Author's Note!!

Let me shout out a thank you to ArrayePL for the constant reviewing! Those reviews really inspire me to keep uploading!

Azula: Do you end this chapter with parent sex?

Me: No!! But there is a risqué make-out scene that I want to warn you readers about. It's not till way late in the chapter though. But beware Azula, there will be some of that "parent sex" later. =P

By the way, Azula, I would be honored if you would say my disclaimer for me…

Azula: Of course, Taurus3rockergirl wants you all to know that none of these…charming characters belong to her, they all belong to Bryke and Nickelodeon, as do all thing related to Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Zuko PoV

I couldn't believe this…

Why was that, that imbecile the warden anyway? Wait, I have the power to demote him…I'll seriously consider that, after I return. My thoughts ran wildly between the Warden, Ozai, and multiple versions of conspiracy theories. As I prepared for my hopefully short endeavor, I took my hair out of the topknot and dressed in my comfortable travelling clothes. I tossed a few necessities into a rucksack. A strong feeling of déjà vu struck me as I picked up my swords and headed towards the door. I moved toward the door and reached for the knob just as it burst open. Immediately I was being pounded by a pair of very small, very hard fists. The young earth bender punctuated her fierce words with punches.

"Sparky! I said I would come *punch* and see you*punch* when you *punch harder* got back and now *punch* you're leaving again *PUNCH*!!"

"Ow, uh, Toph, well you can come-" I tried to say through the tiny ball of fury's vocalizations.

"Shut it Sunshine because I'm coming with you!"

"Toph!"

"What?"

"That's what I just said!"

"Oh, okay then. What are we waiting for, let's GOOO!" She hesitated for a second, "Wait, where are we going?"

So I explained to her everything I knew about the situation that I had come home to and I vividly ranted my frustrations as she listened attentively. So together we set off to the source of where my intuition led me. Ember Island called to me and I knew it was the right place to start searching for the missing ex-firelord.

The same questions kept running through my head. Who helped him? How did he do it? What's his plan? How dangerous is he now? What will happen when I find him? I just hoped Azula wasn't behind this, but I didn't see what else could have happened.

Ozai PoV

The first night at Ember Island, she and I had both fallen asleep almost as soon as we made contact with the silken sheets. I remember barely muttering a good night as I felt her melt into my arms. But it was the next day and I was well rested, as was Ursa. She was already out of bed when I woke up and I assumed she had already begun tidying the house. After I bathed I searched my wardrobe. I was appalled at the state of the clothes that I was forced to choose from. All dust covered and moth eaten. I resented the lack of money and of power that I had available to me. I hated having to live like a mere civilian, no worse, like a pauper. My regal blood was not meant to live this way. I found the most intact clothes, a loose pair of pants, and after tossing an upsetting amount of unworthy materials, I decided to leave my torso bare.

I looked around the big house for Ursa, spotting her in the kitchen. Going up to her from behind, I wrapped my arms around her and planted a kiss in her hair. She still smelled the same. White plum. I whispered a good morning in her ear and she turned to face me, smiling.

"Oh, good, you're up. Could you go and pick a few fire lilies from the garden for me?" So I brought her some of the flowers, which she put in a recently polished vase. Throughout the day I tried to get just a few minutes to be with her, but she kept sending me on meaningless, servant worthy tasks. My annoyance grew by the time we sat down for lunch, which she had somehow found the means to provide.

"Ursa, you seem…preoccupied today." I confronted her.

"No I'm not." She protested, "There's just so much to do." Somehow I felt like there was some other reason for her business, but then again I may have just been paranoid.

I took her hands in mine and looked at her in a "Tell me, I don't believe you" way.

"Really. I would just rather be done with all the cleaning and everything in one day."

"Can't we hire a servant? Oh, right." I corrected myself with a look from her, I still find it hard to get used to the lack of power. Wait, did I see her roll her eyes at me? No, of course not.

"I sure hope you'll gain something from this experience." She declared in a voice on the verge of being condescending.

"What do you mean?" I inquired.

"Not all of us have been as fortunate as you have for the past eight years. While you were sitting there on your throne, leading your nation and holding onto terrific powers, there were people out there struggling to see the next day. Good people were out there doing anything at all possible to make ends meet. And I experienced that way of life. I know what it's like to be among the other half. Ozai," the emotion filling her voice threatened to shove me backwards, "In all your riches, did you ever truly regret how it happened? Did you ever feel like you were unworthy of your position? Did you ever wonder what kinds of hardships I was going through?"

Her passionate words took me aback; I had not realized just how vulnerable she was. I had not seen how the years had treated her.

"Ursa, I-," and with a skid of her chair, she was gone from the room. I sighed and took to studying the table. What now? Do I follow her or wait for her to cool off? I began to wonder if there was something wrong with Earth Kingdom air. It seemed that everyone who spent long periods banished from the Fire Nation or in the Earth kingdom came back with these weird notions of rugged individualism or something. Iroh, Zuko, now Ursa?

As dusk approached, not long after our mealtime quarrel, I found Ursa curled up on one of the large, red sofas in an upstairs den. I knew that she heard me come in when she spoke, without turning or looking at me.

"Truly", she said "banishment was the best thing you ever could have done for my life." I walked into her line of vision.

"Your son once said the same thing." That struck her interest. "You think we will see him soon?" I asked. She nodded.

"I sure would like to be able to hear some current news. We don't even know if Zuko has arrived back yet."

"Yes, but I would be severely disappointed if it took him too long to find us." I muttered, thinking about how it would be typical of him to still not be an effective tracker after the three long years of Avatar hunting.

She looked at me, urging me to explain.

"He has spent years developing his tracking skills," I said, "I couldn't imagine him taking all too long to find us here." Truthfully I had no idea if it would be a long time or not. The longer the better, I hoped to put off his reunion with his mother for as long as possible.

"However, if it was Azula that was in her brother's situation, she most likely would already be here. She was always the more, capable of the two. "

Ursa crossed her arms at that remark, oh no, I thought. She always did favor Zuko whilst I loved our daughter. I should not have spoken of my favoritism just then. "I only meant," I defended, "that Azula proved a better tracker, and this sort of thing is what she has been good at. But in the end, none of that mattered." I hesitated, but she did not appear all too offended about my contempt for her son. She always was aware that the two of them had a better relationship.

"Ursa," I began, "about earlier, I wanted to tell you that, well, I'm sorry. Even if you somehow benefited from banishment," she shifted so I could sit next to her, "it has always been my highest regret." I hoped to wash away the lies that I hid through my statement. Truthfully, there were times throughout the years that I was so intoxicated with power that how I had achieved it mattered little. But that was all in the past now.

"Look at me Ursa." I clasped her shoulders in my hands, "All that matters now is that I love you. I love you now and nothing else matters."

She closed her eyes and leaned against me. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer, feeling the warmth of her body radiating, overpowering the cool winter air. Slowly I bent to kiss her, and thankfully she responded as I hoped. She returned the kiss, entwining her fingers in my hair. I kept her close with a hand pressing against the middle of her back, my other on her waist. I moved in against her so that her body was trapped between the couch and myself, one of my hands by the nape of her neck, the other on the small of her back, pressing her ever closer. Her arms wrapped around my neck, warm against my skin. She deepened the kiss and I reacted, biting down on her bottom lip. I felt her body arch to me as she let out the faintest moan; I yearned to hear more of a response from her. My hands explored her informal kimono with the urgency I felt to feel her skin against mine. I slipped the fabric off of her delicate shoulders, exposing her soft moonlight-pale skin. I grew selfish with anticipation and began to forcefully strip her down more completely. Pulling away from another heated kiss, I noticed a single tear run down her face. "Ursa, what is it?" Her tears confused me, surely she wanted this? Afraid to know her answer, she simply kissed me again and I couldn't object. Somehow I pulled restraint from the depths of my being and despite my physical needs, I finished out our kiss and rolled over, lying with my angel on the huge burgundy sofa until we both fell into sleep.