed in gold was marked with blue on his forehead –

Katara stopped, suddenly realizing. It couldn't be …

'Oh spirits,' gasped Toph. 'It's – it's you guys!'

Katara bit back a sob, yet somehow it managed to escape her lips. Zuko took the scroll from Katara, now picking up a new one.

'My visionings have grown darker,' he read, 'of the marked boy and his friends – that is all the spirits show me. This morning I entered a trance as I walked; this was very sudden and unexpected. The elders have told me that no such thing has ever before happened.

'The boy, who is now a man, fought with his friend, the scarred one. The spirits did not show me the location of the battle, darkness was their background. They fought a girl whose name sounds like 'blue' –'

'Azula – azure.' Katara placed her head in her hands, her body wracked by silent sobs, because she knew what was going to happen next.

'The blue girl and the men fought a mighty battle, yet her powers were great and she held them back. Somehow the two marked men made their way forward. They were going to win.'

Toph started to cry.

'But then a bolt of pure energy coursed through the darkness, aimed for the man marked with blue. The scarred one pushed him aside, intending to take the lightning for him. Then my vision was overcome with hot, white energy, yet when the vision resumed the scarred one was still standing, his marked friend no more.'

Oh spirits. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't handle this.

'Katara …'

She didn't look up. Her face felt like it was on fire.

'I'm sorry. I wish I didn't have to do this.'

She looked up. His face was so smooth and blank – but those golden eyes were bottomless wells of grief and sorrow. He picked up the third scroll.

'Avatar Lura also conducted great research into the Avatar State, and, more importantly, the Avatar Cycle. You need to hear this:

'I have come to the conclusion that, after years of research, for a brief moment in history there are two Avatars and none at exactly the same time. As an Avatar begins to die, I believe that a small portion of his or her Avatar spirit leaves and searches out the newborn destined to handle its power. Once it has found such a subject, the previous Avatar takes his or her dying breaths and the ability to manipulate the elements, enter the Spirit World, and be the bridge between life and death is completely passed on to the newborn, as one leaves the world and the other enters it. And thus the Avatar Cycle continues.'

Zuko put the scroll away. 'I know that might have seemed pointless, but,' he took a deep breath, and then his words came out in a rush, 'I think the Avatar Cycle ended with Aang.'

'What?'

'Aang,' Zuko grimaced, 'was shot by a bolt of lightning, directly into the heart. He died instantly.'

No – no. I beg of you; do not take me back there. Please …

'If what Avatar Lura says is true, that as the Avatar dies he passes his abilities onto the next Avatar, then it would have been impossible for the Avatar Cycle to repeat. Aang didn't know he was going to die in the battle. He was there, and suddenly he was gone. No final moments; no last seconds. And I sent messengers out to the North Pole, South Pole, and the Foggy Swamp.' Zuko lowered his gaze. 'There were no children born the day Aang died.'

Katara was too overcome with emotion to even cry. It couldn't be possible …

'What I'm saying is,' Zuko took a deep breath; 'I think that Aang was the last Avatar. I think the cycle broke, I think it didn't have enough time to continue.'

Zuko was the man who never cried – yet his cheeks were stained with tear tracks. Toph had stopped weeping, now still and unmoving, eyes wide.

'Do Sokka and Suki know?' whispered Toph.

'I … I wanted to tell you first,' said Zuko, looking at Katara. 'I thought it would affect you more.'

Katara opened her mouth, about to speak, but then there was a spasm of excruciating pain in her stomach and she screamed, doubling over.

The pain intensified, engulfing her, swallowing her up. She coughed up blood.

Then Zuko was next to her, holding back her hair, bracing her shoulders.

'What's wrong with her?'

'I don't know, she slept really late this morning, that was all, but she said she felt okay!'

Her stomach cramped up, and all of a sudden everything was spinning – Katara felt dangerously light-headed.

'What about food? Has she eaten anything?'

White-hot pain seared throughout her body, causing her to cry out again. Zuko was still there.

'I – I don't know.'

'Zuko …' her voice was barely a whisper, weak and inaudible. But he heard her. She was having trouble breathing in enough air.

'Katara, stay with me!'

Pain ripped through her; tearing her up from the inside.

The last thing Katara was aware of was movement. Then there was one last explosion of agony all through her body, and everything went black.

Author's Notes:

- 'Avatar Lura' is based off my real-life friend, Laura. They both do amazing stuff :)

- Yes, Avatar Lura's theories about the Avatar State do have a few plot holes in them - but I figure that no Avatar before Aang was killed instantly. Or, at least that's how it is in My World *cackles*