I am so very very VERY sorry this took so long. I amit, I have no excuse, other then my Avatar mojo is so low it's visiting the centre of the earth. I, like many of you doubt, have waited and waited for Season 3 to come out, because without new stuff to watch I just don't have the will to write. Even Project Avatar is on the back burner, although I have posted a RPG version of the first few chapters on (links on my profile). I was so low, the World of Gundam took me in (You can thank Konoko14 and Avatar Gundam parodies for that.) But I am working on one last chapter, so this story WILL be finished. When though, I don't know.

Anyway, enjoy this chapter, Reviews gratfully accepted.

---

COMET

What water he'd taken with him had long since evaporated.

What earth there had been around him incinerated.

All air thrown at his target simply feeding the flames.

All he had left was fire.

And there was plenty of that.

A gasp of pain escaped the Avatar's lips as pure white flames barely missed his shoulder, the shear heat coming from the Fire Lord's attacks enough to burn without even touching him.

His clothes hung ragged and limply from his small form, clinging to him from the droves of sweat that poured from his body, the metallic stench of his own blood mingling with the other rotten smells of the battlefield that had once been the Throne Room.

The Fire Lord stood opposite him, partially shrouded in darkness, what little light there was coming from his lighted fists, showing the sinister smile that graced his thin lips.

Aang wasn't surprised that this was harder then he'd expected. He'd only been learning Firebending from the best part of a month, while the towering man in front of him had no doubt been taught from birth the most powerful moves from the most wisest of teachers.

"So this is the mighty Avatar," Ozai watched carefully as his target fell to one knee in pain, "The mighty master of all the elements. I must say, I was surprised when the late Admiral Zhao told me you were but a child. I searched for you, you know. For two long years I searched the globe for any trace of the all powerful Avatar, as did my father, and his father before him. I even sent my own pathetic excuse for a son after you, although to be fair, I expected it to be a simple fools errand, what with your race completely wiped out and all,"

Aang pushed himself heavily to his feet, stumbling only slightly as he took a defensive stance.

"Not completely wiped out," He muttered with a shuddering breath, "I'm still here aren't I?"

Ozai merely smiled, "Not for much longer,"

He barely managed to reach the ceiling as a fire ball of pure white grazed his feet, the wall behind him exploding in a blast blinding light and deafening noise.

"You can't run forever to you know," The Fire Lord watched almost lazily as The Avatar scuttled amongst the rafters, "Eventually, I'll catch you,"
"I've never ran from you," A shower of blue flames rained down from the ceiling, the giant of a man easily dodging the barrage, "If I did, I wouldn't even be here,"

"Even so, you can't win," A hole erupted through the roof as Ozai sent another fireball Aang's way, missing the airbender by a miniscule margin, "Sozin's comet now flies full across the sky. There is no possible way a scrawny lump of a boy such as you could defeat a master of the most powerful element such as I now. Admit it, you've lost. Surrender now, and I will show you mercy,"

The Avatar cast his eyes downward at the Fire Lord's words.

He was right, as much as he hated to admit it. He was weak, unable to summon the Avatar Spirit, most likely out of fear for it's extinction, and thus, unable to use it's full potential.

He realised as he hung there from the broken rafter, he should of come to the Capital sooner, taken the Fire Lord out before that wretched comet had even come close to gracing the skies.

Then, it struck him.

The comet.

He gazed up at the burning object, watching as it sailed through the midnight blue sky, spitting fire and smoke as it slowly made it's journey.

The comet was the key to this very predicament it started.

"This comet will be your downfall Ozai," he murmured quietly as he tried to conserve his energy, trying to summon the Avatar Spirit one last time, "I swear on my life that the object that brought you so much hope for victory will bring about your death,"

"Insolent boy!" Aang swiftly pushed himself through the hole to the roof as another blast shot through the tiles, the Fire Lord himself bursting fourth from a plume of flame as the exhausted Avatar perched quietly on the very tip of the Palace, his eyes closed, his energy growing, "Do you not understand? I've won! The Fire Nation will rule as the superior element! This comet will secure us and no other. There is no conceivable way you can defeat us now,"

"Maybe not by myself," The young boy let a shuddering sigh escape his lips as his tattoos slowly glowing a bright blue, his voice becoming shallow and as though many were speaking with him, "But together, all Avatar's combined, you shall be defeated,"

The wind suddenly picked up around the boy as a tornado engulfed his small body, the high winds sending the Fire Lord flying back down to the Throne Room floor, dirt and debris collecting in the flow as Aang slowly arose at the very top of the funnel, his eyes now open and alert, glowing that same blinding blue as his body marks.

Around the city, many soldiers from both sides stopped the fighting to look to the centre of the city, both watching in fear and awe as the giant whirlwind steadily grew atop the Palace, the only thing keep the great building together being it's heavily armoured inner structure as the twister grew to almost twice the size of the edifice it stood on.

Finally, as the tornado arced over the vast city, the whirlwind of air catapulted the young Avatar towards the comet at frightening speeds, the child's body only holding together due to the magnitude of souls that currently dwelled within him.

Higher and higher Aang soared, higher then any Airbender before him, higher then any being had ever dreamed. So high the Earth almost curved beneath him.

He found it hard to breath, but he didn't care. All he saw was the comet, a giant blinding ball of flame, rock and ice threatening to swallow up his vision, his body already feeling the heat of the celestial body as it crashed across the skies.

Raising his hand a head of him, he clenched his freezing fingers into a fist, watching as the alien earth of the Comet slowly cracked and crumbled to dust, fountains of lava spewing fourth from the wounds in it's side, quickly hardening at the coldness of the air around him.

The fire that surrounded the large body slowly began to burn deeper into the comet's core as he willed it, a high pitched scream ringing in his ears as the flaming comet slowly began to break up , what water inside it fizzling and spitting angrily as the heat evaporated it, creating holes throughout the rocks structure, making it brittle.

Summoning what air was around him, Aang concentrated a ball between his ice-covered hands, knowing that last act, may very well be the end of him.

But at least the world would be safe.

He smiled slightly as the ever increasing ball of air grew with every passing second, the comet coming ever closer, the oxygen becoming less and less.

Yes, at least the world would be safe.

His friends would be safe.

Sokka, Toph, Katara, even Zuko…

And Ty Lee.

His smile increased as his thoughts turned to that Acrobat that had turned his world upside down, the kiss they had shared surfacing at the top of his mind, her smiling face coming a close second.

He was doing this for her, he realised. With the comet destroyed, she would be safe.

That was reward enough for him.

Focusing the last of his energy into the attack above his head, he moulded the powerful ball into a thin ribbon of air, curling it around his body as the comet seemed to shriek in agony at the damage he had done to it.

Thrusting his hands towards the immense object, the ribbon shot towards the Comet with frightening speed, finding it's way into a open fissure as the attack itself thrust the last of the Airbenders back to the hard ground below.

It shot straight through to the crust of the comet like it was mere paper, the now brittle structure of the celestial body shattering like fragile glass as it headed straight for the heart of the deadly rock.

The moment that last attack hit the core, the comet erupted into a fantastic display of reds and yellows, shards of heated rock sent flying all directions, a cloud of debris billowing fourth into the darkened sky, lighting up like the very dawn itself.

And far below it, The Avatar fell, his eyes back to their usual grey, his tattoos no longer bright.

Yet Aang smiled as he watched the display, a part of him glad that he had done his part, his destiny fulfilled.

The other part was sad as he felt the air heat up around him, sad that he would never again see Ty Lee's smiling face, or tell her that he…that he…

A hand suddenly clasped around his frozen one, the very action causing him to look down blearily in surprise, only for his heart to leap, although the rest of him was far to tired to do so, for there, holding onto him tightly, standing atop Appa's back, was the girl that had his very thoughts captivated. The one he thought he'd never see again. The one, he realised, had replaced Katara in his heart.

Ty Lee.

She pulled him down gently into her embrace, both she and Appa falling at the exact same speed to him, her feet tied securely to the front of the saddle as she held him tightly in her arms, the giant flying bison slowing their descent as she brought him down to the beast of burden's back.

---

He felt cold to her. She could even see small crystals of ice on his shoulder and atop his bald skull.

His eyes opened weakly as she lay him down on the "Floor" of the saddle, a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding expelled into the chilly air as Appa managed to level out and come to a halt mid air high above the city.

"Ty Lee…" his voice was a hoarse whisper, but she didn't care. He was alive, that was what mattered, "What are you…how did you get here?"

"I had to find you," she rested a hand against his cold cheek, "I couldn't let you fight the Fire Lord alone. But by the time Appa had gotten back and we'd gotten Katara to the field hospital I saw you fly up to the comet. I just had to find you. That was the only thing on my mind,"

"Katara?" his eyes became concerned, "Is she alright? Is everyone alright?"

The words stung her, but she decided not to react to it.

"The Doctors say she'll be fine," she murmured, "She was injured by…a Firebender, but it's nothing the Waterbenders haven't seen before,"

"That's good," he struggled to sit up, as she sat back on her legs, a hurt expression in her eyes. Not that she blamed him.

It was natural to be worried about the fates of your friends, she understood that, but the fact he asked after Katara made her feel…hollow.

"Thanks," she looked up as she felt his icy hand against her cheek, "I'd probably be a pancake by now if you hadn't found me,"

She took his hand in both of her own, closing her eyes as she felt his limb warm up against her face, turning towards it, nuzzling it slightly.

He smiled as he edged closer to her, surprising her slightly as they came almost nose to nose, just as they had up on that ridge before this infernal battle had begun.

"You know, I honestly thought I was going to die up there," It seemed a stupidly obvious thing to say, but he felt it was the only way he get the words out, "And I…I was surprised by who my last thoughts were about?"

"Oh?" Her hands dropped with his, both limbs now entwined with one another between them, "Why were they so surprising?"

"Because they were about someone I didn't expect," he inched just a little bit closer, cocking his head to one side slightly, "Someone who was once my enemy, but is now my friend. And now…perhaps something more,"

"I see…" Ty Lee smiled slightly, her eyes watching Aang's lazily as she two inched slightly towards him, "And where are you going to find this lucky person?"

"Right in front of me,"

For the second time that day, their lips met, innocent, carefree, oblivious to the world around them as Appa decided by himself to set off back for the Earth Kingdom's encampment, the horrors of war deaf to their minds, their focus on each other she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly to her as the kiss broke off, the Acrobat and the Airbender lying down together in the pit of the saddle, both dozing in a moment of perfect bliss as the flying bison headed away from the city, and into the rising light of the sun.

---

Ozai watched in horror as his dreams exploded in a giant fireball above his city, the power that that comet had bestowed on him seeping out of his veins.

"No…" he whispered, "NO! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!"

He pushed a ball of fire into existence so it impacted against the nearby wall, but it only came out blood red.

He tried again, And again, but no white came fourth, not even a wisp of blue.

He stared up angrily at the remains of the comet above him as the explosion dissipated above him, cursing to the Gods as the first streams of dawn seeped through holes in the roof of the palace.

"It matters not," he muttered after a while, his usual aura of calm once again overtaking him, "The Fire Nation still rules supreme. The destruction of the Comet is but a minor setback. Soon, this world will be mine, the last pockets of resistance eradicated, and there's nothing the Avatar or any of his ancestors can do about it!"

It was then that he heard it.

A faint whistling sound, coming from above him, accompanied by the noise of crumbling rock and burning debris.

A burning fragment of the comet, easily twice the size of the Palace, taller then it was wide, came hurtling through the dawn towards him, his amber eyes creasing into a look of anguished despair as it eclipsed the light streaming through the holes of the roof, it's flaming dominating his vision as he knew his end came near.

"No," he murmured quietly, "No no no…It's not fair,"

Then, the fragment hit.

---

Screams of horror and fear swam through the Capital of the Fire Nation as the first fragment of the comet collided with the palace, the shear bulk of the rock shattering the mighty building like it was made of toothpicks as smaller bodies came crashing to earth.

For the first time in a century, Fire, Water and Earth troops were as one as they directed innocent civilians to the nearest exits as the city was bombarded from the stars, the need to survive outweighing the need to fight.

Buildings caught ablaze or were demolished as rocks of various sizes smashed into the ground, mighty walls that had once held back entire armies no match for the sheer explosive force the remnants of the comet had.

And in the midst of it, The last Prince of the old Fire Nation, flanked by his uncle and his lady, walked solidly through the carnage, his sister's broken body cradled in his arms.

None of them spoke as they walked. None of them looked up in fear as many of the people around them did. They just kept walking until they reached the Main Gate, the last of the falling stars from the heavens above falling only a few moments before.

The sight before them was one of anxiety and uneasiness.

On one side, his Nation, an army of tired and scared soldiers, the refugees of the broken city huddled quietly behind them.

The Prince felt a certain sickly glee to find his father wasn't there.

On the other, the combined forces of the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribe, The Avatar standing in front of them all, seemingly held up by the Acrobat The Prince's sister had once called a friend, and his small blind Earthbender comrade.

Both sides looked to him as he approached, the people of the Fire Nation standing to attention or gawping with open mouths, the Avatar and his comrades clenching their fists, some even going into fighting stances.

The Prince looked to both sides for the longest time, fully aware that all eyes were on him, before handing his Sister's body to his Uncle, stepping into the middle of the void between the two armies, before approaching The Avatar.

The young boy looked at him questioningly, but stepped forward hesitantly, indicating to his friends to let him go alone.

The Prince looked down at the Avatar as the two met, his amber eyes studying the child that had been his prey for almost three years, before coming to a decision.

Slowly, he drew the twin broad swords from his belt, keeping them joined, raising them so they were horizontal to The Avatar's chest, his eyes never leaving his.

The two stared at each other for a moment more, before the elder boy bowed forward holding the weapons out to the surprised youngster.

"As the last of the line of Ozai," he spoke quietly, "I, Prince Zuko, Son of Ozai, Grandson of Azulan, and descendent of the Fire Lord Sozin, on behalf of all those of Fire Nation blood from here to the furthest reaches of the Earth, do herby to you, Aang, The Avatar, The Master of the elements…

Unconditionally…Surrender,"

---

Like I said, almost done. Hopefully this was a good final battle chapter for you. A bit OOC in my opinion, but I liked it.

One more chapter to go, then this is done.

hope you enjoyed it.