A/N: Please review! I would really love to see what you all think of this chapter :)

An hour later they were seated at dinner in the Miyazaki's, the kaiseki underway. Ursa knew what it meant, but she had only had it a few times in her life. Instead of a simple meal, the kaiseki was haute cuisine, eaten by the upper classes. It consisted of many different types of dishes in a specific order, usually fourteen. The first dish was announced.

"Sakizuke." They bowed and left without another word. Ursa looked down at the alien-like sea urchin and tried not to make a face. It was served on the most beautiful dishware and served atop real ice, but it still looked like a monster. She didn't understand why the rich ate this way, with all their wealth. It seemed odd. Kai's wife, Asumi, looked to Ursa, smiling.

"Sea urchin is an aphrodisiac," she teased, looking between Ursa and Ozai, and then Ursa couldn't help but make a face. Her eyes went wide. Kai, Asumi, and Ozai all laughed heartily.

"I made her blush," Asumi pointed out, to which Ursa's blush grew even warmer.

"Sorry about my wife," Kai laughed, "Let us eat."

"Ittekimasu," they all said in unison before starting the meal. Ursa tried not to cringe at the taste. She washed it down with tea.

"I love your jewels, Ursa, they're magnificent," Asumi complimented. Ursa smiled.

"Thank you. Ozai gave them to me tonight as a gift," she looked over to the prince. He said nothing but squeezed her hand under the table.

"I'm sorry again that we couldn't come to your wedding, Prince Ozai," Kai apologized. Ozai shook his head.

"It's no matter," he looked to Ursa, "They were on their honeymoon at the time."

"Oh, how wonderful. Where did you go?" She wondered.

"Ember Island. My family has a summer house there," Kai answered. Asumi looked at her husband fondly, taking a sip of tea.

"It was absolutely lovely. You two should honeymoon there," she commented. Ursa looked to Ozai, who shrugged.

"Perhaps. My family has a villa on that island," Ozai responded calmly.

"So, Ursa, tell us, what do you do in your spare time?" Asumi asked. She was a socialite, Ursa could always tell, and she was excellent at controlling a room. She was like a Geisha - full of femininity and power. Together, Kai and Asumi made a very handsome couple. Kai was tall and lean, the body of a firebender, with a well-shaped face and kind eyes. He looked young. Asumi was tan and beautiful, and her perfect brown hair fell like a silk curtain around her shoulders. She poured the tea, and even in such an easy act she emulated pure beauty and grace.

"I like to draw, read, and act," she answered. Kai raised his eyebrows.

"Acting? How interesting," Asumi muttered. Ursa wasn't sure how these upper-class discussions went. She smiled faintly. Was she complimenting her or insulting her?

"You must show us something sometime, Princess Ursa. A scene or two. We enjoy going to the theater," Asumi commented, linking arms with her husband.

"Oh, I don't know," Ursa answered, looking to Ozai. She didn't know if that was appropriate behavior for a princess. Ozai was eating, not concerned with the conversation muh at all.

"Maybe you could grace us with a song, then?" Asumi asked playfully. Ursa did not know if she was inviting her to be friends or trying to test her.

"My wife can play the lute. You should learn some songs, play together," Kai said.

"There's an idea," Ozai commented, to which Asumi smiled brightly.

"It's settled then. We can play together."

Hours passed as dish after dish was served. There were dishes of sashimi, vegetables, broiled cow-pig, tempura, fish, and miso. The complexity and presentation of each of the dishes was a lot for Ursa to take in. There was talk of firebending, and the war, and literature. Ursa knew almost nothing about all of it. By the end of the meal, she felt much more stupid than she had at the start. Suddenly she was missing the simple nights of eating a bowl of fried rice with her friends and discussing their favorite scenes from the plays. Finally, the last dish was served.

"Mizumono," the servants announced as they set down small bowls of egg-pudding and two baby kumquats on the side.

"Do you know what this is?" Ozai asked. Ursa looked to him, scowling slightly in confusion.

"Dessert?" She whispered incredulously. He laughed heartily, to which the Miyazaki's joined in. Ursa's embarrassment flared. Ozai rested his hand on her thigh.

"Sorry," Kai stopped himself from laughing, "Don't take our laughter to heart. Ozai and I just have a bad sense of humor." Ursa nodded, trying to calm her blush.

"She blushes a lot, doesn't she?" Asumi teased, giggling.

"You have no idea," Ozai jested suggestively, pouring another cup of sake as Kai and his wife laughed again. They were already half-drunk. She looked aside, embarrassed. She hated when they were laughing at her. She wanted to change the subject.

"It is dessert, right?" She asked again, louder this time. Ozai met her gaze and he smiled.

"Yes, dear. But it's a specific type, popular here in the capital. Let me show you." He raised his hand close to the dessert bowl and burned the top using his firebending. Kai did the same for him and his wife's. The heat caused the top of the pudding to scald, turning it brown and golden.

"The fire causes the granules of sugar in the desert to crystalize, but only on the top where the fire reaches," he explained.

"Is Prince Ozai a firebender first, or a scientist? It's hard to say," Kai laughed, pouring the sake for him and his wife. Ozai shot him a face. Ursa smiled.

"What?" Kai asked, "You know your husband is something of a nerd, right Ursa?"

Asumi laughed, covering her face with her sleeve. Ursa chuckled, looking to Ozai. He rolled his eyes, cracking the top of the dessert.

"You know your husband is something of an imbecile, right Asumi?" Ozai retorted back, a slight smirk on his face. Kai laughed heartily.

"Ouch," he joked, placing his hand over his heart. Ursa had never seen anyone be informal with Ozai before, and she found it very interesting.

"Here," Ozai said, setting a cup of saki before Ursa. She looked at the cup skeptically. She hadn't had much alcohol in her life, only some wine or beer here or there. Never hard liquor. Her parents had strictly forbidden it, but it had never intrigued her anyway.

"Everyone," Kai motioned raising his glass in the center, to which the others followed suit, "to married life!"

"To married life!" They replied. Ursa took the shot along with them, cringing in the aftermath. Ozai chuckled.

"Have you never tried Sake before?" He asked curiously. Ursa shook her head. She was going to explain why, but then she remembered she couldn't discuss her parents at all in public. Suddenly she ached for home. Ozai refilled her cup and placed it back in her hands.

"It gets better after the first one," Asumi chimed in, "and try the kumquat in between. The tart cuts through the bitter… Everyone." They all peeled the fruit and ate at the same time.

"And… shot!" Kai instructed. Ursa winced as she shot down the bitter liquid again, quickly chewing on the kumquat again to get the taste out of her mouth. Another hour passed of card playing and charades, but Ursa became so drunk that she couldn't pay attention. Her head was swimming and when she almost fell over halfway through the game, and Ozai wrapped his arm around her to support her.

"I'm going to take her home," he insisted. On the carriage ride home, Ursa leaned into him easily, resting her face in the crook of his neck.

"Did you like them?" Ozai asked, a drunken smile on his face. Ursa hummed into his neck, wrapping her hands around him without a second thought.

"Yeah-they're… sure," she slurred, nuzzling him. It tingled. Ozai laughed again.

"You've never really drank before, have you?" He asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close.

"No... no, I haven't," she responded, looking out the window of the carriage but stopping when she found it too dizzying.

"How fast are we going?" She asked without really thinking. Ozai laughed and she joined in but didn't know why.

"Have you never been drunk before?" He asked, and Ursa leaned back against him. It was hard to think.

"No," she answered. He smelled like sandalwood.

"Oh my, you're so young. So, how does it feel?" He asked, pulling back so she could look at him. When she looked at his face she was startled by how handsome he was. She traced her fingers over the smooth lines of his cheekbones and lips. She wondered why she was always so sad in this marriage.

"You're so beautiful," she cooed, not realizing she had said it aloud. Ozai chuckled a bit and smirked lopsidedly.

"Well, thank you, my dear," he laughed, "So are you." Ursa raised her eyebrows.

"Did I say that out loud?" He nodded. She giggled like a schoolgirl, pulling him closer. She wondered why was she always so reluctant to let him touch her. He was a handsome prince, her husband. She must be out of her mind, she thought to herself. He was so smart and capable and strong. Ursa did not think of her ex-fiance, nor did she think of the mysterious woman in the drawer. There was little to think about at all. All she was thinking of was the man before her and the warm blood running through her body.

For the first time, she kissed him. Not out of force or necessity, but because she simply wanted to. He was warm and wet against her lips and she loved the sensation of kissing him. Ursa was tingling and light and happy. She wondered why she was always sad all the time. Ozai eagerly returned her kisses and touches, moaning against her and pulling her onto his lap eagerly. She moaned in return as he let his hands wander where they may. The couple was so caught up in each other's affections that when the carriage came to a halt they didn't even notice, too distracted to care. When the driver opened the carriage door he turned bright red. Ursa and Ozai only continued laughing, though, and the whole ordeal seemed rather funny. He pulled her by the hand to his room. She stumbled through the dark halls of the palace behind Ozai, giggling as she stumbled in her platform sandals. Ozai turned back several times to shush her, playfully putting his finger to her lips. When they finally arrived to Ozai's rooms he dramatically shut the doors behind them. Ursa went to the bathroom to pee and came back into the bedroom stumbling, barely able to see where she was going in the darkness. She then tried with little success to remove her heavy jewels and hairpins.

"Sit down," he instructed, guiding her to her vanity chair, "Let me help." Ozai himself fumbled with the clasps in his drunken state, but managed to remove all of her jewels and clothing in a few minutes. She moved to stand but wobbled getting up, so Ozai picked her up and placed her on the bed, laughing as he did so.

"I had no idea you'd get so wasted from a few shots of sake," he joked, smoothing down her hair before he removed his own robes. Ursa laid back on the silken bedspread, sighing at the feeling of the silk on her bare skin.

"You're the one who made me drink," she answered, slurring a bit. She rolled onto her stomach and watched Ozai undress. He was slipping out of his inner robe and then throwing the last of his garments on the chair, followed by his breeches. Ursa giggled and covered her face in the sheets.

"What's so funny?" He asked, moving to sit next to her on the bed. Ursa shook her head.

"I think I'm too young to be married, Ozai," she said. Ozai scowled, moving her over so she would face him. He stroked her hair and her breasts.

"Why do you say that? You're of an appropriate age." He murmured, kissing her lips and

then further down. She brushed his long hair away so it wouldn't tickle her sensitive skin.

"I'm not mature enough. You and your friends, you're all older than me. Smarter than me. I- You all made fun of me. I came off like an idiot," she complained. Ozai looked at her.

"No, we were just teasing you. You're not stupid, darling, you're just- you're a country girl. You'll get used to it here. You just got to the capital. You'll catch on," he soothed, kissing her shoulders and chest. She made a noncommittal noise.

"I don't think they liked me," she complained. Ozai groaned.

"They did. You're overthinking this." He kissed her lips and ran his hands up her thighs, stroking the smooth skin there. She sighed, looking into his eyes.

"Do you like me?" She asked, barely a whisper. Ozai sighed, climbing on top of her.

"Yes," he groaned, kissing her lips greedily, "Yes, I do. Of course, I do. Can't you tell that?" He pulled back, stroking her soft curls. She spread her legs so he could settle between them.

"I like you very much," he muttered in-between kisses, "And I barely like anyone. You are beautiful and naive and sweet. My little wife." She said nothing but was grateful for the compliments. She ran her hands down his back, touching the toned muscles that flexed so easily as he moved. Ursa was so drunk she didn't even notice that he entered, but suddenly he was inside. Ursa moaned easily as he moved in and out. There wasn't any pain at all when she was drunk, only pleasure. And the alcohol left her mind blank, so she thought of nothing but the sensations. He was kissing and sucking on her neck, her lips. He groaned freely and without reserve as he fucked her, any inhibitions thrown out the window.

"My sweet," he purred, "My kanojo." Ursa could barely think in her drunken stupor, but she startled at that. She wondered if he really meant it. His sweetheart. Then again, why would he lie about such a thing? She couldn't possibly understand the advantage of that. They had an arranged relationship, after all. She couldn't say no to him even if she wanted to. It wasn't as if she was a maiden to be seduced into his bed. She had to be with him, it was her duty. She wondered if he thought this was a game. She wondered why he would be trying so hard, but she came up with no answer. Ozai moved her onto her stomach and entered her again from behind, pulling her close and taking her slowly, romantically. His hands wrapped around her waist and he accented each thrust with a grunt or a moan. He purred her name, smoothed his hands up and down her back, kissed her shoulder and whispered little compliments in her ear over and over again. Everything started blurring together in Ursa's mind, but still, she knew something was off. Something felt strange. He was moaning her name in such a way. It was different than their times together sober, she could tell. The way he touched her was different, the way he sighed her name. She never thought she would say so, given his reputation, but it was actually… romantic.

"Ursa," he repeated her name like a mantra, faster now that he was nearer to climax. Ursa moaned along, enjoying the pleasure. She tried to forget it all. It was easier to just moan for him and let her mind go blissfully blank.

A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks