Hey all! Sorry this is so late... but please enjoy, notes are at the bottom, and I'm warning you now, it's not a pretty chapter. But please read and review! and this chapter is DEDICATED TO HSM2FANGURL, AVATARWOLF, AND KATAANG123. YOU GUYS ROCK! AS DO YOU ALL MY READERS! read and review please! and thanks for your patience!
Avatarone3
Zuko continued to get stronger with each passing minute as he took down more fire and earthbenders and continued to finish the war. He was badly beaten up on the outside, but his inner fire kept growing with each slice at someone's neck and each kick breaking bones and every time he took down someone with now unstoppable firebending.
Suddenly he saw his sister, and at that moment, wanted nothing more than to kill her for all of the pain and suffering she had caused him. Ozai was Aang's. And Azula was his. And what better way to start it off than by scaring her by coming back from the dead? After all, Azula didn't know that Zuko had survived.
She took out a few earth and waterbenders, and she started to run. But she saw a dark shadow leap over her, land on his knees in front of her, and the figure rose slowly.
"You will die, peasant!" she screamed, aiming her lightning at him. The stranger immediately took a certain stance, took the lightning within his own body, and redirected it back at her. It blew up in her face, but she jumped it, her face twisted into a snarl. The figure rose once more, and she saw his face. His eyes were blood red from the solstice, and pure hate and malice all towards her was written on his face. Her eyes widened.
"No…you were dead!" she screamed angrily, shooting more lightning bolts one after the other at him, but each time, he directed it back towards her. Finally, she stopped. "You know, Zuzu, sooner or later you'll have to give in. We both know who's more powerful. Why don't you just make it easy for both of us and let me kill you now?"
"Never!" he hissed.
A small smile crept over her lips as she prepared to attack. "I was expecting that…"
They both ran towards each other, intent on killing. Brother and sister dueled in the Agni Kai they both had always wanted to win. Quick spins and kicks came from all sides as flame shot everywhere. They both had mastered, but Azula knew more to it.
She flipped onto her hands, and arching her back to where her feet were in front of her head, bent fire in a circle with her legs, and then leapt back onto her feet, taking the fire circle she had created and spinning it. She jumped up, and pushing her feet against the inside circle of the ring, pushed off, spinning her body until the ring formed around her into a spinning dagger-like spear of fire. She launched herself toward him, and all he could do was firebend the spear, pushing his hands toward it with all his might. There was an explosion as the spear hit the prince's fire, and Zuko skidded on his back backwards, while Azula jumped back, unscathed. And although Zuko did prevent the firespear from piercing and killing him, the explosion knocked him out.
Azula smiled. She ran and jumped, aiming lightning straight at her brother's heart, but suddenly a burst of yellow protected his body and got in the princess's way. Azula lost her concentration. She fell to the side, but tried again. She jumped and landed, but she wasn't staring at Zuko. A face was in front of his, blocking his body. Yes, Ara was airbending tiny yet strong currents under her body, but on top of Zuko's, levitating, for she was protecting him with her own body.
"Hi!" she smiled at Azula, but swiftly frowned and took a deep airbender's breath. Azula gasped and then screamed as she was blown far away into the air, away from them.
Ara airbended herself off of Zuko, but onto her knees next to him. She helped him sit up, and he groaned. "Ara? What happened to Azula?"
"I blew her away. Literally. She nearly killed you."
She helped Zuko up. He felt the back of his head, where a giant lump was forming.
"Ara, you saved my life—again."
"You mean a lot to me. I'd die if I lost you." She looked towards the line at more oncoming soldiers. "Just don't die, okay?"
She ran and formed an air scooter and bent her remaining water out around her hear like a whip. She swung it around in a sharp blade, killing a few around her. And she disappeared. Zuko took off again too.
But suddenly, Ara became dizzy. Before she could do anything, an uncomfortable heat flared up deep in her heart and soul, and her world went dark.
Katara was doing okay, for two broken arms and severe burns. But her energy slowly drained from her. She needed to find Aang, and fast. The firebenders kept getting stronger, and suddenly, as if out of nowhere, she was surrounded. The waterbender bent the octopus form with what little water she had left, but every minute she used it, every minute more water evaporated into the scorching heat. Many still began to surround her, and now her water was nearly completely gone.
Suddenly a Dai Li agent sunk her feet into the ground. She tried to get free, but it was no use. She was stuck.
"So, this is it," she whispered. She closed her eyes. The firebenders shot at her with all of their might, and she braced herself for the pain, the agony, her death.
A figure suddenly jumped in front of her, firebending both of them into a protective fire ball. She looked up. "Iroh!" she cried. He smiled back at her. "Tight fix, huh Katara?" she grinned sheepishly.
The Firelord ended the protection, and he attacked with the strength and ferocity of 15 men. He kicked and shot flame and fought with such skill and beauty that Katara couldn't help but marvel. But she broke out of the trance when she saw a soldier to Iroh's right about to take him down. She immediately sliced through the ground with the only precious drops she had left, undug her feet, and lunged to defend the man who had saved her life. She took what remaining water she had, and even bent the water out of her own body to protect him, and formed a water shield. She bent into the octopus form, and grabbing a few men at a time, threw them high above and far away.
Iroh turned to smile at Katara, but then ran to catch her as she fell backwards, dehydrated and weak. Iroh caught her. "Katara!" he cried, but as the old man held the young woman, he knew he had to find her some water, just to save her life. He quickly scanned the view around him and saw a fallen waterbender. He nimbly carried Katara over and took the dead waterbender's flask. Surprisingly, it was nearly full, so he poured a bit onto Katara first and into her mouth. Her skin soaked it up like a sponge, and she immediately woke up, coughing. Iroh handed her the water skin.
"Drink a bit to renew your strength," he said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Iroh, thank you for saving my life. I thank you so much!"
"Not to worry. You are fine now. But what happened to your arms?"
Katara looked down at her makeshift casts. "I shattered both my arms trying to save Sokka."
"Oh, Sokka," Iroh said, bowing his head in sadness. "I'm so sorry, Katara."
"No, you don't understand, he's safe at the medical ward."
"Oh, I'm glad. I thought he had died."
"No. Please…my brother?" she smiled as she got to her feet and took him by the hand. "C'mon. We need to find Aang. He needs help against Ozai."
Aang could feel his unlimited power growing; not just from the solstice, but he could feel the power from his past lives growing within him as well.
It was now 10 o'clock in the evening, and the sun was still far away from the western horizon. The sky was a deep red, and the air seemed to pulse with the heat, as if the life of the sun gave the air around the armies life, giving it a heartbeat.
The young Avatar was bruised, swollen, stabbed, cut, bleeding, and burned, but his mind never focused on the pain. It was all on killing Ozai. The pain he had suffered from his wounds along the way made him kill even more soldiers with more ferocity and strength than he ever had, and it just made him fight even harder.
As he cut through the enemy, his eyes suddenly focused on Ozai. Anger, rage, fury, sadness, everything he had felt since he had first learned of Ozai built up inside of him. The ex-firelord was finishing off some of his attackers, when Aang yelled, letting all of his emotions finally go.
"O…ZAIIIIIII!!" his yell echoed across the battlefield.
Even though the three were split up, Katara, Zuko, and Iroh each stopped in their tracks when they heard him.
"Uh oh…"
Ozai turned at his name and saw the Avatar standing there.
"Finally," he smirked, "We haven't seen each other in over 20 years. You and I have gotten wiser, stronger, and more powerful. But you won't stop me, even for an Avatar."
"You don't scare me, Ozai. I will kill you, here and now!"
"Let us test that."
Ozai suddenly shot all of his fury towards Aang, exploding and racing for him. Aang bent it away from his body, then twisted and let his fire blast towards the firebender.
They both ran at each other and they met, flames blasting everywhere.
Ara kept fighting. For some reason, that odd feeling she got never faded. All she felt now was anger, hate, and murderous revenge. She now killed like an assassin, taking out more soldiers than anyone.
Soon, everyone around her was dead, but she heard a footstep behind her.
"So, you're the Avatar's daughter," Azula's snakelike voice hissed. "Well, it seems I want the glory of killing one of the last, a little girl, a weak airbender. I'd like to be the one to do it."
"You completely underestimate me, Azula," Ara shot evilly and equally vilely back. "I am also a waterbender. And a master of both. And it is you who will die. My family has suffered too much from you. And I will make you pay."
She spun around and took out her remaining water. She bent it into a long stream, but Azula shot blue flame at the girl, and the water completely evaporated. So Ara resorted to her airbending and her other arts. She backflipped three times and dodged around her attacker, slapping her and cutting up her face with strong, merciless gusts of wind. She was too quick for Azula. But the princess was more powerful.
Quickly as Ara came around on an air scooter, Azula extended her left hand and foot and shot flame towards the spinning air ball, causing it to explode, and Ara flew, crashing feet away on her back. She groaned once, but her eyes widened as she saw the princess jumping towards her, one hand in the air, flame shooting upwards, and she brought her hand forcefully down, arching the flame and aiming it at the airbender's body.
But Ara was quick. She quickly spun her legs around her head, leaping up onto her feet into a solid stance and she kicked Azula over before the firebender even had a chance to burn or kill her. Ara began her offense, using punches and jabs that Ty Lee had taught her. She then flipped around, grabbed two swords of a fallen soldier like she had done hours before, and with Zuko's training, attacked. She swung the blades around in one motion, making Azula duck and spin as Ara tried to kill her. But almost every time Ara missed. She then swung one of the blades back towards Azula, bending a thin air strip, slashing and cutting the princess up until she was bleeding all over. But Azula was doing just as much damage when she could. She expanded her flames, so Ara had received even more numerous burns. The two benders fought to the death, and both knew that there would be only one winner.
Suddenly, Azula moved her hands in a circle, and with lightning sparking and growing around her, aimed at Ara. But she didn't know that the girl was ready for that.
The princess shot at the young airbender, who easily and expertly extended her right hand towards Azula, which took the lightning and passed it through her body. She extended her left hand to the blood-red sky, where the lightning exited her, shot upwards, and disappeared in a flash.
Azula's grin turned to shock as her greatest weapon was avoided and manipulated by the younger woman. She definitely had underestimated her. But by now both were exhausted, injured, bloody, hair ragged, torn and a mess, burned and broken. Azula still had the power of the solstice on her side, but Ara had her parents' fight and strength coursing through her veins, including their will and determination. And now the rage filled her as well.
Neither of them backed down.
And even though Azula was proud, arrogant, selfish, and evil, she couldn't help but admire the young girl's determination, but what struck the princess the most was Ara's fury. She fought with more anger and rage in her heart and soul than any fighter, warrior, or firebender Azula had ever seen, maybe even more than herself.
She admired the girl, but soon she shook off those thoughts, afraid to let her guard down. She blasted flame after blue flame towards her, but the water-airbender evaded it. After a half hour of fighting, Azula grew impatient.
"Just give in already!" the princess screamed, starting to lose it. She threw everything she had at the airbender, and still Ara dodged, threw some air blasts at Azula, hitting her a few times.
Ara knew she had to defeat Azula, one way or the other, or she would perish and her family's suffering would never be avenged. She looked around, looking for some water to bend, when she suddenly saw the drinking flask of a dead fire nation soldier. Only one problem: it was next to Azula.
Ara ran towards Azula, bending and spinning on an air scooter, ready to hit the princess head on. She kept slapping Azula with gusts of wind, and the princess's cheeks were now red, raw, and bloody. And she couldn't shoot down the airbender.
But she tried one more thing. She quickly bent a large, burning firewhip. And instead of aiming at the air scooter, she locked onto the movements of the girl. And Ara was expecting Azula to lash out and/or knock her simply off of her scooter.
She never saw it coming.
As the airbender flew over Azula, she let go of her air scooter and let gravity take hold so she could reach the water. But Azula took her firewhip, and, grabbing the girl by her boot in midair, threw and slapped Ara—hard—to the ground. When the dust cleared, Ara's body didn't move.
Ara laid flat on her face, and Azula walked up and kicked the girl onto her back with the tip of her boot, but Ara didn't respond. The fire nation princess grabbed Ara by her clothing and lifted her up, fire searing from her upturned palm, ready to defeat her in the same way that she had almost defeated the Avatar on the drill all those years ago. She then looked at the girl's neck, where a beautiful stone shined. The Avatar's arrow and the Avatar's wife's design stood out proudly. Azula smiled, knowing she definitely had their daughter in her control.
"Finally," she breathed, "I still win. I always do."
She lifted her hand back and prepared to kill Ara.
But Ara suddenly woke up, and seeing Azula ready to destroy her, shot herself upwards out of the princess's grip, pushed off of Azula's head, and dove for the water flask. She reached it, her hate, anger and rage now coming to a boiling point inside of her. It still burned fiercely.
Now it was Azula's turn to not be ready.
Ara shot upward a few feet off of the ground, then pushed off with airbending as if off a wall, racing faster than the wind towards Azula, and the young girl leapt towards the princess with all of her might, hands reaching for her neck.
She knocked Azula down, a firm grasp around her neck, choking her with all of her strength and ferocity. Azula somehow managed to place her feet under Ara's body on top of her, and she kicked her off.
Azula sucked in a gulp of air. She hadn't expected the young girl to go that far.
And now the princess realized: Ara was out for blood.
The princess dove back, now relying on instinct of nature instead of her firebending, and grabbed hold of Ara's throat, shoving her to the ground, crushing her windpipe. Ara managed to do the same thing Azula did with her feet, but Azula didn't let go. So they were now both on their feet, but the princess leaned over Ara, continuing to choke her. Ara tried to break free from her grip, but Azula only tightened it, her sharp fingernails cutting deep into Ara's skin, drawing what little blood she had left.
Suddenly, the anger, heat, fury, sadness, fear, and power exploded inside of Ara. Her stare locked deep into Azula's, and the hatred Azula saw in those grey eyes now sparked with red made her blood run cold.
She backed up a step, but didn't let go of her grip with one hand as she moved her other wrist around, and electricity sparked.
She shoved that hand deep into Ara's chest, the lightning coursing through her still-weak body. Ara tried to scream, but she was still being choked, and all that came out was a gurgle. But even as she was electrocuted, Ara grew more powerful; more anger and hatred filled her.
"NOOO!!" she managed to yell through Azula's death grip, and with her last breath, cried out, "For my family!!"
One hand dropped to the ground, where she suddenly bent the water out of the pouch that she dropped below her onto that hand, and with her last energy in the blink of an eye, froze the water into a long, deadly dagger. She shoved it under the woman's death grip, and buried it deep into Azula's chest.
The princess dropped her grip from Ara's neck, and the furious airbender sucked in a deep breath. But she stood now as she still had the dagger in her hand in Azula's chest. The princess fell to her knees.
Azula's eyes stared into that of Ara's; the evil and wickedness in the princess's eyes were now gone, and in their place was fear, surprise, and unimaginable pain. Those strong, haunting grey eyes stared down into her gold ones, and Azula gasped for air.
But Ara's rage wasn't over yet, and neither was Azula's life.
"For too long you have trued to kill nearly every member of my family," Ara angrily whispered to Azula's ear through gritted teeth, "For too long you have shoved fear into people's souls. I always heard stories and saw of how you killed my mom, dad, Zuko, and Mai, and thankfully, they all came back. But many others didn't. You gave my life and my family's life agonizing pain and torment. But you!" she screamed, "You will never hurt another person or see another day again!"
Ara shoved the dagger in as deep as she could, and Azula choked. Blood ran in a rivulet from the corner of her mouth down her chin. Ara's angry eyes flew to Azula's once more, and they only found death's glaze slowly overflowing them. Her blood ran pulsing down the ice dagger, onto Ara, onto the already bloodied earth.
Ara fiercely pulled out the ice dagger, let go of the body, and stared. Her hand held the bloody dagger so furiously that her knuckles turned white and it began to melt in her hand from her grip. And as the body hit the ground with a thud, Ara breathed out, still catching her breath, still angry. She fell to her hands and knees once, took a deep breath, and rose once more.
Zuko had watched the entire battle, his mouth hanging open. He couldn't believe it. His best friend—his adopted daughter—his protector—had killed the most dangerous, evil woman in the world. His sister.
Ara had done what many more powerful benders had wanted to do, yet could not. And yet she had used the simplest of weapons—a dagger.
Still, through his shock, Zuko was more proud of her than ever before in her life. He had even watched as Ara redirected lightning. He thought that only firebenders could do that. She must have seen me practice so many times that she taught herself, he thought. He was glad she did. She was truly a master. And when he began to watch the fight, he knew he vowed to protect her, to save her. He wanted to jump in and help, especially when she was close to suffocating to death. But something kept him still, something kept his feet glued to the ground, like he knew she would win. So he stayed where he was. And he couldn't stop smiling.
But when she turned to look at him, his smile disappeared.
Instead of Ara, someone else was there, staring at him. A stranger. It was her, but not her. Her eyes were dilated red, and more hate, anger, and rage showed in her eyes and face than ever before. She was beaten up, bleeding, burned, and cut, her sweat and blood dripping down, and her hair was in strands; one of her hair loops even was out of its place and hung down. Her clothes were burned and torn. And she had a wound on her chest, just below her necklace, where the lightning had made its mark.
But her eyes; oh, they scared him! He had never before in his life seen anyone that full of anger, not even his sister or father. But the girl he knew, that he raised, that he trained, that he loved, wasn't there. Her eyes, her expression, the hatred she showed was nearly indescribable. Ara was gone.
"Ara?"
"Get back to the war," she said, in a voice so unlike her own that it made him shiver, even in the blistering heat.
She held the dagger out and melted it. The bloody water slipped through her fingers, but she caught it in the other hand and bent it back into the pouch. And without another word, she raced on an air scooter to the now oncoming enemy, ready to kill once more.
Zuko walked by the body of his sister. Her eyes were glazed over and her blood was everywhere. But Zuko felt like a great weight had been lifted off of his chest.
"Goodbye, Azula."
He started to run; he needed to find Aang and Katara.
Aang threw everything he had and tried everything he had ever learned at Ozai. The Firelord and the Avatar had been dueling for over an hour, both unwilling to back down, both beaten, broken, and scorched, but the fire in their hearts and souls made them fight to unending limits. But Aang had secretly given in bit by bit the moment the battle started, and now Ozai started to see it. He smiled wickedly, shooting flame and lightning endlessly towards the weakened Avatar. Aang shot back, using earth and air as well, but everything he did, because he wasn't using his inner fire with the other elements, increased his weakness.
What made it even worse for Aang was that suddenly as he was to attack Ozai, two Dai Li agents leapt out of the ground in front of him, and he had no time to react as one of them kicked a large boulder up and towards him.
It hit the Avatar full on, causing him to fly backwards and skid across the ground. When he was hit, Aang felt something crack, and the pain he felt washed over his whole body and shot up his backbone. Numbness overcame him up and down his spine where the pain did not. And something deep inside him hurt painfully, too, like he had exploded inside. But he had no time to cry out.
He slowly, painfully, and shakily stood up, and with fury and fire still filling the young man down to his soul, ran toward the Dai Li as best as he could, expertly earthbending them off of their feet and killing them as he shot boulders and flame.
At this point, Katara and Zuko had met up, and, running together, now found Aang and Ozai battling. Katara ran to help him, but Zuko grabbed her.
"Katara, no! this is Aang's destiny. Let him do it."
Aang airbended over the two boulders and the crushed Dai Li, and he swung fire straight at Ozai. But the older firebender dodged and spun flame around, shooting out from his hands and feet. Aang circled himself in flames, but the Firelord added lightning to the attack, which the fire protection didn't defend. It exploded and Aang flew backwards, his back hitting the ground first, and he screamed in pain.
Katara gasped, but Zuko held her in a tight grip, but strong embrace. He held her close as he felt her shake with anger, and he shook as well to hear his best friend scream like that. He had never known anything to make a sound like that. And it scared him. Unshed tears now fell, but they couldn't do anything.
Ozai relaxed from his attack form, bringing in his chi. He began to walk towards Aang, but Aang stood up painfully.
"Roku," he whispered to the sky, closing his eyes. "Please be with me. I need you now. This must end!"
He painfully raised his hands and brought them to a meditating position. Immediately his arrows glowed, but he kept his now glowing eyes closed as well. And now, he had full control of the Avatar state.
Ozai took a wary step back. As he did, thunder cracked and the earth shook. Winds blew, and a light mist fell, all at once.
Suddenly, it stopped; there was only silence and stillness in the battlefield. Nothing- not a sound was heard. But a light blue glow fell around the Avatar, and every few feet, a form appeared, until there were hundreds, maybe thousands, of translucent people, their eyes closed, all blue, all silent. But they began to walk towards Aang, still in the Avatar state.
Katara and Zuko looked around. They were also surrounded by the blue, ghost-like people. "Who are they?" Katara asked, as she stared at the few going by her. "Where did they all come from?"
Zuko's mouth widened as he recognized some. "I know those four," he said, pointing to the four people closest to Aang. "That's Roku, Kyoshi, Kuruk, and Yangchen. Of course," he awed. "All of these people are spirits; all of these people are the past Avatars. They're Aang, Aang's them! They are a part of him! His past lives!"
"Wow! They're all a part of him? There's so many!" Katara awed, but gasped as one spirit suddenly walked through her and kept walking towards Aang. She clung to Zuko, and he chuckled.
Suddenly, as Roku touched Aang, Aang's eyes opened. As he did, each Avatar's glowing eyes opened as well, and the airbenders' tattoos glowed. There was a blinding blue light flash as each Avatar swiftly and suddenly raced to enter Aang's body, giving him the physical as well as the spiritual strength and the power from all of them. And as they did, Aang once more bowed his head and closed his eyes.
Ozai became angry at this sight he could not explain.
"Come and fight, Avatar!" he yelled, full of rage.
At that sound, Aang's eyes opened, glowing a fierce blue, and suddenly a burst of light shot skywards, and he slowly rose with it. But now he was ready to end it.
His face became hate-filled, and the air around him swirled angrily with his rage. He leapt forward out of the beam, and as he hit the earth, it trembled beneath everyone's feet. Ozai lost his balance and tumbled backward, but Aang wasn't going to kill him that easily.
The Avatar bent a strong whirlwind from his palm towards and around Ozai, knocking him back forward on his feet. Aang then took what little water he had left and slashed it around and around, over and over at the Firelord until he was bleeding profusely. He finally couldn't take the Avatar's power, even for his own unlimited power, and he fell to his knees, exhausted and bloody, even after the long fight before Aang had gone into the Avatar State.
Aang punched his fist into the ground, sending boulders shooting out in a line towards Ozai, hitting him squarely, sending him flying through the air. He landed with a sickening thud, and as he moved to get up, Aang jumped through the dirt, landing next to the Firelord. He moved his wrist quickly in a circle, which bound Ozai's hands and feet into the earth, and he was lying face-up, staring in fear at the powerful man before him. He couldn't move.
Aang stared at him. "For too long you ruled your nation," he yelled, his voice mixed with the voices of his past lives within him, "as your father and grandfather did. You nearly destroyed the world. And now I am going to destroy you, bit by bit."
His right hand produced an explosion of flame. "This is partly for the Fire Nation you manipulated, but mostly, this is for Zuko!!" he screamed, shoving the flame towards Ozai's left eye.
Zuko turned his head and looked away as his father screamed in agony, the way he did when his father had burned him. Tears filled his eyes as the most anguishing memory in his life on that day hit him full on, harder than every other memory ever had. And now it was Katara's turn to hold the shaking body close to her own.
"This," Aang screamed, holding two blades of water, "is for Katara, Sokka, their mother, and the Water Tribe!" he shouted, throwing the blades, cutting near down to the bone on both of Ozai's arms. Once again the Firelord screamed in pain.
"This," Aang yelled, bending up two boulders, "is for Toph and the entire Earth Kingdom!" He thrust the rocks at Ozai's legs, shattering them with sickening snaps. Ozai groaned and writhed in anguish.
"This," Aang's voice waivered a bit before he said it, "is for my own people!" He bent some air gusts over his head, and slicing it down, slit a deep, gushing hole into Ozai's abdomen. Ozai screamed and screamed, but Aang just ignored it.
"And this— " Aang said, a little quieter. He bent all four elements up, spinning them around himself. They grew in size and speed, each element different, but connected through one person. He lifted water, earth, fire, and air over his head.
"—IS FOR THE WORLD!!" Aang screamed, anger and hatred filling him. Katara and Zuko shivered, for they had never seen him so angry, but they were proud of him.
The Avatar threw the four elements towards Ozai, and as soon as they hit him, combined together and exploded the Firelord's body. Katara and Zuko flew back from the impact, but Aang stood still as the elements exploded and the dust and smoke shot skyward and around him.
Katara and Zuko looked up through the smoke and dust and saw that the Avatar was now levitating once again, his eyes and arrows the only thing the saw of him through the thick screen.
The blinding blue flash came once again, and Aang fell to his knees, his past lives exiting his body. A light once again shot skyward, but as the Avatars all left him, they circled Aang. They spun around him, flying faster and faster. Another explosion came as they all shot skyward, shooting Aang flying backwards. He hit a boulder, and suddenly his arrows stopped glowing.
At this point Katara broke away from Zuko. "AANG!!" she screamed, and ran to him. There was still blue light circling the spot where he'd been, and now as it spun faster, dirt, rocks, weapons, and everything else began to fly around.
Katara reached Aang's side. He didn't move, but Katara had no time to say anything as she shielded his body with her own, protecting him from the flying objects around them. Zuko ran and put his arms around both Katara and Aang, trying to shield them too.
The wind picked up speed, throwing spears, swords, and other objects, and creating a powerful dust storm, blinding and surrounding everything in its path. A flying spear hit and cut a deep gash into Zuko's arm, but the pain didn't register. He only cared about protecting his family.
The light suddenly disappeared, dropping the storm, the wind, and all of the objects that were flying in the air. The sky became red once more, the solstice not over yet, and the air once again was filled with the sounds of war.
Zuko dropped his arms from around Katara and Aang, and Katara placed her hand on Aang's chest.
"Aang?" she whispered. Her voice cracked. "Aang!?"
The Avatar lay still, his chest not rising and falling, his mouth not upturned in a smile or a laugh, grey eyes closed, not looking into hers with love and peace.
A sob arose from her throat and hot tears slid down her burned cheeks.
"No, Aang! No!" she screamed. "Please, come back! I need you! Don't leave me! Aang! Please! I love you!" she grabbed his face in both hands, shaking him, yelling at him, screaming at him, to wake up. But he didn't respond.
Oh, how she wished she had more spirit oasis water, or even just some water, to bring him back. But she couldn't.
"I'm so sorry, Aang," she cried, "I'm sorry I couldn't save you." She shook as she stared at his lifeless form. Zuko pulled her into a strong hug, but she ignored it, crying as she looked at her husband's body, the body of her best friend, her hope, her everything.
Zuko held her softly as he tried to stop them, but tears slid down his cheeks as well, staring at the young man who had become his best friend and believed in him even after everything Zuko had done to the group as a teenager, but then had found his place. Aang had nearly always been there to hold him up, to help him find out who he was, and now, he was gone.
He suddenly had an idea. He sighed deeply, but shakily, and let go of Katara. If his healing worked on regular days, then that ability he had could have been at least tripled by the solstice!
He let go of Katara's hand, lit his hands on fire, and breathed in and out deeply. The fire grew to an enormous size, and it turned white this time, not blue. He ran it over Aang's body, but for no reason at all, the flames died as if Katara had snuffed them out with waterbending.
"No…" Zuko whispered, but immediately, his eyes bolted to Aang's chest, where the tiniest rise and fall could be seen. He was breathing!
"Katara, he's alive!" Zuko said. He put two fingers to the man's neck, where he could just barely fell a thin, off-rhythm heartbeat.
Katara sighed, shaking with relief. "We need to get him to safety, and help—fast," she said, getting up.
"Okay. I'll carry him, and you defend us."
"Okay."
Zuko carefully picked up the body in his arms. Katara found more water, and bending it out, protected them. "Hold on, buddy," he pleaded, as he began to run. But even then, he knew Aang was fatally injured, and he could feel the Avatar slowly slipping away in his arms.
Okay, I hope you liked it! Kataang123 and AvatarWolf and hsm2fangurl, this chapter was for you, 'cause you so wanted to see Azula die! And everyone else who wanted her dead and told me in a review, I'm sorry, but this message is for you too! Now she's dead! Hooray!
Sorry Aang and Ara readers. But the story's not over yet. But what's wrong with Ara? And will Aang survive? Stay tuned!
And I hope you liked all of the past Avatar's going into Aang and giving him that power. Hope you thought it was sweet!
Anyway, I wanted to tell all of you guys this that I wrote this before Sozin's Comet, and I have to say, I made it kind of like the ending! Okay, so you know where in Sozin's Comet, Aang earthbends Ozai's hands and feet into the ground? Well, I did that in MY story, and I started screaming at the TV when I saw it. I was like, "I DID THAT IN MY STORY!! OH MY GOSH!! AAAHHHHHHH!!" and I kept screaming, and my friend was over at my house, and she was laughing at me, and I kept screaming! And then, before Aang was going to kill Ozai, he bent all of the elements together and launched them toward him, that was in my story too, and I started screaming all over again! It was awesome! But, unlike Sozin's Comet, I killed Ozai in that way, and he blows up… for good! Just wanted to tell you guys that.
Anyway, thanks for being so patient. I really wanted to get this out to you all, and I've been so busy! But I'll try to make it a goal that I'll get the next one out to you by next Sunday. Please keep reading and reviewing! Thanks so much!
avatarone3
