A/N: This is it, the climax of the story. It's fitting that this chapter is my longest yet, at over nine thousand words. I hope everyone enjoys what's in store here, since I took a bit of a gamble. You'll know it when you see it.
Chapter 16: Reform and Rise
A massive shadow covered the Fire Nation capital, the sun itself blotted out by the moon. Only a bright ring of light could be seen around the moon's silhouette, painful for the human eye to stare at. The solar eclipse had just begun, cutting off all firebenders from the source of their power. The eclipse will only last eight minutes, but a lot can happen in eight minutes.
In the nearly deserted city inside the volcano, Katara and Azula remained under the eclipse's shadow. Next to one of the houses closest to the palace, Azula was on her back while Katara pinned her down with a foot on Azula's chest. Katara had just tried to make a fireblast directly at Azula's head, but the eclipse had disabled her firebending the moment she tried to use it.
With only smoke rising from her fist, Katara felt the eclipse affect her. She felt cold on the inside, as if there had been a fire within her before that had been extinguished. Her strength was slipping away, and Katara just barely stopped herself from shivering. Even though it was the middle of summer, the temperature was dropping fast in the eclipse's shadow.
As Katara's power faded, Azula felt hers increasing. While the moon was dark in the sky, it was still the dominant body in the heavens. With the sun suppressed and the moon in plain view, Azula felt power within her similar to during a full moon. Azula reached forward with one arm, and Katara's arm twisted away. Katara tried to use her free arm to pull the other back, screaming in pain.
A smile spread across Azula's burned face. "How was it that you put it?" Azula asked. "'I could not have allowed this to end otherwise.'"
With a quick motion of her arm Azula yanked Katara off her and into the side of the nearby house. Azula stood up and bent some water to her face, quickly healing the burn before it could scar. Once her face was whole again Azula spotted Katara trying to run, and Azula reached out to bend the blood in Katara's legs. Katara tripped and fell, then was pulled up by her legs and thrown across the street.
As she slowly walked towards her enemy, Azula saw fear spread across Katara's face. "Don't you just love the irony?" Azula asked. "Helpless under the very eclipse you planned to use against your enemies."
Katara panicked and ran into the nearest alley, certain that she couldn't win this fight. Azula reached towards Katara, bloodbending her arms to yank Katara back. When Katara fell to the ground, Azula forced her arms to twist behind her back until she screamed in pain. Then Azula focused her power on Katara's throat, lifting her up by it and restricting her breathing.
"Stop…" Katara barely said, hands clutching at the non-existent rope around her neck.
Azula let Katara fall to the ground, then with one palm in front of her Azula forced Katara's body to stick to the ground. On her back Katara could only watch Azula hold her there, struggling against Azula's control. At best Katara could only get her fists a few inches off the ground, her own body fighting against her.
"How?" Katara asked.
"Did it ever occur to you that the human body is mostly water?" Azula asked. Then she started clenching her hand into a fist, squeezing Katara's chest until she screamed. "One of your own tribe showed me how to control it."
"You have to stop!" Katara yelled.
"Now why would I do that?" Azula asked, releasing the pressure on Katara.
"You're damaging the body you want to have" Katara answered.
Azula pulled on the water in Katara, forcing her to stand up. Then she released her control, except for Katara's feet to keep her in place. "If I really wanted to damage that body I'd rip the blood from your veins" Azula said. "Right now I'm just entertaining myself until the eclipse passes."
"Until it passes?" Katara asked.
"Oh it's simple really" Azula said, tugging at the string around her neck. "The moment the eclipse ends I'll make you firebend at this special water, repeating our switch and allowing me to finally kill you."
Katara let her hands rest on her hips. "And why are you telling me this?" she asked.
A smile formed on Azula's face. "Because there's nothing you can do to stop me."
For a moment, Katara noticed Azula's gaze focusing on hers, just long enough to slip a hand inside her pocket. There Katara felt a knife she stole from a guard after getting out of her cell. The knife was small, similar to the throwing knives Mai used. Azula saw Katara take the knife out of her pocket, but instead of throwing the knife Katara pressed the edge against her own throat.
"Don't try it!" Katara yelled as Azula was about to bloodbend the hand holding the knife. "Do it and you'll lose your prize!" she threatened.
OOOOOOOOOO
A few minutes earlier…
Deep below the palace city, just above the very heart of the volcano, Fire Lord Ozai sat on a very simple throne inside his personal bunker. His personal guard stood at attention in front of him, a dozen men all skilled with spears. Ozai didn't need to see the solar eclipse begin to notice its effects, feeling the source of his fire diminish inside him. Trying to reduce his discomfort, Ozai sipped a fresh cup of his favorite tea.
Ozai had just set his teacup down when the only door was thrown open. At the exact same time the wall to Ozai's right exploded, scattering pieces of rock throughout the bunker. Half of the guard moved for the door while the other half moved towards the broken wall. Trespassers entered the bunker from the door and the tunnel from the wall, each shocked to find the other attempting to face Ozai at the exact same time.
"Zuko?" Ursa questioned.
"Mom?" Zuko questioned back.
While mother and son were distracted the guard attacked. The men that went for Ursa were not expecting Ty Lee to jump over Ursa and strike four of them while the other two were struck by knives thrown by Mai. Half of the men that went for Zuko were suddenly trapped in rock while the other half were blown away by the Avatar.
As their allies defeated the guard Ursa and Zuko walked towards each other. When they were only a foot apart Ursa looked at her son's scar while Zuko looked at Ursa's short and graying hair. Both set appearances aside and embraced each other. For just a moment nothing else mattered, just that mother and son were reunited.
The moment ended when Ozai faked a cough. "Well isn't this a lovely family reunion" Ozai commented. "How long have you been planning this?"
Ursa let go of her son and turned towards her husband. But before she could say anything she found the Avatar between her and Ozai.
"Fire Lord Ozai, you're tyranny ends now!" Aang declared.
Ozai started chuckling, surprising everyone else. "So it would seem" Ozai said. "Tell me Avatar, are you so weak that you require an eclipse to defeat your enemies?"
"Step aside Avatar" Ursa demanded. "This is not your fight."
"It's my destiny to defeat the Fire Lord and end the war" Aang said.
"Defeating me when I'm at my weakest would earn you nothing" Ozai claimed. "My generals would continue in my absence, knowing that the Avatar is a coward."
"You're wrong!" Aang yelled.
"Then prove it" Ozai suggested. "Wait for the eclipse to pass while I attend to an internal matter."
Ursa stepped towards Ozai, pushing Aang out of her way. "I should have done this years ago" Ursa said. "Ozai, I challenge you to an Agni Kai."
"In the middle of an eclipse?" Ozai said. "Now that could be interesting."
OOOOOOOOOO
At the base of the volcano, the Water Tribe invasion had more important issues than the solar eclipse. The road up the volcano had been severed ahead of them, cut through by a new path created by the Earth Kingdom invasion. An overhang separated the two invasions, which Dai Li agents were attempting to collapse onto the people below. Toph and Haru were focusing on keeping the improvised shelter intact, assisted by the few earthbenders with the Water Tribe.
Only Iroh could see the progress the Earth Kingdom was making, still riding on Appa in the air. He could see the Earth Kingdom army continuing their march up the volcano, the earthbended path spiraling towards the summit. It quickly became clear to Iroh that going forward was not an option, and he brought Appa down for a landing while dodging boulders thrown by the Dai Li. Once he got through the barrage Iroh leaped out of Appa's saddle and landed next to Sokka, Suki and Hakoda.
"Report!" Hakoda shouted, using one arm to shield his head from loose rocks falling from the overhang.
"The way ahead is completely blocked" Iroh reported. "We would have to go around the base of the volcano and use their path to proceed."
"Did you see how large their forces are?" Sokka asked.
"I couldn't get the bison around the volcano to find out" Iroh admitted.
Suddenly the overhang rumbled, dislodging many pieces of rock that showed the people below. "We can't stay here" Sokka said. "It's time to retreat."
"We can't abandon Aang and Katara in there" Suki complained.
"We won't" Sokka said. "The invasion's purpose was to distract the Fire Nation. Well now Long Feng's going to do that for us."
"Sokka, everyone that's here today came prepared to risk everything for this mission" Hakoda said.
"I know that" Sokka said. "But there's nothing more the invasion can do. We should use the time we have left to get everyone out of here safely."
"And what about Aang and Katara?" Suki asked.
"Once everyone else is safe we can take Appa back here" Sokka said. "It's not a perfect plan but it's the best that I have."
"It will have to do" Hakoda said. He turned to address the rest of the invasion. "Retreat!"
OOOOOOOOOO
Back in the abandoned city Azula and Katara stared at each other. Katara still held the knife at her own throat, a threat to stop Azula's bloodbending. Azula was certain that Katara was bluffing, but wasn't sure if she could force Katara's hand away from her throat without cutting it. For the moment both girls let the stalemate continue.
After a moment, Azula laughed. "It's obvious you're bluffing" Azula said. "You wouldn't dare kill yourself."
"And yet you haven't tried to control me" Katara said. "You don't want to risk accidently killing me now."
"Let's test that theory" Azula said. She reached towards Katara, bending the blood in the arm with the knife. Katara used her free arm to hold the other in place, requiring Azula to pull harder on Katara.
Suddenly Katara stopped resisting Azula, letting her arm snap forward and using the force throw the knife directly at Azula. The knife tumbled in the air and struck Azula's leg, breaking her concentration. As Azula fell to one knee Katara turned and ran, trying to put as much distance as she can before Azula could recover.
"Why you little…" Azula said as she pulled out the knife and tossed it aside. Immediately she bent some water to the wound in her leg, quickly healing it before she could lose too much blood. Once she finished Azula pursued Katara, trying to get close enough to bloodbend her again.
Running as fast as she could Katara tried to lose Azula. She made several turns through the streets and alleys of the city, making a beeline away from the palace. Katara knew that Azula would eventually catch up with her, but not if she could do it before the eclipse would pass. Focusing on speed and misdirection, Katara didn't realize that she ran into the main street through the capital until it was too late.
Katara was only halfway across the wide street when Azula spotted her in the open. Azula reached towards Katara and started pulling her back, despite Katara trying to pull away as hard as she could. Katara's feet dragged against the stones in the street, barely adding any resistance against Azula. Taking slow steps into the street Azula closed the distance as she pulled Katara away from the other side.
"You're not getting away that easily" Azula said when she was only a few feet away from Katara.
"It was worth a shot" Katara said.
With a few hand motions Azula forced Katara into a firebending stance. "You won't be getting another one" Azula said.
"Like you can keep me here for the whole eclipse" Katara said. "The invasion will be here any minute now."
"Highly unlikely" Azula said. "Did you know that there's a second invasion happening today?"
"What!" Katara shouted.
"Oh yes, I saw the Earth Kingdom fleet with my own eyes" Azula admitted. "There's only one route an army can take to get up here. Your invasion and theirs will have to meet and wipe each other out."
As if on cue, boulders fell out of the sky into the city and smashed into buildings. One boulder impacted the street near the girls, forcing Azula to shield herself from debris. Pieces of stone pelted Katara, leaving small cuts before she could shield her face with her arms. When the debris settled both girls searched for the source of the attack, finding it coming from the east.
More boulders were catapulted from beyond the rim of the volcano's caldera, blindly laying siege to the city. The girls saw the entrance to the city widen and drop, earthbended to cut off the existing road and match the path created for the army. Soldiers started pouring into the city, advancing and spreading to occupy the capital while the eclipse continued.
The first of the soldiers spotted Katara and Azula in the main street, and started marching toward them to eliminate any possible threat. They never expected Azula to turn their own men against them, bloodbending their bodies into living clubs. Immediately the formation was broken as Azula forced the soldiers into one another, disabling many in piles of twisted limbs while using others as shields against incoming boulders.
Spotting an opportunity to flee, Katara ran from Azula and the soldiers, running along the edge of the street towards the palace. As she ran the barrage of boulders began to slow, the advancing soldiers reporting that the city was nearly empty. One of the last boulders struck a house along Katara's path, denting a portion of the metal roof. Katara hurried to get behind the damaged house, hoping that the structure could survive just a few more minutes.
OOOOOOOOOO
A few minutes earlier…
No time was wasted in preparation for Ursa's challenge to Agni Kai. Mai and Ty Lee dragged the unconscious guardsmen out of the bunker while Aang sealed the entrance he created earlier. With firebending disabled Ursa and Ozai agreed to use weapons for the duel. The Fire Lord claimed one of the discarded spears while Ursa accepted Zuko's freely offered swords. Only a minute after the challenge, the Agni Kai commenced.
The first move was Ozai's, lunging forward with the spear. With both swords crossed Ursa caught the blade of the spear and deflected it. She swung the sword to retaliate, but Ozai had used the spear's length to remain out of Ursa's reach. Before Ursa could close the distance Ozai had the spear ready to attack again, forcing Ursa to back away to dodge another strike. With the left sword diverting the spear and a step forward Ursa swung the right sword at Ozai, forcing him to duck.
While the spear was still caught by the sword Ozai twisted it and lifted the handle up and to the side, freeing the blade and hitting Ursa's leg with the spear's shaft. The strike broke Ursa's footing, requiring her to take a few steps back to regain it. Pressing forward Ozai made several swings that were only barely blocked by Ursa. Once her footing was sound again Ursa swung with both swords while Ozai brought the spear down, the three blades striking each other and locking the spear in the sword hilts.
Ozai tried to push Ursa back, but found his feet slipping on the floor as the rest of him stayed in place. "What do you expect to accomplish in this struggle?" Ozai demanded.
"Correcting a mistake I made years ago" Ursa answered, still holding the spear in between the swords. She pushed harder against Ozai, the force making the spear's handle bent a bit.
"Which one?" Ozai asked. He applied more force, which only bent the spear further. "Competing to be my wife? Caring for the useless boy? Cutting the throat of my old man?"
"What!" Zuko yelled from the sidelines.
The objection was just enough of a distraction for Ozai to pull the spear out of the swords and get back on the offensive. Swinging the spear high and low Ozai forced Ursa to focus on blocking, and making her step back at the same time. She was nearly at the closed bunker door before she could fight back, throwing all of her strength into both swords and striking where the spear's shaft met the blade. Pinching at the weakest point on the spear, the swords cut the spear in two.
Despite losing the spear's lethal edge, Ozai continued his assault by ramming the broken end into Ursa's chest before she could get the swords back into a blocking position. For just a heartbeat Ursa's grip on the swords loosened while she was in pain, just long enough for Ozai to grab Ursa's right wrist, discard the broken spear and seize the right sword. Immediately Ursa adjusted her grip on the left sword, using both hands for more powerful strikes.
Without the spear's length advantage, Ozai started focusing on his defense. Using the broadside of the stolen sword he blocked Ursa's attacks, waiting for opportunities to inflict damage. Unfamiliar with the weapon Ozai's strikes only nicked Ursa's arms. Each little cut hardly affected Ursa by itself, but dozens of them started slowing her down.
Still watching from the sidelines, Zuko realized he was going to need a new pair of swords by the time the fight was over. The blades clanged with each strike, improper handling leaving cuts on the sides of the blades and slowly chipping away at their edges. Even from a distance Zuko could tell that the swords were taking more damage than either combatant.
With a wide swing Ursa threw a lot of her strength into an attack, while Ozai was also trying to attack. The blades struck with enough force to break both swords into pieces, with tiny chips from along the breaks flying away. Ursa threw the broken sword she held at Ozai while he attempted to stab her with his. Ozai's strike grazed Ursa's left arm while her throw left a cut along his left shoulder.
"They're really going to kill each other!" Aang shouted, appalled that the Fire Nation allowed such blood sport. "I'm stopping this right now!" he shouted, about to enter the Avatar State.
"Stop!" Zuko shouted at Aang, throwing his arm in front of the Avatar. "I don't like it either, but you have to let this play through to the end. She can win this fight."
OOOOOOOOOO
Outside the Water Tribe began its retreat back to the beaches. The wounded were loaded into the crawler tanks, counting on the metal hulls to withstand falling boulders. Appa flew out from below the overhang first, trying to draw attention away from the tanks coming out behind him. Following the tanks were Hakoda's warriors, constantly moving to avoid falling rocks. Sokka and Toph closely followed with Haru and the earthbenders, diverting as many boulders as they could.
Without the earthbenders below to maintain it, the overhang immediately collapsed. The destruction took half of the path above with it, dragging a portion of the Earth Kingdom soldiers into the rubble. The Dai Li agents escorting the soldiers repaired the damage, giving the people below a short respite from the attacks. When they resumed the assault the crawler tanks were already out of range, with the warriors close behind. Once the last of the Water Tribe invasion was outside the Dai Li's ability to attack they stopped and focused their attention on the capital city.
"I think we're in the clear!" Sokka shouted when he saw the attack stop.
"How are we getting everyone out of here?" Toph asked, bending a wall of rock behind the retreat.
"We just need to reach the subs at the beaches" Suki said.
"What's a sub?" Toph asked.
"Something I had the Mechanist come up with" Sokka answered. "They'll let us escape under the water."
"I'm not going to like that, aren't I?" Toph asked.
"Probably not" Sokka admitted.
The retreat picked up the pace, quickly passing the ruins of the lower plaza's main tower. Stray Fire Nation soldiers saw the retreat coming and got out of the way, not willing to fight again and take another beating. The beach was still held by the swampbenders, their waterbending surprisingly enhanced by the eclipse and allowing them easily thwart any attempts to destroy the subs.
When the beach was in sight Sokka examined the timing device the Mechanist made. According to the device the eclipse was two minutes away from ending, though Sokka knew it could be off by several seconds. Looking ahead Sokka found a few of the swampbenders already opening the subs, realizing what was happening the moment they saw the retreat.
"Go! Go! Go!" Hakoda ordered, nearly forcing everyone else onto the subs before himself.
The crawler tanks were emptied and the wounded loaded onto the subs first. Abandoning the tanks was a practical decision, being useless inside the subs and dead weight slowing down an escape. One by one the subs were filled and pushed into the harbor, until only one sub remained. Still outside were Sokka and his father and friends, along with Appa and Iroh.
"Are you certain about this son?" Hakoda asked.
"I'm not leaving Katara in there" Sokka answered.
"Alright" Hakoda said. "When you find Katara, tell her that I'm proud of both of you."
OOOOOOOOOO
Still hiding behind the damaged house Katara focused on staying alive. She could hear Azula still fighting the Earth Kingdom soldiers, bloodbending reducing their advantage of numbers. But the soldiers that fell were being replaced faster than Azula could defeat them, forcing Azula to slowly step back to avoid being overwhelmed.
Stray boulders struck Katara's shelter, gradually demolishing the building. One strike broke through the roof and wall to Katara's right, telling her that the next boulder would bring the whole structure down. Hearing another boulder fall Katara leaped away just before it struck and collapsed the building. The blind leap left Katara just behind Azula, who had just bloodbended half a dozen soldiers into their comrades.
Azula heard Katara's leap and quickly glanced to see her on the ground nearby. She also saw soldiers attempting to outflank her, using the side alleys to get around her defense. As the soldiers closed in from the sides Azula realized that she was trapped with Katara inside a closing circle of bodies. There was no escape, and Azula knew the enemy would eventually wear her down.
But then, just as suddenly as it had arrived, the shadow over the capital receded. The light of the sun shined again as the moon continued on its path around the Earth. As the sun reclaimed the sky Azula's power lessened, and could no longer command the water in flesh to override the mind. Without that power Azula knew she would be overwhelmed in a matter of minutes.
As Azula's power faded, Katara felt hers return to her. The return of the sun reignited the spark within, restoring the power of fire. With the temperature rising, Katara rose to her feet and felt her strength rise with the heat. But Katara had no time to feel any relief, finding herself surrounded by Earth Kingdom soldiers.
At the same time Katara and Azula looked into the other's eyes. The same train of thought ran through each of their minds. A mutual enemy had them outnumbered and surrounded, and neither of them could survive this alone. There was only one way out, which neither of them liked. Without speaking they both came to the same conclusion, and each could see the same thought in the other's eyes.
Truce!
Immediately Azula bent as much water as she could into the space between her and Katara, while she threw blue fire directly into the liquid. Within seconds the water boiled into steam which Azula bent into a shroud around them both, hiding both girls from view. Soldiers started charging through the steam shroud, only to find fire and water waiting for them.
One after another Katara threw blue fireblasts at every soldier that she could see. Small portions of the steam coalesced into spheres of water which Azula threw at the enemy, reverting back to steam once the target was down. When a dozen soldiers appeared through the shroud at once Azula created a waterwhip and aimed for their legs, while Katara threw blue flames over Azula at the soldiers' heads. After those soldiers were down Azula turned and threw water past Katara's shoulder to hit more opponents behind her.
The shroud of steam began to thin and more soldiers advanced towards Katara and Azula. The two stepped toward each other, reinforcing the others attacks with their own. Firewhips followed by water strikes, ice shards just ahead of fireblasts, alternating walls of flame and water, opposite elements moving in tandem. Constantly on the move, neither girl could be hit by any of the soldiers.
After both girls threw an attack they stepped backward, and found themselves at each other's backs. Katara glanced over her shoulder to see Azula doing the same. Then Katara created a ring of blue flames while Azula formed a ring of water, both throwing their elements at the enemy around them. As the bodies of fallen soldiers built up around them the girls were beginning to feel unstoppable.
Then the Dai Li arrived on the battlefield.
The best of the Earth Kingdom's benders, the Dai Li marched forward and ordered the soldiers to fall back. Dozens of Dai Li in formation created a barrage of small stones at the girls, attempting to gradually wear them down. Most of the stones in the barrage were either destroyed by fire or broken by water. Shrapnel from broken stones pelted both girls, slowly weakening their defense.
"Cover me!" Azula yelled.
Katara nodded and started throwing as much blue fire as she could. Azula started bending as much water as she could out of the air, forming a growing sphere of water. Stray pools of water joined the sphere, some from several city blocks away. When Azula believed she had as much water as she could find she bent it over Katara, who threw as much blue fire as she could into the moving water. Hot water rained down on the Dai Li, scalding any exposed skin.
"Your turn!" Katara yelled.
Azula bent the still hot water off the ground and struck the burned Dai Li. Katara started charging a blast of lightning, trying to do it as quickly as possible. Hearing the distinctive sound, Azula immediately knew how to inflict the most damage with the lightning. Just before Katara fired the lightning Azula bent the water into a web connecting as many Dai Li as she could. When Katara fired the lightning hit the lead agent, passing through him into the water and hitting everyone connected.
The lightning was weakened with each Dai Li it struck, only crippling the first dozen hit. The others were brought down to their knees, momentarily paralyzed by the shock. Earning a brief respite from battle, Katara and Azula observed the army behind the Dai Li. They saw another squad of Dai Li crossing the threshold into the capital, escorting a person they recognized by his receding hairline.
"Long Feng" Azula muttered.
"We have to move!" Katara yelled, throwing blue fire at the few soldiers between her and the palace.
"Agreed" Azula said. "They're not going to fall for that trick again."
Before the Dai Li could resume the battle Katara and Azula ran towards the palace, striking at anyone that got in their way. Crossing the threshold into the palace, each girl grabbed one of the large doors and slammed them shut. Azula froze water onto the hinges while Katara used blue flames to weld the doors together, trying to buy any time they could.
"That's not going to hold for long" Katara said when she finished.
"It just has to hold long enough for one last trick" Azula said. She reached for her neck and removed the vial of spirit water held there.
"Here? Now?" Katara questioned. "What happened to 'the opportune moment' from before?"
"Right now I'm more concerned with getting out of this alive" Azula said. She held the vial between herself and Katara. "It's now or never."
OOOOOOOOOO
A few minutes earlier…
Disarmed and without firebending, Ozai and Ursa fought hand to hand. The Fire Lord was stronger physically, but his wife was more agile. Both combatants were bleeding on their left arms, and favored their right arms to avoid damaging the wounds further. Ozai was blocking Ursa's strikes while she dodged his, both struggling to make a direct hit.
Just after another dodge, Ursa kicked Ozai's shin. As Ozai stepped backward from the strike Ursa found an opening and punched Ozai's face. Before Ursa could strike again Ozai's fist rose up into her gut, which he followed with an uppercut into Ursa's jaw. Nearly falling back Ursa used the motion to lift her foot in between Ozai's legs. After hitting Ozai's most vulnerable spot Ursa kicked him in the chest, forcing him back.
As Ozai stumbled back Ursa took a moment to tear off a piece of cloth from her sleeve. She wrapped the strip of cloth around the cut on her arm, trying to stop the loss of blood. With the makeshift bandage in place, Ursa faced her husband again. To her surprise Ursa found him standing still with a hand over his chest, breathing heavily in front of his throne.
"I'm done" Ozai said. "I know when I'm beaten." Ozai raised his hands in defeat. "A Fire Lord surrenders with honor."
Immediately Zuko and Aang recognized the words and tone Ozai had just used, remembering a similar experience. "IT'S A TRAP!" they both yelled.
Ursa glanced at her son, acknowledging the warning. But in that moment Ursa felt the spark of firebending reemerge within, instantly telling her that the solar eclipse was over. Realizing that she only had a few moments before Ozai would overwhelm her with firebending, she created the largest fireblast she could and threw it at Ozai. But as Ursa made her attack she saw Ozai charging a blast of lightning, doing it faster than she thought was possible.
The fireblast almost reached Ozai, and would have hit if Ursa had attacked the exact moment the eclipse ended. Ozai had just enough time to fire his lightning into Ursa's fireblast, piercing the flames and shooting directly at Ursa. As the lightning approached Ursa realized that she wasn't going to get out of the way in time. From the sidelines Zuko could see that Ursa was about to die, and couldn't stop himself from interfering.
"NO!" Zuko yelled, leaping in front of his mother. One hand intersected the lightning, catching and internalizing the energy. Still in mid-leap Zuko couldn't perform his uncle's redirection technique properly, and the lighting flowed into his chest instead of his stomach. When Zuko hit the floor the lightning fired out the other hand into the ceiling.
Ursa's jaw dropped in horror at the sight of Zuko lying there, twitching as a portion of the energy still shocked him. Horror turned into anger and fury that only a mother could know, focused entirely on the man responsible for harming her son. Throwing both fists forward Ursa attacked with all the fire she could summon, going beyond her limits in her rage. The stream of fire was wider than Ursa was tall, and followed Ozai when he attempted to dodge. Just before impact the core of the flames changed from red to blue, which struck Ozai and the throne behind him.
Finished, Ursa fell to her hands and knees, exhausted and just about to pass out from the effort. She could hear the footsteps of Zuko's friends rushing to his aid, doing all they could to keep him alive. Looking forward she saw the remains of her former husband, only recognizable by the crown that lay among the ashes and charred bones.
"He's dying!" Ty Lee screamed at Zuko's side.
"Do Something!" Mai yelled at the Avatar. "You can waterbend. Heal Him!"
"I don't know how!" Aang yelled back. "Trying for the first time could kill him!"
"Try or I'll kill you myself!" Mai yelled.
"Allow me" Ursa said, struggling to get back on her feet. She stumbled her way over to Zuko, focusing on remaining conscious.
"But firebenders can't heal" Aang said, even as he stepped away to give Ursa room.
"Watch me" Ursa said and she knelt beside Zuko. She examined her son, finding extensive burns on his arms and chest. Gently placing both hands on Zuko's chest, Ursa fed what little energy she had left into firebending heat into him. Ursa focused the fire healing on Zuko's heart, vital to stabilizing his condition. Once Zuko's heartbeat was steady Ursa worked on his lungs, getting his breathing under control.
As Ursa worked Zuko opened his eyes, just barely staying conscious. "Mom…" he barely spoke, which could be barely heard.
"I'm here" Ursa said, about to begin healing the burns on Zuko's skin. "I won't… leave… again…"
Between the wound from the physical struggle, pushing her firebending beyond her limits, and the fire healing, Ursa passed out over her son. Ty Lee and Mai caught Ursa before she could fall on top of Zuko, and laid her down beside him. Only when both mother and son were stable and resting did the reality of the Agni Kai's outcome catch up with Aang.
The Fire Lord was dead.
OOOOOOOOOO
From the air on Appa above the bay Sokka watched the last of the subs disappear under the water. Beside him was Suki, who worried that the subs might be caught when they would need to surface for air. Toph sat in a corner of the saddle, waiting for Appa to land and let her see what was happening. Iroh guided the sky bison towards the volcano while Haru looked out for anyone that might attack them.
With the eclipse over Sokka knew it was only a matter of time before the Fire Nation counterattack. He knew that even if the Fire Lord fell it would still take time for his army to know about it and stand down. Best case scenario in Sokka's judgment was that the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom armies would annihilate each other, allowing Aang to step in and negotiate peace. Worst case scenario was that Long Feng's army would succeed in occupying the Fire Nation capital, trading one enemy for another.
"Bring us in" Sokka ordered.
"That's going to be difficult" Haru said. He pointed towards the spiral path up the volcano, pointing out a contingent of earthbenders waiting for Appa to get within range.
"We're not going to get through them unharmed" Iroh said.
Sokka took a moment to think about what to do. "Take us around the volcano" Sokka suggested. "Maybe if we get behind them we can deal some damage."
"Works for me" Toph said.
Appa flew around the volcano, staying out of the earthbenders' range. A few of them tried to throw boulders at the sky bison anyway, but lacked the force to reach their target. On the other side of the volcano Sokka and the others observed the terrain below. The bulk of the Earth Kingdom army was already up the spiral path, leaving only a small continent guarding a supply line between them and the ships in a dock earthbended out of the cliffs.
"Wait a minute something's wrong here" Sokka said.
"You mean besides someone else stealing your thunder?" Suki asked.
"No not that" Sokka said. "Katara visited me in prison a few days ago and mentioned that the Fire Nation recreated the war balloon."
"And your point is?" Toph asked.
"Where are they?" Sokka asked.
Answering Sokka were several long slits forming in the ground below. Each slit quickly widened, cutting off the Earth Kingdom supply line in several places. It quickly became apparent that the entire landscape behind the volcano was a false ground, constructed to conceal a shipyard for a dozen massive airships. Dirt and stone laid above fell into the shipyard as the doors opened, not even denting the thick metal hulls.
"Those are not war balloons" Haru commented.
The airships started to rise up from the shipyard, the air inside gradually heating up to provide lift. It would only take a few minutes for the airships to clear the shipyard doors and take the sky. Earthbenders in the broken supply line attempted to damage the airships with boulders, only achieving small dents in the metal.
"How are we supposed to destroy those?" Suki questioned.
"We don't" Iroh said.
"He's right" Sokka said. "If those are similar to the war balloon, they need hot air inside to fly. If we can cut them open the hot air will escape and ground them."
"And how do we do that?" Haru asked.
"Toph, you're up" Sokka said.
"Okay" Toph said.
Appa flew down towards the nearest airship, only the top third of it was out of the shipyard. When Appa landed at the airship's stern Toph jumped out of the saddle and landed in front of the bison. She grabbed the metal she stood on and pulled it apart, metalbending a hole in the top of the airship. With a quick yank from both arms Toph forced the hole to spread down the length of the airship, venting enough hot air to force the airship to descend back into the shipyard.
"One down" Toph said before climbing back into Appa's saddle.
Flying from one airship to the next, Toph tore open just enough metal to disable them. The second and third airships fell back into the shipyard, and the fourth landed on the false floor tipping into the shipyard. The fifth and sixth airships were clear of the shipyard and crashed on top of the broken supply chain when Toph disabled them.
Before Appa could fly Toph to the next airship the remaining six airships split into two groups. Three of them flew towards the sea while the rest flew towards the volcano. The objectives of the split fleet were obvious, half would strike at the Earth Kingdom army while the other half would destroy the only means of escape.
"They're on to us" Haru said after Toph disabled the sixth airship.
"Appa isn't fast enough to reach all of them in time" Suki said.
"I know" Sokka said. "We might be able to hit those three before they reach the volcano."
The sky bison flew towards the three moving airships, rising to remain above them. One of the three airships was slower than the other two, allowing Appa to reach it first. Appa landed on it and Toph tore open the roof to let the airship crash in front of the spiral path up the volcano. The remaining two ships were rising higher into the air, allowing firebenders suspended beneath to throw fireblasts at Appa. Weaving through the fireblasts slowed the bison down, only reaching the next airship in time to crash it into the side of the volcano.
Toph jumped back into Appa's saddle just before the airship hit the volcano. "Where's the next one?" Toph asked.
"It's getting away!" Suki yelled, pointing at the airship above them.
"Appa yip yip" Sokka said. "Yip yip until you can't yip anymore."
OOOOOOOOOO
Inside the Fire Nation palace the main doors still held off the Earth Kingdom army. Dai Li were throwing boulders at the doors, trying to break them down. The ice on the hinges had already shattered from the force and the welds on the doors were cracking apart. The doors weren't going to stay closed for much longer, which Katara and Azula knew.
Katara glanced at the vial of spirit water Azula held in between them. "How exactly did you do this the last time?" Katara asked.
"I tossed it up and used a simple fire attack" Azula answered. "It broke the vial and scattered hot water on both of us."
"Okay, sounds simple enough" Katara said. She clenched her fist in preparation for a fireblast. "Ready."
After counting to three on her fingers, Azula tossed the vial straight up into the air between her and Katara. As the vial tumbled up Katara focused for the firebending and Azula kept her eyes on the vial. When the vial reached the apex of the toss Katara sent a blue fireblast at it. The blue flames swallowed the vial, quickly heating up the spirit water inside.
Suddenly the palace doors buckled from an impact, breaking the upper half of the welds. The boulder that caused the damage shattered in the impact, and pieces of it flew through the gap in the doors. A tiny chip of stone smashed the vial within the blue flames, breaking the stone into dust. Spirit water mixed with the blue flames and dust, scattering hot mud onto Katara and Azula.
"Of all the times for random chance to interfere!" Azula yelled, examining the dots of mud on her skin.
"Um… nothing's happening" Katara said.
Another boulder struck the doors, breaking more of the welds. "It took a few seconds last time" Azula said.
"We don't have a few seconds!" Katara yelled.
The spots of mud started to glow, bright blue on Katara and dark blue on Azula. "Finally" Azula said. Then the glowing mud on both girls turned black as night. "Oh this can't be good."
Before Katara could question Azula she felt a pull towards her, as if some invisible hand was pushing on her back. Azula felt the same pull and tried to resist by pushing her feet against the floor, which failed to have any effect. Katara and Azula slammed into each other, their faces meeting as the black glow from the mud spread over their bodies.
Suddenly Katara found herself not in the palace, but falling through a dark cave. Ahead of her Katara spotted a vague shape, barely recognizable in the darkness. Falling towards it Katara found that it was a giant centipede. The centipede turned its head towards Katara, showing off its face. It was a simple Noh mask, which began to speak.
"This should be amusing."
The centipede vanished, and Katara saw Azula falling up towards her. The two collided where the centipede had been, and in a flash both Katara and Azula found oblivion.
OOOOOOOOOO
A flash of light erupted from inside the Fire Nation palace just as the doors fell. The light blinded the Earth Kingdom army, and then slowly faded away. Surprised and shocked, the invasion ground to a halt. Every last soldier and Dai Li wondered what had happened while they waited for their vision to clear. When they could properly see again they stared at the entrance to the palace.
Standing in the threshold was a single woman, facing the entire Earth Kingdom army alone. She appeared to be in her late teens, taller than most men. Her skin was a light brown, a blend of Fire Nation and Water Tribe. Brown hair was tied in a topknot, and long black bangs looping to a red and blue headpiece holding all the hair together. She wore red clothes with an open blue vest framed with violet over her shirt.
Fiery blue eyes observed the army in front of her, which finally charged for the palace. The woman raised both hands, pulling water out of the air into one hand while igniting blue flames in the other. She threw both elements at the charging army, a wave of blue fire washing over them and a wet mist so cold it burned. The charge fell apart as soldiers fried and froze, leaving the woman untouched.
From the rear of the army, Long Feng ordered the Dai Li to attack the woman with everything they had. Every last Dai Li created a barrage of rock, aimed directly for the strange enemy. The woman spun her arms to create a maelstrom of blue fire and water around herself, deflecting every rock regardless of size. Long Feng could only watch as the maelstrom grew and then separate into dozens of blue fire and water attacks, striking nearly every Dai Li between him and the palace.
Long Feng felt the enemy's gaze fall on him. He looked back, noticing something familiar about her. "Who are you?" Long Feng demanded.
"I am not Katara or Azula" the woman declared, possessing the voices of both benders at once. "I am Kazula. It's over Long Feng, I've come for you!"
Men with common sense scattered, abandoning the target of Kazula's wrath. Even the wounded attempted to drag themselves out of her way, fearing a power that could rival an Avatar. With slow steps Kazula walked towards Long Feng, striking down the few fools that attempted to stop her. Only Long Feng stood his ground, knowing that he had come too far to give up now.
Using every technique he knew, Long Feng threw everything he had at Kazula. He used everything from fast stones to massive boulders to giant slabs of rock, tearing apart the ground around him for ammunition. The small stones were swept away in a waterwhip, the boulders were destroyed with blue fireblasts, and the slabs of rock were broken and diverted with both elements. Kazula's pace never changed, steadily walking towards Long Feng.
Kazula reached towards Long Feng with her left hand, and slowly squeezed her fingers. Focusing her waterbending solely on his chest allowed her to bloodbend without the moon, just enough control to hold him in one place. Crippling pain paralyzed Long Feng, leaving him at Kazula's mercy. With her right arm Kazula charged a blast of lightning, and fired it directly into the chest she still controlled with bloodbending. Instantly the lightning stopped the heart, and Long Feng was dead before his body could hit the ground.
Everyone that witnessed Kazula's power fell to their hands and knees, begging for mercy. Kazula stood still and observed everyone around her. "Go home" Kazula said, finding no reason to fight those who were no longer a threat. "Before I change my mind."
No one needed to be told twice to leave. Soldiers and Dai Li gathered in the main street of the city, dragging the wounded with them. Their numbers only a fraction of what entered the city, the army knew it was time to quit. But when the remains of the army began to march towards the exit of the city, everyone heard something approach in the air from behind the palace. Looking up and behind towards the noise, Kazula saw a single massive airship flying over the city.
Then, seemingly of its own accord, the airship fell out of the sky. Forward momentum carried the falling airship across the city, crashing into the eastern end of the caldera and blocking the only passage in or out of the city. The Earth Kingdom army was stranded inside the capital, cut off from support on the path up the volcano. On the ground the crashed airship tipped over, revealing a long gash running down the length of the top.
Before Kazula could wonder what could have brought down an airship she spotted a familiar bison flying away from the wreck. She watched Appa fly over the army and head for the palace. Kazula threw a blue flame into the air above her, signaling whoever was guiding Appa to make him land nearby. Appa landed just outside of the gates in front of the palace.
As Kazula walked towards Appa and the palace she heard a loud gust of wind coming from inside the palace. A moment later the wind blew out of the palace, carrying the Avatar with it. Dispersing the wind and coming to a stop, Aang wondered what in the world had happened outside. Instead of the Fire Nation army he had expected to fight, he found remains of the Earth Kingdom army and a woman he found strangely familiar.
Just behind Aang came Ty Lee, who had left Zuko and Ursa in Mai's care. Her jaw dropped at the sight of Kazula, so surprised that she didn't notice Appa or the people climbing out of the saddle. Each and every one of them was just as speechless as Ty Lee. None of them could think of any possible explanation, or how to respond to the fusion of friend and foe.
Aang was the first to approach Kazula. "Is that you, Katara?" he asked.
"Yes, and no" Kazula answered. She was about to say more, but found herself paralyzed with internal conflict. Part of her was glad to see Aang alive, and the other was furious to see Aang alive. Uncertain whether to kiss him or kill him, Kazula was unable to act. The division split her mind down the middle, pain shooting through her skull. She fell to her knees with her hands clutching her head.
"What's wrong?" Aang asked, rushing towards Kazula.
Before Aang could reach her Kazula's body shone bright blue. The same flash of light from her creation flashed again, blinding everyone nearby. In an instant Kazula split back into the benders that had created her, Katara and Azula falling to the ground. Both slowly sat up and rubbed their eyes, vaguely remembering what had happened while joined.
Katara groaned as she opened her eyes, wondering if what she remembered had been real or just a bad dream. For a moment Katara wondered if the experience had returned her to her own body, but then she saw the color of her skin. "Oh come on!" Katara yelled, finding herself still in the body of a firebender.
A/N: Totally admitting now that I am a fan of DragonballZ. Was the fusion a satisfying twist, or did I completely jump the shark? You the reader decide!
Just one more chapter to tie up a few loose ends.