A/N: Well here we are, the beginning of the end.
Chapter 15: Fate and Fall
Aang waited patiently in his cell, meditating in preparation to face his destiny. He could hear the guards just past the door, catching pieces of their conversations. Aang knew it was early morning when he heard one of the guards complain loudly about missing his breakfast. With his own belly rumbling Aang wondered whether or not he would have a chance to eat before fighting the Fire Lord.
A slight vibration in the floor brought Aang out of his meditation. He looked at the floor in front of him, directly at the hidden trapdoor he knew was there. In near silence the trapdoor opened and Aang saw Toph climb out of the tunnel below. Toph reached Aang and started breaking the chains with metalbending.
"Where's Katara?" Aang asked.
"Busy" Toph said as she worked. In under a minute she finished removing the chains that restrained Aang.
For a few moments Aang stretched his body, then jumped into the tunnel with Toph. He waited for Toph to close the trapdoor before running down the tunnel with her. "Has the invasion started?" Aang asked.
"Sometime in the next hour" Toph said. She stopped Aang at a lit lantern hanging halfway through the tunnel, then earthbended away a portion of the wall covering a few crates.
"What's in those?" Aang asked.
Toph opened one of the crates and retrieved a loaf of bread. "Here" Toph said and tossed it to Aang. "We can't have you fighting on an empty stomach."
"Thanks" Aang said just before he started eating. "What else do you got in there?"
Opening another crate Toph found a hair shaver with a mirror and handed them over. "It's not the one you used before, but it will get the job done."
"Whatever works" Aang said. He finished the bread and started shaving the hair off his head. Once he finished he ran his fingers over the smooth scalp. "Much better."
"How's your bending?" Toph asked, opening a jar with water in it.
Aang sent a gust of wind down the tunnel towards the prison, bent the water out of the jar and splashed the wall with it, pushed the other wall further away, then threw a fireblast down the tunnel away from the prison. "I'm a little rusty but the Avatar State will make up for it" Aang admitted.
"Good, now get moving" Toph said. "This tunnel goes right to the Fire Lord's bunker, you can't miss it."
"How will I know when the eclipse starts down here?" Aang asked.
"You're asking me?" Toph said.
"Oh right" Aang said. He lit a fire in his hand and held it in front of him. "I guess I'll just wait until I can't do this anymore."
"Just go already" Toph said. "I need to bust out the others before the guards know you're gone."
OOOOOOOOOO
In his room Zuko prepared himself for the day. He put a cloak on over simple armor, leaving the royal equipment on a shelf in the corner. Picking up a pair of Dao swords Zuko made a few practice swings with them, and then sheathed both swords. As Zuko turned towards the door to leave he saw Mai standing in the doorway.
"You're still going through with this?" Mai asked.
"I have to" Zuko answered. He stared into Mai's eyes for a moment. "Are you going to stop me?"
Mai stared back for a moment, then stepped inside the room. "I should try to" she said. She walked up close to Zuko. "But I'm still mulling it over."
"You could just leave" Zuko suggested. "There's still enough time to get out of here."
"I'm not going anywhere" Mai said. She held up one of her knives. "Unlike you, the eclipse won't affect me. If anyone should be leaving it would be you."
"I have these" Zuko said, slightly unsheathing his swords. "I'll be fine."
"And what if you fail?" Mai asked. "What happens then?"
"We won't fail" Zuko said. He walked around Mai and started to leave.
"Zuko, wait" Mai said.
"What is it?" Zuko asked, looking back at Mai from the door.
Mai walked up to Zuko and stared into his eyes. On a whim she gave him a short kiss before saying "Good luck."
OOOOOOOOOO
From inside the bay of the black cliffs Suki and Haru waited for Hakoda to arrive. When a fog started to roll in over the horizon Suki observed it, wondering how it would affect the invasion. Just before the fog would have hit the island it dissipated, revealing a small fleet of Water Tribe ships. As the ships entered the bay Haru earthbended docks for the ships in the bay for the ships to use.
Hakoda was the first person off the ships, and spotted Suki immediately. "You made it" Hakoda said as he walked up to Suki. "Who's your friend?" he asked when he saw Haru behind Suki.
"Just someone I bumped into here" Suki said. "Hey, did you get the gear I need?"
"Of course" Hakoda said. He looked over to the nearest ship and saw Bato walking onto the pier, carrying a bundle of green clothing in his arms. "Kyoshi Island was our last stop on the way here."
"Thanks" Suki said. She took the clothes from Bato and unfolded them. Hidden in the folds were a pair of golden fans and a case of makeup.
While Suki put on her warrior's uniform Haru watched other people exit the ships. A group of waterbenders from the Foggy Swamp, the earthbenders that rescued King Kuei, a pair of freedom fighters, along with the Mechanist and his son. By the time everyone was off the ships and on the shore Suki was finished putting her uniform and makeup on.
With both fans in hand Suki practiced with them for a few minutes. "Like putting on an old glove" she muttered when she was satisfied with the new fans. She sheathed the fans and walked over to the crowd forming in front of Hakoda, about to address the troops.
"Let me make something completely clear" Hakoda said in front of everyone. "Our objective is to keep the Fire Nation's attention on us until the eclipse begins. We hit them hard and fast, causing as much havoc as we can to divert their efforts away from the palace. While their eyes are on this invasion the Avatar, who is already inside the capital, will strike from within and defeat the Fire Lord. Then, this war will be over."
As the crowd cheered Suki smiled. One way or another, it all ends today she thought.
OOOOOOOOOO
In a bare cell Sokka's belly rumbled, demanding that he fill it with meat. On the wall were several scratch marks, each made by a piece of metal chipped off the floor. Sokka made one last scratch in the wall, marking the final day until the solar eclipse. All he could do now was wait for the eclipse to arrive and for someone to break him out of his cell.
Looking through the bars of his cell Sokka watched for anyone approaching. He heard slow footsteps just before spotting a female guard walk inside the room. She was carrying a tray and walked towards the cage holding Sokka.
"Lunchtime water tribe" the guard said.
"Thanks Ming" Sokka said.
"I snuck in a prime cut this time" Ming said as she set the tray on the floor. On the tray was a plate with steak on it and a cup of tea.
"Sweet" Sokka said as he took the meal. In between bites he asked "How's the General holding up?"
"Just fine" Ming said. "He told me to go home for the afternoon."
"Good advice" Sokka said, already finishing with the steak. "I'd hate to see something happen to my favorite prison guard."
"You wouldn't be planning something again?" Ming asked.
"Um…" Sokka grabbed the tea and gulped it down in one swig. "No, of course I'm not planning anything."
Ming could see Sokka crossing his fingers behind his back. "I'll see you tomorrow then" Ming said as she walked away from the cage.
Once Ming was gone the wall next to the cage peeled back like paper, revealing Toph. "Suki's not going to like your new friend" Toph said.
"Oh like they're ever going to meet each other" Sokka said. "Just get me out of here."
Toph walked over to the cage, grabbed a pair of bars and casually bent the gap between them wider. "I've already got Iroh out, let's go."
OOOOOOOOOO
Deep below the capital's Fire Sage temple, a special prison cell existed among the catacombs. In a time long before the reign of Sozin, this cell was built to hold even the most powerful firebenders. It was intended to hold the Fire Lord himself, back when the Fire Sages shared power with him. When Fire Lord Azulon took the throne he ordered the cell destroyed, as a test of the Fire Sages' loyalty. They tried to carry out the order, but the metal lining the cell was too thick for even the Sages' combined power to damage.
Now the cell was occupied for the first time in centuries. Katara sat in a corner of the cell, left to rot inside it. The walls were scorched and warped, evidence of the attempt to destroy them. Rust covered the frame of the cell's door, nearly sealing it shut permanently. Only a blue flame in Katara's hand provided light in the cell.
Katara wasn't even trying to escape the cell, certain that once the eclipse was over one of her friends would come and get her out. All she could do was wait for the flame in her hand to go out when the eclipse begins.
What's taking it so long? Katara thought as she stared at the flame in her hand. It felt like hours had passed and yet the eclipse hadn't arrived. For a moment she wondered if she had already missed it.
A loud thump noise outside the cell caught Katara's attention, and she heard it again five more times. While wondering what was going on she heard the door unlock. Whoever was on the other side tried to push the door open, but struggled against the rusted hinges. After slamming their body against the door several times the door finally opened. Katara saw her rescuer fall to the floor as the door gave way.
"Ty Lee?" Katara questioned.
"Hey" Ty Lee said as she got up.
"What are you doing here?" Katara asked.
"Returning the favor" Ty Lee said as she dusted off her clothes. "You busted me out of prison, so I'm busting you out of this one."
"Fair enough" Katara said. She followed Ty Lee out of the cell, pausing for a moment to notice the paralyzed bodies of guards and Fire Sages just outside. "Has the eclipse happened already?" she asked.
"No" Ty Lee answered. "It should be here any minute now."
OOOOOOOOOO
On the western shore of the capital island a canoe rested in between a pair of large rocks, above the waves crashing into the steep terrain. The island's shadow covered the canoe's former occupants, now slowly climbing up the steep rocks that shielded the capital's western flank. Azula was climbing above Ursa, creating footholds by bending water into ice ledges.
Halfway up the cliffs Azula grabbed a rock above to pull herself up. But the rock broke off, almost taking her with it. She hung on one hand for a moment while her free hand felt for another handhold. "That could have been bad" Azula muttered.
"Are you alright?" Ursa asked from below.
"I'm fine" Azula said. She resumed the climb, spotting the top of the cliff.
Climbing the western side of the capital island had sounded a lot easier the previous day. Using the island's port would have pinned them between the invasion force and the defenders, and highly likely to get them both killed. Circling around the island in the canoe and getting in from the west had seemed like a good idea at the time. In hindsight Azula wished she'd come up with a better plan.
When Azula reached the top of the cliffs she was nearly exhausted. After pulling herself over the edge and onto the ground she helped pull Ursa up after her. Both of them sat down on the rock to rest for a moment before moving on. Looking to the west Azula could see the slope of the volcano the capital rested inside.
"Do you think the invasion has started yet?" Ursa asked.
"I can't tell from here" Azula admitted.
Ursa reached into her pocket and pulled out a few small crackers. "You should eat something before going further" Ursa said and tossed two of the crackers to Azula.
In a few short bites Azula ate the crackers, and could already feel her limbs start to recover from the climb. She stood up and stretched her arms for a few minutes. Looking around Azula observed the fortifications that ringed the island, but even from a distance she could tell that they were undermanned. It was clear that most of the soldiers had been redeployed to counter the invasion from the east.
"It should be easy for us to slip by the patrols on this side of the island" Azula said.
"No one's ever tried this before" Ursa said. "Every attack on this island in history came from the east."
"Exactly" Azula said, taking one last look around their position. "There's nowhere to attack from west of…" her gaze stopped on the western horizon, spotting something where sea met sky.
Ursa turned to look at the horizon, and saw a dark shape come over it. At first she couldn't tell what it was, until several other shapes just like it appeared. "What in the world is that?" Ursa muttered.
In a heartbeat Azula realized that there was only one possibility. "Ships" she muttered. Trying to focus her vision on the horizon, she could make out the sails. Dark brown with a green symbol displayed on the fabric. "Earth Kingdom ships."
"The Earth Kingdom has ships?" Ursa questioned.
OOOOOOOOOO
Aboard the flagship of his new Earth Kingdom navy, Long Feng watched land appear in the eastern sea directly ahead. For a moment he had been wondering if he had miscalculated the distance between Ba Sing Se and the Fire Nation capital. He smiled as it appeared that his gamble had paid off, the fleet arriving just in time for the solar eclipse.
A few weeks prior Long Feng had realized that if he was to remain in power he'd have to find a way to end the war with the Fire Nation. When he theorized plans to accomplish the task he found the last set of orders the old Council of Five wanted Kuei to sign. The plans to invade the Fire Nation during the Day of Black Sun. After examining those plans Long Feng believed he could use it to end the war in his favor, by creating his own invasion during the Day of Black Sun.
Of course, he had to create a new invasion plan from scratch, thanks to his own coup compromising the secrecy of the original plans. Long Feng knew that sending his army across the continent would not be practical, uncertain if it could even reach the Fire Nation in time for the eclipse. Instead he took a gamble with his army, loading it onto secretly constructed ships and setting sail across the eastern seas, bypassing all of the forces the Fire Nation had in the Earth Kingdom.
The seas east of Ba Sing Se had never been charted, as well as the seas west of the Fire Nation. Unless an undiscovered land mass lay in between them, it was simple to sail from Ba Sing Se directly to the Fire Nation. The fleet had been hastily constructed, earthbending stone around wooden frames. The stone hulls had been specifically earthbended to be filled with tiny pockets of air, making the ships lighter than they appeared and buoyant in the water.
Long Feng turned towards one of the Dai Li aboard the flagship. "Tell the men below to prepare for landing" he ordered. "Signal the fleet to begin our invasion."
As the Dai Li carried out the order Long Feng looked at the land approaching ahead. He wondered how prepared the Fire Nation would be to an attack from the west. With dozens of ships behind him, Long Feng was confident that by the end of the day the Fire Lord himself would sign a treaty of surrender in his own palace.
OOOOOOOOOO
Aang followed the tunnel from his cell all the way to the end, ignoring several side passages Toph had made to reach other places in the capital. At the tunnel's end was a slab of rock only two inches thick, thin enough to barely hear what was on the other side. Aang listened as someone inside gave many orders, but couldn't tell who it was.
If only I knew Ozai's voice Aang thought as he listened. Not once had Ozai come to gloat over Aang in that cell. As Aang listened he heard footsteps behind him, and turned around to see Zuko arriving.
"Is my father in there?" Zuko asked.
"I can't tell" Aang admitted.
Zuko pressed his ear against the rock and listened for a few minutes. "That's him alright" Zuko said. "And there must be at least a dozen soldiers in there with him."
"Are they all firebenders?" Aang asked.
"We won't know until we get in there" Zuko said. "I'm sure he has some skilled with weapons."
For a moment Aang wished he still had his staff with him. "Well at least you're good with those swords" Aang said, glancing at Zuko.
"Not as good as I'd like to be" Zuko said.
"Hey I remember when you took out dozens of guys with just those swords" Aang said. "Speaking of that time, what happened to that mask you wore then?"
"I threw it away" Zuko said.
"Oh" Aang said. "You looked a lot cooler with it on."
"This really isn't the time to talk about my fashion sense" Zuko said.
"Right" Aang said. He lit a flame in his hand. "The eclipse still isn't here yet."
"Put that out" Zuko said.
"Why?" Aang asked.
"Trust me, you'll feel it when the sun is blotted out" Zuko said.
Aang put out the flame in his hand. "If you say so" he said.
OOOOOOOOOO
In a separate series of tunnels Toph led Sokka and Iroh away from the prison. Iroh lit the way for Sokka as Toph ran in front, only she knew where the tunnels led. When it appeared that they reached a dead end Sokka was about to complain, but didn't when Toph demolished the wall with earthbending. Sunlight rushed into the tunnel as the dust cleared, and all three of them stepped outside.
"I never thought I'd miss the sun so much" Sokka said. He took a moment to bathe in the light before looking around. He found himself on the slope of the volcano, high above the island's port. On the horizon he could see the Great Gates of Azulon, lit by the flaming net used to block entry.
"It would appear that the invasion is underway" Iroh said when he saw the gates aflame.
Looking at the port Sokka could barely make out troops and tanks rushing into battle, the distance making them look like scurrying ants. "Let's make the climb up here easier for them" Sokka suggested.
"Yes, time to kick some Fire Nation butt" Toph said. "Present company excluded of course."
"Of course" Iroh said.
Toph bent the earth beneath their feet, making it rise up and carry them down the volcano. Iroh threw fireblasts at unsuspecting soldiers along the path up the slope, taking them out before anyone could react. The moving earth followed the main road on the slope, striking battlements in the way and demolishing their foundations.
Assisted by gravity Toph's moving earth smashed through every defense the Fire Nation had placed on the slope. The defenses were designed to block attacks moving up the volcano, never intended to withstand force applied in the opposite direction. Soldiers that got out of Toph's way were taken out by Iroh's fire. The occasional soldier would manage to leap onto the moving earth, only to be attacked and beaten by Sokka.
In half an hour they reached the bottom of the volcano and headed for the lower plaza by the port. The invasion force was already driving the troops back, directly into Toph and Iroh's attacks. Soldiers retreating around the plaza's main tower were hit with flames and stone, throwing the Fire Nation forces into chaos.
Toph ran up to the base of the tower and punched the foundations. The blow earthbended cracks into the tower's stone, and with repeated strikes the tower couldn't support its own weight. "TIMBER!" Toph yelled as the tower collapsed. As debris fell everywhere Toph bent a shield of rock over her, Iroh, and Sokka, protecting them while the soldiers were struck down.
When the tower finished collapsing Toph removed her rock shield and climbed onto the rubble. Sokka and Iroh quickly followed, coughing in the dust still settling on every surface. The dust took several minutes to clear, and when it did Sokka saw the invasion force. Everyone present stared at the rubble, and the three people on it.
"Hi" Sokka said, holding up one hand.
Immediately Hakoda ran ahead of the other warriors and hugged his son. "I missed you, son" Hakoda said.
As the rest of the invasion forces secured the position Suki walked up to Sokka. "Was this another part of the plan you didn't tell me about?" Suki asked.
"Actually Toph came up with this on the way down here" Sokka said. Then he noticed that Suki was back in her Kyoshi Warrior uniform. "I have to admit, I kind of missed the face paint."
Just behind Suki was Haru, who waved at Sokka. "Hey, how've you been Sokka" Haru said.
"Haru, good to see you" Sokka said. Then he whispered into Suki's ear "Does he know about Katara?"
"He learned about it the hard way" Suki answered.
"Oh" Sokka said. "Well then Haru, is there anything we need to go over regarding my sister's situation?"
"I got enough for now" Haru said. "Give me the detailed version when this is over."
"Deal" Sokka said. He turned towards Hakoda. "The way up to the volcano has been cleared."
Hakoda nodded. "Everyone, let's move" he ordered.
OOOOOOOOOO
Katara and Ty Lee quickly left the Fire Sage temple, entering the capital city. Once Katara's eyes adjusted to the sunlight she noticed that the city was empty. The residents of the city had all retreated to bunkers beneath their homes, waiting for the invasion to come and be repelled. Only a meager handful of soldiers remained above ground, meant to slow down invaders during the eclipse.
With barely any resistance Katara and Ty Lee quickly arrived at the clearing around the palace. A wall surrounded the palace, requiring the two girls to move around it to reach the gate leading inside. Half a dozen guards were at the gate, and spotted the girls coming from their left. Katara threw blue fireblasts that took out two of the guards before they could react. Ty Lee leaped over Katara and paralyzed two more guards.
The remaining two guards were about to fight back, drawing swords instead of firebending. Before Katara could attack one of the guards was struck in the back with fire. The other was knocked forward by a stream of water which froze him to the ground. Katara looked for the source of the attacks, and approaching from the opposite side of the gate was Azula and a woman Katara didn't recognize.
"Lady Ursa?" Ty Lee questioned, barely recognizing her.
"Ty Lee, get away from that imposter now!" Azula ordered.
"Don't listen to her" Katara said. "You're better than she is."
"You're no traitor Ty Lee" Azula said.
"She doesn't care about you" Katara argued. "She never did."
Ty Lee looked back and forth between Katara and Azula, uncertain what to do. She didn't want to fight either of them. "I'm sorry" Ty Lee said and then ran through the open gate towards the palace.
"Coward!" Azula yelled. Then she turned to Ursa for a moment. "Go ahead, I'll catch up."
Ursa nodded and ran through the open gate. She followed Ty Lee into the palace, letting her lead the way through it. Part of her wanted to observe how the interior had changed since she left, but Ursa knew she didn't have time to waste on such trivial matters. Keeping pace with Ty Lee through the palace Ursa saw her use one of the entrances to the tunnels beneath the palace.
The few guards that patrolled the tunnels were speechless when they saw Ursa, finding the rightful Fire Lady returning after so long. By the time they realized they should arrest Ursa she was already past them and on her way to the lowest levels. Ursa didn't stop running until she reached the final passage before the Fire Lord's personal bunker, finding Ty Lee meeting with Mai in front of the door.
At first Ursa didn't recognize Mai, since Mai couldn't hide her surprise at seeing Ursa. Within seconds Mai's face returned to the expressionless state that Ursa remembered. "Get out of my way" Ursa requested.
"Do you have a death wish?" Mai asked. "You're going to be killed just for being here."
"I know what I'm doing" Ursa said.
"You're going to ruin everything in there" Ty Lee said. "Just go while you still can."
"There's no turning back for me" Ursa said. "I have to face him now."
Mai considered stopping Ursa with force, but then took a few steps to the side. When Ty Lee looked at her Mai said "We're already harboring spies and traitors, might as well add fugitives."
OOOOOOOOOO
From the lower plaza the invasion forces advanced towards the volcano. The Fire Nation forces in the way had already started to regroup after Toph and Iroh's rampage through the defenses and were slowing down the advancing forces. The battlements may have been broken, but the soldiers continued to defend the only road large enough for the invasion to use on the volcano's slopes.
Hakoda continued to lead the invasion, giving orders while Bato watched the rear. The few earthbenders the invasion had focused on taking out the tanks the Fire Nation deployed, using tanks of their own designed by the Mechanist. Appa carried Iroh above the others, allowing him to rain fire down upon the enemy below.
Sokka helped coordinate the invasion's advancement, covering parts that Hakoda couldn't manage. Suki stayed close to him, fending off any soldiers that penetrated the warriors around them. As Sokka saw Appa fly by overhead he watched Hakoda order the invasion to advance on the road leading up the volcano's slope.
"We're almost there!" Sokka shouted, trying to boost morale.
"How much longer until we reach the top?" Suki asked.
"Ten minutes at most" Sokka said. He looked at a small timing device the Mechanist built. "We'll get there just in time for the eclipse."
At that moment soldiers higher up the volcano pushed boulders down the slope, rolling straight for the invasion. Toph got in the way and shattered the boulders with earthbending. She was about to get back on the offensive when she hesitated, her feet picking up strange vibrations. Placing one hand on the ground Toph tried to make better sense of what the vibrations were telling her.
"Oh this is not good" Toph said.
"What is it?" Sokka asked.
A sudden rumble through the road answered Sokka. At the far side of the slope he saw the earth move in sync with another quake, forming a wide path around the slope. The new road had a shallower incline than the road the invasion was using, and Sokka judged that it would have to spiral around the volcano a few times to reach the top. Another quake shook the slopes and Sokka saw the new path extend towards the road, and would intersect with it just above where the invasion was advancing.
Sokka and Suki ran for the front of the invasion, trying to get a better view of what was happening. Marching up the new path was an army, Earth Kingdom soldiers in formation flanked by Dai Li. Two dozen Dai Li moved in front of the marching soldiers, and in unison they earthbended the slope of the volcano to extend their path further around the volcano.
"How in the world did they get here?" Sokka questioned.
"You mean this isn't part of some plan you didn't tell me about?" Suki asked.
"INCOMING!" Bato yelled, trying to warn everyone of a barrage of boulders he saw the newcomers earthbend at them.
Toph quickly bent shields of rock from the road, assisted by the few earthbenders with her. They blocked most of the barrage, but the few boulders that got through disrupted the invasion's formation. As everyone regrouped the Dai Li continued to extend the new path up the volcano, breaking through the road and cutting off the invasion's advancement.
"Why are they attacking us?" Hakoda asked.
Sokka shrugged. "Maybe Long Feng wants all the glory for himself?"
Another barrage of rock fell on the invasion, barely diverted by Toph and her earthbenders. They bent rock from the slope into an overhang above the invasion, providing cover for everyone. The Dai Li attempted to break apart the overhang, but Toph and the earthbenders below kept it intact. Above the overhang Iroh threw fire at the Dai Li from Appa, trying to distract them.
"We're pinned down" Hakoda said.
Suki looked at Sokka. "Please tell me you've got something we can do?" she asked.
"Sorry, I'm out of ideas" Sokka admitted.
"Then find one soon!" Toph yelled, still bending the rock overhang. "I can't hold this forever!"
OOOOOOOOOO
Alone in front of the palace, Katara and Azula faced each other. The few moments after Ursa left seemed to stretch for an eternity, both girls waiting for the other to make a move. Only a gentle breeze made any noise outside, even as they prepared to fight. With no signs of any invaders reaching the summit of the volcano, they had the entire city for a battlefield.
"So Katara, it all comes down to you and me" Azula said, taking a waterbending stance. "Or should I say, you and you?"
"It's too late for you to change anything happening here today" Katara said, taking a firebending stance. "The invasion is on its way and you can't help Ozai."
"Oh I'm not here for dear old dad" Azula said. "I'm here for you."
"Really now?" Katara asked. "Then come and get me."
In a heartbeat Azula sprinted towards Katara, bending water from the air around her left fist. Katara rushed towards Azula, bending blue flames around her right fist. At the same time both punched with their elements, Azula's water grazing over Katara's fire. The water and fire combined into steam, leaving only two fists that struck both combatants in the face.
Recovering immediately Katara moved to hit Azula with a fireblast, but just before the blue fire formed Azula deflected Katara's arm, sending the blue fire into the air. In a few seconds Azula bent water around her free arm to strike, but Katara interrupted the motions and deflected the water attack into the ground. Azula collected more water while Katara created new flames, repeatedly attempting to strike at point blank range. Neither could get make a hit while deflecting the other's attacks.
At the same time Azula struck with water while Katara made a blast of blue fire, the two elements clashing head on. The steam that formed rapidly expanded, the force and heat pushing the two away from each other. Katara shaped blue flames into a blade along her arm and ran towards Azula, using the fireblade to deflect water thrown at her. Azula bent water into sharp ice along her arm, deliberately mirroring her opponent. The elemental blades clashed, steam rising as fire and ice struggled against each other.
Katara pushed down on Azula's iceblade, feeding more energy into her flames to keep them alive. She could see Azula concentrating on keeping the ice intact, adding more water to sustain it. Close enough to see the whites of her enemy's eyes, Katara noticed the string around Azula's neck. Her eyes followed the string, spotting the blue vial almost hidden beneath Azula's shirt.
"You had that all along!" Katara yelled.
"I took it from one of your friends yesterday" Azula said. When she saw Katara's eyes widen in alarm she said "Oh don't worry about her, I left as soon as I had this."
Katara pulled away from Azula and extinguished her flames. "Then what are you waiting for?" Katara asked. "Let's repeat the accident and get back in the right bodies."
"Not just yet" Azula said. She melted her iceblade and threw the water at Katara, hitting her in the chest and tossing her back. "I need to wait for the right moment."
"What moment?" Katara said as she recovered.
"One that I can kill you immediately after" Azula said. "I'll be me again and your friends will think I'm you. And when Sozin's Comet comes I'll kill Aang and all your other friends with him."
The thought of Azula killing her friends enraged Katara. She threw her fists behind her, blasting blue flames away and using the thrust to quickly close in on Azula. Katara rammed into Azula, pushing her away from the palace towards the buildings of the city. Azula's back slammed into the side of a house, and before she could recover Katara punched her hard enough to knock her down to the ground.
Katara slammed her foot on Azula face, pinning her down. Her anger fed heat through her foot, into the shoe she wore and burning Azula's face. Thrashing in pain, Azula bent a whip of water which grabbed Katara's head and yanked her away. With her vision a blurry mess Azula quickly bent some water to her face, trying to quickly heal it. Only her eyes healed in time to see Katara punch Azula's face again.
Pressing her advantage, Katara repeatedly struck Azula. With several punches to the face and a few to the gut, Katara attacked until Azula fell backward in pain. Planting her foot on top of Azula's chest, Katara prepared to finish the fight. Azula stared into Katara's eyes, quickly realizing that her life was about to end.
"You can't do this" Azula said. "It goes against everything you stand for."
Looking down at Azula, Katara thought about what she had to do. She thought about taking the spirit water and using it to get her original body back. But that was exactly what Azula wanted, and switching now would leave Katara in the defeated body. She'd be vulnerable to Azula, and with no one around to see the switch Azula would be able to fool everyone again.
And I'd have to prove myself to everyone all over again Katara thought. And it would be even harder than the first time, since her friends would be suspicious of her. Never again.
"It can't end like this" Azula said.
"On the contrary" Katara said. She pulled her fist back, readying a fireblast. "I could not have allowed this to end otherwise."
Azula watched Katara's arm move forward, the coming fireblast aimed for her head. At the last second she closed her eyes and waited for the heat of the fire. But she felt nothing, and slowly opened her eyes to see Katara's fist. There was no fire, only small wisps of smoke. Only then did Azula notice the shadow over both of them, and looked up to find the sun obscured by the moon.
The solar eclipse had arrived.
A/N: Ah my first big cliffhanger. How did I do?