"Protection and power are overrated. I think you are very wise to choose happiness and love. There are reasons each of us are born. we have to find those reasons."
-Uncle Iroh 

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"Try restarting his heart," Katara said, trying to calm herself. Zuko's lips were turning purple. He was dead.

"I can't," I said, my eyes brimming with tears. "He's dead."

"Use lightning to restart his heart."

"But that's what killed him," I hestitated.

"Do it!" So I took a deep breath.

"Zuko, wake up for me. I love you," I said, wiping my eyes. "I need you." I couldn't concentrate. I had to stop sobbing and then maybe I'd be able to see. I took a deep breath, pressing my hands over his heart. Electricity crackled through my body. I needed lightning to jumpstart it.

I pushed, a shock zapping through his body and leaving my hands. In a split second, I did it again. And again.

And then he choked, coughing and coughing and coughing but I didn't care. He was alive. I'd zapped his soul back into his body. Relief flooded me and I fell back on my arms, closing my eyes. Katara started healing him with water again, cleansing his wound.

Zuko blinked as I lay down next to him. "Katara," he said. "Thank you." she gave him a hug, very gently. Being alive didn't mean he wasn't in pain. And then Zuko looked at me.

"Ayame saved you, not me," Katara said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "Thank you for saving me, Zuko."

He nodded and touched my face. "You did it?" he sat up. My eyes flickered to Azula. 

"She won't be bothering anyone again," I said, trying to block out her hysterical shrieking. Katara and I helped Zuko up and watched her for a few minutes, Zuko's arm around my shoulders. I held him close, my eyes still trained on Azula, one of my best friends. I felt bad for her. I pitied her. But at the same time, we had a connection at once. And no matter what, I could never be mad at Azula. 

I just wanted to know who she saw behind me.

"I was talking about you, not her," he said with a weak, pained smile, pushing my thoughts aside. "You saved my life."

"You saved mine and Katara's, Zuko," I said, hugging him, burying my face in his shoulder.

"I panicked. I didn't even know where you popped out from," he laughed, but it came out as a wheeze. I pulled away, turning to Azula. I tried blocking out her screams, wincing as she sobbed, throwing herself to the ground. "She really is a monster. And so's Ozai, for continuing this war."

I shook my head, leaning away from him and taking a step towards Azula. "Do monsters make war, or do wars make monsters?" My knees hit the ground as I sat in front of Azula. She wouldn't hurt me. I knew she wouldn't. Azula was not a monster. The pain inside of her was not meant to be contained by a fifteen year old.

I put a hand on her shoulder. She pulled away from my touch as if it were poison. "You're not a monster, Azula." She pushed me, tried to kick me away, but I didn't move. "I don't believe that. I do believe in you." But by that time, I didnt really think she could hear what I was saying, much less understand me. Suddenly, i saw something pinned to her chest.

I took a closer look and I felt something, like a punch to the stomach. There, shining in the light was the red and blue pin I'd given her. She stumbled back, kicking herself away from me as far as she could go, eyeing me carefully. I could feel my eyes start to burn. "Damn," I stood up. "All of this. This is insane." I couldn't bear to look at her writhing on the ground. I wiped my eyes with the back of my sleeve. "Katara, hold on to him. I'm getting her out of here."

"That's not a good idea."

"I don't care."

I always felt something towards Azula; a sisterly bond. I needed to protect her, to keep her together. But she had fallen apart like beads off a necklace right in front of my eyes.

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Aang had done it. As soon as it happened, I felt it in my bones, in my skin.

"Aang did it," I said aloud. Katara helped Zuko on a chair. I'd taken Azula far from here, somewhere below ground and assigned Suki and Toph to hold her up. They'd appeared after the fight was over while we sat there, staring at the sky. I had my arm around Sokka's waist, holding up the hero.

"How did you get the burn?" Zuko asked at the same time.

"I got caught in an explosion om one of the airships. Also, guys, I'm a liquidbender."

"What do you mean?" Katara asked, fumbling with a stream of water, healing my burn.

"Aang. He did what he was supposed to do," I said. "I felt it."

What do you mean you're a liquidbender?" Zuko and Sokka asked.

"I bended metal in the form of liquid," I said. "That makes me more than a waterbender."

"You're a metalbender?" Zuko said with surprise.

"Only in one of its states."

"You mean the Fire Lord dead?" Katara asked, going back to the more important topic.

"No, he didn't kill him." There was an empty space somewhere inside me. "But he ended him. I don't even know what that means. It's a wierd feeling okay? I don't know what he did."

"We'll see," Katara said worriedly. She wrung her hands.

"It's okay," I held her close. "We're all going to be okay." I walked over to Zuko's chair, sitting next to him on the floor. Katara sat next to me and Sokka hopped his chair over to us. Toph and Suki came upstairs, joining our little circle. We held each other close and waited.

And we waited.

"We need to go to Aang," Katara finally said, standing up. "There's a war balloon in the back. I can't sit here and do nothing."

"I'll bring the balloon. We've got two injured over here," I said. "There's no way you can walk over."

Zuko's cold fingers slipped around my wrist as I stood up. "You're in no condition to be walking around."

"It's just a burn, Zuko. Sit down," I gently pushed him back.

"No, it's not." He gestured towards me as a whole. "Every last bit of you is hurt or hurting."

"It's okay. I'll be fine," I assured him. He looked at me in a way he always did when he was convince I was being annoying or stubborn. I ran a hand through his hair, in a playable way. "Don't worry. Toph, come with me," I said, holding out a hand. Of course she couldn't see it so I took hers. She didn't protest as we walked outside, this little, dangerous girl beside me. "You feeling okay?" I whispered. 

She nodded. "Yeah." She seemed so strong, no one really bothered to ask her how she was doing, assuming she was fine anyway. I pulled her close as we trudged outside. "How's the burn?"

"It's truth, it hurts like absolute hell, but there's no way I'm telling them that," I said and we laughed. "You did great though, Toph. I'm proud of you." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her gray eyes well up with tears, but she quickly brushed them away. I pretended not to notice, humming to myself. "I'm glad our part is over. It's kind of a relief, right?"

"You know what the scariest part was?" she cut through suddenly.

"What was that?" I gave her a small nod to go on. Of course she didn't see that, either.

"When I hung off the edge with Sokka," she said, her voice quiet. "My feet; I couldn't see anything. I couldn't feel anything, except for Sokka's hand. I was completely vulnerable."

I was quiet. "You know, that's the most vulnerable I've ever seen you and believe me, you're not vulnerable. Never. You have a rare power where you can predict what's going to happen. And you knew you could trust Sokka, right?" She nodded. "And he did save you."

"He was a soft landing for me, I guess," she laughed.

I grinned. "There you go."

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"Aang!" Katara waved as we landing on the pillar next to him. I was the first to leap out without opening a door, boosting myself with bright blue fire onto the pillar he stood on. "Aang? Where's . . . oh." So that's what I was feeling. The once High and Mighty Fire Lord slash Phoenix King lay on the floor, drooling.

"I took his bending," Aang said, turning to me. He looked weary. "But I did it."

I told you I believed in you," I said, pulling him into a hug. Behind me, Katara made an ice bridge they all walked forward on, slowly, but triumphantly. "I knew you could do it."

"With your help," he said in my shoulder. "You were amazing." Toph joined in on the hug, then Katara who pulled Zuko along with her into it, And then Sokka and Suki. I was so grateful for these guys. I was grateful for the world.

"I will destroy you," Ozai groaned. I tore away from their hugs and crawled out between their legs, sitting next to Ozai.

"Yeah? You do that. And hey, I don't want your family," I said with a smile. "Yours is going to be locked up tight in a few days. I think the family I have is perfect." I nudged the back of his head to face my family. Zuko, Katara, Aang, Suki, Sokka, and Toph.

It was over.