A/N:
I'm back! With more family drama! Hope you all enjoy! Thanks for reading!
Chapter 46:
For the next four days, Katara stayed by Zuko's side and nursed him with the help of a few servants. He was a long way from getting back on his feet but the waterbender didn't care. She was allowed to stay until he was fully restored.
As she scrubbed his back in a brass tub that she had the servants bring in as it would be easiest for her to bathe him, Katara noticed a branding on the back of his neck. 4279. She furrowed her brows and leaned closer to get a better look. It was indeed the same branding that she and everyone that worked for Atsou had. Her mind began to wonder but she decided against mentioning it. There was no way Zuko would-...would he? She shook her head. No, she was kidding herself. Even if Zuko still had a grudge against Ozai, there was no way he would align with Atsou.
Katara grabbed his robes and helped him out of the tub after bathing him. She helped him to bed and laid him down in it. His body was elevated by pillows so that he may sit up. Seemed he had a few advisors and nobles that wanted to see him to confirm he was alive and well.
Staring at the waterbender as she made him as presentable as he could be, "The hair looks nice on you. I meant to say so before but...I wasn't sure you'd take it as a compliment."
A small smile tugged at her lips and her eyes flickered up at him for a moment before they became focused on brushing out his hair. "Thank you. It's nice to know I still look nice at nearly 40."
"And you still look like you did twenty years ago." Zuko scoffed. "You and me both."
Katara giggled, "Lucky us, hmm?"
"The only lucky thing about us is that we somehow survived all these years with our minds still intact."
That she agreed with.
"I thank Agni I haven't turned into my father. Gods strike me down if I ever do." Zuko says with clear disdain and Katara didn't miss this.
Once Zuko was presentable, Katara encouraged him to think nothing of the past and focus on what was ahead. Soon they'd get what little normalcy they once had but they needed to keep moving forward, sparing no time looking back. He nodded and took her hand to kiss.
"Thank you, Katara." He told her sincerely.
Reaching over to kiss his scarred cheek, "Anything for you, Zuko."
The waterbender made her way to his bedroom door to let the servants know he was ready to see his guests. As she closed the door back, Katara excused herself outside on his balcony to give them privacy. She wasn't interested in politics anymore. Her life was politics free. Well...sort of.
While Zuko spoke with his council, advisors, concerned nobles, and so on, Katara stood on the balcony and gazed out at the sunset over the city. She really missed this view. The view of the Fire Nation capital. It was the one thing she missed from her days as Fire Lady. Whenever she wanted and whenever she liked, she got to see the sunset just like this.
Black mist formed beside her and she didn't bother guessing who it was. The bastard of all bastards had been dying to speak with her and on all accounts in the halls when she was running errands for Zuko and he was running the country while Zuko was in recovery, she ignored his advances to speak with her. Her face was not hidden and those that knew it thought they had seen a silver head ghost. He'd try to address her, bringing horror to the faces that had believed she was dead, and she'd only give him a glance before carrying on her way. Her life as a ghost was over. She was no longer dead and that was fine. She was tired of playing in a shallow grave. But to him, she would continue to be as cold as death. Ozai put the final nail in the coffin of whatever it was that they had left between them and she wasn't going to resurrect the dead. No, what was dead, should stay dead. All but her. She didn't mind being alive if living meant she could torment those that tormented her. A villain, he called her. Well, she didn't see herself as a villain. Most of whoever she killed had it coming long before she ever flashed her fangs at them.
"I remember the first time I used my siren power on you." Katara said as she leaned on the terrace of the balcony. "It was the day after our wedding day. You found me out here and told me I looked beautiful. You wanted to take me back to your bed and I begged you to see reason. That you hated me and I hated you. However, you persisted and I knew if I let you touch me again, my life would be in ruins. So, I manipulated your feelings with the siren's call and you promised not to touch me again, not unless I welcomed it."
Furrowing his brows, Ozai walked over to her side and looked out over the view with her, "Now you want to speak to me?"
"I'm not busy on task for Zuko. I can spare you a moment."
"I see you've also had a moment to get rid of the snow and cold weather." Ozai couldn't see a single clump of snow anywhere. Just as it should be.
Katara sighed. "The people were suffering. I'm not going to punish innocents in a petty squabble with you. I exercised my gift, my power, and there was no further need to continue it."
Scoffing as he pulled out his pipe and began stuffing it with a blend of tobacco and opium. "You think our feuding is over, waterbender?"
Smoke blew in her face and she swatted her hand at it, "You can fight yourself, Ozai. I have other things to worry about."
"Like being my brother's lap dog and committing murder all over the damn place?"
Katara turned to face him as she was now furious. "If you weren't an ass, you'd know what it was I was doing. I'd have told you. I told you I was doing this for us. For our family."
"Us? Our family? You think after what you've done that you will be accepted back so easily?" Ozai furrowed his brows. "You think I want anything to do with you now that your hands are filthier than mine?"
And that hit a nerve. Only, she didn't lash out at him or jump at him for a fight. She felt her body shake as she balled her fists at her side and the hard look she was giving him, soon was shattered by a few tears at his words. He stood there like a fucking gatekeeper to her old life, refusing her entry before she could even reach for it. No, she didn't think she could so easily return to her family and all but she had thought he would at least be welcoming. However; he seemed anything but.
Still trying to maintain her hard gaze on him as a few tears fell down her face. "You'd stop me from seeing my children?"
"You've been a burden on this whole family. You think I'll let you walk into their lives for Agni knows how long before you've just disappeared again? You've lost your utter mind. I'm not letting you near any of them and once I speak to Zuko, you're not going near my grandson either." He bit out for her.
Katara shut her eyes as her hard expression contorted into one of pain and she turned her head from him as she took in a gasp of air. She needed a moment to breathe before she did something crazy or let her emotions drive her back into madness and she attacked him.
Hanging her head as she continued to shake, "You bastard!" She cried. "I didn't do that to you and you were a war criminal. I didn't keep Kya and Zhiar from you. I even brought Kya to your prison cell so she could see you. I never kept them from you!"
If Ozai felt any pity for her, he didn't show it. Just smoked his pipe and looked away from her.
"I was fooled and manipulated and now I'm trying to make right my wrongs by protecting our family from your crazy twin brother! And you treat me like I wanted any of this. I did this for us! For you! For you more than anyone because it's you who he wants dead! I'm putting my ass on the line to buy you time! But you can't even look at me without giving me the look you give an enemy." Katara tried wiping her tears away. "Well, fine, Ozai. If you hate me so much, fine, but I made a promise to myself that I'd protect you and the children no matter what even if that gets me on your shit list or dead at your brother's hands. I don't care. I plan on keeping my word!"
Blowing out his smoke, "Nice speech." He spilled the remains of the ashes from his pipe onto her head. "Wish I could have heard it without all that crying. Go from a waterbender to a fucking tear bender. Pathetic."
Katara snapped and tackled him off of the balcony.
Zuko and his advisers were interrupted by the arguing on the balcony and turned their attention to it. All were utterly taken aback as they watched Katara tackle the Phoenix King off the balcony, both falling over it.
"My dear Agni!" The advisors were horrified as Zuko hurried out to look over the balcony.
At the moment, Katara punched his father in the face as she sat on top of him and was slapped off of him. The two broke into a fight and guards quickly approached them but his father didn't want their fight interrupted. So he grabbed Katara and threw her through one of his portals before following her in.
"Damn it!" Zuko hissed as he pounded his fist on the balcony.
…..
"Your highness, your brother is refusing to eat." A guard from the underground prison informed the Phoenix Princess as she sat at her father's desk with her feet kicked up and a document in her hands.
Looking over the sheets of paper, Kya eyed the guard with her icy gold eyes and told him to force feed Zhiar.
The guard swallowed hard as he was unsure. Zhiar may have become disgraced and was the leader of a criminal organization but he was still of royal blood. It was unlikely that any guard would be willing to touch the man. Not to mention, they were all aware of the 'uniqueness' of the offspring of the Phoenix King. They weren't exactly humans which made it frightening to think they'd have to force anything upon the disgraced prince.
Kya could see the guard was frozen solid in his spot and knew she was asking a lot of him. "Perhaps, I should force feed him myself. Zhiar does tend to be violent. I think I'm better equipped to deal with him."
"Oh thank you, your highness!" The guard was so relieved that he literally fell weak on his knees and bowed humble. "You are a most gracious and kind princess!"
"You're very welcome. Inform the other guards that I will see to my brother's needs by myself from now on." Kya said as she stood up, slapping her work down on the desk.
Zhiar was chained up against the wall. A chain cuffing each wrists and each ankle as well as his neck. It was obvious his sister wasn't taking any chances with him. Not that he could blame her much. They didn't have the best of relationships. Less lethal and rage driven as their older siblings but no less hostile. Plus, Kya was the Phoenix King's proxy at the moment. She had an image to uphold and their father to please. This was a tight ship. No room for mistakes. No excuses for imperfection. Kya was always only strict about things to make daddy happy. She might have her feuds with him now but she was still seeking affirmation from him.
Hearing the sound of heels hitting the stone floors of the dungeon, Zhiar lifted his head as the sound of the heels stopped just in front of his cell and a smile pulled to his lips.
"I thought for sure that the next time I saw you it would be in our father's company." Zhiar's eyes roamed over his sister's form. She looked absolutely beautiful. It really was a shame she was his sister. Kya would be a diamond amongst mere gems in the harem he put together for himself.
"You aren't eating and giving my men trouble when trying to perform their duties. I refuse to allow you to create a nuisance for the hard working people that serve our family." Kya stated as she wore a stoic expression on her face while staring dead at Zhiar. "From now on, I will personally make sure you are well kept until our father returns to decide the best course of action for dealing with you."
Smirking as he watched Kya reach for a set of keys that were on her hip and open the bar doors of his cell to enter. He licked his lips as he had to say Kya looked really nice in her imperial robes. The soft gold robe worn over her elaborate pale pink dress. Not to mention how her raven curls were decorated in the accessories only women of the higher class got to enjoy. He lamented the fact that he and his sister had bad blood. Maybe he should have been kinder to her.
"How noble of you to think of your subjects' burden. You will make a good Phoenix Queen someday."
Rolling her eyes, "I have no intentions of becoming Phoenix Queen." Kya folded her arms.
"Ah, just want to be a good girl for daddy." Zhiar chuckled to himself. "Our father is very lucky to have such a devoted daughter."
When he was done making his remarks and getting off to his own laughter, Kya went on to tell him that since he didn't want to eat, he would not eat. He was a Phoenix after all. Starvation wasn't going to hurt too bad compared to the other ways she wanted to kill him. In the meantime, she had questions and she wanted answers if he would be cooperative. He was a part of the criminal factions now and a threat to the new society their father was creating for people that had nothing. Quality of life was improving and Zhiar's group of bandits were getting in the way.
Summoning water from the damp air to form an ice stool, Kya sat in front of her brother and studied him with her eyes. "Tell me, why do you go around stirring up trouble when our father is trying to allow these people to prosper? You're putting a lot of people's lives in harm's way."
"You could say I'm just looking for my purpose. I don't want to be Fire Lord like how Zuko tried to prepare me for. I definitely don't want to be Phoenix King or serve under him like you. I don't want any part of the family 'business'. I'd like to find my own place." Zhiar explained.
Narrowing her eyes, "That sounds nice and all, Zhiar. But you're spreading violence. We cannot allow you to continue."
"But mom is doing the exact same thing."
"Yes and dad is handling that."
Zhiar scoffed, "Handling it? How? It's mom that tames him. He can't tame mom."
Kya snorted a laugh and nodded her head a little. That was something she could agree with but the fact remained that, neither Zhiar's nor her mother's violent behavior was to be tolerated. Their father would deal with their mother in whatever way he saw fit and she would do the same with Zhiar.
Standing up from her icy stool, Kya told Zhiar she would keep him down here until he discovered his purpose in peace.
"Bitch." Zhiar snarled as Kya turned around to leave.
The princess flicked her wrist and the ice stool turned into a spear, striking Zhiar in his chest before she locked up his cell and left. Welcome home, brother.
…
Katara pulled hard on his hair as he bit into her neck. She wanted to rip it out but was finding it very hard to do while trying to keep him from fucking her even more into the La damn mud. Somehow after he pinned her to a tree after they continued their fight in the forest, he got turned on and they ended up naked in the dirt having hate sex. It was clearly hate sex though she didn't necessarily hate him but it was pretty damn close at this point.
Squeezing her thighs tighter as he thrusted harder into her, Ozai glared at her while having his fangs in her throat just centimeters from piercing her artery and killing her. He seemed to get off to knowing her life was in his hands even at this very moment. Her skin was broken just a little bit at where his teeth had clamped down on her throat. However; she didn't seem to protest, just bucked her hips into his whenever he was plunged deep in her.
As the two fucked in the mud, it didn't take long before Ozai decided to lighten up some and made her get on all fours. But it wasn't really lightening up as Katara felt him literally press his foot into her head, forcing her face into the mud while fucking her from behind. She swore as soon as he came, she was slitting his throat.
"Just where you belong. In the filth." He laughed as he thrusted deep into her.
Clenching her teeth as she wanted him to finish, Katara fisted the mud under her hands and tried to rein in the sudden rage she felt. Hate fucking was one thing but degrading her was completely different. Refusing to take it anymore, the waterbender yelled for him to get off of her and fortunately, he did without giving any objections like the men that had raped her in the past. When he was no longer mounted to her, Katara picked herself from the mud and held her arms over her breasts as she glared at him.
"If I'm filth then you shouldn't touch me." Katara told him as she couldn't bring herself to look at him.
"I didn't mean it." He tried to tell her.
But Katara was busy looking for her clothes in the dark as she was done with whatever this shit was.
"Katara, I-"
"You don't have to say anything. I think we're past words." Katara said as she found her under dress and quickly put it on as she looked for the rest of her clothes.
Ozai watched her as she frantically gathered her clothes and then hurried off into the woods. He had listened to her thoughts just now and it bothered him. Though she was trying not to think, berating herself for doing so, she was recounting her time in the North Pole. Something he did reminded her of those men and what they would do to her and he felt sick to his stomach.
An hour or so later, Katara had cleaned up and changed into something else. She made her way back to Zuko's chambers to continue looking after him. As soon as she was there she saw Zuko was lying in bed asleep with a physician placing a wet rag to his forehead.
"How is he?" She asked him as she entered the bedroom.
The physician looked over to the silver haired woman that he was deeply confused about but decided against asking questions. "The advisors say he passed out on the balcony and it seems it was from him getting out of bed. He's not yet ready for that. Please, look after him properly."
"Yes." She bowed her head in gratitude as the physician left.
Katara furrowed her brows somberly as she looked over Zuko. "As soon as you're better, I'll leave and you can go on pretending I'm still dead. I won't stay and get in the way."
….
Ami was seriously confused here and she wanted answers. This was becoming more and more of a freak show. Honestly, if Ozai didn't give her answer, she was probably going to just toss away all her progress in the Phoenix Empire and return home. As she paced back and forth in front to the chambers where he resided, the princess saw the water woman that was always with him show up. She stopped her pacing and held a guarded stance. She wasn't exactly sure what she did wrong to rub this woman the wrong way but the water woman hated her.
Waltzing herself over to Princess Ami, Hama held her night robe shut as she swayed her hips and smirked. "He's not here."
"I figured that." Ami said shortly. "It's why I'm waiting."
"Well, you'll be waiting a while. He does like to take his time when he's 'busy'." Hama said very suggestively.
Ami narrowed her eyes as she met the water woman half way, "Busy with whom?"
"Whom?" Hama pretended to be taken aback. "What would give you that id-"
"Cut the shit, you miserable cunt. I know you heard the rumors as much as I did. Now, I want to know, are those rumors true?"
Hama smirked as her eyes looked the woman up and down, "Pitiful. I never did understand the plight of ordinary humans. It was always known to me that I'd live to be young and beautiful for years beyond that of a simple human. I always felt myself above your kind. And as I look at you, listening to your concern about rumors of his dead wife being somehow brought back to life, I wonder to myself. 'What would it feel like to have an older woman that looks younger than me come step on my toes with a man I should have known that I could never have?' I guess, I can imagine your plight just a bit. I've had men stolen from under me twice and I've been a bitter bitch ever since. So I guess all that can be said to your question is, how pitiful."
Ami balled her fists and tried biting back her tongue. This woman was a hateful and spiteful bitch. She was given no reason. No reason at all to speak to her this way but she did so anyway. And if it weren't for the fact that the woman was not as she suggested, an inhuman, she'd throw a verbal dagger at the woman and slice her throat open, leaving her mouth agape as she would not believe the blow she had been delivered.
Forcing herself to not come undone by the bitch, Ami carried herself like the highborn woman she was raised to be and whipped out her fan as she walked away.
As soon as Ami was gone, Hama saw Ozai coming from the other direction and balled her face up.
"You gonna start talking and tell me why I can't take the children to go see their mother?! You know Mailan doesn't even know her mother's face!" Hama's hands were on her hips.
Ozai shot her an annoyed glare, "You want to take them to see their mother. Go right ahead. I don't care anymore."
Hama raised a brow as Ozai walked into his chambers and followed behind him.
"You don't care all of a sudden?" Hama seemed very confused. Usually when Ozai was ever adamant about something, it took arguing with him for days to get him to finally give in after being annoyed to near death. He rarely ever gave in and when he did, that always meant something was up.
Going to his bathroom to undress from his dirty clothes, Ozai noticed Hama was standing in the doorway examining him like she always did when she wanted answers. Wouldn't take her long to find what she was looking for.
"Your bare body is covered in mud and your left ass cheek has nail marks on it as well as your nutsack looking a little heavy from not being able to 'unload'. I'm going to assume you two got frisky and either you or she called it off. But from the pitiful look on your face, I'm gonna say she did."
Ozai glared at her, "You figured that all out just by looking at me?"
"Mostly. Your thoughts filled in some of the blanks but doesn't tell me why she suddenly told you to get the fuck off her." Hama tilted her head as she looked up at him tapping her chin. "So tell me, Ozai, what'd you do to upset her while you were ramming your dick into her?"
This was not a conversation he wanted to have with her. Not for the life of him. Even if Hama poked and pried, he wasn't going to talk about it. He felt bad enough for simply poking fun at the waterbender and then saying things he knew would tick her off if she truly still cared anything about their family. Well, she definitely cared. That much he knew but he took it too far. Said something he shouldn't. Did something he shouldn't have and now she would probably see him as no different as the man that abused her. That wasn't a category he wanted to be placed in even though he knew he earned that spot the minute he started talking down to her.
"Fine, you won't tell me, I guess I'll just find out." Hama waved him off and turned her back to leave. "I'll take the kids to see her in the morning. Tonight, I'll go see her myself."
"You do that."
"Also, before I go, I want to let you know that your little princess girlfriend was moping around for you earlier. You wanna unload that sack of yours, I'm sure she'll put out for you."
….
There were always rumors floating around court. Some about affairs between lovers, some about the private lives of nobles and highborns, and even rumors about the royal family. Kya always ignored them. None of it was valid or proven. People just like to speculate things. People's curiosity always got the better of them that way. However, today was different.
Walking with her arm looped in Uhara's as they made their way to the office to begin another day of work, Kya heard mention of the Fire Nation and her mother. She paused at this. Uhara seemed to also hear a few nobles nearby speaking of the Fire Nation and Kya's mother. Most of what they said sounded outlandish but for a people that literally had an immortal king with children of the same nature, it wasn't very hard to believe.
A woman of Lady Katara's description was roaming freely round the Fire Nation palace in service to the Fire Lord. Many believed she was a ghost or some sort of celestial now. Her hair was silver or white depending on who's description you got. They said she brought a blizzard to the Fire Nation days before she returned with the kidnapped Fire Lord. No one was sure of her identity until some council members encountered her nursing the Fire Lord to health and saw the Phoenix King react to her with hostility. Clearly, this was Lady Katara. Her spirit returned to seek vengeance on her ex-husband. Many rumors surrounded their second split. Some say he tricked her into falling for him and sent her to be punished in the North Pole for costing him the war. Some say that he cheated on her with the late Princess Kikyo and she rather faced the punishment of her former spouse late Chieftain Arnook than stay with the Phoenix King. Either way, they felt her return was to burden and haunt the Phoenix King.
Kya looked to Uhara and he knew exactly what she was thinking.
"I'll take care of things here. Go see your mother." Uhara told her with a smile.
Nodding, Kya was about to take off to go see her but was stopped by a group of council members. They looked at her with grave curiosity and caution.
"Your highness," They bowed as one of them spoke.
"Councilmen Feung." Kya acknowledged the one speaking.
"Your highness, we hear news that your mother has returned from the grave and is dwelling in the Fire Nation. Is this true?" He asked.
All the council members looked with the same curious expressions.
Kya glanced to Uhara and he nodded to her to confirm their suspicions as eventually when her mother returned home, they'd know.
Sighing, "Yes, my mother is alive but the details elude me."
The council's reaction was utter shock and terror. They knew the princess's mother was gifted with her own set of inhuman qualities but they didn't know she was able to return from the grave. They were sure that within the scope of what the Northern Tribe called a 'siren', the ability to evade death and return from it was not possible. Was there another element to her escape from death? They were all very curious.
One council member in particular, an Earth Kingdom descendant, had suddenly on the very spot began formulating suspicions. He had been present with the Phoenix King, along with other members of the council, at the gala. It had been a night of slaughter and many were killed. Amongst those doing the killing, there was one that stood out and was said to be a siren. The Phoenix King was questioned about the siren as he was the one with the most knowledge on inhumans and was seen dancing and then leaving the gala with the woman. One of the questions asked was if this happened to be his former spouse that had committed suicide while in the North Pole. He became defensive and stated that his wife was dead. The Northern tribe was quick to side with him. However, this council member had not been convinced and now with confirmation that Lady Katara was now alive, he felt it was indeed her at the gala that night.
"I have a question, your highness." Councilman Ning spoke up amongst his still very stunned councilmen.
Princess Kya eyed him to speak.
"The night of the Gala where mass murder took place there was a siren present that killed many of the guests. Is it possible that the siren that night was in fact your mother going on a murderous rampage?"
And like that the suspicion spread. Now everyone was curious about the same thing.
"Excuse us." Uhara told them as he pulled Kya through and hurried her to the office.
There, Kya was about to say something when Uhara beat her to it.
"Go see your father. See what's going on. I'll stay here and handle things."
Kya nodded and kissed the side of his cheek before leaving for the Fire Nation.
….
"You don't have to do this, Katara." Zuko tells the waterbender as she feeds him.
Shaking her head, "You're like this because of me. I owe you." She told him.
Zuko studied Katara as he noticed her mood had shifted a little after returning from the squabble between her and his father. He had an idea of what might have taken place but that was simply to do with his heightened sense of smell and he could tell there was more than fighting that went on. But he didn't bother mentioning it. Things were always difficult between her and his father when they weren't together.
Before Katara had tackled Ozai off the balcony, Zuko managed to hear a bit of their conversation and was deeply upset by his father wanting her away from the children. Bastard would refuse a mother the chance to see her children because of his bitterness. Honestly, he didn't really understand why his father hated Katara. Maybe something happened while he was locked away but whatever it was, it couldn't justify his comments towards her.
But no matter. Zuko wasn't going to let his father get away with it.
When Katara finished feeding him, she replaced the wet rag on his forehead and removed the pillows from behind his head to allow him to lay flat in bed.
"Get some sleep. I'll be in the next room."
Settling in the bedroom that was for the Fire Lady, Katara began undressing and was now unwrapping her bindings. The light from the moon cascaded on her skin and illuminated the scars that tattooed her body. She could feel the ache in every last one of them as the bindings' removal revealed more and more. Even the old ones hurt. And maybe that was because this room had memories in them that hurt her mind. Her bareness in this room of raw memories scorched her skin.
This was where she spent many of her early days of knowing Ozai. Where she befriended him and where he expressed genuine concern for her. Where she made her first vows to save him against even her own allies. She had been a mere girl in those days trying to navigate being the wife of an enemy.
Katara shut her eyes as she stood in the light of the moon completely exposed.
"I don't want to be bothered. Leave." The waterbender's eyes remain shut.
"I just wanted to see what Ozai was making such a fuss over. Looks like you really have become the murderous demon bitch as he likes to call you." Hama stepped out of the dark.
Opening her eyes, "Funny someone with blood on his own hands can even make a comment like that."
Hama smirked as she swayed her hips over to her granddaughter, "You're in perfect shape. Atsou must have you working out quite a bit to carry out assassinations and other things."
Katara shot Hama a dirty look as the woman decided to stand in front of her.
"I'm not to speak of Atsou or anything related with anyone not 'currently' operating within his orders."
Rolling her eyes, "We're in the light of moon and the darkness, he can't see or hear us."
Katara pointed to the white crystal pendant of her necklace. Hama eyed it funny but could feel its essence.
"Oh, I see that bastard has gotten more creative in his demand of loyalty." Hama's eyes glowed as she got a closer look. "Ozai's bone marrow. I'm guessing this gives immortality while you wear this." With another good look. "Atsou's flames crystallized it giving him some sort of surveillance of you. So like that cheeky bastard to give you immortality at a price."
Katara decided against responding to Hama's remarks. She didn't want to get into too much trouble. Bad enough she didn't wear the necklace all the time. She didn't want Atsou catching onto this. It was impossible to have him observe her 100% of the time. Especially when Ozai was around.
Hama snatched the necklace off and tossed it out onto the balcony. Katara tried to go after the necklace but Hama high kicked her in the face causing the waterbender to reach for her nose and stumble backwards.
"We need to talk and I could give a rat's ass about Atsou having a problem here. I'll kick his ass too." Hama decided she'd put her foot down on this. If Ozai had been telling the truth of Katara going out of control she needed to discipline her granddaughter.
Blowing the blood from her nose as she pinched one side, Katara looked up at Hama and glared. "I'm warning you Hama. Don't fuck with me."
"Sweetheart, I fuck with everyone. You are no exception." Hama folded her arms as she grinned and her eyes remained glowing.
"Your funeral." Katara growled as her eyes turned black and skin was coated in black scales.
Hama's eye twitched. What the fu-
Katara snatched Hama up so quickly by her throat and body slammed her to the floor, knocking the breath out of the older woman. Her eyes widened as she watched her granddaughter balled both her fists together and brought them down on her chest, beating her into the floor. Hama coughed up blood as the assault repeated.
"I don't want to do this! So stop provoking me!" Katara continued pounding on Hama's chest until the woman reached her hand up to protect herself from the last beating.
Forcing herself to stop, Katara's eyes returned to normal and she pulled herself away from her grandmother in a desperate attempt to get control over herself. She gasped as she felt distressed at the ruthlessness of her actions and mercilessness she showed a woman that was family. It disturbed her how much she gave into the lust for violence. So much so that she wasn't even giving way for the siren to take over. It was just her and her bloodlust.
"Ozai's right." Hama gasped for air as she placed a hand on her chest to bend the blood from her lungs and heal her injuries. "You've become a monster."
Feeling utter shame, the waterbender hid her face in her hands and shook her head. She wasn't a monster. There was just something off that she hadn't yet given time to look into.
Sitting up, Hama winced from the pain she was in and looked at Katara. "But I guess that's what this world turned you into."
Katara pulled her hands down slowly to see Hama collecting herself from off the floor.
"I say make the most out of your time working for Atsou. If killing bastards that may or may not need to die makes you feel better, have fun. You were deemed a monster long before youbecame one. Show them what a real monster looks like." Hama held her chest as she stood her with a look of pain on her face.
"I'm not a monster." Katara told her.
"Sure, you're not." Hama rolled her eyes and limped over to the nearest object to get support to stand. "Regardless, this time is about you. I recommend you be as selfish as you desire. Do as you like. Fuck Ozai and his double standards. We both know he's killed without any real good reason."
"But-"
"Listen, I've been where you are now. Quite literally. Only I wasn't a little bitch about it. You like killing. I can tell. I saw the bodies from the gala and could tell which ones you killed. Those from the Northern Tribe, you took special care of them compared to the others. You're getting revenge all while trying to do what you think will spare the children and keep your word to Ozai. I support this. You needn't worry." Hama assured her. "But try to tone it down for the kids. They actually like Ozai for some odd reason, who knows, the kids get stranger each time one comes along. I'm going to need you to not fight him so publicly for their sake. Okay, darling?"
Katara eyed Hama like she was one crazy bitch, which she was in fact a crazy bitch, and agreed to not fight Ozai in public.
When Hama limped out of the bedroom, Katara sighed and flopped in bed. I like killing? Well, she definitely felt like it when she was in the middle of it but she never liked to admit it. Something she took as her not truly enjoying it. Her nature was not of violence. She was more of a nurturer and a healer. She was tender and loving. For her to enjoy taking a life it was… various images of her victims flashed in her head and her eyes widened as if she were stunned. Many of those she killed were men that deserved it and among the faces of her former abusers, she found delight in their deaths. Satisfaction in knowing it was her hands that squeezed the life from them.
A laugh burst from her and she gasped, placing a hand over her mouth in shock of her amusement. However, she couldn't help herself, there was too much pleasure in recounting the deaths of those that deserved to die. Tui and La, she must be losing her mind because she couldn't stop laughing. Those men were so terrified and begged. They had the nerve to beg her to stop. As if she would. There had been a time she begged them to stop and they refused. She did them the same favor.
Maybe I do like killing...
….
It was early the next morning when Ami finally spotted the Phoenix King. She wasted no time approaching him as he was leaving a meeting in order to speak with him. Seemed before she could open her mouth to speak, he knew what she was going to say.
"If you want me to address the rumors, perhaps, you should follow me to the office. I don't want to talk out here." Ozai told her.
Ami nodded delightfully as she followed behind him feeling a little victorious.
When they arrived in the office, the Phoenix King offered her to take a seat as he poured them both a glass. She sat in the proper posture of a princess as she accepted the glass of liquor. Quite early to be drinking but with this topic, maybe she needed to have a drink first. She took a quick sip and swallowed it as he sat in front of her in a more lax posture. He never really seemed to care about his mannerism when in private. Obviously, who he was in the public eye and who he was in private were two different men. Once again, she found him all the more intriguing.
Ozai stared at his glass as he rotated it in his hands, "You're aware my family isn't exactly human. My former wife is also not quite human."
Ami nodded. It became public information after Phoenix King Ozai was discovered to still be alive after every governing leader around the world witnessed his head be chopped off. The public was informed as a means to bring awareness about inhumans. While she and many others had been more focused on the Phoenix King and his children being inhumans, many forgot or rather didn't pay attention to his second wife being an inhuman in her own right.
"She did indeed kill herself. Both my sons can confirm when they went to the North Pole that she was dead. However; there was an anomaly in her death and she somehow survived even though her specific inhuman type doesn't quite make her immortal like me. She survived and that is how she is here." Ozai explained very simply. No need for him to tell her too much.
Seeming to grasp this pretty easily, Ami drank some more from her glass before she said anything.
"So I assume you're pleased to have her back. Going from believing the woman you loved was dead to seeing that she is alive and well, that must be a pleasant surprise." She tried to sound cheery.
Ozai didn't say much in response to her remark and she quickly picked up on this.
"Oh...I guess you knew this all along." She cast her gaze down as she was realizing why he had been rejecting her advances. It made sense now. He knew all along that his former spouse was alive and for whatever reason, he continued to play as if she were dead. Sure, that brought up a lot of questions that she wanted answers to but now she was feeling like she was overstepping.
Standing up from the sofa, Ami set her glass down and straightened herself out.
"Forgive me if I've stepped out of line with you before, your majesty. I do not make passes at taken men. I hope you will try to forget my unprofessional behavior."
Standing as well, "I took no offense to any of your advances. If things were different, I'd have responded differently to you."
Ami nodded her head as she didn't know how to feel about that. Was he telling her that he was interested in her but was still hung over his wife? Or was he saying if all of time had been written differently then maybe they would have had a shot? She shook the thought from her head. She didn't need to be filled with false pointless hope. Things weren't different and he had his heart set on one woman and one woman only. Something he was very notorious for. A womanizer that turns all women away for just one. The only one he obsessed over.
Ozai watched the woman bow her head as she quickly left. He could tell she was a little upset. What woman wanted to hear that from a man she was intrigued by? He sighed as he sat back down and poured himself more to drink. Deep down women hated him and he was starting to accept that he just had that affect on them.
"Dad."
Dear fucking Agni, why don't you just bend me over?!
The heel of Kya's shoes hit the marble floor hard as she strutted her way over to her father after entering his office. Ozai made no move to look at her as he just spaced out and drank his liquor.
"What do you want?" He groaned.
"My mother is here and you've told me nothing!" Kya shouted as she stood over his seated form.
Still just idly sitting there with his glass pressed to his lips, Ozai shrugged because quite frankly he didn't care. Or at least, he was willing himself not to care.
"How about you buzz off and go see you mother? What's the point of yelling at me? What's done is done and what was not done didn't get done. Now leave me alone."
Kya knocked his glass out of his hand and called him pathetic. That word was getting tossed around quite often lately. And then she stormed out.
Ozai sighed and looked at his broken glass as well as the spilt liquor on the floor. It was a pity. Now he had to drink from the bottle like the true drunkard he could become. Popping the glass bottle top off, Ozai held it up as if to give a toast to himself and then down the whole bottle before collapsing on the floor.
"Down with the monarchy!" He laughed as he laid on the floor.
…
Zuko had to say, he really liked having Katara look after him. It reminded him of the good old days that were ironically during a war stricken world. Katara had been tender and caring in those days. Even with all the fighting and death around them, she remained passionate and hopeful. She gave him hope when he thought there was no way things would get better. And here, he was feeling the same way. That things would never get better. Everything was so bleak but seeing her soft expression and feeling her gentle touch, it reminded him that there might still be hope.
"I want us to go see Ryu." Zuko said as Katara was still shaving his facial hair.
Gentle grazing his cheek with the razor, Katara's eyes lifted to his and she smiled. "I'm sure he misses you."
"And you as well." He told her. "You're his mother and he's thought you were gone forever. He should see us both."
Nodding her head, "I'll have the servants get the wheelchair when I am done."
Zuko saw that her smile didn't simply fade away as it normally did. Hearing she'd get to see their son must be enough to set her mood straight for the moment. Didn't matter how hard she had to become in these last few years, Katara was still Katara. She loved her children and she wanted to see them as she should. No one should stop her. Not even the fathers of her children.
Once she had him all groomed and ready to go, Katara had the servants bring in the wheelchair so that she could take them to see their son. As soon as they got to the hallways, the palace guards surrounded them to be a protective barrier between the Fire Lord and the subjects. Though he was an inhuman with great powers of his own, he was still in a very frail state and they didn't want any opportunist showing up.
Leading the way from the Fire Lord's sanctum to the sanctum of the royal family that was sort of separate, the entourage arrived in the courtyard to see two children playing amongst one another while Hama and two servants stood close by and watched. Katara's eyes lit up as she saw Ryu. He was so much bigger than when she last saw him. Her eyes were practically watering as she pushed Zuko's wheelchair closer.
"Who's the little girl?" Katara asked as she tried not to sound like she was crying.
Zuko reached his hand up to rest upon hers, "That's your daughter, Mailan. Dad adopted her and brought her here to play with Ryu since they're close in age."
She almost forgot that Ozai had adopted her. It still sort of baffled her why he would do so. Mailan's father was Arnook and Katara knew how much Ozai and Arnook hated one another.
Pausing, "Is he kind to her?" Katara asked.
"I've seen Kya get jealous at how father interacts with her." Zuko chuckled a little.
That set her heart at ease. Maybe Ozai was doing her a kindness. One she never expected him to do. He was so against having anymore children with her that she had thought it impossible for him to just adopt Mailan without other intentions but maybe he made an exception.
Looking from the children to the large group approaching, Hama smiled as she saw Katara and Zuko.
"Looks like we have guests, children." She said.
The two children looked over and saw the large group. Ryu spotted his father and his eyes widened as he took off running.
"Papa!" Ryu screamed happily as he ran towards them.
Zuko laughed as his son jumped into his lap and hugged him. The boy tried to squeeze his dad around his torso but couldn't reach his arms around entirely.
"Papa! I missed you so much!" Ryu shrieked. "Grandpa said you went on a trip by yourself and didn't tell anyone."
Somehow, Zuko was a little surprised that his father sugarcoated for the kids.
Rubbing his son's back, "Sorry, I should have told someone."
"You should have told me. You have to tell me everything so I won't be worried." Ryu pouted as he frowned at his father.
Chuckling, "I'll remember next time." Zuko assured him.
Walking with her hands held in front of her, Mailan quietly came over and shyly looked from her brother to his father.
"Who's the pretty lady?" Mailan asked in a quiet voice as she looked at the woman with white hair standing behind Zuko.
Katara's attention turned from Ryu immediately as she heard the little girl's voice and she stared at her with slightly wide eyes.
Zuko looked from his son to Mailan and smiled at them both, "This is both you and Ryu's mother. Katara."
Ryu's mouth fell open as Mailan's eyes widened.
Katara awkwardly waved her hand as she didn't know what exactly to do. Normally, a mother was there. Always there and her children knew her from the moment they were born onward. However, this situation was a little different and as much as she wanted to just pick them both up to squeeze and love on them, she knew they were not very familiar with her the way other children were with their mothers. Ryu had met her before and had been very loving, so maybe he'd be more comfortable with her. But Mailan had never laid eyes on her and she feared the little girl was old enough to push away if she was uncomfortable. How was she supposed to interact with them now with so much time lost?
"I told you my daddy said she was alive!" Mailan bounced happily as she hopped herself around to get a closer look at her mother.
"No way!" Ryu looked at his father. "You said mama died."
Zuko quickly told his son that she was sleeping so heavily that he thought she died.
"That's stupid, papa. I thought you were a smart man." Ryu said as he climbed out of his lap and went around the wheelchair to see his mother.
The children immediately grabbed the hands of their mother and pulled her away.
"We need to talk." Ryu said.
"Yeah, can we talk?" Mailan said as she beamed up at the beautiful woman.
Katara smiled brightly at them both and let them take her away.
Hama made her way to Zuko and grinned. "Look like the brats are more interested in her than seeing that you're okay." She laughed.
Zuko shrugged, "It's fine. They should get to spend some time with her."
The old siren decided she'd take over things and wheel Zuko back to his chambers to let him rest. He looked horrible with how frail and sickly he looked. It wasn't a good image. As they returned to his chambers, Hama helped him in bed and managed to see a set of numbers on his neck. Her brow raised as she fluffed his pillow and laid him down.
"So, what happened while you were being held captive?" Hama asked as she was suddenly suspicious of something.
Zuko didn't think anything of it and shut his eyes, "I don't remember. I just know my body was getting weaker and weaker and I was constantly disoriented."
Hama wasn't buying.
"See they gave you a nice little tattoo on the back of your neck." She pointed out.
Zuko cracked his eyes open and stared at her.
"I wonder what it means. Just a set of numbers. 4279."
"Must have done it while I was unconscious."
"I'm sure." Hama said, letting him know she didn't believe him.
As she turned to leave…
"Don't mention this to anyone. You got off easy when Atsou let you go. He won't let it happen again." Zuko warned her.
Hama swallowed hard as she grabbed the doorknob. "So you've picked a side?"
"My father doesn't deserve what he has. I know it and so do you."
Dropping her head as she shut her eyes, "Neither of them deserves anything, Zuko."
"But the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Shaking her head as she lifted it and looked over her shoulder, "Then you're enemies with the wrong person if you're making friends with Atsou." She told him. "You don't know him."
Zuko scoffed and told her to leave.
…
Ryu tied his mother's hair up in different ribbons. He thought her hair was so beautiful. Like the snow they got to see fall from the sky. It was long and soft. He wished his hair would turn white like hers.
Mailan sat in her mother's lap and let her braid her hair the way tribespeople did while she asked her different questions. This was the first time she got to meet her mother and she had a lot of questions. Luckily, her mother was really really nice just like her daddy told her.
As for Katara, she was liking the bonding time that she and her two youngest children were having. Mailan and Ryu both had questions. Ryu just wanted to know what she was doing all this time to which she answered that she was sleeping the whole time. Mailan wanted to know if she was going to stay with Ryu's dad or come back with her dad. Which was a challenging question because both kids wanted to know and Katara didn't know how to answer that. She and Zuko's relationship had always been of a scandalous nature. Never really going public and always being low-profiled. As for Ozai, he had been her husband, twice. He seemed like the obvious option but she really did believe their days of getting along and enjoying each other's company was over. So, she just told them that she was going to find her own place and they could stay with her whenever they liked. Telling them she might take a little while finding a new home but once she did, they could stay with her. Both children were happy with this answer and cheered.
"Mama, Imma tie a bow on your hair." Ryu said as he brushed a lock of his mother's hair.
"Can it be a blue bow?" Katara asked him.
"A blue one?" He asked as if that was completely outrageous. "I don't have a blue one."
"Hey, mommy, will I look like the pretty ladies from the snow place?" Mailan asked sweetly.
Katara giggled as she found it adorable that Mailan referred to the North Pole as the snow place. "You'll be even more pretty than them."
"Really?!" Mailan gasped.
Kya had been looking everywhere for where her mother could be and only managed to find her after hearing Mailan's squeal she did when excited. She entered the kids playroom and saw her mother sitting on a floor cushion doing Mailan's hair while Ryu played in hers. Kya paused for a moment as she noticed her mother's hair was as white as snow. Not only that but she had a bright smile on her face. A calm and pleasant expression. Nothing like that void look she had last seen. Blood splattered over her face as she wore her hair extremely short. Last she saw her mother looked like a murderer. Cold blooded and merciless. She held a blade of ice to Uhara's throat and was readying to take his life.
Furrowing her brows, Kya backed away and shook her head as she placed her hand over her face. No, she was not ready to see her mother. Not yet. All she could see as she looked at the woman playing with her younger siblings was how her mother used to play with her and Zhiar. How her mother was supposed to be with them through all these years and how they had missed her dearly.
A tear fell from Kya's eyes as she shut them and backed herself away. I'm not ready to face you right now. She missed her mother so much and she wanted to embrace her. But there were tiny cuts that Kya was unaware of until she saw her mother just now. Tiny cuts that covered her and burned as she wondered in her mind if she was falling for it all over again. Her mother was there and then not there in such a suddenness once before that Kya thought she imagined it. Maybe now was no different. Maybe her mind was her plaguing her. Maybe she caught the madness from her father.
Leaving all together, Kya made her way back to her father's office as she needed to ask him something very important. Something she needed to know and knew only he could answer for her.
Finding on the floor staring at the ceiling with broken glass beside him, Kya stepped over him and squatted down just above his head, looking him dead in his eyes with her lamenting gaze.
"Why can't I bring myself to talk to her? Like my heart constricts in my chest just from the sight of her and my throat locks up, my mouth like cotton." Kya swallows hard as she looks away from his gold eyes. "Feel a great longing but there's also a great pain. I miss her so much but I don't want to see her...not yet anyways. I feel like I have to be ready and I'm nowhere near. Why is that?"
Ozai's eyes moved from the ceiling to his daughter and saw her eyes were shedding tears as she held her hand over her mouth. He sighed and reached his hand to cup her cheek, run his thumb under her eyes to wipe the tears away.
"You were seven years old when I started raising you on my own. Have I ever taught you to hate your mother?" He asked her.
Kya sniffled and shook her head.
"What did I always tell you?"
Using her sleeve to wipe her other eye as she tried to stop from crying, "That she's a Water Tribe woman you should have never laid eyes on cause now you're screwed for life."
Swatting her face as he rolled himself over to sit up, "I never said that!"
"Sometimes you get drunk and start saying that." Kya sniffled as she ran her hands over her eyes.
"Not what I was referring to, you idiot." Ozai slapped her in the back of the head. "I was referring to what I told you when you decided to throw a hissy fit about your mother breaking up the family."
"That she challenged you to an Agni Kai because you sent me away to upset her?"
"Exactly." He nodded and patted her on the back as he stood up. "Your mother wanted me dead and was going to kill me herself in front of everyone. All because I took you from her."
Kya stood up as well and tried fixing her face as her father placed his hand on top of hers. "That woman is crazy about you little runts and I don't get it. What she's doing and has been doing...I asked her to before she was turned against me. She's fulfilling her promise to me to bring down our enemies from within as well as protect us. Her hands are stained because of me. I'm the reason she hasn't come back home just yet."
"Then call it off. Tell her to come back home." Kya told him as she pulled his hand off of her head.
Ozai shook his head, "I asked her that during the Gala event. Whatever it is she's seen or knows about, she thinks it's more important than returning home right now."
Kya sighed. She couldn't fault her mother. To a degree, yeah, but not completely. However, she did let her father know that back home people had questions about her mother. Seemed dots were being connected and people were curious to know if she had been the waterbender involved in the massacre at the gala.
"I figured as much." Ozai groaned as he ran his hand over his face. "I'll return briefly to address them. Just go back and tell them I'll be back in the morning."
The princess took her leave to allow her father the time to get himself together. She knew he would need to come up with some sort of cover story for her mother and the night of the gala.
Alone, Ozai figured he needed to see Katara and explain himself better. He didn't hate her and he didn't mean all those things he said. He was just upset and took his anger out on her.
…
Later that day, Katara was carrying Mailan on her back while Ryu held her hand and pulled her along with him through the halls. She pretended not to notice the people eyeing her cautiously. They were obviously guarded in her presence as she'd expect. Seemed many were connecting dots between the sudden weather change days ago, Zuko's disappearance, and the massacre at the gala. But no one confronted her. How could they? She had committed all those acts and neither of the two monarchs present had spoken up about it. They knew they could say nothing.
"Mama, you gotta make Mailan some of those delicious sweets you made that one time at th beach!" Ryu said as he continued tugging his mother through the halls.
"Can you make sweets with chocolate?" Mailan asked her mother as she held onto her.
Katara giggled and agreed to use chocolate to make the sweets. However, as the three made their way through the hallway to get to the kitchen. They were stopped.
"Where are you three headed?"
Ryu stopped and looked up at his grandfather, "We're taking mama to the kitchen to make us sweets."
"She's gonna use chocolate, daddy!" Mailan beamed at her father.
Ozai looked from the children to Katara and saw she was more interested in the floor.
"I'll take your mother to the kitchen. You two are supposed to be in your lessons."
Mailan wiggled down from her mother's back and Ryu took her hand to pull her along with him. They were pretty well disciplined children. Never questioned him or gave him lip. Just did as he said.
When the children ran off, Katara finally turned her attention to him and tilted her head up at him. "What do you want now, Ozai?"
"I wanted to clear things up about some of my comments and-"
"You didn't mean any of it? You were just angry and taking it out on me because I'm the source of your problems? Or rather, you just blame me for everything? Yeah, I know. You're not the only one that can get in people's heads. I knew you were fucking with me since our fight. You just want to vent."
Ozai felt like he was lacking in this moment as it would seem Katara had him figured out and while he searched for the words to say, Katara folded her arms and continued.
"I'll make you this deal as a way to maybe clear up the bad blood. When this is all done, I'll do for you what Arnook made me do. Waiting on you, hand and foot, publicly humiliating myself. I guess I owe you that as much as I owed him. Well, I paid my debt to him. I'll pay mine to you."
Furrowing his brows, "You think I want you to scrub fucking floors?"
"I think you want to look down on me and I figured if I were scrubbing the floors, it'd make it easier for you." Katara said nonchalantly.
Clenching his fists, "Like I'd allow that." Ozai felt offended that she would even think that.
"Then what? Want me to be chained up in a dungeon to be tortured? Or be your little sex slave or concubine, whatever it is you men decide to call it. Maybe you just want to put an end to me with your bare hands and maybe I'm inclined to let you snuff out my last breath. What do you say, Ozai? Put your hands around my neck and strangle me like you've always wanted to do."
"You've clearly lost your fucking mind! Why the hell would I want any of that?!"
"I don't know! I'm just trying to figure out what you think I deserve since I'm so fucking awful! I'm a villain and demoness and a fucking witch! I deserve whatever fucking punishment you pick for me, your fucking majesty!"
Ozai growled as he got in her face about to take her up on her offer to kill her.
Katara grabbed his hand and put it around her neck, "Do it, you fucking asshole!"
Twenty minutes later…
"Do it harder, you La damn prick!" Katara shouted as she squeezed his wrist, encouraging him to choke her hard.
Slapping her across the face with his other hand, "Shut the fuck up. You run your mouth too much." He growled at her
"Make me." She challenged him.
Ozai choked her harder as he fucked her harder into his bed sheets. He watched her eyes stared scornfully into his. It honestly turned him on even more knowing she likely hated him. But it was fine by him. He didn't mind. She hated him before. Laying on her back with her thigh high up on his middle as he replaced his hand with his teeth at her neck, Ozai was enjoying listening to her moan and her nails claw his back. If only this could last a bit longer than him because he was getting closer to his limit already.
Tracing his fingers over the scars he saw on her back, Ozai counted a total of thirty scars that for the most part lined up horizontally down her back, except for stray ones that were slanted.
"You should get a tattoo to cover them up." He walked his fingers up her back to her neck and brushed his digits along the brand he saw on her neck. "What does 9437 mean?"
Katara yanked herself from his reach and glared hard at him for a moment as he seemed a bit taken aback by her abrupt movement to distance herself from him. She gave him the look of disgust and disdain as she threw the sheets off of her, climbing out of the bed.
"Stop seeking me out." Katara said as she grabbed her clothes and quickly put them on.
Ozai eyed her as he laid on his side watching her get dressed with an urgency, obviously she wanted to leave and he tried not to feel insulted that his presence alone made her uncomfortable. But he could tell she thought his touch made her filthy. And while in the heat of the moment being filthy didn't make her skin crawl, her skin crawled the minute things sobered up and the reality of what she had done settled in. Her believing she was filthy due to him made him feel like scum and he hated it. Hated her for making him feel this way.
Propping himself up on his elbow, "If that's what you want, Katara, I'll leave you alone."
"Thank you." She said with anything but gratitude as she shoved on her slippers and hurried her way to the door to leave.
When the door was slammed behind her, Ozai laid in bed and threw his arm over his face. It's really come to this, has it?
…..
Zuko had to say that he was a little irritated to see Katara was only just showing up and he knew for a fact she wasn't with the kids last night. Ryu and Mailan had come last night to see if their mother was here. Ryu said his grandfather took her before she could make their sweets. He didn't have to wonder what exactly she and his father were up to.
"You want to cut your hair?" Katara brushed Zuko's very long hair.
Nodding his head, "It's longer than my father's and I'd prefer it at my shoulders."
Katara didn't argue with that. His hair practically pooled to the floor. As she went ahead and got the scissors to cut his hair, she carefully went through each lock and cut it to his shoulders. It took some time as he had a thick hair of hair but as she continued, they received a knock on the door.
"Enter." Zuko said, already knowing who it was.
"Seems you're up." Ozai remarked as he entered his son's room.
Expressing very little interest in his father's presence, "I see you finally want to speak to me."
"Well, I've been busy."
"Not entirely." Zuko retorted.
Ozai picked up on the laced disdain in Zuko's voice and flashed a look at Katara. She shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what was up with Zuko's attitude.
"I came to let you know I'll be returning home. There are things I need to take care of there but I'll be back shortly."
"Lovely." Zuko was snippy.
Furrowing his brows, Ozai walked over to his son and put the back of his hand to his forehead to see if he had a fever. Zuko slapped his hand away and glared at him.
"Don't touch me!" He hissed as he gripped the armrests of his wheelchair and forced himself to stand.
Katara quickly helped him balance himself as he tried walking away, shooting Ozai a look to just leave and he did. She then helped Zuko to wherever it was he was trying to go. Finding themselves in the bathroom, Zuko held himself up on his own against the sink counter and stared into the mirror. He saw Katara looking concerned at him and he tried to get a hold of himself so as to not worry her but it was hard.
"Are you okay, Zuko?" Katara asked him, placing her hand on his back.
Shaking his head as he pinched his brows together, "My father just really gets under my skin. Bastard never even told me you were alive and he knew all this time. Smiled in my face knowing that me and Ryu were devastated when you 'died'. Now, he can't even bring himself to say anything to me. He knows he was wrong."
"Maybe you should try talking to him."
"Talk to him?!" Zuko looked over at her. "I have nothing to say to him! That bastard goes around ridiculing everyone else for what they do but doesn't want to be called out for the shit he does! I really want nothing to do with him and as soon as I'm well enough to return to my responsibilities, I don't want him here!"
Katara felt it was best she didn't try to oppose his decision. He had gone through a lot while held captive and while he told her he remembered nothing, she wasn't buying it. Zuko had a way of trying to cover up his feelings around her when he felt he was protecting her. She wished he would stop doing that. Always playing the good guy when she knew he could easily be the opposite.
Sighing, Katara let him know she understood and would tell Ozai to leave him alone.
"You should also not get mixed up with him." Zuko eyed her.
"I already told him to stop seeking me out." Katara told him. "There's nothing to worry about."
Zuko eyed her as she assisted him in shaving his face. She looked especially somber this morning. More than her somber look from when they were at the beach. Obviously the strife between her and his father was getting the better of her. Things had never been this bad. He knew there was an ugly fight between them. They were taking physical blows at each other. Gone were the days of tongue lashings, they were using their fists to settle the score. Zuko's biggest concern was Katara's mind. She tried to kill herself before and things didn't get any better. He was afraid she was going to do it again and this time, maybe she would succeed.
When Katara took a small towel and wet it to clean his shaven face, Zuko caught her wrist to stop her for a moment. He saw her eyes immediately water as she dropped her gaze from him.
"I'm ashamed enough of the person I've become, Zuko. I don't need to be shamed more. I know my faults. Let me scorn myself for them." Katara sniffled as she wiped her tears away.
Moving his hands to her face to get her to lift her gaze back to him, Zuko sighed and shook his head. "There's nothing to be ashamed of when you're only trying to survive. There are things I've done in the past and do even now just to get through. I just don't want you to hurt yourself more. You've been through enough."
Katara nodded her head as a few more tears fell and she sniffled them up.
"Maybe we can focus on lighter things for now, hmmm? Spare ourselves a moment to breathe." Zuko smiled as he tried convincing her while still cupping her face.
Nodding again, "I'd like that."
….
"Your majesty! Agni, you nearly gave me a heart attack." Uhara jumped as he saw the Phoenix King suddenly appear with his black flames in his office.
Ozai shot him an impassive look as he placed Princess Ami, whom he had been carrying in his arms, down on her feet.
"You'll live." The Phoenix King stated as he turned his attention to Ami and told her he would be visiting her labs before he returned to the Fire Nation.
Ami nodded as she made her way out of the office to return to her work.
Turning back to face Uhara, Ozai asked for a summary on how things were going so far and what all was currently in the works. From Lord Totomi's account, everything was going smoothly and the palace was under tight control. The only issues regarded his son, Zhiar being captured and locked in prison. And the concerns of the council in regards to Lady Katara's return from the dead.
Ozai sighed and told Uhara to go let Kya know he was here.
"Certainly, your maj-"
"Father. Call me father. I won't say it again." Ozai pinched his brows together.
"Bu-"
"Do you want to marry my daughter or not?" Ozai growled, flashing his fanged teeth at the nobleman.
Uhara swallowed hard and nodded. "Yes, f-father."
"Good. Now, go fetch my daughter."
Kya sighed and shook her head as she entered her father's office. She was upset that her father had bullied Uhara into calling him 'father' like it even mattered. This was just a power grab sort of thing to boost his massive ego. Asshole.
"Uhara has been busting his ass to help with the workload you left for me to do by myself! You could show him more respect than trying to get him to call you 'father'! He already had a father! He doesn't need another! Especially not if it's you!" Kya decided a warm greeting was not necessary with her father being a huge dick.
Unbothered, Ozai rolled his eyes and gestured his hand to signal he was dismissing what she had just now said.
"I'll address the council about the gala incident as well as your mother's reappearance. Let them know the incidents are separate. Once that's done, I have to return to assist Zuko until he's recovered."
"What about Zhiar? I have him chained up in a prison cell within the dungeons. What do you want done with him?"
Ozai told her that he would deal with Zhiar when he was back for good. For now, she just needed to oversee his time in the cell and make sure he does not escape.
"Anything else I need to be concerned with while here?" Ozai asked.
Kya shook her head.
Sighing as he placed his hands on his desk to stand up, "Any questions for me?"
"No."
"You sure? Not curious about your mother currently."
"I do a fine job of checking on her from my water mirrors." Kya said as she tilted her head. "You really got to stop seeking her out. She's not interested it seems."
Ozai furrowed his brows, "Not interested? What are you talking about?"
Kya snorted and shook her head, "Mom doesn't want you."
"Your mother is confused. She doesn't know what she wan-"
"I bet she and Zuko are sleeping together again." Kya folded her arms and smirked at him.
There was some amusement and pity in seeing her father look like he was just hit with a bolder of a realization. He just stood there speechless with a vacant look in his wide eyes like it only just dawned on him. While Zuko had been gone, Katara was likely able to see him as he was being held captive. There was no telling what took place.
Relishing her father's dazed expression, "Maybe she'll settle down with Zuko and Ryu. You know with Zuko, she could have some much needed peace and someone to be compassionate. I think that would be so much better than having a selfish, judgemental tyrant belittling her for things he, himself, had done before."
Ozai's eye twitched.
"But who knows. Mom had to have seen something in you for her to turn Zuko down in the past. Don't know what it was but it's gotta be something."
Kya laughed on her way out as her father simply stood motionless, unable to mentally cope with the idea that her mother was simply not interested in him anymore. Her mother had become a different person and didn't different people want different things?
She wouldn't dare get under that linky worm. Ozai thought to himself. The only person he felt threatened by in terms of Katara turning her back to him was Zuko. He knew she still had feelings for him. She told him as much. But would she really prefer Zuko over him? She did look at me like I disgusted her. His brows furrowed as he felt a ping at his ego. If there was any woman that could tank his confidence it was Katara. That look bothered him in the morning. He couldn't even look at himself in the mirror. Maybe she was back with Zuko.
…..
After cutting Zuko's hair to his shoulders, Katara pulled the top layer into a topknot and placed his crown in it. He wasn't yet ready to return to his duties as Fire Lord but that didn't mean he could rest from maintaining his appearance. There were preparations for him to do some physical therapy with one of the palace physicians. Katara had him dressed and readily awaiting his therapy session in his sitting room. Zuko thanked her a few times for taking care of him in his time of need. Telling her it felt like old times.
Katara noticed how Zuko had reached his hand behind him to lay upon hers as she held the handles of his wheelchair. His hand was especially warm and he gave her a squeeze causing a small smile to form on her lips. He had a way of making her feel better when his father made her feel like the scum of the earth. Granted, Ozai had valid justifications for his outbursts towards her but treating her altogether so callous and cruel, it wasn't called for. And deep down, she knew she was doing everything she could for the sake of the people she loved. Whether they understood her or not, Katara would finish what she sat out to do. Even if they would come to hate her for it.
When the physician arrived and began his session with the crippled Fire Lord, Katara offered her assistance as Zuko was having a hard time keeping his knees locked. He kept buckling down from how weak the joints in ligaments were in his knees. She was able to hold up his weight. Holding him to her as they were working on getting into the motion of walking for now. For the most part, he had it down and there weren't much issues with the motion. His problems lied with the strength of his legs and knees. After an hour and thirty minutes, the physician asked that the Fire Lord work on some strengthening his legs until their next session tomorrow morning.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead with a wet cloth, the waterbender went on to pour him a glass of water and chilled it down just a little to cool him off.
"Thanks, Tara." Zuko said before drinking the cold glass of water as he tried relaxing. He felt so out of shape and he was. There was so much muscle atrophy going on that he didn't know how he was going to get back to his original strength in less than a year's time. Sure, he planned to be on his feet in a few weeks, no problem. But as far as all the hard work he put in his body over the years from training, his years in exile, the daily workouts that were mandatory for Fire Lords to stay in shape, it would take some time before he was back to that level of strength. Right now, his son could kick his ass no problem and Ryu couldn't even pick up a basket of linen yet.
Seeing the exhaust on Zuko's face, Katara crouched down in front of him and placed her hand on both his knees. "It'll be fine. We can get you back to your old self, okay? I promise not to leave your side until you are on your feet."
"I really wish you wouldn't leave at all." Lamenting that she would eventually have to leave again.
Rubbing her hands up and down his knees as she looked away, "I'm sure you know I can't exactly go against Atsou. Not until he is done using me."
"I know." Zuko sighed.
"But for now, we can make the most of our time together. Like you said, focus on lighter things." Katara smiled up at him. "I say we go get the kids and do something fun with them."
Zuko returned her gleeful smile and nodded. "Sounds like a plan."
…
A/N:
Ozai's self-esteem is tanking. Can't handle being rejected by Katara. Wonder what he'll scheme in order to get her to change her view of him. An attitude change might work but know him, that ain't happening. Will be back with more details on Ozai's insecurities in the next chapter and maybe some cute Zutara moments.
