A/N:
Back with a fight scene and family drama! Enjoy!
Chapter 45:
"Wow! This place really is warm." Ami seemed to be surprised by this fact as she had removed her shoulder shawl from her arms. "Actually, it's very hot."
Watching the woman fan herself, Ozai snickered and led her to the inner sanctum so that she could change into something better suited for this climate.
Holding onto the Phoenix King's arm, Ami saw servants all bowing their heads as they walked by. It was something very different from what she had seen in the Phoenix Empire. Things seemed far more strict here. Reminded her of back home.
"You seem to have better control over the people here in the Fire Nation. Thinking of being Fire Lord more permanently?"
Ozai snorted, "I miss it here but I like it better where I can do more as I please. There is still tradition to follow in these halls. Hundreds and thousands of years of traditions and Fire Lords to compare yourself to. It can be a hassle trying to maintain tradition and yet standing out amongst those that came before you." He told her. "There has never been a Phoenix King before me and there isn't any tradition I must conform to. I can make it as I go. Do as I like. Eventually, it'll have its traditions but it'll be more rooted in the people. Tradition is such a constrictive construct and I don't like restrictions."
Ami giggled at this. He didn't strike her as a rule breaker but then again, she couldn't really see him following any rules he didn't agree with either.
"You fascinate me, your majesty." Ami said without thinking but she didn't feel the need to retract her statement.
Glancing down at the woman on his arm, "Is that so, princess?"
"How could I not find you fascinating?" Ami paused as she turned to look at him in his entirety. "There's not a single man on earth like you. No one with the political and physical power you have. No one is near as handsome. I must say I envy the women in your life."
Ozai stared down at the woman in front of him and furrowed his brows, "There is nothing to envy about women that met tragic fates. You should learn from them and keep a distance."
"And what if I think you're worth whatever tragedy befalls me?" Ami smirked.
"Then you're not the intellect I took you for."
"Perhaps not." Ami said as she stepped aside and took his arm again.
Returning to what he was doing, leading her to the inner sanctum, Ozai couldn't seem to take his gaze off the woman. He would be lying if he said he didn't find what the woman said was attractive or found it flattering what she had said to him. However; he didn't take pleasure in knowing what happened to the women closest to him. Starting with his mother to Hama, Kimiko, Ursa, Azula, and then Katara. They all were met with tragedy because of him. Ami could think it was worth it and while his ego would agree with her, realistically, none of those women deserved what happened to them. He had been cruel to all of them and punished them when they retaliated. Ami didn't know what it took to be a woman in his life. Whether she was his mother, his sister, his daughter, his lover or his wife they all shared tragedy. It wasn't wise for her to say those things and it wasn't wise for him to feel like a betting man either because nine times out of ten, he knew what would happen to her.
….
After all their nonstop hard work, Kya and Uhara finally got an entire day of down time despite the added burden of the construction of the palace. They spent it outside the city in a pasture near a river. It was too cold for swimming but they were still able to have a picnic and take in the simplicity of being outside of the palace. On the way back to the palace after the sun began to set, Kya aske Uhara to bathe with her as she needed him to keep her bath water warm. He did not disappoint.
In the tub, straddled in the lap of her lover, Kya kissed him passionately as he held her around her waist in the tub. Her naked breasts pressed against his chest as she rolled her hips to the feeling of him buried deep inside of her. They had been so busy that they hadn't the time to be intimate like this. It was painful and frustrating being so close these last few weeks without being able to embrace like this.
When they were out of the bath and dressed in their night clothes, they went to bed wanting to get the sleep they hadn't gotten in forever. Uhara held Kya to him as she curled herself against him. His heightened senses caused him to fall into a trancelike sleep from the smell of her hair. He melted at her touch and her scent.
However, as they had both drifted off to sleep, Uhara was startled from his sleep as he heard something. His eyes skimmed the room for anything that looked unusual. As he tried to lay back down, he sat right back up at the sound of something else and woke Kya.
"Babe, what are you doing?" Kya asked tiredly as she rubbed her closed eyes and tried to settle back to sleep.
"I keep hearing something." Uhara said as he slipped from out of bed.
Noticing he was getting out of bed, Kya sat up and watched him skulk around her bed looking for something. She decided to get out of bed and follow him. She didn't hear anything but she knew his senses were especially sensitive right now, so he might have actually heard something while sleeping.
Getting up close to him, Kya clung to Uhara's arm as he held a flame in the palm of his hand searching outside of her bedroom to see where the noise was coming from. As they carefully made their way to the sitting room, Uhara yanked himself from Kya and lunged himself at a shadow he saw peer from the curtains.
Uhara's arm was grabbed and he was yanked forward as a fist flew in his face, knocking him back. He tried to throw a punch but then he was jabbed several times in the stomach. Groaning in pain as he held his gut and backed away before trying once again to fight the shadow. Kya lit the candles in the room just as Uhara was kicked from where the curtains were onto the low table behind him.
As his body crashed into the low table, destroying the piece of furniture, Uhara winced and looked up to see the shadow he had been fighting now that Kya had lit up the sitting room. What the-
"You've got some nerve showing up here." Kya said as her expression became impassive as she lit her fists with black flames.
Flipping his long hair from his face, "Long time no see, sis."
"You stopped being my brother a long time ago, Zhiar. Don't call me that."
Uhara climbed to his feet and rubbed his back as he made his way over to Kya and eyed the man that broke into her chambers. So this is her twin brother? He looked over the man and saw he looked a lot like his father with blue eyes. Honestly, Uhara had to say, this man looked far more menacing than the Phoenix King. It might be that his eyes were far more narrowly shaped or the wicked demeanor that seemed to radiate from his presence. Seemed he really had become a rebel leader.
Smirking as he stepped towards the two, Zhiar eyed the man standing alongside his twin sister. "Found you another lover. How cute. He's a shit fighter but I hope dad at least approves of this one."
"What do you want, Zhiar?" Kya was seconds away from making him regret ever showing his face to her again. How dare he just break into her home after all the chaos he's been causing the empire. Bastard was lucky their father wasn't here.
Zhiar flipped his hair that had a few braids and beads mixed through it over his shoulder, "I came to talk. Something important regarding mom."
"She's alive. I know."
"Of course you know." Zhiar said as he decided to take a seat on her couch and kick his feet up on the low table he practically ruined. "I've been watching you and dad for months now. I know all about you two keeping mom's living status to yourselves. I have something else to discuss and unlike you and our bastard father, I don't plan on leaving you all out of the loop."
Kya could barely even look at her brother. He looked so much older than the last time she saw him. The rugged look was a strange look on him. She almost didn't notice him. If it weren't for his blue eyes, she'd never make out his face with that shaggy ass beard of his and the messy hair. He clearly wasn't bathing regularly. She'd have to order the servants to scrub that couch. Or maybe toss it. She ran her finger under her nose. She could smell him from here.
"What is it?" She demanded to know as she held a hand over her nose, unable to deal with the stench of her twin brother.
Chuckling as he twirled a lock of hair on his finger, "Mind if I freshen up and get something to eat first? I'm a bit hungry from traveling all the way here."
Kya was going to tell him off but Uhara stopped her, pulling her aside.
"Give us a minute, will you?" Uhara told him.
Zhiar nodded his head as he turned his attention to the dirt in his nails.
Taking Kya to her room, Uhara shut the door and took a deep breath. "We need to alert your father as he asked us specifically to do if anything like this happened. So just give him what he wants and hear him out to stall him."
Furrowing her brows, "Have you ever met this brother, Uhara?"
"No but I know of his womanizing reputation in the Fire Nation."
Kya sighed as she shut her eyes and held her hands to her lips to gather herself and her thoughts. "I'm sure you are aware that my family on my father's side suffers from madness. Specifically the men of my father's side." She took a deep breath and opened her eyes to her boyfriend. "Ever since we were children, Zhiar has always been at my throat without any real reason to. He hates me and always has. I doubt even he understands why that is. It is dangerous to deal with him lightly. There's no telling what he's capable of now with all the mayhem he's been causing."
"I get that but attacking him will get us nowhere. Just trust me on this. Your brother has information that he believes is so important that he came here knowing you all are at odds. I think we should at least get that information out first."
He had a point. She didn't like it but there were many things she didn't like and she just dealt with it. This would be no different.
"Fine but you owe me later for this." Kya placed her hands on her hips.
Uhara grinned as he patted the princess's head, "As you wish, your highness."
Kya scoffed and left the room to go address her brother as Uhara followed behind her.
"Fine, you can bathe and have something to eat but as soon as you're done, you'll tell me what this important information you have about mom."
Zhiar smirked as he stood to his feet, "We have a deal." He said as he approached her and leaned forward to her, ignoring the fact she was covering her nose due to his less than pleasant scent. "And might I say, you've gotten to be very beautiful, Kya." His gaze dropped to a lock of her hair to which he took it. "I almost wish you weren't my sister."
Kya rolled her eyes as she was unphased by her brother's incestious remark.
"Hey, back off, pal!" Uhara shoved Zhiar away from Kya.
"And what are you going to do about it?" Zhiar raised his brow as he loomed over Uhara. "She's my sister. I can do what I want."
Uhara's eyes glowed red as he clenched his fists. This little detail caused Zhiar to grin as he backed off and shifted his gaze back to Kya.
"A Phoenix, huh?"
"Just go wash off whatever whore's bed you rolled yourself out of." Kya held one hand over one nose and pointed to her bathroom with the other.
Zhiar winked at her as he left to go to her bathroom. As soon as he was gone, Uhara finally calmed down.
"Your brother is sick."
"I told you."
….
How was this supposed to be a quick trip? Seriously? She stepped one single foot in the palace and Ozai would appear out of nowhere in a burning black flame, snatching her up before she could even get the drop on him. Taking any chances right at this moment was just asking for it. Plus, there was no telling how he would greet her. Something told her that he wasn't going to be too happy to see her after their encounter during the gala. She planned to make amends to him once she was confident that they could put a stop to Atsou but in the meantime, he was going to just have to hate her because for the time being, they weren't on the same side.
Katara scoped the outer perimeter of the palace while being careful as to not be seen or step her foot over the ward boundary. She needed to see if she could get a visual on Ozai. Monitoring him with water could be useful but she didn't want to take the chances of him noticing. She didn't even know if that was something he would notice but she just knew to be very careful with him. Ozai was too keen for his own good and it honestly made her stomach turn when Lao said he was taking over in Zuko's stead. She should have figured. Who else was experienced with ruling the Fire Nation other than the current Fire Lord?
Sighing as she got herself comfortable in a tree just outside the warded area. It overlooked a courtyard. The courtyard one had to cross in order to get from the outer sanctum to the inner. She figured she would camp out right here until night fell. Ozai was no doubt in the outer sanctum at this time of day doing some work but she'd know he was heading to bed as soon as he walked through this courtyard. Unless he uses that smokey black flame trick of his then we'll never know. Don't tell me you're back. Katara scoffed. Yes, you little bitch! I am back and I'm back with a vengeance! Let's fuck shit up! Katara rolled her eyes. Here we go again.
After twelve hours of listening to her siren go on and on about her observation of the last few years and how she would have lived it better, Katara noticed it was just about time for Ozai to go to bed. Unfortunately, she could only tell by the fact it was an hour past midnight and Ozai never really stayed up past midnight. She'd have to wing it but fortunately, her siren had a plan for her. A plan that might keep Ozai distracted if he was still awake.
Pulling the tail of her high ponytail over her shoulders to take a look at it, Katara sliced a few strands off with her dagger and then tossed the strands over the outside of the barrier. She quickly took cover as to not be seen and waited to see if Ozai would recognize it, believing it was her. A black flame erupted not even a minute later at the very spot where she tossed some of her hair. She watched as Ozai appeared from the flames and crouched down in front of the strands of hair. He picked up a few and eyed them carefully. Obviously, suspicious of them. Her hair wasn't its usual color last he saw her. Likely, he was questioning if the hair was hers or not. She watched him bring it to his nose to sniff and his eyes widened.
So the hair works. Katara grinned victoriously as she ducked down some more, not wanting Ozai to see her. Seemed he couldn't sense anything outside of the barrier due to all his focus being drawn to everything within the wards. He disappeared into the black flame as if to leave but Katara wasn't stupid. He was baiting her like she just did him. But she wasn't falling for it.
Stealthily, Katara moved through the shrubs she was hiding in and tried getting to another side of the barrier to sprinkle hair there. As soon as she did, Ozai appeared in that location immediately. She took this chance to hurry back to her original spot and crossed over into the barrier, believing he was distracted. Wrong move.
Caught by her neck and forced down to the ground, Katara felt the wind knocked out of her by the sudden movement. Her blue eyes saw a hand sticking out of a black flame above her, holding her to the ground by her neck.
"Sporting Hama's old I'd say the white hair looked better on her." Ozai's voice burrowed in her ears as the hand squeezed her neck more. "Stay still."
The hand let go as the flame disappeared and Katara didn't understand why but she couldn't move a muscle. What the hell?! Her eyes widened.
"You have your tricks and I have mine." Ozai finally showed up, walking up to her from the outside of the courtyard. "I'm assuming you figured out I can create wards and tried to play me. You almost got me there."
Katara's eyes were callously on him as she struggled to get up.
Running his fingers along his neck, Ozai grinned. "It's a charm. Whatever I say, goes. You can't disobey me as long as it is on your neck."
Oh great! I'm screwed! Not quite. The siren had a plan. Her body couldn't move but she still had her mind. Behind Ozai, a figure made of the water from the fountain came up behind him and grabbed him around his neck.
Hello, Ozai. Long time no see. The Siren whispered in his ear as she had him in a chokehold.
Ozai's eyes widened as he looked to Katara and saw her eyes had rolled to the back of her head. What the hell is this?!
I've had a lot of time to grow, Ozai. There's a lot of things I can do now. And getting you to yield is one of them. Before Ozai could respond or react, the Siren kicked him in the back of his knees and chuckled when he fell on them. She pressed her lips to the side of his neck and blew her cold breath against his skin. Immediately, the frostbite in his body overwhelmed him and she was able to let go of him. He was too busy fighting something within him to fight her.
The water figure collapsed into a puddle on the ground and Katara gasped as her consciousness was back. Fuck! What was that?! Don't worry about it. He's down. Let's get a move on. Right. The waterbender was able to move again and sat up off the ground rubbing her throat as she took a moment to look at Ozai. He literally looked like he was having a seizure. Fuck, she hated seeing that. As soon as his eyes were on her and his hand reached out for her, Katara shut her eyes and quickly refocused on her mission. The sooner she got this shit over with, the sooner he wouldn't be in anymore pain.
"I'm sorry." She said as she took off running into the palace.
Hurrying on her way through the palace, Katara looked for the place located on the map and hoped she found it soon. Ozai would no doubt fight off her frostbite and be back on his feet like before. She honestly didn't want to fight him if she didn't have to. At the end of the day, she had nothing against him. If only he'd just stay out of the way. It wasn't like she was here to hurt anyone this time around.
Reaching the office that Lao had told her would be the beginning of her journey, the waterbender entered and quickly shut the door behind her as she heard the footsteps of the patrolling night guards. Her eyes roamed around the dark office. She could see cobwebs and dust everywhere. Seemed Zuko hadn't designated this office for anyone else over the years.
Tip toeing around the office, Katara tried looking for a book on the shelf that Lao told her would open the secret passage way to her destination. However; in her search for the book, the candles in the offices lit up and she froze for a second.
"Keep fucking with me and I'm going to seriously hurt you, Katara." Ozai slammed the door behind him and glared at her. His scarred face revealed from burning off his skin grafts in order to fight off her frostbite spell, making him look a lot more ghoulish with his crimson red eyes.
Turning around Katara pressed herself to the bookcase as Ozai made his way over to her. He was a lot more heavy on his feet, likely from the strain his body was under from her spell. His hair disheveled as he dragged one foot with him and growled. She really did a number on him with that spell.
Smirking, "We both know you don't want to hurt me, Ozai."
Katara's smirk went away when she saw his black claws swing at her and she quickly ducked down, throwing herself out of the way.
"Guess again." Ozai growled as he watched her climb to her feet and raise her hands up.
"I stand corrected. I guess you do. But I'm really not here to stir any trouble. Just gotta pick something up and I'll be out of your hair." Katara said nervously as this was probably the first time she had encountered Ozai and he looked like he actually wanted to kill her. Even as enemies, she didn't remember him looking so utterly done with her and she could understand that. They had been through a lot together and there was plenty of bad blood the two of them couldn't just easily fuck away. Totally understandable. However; she never expected him to swing at her without her first provoking him but given the situation, that was also completely fair.
Glaring at her as he breathed heavily, "I don't care what you're here for. Either you get the fuck out or I'm going make to you regret all your recent decisions."
"Ozai, I told you I'm doing this fo-"
"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK WHAT YOU'RE DOING THIS FOR!" The flames shot up all over the room and Ozai shape-shifted a little more into an even more ghoulish appearance. "You don't go making enemies with the one person that gave a damn! Bad enough you accused me of something I didn't do! But you literally stabbed me in the back!"
"I'm sor-"
"Fuck your sorry! I'm only taking apologies in the form of me kicking your ass and you are long overdue for one, sweetheart!"
Katara's eyes widened as she could see Ozai was going to kill her or damn near do so.
….
Kya glared at Zhiar as he sat in front of her scarfing down food. She really had to say she had never been more disgusted in her life. The gunk he left in her bathroom after bathing was more atrocious than she thought. Simply having the servants do a thorough cleaning seemed like she was dishing out a punishment or torture. And then to make matters worse, he decided her tunic was far more comfortable to wear than anything from Uhara's trunk of clothes. Why did he want to wear her things?
It was so small on his large physique. He was practically dad's height but leaner like Zuko. His black hair was thick and wavy like her, the texture inherited by their mother. For whatever reason, he had locks of hair braided and beaded while wearing the rest down his back. He looked every bit of the criminal he had become. A filthy thug. Nothing like that of a royal blooded prince. If her father ever wanted to talk about a slum rat again, this is what she would picture. That shaggy rogue beard of his was simply unkempt and made him look so much older than he really was. He was only twenty years of age but looked ten years older. And while he smelt bearable, he had that musk of rum and burning incense. You're a bloody fucking pirate these days, are you?
Seeing his sister eye him, Zhiar tried not to grin to himself. He really meant what he said. Kya was beautiful. Too bad they were siblings. Kya pretty much grew in more than just height. Her breasts were full and he bet they were soft to touch. She no longer had the innocent round doll shaped face. The contours of her face was more defined and womanly. He had watched her turn her back only to notice she had their mother's ass. Not to mention, her eyes were much more to his liking. No longer that dull vacant yellow he hated. They were vibrant gold. Kya wasn't a girl anymore. Clearly, the doing of having a man shape her out.
Uhara sat there with disgust as he had the misfortune of listening to Zhiar's thoughts. He couldn't believe this bastard was looking at his sister that way. What the hell was wrong with him? The nobleman had heard stories back home about Zhiar as Fire Prince and Kya and the Phoenix King spoke of as if he were problematic even for them but he never would have thought Zhiar was like this. Agni, this kid was sick.
"Alright, get to talking. What do you know?" Kya demanded as she sat at the head of the table with her arms folded in front of her.
Zhiar put down his chopsticks as he belched without covering his mouth or excusing himself. Whatever etiquette or princely training Zuko gave him was out the fucking window.
"Straight to business, I see. Something you get from dad."
"Keep wasting my time and I'll really start reminding you of dad."
Wiping his mouth with a napkin and then tossing it, "Alright, let's cut to it. I should probably start from the top by letting you know why exactly female waterbenders are banned from learning to use their bending outside of healing in the North Pole."
"What does that matter?" Kya narrowed her eyes.
"Because it ties into mom and why dad's twin wants her." Zhiar stated as his demeanor changed.
Furrowing her brows at the mention of their father's twin, "Go on."
"Over a thousand years ago, the North Pole allowed female waterbenders to learn waterbending just like men. Only because some were sirens, female waterbenders were regarded as far more powerful and were worshipped." He went on to inform his sister of how highly regarded female waterbenders were that for many years a single siren reigned as chieftainess for three hundred years. "This siren was more powerful than any other siren. She could command the skies and the ocean. Her power was infinite. So much so that when war between the Fire Nation and the Northern Tribe took place, she was able to use the corpses of soldiers on both sides to continue on fighting for her." The war was won and she had the Fire Lord on his knees begging for his people to be spared of whatever devastation she would bring upon them. "She was taken aback by his concern for his people over his own life and told him she would spare his people if he stepped down from his throne and came with her back to the North Pole to be her husband."
Kya learned that this Fire Lord agreed and went to live in the North Pole as her husband. The two lived happily together for many decades until the siren noticed her husband had not aged a day. She was curious about this and discovered her husband was immortal. More so than she was. He could neither die of old age nor be killed. Thus, making his plea for his people seem less noble of him. This stirred conflict between the two and soon, the chieftainess caught her husband in an affair with a woman of court.
"This angered the Siren Chieftainess so much that she flooded the eastern half of the Fire Nation, leaving only a few islands in the wake of her tsunami. The two battled it out and fought to the death. Destroying much of both their nations and killing thousands." Zhiar went on to explain this was when it was discovered that Phoenixes could indeed die if their lover killed them and that sirens were dangerous inhumans, causing strict rules against female waterbender to be implemented.
"Anyways, when a siren finally passes on, the human half of her soul goes on to be the siren soul of a newborn siren. However; the soul of the Chieftainess was never reincarnated...not until our mother was born."
Kya furrowed her brows at this.
Zhiar sighed, "Arnook told me in the North Pole, they check every woman that is born a waterbender or a siren to see if the Chieftainess ever was reincarnated amongst them. For a thousand years, no records have detailed her return reincarnation. Not until mom showed up and they found she had inherited the soul of the chieftainess."
"You make it sound like we should be concerned."
"We should." Zhiar's expression was grave. "The chieftainess siren didn't die by her lover's hand. She died from losing control and killing herself in the process. Even though she had spent hundreds of years cultivating her power, the chieftainess was still overwhelmed by her own capabilities."
"So what is this story time?" Kya stood up in disappointment. "It was cute but I don't see how this is important information. Mom has a dangerous siren soul."
Narrowing his eyes at his sister, "You don't get it, you idiot. Mom's siren soul is self-destructive and will no doubt drive her insane and kill her."
Kya had heard enough. She expected him to give her some good information in regards to their mother and now he was just wasting her time. Before Zhiar could react, Kya struck him with a bolt of lightning and called the guards in to arrest him.
"Hear your brother out, you say. Stall him, you say. He might have important information, you say." Kya folded her arms as she turned to look at Uhara. "Well, I listened to you and we just wasted precious time of our lives that we will never get back. So listen to me when I tell you that until you get to know everyone in this family and learn the dynamics, we are doing things my way."
Uhara sincerely apologized as the princess came to wrap her arms around his middle and look him up in his eyes. He felt a bit ashamed for putting so much trust into the possibility of her brother being useful.
Shaking her head as she cupped the side of his face, "It's fine. I know you want to help me and my family be one again. For that, I'm forever thankful to have you in my life but we can't go about it lightly. Right now, the people we are at odds with are our family. Blood. So even he can't be trusted."
Nodding his head, "Okay."
"Now, let's go back to bed. I'm even more exhausted than when we laid ourselves down for bed."
…..
Hissing as a burst of flames exploded beside her, scorching her right shoulder and upper arm, Katara quickly picked herself up to take off running. She didn't really want to fight Ozai head on. Not when he legitimately wanted to fight her. His flames were so hot that they burned all the moisture out of the air, leaving her with no water to pull from. She had to throw herself out the window and land three stories down in a bush in order to get away from him. But he easily turned into a black flaming bird and swooped down from the window.
Pulling the water from the bushes, Katara tried to put out the living flames he had turned himself into and watched him fall to the ground as a washed up bird. She panted and took off running again, hoping to get beyond his wards and reach. Ozai was seriously trying to get even and maybe she deserved whatever punishment he dished out but she was hoping he could let her get this chapter of their lives over with first. No point in fighting each other when they had a common enemy that would kill them both.
Katara was running out of breath by the time she reached the courtyard. She knew she'd have to stand up to him and fight. It was going to be impossible to get away unless she did.
"Ozai, please, stop. I don't want to fight you." Katara said as she tried to get her breath. "Maybe another time I'll let you beat me to a pulp but I really need to finish what I came here for."
"Whatever you came here for was on his behalf and I'm not letting that happen." Ozai shot another wave of fire balls at Katara.
Pulling the water from the fountain to form a shield, Katara put her energy into reinforcing the ice to prevent any of his attacks from landing on her. She knew in a match like this where Ozai's bending was being fueled by his anger, she wasn't going to be able to fight him and win. He had the advantage. Especially with him depleting her source of water to fight him. She would have to tap into more physical attacks and she wasn't exactly sure if she had the physical strength to take him right now. Sure, training under Atsou's command had allowed her to increase most of her physical strength and improve her fighting skills to a degree that caused her to send men two-three times her size, Ozai was a different story. She could take him by surprise or if he wasn't resisting, but her strength against his, with him this angry, she could just feel the broken bones from being tossed into the stone floor of the courtyard.
Wincing her as the flames caused her ice shield to blast her back and hit her back into a pillar, Katara's arm wrapped around her to hold her waist. Fuck! He's going to kill me. She spat blood out to the side and wiped her mouth as she saw Ozai approaching her. I'm not taking this. Katara's eyes glowed and bit down on her tongue as she felt herself falling to the madness the siren was filling her with. It was the North Pole incident all over again and her veins thickened with a blood thirst. She feared it and at the same time welcomed it. It wasn't the siren taking over. No this was her own crazed madness.
The corners of her eyes were engulfed by a black shade as dark lines crawled from the corners, only her blue irises remained as her gaze took on a demonic feature. As her hands reached for her face, the tips were coated black as her nails grew sharp from their nail buds.
"What the hell is this?!" Ozai was taken aback by the way Katara looked as parts of her skin were starting to look like there were black and gold scales.
Katara instinctively called for the sky as she felt that maybe she could get it to rain. She noticed before that sometimes she subconsciously had an affect on the weather. Maybe if she called it to, the sky would pour down its rain and she could put out the flames around her.
Ozai watched as the waterbender reached her hands to the sky and within seconds droplets of rain touched his skin. He furrowed his brows and was about to act quick before she pulled out another trick of hers. However, as he was about to make his move, gathering a spark of lightning at his fingertips to catch her while her focus was on making it rain, a bolt of lightning shot from the sky and struck the ground right before him. He jumped back and his eyes widened as he looked back at Katara.
"You still want to fight me?" She asked him as she was looking dead at him.
Furrowing his brows, "I always figured you were a witch but no matter, I still want my apology." He hissed as he lunged at her.
Raising her hand out in front of her, the rain poured down harder and she sent a vortex of water at him. It picked him up and threw him into the palace, destroying the structure as it shot him down from the roof into the halls. There were screams of terror as palace residents, servants, and guards all fled. None knowing where the sudden burst of water and wind came from as they saw the Phoenix King fall from the ceiling.
Wincing as he felt his arm was broken from trying to breaking his fall, Ozai glared up at the hole in the ceiling and saw Katara standing over it.
"I didn't come here for a fight, Ozai. You asked for one." Katara jumped down and landed on top of him.
He was about to punch her when she caught his fist and froze it solid before crushing it with her own hand. He shouted in pain and her hand grabbed him by his throat as she forced his head down onto the marble floor.
"You're going to stay out of my way and I'm going to pretend tonight didn't happen. Got it?"
Ozai stared at her in rage as her demonic eyes roamed over his face and spit at her. "You damned villainess!"
Wiping the spit from her cheek, "And what are you? A good boy? A goodie goodie? You think you're better than me now?!"
"Oh, I know I'm better than you. I'm a far better villain than you, sweetheart." Ozai smirked at her as he had his body shift into white flames.
Katara screamed as she had to pull herself back, burnt by the bright flames.
"You're a shit mother to have left your children behind just like Ursa!" Ozai manifested himself in front of Katara and stomped on her hand as she tried to crawl away.
A cry tore from her throat as he dug his boot into her hand.
"And then like some whore you seduce me as a tactic to get me out of your way." Ozai kicked her in her face and watched her hands immediately go to shield herself. He crouched down and grabbed her white hair and yanked her up. Her nose was bloody as were her lips. "You cast your little spell on me to make me weak and then think you can beat me with that handicap. Even with your new tricks, you're no match for me."
Katara's eyes returned to their normal appearance as she spit out blood. Getting kicked in the face seemed to sober her up from the madness. However; she was far from losing this fight.
"Who said this was over?" She asked him as she smiled with her bloody teeth.
"I did." His fist lit up with a flame as he held her up with his other hand gripping her hair.
Closing her eyes, "I guess you're right again."
Ozai saw her lips turn up into a smirk as the flame in his hand disbursed and he let go of her. He stood up and stumbled back against his own will as Katara picked herself up from off the floor, wiping the blood from her nose.
"I'm not going to kill you but you will stay out of my way." Katara told him and suddenly several strikes of lightning shot Ozai from the hole in the ceiling. She watched indifferently as his body was up in smoke before collapsing to the ground.
Her feet walked over to where he laid motionless on the ground with his eyes wide open. She spat on him and kicked him in the ribs.
"Know this the next time you want to fight me, Ozai." Katara scowled down at him. "I will never fall to you. Never. Whatever it takes, I refuse to lose and therefore, I will always beat you."
"You...bitc-"
Katara kicked him again, "Watch your mouth! I didn't start this. I merely finished it."
Ozai laid there just barely about to breathe as Katara stepped over him. He was definitely killing her the next time they fought. She wasn't getting away with this.
"Ozai!" He heard Hama's voice approaching him.
Shortly, he saw the woman down on her knees beside him, pulling his head into her lap as she started to look over her.
"Who did this?!" Hama looked from Ozai to the rubble from the collapsed ceiling and there was water everywhere.
Trying to catch his breath, Ozai pulled on Hama's dress so that she was leaning closed to him and told her who did this. Her eyes widened and then she felt her something cold hit the back of her neck. She looked up and saw snow falling.
"What the-" Hama's were even wider. It never snowed in the Fire Nation. What the hell was this?
Other spectators looked in confusion as the cold icy flakes fell from the sky and through the hole in the ceiling. They had never seen this before. Most from the Fire Nation that never served in the war were unfamiliar with such a thing and to see it, it was the strangest thing to behold.
"Ozai, you have to tell me what happened here?" Hama urged him as his eyes shut. "Ozai?!"
…
Having got the research information, Katara carried the notes and scrolls as well as jars of bone marrow in a satchel over her shoulder as she tiptoed across the ocean. Her footsteps froze the water underneath her and spread as she danced above the frozen ocean waves. She had a few bruises here and there and she felt her adrenaline still very high from her fight with Ozai but she didn't get to be alone much anymore. She wanted to enjoy this brief moment of freedom before she had to return.
A few ships were frozen in place and she could see the bewildered looks of the sailors as they looked overboard to see a woman spinning herself around in the ice. She was also sure that the fact that there was ice and snow this close into Fire Nation waters must throw them off. Maybe they believed they were lost. But they were indeed in Fire Nation waters. She simply decided to be mischievous and let the Fire Nation people experience snow for once in their lives.
When Katara finally got back to 'home', she tossed the bag of research that Lao sent her to get and saw him grin.
"You look like you got into a fight with a wild animal." Lao noted.
"That's a somewhat accurate description." Katara replied.
"Atsou wants you in the meeting hall."
Arriving at the meeting hall, Katara caught a few looks as she was coming in late was looking pretty rough. She ignored the stares and fell into position with everyone else to hear what Atsou had to say.
"A major milestone was reached just a few hours ago." Atsou said proudly as he addressed the room of his field agents. "With important findings collected from one of our latest captives, we've come to a solution in our slim numbers. I cannot yet tell you all in precise how exactly this is favorable to our cause but I will say this. We will soon have numbers on our side."
Katara's eyes narrowed. Collecting findings? Numbers? What the hell is going on? She thought to herself as everyone else seemed to cheer. But this wasn't good for her. Any victory for Atsou was a loss for her and her family. She needed to get to the bottom of this and she needed to do so quickly. Perhaps, she'd have to listen to Ursa's advice and get closer to Atsou. Time was of the essence.
When the meeting was adjourned, Katara was preparing to return to her room to fix herself up but was stopped by one of Atsou's servants and told to see him in his private chambers. She followed behind the servant as they led the way to Atsou's chambers and walked her in until they were at the patio balcony that overlooked the courtyard.
"Master Atsou, I have brought Lady Katara as you requested." The servant bowed her head.
Atsou was sitting on a floor cushion with one like upright as he gestured his hand for the servant to leave. When left alone, Atsou looked to Katara and grinned as he gestured his hand for her to sit across from him.
Sitting down, Katara moved her hips around to get comfortable.
"You look like you just got back from a fight. Would you like to tell me about them?" Atsou asked her as he took the glass of sake and poured them both some.
Katara sighed and told him reluctantly about the mission Lao sent her on. "Ozai wasn't very happy to see me and the fight turned ugly."
"I bet." Atsou looked over her bruising to her face as he drank from his glass. "Never thought my brother would put his hands on you."
Snorting, "It was a fight and I've fought men before. If I didn't want to get roughed up, I shouldn't put my fists up to fight." Katara retorted as she drank her shot of sake in one go.
"I'll be releasing Zuko soon."
"You're letting him live?" Katara asked skeptically.
Smirking, "Would you rather I killed him?"
"What?! No!"
Atsou tilted his head and smiled at the woman, "I only tease."
Katara wanted to say something but decided against it.
"Well, moving on, I know I said I want you in charge of the new Sirens you brought here but I changed my mind. I want to go to Bei Seng Sei, make an appearance but you, my dear, I want you to find me a scientist."
Raising a brow, "A scientist?"
"I recently discovered there is a scientist that is working on a serum for immortality. I want you to find him and I'll extract them myself. It's a solo mission and could take some time. How you go about finding this scientist is up to you. I only that you keep a low profile and do not draw attention to yourself. My brother will no doubt find you but as long as you remain loyal to me and this mission, I'll overlook him."
Furrowing her brows, Katara had to wonder what it meant for him to overlook Ozai. Sure, she figured Atsou was powerful and was just playing the mastermind in things but she wondered what would happen in an altercation between Atsou and Ozai.
"Get yourself some rest, you must be tired." He told her.
…..
Hama was unsure how she felt about what Ozai had to say. While she could understand his grievances, he said it himself, he provoked her into a fight. Katara had no intentions of fighting him last evening but nonetheless, gave him what he wanted. He brought this on himself.
Rubbing her temple as she was annoyed, the siren shook her head and tried not getting herself worked up. "Ozai, you can punish her once we have a grip on the situation. As it stands, Katara is the only one that knows what your brother is up to and his next moves. You should have played nice and got information from her. We know she's not on his side and is only working to uncover and foil his plans."
Ozai was in the middle of stitching up the wound he got in the middle of his chest. With the frostbite still plaguing his body, his regeneration was taking a lot longer to work and he couldn't just go around with a gaping hole in his chest. Especially not with Katara changing the Agni damn climate in the entire Fire Nation. No point in the history of the world had it ever snowed in the Fire Nation. And that woman had exposed millions upon millions of people to weather they were not prepared to endure. It was a state of emergency she had caused all because of a petty squabble.
Hissing as the needle tugged at his skin, "Even so, she went too far." Ozai clenched his teeth.
Rolling her eyes, Hama went over and took the needle from him, flashing a look at him before she carefully stitched him up. "If her hair is white then she's begun to merge with the siren, she knows no bounds. You must repair and fix this. I'm sure she has plenty to share with you."
Ozai bit his fist as he squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't see how he was going to so easily overlook what she's done and he was sure she wasn't going to be 'cooperative' after this last encounter of theirs. They might as well be enemies again. That was a pretty ugly match. Not to mention, she had a new set of abilities he had not seen coming. Katara had an affect on the skies and weather. So much so, she could summon lightning that was far more potent than anything he could produce of his own manifestation. She was dangerous and quite frankly, he felt like he should just consider her one of his brother's lackeys at this point.
"You knew you were falling into a trap when she took you off to go 'talk'. Not her fault you decide to be an idiot so you could get laid." Hama finished the last stitch. "Stop being an asshole and play fair. You know she didn't want things to be this way but she's making the most of her shit situation. You could at least be nice to her. She's doing this for your sake."
"My sake?!" Ozai thought that was utterly absurd.
Hama slapped him upside the head, "Remember what Arnook told you? And I told you myself that Atsou wants to take your immortality for himself. You're who he's after and I don't doubt for a second that she's doing all this for you and the children. So shut your trap about her. Girl's been through enough cause of you. Even getting her hands dirty for you. You apologize next time you see her."
Ozai sucked his teeth as he stood up and shrugged on his robes, "I'm not apologizing for shit. The fact that I didn't chase after her was enough."
It took everything for Hama not to roll her eyes and say something snide to his remark. He was just being a dick.
"Your majesty."
The two turned to see the Earth Kingdom Princess barge into the Fire Lord's office with a deeply concerned look on her face.
"Princess Ami." Ozai addressed her. "I'm busy right now."
The large scar that had just freshly been stitched on his bare chest didn't go unnoticed by Ami as she saw the waterbender that stayed at his side, close a medical kit and tuck it away. Something happened. Something bad happened last night.
"Your majesty, I couldn't help notice the temperature is extremely cold this morning and the people around here look as if they're in a daze." Ami looked very confused and very concerned.
Hama saw the way Ozai looked at the woman and rolled her eyes. She could tell he liked this bitch. Her blue eyes shifted to the woman and sized her up. So you decide to be a bitch to Katara cause you have your eyes set somewhere else? Snorting as she folded her arms. Piece of shit.
Ozai looked away from Ami to Hama, "Watch your mouth!"
"Go ahead and tell your new whore everything, Ozai." Hama shoved him out of her way as she stormed out the office but not before taking a quick glance at the woman first and making a remark about her not having an ass.
Ami felt a little awkward at that as she looked to Ozai, "Tell me what?"
"Nothing. She's just being a bitch." Ozai ran his hand over his head.
"I see that but what is going on here? I never heard of it snowing in the Fire Nation and from the looks of it, your people are not accustomed to it either." Ami walked up to his desk. "And I hear one side of the palace is closed due to an incident that took place last night. You have a deep scar on your chest and you look pale. Obviously something happened and you're trying to play it off."
Ozai really wanted to tell her. He felt he could be a little more open with her than he could with most people and he really needed someone that wasn't related to Katara to share some of the things he was dealing with for a non-biased opinion. However; he felt if he introduced her to his world, the world that was secretly operating behind the scenes, that he'd be exposing her to dangers that he couldn't protect her from.
Shaking his head, "I can't discuss those things with you."
Ami sighed, "That's fine, your majesty I do not expect you to place so great a trust in me to confide in me but you must give the people some sort of explanation for this. I'll be glad to offer my assistance if you need to 'exaggerate' the situation here. I want to help."
It was reported that a mysterious woman attacked the palace at night and damaged parts of the palace while the Phoenix King was fighting her off. Ozai didn't give her name and pretended to not know who was responsible. However; some sailors from sea and residents that saw the fight caught sight of her, calling her the arctic fox as she was beautiful and had brought with her the climate of the arctic. Many believed she was an angry spirit that was taking revenge on the Fire Nation and the former Fire Lord for his association with a Water Tribe woman that came to a tragic end. Ozai let them believe that by not agreeing or disagreeing. For all they knew, he was just as baffled as they were but from the look Princess Ami was giving him, he knew she was trying to figure him out.
…
Preparations for Zuko to be returned were in order and Katara was in charge of taking him back to his palace and oversee his recovery before she begins her mission. She had no objections. It would be the first bit of freedom she's had in seven, nearly eight years. Also, she could see one of her children. Ryu. La, she missed him so much. Missed all her children. Hopefully, Zuko wouldn't bear too much of a grudge against her and would let her see Ryu.
As she went to Zuko's cell to help him out, Katara saw Zuko looked completely different from what she expected. His hair was practically on the floor and he looked frail. His gold eyes that were always so bright were dimmed. The small amount of glee she had in getting to see him diminished as she hurried to him as he tried to stand on his feet.
"Zuko!" She called his name as she caught him before he fell.
"I'm fine." He tried to chuckle it off as Katara got him to balance himself against her.
Katara furrowed her brows and looked to the servants that were cleaning out the cell and waited for them to leave. When they were gone, she looked up at Zuko.
"What did they do to you?" She asked him, genuinely concerned.
Scratching his head, "I really don't remember. I just know Atsou comes in and I black out and then I'm laying in bed feeling sore." Zuko frowned as he rubbed his head a little, "It's disorienting but I guess that's better than whatever it is they're doing to me."
A part of Katara was thankful Zuko didn't recall whatever it was that Atsou was doing with him. From the redness of Zuko's pale skin to the tired drained bags under his eyes, the black bruises to his arms and the way his skin clung to his very bony figure, she could tell he had been tortured. That was something that would haunt Zuko if he remembered. And he didn't need one more thing to ruin his mind.
"Come, I'll be taking you back home. Atsou says I can help with your recovery before my next mission." Katara tells him.
Zuko nods his head as she helps him walk out of his prison cell, "Home? How is home? Is everythi-"
"Your father is taking care of the Fire Nation in your stead." Katara informed him.
"Oh, I guess that makes sense." Zuko rested his head on top of Katara's as he was very tired and wanted to just lay back down.
Feeling the extra weight he was putting on her, Katara sighed somberly. She hated how weak he felt. Never in all the time she's known him had Zuko ever seemed so vulnerable. Even when he was a hormonal teenager that was angry with the world. This was her fault. All the times Zuko's gotten hurt after they became friends was her fault. She always ended up hurting him and she was still doing it. La, she hated herself. If there were anyone that loved her even when she was her most unloveable self, it was him. And she had let him down over and over again.
"Zuko?" She asked as they were about to climb the steps out of the dungeon.
"Hmmm?" He replied as his eyes were half opened.
"Do you hate me for this?" Her voice nearly cracked.
Zuko shook his head against hers, "We have a son together and a crazy past. I can't hate you, Tara. You know that." His voice was dragging from his exhaustion in moving only a few feet.
Sighing, Katara managed to carry Zuko all the way to the lagoon as he had passed out on her and laid him in the sand as Lora readied a portal for them.
"It's a direct portal to the Fire Nation palace. You'll appear in the Fire Lord's keep." Lora told her.
Katara grabbed an unconscious Zuko and hauled him over both her shoulders as she went through the water portal. On the other side, Katara found that she was in the bathtub of the Fire Lord's chambers. She broke the surface with Zuko on her back and heard him gasp for air, suddenly waking.
"Dear Agni, what the-"
"You're home." Katara said as she helped him out of the tub before climbing out herself.
Zuko looked around and saw that he was indeed home. Agni, he never thought he was going to miss the sight of the high ceiling ever again but he did. He was soon helped to his feet and led to his bedroom where Katara immediately sat him in bed and began undressing him.
"I'll go get you something dry. Just take that off." She instructed him as she went into his closet.
Sighing as he leaned himself against the bed post and undid the rest of the buttons on his shirt, Zuko breathed through his mouth with his eyes shut. "Why does it feel so cold? I feel like we're in the damn arctic tundra."
Katara returned with a pair of baggy pants and a long sleeved shirt. She went over to him and got on her knees to pull his wet pants off only to hear the loud gasp of a servant. Looking over Zuko's lap to see a servant getting the wrong idea before fleeing, Katara swore under her breath. Just kill me already.
….
Later that day, Ozai watched Ryu and Mailan play in the snow. The two just ran around and shoved each other in the snow, laughing at the mouth full of snow they got. It was the first time he saw two siblings getting along. Both his oldest two and his twins were at odds with one another and he didn't exactly know how any of them ended up like that. From what he understood, they all sided with either him or their mothers which made them hate the other. It was the stupidest conflict he had ever dealt with. But he was pleased to see that the youngest two were so close. He really worried about how things were going to go once he and Mailan returned home.
"Your majesty, your daughter is here to see you." A servant informed him.
Ozai furrowed his brows, "Take me to her."
Sitting in the lounge chair of the Fire Lord's office, Kya looked around as she held a cup of hot tea in her hands. She came here bearing news about Zhiar's resurfacing but found there were stranger things taking place here. It never snowed in the Fire Nation and the temperature was never this cold. Even in Omashu, the weather never got this cold. How was this possible?
"Kya."
The princess heard her father's voice and stood up to greet him as he entered the office, "Father, I have urgent news."
"I assumed that already." Ozai approached her with concern. "What is it?"
"Zhiar showed up last night." Kya said as she set her teacup on the low table. "He said he had information on mom but it all turned out to be some crazy story that Arnook told him."
Ozai raised his brow.
Kya decided to tell her father exactly what Zhiar told her last night. About the thousand year old chieftainess and her fight with her husband that caused her to lose her mind or whatever. She confirmed that what he told her was in fact true. Finding there were a few northern elders that confirm this late last night after she sent Zhiar to be locked up in prison. However; she still didn't think anything of it. It had no real relevance to her.
However, her father begged to differ.
Sitting behind the desk rubbing his temple, "I believe there is relevancy to what your brother's told you. This actually answers some of my concerns regarding her mother."
"How?"
"Your mother showed up last night as well and the strange weather is her doing." Ozai told her.
Kya's eyes widened. Of course, this was her mother's doing. It never snowed here and yet, there was snow and ice everywhere.
"Your mother came here for something. I didn't find out why, we just fought until she got the better of me and left this snow in her wake to punish me." Ozai told Kya.
"Mom attacked you?!" Kya was shocked.
Ozai looked away, "Actually, I attacked her. She tried to evade but I insisted."
"Why?!"
"When you've gone through the emotional turmoil your mother and I have been through with one another, you'll understand why." Ozai sighed as he slouched in the desk chair and rubbed his temple some more. "Anyway, your mother being possessed by a psychotic siren soul of an evil chieftainess from a thousand years ago, is not far fetched. There were a lot of things that happened last night that only made sense after you've told me this."
Kya was starting to wonder what exactly happened last night but then again, she wasn't keen on hearing about her parents fighting.
"So what do we do now?" Kya asked him.
"She'll surface soon enough and when she does, I'll talk to her."
"I want to be present."
"Absolutely not!"
"Because you want to be alone with her to 'talk'" Kya used her fingers to add quotations to the word talk.
Ozai clenched his fists, "'Because your mother is dangerous. I don't want anything happening to you or any of your siblings."
Unconvinced, "Sure, whatever dad. Just don't fuck things up. We might get close to bringing her home and I won't let you get away with running her off again."
Ozai was going to tell her off until a servant barged in and quickly ran over to the Phoenix King and whispered in his ear. His eyebrow raised as the servant told him there was a strange couple in the Fire Lord's keep in the act. All he could think was the cold weather had caused people to lose their minds.
"Excuse me, Kya. I have something to take care of."
Kya sighed and told him she was leaving anyway, "Just let me know if you see mom again."
"Sure." Like hell.
Lying bastard. "Love you, dad."
"Mhmm." Ozai said as he left out of the office with the servant escorting him.
Being brought to the chambers, Ozai tells the servant to wait outside as he goes to deal with the lustrous intruders. As he quietly makes his way to the bedroom where the servant saw the couple, he hears voices and stops.
"Just lean on me a little." A familiar voice said as he could hear the slight strain in their voice. "Gotta get these pants on you."
Ozai furrowed his brows and barged into the bedroom, pushing the door wide open to see two people over by the edge of the bed. One of the two looked over at him and he furrowed his brows in confusion. He saw Katara pulling at the pants of the tall lanky man that was leaning against her. She looked him in the eyes with a cold stare before returning her attention to the shirtless man.
"Zuko, you can sit down. I'll help with your shirt." She told him, deciding to ignore Ozai's presents.
Slamming the door behind him, Ozai stepped towards the two and his expression turned into a scowl. "What the hell are you-"
"I don't have time to fight you, Ozai. Zuko needs me. So you can excuse yourself." Katara said stoically as she pulled the long sleeve shirt over Zuko's head and pulled his long hair from out of it.
"Why you little bitch!" Ozai came around the bed and yanked the waterbender from Zuko, raising his hand to slap her.
However; Zuko moved quickly and snatched Katara back, putting himself between the two. He wasn't feeling the greatest but he was able to use what little energy he had stored away to stop his father. His gold eyes glowed as he glared at his father.
"Don't touch her." Zuko snarled.
Katara stood behind Zuko trying to figure out how he was able to move so fast in his weak condition.
"Zuko, it-"
Raising his hand for her to stop, Zuko glared hard at his father. "Keep your hands off of her."
"You don't understand, she's-"
"She's helping me recover." Zuko bit out as he was annoyed that it wasn't already understood for his father to leave Katara alone. "Any business you have with her can wait. Now leave us."
"B-"
"Leave us!" Zuko shouts.
Ozai steps back as he wasn't going to get into it with Zuko. Boy looked like he had been starved and beaten for weeks. Even so, he had enough left in him to stand up to him and if Ozai's memory of the kind of damage Zuko could do even in a frail state were correct, then he wasn't going to push him. He simply shot Katara a dirty look before taking his leave.
As soon as Ozai was gone, Zuko felt his energy fully depleted and fell against the bed, Katara catching him.
"Zuko." She said his name softly as she tried to help him into bed now that he was dressed in some dry clothes.
Zuko stared up at her as she tucked him into bed, "What's his problem? I've never seen him look at you that way."
Shaking her head as she brushed his hair out of his face as he laid in bed, "Your father and I are on opposite sides again. It can't be helped."
"But you don't believe in Atsou's goal. You're only doing this for the family." Zuko remembered that not only did she say this but Atsou mentioned as well in the few times they had ever spoken with one another.
"Doesn't matter. Your father only ever sees things in black and white, never acknowledging those of us in the gray." Katara sighed somberly. "He can be bitter towards me all he likes but I'm trying to save all of our lives."
Zuko reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze, "I know. Just stay away from him. Please. I don't want to lose you again." He begged her.
Katara gave him a sad smile and nodded her head, "Let me go see if I can get some food for you. You need to get some weight on your bones."
Watching Katara leave, Zuko furrowed his brows. As soon as he was in better shape, he was going to confront his father. Not only did that bastard not tell him about Katara being alive but there were a few things regarding what his father's twin told him that rubbed him the wrong way. Whether Katara was against his father or not, Zuko had a new allegiance. You deserve everything that's coming to you, Ozai.
….
A/N:
After a nasty fight with her ex, Katara gets to play nurse with her other ex. Things are about to get heated again my fellow Zutara fans but don't worry Ozara fans, there's some good stuff for you all too. Zhiar is back in the picture, wondering what's his deal and what Kya plans to do with him in prison. An Ami and Ozai, is Ozai finally finding a deeper attraction in another woman besides Katara? Let's find out.
