A/N:

Merry Christmas my lovelies! Enjoy!

Chapter 13:

And she had gotten nowhere. Ozai had chased her down and seemed to have an instinct for hunting. No matter how many times she tried throwing him off her tail, he knew where she was. By the crack of dawn the next day, Katara was tackled in the dirt and held down with her head pressed into the mud. Rolled onto her stomach with a knee stabbing her in the back, the waterbender howled as he tried restraining her.

"You deceitful bitch!" Ozai shouted at her as she squirmed under him. "I should have known not to let my guard down with you!"

Being flipped over onto her back, Katara glared up at him as she snarled. "Maybe you should go fuck yourself! Probably wouldn't get your feelings hurt, you perverted pig!"

About to snap her neck, Ozai was kneed in the groin and fell over cringing. Katara quickly gathered herself and took off running. The former tyrant yelled for Shinji to chase her down. The subordinate did as told and raced after the waterbender. She was a lot faster than she had been before. Clearly, her close call with Ozai gave her the motive to run like hell. She knew he was going to kill her and that wasn't going to happen. Not on her watch.

As Shinji and Katara covered a lot of ground playing this game of saber-cat and lizard-rat, they found themselves nearing a cliff's edge. However; this didn't discourage the waterbender as she knew there was a river running below it. That was how she was getting away. Ozai couldn't swim and Shingi barely made the fall the last time he followed her off a cliff, she was on her way to freedom.

"Katara! Please, don't do this!" Shinji hollered from behind as he reached for her.

Standing at the edge, the waterbender looked over her shoulder at him with pleading eyes. "I have no choice." She said.

"You do! Just listen to me, I'll help you. I swore I would. Let me." He panted as the girl turned around to face him.

Katara shook her head and cast her eyes low. "I can't. So please, just let me go."

"Katara, no-"

"There you are, you water bitch!" Ozai snarled as he lounged from the forest to grab her but as soon as he was about to catch her, Katara dived off the cliff.

…..

Losing a trail on Katara, Aang went to the only palace he could go to seek guidance. Bei Seng Sei to see an old friend that seemed to have an answer for everything.

"Sorry, dear Avatar but I doubt my brother would be here of all places." Iroh told the young monk as he sat on the second-floor patio of his tea shop and drank a cup.

Sighing as he felt he was once again at a dead end, Aang leaned on the edge of the terrace and tried thinking up a place where Ozai would go.

"The old Fire Nation colonies are the best to look. Many that refused to acknowledge Zuko as Fire Lord have gone to them in hopes to build the regimes. I just so happen to be on my way to one. Xiao Lu is famous for its large import of tea." Iroh said delightfully as he finished his cup and looked up at the clouds.

The weather was always so nice here. He much preferred his life in the Earth Kingdom city he had once tried to conquer. It was so peaceful and away from all the commotion that the rest of the world had to offer. However; dark days were returning with his brother's escape. The lovely Katara's supposed death and the kidnapping of his great-nephew were just the beginning of what cruel vengeance Ozai had in store for them.

Standing from his seat, the wise old man looked to the Avatar and offered him a hopeful smile. "I will write to you if I hear anything while on my travels but I hope you are right that the waterbender is still alive."

"I'm sure of it." Balled his fist in determination. First, he would do as Iroh said and search the old Fire Nation colonies for Ozai. It seemed it was his best chance at finding his friend and her son as well as capturing the world class enemy. Katara just a little longer. Wait for me.

….

It was not his wishes to tell his master why the waterbender had snuck out and stole from the pharmacy but seeing as his master knew he was aware, Shinji couldn't help but tell him. Discovering this information, Ozai eased away from strangling his subordinate and was left to his thoughts. His bending, was it possible that it had returned? This should excite him and have his full attention, however; the second part to this seemed to consume his focus. He needed to get his hands on that waterbender. If she believed there was a possibility that she was carrying his seed, needed to prevent her from making him out to be like his son. The girl needed to be tracked down.

"I believe she's still headed to Xiao Lu, my lord. Her son is there and that was her only reason for traveling with us of her choosing." Shinji knew that's where the waterbender was headed but he hoped that he found her first before Ozai did. At least then, he could try to de-escalate matters between the two. Stop unnecessary fighting or possible murder.

Clenching his fist as he glared down at it, "We will not rest until we have reached Xiao Lu."

Ozai reached his mount and re-saddled. Without rest they could reach Xiao Lu in a day and a half. He wanted to have operations in order and then find the girl. His mission came first but that waterbender would be dealt with. Immediately.

As for the waterbender, she had made it swiftly down the stream with no problem. Seemed fortune was in her favor as it would seem she had happened across an ostrich horse unsupervised near a small cabin. Just her luck. At this point, having been traveling with Ozai for damn near a month, thievery wasn't something she stopped and thought about.

Anyways, Katara had made it, an entire day with not a single break, she had made it to Xiao Lu. On the ostrich horse she stole, the waterbender looked around in awe of how massive the port city was and how many people were here. She rode slowly pass the men that asked for her toll into the city, giving them the last of her silver coins she had stolen a while back. This was insane. The streets were busier than the lower ring of Bei Seng Sei but much cleaner.

The waterbender pulled her hood on further as she didn't know if she'd run into Lao, who was already here on Ozai's behalf. If he found her without Ozai near, he'd definitely take her into custody until he showed up. But then, she might be a little closer to her son. No, that's not going to help me. If Ozai was just as determined as she was to reach this place then he could be on his way now. That wasn't enough time to get her son and run. She had to stick with her plan. Now, she needed to figure out her sleeping arrangements for the time being. Where could she go with no money to spare? Maybe I'll get a job. She joked but was partially considering it.

Deciding at the moment she'd explore the city to get a feel for the place. There was no telling how long she would be here but she needed to know all that was around her.

"New in town, aye?" Some random woman approached her out of nowhere.

Cautious not to let her guard down, Katara clenched a dagger she stole from Ozai at her side. "How could you tell?"

"There's only about six blue-eyed lovelies here and I know each of them." The woman chuckled.

Good to know. Now I won't be found as easily. Katara thought as she continued moving in the crowd with her mount. However; the random company she just made didn't seem to be going away, so she stopped and looked at her.

"Sorry, but do I know you or something?" Katara tried not to be rude to strangers but being around Ozai for nearly a month and only seeming to run into trouble with other people caused her manners to fly out the window.

Giggling, this strange woman waved her hand around and decided to start over, introducing herself. Her name was Ming and she was a working woman at a high-end brothel. Katara didn't know why her occupation was important to include but she guesses it was a local thing.

This woman, Ming, handed her a slip of paper to the waterbender and smiled brightly. "If you happen to need a job and a place to stay, come to that address. We're looking for a new girl but don't worry, it's only a serving job."

Katara looked skeptically at the slip of paper before seeing Ming run off gleefully. What a strange woman.
…..

"I can't believe you left Mai and your mother in charge of the place while we're gone," Toph said to Zuko as the two of them stood above deck at night.

Sighing, Zuko looked at the half moon that's reflection surfaced in the water. Why did he do that? He didn't much trust Mai at this point. She had been a little off since he returned with his mother. And his mother was in no real position to maintain things. She had run away from life in the palace. It wasn't fair of him to leave her with such a responsibility.

Running his hand through his hair, the Fire Lord shut his eyes and breathed in. "My father's on the loose, Katara's dead, our son's kidnapped, Mai's been going behind my back, and the Earth King calls me to an urgent summit. I feel like everything is crashing around me and I don't know what to do?!"

Well I guess I shouldn't tell him I'm suspicious of Mai. Toph could see her friend was at his wits end. He needed to recover from all that's happened recently first before she tells him anything. Besides, she needs more proof and evidence before she said anything about Mai. But the earthbender knew she was a part of some serious trouble.

Toph offered what little comfort she could. She wasn't Katara. Comforting was not her expertise but she tried and that's all that mattered. Everyone here was just trying to do what they can to stay sane and tackle these obstacles in their way. It couldn't be helped that the one person who made everything alright was no longer here. If only someone had made sure she was alright, perhaps, she'd still be alive.

Below deck, Sokka was holding Suki's hair as she vomited into the toilet. He didn't know what was wrong with her. Lately, she's been unable to eat much and when she did, she became sick.

Suki rolled over on her back after she finished spilling her guts. She looked up at Sokka and whispered an apology. He shook his head and picked her up, carrying her to bed.

"You should rest." He told her as he tucked her in.

Smiling as she looked up at him, "Thank you, Sokka."

The tribesman smiled down at his girlfriend and caressed the side of her face as she slipped off into sleep.

Sokka head above deck while Suki slept and found Toph and Zuko talking. He could hear the weariness in Zuko's voice as he approached. He had a lot to deal with on top of everything else going on in his life.

"Hey, it's alright, buddy." Sokka slapped his hand on the middle of Zuko's back. "We're here for ya and don't worry about your father. We'll find him. Don't you know a bounty hunter that can find anyone?"

Nodding his head as he leaned against the deck railing, "Yeah but it's tough finding her."

"That's fine. Either way, we'll have to search hard if we want to find your father and my nephew. I say we have a better chance with that bounty hunter friend of yours." Sokka said as he came up beside his the firebender and gazed up at the moon.

Sighing, "Then you and Suki should find her. I still have that Agni damn summit to attend. Don't those idiots know I have more important things to deal with?!" Zuko growled in frustration.

Patting his back, "We got this. We'll go look for the bounty hunter and keep you updated, alright? If we work as a team, we'll them in no time."

It was nightfall when Katara was done exploring half the port city. This place was too large and she was getting tired from not having any sleep. Time to find an inn and stay the night.

Riding her worn ostrich horse down the less crowded streets, the waterbender looked for any signs of a cheap inn. Just somewhere she could rest her head till she could come up with a plan to get her son back and leave. However; all the places on this side of town looked expensive. She planned to sale her mount which was barely worth seventeen silver. It wouldn't be enough to lay her head for a night in one of these places. Sighing, she reached into her pocket and looked at the slip of paper that Ming woman gave her.

'The Palace Harem' it read. Katara stared at it for a bit trying to figure out if this was really what she was willing to consider. It was a paying job with a place to sleep. That and she would only be a server. Seemed like her best option unless she wanted to find a back alley to sleep in, praying she didn't get attacked by the local thugs.

Finding the brothel wasn't hard. Just so happened to be down the street from where she was as she had a few people point it out to her. As she came upon the establishment, Katara realized it was not like most brothel's she had seen. First of all, it looked clean and seemed to have even female customers. It was massive like an estate, elegant like one as well. It didn't seem all that bad.

"Blue-eyed wanderer!"

Katara didn't know why that voice made her shriek but when she saw what looked like the woman from earlier, only dressed like a genie, she knew why.

"Ming." The waterbender responded awkwardly as she climbed off her mount.

Running up to the blue-eyed woman in a cloak, Ming gave a friendly hug, her bangles jingling as she did. "You decided to come!"

Pulling away nervously, "Yeah, I don't have really anywhere to stay." Katara admitted.

"Then come, come. I'll introduce you to Shikuze, the woman in charge tonight and get you squared away." Ming tugged on the waterbender's arm as she led her into the brothel.

Entering, Katara's nose was hit with a lovely fragrance that no brothel she had ever had the misfortune of being in had. It was a sweet pea like smell. One that was gentle to the nose and yet lingered. She managed to look around her to see all that was going on. Seemed like all the women were dressed like courtesans from some ancient times. Wearing genie-like pants and crop tops with gold armbands, wrist and ankle bangles. They all wore transparent masks over their nose and mouths. Heavy eye makeup and their hair styled differently to their own personal taste. It was sort of like walking through an old fantasy story her father read her when she was a young girl. The place was brightly lit and had very nice decoration to give the feel of a palace harem. Katara was impressed. Not only that but the women seemed really friendly like Ming. That explained a lot.

As Ming brought the waterbender to the steps and walked her up them, turning down a secluded hallway, Katara managed to see someone she had not expect to see.

"Ty Lee?" The waterbender whisked her wrist away and stopped, pulling her hood off her head.

Turning her head immediately, "Katara?!"

"Oh! You guys know each other?! That's great!" Ming seemed to be the only one excited.

Shaking her head as she rubbed her eyes, "You're supposed to be dead, what are you doing here?!" Ty Lee was completely taken aback. "Don't tell me! You're a ghost?!"

Katara shook her head, "No, it's a long story but I ended u-"

"We can save story time for later, loves. Ty Lee, you gotta get those sweet plums to your guests before they get cold and my blue-eyed sweetheart, we've got to get you hired." Ming interrupted joyfully.

As Katara was pulled away to see the madam, Ty Lee waved her hand after her. "I'll come find you later!"

"Alright." Katara yelled back.

"My Lord, you have finally arrived." Lao knelt as did a few other men that were present at the moment.

Ozai and Shinji walked into the Geisha House that was used as a front for their operations. It was nearly passed midnight when they reached Xiao Lu. They had rode out an entire day without sleep. No doubt the waterbender had arrived already but she would be dealt with later. Right at the moment, Ozai needed to speak with the head of this operation to see how things were coming along. He wanted to know just how much work had been done over the four years he spent in prison.

As his men rose back to their feet, "Lao, where is your cousin? I need to speak with him."

"Right here, your majesty." A man clothed in red Fire Nation attire appeared with his arms out in a grand welcoming manner.

"Zhao." Ozai smirked. "Still alive all these years?"

Grinning back, "I couldn't die before fulfilling my duties to your majesty. The battle may have been lost but the war is not yet over. We have much to accomplish." Zhao was delighted to inform his master and Ozai was delighted to hear that.

~Next day~

Shinji was ordered by Ozai to search the city for the waterbender, he wanted her brought to him in one piece. However; brute force was allowed. Taking a small group out into the city, Shinji laced his boots and rose to his feet.

The description he gave his men was a petite blue-eyed tribeswoman with short curly hair. She was injured from the waist down with burn marks. No one was supposed to bring her to Lord Ozai until Shinji checked to see if it was the right girl.

Climbing onto the mount, Shinji saw Lao walk up and approach him.

"I guess our master's been a little rough with the water bitch," Lao smirked. "Couldn't handle what Fire Nation men have to offer."

Disgusted by his comrade remark, Shinji whipped the reins of his mount and rode off into the city. He didn't want to hear that. It was hard enough finding out his master had gotten his hands on the poor waterbender. He needed to find her before anyone else did. He promised to help her and that still stood.

Ursa had managed to meet with her old friends she had acquired years ago when she first came to stay at the palace. They all made her feel nostalgic and missing her old life in the palace. At least before she and Ozai married.

As she left from seeing her friends, Ursa walked down the hall with her hands clasped in front of her, she noticed Lady Mai slip into a room. Not having seen her since her son left, she went to go check on the young woman that was due to marry her son. Reaching her hand for the doorknob, the former princess heard voices from inside the room and what she heard disturbed her immensely.

"So who's side are you on? You're playing a dangerous game with the royal family. First, you agree to marry the current Fire Lord. Then, you release the former from prison. And now, you've sent a rebel from Azula's faction to hunt down your fiance's bastard child. You have played too many sides to come out unscathed." an unknown man spoke.

Chuckling darkly, "Isn't obvious. I'm on my side. Those three will kill each other before they even realize who's set all this in motion."

"But why? Aren't you in love with Fire Lord Zuko? And wasn't his sister your best friend at one point?"

Of course, she loved that idiot, Zuko. But he was still in love with that dead water bitch. In love with a ghost. And as for Azula, she had betrayed her once, a second time would make no difference. As for her father-in-law, she figured he had served his purpose, killing the waterbender was all she really wanted. She just wanted her crown and a child of royal blood growing in her womb, then she would be satisfied with whatever outcome. The most favorable being that the three killed each other.

"How about your mother in law? What of her?"

Sighing as she grew tired of the endless questions. "She's no threat to me. No use, either. I'll leave her alone. For all I care, she can run back to her village and hide there like she has all these years."

Ursa could take no more. She pulled away and scurried off. She had to write her son of this. Lady Mai was a traitor.
….

Having taken the night to rest in her acquaintance's room, Katara explained all the details surrounding why she was presumed dead. Ty Lee was in utter shock of what she heard. No way. It was almost too much to believe but knowing Zuko and Azula's dad, it sounded like him. Geez, to think Katara wasn't really dead after receiving the terrible news that she was.

"So you have a son with Zuko?" The acrobat asked as she stood on her hands watching the waterbender change into her new attire.

Nodding her head, Katara looked herself over and smiled. It looked really nice on her. The ruby color she was given suited her and as she tried on the jewelry, she liked it even more. She continued answering all Ty Lee's questions as she began pinning her hair up. It matched her hair perfectly and reminded her of how her hair was before Ozai cut it. Now for the makeup. She wanted to be as unrecognizable as possible. She couldn't let herself be caught this early into the game.

"So why you run away all of a sudden?" Ty Lee asked curiously.

Turning around after getting herself ready, "He burned me." The waterbender held her hand over the discolored markings on her hips that traveled down.

Ty Lee's eyes grew wide, "You didn't! Katara! No way!" Realizing how low the burns went.

"It was only twice but the first time was because I was drugged by some old creep," Katara said defensively.

Cracking up as she tumbled over, "Yeah but the second means you wanted it."

The water blushed and turned back to her mirror. So what if she wanted it the second time. To be quite honest, she had been a little frustrated in that department for a while. Just thinking about it got her worked up and Ty Lee could see.

Barging into the new girl's room was Ming, who was as usual in a chipper mood. "My blue-eyed lovely! There you are! Come, I have a lot to teach you!" She grabbed the waterbender and yanked her out of the room, Ty Lee laughed as the door shut behind them.

It took about an hour to tour and go over the jest of everything. Katara got a lot of how this place was run. This was more than a brothel. It was also a Geisha House. The ladies that served wore the red genie outfits to resemble palace servants. The ones that dressed in red and white traditional Geisha kimonos were classical entertainers and served large groups. Then there were the working girls like Ming. They serviced guests looking for a more intimate experience. Basically, prostitution as Ming put it but the girls were all willing and could decline customers they didn't care too much for. The working girls wore pink silk undergarments with a translucent skirt, ankle bangles, heavy neck jewelry, long false nails, and a head veil that matched their skirts. Geishas worked the front of the house as they were to be the faces of the business. It invited more of the upper-class clients to visit. As for servers dressed as genies and the worker girls/prostitutes, they worked down the hall in the back of the house, out of view of the majority's sight. This was so that those that sought more sensuality from the women of the establishment could have some privacy.

After going over positions and attire, Ming explained the rules of the establishment. The shop opens up at six in the evening and closes four in the morning. All employees are allowed to do whatever outside of operating hours as long as they had no chores to tend to. Each girl needs a false name that the customers can call them by. Employees aren't allowed to drink more than they can handle on their shifts. If sick or unwell, headmaster must be informed. Fighting and bending that is used for combat are not permitted on the brothel grounds. As far as personal guests go, girls must notify the headmaster and seek approval. All employees were allowed to have sexual relations with customers but non-working girls had to charge extra. Every girl was expected to have impeccable hygiene and be responsible for themselves as far as their bodies go.

Led to the kitchens, Katara was shown how to appropriately carry trays and coached on how to serve her guests. Balancing was not hard, drink pouring was not bad at all, her fake laugh was believable, eye flirting came naturally, hip swaying for when moving about was child's play, but conversation with guests was difficult. Katara was finding out she was terrible at discussing mundane topics. All her interests were in bending, politics, fighting, the war, philosophy of life and global issues, and a little dark humor. Ming figured she'd do well with older males. Serving girls usually only had one customer at a time and were assigned a particular type of customer depending on their strengths and weaknesses. Though they could always have a random that requested them.

"And this is your room." Ming showed the waterbender inside her room that was decorated much like a consort's den. "Our headmaster is from the Fire Nation, so all the rooms look like this."

Looking to her bed that was round and had a beaded veil hang above it, Katara fell in love with the cozy red room. It was definitely a Fire Nation styles room but it was pretty. Finally, a nice place to lay her head. Throw pillows were just about everywhere. Her vanity was beautiful. Low table and cushions were just right. And the private bathroom was just a lovely. La, she could get a little too used to this. Not to mention, she'd be making a good amount of money on top of tips.

"So have you thought of a name to call yourself, blue eyes?" Ming plopped onto a comfy pillow.

Smiling at the strange woman that turned out to be the best weirdo she had ever run into, "I think I'll go with Sapphire." Katara said.

"Ah, good name blue eyes." Ming stood back up and went to the door. "Well, we're just about to close up in an hour. You can get dressed in those pajamas in your dresser, there's some spare clothes for you until you do some shopping, and I'll see you in the morning. Our headmaster is going to want to meet all the new girls, so come ready to present yourself."

As the woman left, Katara laid herself in her bed and curled up with one of the pillows. Thank la she could finally sleep. That's all she's wanted after her tedious day of training.

Morning rolled in quick and Katara wasn't sure if she wanted to get up. But seeing as someone was banging on her door loudly, she figured she needed to before she didn't have a door.

Dragging herself out of bed, Katara answers the door and in Ty Lee carrying a tray with a bundle of clothes under her arm. She played them both on the low table as she sat down.

"I brought your breakfast. It's just fruits and fish. A healthy diet for brothel workers. And here's a few more uniforms for you. Headmaster told me to make sure you had everything you needed." Ty Lee said quickly as she grabbed a slice of toast.

Brightening up a little, Katara sat at the low table a picked up some of the fruit. Happy to finally have some. Ozai hadn't let her eat anything he wasn't eating and he seemed to be on a strictly meat diet. Men. She rolled her eyes. Being from under his wing was so liberating. It was like winning the war all over again.

Tossing a melon in her mouth, "That was nice of the headmaster."

Eating some of the food with the waterbender, "Yeah, well he's just glad to have a blue-eyed gal like yourself. Brothels with tribeswomen make a lot of business."

So I've heard. Katara was well aware of the high demand of her people in this business.

"So, you figured out how you're gonna get your son back?" The acrobat asked with her mouth full.

Shaking her head, Katara's moment of joy fled. Kai was so close now. And she was still no closer to getting him back than she was when she first set out on this journey. Really, her best option was finding Shinji but how could she do that without being caught my Ozai?

As if reading her mind, "you know you can get a wig if you need to look less like yourself. May I recommend a jet black wig? One with sea ocean waves." Ty Lee mocked the voice of a haughty highborn.

Giggling, Katara agreed that that might help. She could pass for a Northern Tribeswoman. A lot of them had darker color hair. Besides, saying she was from the Southern Tribe would give her true identity away. Last thing she needed was being found out by both her allies and enemies. Until she got her son back, she wanted to remain dead to the world.

Pacing back and forth, Ozai listened to Zhao's recalling of the last four years. Their rebel army had tripled and strengthened as more and more of the wealthy class became a part of their movement. Funds made it even easier to go about taking control of territories. Not to mention them buying out the pirates to steal explosives from the Beifong shipments. This and more had impressed the former tyrant. All the operations needed to take off and start making actual moves was to have him back in control. And with him out of prison, they could start making attacks on this new world order.

"Our first move should be Omashu and the Beifong estate." Ozai said as he thought it through.

Zhao liked the sound of that. Omashu was the easiest stronghold to make attacks against, stir fear into the people, and dismantle the peace. And the Beifong estate will be a personal attack on those closest to the Avatar and boy king.

This plan was further discussed and Ozai declared that all the friends of the Avatar and his son be captured. He wanted to have them tortured for what they helped do to him. None of them were getting away with what was done to him. Not even that temptress waterbender that thought she had seen the last of him. However; his plans for her were different. Things between them were a bit more personal. Not to mention, he had her son to look after now.

Speaking of the boy, "My grandson. Where have you kept him?" Ozai asked.

Smirking, "I'll show you, my lord, the boy has been living like a king since arriving here."

Ozai followed his former admiral through the Geisha House and to a secluded sanctuary of the property. It was Zhao's personal hide away from the usual business of running to front establish and the rebel operations. It was also where he kept his most desirable ladies. Only the best for him. Zhao has been living quite lavishly in the years he's been under the radar. Not that this bothered Ozai. Though certain funds could be used elsewhere if they were truly trying to win this war.

As Zhao brought him over a small bridge of the koi pond in his private gardens, Ozai could hear women giggling and laughing. They approached one of the lodges of the private grounds and entered. The first thing he saw was a bunch of women gathered around his grandson, attempting to feed him different things while cooing over him.

The women in their Geisha dressing and face paint absolutely adored the small boy. Zhao knew it was the best place to keep him when Rohan had brought the boy to him. However; the boy didn't seem to be faring well and wasn't eating much either. Something Zhao hopes passed soon.

"He looks sick." Ozai sounded disappointed.

"The boy wants his mother and therefore won't eat more than a loaf of bread a day." Zhao was reluctant to admit his failure to take complete care of the boy.

Kai sat in the middle of the annoying women that would not leave him alone. All he could think was how he wanted his mother. But she was all the way in the Water Tribe and he was here. Kai asked the tall man that took him if he could see his mother again but the man ignored him. The small boy figured the man that welcomed him would give him an answer but the man laughed and handed him off to these women. They were nice ladies. Just not his mama.

"Ladies." Zhao called the women's attention. "Could you give us a moment alone with the boy?"

The women all giggled and followed their master's orders.

When the women cleared out, Ozai pushed Zhao aside and walked up to the boy with his head down. He crouched in front of his grandson and grinned.

"Not into women yet?" He chuckled.

Kai kicked his dangling feet a little as he pouted, "I want my mama."

"What if I told you she's lost somewhere in this city and I'm looking for her?" Ozai smiled when the boy looked up at him with wide gold eyes. This boy is definitely my kin.

"Really?! Mama's here?!" Kai couldn't believe it.

Nodding his head, "Yes, she came all this way to see you but she got separated from me and now I have to find her."

"You helped my mama get here?" Kai asked innocently.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" Ozai took the boy's left arm and rolled up his sleeve just enough to find a hereditary birthmark as he assumed would be there. "I'm your father after all." He lied and then showed the boy his same birthmark.

The small gaped at the man with the same birthmark as him. Papa?

Zhao was in awe of how easily his master seemed to coax the boy out of his shell. It was pure genius passing himself off as the boy's father. They shared the same blood and birthmark of the royal line, it was easy to get a child to fall for such a thing.

"Papa!" The boy said as he embraced the man he believed was his father.

Returning the gesture, Ozai lifted the boy up in his arms and turned around to smirk at Zhao. He intended to raise the boy so it was only right that he claim the title of father.

"My Lord, I have business to attend to with my front operations. Seems I have a few new ladies to meet with. I'll be back soon." Zhao stated as he left, hopeful Ming picked a few good ones this time but seeing as she said there was a blue eyes in the batch, he was optimistic.

A/N:

What do you think? Katara's joined a brothel! And Ozai's kicked Zuko out the picture, now who's your daddy?