A quick note: This is (currently) a oneshot of how the Agni Kai between Azula and Zuko should have gone down, in my opinion. Granted, I'm a Zutara fan, so the original was a little bit of a let-down for me.
P.S. I own nothing except my own plot twists.
Azula swayed uneasily on her feet, her lunacy glaringly obvious as she screeched in delight. In the blink of an eye, she had spun, blasting a wave of blue fire towards Zuko. Katara watched in horror, certain that he wouldn't possibly react in time. Amazingly enough, he drew himself forward, greeting the lighting with his own orange flame. The two elements met in a fiery wall that stretched fifty feet into the night sky. Katara shielded her eyes from the almost-white, thousand-degree inferno. When she could see, the princess had emitted another seemingly endless burst of flame. Zuko cleared the half in front of him with an equally powerful blast. The remaining flame flew past him, only a foot or so from his right foot. He slipped, almost losing himself to the blaze. Katara gasped. After another few attempts at simply sending balls of fire in his direction, Azula herself blasted forward, her firebending propelling her towards Zuko at an ever increasing rate. Zuko crouched, shifting his weight onto his hands and twisting his legs upward, creating an enormous circle of fire around his body. He sent the whirling blaze at his approaching sister. She tried to avoid it, but was clipped on the shoulder and sent careening into the ground, rolling away from the prince. She didn't get up.
Katara dashed forward in an effort to see if Zuko was alright, but he stopped her yards short. As Katara stared down the long courtyard to where Azula had fallen, she saw the girl slowly lifting herself from the stones, shakily making it to all fours.
"Katara, get back!" Zuko shouted.
"No. Not this time," Katara replied, uncorking her water pouch.
He turned slightly to look at her. There was panic, and anger. "No, Katara! Go! Now!"
The waterbender froze. "Zuko, you don't have to prove anything! This isn't about your honor! Please, let me help!"
"No!" Zuko raged, casting a wave of orange flame at her feet. She darted back a few feet, shocked by his intense need to fight Azula alone.
The disheveled boy took his stance, mentally preparing himself for the shocking blow that was sure to come. Zuko had pushed her further over the edge, and her sanity had practically dissipated. His sister, her eyes wide and crazed, bent her arms, blue lightning already forming at her fingertips. She grinned maniacally at him for a moment, and then her eyes darted to his right.
He realized her intentions slightly too late. "No!" he roared, seeing the bolt spark from her hand in the direction of his friend. His hand was stretched out, ready to direct the jet of sizzling lightning. It entered his fingers at an odd angle, and the strength of it was almost too overpowering. He fought against the urge to crumple in on himself.
Across, down, around, up, and out, he thought, straining to let his fingers follow the path that avoided his heart. With a last burst of strength, he turned himself so that the shock returned in the direction of its owner. Azula quickly avoided it, still smiling evilly.
He'd failed. He hadn't been able to control the bolt before part of it went through him to his heart. He hit the ground at full speed, his head cracking against the marble. Pain welled up in his chest, setting him ablaze. Lighting crackled around him, causing his muscles to spasm. He cried out as the electricity drove him to unconsciousness.
"Zuko!"
She didn't have time to see if he was alright, or even alive, because Azula was still coming. Blue lightning shot past her and shattered part of a marble pillar. Katara lurched backwards, trying to regain her focus, uncapping her water pouch and finding the energy inside her to move the element. It swirled out of the neck and was immediately obedient to her every whim. She fastened it into two whips, which she clutched forcefully as the princess dashed around the corner, spitting fire. Katara lashed out, but Azula simply created a wall of flames, steam instantly rising where the two elements met. Her weapon evaporated, Katara panicked. Her eyes searched for something that could be useful, anything—
Her gaze settled on a drainage grate in the pavilion. There was water beneath that grate! If only she could lure Azula in that direction…
She collected some water back out of the air in time to deflect another of the girl's blows. She continued to back away as the princess approached. The scent of ozone tainted the air, and it was far too warm for Katara to again pull the water out of its vapor form. Azula smiled, knowing she had the waterbender trapped. Katara was over the grate, now. She felt the strength of her element flowing, renewing her determination. Slowly she pulled up as much energy as she could muster. Azula inhaled deeply, sparks flying from her hands as she stalked forward toward Katara.
Her heel finally came in contact with the metal of the grate as she began her attack. In one swift movement and a deep breath, Katara pushed with all her might. The water below them rushed up, drenching both of them. With a flick of her wrist, the water froze around them. Katara allowed the water around her to remain liquid, and she opened her eyes to find Azula's fingers inches from her face. Moving quickly, she grabbed the chin used to open the grate and set about securing the fire princess to it. Once she was securely fastened, she allowed the water to stream back to whence it came.
Enraged, Azula struggled against the chain that bound her. "Foolish peasant! You think you've won? You've only deepened my vendetta! Once I am free I will find you and kill you—just like I did to little Zuzu over there," she cackled, jerking her head in the direction of Zuko's lifeless body. "I finally did what my father was going to do two years ago! He'll be so pleased that he doesn't have to put up with a weak, cowardly traitor for a son any longer!"
Katara gasped, remembering her friend. She skidded over to him, falling onto her knees as she reached him. "Zuko?" She lifted his head, but he remained unresponsive. She grabbed at the collar of his shirt, pulling it away from his chest. The singed skin there was red and blistered, with a deep maroon splotch covering the place where his heart rested. She listened carefully for any signs of breath, of life—but there were none. Desperately, she condensed enough water to cover her hands and spread it across his wounds. It began to glow a bright cerulean, and the skin beneath her fingertips began to return to its normal pallor. His heart was still fried, so she placed one hand over the other and pushed down over the dark red spot on his chest. She could feel nerves rewiring and arteries reconnecting their paths. Suddenly the prince coughed and choked down a breath, his golden eyes snapping open for an instant and then closing again. His hand reached up and brushed against her arm.
"Zuko!" Katara cried, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She placed her palm on the side of his face, her thumb gently resting against his scar. "Zuko, can you hear me? Please!"
His eyelids flickered, and then he took in another ragged breath. "K-katara…?" He opened his good eye jadedly and took in her appearance. "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong?" She choked back an astonished laugh. "You almost died! You almost died, trying to protect me…" She helped him sit in an upright position, mostly bearing his weight against her shoulder.
"So your little peasant girlfriend saved you? Hey, Zuzu, I killed you once, I can kill you again!" Azula shouted from her place in the pavilion. Zuko let his eyes drift over to where she was chained, her eyes just as bright, although now they were aglow with rage.
"Don't think I can't get out of here! As soon as one of my servants finds me, I'll be free!" She howled as she strained against her restraints. "I'll find you, waterbender! I'll rip your home apart, burn your town, kill your family…" She grinned. "And you'll suffer my wrath long after the world kneels at my feet!"
"How did you—" he began, but then he noticed her specific location and stopped. He allowed himself to look up at Katara, who was still checking his wounds. For almost a year he had underestimated her, and she'd again proven that she could always come out on top. She paused, smiling at him, and ran her hand again across his cheek, briefly touching the scar tissue around his left eye. He closed his eyes, enjoying the cool touch her fingers provided. A new pool of energy rose up inside him, and he turned and pulled Katara closer to him in an embrace. She returned it, hugging him tightly against her. "Thank you," he murmured into her ear.
When they pulled apart, Katara's eyes were averted and a blush crept up to redden her cheeks. Zuko's heart was pounding harder than it had only a few seconds ago. His hand drew her chin up and he leaned toward her again.
Their lips met lightly at first, but then Katara reached her hand around his neck, threading her fingers through the hair on the back of his head. A shock of excitement coursed through his body as she responded to his kiss.
She was the one to pull away. "Zuko, I-I can't do this." Her azure eyes were wide with shock, her lips trembling. He settled his head against her shoulder again, his sudden high gone.
He had no idea what had come over him. It was Katara! He had only just recently earned her trust, and now he had gone up and kissed her—and what's worse, she seemed to have returned it before realizing just what she was doing. He didn't know what she was going to do—have him leave the group? He couldn't imagine that; Aang still needed a firebending teacher. Was she going to tell the others? What was Aang going to think? Zuko knew the way the boy felt about the waterbender; it wasn't as if he was a master at keeping his feelings to himself. Zuko had hardly been with the Avatar for a few weeks and already he had seen the looks of pure devotion and love that he shined in Katara's direction. If he found out what happened, he may change his mind about learning from him, giving him no reason to remain with them. And—most importantly to Zuko—he should have been more thoughtful towards Katara. He'd betrayed her trust—or what little he had—in a stupid, senseless kiss! Well, it wasn't senseless, he corrected. Just stupid.
"I'm sorry," he muttered into the dead silence. "I… I shouldn't have done it—"
"Don't apologize," she said quietly, and Zuko faded off. "I think I understand the feelings you're having right now…more than you might think."
She'd just resurrected him from the dead. She'd done nothing but try to give him another chance until his chances had run out. She was kind, giving, ceaselessly trying to bring about peace. He had hardly any idea what he had done that could allow her to harbor any sort of positive feelings towards him. He'd invaded her village, threatened her people, captured the Avatar, and tracked her across the globe. He thought it was going to take forever to even get her to not hate him anymore.
Katara placed her hand over Zuko's, which was still lying limp after their broken-off kiss. "What you did for me—I couldn't ask you to do anything like that. Don't do anything that idiotic again, do you understand?" Her cheeks tinted a deeper brown. "I mean, I don't want to have to fix you up again. I nearly passed out trying to heal your heart."
So she did understand, somewhat. However, he, who had been her sworn enemy for months, and had only done his duty to protect her, wasn't worthy of the praise she was bestowing on him.
He tried to force himself to think that he hadn't done it because of his own feelings for the waterbender, but it was difficult to see beyond those emotions.
The prince bowed his head. "I don't regret it." He looked up at her when she didn't respond. "I'm not sorry for what I did. If you had been killed… I don't know what I would have done." He sighed. "I'm no hero. I did it for selfish reasons. You are—and I hope you can consider me the same—one of my friends, and if I can stand against my crazy sister instead of one of you, I will."
His eyes had always been the most expressive part of his face. Now they burned with the same determination they had back when he had captured her in his search for the Avatar. He had been much different then, but his passion to protect what was his—either his honor or his friends—remained the same, and she respected that enormously.
She closed her eyes and nodded, accepting his reasons. Had it been Aang or Toph or Sokka in her place, she would have easily made the same decision he had.
But…
Of all the people she would have expected him to hold a grudge against, it would have been her. She had been the most reluctant to accept him into their group, and the most spiteful afterward. She'd had reasons—once a banished prince trying to capture the Avatar, always a banished prince trying to capture the Avatar. He'd already betrayed her personally before. How likely was he to do it again?
"Zuko…," she began, but he weakly raised his fingers to her lips.
"I don't want to lose you, Katara," he whispered before fading back into unconsciousness.
Katara held the boy for a few moments more. The warmth of his body was too strong. She felt as if she was surrounded by flames. She lifted the unaware prince awkwardly against her shoulder and began to shuffle out of the courtyard. The weight was staggering, and combined with the heat that emitted from him she almost buckled. She stopped just outside the gates to rest, gently placing Zuko's head in her lap as she regained her breath. Appa was gone, most likely frightened away by the Agni Kai between the two Firelord's children. She sighed, expecting a short wait while Appa calmed down and returned. Zuko sighed and cringed, the pain flickering across his countenance. Katara brushed the damp hair from his forehead, her fingers lingering along the upper edge of his scar. Cautiously, she traced along his brow bone, where his eyebrow would have been were it not for the scar, across, lightly following the curve of his damaged ear. She continued along the edge of his jaw, clenched tight against the pain, and finally brushed her thumb along his lips, those lips he had kissed her with just a few minutes ago, those lips that she had kissed back instinctively, happily.
Katara closed her eyes. What was she doing? She loved Aang. She wanted to be with Aang…didn't she?
She opened her eyes. Zuko was relaxing, the muscles in his jaw and forehead loosening. Her pulse pounded all the way in her stomach. Was she reacting to the banished prince, or was she simply caught up in the moment? Had the heated and frightening battle rubbed her emotions raw?
The Fire Nation heir gave a small mew of content and nuzzled against Katara's leg. She stiffened for an instant, caught off guard by the boy's unmanly expression of affection. The waterbender ran her fingers through his hair again, wondering if the intense heat radiating from him was normal. She carefully removed some water from her pouch and chilled it with her breath before gently setting it against Zuko's cheek. He sighed heavily as she cleaned the sweat and grime from his face. When she touched her fingers to his forehead afterwards, the skin was much cooler.
With a mighty moan, Appa appeared in the sky, circling ever lower until he landed in the soft grass in front of where Katara sat. Trying not to jostle him too much, Katara heaved Zuko up, using her shoulder as a brace. She dragged the boy over to Appa, and then set him down. She bent her water so that it carried the unconscious boy onto the saddle, and then climbed on after him.
"Yip yip!" she said to the bison, and they took off, making their way back to meet with the rest of the group.