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Zuko gripped her arm tightly as he roughly dragged her towards his room, each step opening and renewing the gaping hole inside her where Sokka used to be.

She walked further away from the Fire Lord's wrath, but also away from Sokka, his limp body left to his non-existent mercy.

But the relief of escaping imminent death slowly ebbed away as she now faced a new danger – Zuko, and what he suggested to his father he would do to her.

From the sound of what he said, he was about to violate her. She couldn’t believe what a monster he was. Could he really do something like that?

And his father: how he sickened her. He actually sounded proud! He thought his son did not have the sadism to do something like that, but apparently, he was wrong. He was very welcome to do whatever he wanted with her, as a reward for his good work. Then he could dispose of her.

This was enough to make her want to throw up. The twisted way the heads of Fire Benders worked were beyond her comprehension, and right now, instead of comprehending the sadism that had engraved itself in the Fire Nation royal family due to generations of inbreeding, she really needed to figure out how to get out of this situation.

But she couldn’t do it. Everything that had happened to her today – the fight, Sokka leaving her, having her heart broken by the same person once again… it was all too much to take in at once.

She thought he had changed. She really thought he had, but how many times could she tell him that?

She was a fool for ever trusting him. For ever hoping that someone as evil as him could redeem himself, for ever trusting a Fire Bender, after what his kind had done to her family.

He manhandled her into his room, and slammed the door shut behind him. Then, he immediately let go of her, jumping away as if she had given him an electric shock.

Her worst nightmares coming true, she looked around for some water, and when she couldn’t find any, she made a feeble attempt to fight him hand to hand, raising her skinny fists to his strong form.

He walked right past her, saying, "I told you I had changed", leaving her looking as if she were about to fight the wall she was facing.

She embarrassedly corrected her thoughts about him. Everyone could change, everyone deserved a chance. For once her trust was placed rightly.

Relaxing her stance, she turned around to find Zuko sitting on his bed, swinging his legs slowly.

"What are you doing?" She asked. This was a war. People were dying, and they were one of the only people to stop these deaths, and Zuko was just sitting on his bed twiddling his thumbs timidly.

"Waiting for you to calm down, so we can think of a plan." He said calmly.

Fighting the urge shriek, "I'M COMPLETELY CALM!" she sat down next to him, looking extremely downcast.

"A plan? What for? Everyone on our side who isn’t dead is injured or unconscious – Aang is alone." She said dejectedly.

"We're still here." Zuko stated matter-of-factly.

Katara was shocked. After all that time he spent chasing Aang for his father, why, now, was he willing to help him and turn against the latter?

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, her voice betraying her emotions: wary, confused and disbelieving.

He did not have an answer. She did not press on.

"Why now?" She asked, "Why not in the caves?"

"Azula" was his only response. If this proud fire bender had ever been close to sounding ashamed of himself, it was now.

Nothing more was said.

"What's the plan?" She finally asked, breaking the silence.

"He will confront the avatar in the throne room. I know a back way in… me and Azula used to spy on the royal happenings from there" he paused. "Follow me. We can reveal ourselves right after the first blow is struck"

She nodded. He led the way, stopping only by the kitchen to gather full water skins for Katara.

Your punishment has scarcely begun!

The words swam into his head as he approached the place where Fire Lord had punished Prince. He wondered whether history would repeat itself.

They could hear sounds of battle as they approached, and their walked turned to a sprint.

As the two ran into the room, the agile airbender came into sight: he was dodging fire blasts left and right, and when he saw who had come, he paused for a moment, looking into the large blue eyes of the waterbender he loved, taking in her innocent features one last time.

Upon seeing her here, safe, he felt elated. Nothing could go wrong. His spirits were rising rapidly, like he had in the crystal catacombs all that time ago…

He was rising into the air, an unfeeling look etched on his face as his tattoos glowed the characteristic blue of the avatar state.

He was about to strike, and save the world, ridding it of the two evil fire nation royals once and for all.

He was going to be a hero, he thought as he rose, higher and higher, and it took all the Dai Lee agents will power not to break their ranks and run.

And then he was hit.

Ozai smiled. This moment's hesitation was all he needed.

Time seemed to have frozen, as if hoping to rewind itself.

The fire from the Fire Lord's fist seemed to stretch, further and further, till it met the avatar, right between the eyes – those which showed first joy, then confusion, then frozen fear, and finally, nothing.

Electricity coursed through his veins, as the lightning engulfed him. He was falling… falling… falling…

And the avatar fell.

They were blank and staring, a little like –

Like Sokka. Katara thought to herself, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. She was alone now, nobody by her side except for the once enemy.

She did not usually cry so much, but she lost her brother, and, as she made a last ditch attempt to save the world, her last hope, the world's last hope, the last and closest thing she had to family was killed before her eyes.

“Aang!” she shouted, seeing the airbender hit the floor with a terrible finality.

Turing around, the Fire Lord started, “I thought I told you to dispo-“

Zuko glared at his father – the cause of all this misery. It was time to end it.

Comprehension dawned in the Fire Lord's eyes, but before he could move, Zuko struck, aiming his blow at the left half of his father's face.

The blaze blinded him, so he did not see the sharp, dagger-like icicles until they pierced his body.

She had just lost her family. All her loved ones were gone in a single, painstakingly long night.

His mother had left him, and he had just killed his father. His father! Who he had looked up to, worked so hard to prove himself to… and now, he was the cause of his destruction.

And now, they were alone.

The only two living beings in the room clung to each other – it was all over.

A/N: Constructive criticism is appreciated. Please, please, PLEASE review and tell me what you think!

Jasmine