hey everyone, remember way back when? that time i said i'd update soon cuz it was a cliff hanger? well, i lied. but at long last, the final chapter has arrived!

however, i feel the need to remind you all of one thing: it's an agni kai, people, it's gonna be violent! just brace yourselves, okay?

"You're on!" Zuko growled, the barely suppressed rage in his voice almost scaring the Waterbender at his side.

The slow smile spreading across the Avatar's face was far more frightening.

The duel began without ceremony. What it lacked in formality was made up for in ferocity.

Fury blinded the Fire Lord. For Zuko, there was no wait to strike, no stop to think, no halt to defend. There was only attack, and attack was what he did.

"Oh, Zuko, you fight just like your father!" Aang commented lightly as he easily evaded another barrage of flame. Katara was painfully reminded of Azula.

There was fire all around him now, nearly white with blistering heat. Still Zuko urged it to grow stronger- and more uncontrollable.

He snapped out a quick kick, the blaze singeing Aang's tunic as he barely avoided the attack. "Control your element, Zuko," the Avatar continued to taunt him regardless. "If you can't manage that, then it seems the almighty Fire Lord has lost a few steps."

He wasn't even bothering to block Aang's attacks now- just meeting them head on, letting his offense provide defense as well. One fierce chop used to disperse the Avatar's flames left his hand steaming.

Katara was ashamed of herself. She'd gotten him into this mess. If he could only hold up for a few more seconds while she tried to think of something...

She froze. Aang was hurtling toward Zuko now, flame trailing from his fists. Suddenly he jumped, natural acrobatics allowing him to come down from a dangerously high angle, and brought his foot down in a blazing arc on the Firebender's chest.

The pain was shocking. The blow had hit him exactly on the lightning scar, and now he was reliving the lethal strike from his sister as well as the agony of the new one that had awakened it.

The dark red staining his tunic seemed surreal to Katara. This was her invincible Zuko- he couldn't be hurt by anything. He was falling now, as if in slow motion, and suddenly she was back in that courtyard, watching the final showdown with Azula. Except this wasn't Azula. This was Aang.

Zuko saw only blackness. He was beginning to come to his senses now, the throbbing in his chest just less than unbearable. Only just.

Sleep now, Fire Lord Zuko... The voice of the blue dragon came back to him. The blue one had been evil, hadn't it? It had been so like his sister...

And now, he was going to kill the person she loved most.

But really, was that such a bad idea? It seemed like such good advice... The pain in his chest was so horrible... He was sure that after he'd had some sleep, he would feel so much better...

A new voice was coming to him now, as he drifted into the blackness. He wondered idly if it was Uncle, come to pester him about leaving this comfortable haze, or maybe his mother. Somewhere in his mind he was sure that if he slept, he could see her again...

The silver glow was so fast she almost missed it. But it had been unmistakable. Aang had summoned the power of every Avatar before him. And he was going to put it to use.

This is all your fault, you know. Whose voice was that? He was sure it was someone important... His memories were starting to slip away now, the voices growing dimmer. Suddenly it was very important to know who this new speaker was. After he found out, he could slip back into this wonderful slumber...

He raised a hand for the final blow...

Slowly, painfully, he forced himself to move away from the inviting blackness. Now the sound was louder. I'm leaving.

He desperately wanted the voice to stay with him. He loved it, even though it seemed angry. Zuko wondered why it seemed so annoyed by his presence. He clawed his way further out of the dark void, following the sound.

You gave the world a second chance. You gave yourself one too. Now the voice seemed tender, compassionate. All of these words seemed familiar to him. Someone had told him these things once. But that was part of a different lifetime. A lifetime in which he had had a sister who had blue fire, a lifetime in which he had had a lover who had blue eyes...

"Zuko! Please, please get up! I need you! You can't be gone, not yet, there's so much I need to say to you... I never told you... Not once... I never said 'I love you'. And now... you'll never know..." Katara broke off, convinced that he was gone and unable to say any more even if he wasn't. Aang's fist was descending now, and fast. If Zuko didn't get out of the way in time...

He knew now who had said each of those things to him. It was Katara. The mere thought of her name sent a thousand emotions flowing through his body, the darkness falling away and into a blindingly white world.

Katara knew that no matter what happened, Zuko wouldn't want her to interfere. He was so noble that way, shouldering the blame and taking the punishment without a word. She remembered all too well his last Agni Kai. "This way, no one else has to get hurt." If she interfered, Zuko could lose his honor.

If she didn't, he could lose his life.

Her thoughts were in a turmoil, but they passed through her mind in a heartbeat. Now, with Aang seconds from impact, everything had shut down.

When the Fire Lord swept the Avatar, it took her completely by surprise.

Now Aang was on the ground and Zuko, though barely able to do so, was standing over him. "I'm sparing you," he said calmly, but when he started coughing up blood Katara wondered if he had the strength to do otherwise. Bravely, the Fire Lord ignored the gore and stood tall again, regaining his composure. "Don't let me regret it."

He stumbled towards the Waterbender he'd sacrificed so much for, and she held him as close as his injury would allow. "Zuko... I can't believe this..." she murmured softly.

"You're not gonna get rid of me that easily," he whispered into her hair, and for the first time in what felt like eternity she laughed, and began the healing process.

"You defeated me, Zuko. You were willing to give up your life for her. I know now that you belong together. I'm sorry it took this much for me to realize that." Aang paused, smiling sadly. He seemed like he was back to being the Avatar they knew so well, calm and peaceful again- just regretful. "Take care of her for me, okay?"

"I dunno Aang, she's pretty adventurous. I think she can take care of herself just fine," Zuko smiled ruefully up at the master bender who was saving his life as they spoke.

"I'm not totally self-sufficient, Zuko," Katara reminded him. She smirked deviously. "Besides, I could use a little company on my adventurous adventures."

"Well, I'm always one for a little excitement," the Fire Lord grinned back.

"Then I guess we're in this together. I think our marriage is going to work out a lot better this time around."

Aang, feeling an intruder, decided it was time to go and allow the lovers to enjoy each other's company. He took to the skies, thinking wistfully of the Waterbender he was leaving behind, but happy that she was happy. That would be enough for him.

Yugoda, watching the sky bison's disappearing form until it vanished beyond the horizon, turned her attention back to her latest pet pairing and smiled.

How she loved happy endings.

review, review, review, i'm BEGGING you!!! ha ha i totally forgot about mai, o well i always hated her anywho... if you think i need to add some mai closure or add one more chapter to show their happiness together, let me know, but otherwise i'm just gonna leave it like this. i don't really like the ending but i wasn't sure how to wrap things up, and it could hardly go on after the agni kai was over. i'm not sure how the fight scene turned out, since it was my first ever, but i liked the story well enough overall. tell me what YOU thought!

see you around!

z4e