A/N:

Warning: Domestic Violence, Multiple Character Deaths, Dark Themes.

Chapter 31:

Gasping awake, Katara sat up quickly in bed and patted herself down to make sure she was not wounded. She patted and looked around her bedroom, seeing she was back home and safe. Her hand traveled in her hair as she tried calming down but it was hard. She just returned home and was having a hard time coping with the war. There had been so much carnage and so many screams. She did things that she never thought she'd have to do but if she didn't, it would be her child screaming for help that would never come rather than the screams of the children she heard crying for help as their villages were flooded. Then there was Lu Ten's death. She felt an immense amount of guilt behind it. He was only trying to help her and-

Katara could lie in bed no longer. She got up and decided to go check on her daughter. As she went to the nursery upstairs in her chambers, the Chieftainess saw a cloaked figure standing over her daughter's crib as she slept. Her brows furrowed as she approached cautiously.

"Excuse me, what are you doing in here?" Katara closed her night robe.

The cloaked figure removes its hood and revealed jet black hair. Her eyes widened as they turned around to look at her. "Hello, Katara."

"Ozai!"

Ozai pulled a knife out and held it over the crib.

"NO!"

Gasping in a fit of panic, Katara woke up in the Fire Nation room she had been waking in from the same dream for three months. The war had been over for a total five months and she had come to stay in the Fire Nation with Zuko for the last three months as she was lossing more sleep back home without him.

"Katara, it's okay. Just another dream." Zuko said as he reached over to her and held her to him while she continued gasping from the panic attack she was having. "It isn't real. This is here, with me, is real."

Weeping in Zuko's arms, Katara clung to him as he tried to soothe her but it felt impossible with how messed up she felt in her own mind. She kept dreaming Ozai would come back for all of them and she knew he'd be back with a vengeance. Tui and La, she just hoped they all got to keep their lives.

Brushing her hair from her face, "Katara, look at me."

Staring up at him as she had tears in her eyes, Katara felt a little more at ease as she focused on his face. Her heart stopped pounding in her chest and she slowly relaxed against him. It was just a dream, yes, she knew that. However, it was the stark reality of it being possible nonetheless.

"I will do everything in my power to protect you," Zuko told her as he cupped her face and kissed her cheek.

Katara nodded.

"If we need to stay up for a little while, we can." Zuko told her.

Shaking her head, Katara wrapped her arms around his middle and laid back down. He held her to him and caressed her hair as they both fell back asleep.

Since Katara rather try resting during the day as night terrors wouldn't plague her, Zuko took Hina with him to the family dining room for breakfast where his grandfather was. Hina ran to her grandfather and hugged him despite the formality of addressing being imposed. She innocently took a place in his lap and giggled as he nudged her dumpling cheeks.

"Katara not joining us again?" Azulon lamented as he curled his finger around a lock of Hina's hair.

Zuko shook his head as he explained she was still having trouble sleeping through the night.

"War will do that to you. It's why we don't send our women to the battlefield. Their minds are too fragile." Azulon said as Hina grabbed and orange slice off of his plate and began to eat it. He chuckled and patted the little girl's head. "You like orange slices just like your father."

Zuko watched his grandfather feed Hina his fruits and fawn over her. Ever since Katara came here with Hina and his grandfather got a look, the man had fallen in love with her. He oftentimes just carried her around with him while Katara was resting but Zuko never left the child alone with his grandfather. He knew Katara would freak out. She'd be right to.

"Go over to your brother, Hina. Grandpa has work that needs to be done." Azulon placed her on her feet.

Hina ran to Zuko and climbed in his lap, going for his orange slices. Zuko couldn't really bring himself to eat as he worried over Katara. She wasn't doing well and it wasn't just the war that bothered her, his father plagued her dreams.

…

Katara dressed in a simple Fire Nation hanfu dress and went out to the patio to watch Zuko training. She had begun to enjoy watching his training sessions. It was comforting the sense of normalcy they brought. With the war far behind them, Katara was able to focus on more important things. For one, her relationship with Zuko. They were engaged as soon as the war ended as requested of her by Azulon, not that it was unwarranted. He must have been aware of their relationship. But it was all good by her. She could marry someone she had feelings for and desired in that way. It was a bit soon but she could stomach it.

Taking a seat where her daughter was sitting, kicking her feet as she ate orange slices and watched Zuko. Katara smiled and rustled her daughter's hair as she took a seat beside her daughter and playfully stole her orange slice from her plate. Hina gave her a look that she knew she inherited from her father. A lot of her expressions reminded Katara of him.

As she pushed the thought to the back of her head, Ursa approached with a tray of fruits and Hina's eyes lit up. She set it down in front of the two year old and patted her head as she gave a smile to Katara.

"She's beautiful." Ursa said.

"Thank you," Katara returned the smile as the woman sat across from her.

Ursa handed Hina a fruit and beamed at her, "She looks like your mother's Hina." Her eyes reared up. "Ozai, has he seen her?"

Katara looked to her daughter and shook her head, "I pray he never does."

"He won't hurt her once he gets a look at her. She is his Hina through and through." Ursa assured her.

Katara eyed the woman strangely, "Ozai tried to kill her while she was in my womb. As long as it is in my power, Ozai will never lay eyes on her."

Ursa hoped Katara could keep things that way but she feared that Ozai was lurking just outside of eye reach. She feared for herself, her son, and Katara. The man would no doubt take revenge on all of them. They had all crossed him in one way or another. Their fates were sealed with Ozai. He'd kill them all.

"Ozai is going to come for us." Katara said in a broken voice. "It's just the calm before the storm."

Ursa nodded in agreement.

Zuko looked over to where his mother and Katara were and saw both women looked disturbed. He really worried about them. His mother was too afraid to live on her own and had come to stay in the palace with him. He knew his mother and fiancee were terrified of the resurfacing of Ozai. None of them knew when but they could all feel it. It was frightening and hard to relax and enjoy the moment. When you knew someone was out for your life, it was hard to cope with the thought. He just hoped they could put an end to the terrors once and for all.

….

"I'll miss you." Katara said as she clung to Zuko.

Zuko held her close to him as his lips were pressed to the crown of her head, "The next time I see you we'll be married. It's only a month."

Tearfully looking at him, Katara sniffled as he wiped her tears away while cupping her face. "You know I can't sleep without you."

Zuko sighed and nodded. He knew Katara was troubled from her two years on the frontlines. She not only had to dodge the enemy and take lives that she didn't want to take but she had to remain alert of his father. The man plagued her sleep for months since she returned from the war's end. She was afraid he'd come back and kill Hina or kill her. Honestly, Zuko feared his father would do worse and slaughter the entire family. But all was fine. He'd deal with his father when that time came.

"Take sedatives if you need to but try resting your mind, Katara. It won't be long." Zuko tried comforting her.

Forcing a smile as she turned to take Hina from Ursa, "I'll write you."

Smiling worriedly at her as she bidded the servants and household staff farewell. Zuko feared a lot when it came to his father. The man was sure to show up and disrupt whatever peace they had left. It was best they all treaded carefully from this point forward, especially with them splitting up for this brief month. His father could literally be right around the corner.

As Zuko stood at the top of the stairs with his mother, watching Katara's carriage take her to the docks, he sighed and looked to his mother.

"I hope you can accept her as your daughter-in-law someday." Zuko stated.

Ursa nodded, "I was wrong about her. She's as much a victim of your father as we all are. Katara's a good woman and you seem to love her. I can accept her."

Happy to hear this, Zuko hugged his mother and kissed her forehead. "Thanks mom."

"What about me, son? Do I not get a say?"

Both their eyes widened as they turned to see Ozai jump down from the rooftop. All the servants and staff took off running and screaming. He looked every bit as monstrous as he was. His jet black hair was beyond his waist, blowing in the wind as he stared wickedly at them with his gold gem eyes. He wore a smirk, dressed in all black with a red under shirt along his black armor. He looked like a damn mercenary.

Zuko pushes his mother behind him, "Run!" He told her.

As Ursa ran off, Ozai shook his head and shot a knife out from his sleeves at Ursa. She collapsed and Zuko shouted for her.

"Mom!" He was about to run to her when Ozai struck him with a poison dart causing him to collapse and twitch on the ground.

"I want you to lay there and watch, Zuko. You need to see what happens to the disloyal. That way you know when it comes for you to be your own man, you know how to handle those that betray you." The melt straps to Ozai's boots were all Zuko could hear as he saw his father go to his mother and grab her by her hair. "I told you I'd make you the first but I got started a little early with Lu Ten, Ursa."

Zuko tried getting control of his body as his father brought a knife to his mother's neck.

Looking at his son, "Get a good look, boy. This is a learning lesson for you."

And right before Zuko's eyes, he watched in his mother's eyes, her accept her fate just as his father ran the blade deep into her neck. He dropped her hair and Zuko watched blood spill out as she laid lifeless on the ground.

"Now, come." Ozai said as he grabbed Zuko by the back of his collar and dragged him along with him. "I have to go pay your grandfather back for fucking me over."

Zuko was dragged past his mother's corpse and felt in a state of shock as tears rolled down his cheeks. He needed to warn Katara.

…..

The throne room was turned upside down and covered in blood. Ozai had slaughtered guard after guard after guard with ease. Clearly, in his time on the run and on the frontlines, he had advanced his skills in fighting. The rogue prince soon made his way up the dais where his father watched with indifferent eyes.

"So, you've come to kill me, have you, boy?" Azulon spoke in his eerily low and raspy voice.

Ozai narrowed his eyes, "I'm going to do a lot worse than kill you, you monster."

Azulon burst out laughing, "Look who's talking."

"I'm not nearly as monstrous as you."

"No, you're worse." Azulon laughed.

Ozai got to the top of the dais and stared down at the sitting position of his father, "Look, old man, I have questions that need answering and I need you to be as truthful as your evil old ass can possibly muster." He kneed him in the chest and shoved him down on his back, straddling him with his hand grabbing his father's beard while holding a dagger to his neck. "Kya, you mentioned you touched her and then I hear more."

"More?" Azulon rasped in a cough. "More like what?"

"You raped her like you raped my mother!" Ozai hissed as he pressed his dagger harder into his father's neck, drawing a small lick of blood.

Azulon sighed and rolled his eyes, "So what? You brought some hot-ass tribal bitch here from the common class and you thought you'd just marry her without consequences? You were lucky I only raped her when I sent you out of a fool's arrend. I could have fucked her while you were watching. Maybe that would have humbled you more."

Ozai angrily raised his blade above his father's head ready to slice him open but he hesitated.

"Go on and kill me, boy. I've lived my life to its full capacity." Azulon told him.

Still hesitating.

"Oh, don't tell me you haven't the resolve." Azulon scoffed. "Maybe if I tell you how sweet that tribal cunt was while she screamed for you to save her, maybe that'll make you angry enough."

Ozai clenched his teeth as he really wanted to kill his father for that.

Azulon smirked as a thought came to his mind, "What of her daughter? I contemplated having her too. Hot blood teen girl with her mother's wide hips. Hard not to get hard off that, am I right?"

The rogue prince sliced at his father's face and the man laughed loudly as he bleed.

"Ooo, I've struck a nerve. You like that chieftainess more, huh? Your stepdaughter do something different for you than her mother did." Azulon laughed. "I knew I should have tamed that wild cunt! The little bitch would have been sobbing wet all over my d-"

Shoving the dagger into his father's chest and ripping it out just to stab him again repeatedly, Ozai growled for him to 'shut up'. Screaming as he just wanted Azulon to stop laughing. None of this was funny. The man ruined his life and ruined the life of the woman he loved and joked about raping Katara. That bastard was begging to die and Ozai finally did him in.

Removing the dagger and tossing it as he panted, staring down at his dying father, covered in blood, Ozai saw his eyes still had a little life left in them.

"So you…want the ch-chieftain..ess…more." Azulon smirked as blood spilled from his lips. "Poor girl."

Ozai watched the last bit of light go dim in his eyes and screamed as he bowed his head to the chest of his father. As much as he dreamed of this day, none of this was easy. Killing his own father. Even killing Lu Ten and Ursa, was difficult. But now the throne was his and he planned to finish what he set out to do. His eyes were now set on the South Pole.

….

Having the seamstress fit her for her dress, Katara stood as still as she could while her grandmother made sure the seamstress missed not a single detail. Kokasho stopped by to show his support and wish her luck. He had been a little hurt by her decision to marry Zuko of her own choosing and not just because Azulon arranged it but he eventually accepted it. Now, he was bringing a crystal necklace he had planned on giving her as a proposal and asked that she wore it. Katara hadn't been wearing her mother's necklace for some time and her neck had been feeling very bare, so the crystal necklace was a wonderful gift.

"You're finally getting married." Kokasho smiled warmly. "It will be wonderful and you will be gorgeous."

Kanna scoffed, "It should have been you, Kokasho."

Katara glared at her grandmother, "Kokasho will find a woman worthy of him in all ways. It is better he finds someone who will love him as he loves her."

As Kanna threw her granddaughter a dirty look and continued telling the seamstress to make sure this dress was perfect, Katara rolled her eyes. Her grandmother was never happy when she made decisions against hers. But such was life. Her grandmother needed to get over it. Besides, this was supposed to be her wedding, her day, no one should be ridiculing her for her groom.

"Do you plan on having more children? He is the heir now to the Fire Nation throne. How will he have his heir once he is Fire Lord?" Kanna asked Katara the important question.

Katara bit back the insult she wanted to say and focused her gaze ahead as the seamstress tightened the bow of her kimono styled dress. They were going for a Fire Nation styled wedding dress with Water Tribe colors.

"I was able to have Hina. With Yugoda's help maybe I can have another child." Katara stated.

"You'd be trying for years! Hina's birth was hard on you, Kokasho said as much! You can't just go having more children when your life would be at risk."

Katara sucked her teeth, "I'll do what I have to for my husband."

Kanna began fed up and walked out. Kokasho sighed and rubbed his temple.

"That woman never lets it rest, does she?"

Katara snorted, "She's a grumpy old woman. I don't know how to please her."

"Sounds like she needs a man in her life." Kokasho laughed.

"Perhaps." Katara smirked.

Kokasho stepped towards the elevated platform she was standing on and beamed at her appearance.

"I'll get going." He told her. "But I must admit, I am jealous of your groom. Lucky man he will be to have you as his wife."

"Thank you." Katara bashfully replied.

"I'll see you at the wedding later this week. Rest well."

As Kokasho left, Katara smiled a little to herself as she was happy the day was nearly upon them. Soon she'd be Zuko's wife.

….

Tomorrow would be the day, Katara was both excited and very nervous. She couldn't believe she and Zuko were getting married. It was practically destined to be. From childhood friends to lovers, they were soon to be wedded.

The Chieftainess stood in the halls that overlooked the city, patiently waiting for Zuko and Azulon to arrive for the wedding. She looked forward to seeing Zuko again after an entire month apart from him. All her time spent not preparing for the wedding or her job as Chieftainess and her duties as a mom were thinking of him and how much she realized he was important to her. Zuko always looked out for her and he was always upfront with her. Never treated her like she was fragile but never put too much on her. He knew her from the inside out. She needed that.

As she saw the palanquins of the Fire Prince and Fire Lord be ushered through her great halls, Katara felt a small smile form on her lips. This was it. She'd be married to Zuko in a day.

Meeting the palanquins half way, Katara saw them be set down on the ground as the servants placed the steps in front of them. She saw Zuko's palanquin open hurriedly and him stand to his feet. He looked strange and frightened. Her head tilted.

"Katara, Run!" He shouted to her.

Confused, Katara furrowed her brows but her confusion was soon cleared as the curtains of the Fire Lord's palanquin opened and she watched Ozai exit it. Her breath caught in her throat as she backed away slowly as she was in disbelief.

"It's been a while, Katara." Ozai said as he wore a devious smile.

Katara turned to run but she was caught around her waist and yanked against Ozai's chest. Her soldiers and his had a standoff. He pressed his lips to her ear and whispered.

"Try to run and I'll kill every last one of you Water Tribe fucks, starting with you." He kissed her cheek.

Katara felt nothing but panic and told her men to stand down.

"Good girl."

Setting her down in her feet, Ozai smirked as she simply stared wide eyed at him.

"I'm here for the wedding. You could at least give a smile to your father in law."

Katara wanted to scream.

"But I will say, I have some concerns about the union, so I'm postponing it."

"You can't!"

Ozai tilted his head her and pointed to the crown on his head, "Sorry, but can you not see I'm in charge here?"

"Not over me!" Katara hissed.

Laughter roared from Ozai's mouth, "I don't think you understand, Katara." He threw his arms over her shoulders and pulled her to him as he walked to the pillars that overlooked the city and pointed out at the Fire Nation fleet he brought with him. "You see, anything happens to me or if I give the word and your people are ash. Understood?"

Katara stared wide-eyed at the fleets, "You came to start a war."

"I came to make peace but you have to cooperate with me for that to happen. Besides, it wouldn't be a war, dear. I will annihilate you savages." Ozai explained.

Swallowing hard as he took her chin with his thumb and looked over her lips, "You will satisfy my wishes while I am here and you and your people get to live, got it?"

Swallowing hard, Katara nodded.

"Excellent." Ozai smiled at her, "Guards, escort the Chieftainess and her soldiers to their respective chambers."

As Katara and her soldiers were relocated, Ozai smirked and turned to his son, who was being held back by the soldiers.

"I think we're going to have a nice stay."

…

Katara had ordered her servants to keep Hina at the other side of her courtyard in the flower house she had built a while ago. Hina had loved to play there and Katara wanted her daughter away from the presence of her father if she could help it. However, when he barged in with his armed entourage, she knew she wasn't going to get Scott Free with him.

"Get out, you demon!" Kanna yelled as she rushed to Ozai with a knife.

"Gram Gram!" Katara yelled.

Ozai eyed the old woman and backhanded her. Sending her flying to the ground as he didn't hold back. The woman got him into a lot of trouble and he would eventually make her pay for it.

"Take her." Ozai impassively ordered.

Kanna shouted as Katara was about to go after her until Ozai blocked her off and smirked.

"Katara."

"Bastard!"

Sighing, "You know, I missed you quite a bit. You could be nicer." His tone returned to the indifference he displayed on his face.

Katara bared her teeth at him, "You're a monster! I'll treat you as such!"

Ozai stepped to her and grabbed her by her cheeks, "Look here, you ungrateful little bitch. I've already made a trail of bodies before coming here, don't be next."

"Kill me then, you sick fuck!"

Katara was raised off her feet by her throat. She panicked and clawed his wrists as he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Poor Hina, another child with a mother that cares nothing about living." Ozai taunted her.

A tear fell from Katara's eyes as he put her back down and hardened his expression.

"I want to see my daughter."

Katara rubbed her neck and coughed, refusing to respond.

Seeing this, Ozai pulled out his knife and threw it down at her feet. It was covered in blood. "I killed both my father and Ursa with that knife. You want to add your blood to the collective?"

Katara's eyes widened, Ursa?! She's-

"Now, take me to my daughter, Katara. I won't ask again."

Nodding her head, Katara showed him the way and brought him to her courtyard where a group of white cladded servants played with Hina. Katara addressed them and they fell into formation. They looked in horror at the gold eyed man behind them. Ozai was known to quite a bit of the staff and his recent endeavors were not unknown to the mass population around the world. He was a monster and they feared him.

"Hina." Katara held her hand out to her daughter who was hiding behind a servant's leg, shyly aware of the strange man.

Hina waddled herself out of hiding and looked from her mother to the strange man.

Ozai's eyes widened. This Hina looked just like the one he lost.

"Leave us." Ozai ordered in a stern tone.

Everyone rushed out of the courtyard except for Katara. She stayed and stared callously at Ozai.

"I said 'leave us', Katara." His eyes narrowed at her.

Katara reluctantly left him to her daughter and shut the glassy ice doors of her chambers behind her.

Crouching down to the little gold eyed brown child, Ozai smiled. "Do you know who I am, child?"

Hina shook her head.

"I'm your father." He told her. "And I'm happy to finally meet you."

Hina toyed with the ends of her dress as she twisted her middle back and forth playfully. "Where you been?" She asked.

Ozai chuckled, "I had some things to settle but all is done. I can finally spend my time with you."

The little girl smiled a toothy smile. Ozai had to say his heart was stolen. She looked so much like his Hina from before, only her eyes were gold. Her wavy black hair and big bright eyes. It was like staring at the daughter he lost all over again.

"Can daddy have a hug?"

Hina nodded her head sweetly and walked into her father's arms as he held them out to her. Ozai was in love and picks her up, kissing her cheek as he did. There had only been once in his time as a father that he truly felt this way about his child and it was with the Hina he lost.

Carrying the child with him to see her mother, Ozai beamed at Katara as she looked hopelessly defeated at him.

"I apologize for doubting your parenting skills. You've raised a far more polite girl than either you or your mother were." Ozai complemented Katara.

Katara said nothing and refused to look at him.

Looking over his daughter, "I think I'll keep her with me. You know, make up for lost time."

The chieftainess dug her nails into her fists as she bit back the urge to curse him. She watched in sheer agony as Ozai took her child out of the room and screamed as soon as the doors shut behind him.

….

Sleep was impossible. With Ozai holding the city and her child hostage, Katara could not rest. Simply watch the sunrise over the early morning skies. It was about the only peace of mind she could have at this time. The war was over but Ozai posed a new threat. He was Fire Lord. No doubt killed his father for it. And Zuko, was he held hostage too? Tui and La, she needed saving because she had no idea how she was going to survive whatever Ozai had planned.

The doors of her bedroom opened wide and she didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. Only one person was mad enough in the head to barge in like that.

"We need to talk." Ozai told her, pausing in the middle of her bedroom floor.

Glancing over her shoulder, "I have nothing to say to you, Fire Lord."

"So you say," Ozai smirked and snapped his fingers.

Guards entered with Kokasho tied up and forced him to his knees before her. Katara turned around and looked at the fullness of Kokasho busted up face. He looked awful. Like they kicked the crap out of him. What was Ozai trying to prove?

"Let him go!" She demanded.

"I don't think so, chieftainess. He's a skilled bloodbender and I need him to give me my bending back. He won't do it unless you give the word."

Katara looked at Kokasho questioningly, "Give him his bending, Kokasho."

"I refuse." Kokasho told her.

"Koka-"

"You might fear him but I don't. This bastard is going to kill me either way."

Ozai chuckled and shrugged, "He's right."

Katara watched Ozai pull out his sword and stab Kokasho straight through the chest. Her hands went over her mouth as she watched Kokasho reach out to her and she tried running to him but Ozai's soldiers stepped to her with their spears aimed at her.

"Kokasho!" His name burst from her lips as she felt her voice shake.

The horrors of Lu Ten's death had replayed right before her. Only, this was clearly premeditated. Ozai was grinning with Kokasho's blood splattered across his face. It made her sick from the heavy scent of copper in the air.

Kicking the bastard off his sword, Ozai looked up from him to see Katara fall on her knees as Kokasho's body fell to the ground. She started screaming and completely disregarded his guards just to get to Kokasho. He was glad she saw this. She needed to. This way she would take him more seriously. There was hell to pay and he was collecting debts.

"Kokasho, no." Katara cried into the fur vest of Kokasho's.

Ozai rolled his eyes and swung his sword over Kokasho's neck, lopping it off swiftly as Katara burst out in a scream of terror. His head rolled to her side and Katara fainted.

Laughing at how hysterical the waterbender was, Ozai grabbed her from the floor and carried her off to the chambers he selected for himself. "Come, I still need my bending."

….

A/N:

Ozai is not playing around. He's coming for everyone.