Chapter Thirty – one:

-Katara-

I couldn't believe I still recognized that voice after only hearing it one time three months ago. But I still knew that voice. And somehow Zuko did too, only she called him Zuzu...weird. We both turned towards the voice to be met with the cold eyes of a girl that could only be a year younger than Zuko. She was dressed differently than when I last saw her. She had been wearing different shades of red before, but now she was wearing an earth green dress that looked like a warrior's uniform with her face painted with white, red, and black make up. Her hair was pulled up into a top knot with her bangs parted so they framed her face. Her eyes appeared to be the same color as Zuko's, but her eyes held a cold gaze as she eyed us with an evil smirk on the corner of her lips.

"Oh wow Zuko is here!" another high pitched feminine voice shouted excitedly. I brought my gaze to see another girl with braided brown hair dressed the same way as the lead girl with another girl with long, jet black hair, dressed the same as well, and had a rather bored expression on her face. Those two girls seemed rather familiar too, but I couldn't place them just yet. I was more focused on the lead girl.

"Azula!" Zuko shouted outraged. "What are you doing here?!"

"Now is that really anyway to speak to me?" she asked in mock offense.

He only growled in response. Then before I could blink all three of the girls were sent flying backwards and down half the steps they had just walked up. "Good boy Appa!" Aang shouted. "Now go and hide so she doesn't find you!"

"Get the Earth King to safety!"My brother ordered the guards nearby. They listened to him automatically and ushered him away. "Now," he turned to all of us – ignoring the fact that Zuko and I hadn't released each other – "I suggest we all…RUN!"

Zuko took hold of my hand and we all started running for the entrance to the palace. "Everyone, stay close together" Toph instructed us.

"Why?" Before anyone could receive an answer she had shot us all into the air. Iroh landed shakily without falling over as Aang used his air bending to land on his feet. Zuko also landed on his feet and caught me in his arms. My brother caught Toph before she could land flat on her stomach. Despite being in danger I noticed the tiny hint of a blush form on her cheeks. It's true; she has a crush on my brother.

Once everyone got back on their feet we followed Aang as we ran for the throne room; I guess he didn't know where else to go. I guess the Earth King's pet, Bosco, had been there recently because there was a huge bowl of water set up so at least I can use that as a form of defense. "Zuko why does that girl seem to know who you are?"

He groaned. "Long story short she's my very evil younger sister that I don't like to talk about." I should have been upset that he didn't tell me sooner, but I could have really cared less right about now since I was more focused on the fact that our lives were in danger. It wasn't long before the three girls caught up with us. Everyone took up a defensive stance. Staring at the other two girls I finally understood why I recognized them.

They were the other two girls that had surrounded me when I first woke up. I felt the need to tell Zuko. "They're the ones who were there when I first woke up."

"After they attacked us and you hit your head!" Aang exclaimed.

The girl, Azula, heard me. "I had a feeling you would run back to the Avatar, but I never expected you to also lead me to my traitorous Uncle and brother. This truly is my lucky day."

"You're the one who just tossed her out and left her in the woods to die?!" Zuko growled.

She just rolled her eyes unfazed. "Yeah I think we gathered that. So are we going to stand here all day catching up or are you going to put up a decent fight unlike the last time you tried to fight me?"

I sneaked a glanced at everyone; they were all ready. But then I noticed that the two girls standing on Azula's left and right side had a questioning look on their faces as their gazes met mine. Then Azula shot a blast of blue fire aimed right for me, but Zuko extinguished it with a swipe of his hand.

The battle was on.

Everyone seemed to be moving in a blur for me because I barely got to do any fighting; only run around to avoid being hit. Zuko – and sometimes Aang – were focused primarily on Azula while Toph, Iroh, and my brother were focused on the other two girls. Air, earth, and fire were going in different directions along with some daggers the girl with jet black hair had hidden in her sleeves, my brother's other weapons that he always carried with him, and the other girl with the braided hair was doing back flips or twisting her body in some direction so that she was never hit.

At one point Aang had been distracted by the other two girls and Zuko was left alone to face his sister. She shot her blue fire at him and he was sent back losing his balance and falling to his side. She was about to shoot at him again when I quickly pulled some water towards him to make a shield. The fire hit the water and made it evaporate, other than that Zuko was protected. Then Toph sent a boulder her way so I squatted down to help him stand up. "You ok?"

"Katara watch out!" Zuko shouted, but I heard him too late. I turned just in time to see blue fire headed straight for me so I tried to pull up another water shield for me. All it did was make the fire explode and send me flying back towards the wall I had previously been close to. I felt the right side of my head bash into the wall as I tumbled down to the floor to land painfully on my side. And the last thing I saw before I blacked out was Zuko staring at me in horror.

-Zuko-

I didn't even see it coming. Katara was trying to help me stand up when Azula shot a huge amount of blue fire right at her. "Katara watch out!" I tried to warn her but she wasn't fast enough. She tried to shield herself with some water, but it only sent her flying back towards the wall. It was like I was watching it all happen in slow motion after that. Katara hit her head on her right side with a resounding bash that everyone could hear. Then she fell to the floor to land on her side and locked eyes with me before they drifted closed.

It was if everyone froze for a split second before everyone was back in action. "No!" I heard myself shout and before I could even comprehend what I was doing I was running over to her. Azula tried to stop me by sending up a wall of fire but I just jumped right through and parted the flames. Katara wasn't moving at all and immediately I feared the worst. But after I checked for a pulse and found one – even though it was faint – I sighed in relief. I didn't want to leave her side, but the others needed my help so I ran back over to try and stop Azula and her two friends; which I finally recognized them as her only two childhood friends, Mai and Ty lee.

We kept trying to hold them off, but eventually they had started to tire us all out and we were struggling to keep up with their attacks. Despite their only being three of them they had us surrounded and practically beat. Azula just stared us down as we were all gasping for air.

"Well this has been fun, but I do believe it's apparent that victory is once again mine. Mai, Ty lee, take care of these traitors for me. I need to have a little talk with the Earth King." She was about to walk away when Ty lee did the one thing no one ever dares to try in front of her; speak her mind freely.

"Azula I can't do that" she protested.

Azula turned to glower at her. "What did you just say?" she asked in a cold almost monotone voice.

Ty lee flinched but spoke again. "I said I can't do that. Zuko and General Iroh are your family and they have always been nice to me, right Mai?"

Mai turned her stare onto all of us; she seemed unsure of if she should speak her mind or not in front of my sister. She would never admit it but I knew Azula scared her. Eventually, after silently debating with herself, she spoke in her monotone voice she has always had, even as a child. "Ty lee's right. They never did anything to us. You on the other hand have done nothing but terrorize people even when we were just little kids." She took a deep breath before saying the one thing that got just about everyone's attention. "You wouldn't even listen to me when I told you that you wouldn't get anything out of the Water Tribe girl."

We all had started to stand up again to face Azula and to hear what Mai had to say. "You knew she had amnesia?" I asked lowly.

Mai and Ty lee nodded in unison. "Spending a lot of time in the library was how I found a book all about head injuries and Ty lee knew well enough to be careful not to hit her head while she was performing in the circus."

"That's very true" Ty lee piped in. "I mean I didn't know at the time your friend had amnesia, but I pretty much figured it out once Mai connected the dots after she woke up from her head injury. I had been trying to stop the bleeding and had succeeded just before she woke up when Azula started interrogating her." Turning to Azula she stated again, "When Mai tried to tell you she couldn't remember you thought she was just faking so you order us to throw her out into the woods, thinking she would go back to her friends eventually or that she would just die out there alone."

"She was of no further use to me" Azula brushed off as if it was no big deal.

"You were still unfair Azula and you have been for a long time now. So for that I cannot help you." Once Ty lee made her declaration known she came to stand by us.

"Same goes for me" Mai added joining us as well.

"So this is how it's going to be" Azula growled. "The two people I thought were my friends are going to turn against me and join these traitors and our enemies?! I will admit that you were right to fear me so prepare to meet your doom with them!" She was about to attack all of us when she let out a gasp as she was sent back with a wave of water.

We all turned to see Katara sending wave after wave of water at Azula. Then taking the water around Azula's feet she swirled it around her and froze her within it. Shortly after Azula broke free. Her hair was falling out of her top knot with the makeup streaming down her face. Once she stood up she brought her glare onto Katara and her only.

" . !" she all but roared in her face. Katara didn't even flinch; only glared back in return. "I've had enough of you! You caused all of this trouble and yet you never give up when you should! This time I'm going to make sure I end you permanently!" Then Azula began going through the hand motions that caused lightning to sprout from her fingertips. I wasn't about to watch Katara die so I ran to her just in time to push her out of the way and for Azula to see she was facing me. She wasn't fazed. "Well Zuzu decided to take the punishment meant for her? Very well, I'll still be able to get rid of her! You're just an added bonus!" With that she sent her arm out with the lightning headed straight for me.

"ZUKO!" I heard a chorus of voices shout out but I didn't pay attention to them; only on the lightning and the movements Uncle had taught me. The lightning sent me back a few feet, but luckily I had caught it in my out stretched arm. It travelled down into my stomach before I redirected up and out my other arm; aiming directly for my sister. I heard her gasp in shock before she cried out in pain where the lightning shot her on her left arm. Then working together Toph and Aang had her trapped within a case of earth leaving her head alone so she could breathe. She squirmed and struggled to break free until Ty lee came up and jabbed her so she fell unconscious.

I was breathing heavily; still not comprehending that I had actually redirected lightning. Turning my gaze to Katara I saw her staring up at me still on the ground where I had pushed her. We didn't need to say it out loud; we knew.

This battle was over.

So that was the battle. How do you guys think I did for my first time trying to write out a full battle? Any suggestions on how I could improve in this area for future stories? And what do you think is happening with Katara? Please review...I could use the feedback. Until next time.