Disclaimer: I don't Avatar:The Last Airbender. If I did, there would have been an episode where Zuko and Sokka got handcuffed together. BI

Authors Note: I was just thinking, and thinking some more. And then I thought some more.

And with more thought, I concocted this one-shot. Have fun. BI.

Section #1: Realisation

Sozin's comet took it's time running it's track across the sky. It was almost beautiful, in a most ironic form.

Zuko stared passively at it as it cut into the atmosphere, turning everything in it's wake the colour of fire. He could feel his inner flame roaring with life, begging to be unleashed.

It would be. Soon.

In a way Zuko dreaded it. Dreaded it with all his heart.

At first he thought he dreaded the inevitable battle with his sister because he might lose and die. But, after much thought – too much thought then was healthy, one might add – he realised that the reason for his dread was completely different.

He was scared of losing and dying, of course (I mean, why wouldn't he be?), but now that he saw the other possibility, it terrified him even more.

What if he won, and was forced to kill Azula?

He'd never really been fond of his sister...he saw her asan evil psychonut who really needed a hobby that didn't involve causing people immense pain...but...that was just it.

She was his sister. Sure, she had more issues then redeeming qualities, but that didn't change the fact that she was his family. He wanted to push it away – push away the fact that she was still his family and that should mean something – because Ozai hadn't cared. Ozai hadn't cared that Zuko was his family when he burnt his face.

But the more he tried to push his sense of family away, the harder it pushed back.

And, with fleeting accuracy, Zuko realised that, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't push it away.

That Azula was his sister and nothing would change that.

Section #2: Deep Down

They arrived just in time to crash Azula's coronation. Zuko was numb as he looked down at Azula just before he jumped off the avatar's bison.

She looked...sloppy. Very, horribly sloppy. Her hair was unevenly cut and locks of it were even hanging out of her usually perfect top-knot.

Zuko immediately knew. Knew that Azula's sanity was slipping — if not completely gone already.

He pushed the thought away, steeling himself before leaping off of Appa.

"I'm sorry, but you're not going to become fire lord today," he declared, somehow managing to not choke on his words. "I am."

Azula laughed, sounding almost...crazy. "You're hilarious."

A sudden memory flashed before his eyes. One full of laughter that wasn't filmy with madness.

"That was hilarious, Zuzu! Do it again, do it again!" laughed a six-year-old version of Azula.

Zuko smiled, tucked his hand beneath his arm, and flapped his arm like a chicken would her wings. A large farting sound was produced, and him and his sister indulged in another fit of laughter.

Katara's announcement brought him from his reverie. "And you're going down."

The Sage ignored the water tribe girl, and reached forward to slide the royal ornament into her top-knot.

"Wait," Azula ordered, raising her hand, an almost crazed smile on her fave. "You want to become fire lord? Fine. Then let's settle this. Just you and me, brother. The showdown that was always meant to be. Agni Kai!"

Zuko was then faced with inevitable ultimatum. It was his choice, now, whether to except or not.

But he knew, just like he had always, deep down, known, that he had to accept it. This was his destiny.

Today, one way or another, someone would be crowned fire lord.

But, deep down, he was terrified it would be him.

"You're on," he accepted firmly.

Section #3: And So It Began

Katara had asked him to back out. He had wanted to back out.

But he had known that he couldn't, and so he had countered Katara's request with his own reasons for accepting.

Reasons that, he noted passively, were completely logical.

He thought it would be a good thing to say out loud why it was a good thing that him and his sister were going one-on-one, but it wasn't. It just made him guiltier, because he knew that saying 'No one else will get hurt' was confirming that it would either be him or Azula.

The Gong sounded.

Once...

...Zuko turned and knelt, facing away from Azula. His heart was pounding...

Twice...

...He stood up and turned to face his sister. His breathing was calming from it's ragged, messy state, into a slow and controlled pattern.

"I'm sorry it had to end this way, brother," the girl said, words dancing with something like Amusement as she threw her royal cloak to the side.

So am I, he wanted to say, but instead replied with a stoic "No you're not."

Thrice...

...Azula launched her attack, fuelled with her signature Azure flames.

And so it began.

Section #4: Dance of Flames

There wasn't many witnesses for the legendary Agni Kai between the two siblings, but most might say that it seemed like a dance.

A dance between dragons. A dance under a blood red sky.

A Dance of Flames.

Zuko didn't know what to think of it. It was an Agni Kai.

Was there really anything he was supposed to think about it?

But, as he punched and kicked and twirled with flaming fists and feet, he thought about it.

Really thought about it.

Which was how he finally came to the conclusion it really was like a dance. Beautiful, but tragic all the same.

And when he finally landed a hit and struck her down, resulting in her tumbling across the arena floor with distinct yelps of pain, his fears of how this would end were staring him right in the face.

Section #5: Kin Killer

Despite this, he knew he had to finish this.

He just had to. Even if the thought made him numb with anxiety.

"No lightening today? What's the matter?" The voice sounded like his, but he was so numb he could hardly tell. "Afraid I'll redirect it?"

The statement was punctuated by his change of stance.

"Lightening?!" Azula screamed. "I'll show you lightening!"

Zuko had never seen his sister cast lightening, but as he took a deep breath, he saw that it was almost...almost beautiful.

Dangerously beautiful.

He started to question his choice. To try and bait her into casting lightening so he could redirect it, but it was too late now.

He watched her passively as she brought her arms inward, ready to let her lightening take it's course, when her eyes flitted to a spot somewhere behind him.

The energy flew from the tips of her fingers and cut through the air as it barrelled toward it's target.

And the target was not Zuko.

His eyes followed the crackling cold-blooded fire and he realised what her target was.

That was the first realisation was. The second realisation was that the shot would not miss.

"NOOOO!" He yelled, running forward to intercept the shot.

Zuko now knew, first hand, why lightening was named cold-blooded fire.

The lightening coursed through his body and shot up into the sky, now completely useless to him. He convulsed as the last of the lightening crackled around him.

He could hear distant laughter, crazed laughter, and he rolled onto his stomach, groaning in agony.

"Zuko!" He heard Katara call.

He opened his eyes in time to see Azula strike at her, and she backed away in fear.

Despite the circumstances, he was suddenly struck with a selfish sense of relief.

It didn't have to be his choice to kill Azula of not. He didn't have to kill his own sister.

He didn't have to become a...a kin killer.

And, for that, he was selfishly grateful.

Section #6: Thank You

Zuko felt guilty when Katara pulled him into her lap.

Not just because he had gotten himself incapacitated, but also because he had felt glad about it afterwards. It made him feel selfish.

On the other hand, he was glad.

Glad that Katara had not killed Azula, but subdued her instead.

So, after she healed him, and he thanked her, he was thanking her for so much more then just healing him and defeating Azula, he was also thanking her for sparing his sister's – his kin's – life.

"I think I'm the one who should be thanking you," Katara replied.

For what? he thought to himself, lying uselessly on the ground and praying that you wouldn't kill my psychonut sister while you risked your life because of my mistake?

However, he didn't say any of this as she helped him up.

And as him and Katara stood there, watching the princess' slipping sanity disappear completely, the waterbender's eyes filled with pity and sympathy.

Zuko's eyes only harboured sadness and regret.

Regret not for the fact that such a promising young woman had slipped into the depths of insanity, but regret for the fact that he couldn't prevent it.

That he couldn't protect his own kin.