the avatar, and that one good firebender, lee

fire, part nine

the royal siblings assume their places on either end of the courtyard, kneeling with their backs facing each other. azula sheds her red robe, revealing her armour underneath, and zuko pays one last reassuring glance at the waterbender. then, the siblings stand, meeting eye to eye. azula tilts her head. "i'm sorry it has to end this way, brother."

the apology is meaningless, but, past the wild smirk and her smug laughs, he knows. in her eyes, he can see it all clear--the girl he left on the beach, the sister he left at sea. his mother, beginning it all, and him, ending it, by staying here. "i am, too."

and azula advances, blue fire raging from her fingertips, cutting through earth and air to reach zuko. with each blue flame he combats with his own, orange and blue meeting and twisting together through the smoke. she rises on a pillar of blue, grinning down on him, and, just as she descends, he jumps high, staring down in contempt. they break and shatter, each flame of their own burning amongst one another, as azula races to gain the high ground and zuko stands his own.

crouching onto his back, zuko spins and kicks streams of fire towards the princess. they break her rhythm, the blue flames fading, and as she pulls onto her feet, her hair falls out of place, resting back to her shoulders. catching his breath, zuko can sense it, the turmoil within her, ever raging and ever flickering. as she stands, composing herself, zuko can see it, too, in the way her hair frames her face--her mother, within her, ever present and waiting.

this is their beginning. sinking into a stance, he chooses it. the end of the fight. "no lightning today, huh?" she grits her teeth. "what's wrong? afraid i'll redirect it?"

and she sneers, the static flames already buzzing around her pointed fingers. "i'll show you lightning."

zuko readies himself, arms loose and waiting, and he watches his sister intently. as she charges up, reaching her final form, he sinks his feet, preparing for the weight but--in a split second, the lightning flickers, and azula's eyes, seething and cackling, dart to the waterbender behind him. and his breath hitches, his legs move, everything instinctively taking over, because his mind is too busy to even think of it: the last thing azula could ever consider would be abandoning her honor.

he jumps, arm outstretched, but his thoughts are too blurred, and he tumbles to the ground, the lightning charging through his skin and escaping out into the sky.

weakly, he watches katara finish the duel, with azula on the high ground and katara stuck in the courtyard. tired, he denies himself rest, but his body betrays him, and he closes his eyes.

-------

cold, within warm. zuko awakens, feeling katara's hands on his wound. the water glows, tending to the burns, and, worryingly, katara looks down on him. "thanks, katara," he murmurs. "i'm sorry."

"i couldn't just let you die," she stands, offering a hand. he takes it, climbing to his feet with a grunt. "you're not getting off so easily."

zuko chuckles, though the wound bites, and, staring down at his sister, who looks between katara and him, he sighs. azula breathes hard, each breath knotting in her throat, and zuko approaches, slow. at his first step, she explodes in a roaring cry, tugging weakly against her chains. her flames burst out, drawing a line of fire before his next step, but it fades out quickly. "azula, i--"

"finish it," she chokes out, shutting the tears from her eyes. she kneels, just as she did before the fire sage, glaring up at her brother. "end it for me."

"i won't."

"do it, you coward!" she shouts, taunting with a wavering smile. she tries a laugh, but it settles, tired. "kill me. this is the only way to regain your honor."