doctor anthony: Thanks I will.
Shinobi Bender: I appreciate you keeping me on the straight and narrow.
Sironblood1: Zuko is getting his. Darn Fire people. Always controlled by their passions.
Penguin King: I know the Maang is very addictive. I might do to endings. I will think about it.
MikeJCaboose: Here you go. Surviving....?
THE FIGHT! (What else can I say) I hope it lives up to your expectations. I'm quite terrified that I didn't do it right. (Cowers in corner)
Aang threw the door open flinging Mai out of it before slamming it shut.
Zuko balanced against the wall fighting the urge to black out. Aang had thrown him pretty hard. His uncle Iroh's words rang in his ears. 'You will wake a sleeping dragon. Do not let his peaceful nature fool you, inside him beats a wounded heart and that is most unpredictable.'
"Aang, Zuko! Damm you two idiots. Let me back in. Wait til I get my hands on you, Aang. I am not some helpless girl. Let me back in," Mai's cursing and pounding overwhelmed the silence in the room.
'That was Aang's Mai out there not his. She had never fought like this for me,' Zuko thought his uncle's warning melting into the background of her screaming.
"What are you waiting for? you picked this fight. Have you changed your mind?" Aang snapped brandishing his staff at the stunned boy.
Zuko hadn't even noticed when the other boy had picked up his weapon. The hit he'd received had knocked some sense back into him. "She's so different. I've seen more emotion right now than I have all the years I've known her."
Aang unsure of where the older boy was going with the commentary replied, "maybe we can talk about this. I honestly didn't expect to see you here."
His purpose for coming had been twisted and he was trying to put it to rights. The airbender stood before him ready to talk or beat him whichever Zuko decided. He looked around the room, it was cozy and welcoming, everything Aang represented. "Is that why Mai choose you?"
Aang was baffled, "chose me?"
"Yes, is that why she chose you over me." he shouted raising his sword to point directly at Aang. "She chose you didn't she? She shares your bed and your home. She never spent nights in my bed. She would always leave before sun up. She claimed it was because people would talk but nobody talks here do they?"
Aang stepped back at the glint of madness in the boy's golden eyes. "There isn't anybody to talk to, with or about here," he rationalized. "It's been just us for a while."
Zuko advanced on him the swords bouncing menacingly off his boots. "How long before you took my girl as you own? How long before you roamed your hands over her?"
"I didn't take anything. You ignored her and took her for granted. You let her go. You are the one that took someone that didn't belong to you." Aang smirked at his old friend, "what angers you the most? That what you took wasn't what you wanted or that what you want now belongs to another."
"You're the one that placed his hands on something sacred. My something sacred, my Katara." Aang was done arguing it was time for action. He lunged forward as he spun his staff and jumped off the wall kicking Zuko in the gut. "Come on, don't give up now. Here I am."
With a crash the young Firelord collided with the wall. He lay slumped over his view fixed on the avatar, "You're a coward. You'll only fight me here where you have the advantage. Give me room and I'll roast you alive."
"You want room, I'll give you room." Aang kicked his glider to the wall. The pallet followed leaving an empty space in the middle. He dug deep into the ground and spread out his arms. He began to spin until he was nothing but a blur of orange and yellow.
He rose of the floor as the air was sucked from the room and poured into the vortex he was creating. The ball of air hit the ground and then bounced off the wall. Tiny cracks began spider webbing through the foundation and small stones began dislodging from their moors.
Zuko scrambled to his feet as the floor beneath him began to crumble. With one enormous punch of air the entire corner exploded. Aang was protected by his air sphere as Zuko dug in his heels and swords into what was left of the place he had been standing next to.
Without a backwards glance Aang's sphere vanished and hovered over the forest. Zuko scaled the structure and with a strong blue flame went to meet his rival.
"Did it hurt when Katara changed you for me?" Zuko screamed at the still hovering man. His words got the desired result as Aang dropped the sphere and plummeted to the earth. His suicidal descent stopped by simple set of air leaps.
"I could ask you the same." Aang replied sending a gust of wind that tore Zuko's swords from him.
"Arrrgh." Zuko shouted rapidly pumping out blue and red flames scorching where Aang had stood not a moment earlier. "What can you give her. You have no country, no nation. You have no past only a dusty old temple and an aging bison." He smacked down a line of fire that rose past the trees.
"I may have no people and no nation but with all your possessions and titles, Katara still chose to come back to me. I didn't have to twist Mai's arm. She came just as willingly." He split the wall of flames and sent out a wave of air.
Zuko charged at him dealing a furious series of kicks. Aang bobbed and ducked but one connected sending him flying into a tree. Shaken he rose to meet the firebender head on. Aang swung his arm back scooping up the air as he prepared to throw the massive wind ball.
Zuko saw it and just as quickly threw a flame. They smashed causing an explosion that flung both men backwards. Zuko brought out his whips of fire and cracked them on either side of Aang.
Aang not to be outdone brought out his wind sword. He slashed through the middle of the fire and hit Zuko's left hand. The ferocity of the swipe cut deep into the skin. His blood swelled and poured out of the wound bathing his left hand.
Zuko raised terror stricken eyes to Aang.
The monk was breathing hard. The hatred unmasked and out in the open for the first time. "Why?" Aang roared the flames erupting out his mouth along with his question. He stalked the bleeding boy. "Why her? You could've had anybody. You're the Firelord. Thousands of girls were at your beck and call."
Aang took hold of his wrist and cruelly cauterized the wound. Zuko screamed in agony attempting to drag himself from the angry nomad. "I had only her. She was the only thing keeping me in this world. The only reason I survived Ozai. Risked my very essence to save you, just to have you take her from me. My friend, my brother. How could you?"
Zuko broke Aang's hold and hopped to his feet. He ran and tripped falling face down on the packed earth, throwing clumsy cover fire. "It was a mistake but I learned my lesson. I felt the same betrayal you did when I saw Mai in your arms." He recovered but he was on the offensive now, his hands spread out.
His impressive currents of fire were extinguished by Aang's dismissive winds. He had not quite understood the destructive power of air but its ruthlessness was obvious. Aang blasted Zuko's fire back at him, his wind making it burn hotter.
Losing control was something Zuko had not be prepared for. He encased them in fire but Aang only funneled up and away from him. Aang stuck his hands into the fire and split it apart. He was waiting, hoping for some response that would cool his ire.
"Did you? The exact same betrayal? I don't think so your highness." Aang stretched out his hand and wrapped Zuko's ankle before raising him from the ground only to slap him back down. "The same would be if I made Mai mine. Then we'd be even. That would be square." Aang drew a square on the ground and dragged Zuko along it.
Bloodied and beaten, Zuko managed to make a circular fire which swirled around them both. "Go ahead, burn us both if you're so angry. You aren't the man Katara thinks you are. That man would never act on his revenge." Zuko gleefully shouted.
In a flat stroke, Aang stamped out the fire. He pulled Zuko up by his lapels, his face inches from Zuko's "I guess she doesn't know me as well as she thought. I certainly didn't know her. I thought I knew you. But I had no idea you were such a pathetic excuse for a friend."
Broken, Zuko stared up at him, "I was a lousy friend. I was a lousy brother. I don't deserve to ask for your forgiveness. I don't deserve Mai. She doesn't deserve to be shackled to me when she can have someone better. When she can have you, make her happy."
Aang dropped him as if bitten. He saw what he had done for the first time. He was no better than Zuko. He was the Avatar. He was supposed to get past these worldly urges, he thought of Mai and Katara. He had passed judgment on their fight but they had not gone as far as he had.
He was dangerously close to losing control and if he did he wouldn't be able to stop himself. He shook trying to keep the gale force winds at bay. Zuko limped to his feet keeping a wary distance as Aang tried to smother the rage he had suppressed for far too long.
Aang's gray colored eyes darkened turning almost black. Zuko dived backwards as Aang ascended into the sky tearing a deep crater into the earth beneath him.
It was begging for release and Aang quickly lost the battle.
Zuko could only helplessly watch as Aang's rage, fear, agony and sadness expressed itself in the four elements. Zuko rolled into the crater to avoid being crushed by the raging slabs tearing through the ground. He climbed from tree to tree as fearsome fires broke out and set the brush ablaze.
Whatever trees hadn't been burnt were twisted in anguish as their natural water source was stripped and used to cut them down. The air itself blew and wailed expressing its master's pain.
Zuko shot a jet of fire directly upward intent on breaking Aang out of his destructive trance. Suspended on his air ball he laid down a massive cone that spiraled and dissolved the fire. Zuko seeing no other alternative shot lightning directly into the sphere.
Aang looked down and redirected the lighting back to its source. Zuko had one chance if he did it wrong one of them would die. He had caused what was happening to Aang. It was him that had to stop it.
"ZUKO, NO!" Katara and Mai yelled in unison.
"I'm sorry Aang. Forgive me." Zuko whispered. The lighting hit him a split second later absorbing him in a brilliant white light. The light seemed to bounce and pierced Aang. The wind came to a screaming stop and he plunged to the earth.
"NO! AANG!" Katara shouted running to catch him. She wasn't gonna make it she was too slow. Mai plunged several knives into the trees nearest her and Katara silently thanked her. She skipped from knife to knife until she caught Aang's body. She plastered his body to hers and submerged them in a water bubble.
The bubble burst as they landed but at least they survived the fall. Toph and Sokka ran into the clearing and stared at the awful sight before them. Mai was draped across Zuko and Katara was draped across Aang.
The girls were holding hands, tears rolling down their faces and onto the boys.