A/N:
Second chapter of the day.
Chapter 9:
"You look amazing, Katara." Zuko told her as he and his brother were styling their hair for their father's party.
Katara's eyes fluttered as she was wearing gold eyeshadow and black liner. Her lips were red and her hair was cascading down one shoulder, some of it tied up in a bun in the back. She looked exquisite in red. The color that made her blue eyes pop like sapphires. Zuko couldn't take his eyes off of her. He hoped his father was foolish and he hoped Katara finally looked his way again. Zuko wouldn't dream of putting Katara through the crap his father put her through. He had always been in her corner and by her side. Always. When she needed help, he was the first to come to her aid. And he never put another woman before her. Never. But it was his father she wanted to be with. Stupid bastard.
"Come on, guys. You had all day to comb your hair." Katara told the two of them.
Zhiar groaned as he had a tough time combing his long thick hair, "It's all your fault my hair is so thick."
Katara chuckled and helped him with his comb, pulling it into a high ponytail. "There."
"Okay, I think we're good. Let's go." Zuko opened a portal with his black flames that Atsou never took back.
At the party, the trio say this was clearly no ordinary party. This party was decked out in decor and everyone was wearing their very best. Katara thanked Tui and La that her son told her to dress up well for the event, otherwise, she'd feel like she was underdressed.
Spotting the table of champagne, Katara completely disregarded the brief glimpse she got from her ex. She needed a drink before this shit show started. Whatever this party was, it couldn't be good if Ami invited her to it.
…..
Holding Ozai's hand, Ami gushed as several nobles approached them in regards to how beautiful a couple they made. She felt so full of joy that tonight was turning out lovely. Not even the water bitch and her ugly personality could ruin this night for her. She felt on top of the world.
Seeing the pure joy on Ami's face was everything to Ozai. He had really hoped she'd be happy tonight after everything she had been through. What she caught him doing with Katara shouldn't have ever happened. He shouldn't have- And just like that the guilt and the sense he was trying to talk himself into fled as he spotted his ex-wife with his two sons. He saw her looking as heavenly as ever. Always surprising him with how much more beautiful she could become right before his eyes. Damn it, Katara!
"Ozai, I'm so happy you've done all this for me." Ami said as she beamed at him while he sat. "I can't wait to give the good news."
Ozai sipped the last of his wine and set the glass down as he stood up. "I think I should give Katara the heads up so she doesn't blow up and ruin the evening."
"Good idea." Ami smirked.
Going over to where he saw Katara taking her third glass of wine, becoming a wallflower, Ozai took another glass and greeted her.
"I didn't think you'd come."
"I shouldn't have." Katara scoffed as she nursed her wine glass in hand as she saw her son chatting with a group of ladies. "You made it very clear that I was solely responsible for Ami's miscarriage and banished me from here unless invited."
"I'm only trying to appease Ami's anger. What you did-"
"What we did, Ozai! Or have you forgotten I wasn't fucking myself!" Katara snapped.
A few nobles nearby glance their way upon Katara's outburst and Ozai tugged her along with him to a quieter spot. "You seduced me."
"You said you wished things were different." She hissed at him.
Ozai sighed, "Yes but they're not."
"Because you insist on abandoning me." Katara said and looked up at him with glossy eyes. "But I shouldn't be so surprised. You abandoned me long ago when you let me suffer in the North Pole because of the affair YOU seduced me into."
"Kat-"
"Shush," Katara held her hand up at him and then took his hand, "Dance with me. You owe me that much."
Ozai agreed as the waterbender pulled him out to the dance floor.
Seeing his father and Katara dancing, Zuko drank his wine and went over to Zhiar.
"Be ready to restrain your mother." Zuko told him.
Zhiar glanced over his shoulder at his oldest brother in confusion, "What? Why?"
"Just be on alert. I have a bad feeling about this party."
…..
"It won't be forever. As soon as Ami feels secure in our relationship, I'll lift the ban off of you and you can come and go as you like." Ozai assured her.
Being spun around and pulled back in, "Like either of you could really stop me from coming and going as I like now. Only thing stopping me is respect for you but even that's starting to dwindle."
Ozai smirked, "You think I can't stop you?"
"Ozai, I'm a lot stronger than you. You know that."
"Yes, but I can't be broken, dear. You can."
"Are you trying to fight me, Ozai?"
"Perhaps. I wouldn't mind slapping you around a bit."
Katara chuckled and rested her head against his chest, "You need to stop flirting with me, Ozai. You give a girl the wrong idea."
"Girl? As old as you are, you still see yourself as such."
Stomping his foot with a smile as he winced in pain, "What was that?"
Groaning through his clenched teeth, "Nothing."
"Thought so." Katara smirked.
As the music ended, Ozai told Katara to follow him as he had something important to discuss with her in private. Katara grabbed another glass of wine on the way out as something told her she would need it.
Outside alone on the balcony, Ozai leaned over the railing as Katara pressed her back to it.
"What is it, Ozai?" She asked him.
Staring out at his city, "Remember when we found out you were pregnant with the twins years ago?" he asked her.
Nodding her head as she turned to look at the city with him, "Yes, you said you never loved a woman the way you loved me."
"That's still true to this day." Ozai told her. "I want you to know that how I feel about Ami is different."
Katara cut her eyes to him, "What are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that I love you and you'll always have a special place in my heart."
"But…" Katara added for him as she knew there was a 'but' in there.
"But…Ami, she's my future and I've asked her to marr-"
Ozai didn't even have to finish the sentence for Katara to be done. Throwing her drink in his face and tackling him over the balcony. Zuko and Zhiar had been watching from inside and hurried to go stop their parents as things took an ugly turn. Fortunately, no one else saw this and they quickly went to break up the fight.
Zhiar grabbed his mother after she kicked his father in the face. Zuko grabbed his father before he could snap Katara's neck.
Holding his bloodied nose, "You crazy bitch!" Ozai shouted.
"You no good piece of shit! I hope you eat a dick, fuck face!" Katara hollered in a hoarse voice.
Zhiar tried not to laugh at his mother told his father that Ami was bending him over like the bitch he was. He didn't realize his mother could be so upset with his father but it was funny to watch her go off on him. Zhiar wondered what his father did.
"Guys, calm down!" Zuko told them. "What's going on?!"
Breaking free from Zhiar, Katara screamed and swept back her disheveled hair. "This asshat is marrying Ami! He fucking invited us to his La damn engagement party!"
Zuko figured that was what was going on.
"Oh, that's fucked." Zhiar hissed as he could see why his mother was upset.
Angry tears rolled down her face as she pulled at her hair and screamed some more, "You bastard! Why would you think I'd want to be a part of this?! To support your decision!"
"I wanted you to be the first to know." Ozai snapped his arms from Zuko and walked up to her. "I needed you to know first."
Katara punched him in the face before storming off.
"You psycho cunt" Ozai held his nose tight as tears formed in his eyes from how much that hurt. "I should run over there and break your fucking wrist!"
"Do it, bitch!" Katara turned around and held her arms out in a challenging position.
When Ozai only glared at her from afar, she sucked her teeth and scoffed.
"Thought so, pussy."
"That's it." Ozai snapped and his eyes glowed. He chased after Katara as she tried running away from him.
Zuko and Zhiar sighed as their father caught up to her and she cat clawed his face as he tackled her to the ground. The decided to head back into the party as nothing and no one was going to be able to stop the two from fighting. It was just how things were going to be moving forward since their father thought marrying Ami was a wise idea. Both thought the man was an utter imbecile.
…..
The following day, Zuko goes to his father and finds him in the gardens with Ami having lunch. It was a sight that the Fire Lord didn't care too much for but what could he do? His father wanted a human bitch that would be of no use to him in a good ten to fifteen years.
"Congratulations on your engagement." Zuko told them upon greeting them.
"Thank you, Fire Lord Zuko."
Zuko ignored her and focused on his father, "Katara's begun to calm down. You should try talking to her again."
"Like hell." Ozai scoffed as he looked over the reports he was reading while eating. "Katara will never be ready to accept that I've moved on."
Zuko eyed his father, "I think it's how you did it."
"He's done nothing wrong."
Holding his hand up at Ami, "Was I talking to you?"
Ozai gave Ami a look to leave and she got up to kiss his lips before heading off. Zuko took her seat and gave his father a stern look.
"You're really not going to speak to her?"
Ozai sighed, "I will in due time. Just stop mentioning her around Ami."
"Why? Cause you had to propose to her in order for her to forgive you after she caught you fucking Katara?" Zuko smirked.
Ozai rolled his eyes, "You wish you were fucking Katara. Too bad she's preoccupied with me."
"Not for long." Zuko smirked.
"You'd be a rebound." Ozai chuckled as he watched the smirk wipe clean from his son's face. "Anyway, let Katara know that when she has calmed down, she can come speak with me."
Zuko returned to the Fire Nation and visited Katara's villa. He found Katara in the tub drinking a bottle of liquor and sighed to himself.
"My father says come see him when you are calm enough to talk."
"Doesn't being drunk count as calm?"
"No."
"I'll see him in the morning." Katara sunk into her bathtub and blew bubbles.
….
"It's beautiful, Ozai!" Ami shrieked at her ring and kissed her fiance all over.
The princess ran off to show the noblewomen she had befriended.
Ozai was enjoying the quiet as he had spotted Katara show up. He didn't think she'd stop by so soon. She was really pissed off the other night and he didn't want to have to fight her again. In the end, Ozai still cared a great deal about her and he didn't enjoy fighting the woman that mothered his children and first grandson. Katara just needed to be calm about this and accept the situation for what it was.
"You wanted to speak with me." Katara took a seat at his patio table and laced her fingers together.
"There doesn't have to be bad blood between us." Ozai started. "We have a long and persevering friendship. Are you going to throw that all away because of your jealousy?"
Raising a brow, "Jealousy? This is deeper than jealousy, Ozai. You had me fooled. On our way through the desert and swamp, you never voiced having discrepancies with us ever being together."
"Because I didn't want to hurt your feelings. You were so attached after that illusion Atsou put us through. It would have crushed you." Ozai tried to make her understand.
Katara furrowed her brows and poked the inside of her jaw with her tongue. "So...you felt this way that whole time. Even while you were fucking me, cuddling me, and basically fawning over me in the swamp. You didn't want me but you wanted to use me for your own need of comfort? That's even more fucked up than what I had been thinking." She chuckled in a small fit of anger. "I thought you saw her and forgot all about me but now this makes even more sense. What makes you any different from Arnook and Atsou? Just using me. You've always just used me, haven't you?"
"Kat-"
"Shut up! Ozai, name a single time when I was in danger that you came personally to save me?"
"Kat-"
"You can't name one time! Because you never did!"
"Katara, it was more complicated than that."
"What's complicated is throwing yourself off a balcony once you realize evil people want to use you to kill the only person you've ever really been in love with. Complicated, is killing yourself again when you've been forced to kill that person you love. I know complicated, Ozai. I've lived complicated. You're just a selfish coward that let me suffer!"
Ozai glared at her, "I was all the children had left, Katara. If something happened to them, then what?! Zuko was the one chasing after you, I let him as he had less to lose and I knew at the end of the day, I was the only one to truly defend the family. I had to put their needs before yours. Do you understand that?"
Katara narrowed her eyes at him, "I understand that's a cute excuse you've got there."
"Katara, stop fucking with me! Just accept what is and leave what isn't in the past! Damn it, I'm not going to keep asking you this nicely!"
"Nicely?! Ha! You've been an asshole since this shit started a whole year ago!"
"I moved on! You should do the same!"
"I tried but I called Cho-Seng your name and I can't stop thinking about us! Unlike you I can't just get over us! I actually gave a fuck about us!"
Ozai clenched his fists, "Katara, I'm trying here. I'm trying to preserve our friendship but you're not even trying to work with me here."
"Cause I don't want a flimsy ass friendship! I want my husband back and I want us to be happy together! I want us to be king and queen, and our children finally see us have it together! I want to be the one having your next son! I want us to be as we were in that illusion. The world might have been fake but Ozai, nothing we had together was fake. We were in love and we were happy. We can still have that out here. You can't tell me you don't still want me?"
Ozai watched Katara pull the neckline of her dress down, exposing her breasts. As nice and supple her breasts were, he shifted his eyes back to hers.
"Just like your grandmother, Hama." He sucked his teeth.
Pulling her dress back up, "Well, she and I have a lot in common. Dealing with Fire Nation men that captured us."
"Don't go there." Ozai leaned back in his seat. "We're way past that shit."
Katara folded her arms, "Fine, Ozai. You win. I'll accept your new little life you're trying to live."
"Thank you." He sighed in relief.
Katara got up to leave but Ozai got up too and stopped her, grabbing her wrist.
"Katara,"
Groaning as she snatched her wrist back and turned to glare at him. "What is it now?"
Before she knew it, Ozai cupped her face and kissed her.
Biting his lip, Katara slapped him as soon as he pulled back. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"
"It was a goodbye kiss."
Wiping her mouth, "Don't kiss me with the same lips you use to kiss Ami's ass!" Katara opened a portal and left.
Ozai wanted to pull every strand of hair out with that woman. You're driving me crazy, woman.
…..
Dear Phoenix King Ozai,
Over the twenty plus years we have known each other, I have been your captive, your wife, your widow, your lover, and your ex. I have loved you through all these years no matter how much an asshole you have been. No flaw of yours was too bad for me to not love you. I still love you but as you are moving on, I must spare myself the torment of seeing you with someone else.
Starting today, I will not see you for as long as I can possibly keep it up. If you want to see the kids, do so without bothering me or coming to see me. I can only respect your wishes if you respect mine. Our friendship is over and done with. Do not bother reconciling with me when your future wife is old and whither and kicks the bucket. I will not be available for you to seek comfort in. You've made your bed now lie in it.
But before I end this letter, I want you to know, that I will never stop loving you as you are the love of my life. However; I will never allow someone to be less than good to me again and you have been cruel and unfair in the transition you've had toward your new love. I hope she's everything I'm not as you will never have me again.
Always yours,
Katara of the Southern Water Tribe
Ozai balled the letter up and burned it, "You snarky bitch!"
Rubbing his chest from behind, Ami kissed his cheek, "Don't worry about her. She's always been a bitch. Leave her be."
Throwing the ashes aside, "Fine. If she wants to end our friendship, so be it."
…
A/N:
Next chapter will be more story plot and less Ozai x Katara drama.