Author's Note: Alright! The anticipated update has arrived! Enjoy and don't forget to let me know what you think! :D

Chapter Eight

"Azula!" he shouted. She came to a halt in the middle of the courtyard. Blossoming fire flowers danced in the breeze that drifted past, the fresh fragrant settling in the air around them as it died away. Silence fell over them, and metal hissed as Zuko drew Iroh's swords once more. She turned to face him, a calm smirk crossing her lips.

"You caught me," she said. A fire burned in his amber eyes, and she tilted her head with playful curiosity. "So now what, Zuko? Are you going to futilely attempt to defeat me, or ask your friends to do it for you?" Zuko didn't respond, just waited for her to make her move. "Fighting you will be a waste of time Zuko – it's too easy. You know you can't defeat me." He bent low into a battle stance, lips pressed tightly together and eyes intently focused. "Fine, have it your way."

Swiftly, she shot a blast of fire his way, and he easily deflected. Blue embers shot skyward as they hit his blade. She steadily approached, fire spurting from her outstretched arm with every step. Finally, she was close enough, and Zuko made a quick dash to the left. Surprised, she backed up, turning sharply on her heel, and he struck. His shin hit her knees, and they buckled beneath her, sending her to the dust-coated cobblestones. With excellent reflexes, she jumped to her feet. Not expecting such a swift recovery, Zuko didn't have the time to defend against the quick blue blaze that shot past him. Skin blistered painfully in its wake, and he stumbled backwards.

Fire blossomed from her fist, a plume that spiraled wildly towards him. He raised the broadswords, muscles straining to deflect the attack. She attacked low, blue embers spilling forward. Zuko yelped as they nipped his ankles, jumping back from the attack.

"I have to ask, Zuko," Azula jested. "Why is it that you haven't been bending? Don't tell me you've lost your drive to bend." She approached Zuko, and he stepped away to keep the distance between them. A torch formed in her palm, the dangerous heat gleaming against her eye. A smirk curled across her lips. "How pathetic."

"It doesn't matter, Azula," he said, now standing his ground. "I won't forgive you for what you've done."

"And what exactly would that be, Zuko?" Azula asked smartly, continuing her approach. "How I convinced you that it was your fault that the Avatar was dead? That you had betrayed those petty friends of yours? Or how I convinced you that they had in fact betrayed you?"

"You used me, Azula," Zuko spat.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she mocked. He took a step back as she continued, now closing the gap between them. "Did I hurt your feelings, ZuZu? Are you going to go crying to your friends, now?" She laughed manically, blasting the fire towards him. Instinctively, he dodged right, taking a few steps backward as he regained his balance. The embers spread across the flowerbed, the fire flowers blackened and crumbled beneath the flames. Smoke spat upward, heavy and thick in the humid air. "You're right, Zuko. I did use you. And it was easy, really. All I had to do was say a few nice words and smile the right way." Zuko felt his back press against the cool brick of the courtyard wall, smoke still rising to his left. He clenched his teeth, and his grip tightened around the dragon-shaped hilt.

"Shut up, Azula," he yelled. His chest tightened and burned with fury, the fire inside him beginning to rage as strongly as the swelling flames that had begun to inch closer. Azula ignored his threat.

"I honestly wasn't expecting you to fall for it as easily as you did. You're more of a fool than I thought." She smirked, and continued. "All your life, you've been nothing but a failure. A useless failure, Zuko. To our father, to your country, even to your so-called friends. You are pathetic!"

Suddenly blue sparks erupted around him; Zuko felt a sharp pain cut through him and his eyes closed tight. Azula stood dumbfounded before him, mouth ajar and wide-eyed. Lightning spat from his body, leaving small paths of fire as they cut through the grass and dirt. She took a step back, hesitant and dazed by what was happening. A scream echoed in Zuko's ears, hoarse and pained as it escaped his lips. A bolt dashed forward, the high-pitched hum cutting through the air as it sliced clean through red-and-gold embroidered fabric and the pale flesh beneath.

*~*0*~*0*~*0*~*

"This way!" Toph yelled, directing the group to the nearby stairway.

"Are you sure?" Katara asked urgently.

"No, but I can hear them – it sounds like it's coming from this way," she replied running upward, and cutting a sharp left. "They're battling."

"You mean Zuko's fighting Azula?" Sokka exclaimed with surprise.

"Has he lost his mind?" Suki added.

"Apparently so," Mai answered. They cut back around to the right and then left to a long corridor. At the end, a stone stairwell to the left ascended towards the ceiling, going past their view.

"It's a dead end!" Sokka yelled over the pounding footsteps that echoed through the corridor.

"No, it's not!" Toph yelled. "We're close!" Not hesitating, the group bounded up the stairs, bursting through the door at the top. The bright mid-day sun flooded their eyes, and the group hesitated as they surveyed the area.

"They're down there!" Suki said, pointing to the scene across the courtyard. From above, they saw the smoke that drifted up from the flames that had spread across the flower bed. Zuko had backed against the wall, and Azula approached him, closing the distance. She spoke, but the words were lost in the thick summer air.

"We have to help him!" Katara said.

"But how?"Suki replied.

"This way," Mai said, walking down the path. Raised sides protected against accidental falls on either side. They followed, and at the corner stood a round gazebo look out. "The next one has another staircase," she said as she continued. Suddenly, a flash of bright blue filled the courtyard. Static danced through the air, shooting upwards into the sky.

"What's happening?!" Toph yelled. The humming screech suddenly mixed with a hoarse scream, lightning erupting from Zuko's body.

Azula took a hesitant step backwards, deadly streaks cutting closer. A bolt dashed forward and collided with her body. It shook, convulsing with the impact as it sliced clean through. And as quickly as it started, the flash was gone. Azula felt to the sweet summer grass, crimson seeping through the delicately crafted cloth and onto green blades that danced in the shuddering air. Zuko slid down the wall, still warm from his attack. Muscles ached and his insides screamed; breaths came short and sporadic, hard to catch.

"Zuko!" Weakly, he turned as the group rushed over to him. Katara knelt beside him, instinctively pulling her canteen. Mai knelt at his other side, pale hands warm against his shoulders. His body felt cold and distant. A trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his lips, and eyelids drooped.

"That was amazing!" Sokka exclaimed. "I didn't know you could bend lightning!"

"It certainly did the trick," Suki said as her fingers slid across Azula's neck, searching for any sign of life.

"She's dead," Toph said bluntly, focusing on Zuko. "And Zuko…"

"-Will be fine," Katara finished, attempting to heal his wounds. The water was warm against his abdomen, and Zuko tried to focus on her eyes – a deep blue, like water. Focused, intent. The bead of sweat that ran down her forehead.

"You're sure?" Mai asked with a light urgency lingering in her words.

"No," Toph replied. She shook her head slowly, and a tear slid down her cheek. "You're lying, Katara…"

"I…I don't know," she said. "He's bleeding internally – and bad. I'm not sure… I'm going to do what I can."

"He's slipping away," Toph replied. The words were muffled, barely audible over the trembling grass and crackling of the nearby flames that had begun to die. Blue swam with tears, blurring in and out of focus. His weak gaze drifted away from those eyes. Blue. Sky blue. Painted with white. Swirls of black that mingled with the summer clouds. The brief scent of smoke and summer fire flowers that blossomed nearby. Thick humid air hung in his chest, heavy and weak. Eyelids became hard to keep open against the sunlight and he shuddered silently.

And he did what his uncle taught him to do long ago.

Breathe in…breathe out…breathe in…breathe out…