The Dragon and The Ocean // Zutara

Electrocution

Katara's POV

"Just you and me brother, in the showdown that was always meant to be. Agni Kai!" Azula says with a devilish smile on her face and an evil look in her eye.

"You're on." Zuko replies without hesitation.

I stare at him in disbelief. What was wrong with him? An Agni Kai is the worst form of battle because it requires one opponent to take the other's life. Even though Zuko is a great firebender, he is going against Azula, one of the best and craziest firebenders in the world alongside her father. She could probably beat Zuko in any fight and killing him won't be that much harder. He even admitted to his Uncle that Azula was too strong for him and that he would need help facing her. What was he thinking?

"What are you doing?" I ask him, trying to keep my tone rational, "She knows that she can't take both of us, so she is trying to split us up."

"I know, but I can take her this time. Something's off about her. I can't explain it but she's slipping. And this way, no one else has to get hurt." he replies staring at Azula then turning to me. I can only manage to nod. When Zuko has his mind set to something, nothing can convince him of doing otherwise.

He walks over to his side of the courtyard and kneels down at the edge of it. Azula does the same, staggering as she walks. Zuko was right, she is slipping, slowly falling into an oblivion of insanity.

Without even looking at each other, they both stand up at the same time, turning to face each other. Azula flings off her coronation robe and stares her brother down. Zuko stands his ground and stares right back at her, in his fighting stance.

"I'm sorry it has to end this way brother." she says sarcastically.

"No, you're not." Zuko replies, without even moving from his stance.

I can immediately feel the heat once the battle begins. I underestimated how hot fighting fire with fire was. It obvious that Zuko is playing all of his cards in the fight. He will do anything to win, anything to protect his nation from Azula's rule.

On the other hand, Azula seems caught off guard. The vision she has of her brother wasn't ready for how strong he has gotten. It's after Zuko's first few strikes when it seems that she realizes achieving victory in this battle won't be as easy as she thought.

Catching her off guard seems to be the best thing Zuko could've done for himself in this battle. Not allowing Azula to think this through is giving him the upper hand. Azula doesn't have enough time to be on her toes.

It takes a few hits before Zuko finally lands the blow that knocked Azula on her back. It didn't have to be complicated, just timed right and it seems the sprits of Tui and La were on our side, allowing the timing to be just right. It also seemed to be the confidence boost that Zuko needed.

"No lightning today?" he mocks, feeling comfortable in the position that he's in. "What's the matter? Afraid I'll redirect it?" he sneers.

"I'll show you lightning!" Azula says, pushing the hair out of her face.

I hear Zuko take a deep breath in, preparing to redirect it. I look back over at Azula who has lightning harnessed on the tips of her fingers. She is moving with the energy, waiting for the right moment to harness it and use it to attack.

Before I even realize it, Azula has shot the lightning toward me, not Zuko. I'm too startled to even figure out what to do. All I can see is blue electricity heading right for me. I should move, but I don't. I just stare at it. It's intriguing and beautiful. It's powerful and strong. It's deadly and I'm about to die from it if I don't move!

The second I snap out of daze and try to make a move, I spot Zuko in my peripheral vision. His attention is no longer on Azula, his opponent long forgotten. Instead his focus is entirely on me, eyes flashing with horror. Not another second passes before He makes his move, running towards not me but the lightning.

What he is planning to do I don't know. I reach my hand out, not knowing what I was going to do, but just knowing that I had to help him. When I see him leave the ground, it finally clicks. Zuko is jumping between me and the lightning.

Zuko's POV

I don't remember telling myself to pull my focus away from Azula. I don't remember seeing the look of fear in Katara's eyes. I don't remember telling myself to move, let alone run between the love of my life and death.

I reach my arm out before even registering what I am doing to try and redirect the lightning. All I know is that it won't work. Azula played a dirty move firing it at Katara, but I couldn't let her get hurt. I promised I wouldn't let her get hurt. There wasn't even any time for the me to logically consider that I can barely redirect lightning on the ground, let alone in midair.

I feel the lightning enter my arm and I attempt to redirect it in any other way, that isn't toward Katara. The adrenaline running through my veins is the only thing that keeps the pain away. It doesn't even take a second for the lightning to get stuck.

As I'm directing the lightning through my stomach, it gets blocked. I didn't start with the proper stance. I can't get my energy can't flow, leading the lightning with it. I can't focus on it and now it's stuck in one of the most vital points in my system.

All of the sudden, I feel it. A searing, burning pain at my core. The lightning is burning me from the inside. I feel my whole body warm as my chest and stomach burn. I close my eyes and curl up in pain right before I hit the ground. I have to get this lightning out of me or I will die.

Using the very little energy and endurance that I have left, I focus on the flow of energy through my body. I hear Uncle's voice as he tells me to be calm and keep my mind clear. Even though my mind is filled with thoughts about whether Katara will be okay, I try my best to clear it. I remember what it was like when I did this same thing against my father, how powerful it felt. When I am able to focus on that feeling, I feel the lightning traveling out of my other arm.

Just as the lightning leaves me, I realized that I have hit the hard-stone ground. I try to catch my breath, but I soon find out that is going to be practically impossible based on the burning in my chest. As the adrenaline starts to fade, I realize how overwhelming the pain is. It is one of the worst feelings I have ever felt in my life.

"Zuko!!" I hear Katara scream.

It's muffled, everything is muffled. My ears feel stuffed. My vision is blurry, and I can feel my eyelids getting heavier and heavier. My limbs feel like lead and my head starts to pound with the pain. If this isn't what dying feels like than I don't know what is.

Faintly, I hear Azula laughing like a psychopath from behind me. Her laughing gets much louder as I see she is running, like someone who is drunk, towards Katara. Pain aside, I have to help her.

I roll over to my stomach, which sends scorching flames of pain all throughout my body. Using what very little strength and energy I have left, I try to push myself up. I very briefly see Azula shoot a lightning blast in Katara's direction, missing by mere inches. Katara was running toward me and the water on her hand was glowing. She was going to try and heal me. She would've died if she had been one step closer.

Then the pain overwhelms me. It exhausts me to the point where I can't hold myself up anymore. I collapse back onto the stone floor, the impact sending excruciating pain through my body, as my wound hits the warm, hard stone floor.

But I'm not worried about the pain. I'm worried about Katara. I told her that she wouldn't have to get hurt. I told her that I would protect her. And now I can't. I'm just laying here, useless, on the ground. I failed Katara. I failed to protect her. I failed to tell her that I love her.