A/N:

Hey guys just want to let everyone know I'll still be using FanFiction . Net but I'm also using Archive Of Our Own for those that used that one more so than this platform. I update the same time on both so don't worry about one being further ahead than the other except by a few seconds. Only difference is I'm more inclined to put Author's Notes on this website but some, depending on the importance will back it over to Archive.

Thank you all for the years of reading. Love you guys!

Chapter 35:

Word of the Fire Lord's divorce from his wife, Fire Lady Katara, spread like wildfire and soon everyone knew about the official separation. Nobles had their daughters, sisters, nieces all lined up to meet the Fire Lord as they wanted to be the new in-laws of the Fire Lord. The divorce wasn't yet final but no one doubted for a second that it would take place. The Fire Lord and Lady were through with each other and had been for a long time.

The Fire Lady was busy packing her things and getting ready to depart in a few short days. She was leaving by herself without the kids. She and Ozai agreed to split the children every six months. He got the first six months since the children were finishing up their private education with their tutors. So, she was just packing her things and getting ready for Sokka to come pick her up as Ozai refused to give her passage on any of the Fire Nation ships. His way of seeing to it she never left. He knew where she was headed. No need for him to hold her hostage.

As she continued packing, Ozai entered their chambers and went to her trunk she was packing while she was going through the dresser. He immediately pulled everything out of the trunk and tossed it on the bed.

"I bought these. This is all mine." Ozai scoffed as he continued removing things from the trunk.

Katara dropped what she was about to pack and walked over to the trunk, flipping it over. "Have it all. I want nothing from you." She snorted back.

Ozai glares at her as she sits down on the bed and sulks into her hands, "I don't see the point in leaving. Who the hell is going to want you after I've had you? Every woman in the gods damn country is lining up to take your place."

Katara says nothing as she just sits there.

"You know it's not too late. You can still be mine. I have no objections. I still love you. This changes nothing."

Katara looks at him and furrowed her brows, "My brother will be here soon to pick me up. I'll never set foot in this hell again!"

Ozai walked over to her and forced her down by her neck onto the bed, letting his eyes roam over her. "Let me show you what you'll be missing."

"Get your old ass off of me." She hissed.

Scowling at her, "You disrespectful bitch! I'll fuck you right now if you don't watch it!"

"I'll rip your dick off if you ever put it back inside my body again, you waste of shit!"

Ozai raised his hand to slap her but paused. "Damn it, KATARA! Why can't you just go along with things?! Why are you so damn stubborn to a fault?!"

"All you had to do, Ozai, was be a good man and mean it when you said you loved me. The other women, the lying and deceit, Himiko and Rin, treating me like breeding stock, and refusing to see me as more than a bedwench is not showing me you cared! It was the opposite! We'd be together and happy if you hadn't gone off seducing Rin! You're why our marriage failed! NOT ME! I TRIED TO SAVE US!"

Shoving himself off of her, Ozai looked at her in frustration. "I give you all this and what do I get? A hateful wife. How could I not look at other women? I needed affection! A woman who appreciates me and what I do! I needed that and you wouldn't give me that!"

"And what exactly is it you do, Ozai?" Katara folded her arms and glared at him.

Losing it, Ozai slapped her across her face and breathed heavily as he looked at her with wild eyes.

Katara cupped her lip that he busted with the palm of her hand and looked back at him with hate in her eyes.

"You're the one that came into my cell knowing you shouldn't have! You're the one that let me have you on those filthy floors! You're the one that said you didn't want to marry Zuko because you were thinking about me! This, everything, is because of you!" Ozai shouted at her as he shook. "I was never perfect! You knew that I was fucked up! But you still wanted me then and so I gave you what you wanted and you hate me for it! Well, fuck you, Katara! Fuck you for misleading me! Young as you are, you had me fooled! Thought you were a diamond in the rough but you're just a whore looking for dick to ride herself into oblivion with! I was just a tool to get off with! Dick to make you feel special! You've played me for the last time, you filthy whore! To think I've ever fucked your kind!"

Katara, unfazed by his remarks, "I'm not a whore, Ozai. Not like you think. Just a girl that's made a lot of bad decisions. One of which is not believing you to be the monster everyone said you were. I thought you would change but I was wrong."

"We both failed to see the other for what they are." Ozai hissed before turning his back to leave her to her lonesome.

Later…

Katara counts the coins she stowed away for a rainy day. Since she could take nothing with her that Ozai bought, she needed to buy herself some clothes to leave it as she knew he wasn't going to let her leave with what she had on now. He bought it. While counting the coins to make an estimate of what she could buy, Ozai snatched the coin purse from her and looked through it to see the coins.

"This is my money."

Nodding her head, "Money I need in order to buy clothes of my own, Ozai."

"If you use my money to buy clothes, those clothes would just be mine." Ozi bit out.

"Ozai, I-"

"You stay and you can have whatever your whore heart desires. You don't even have to be my wife. You can just spread your legs every once in a while for me. Hmmm?"

"Like hell!"

Ozai smirked, "Or maybe I'll give you the coins if you bend over."

"Never."

"Oh, don't say that. You never know." Ozai whispered in her ear as he snaked around her.

Shivering, Katara felt him remove the ornaments from her hair and toss them aside. She stood still as her hair unraveled and fell down her back as Ozai took all her hair accessories out, claiming them as his. He then slid his hands down to her shoulder and then to her collar where he grabbed the collar and ripped it. Tearing the dress off of her. Katara gasped as she covered her breasts upon being exposed. When the dress fell to her feet, Ozai yanked it off completely and threw it across the room, glaring at her.

"One more thing." He said before grabbing her underwear and tearing them off. "There. Now all you have left is what you own. Which is nothing. You can leave like this."

Trying to cover herself as she shivered. "Ozai! I can't- I can't go out like this!"

"Sure, you can." Ozi smirked at her and looked her over. "Three kids and you still look good, Katara. I'm sure everyone will agree."

"Ozai!"

"What? You're leaving me, why take anything that belongs to me when all you want is to forget me?"

"OZAI!"

"Fine, I'll make an arrangement with you." Ozai said as he looked her over. "Go bend over on the bed."

"I'm not doing that, Ozai."

"Then naked you'll be."

"Ozai! Please!"

"Go bend over."

"I-"

"Katara," Ozai loomed over her. "Go bend over and I'll give you what you need, hmmm? Like I said we can get a divorce still but you can spread 'em for me every once in a while. Maybe when you need something, I might be inclined to help you if you have some way of making it worth it for me."

Katara looked at him like he had her at a rock and hard place, "Ozai, don't make me do that."

"I'm not making you do anything. It's completely up to you."

"But you know I don't have a choice."

"There's always a choice, darling."

Tears formed in her eyes as she walked over to the bed and looked over her shoulder at him as he watched in anticipation. She bent over and laid her head on the bed, hearing his boots be kicked off before his bare feet stomped their way on the marble floor over to her. She felt his body heat behind her and soon her hand rested on her left ass cheek, causing her to get squirmish at the take that he was touching her.

"Getting excited, are we?"

No! She was just disgusted by him. How could he make her do this for just a few coins? Was she to loan herself to him whenever she needed something from now on? Would he always be there waiting for her to depend on him so he could get something out of it? Was this going to be her new normal? After today, I'll never ask him for anything! Katara's thoughts were interrupted when she heard his pants come undone and he entered her hard and deep without bothering to warm her body up to it. She cried out in pain as he gripped her waist and rammed himself in and out of her.

Thrusting his hips into her, "That's it, whore! UH! Take it!"

Katara tried not to cry as he continued fucking her hard and ruthlessly.

"Fuck! You're so tight! I guess you really need these coins. Well, I'll give it to you, just let me finish inside."

"No!" She cried out.

Ozai shoved her face into the sheets to smoother her, fucking her even harder as he felt nothing but satisfaction. His eyes rolling into the back of his head at the thought of him whoring out this water bitch. She deserved this kind of treatment. The little whore made him fall for her all so she could get what she wanted. Well now, she'd have to put out if she wanted even a crumb from him.

"Your pussy is soaked. You must be enjoying yourself, Katara." Ozai panted as he was nearing his climax.

Against her will, her body reacted to his violent pleasuring and she came hard all over him. Ozai responded with three deep thrusts, depositing the entirety of his nut sack into her as he shook against her, still holding her hips in place.

Panting heavily, "Oh my Agni, Katara. I'm going to miss you." Ozai removed himself from her and watched in fulfillment as fell on her knees, his semen spilling out of her warm soaked pussy.

"Here." Ozai poured the coins on the floor next to her from the coin purse. "You can take one of the dresses from the closet as compensation for getting me off like that."

Katara cried as Ozai picked his clothes up off the floor and walked out of the bedroom, leaving her filthy on the floor. Trembling in her own shame and self-pity, the waterbender cried that she wasn't a whore. She was just doing what she thought she had to at the moment. She needed the money. It wasn't like anyone else was going to help her. She had no allies or friends here. So, she had to do this…she had to. Didn't she?

….

Rubbing his temples, Sokka was hoping his sister was alright. He got her letter of the divorce and took off immediately when she said to come get her. Suki joined him as Katara didn't say much about what was going on and he figured his wife might be able to comfort her best if something terrible was going on. They both knew it was just a matter of time before something like this would happen. Katara hadn't been happy the entire marriage and Ozai was just the worse person possible to be married to anyone.

Arriving in the city, Sokka and Suki left the ship and made their way to the palace. As they got to the gates where a squad of guards were stationed outside and they were stopped from getting in.

"I'm here to pick up my sister, Katara. I'm her brother, Chieftain Sokka." Sokka stated.

The guards exchanged looks and whispered something amongst themselves before chuckling.

"Alright, wait here while we notify the Fire Lord."

Ozai was sitting at his desk when a guard from the palace gates came to make him aware that Katara's brother and sister-in-law were present to take Katara home. He got up and went to the private domain where Katara decided to stay in wait. There he found her knelt in front of the stone bench praying to her water gods.

"I hate to interrupt your prayers to your false deities but your brother has arrived." Ozai said as he stood a foot from where she was knelt.

Finishing her prayer for her children's safe keeping, Katara got up and turned to face her ex-husband. "Thank goodness. Another day and I'd have lost my mind."

The waterbender was handed her single bag of items by the domain servants and was about to head off when Ozai snapped his fingers. His guards came in and halted Katara's departure, causing her to look at him in confusion.

Ozai pulled a pair of scissors out of his sleeve and waltzed towards her. "As tradition goes, a woman that is divorced has to clip her hair as a sign that she is leaving her husband."

Katara furrowed her brows. "You tell me this now?"

"The former husband is the one who clips her locks and can cut however little or much he decides. It is his choice." Ozai smirks as he approaches her.

The waterbender looks at him in mercy as she knows his cruel callousness will see her gone of all her hair. She hears him snap his fingers again and the guards all hold her down. Ozai was upon her holding the golden plated scissors.

"You have three options, Katara. One, you remain my wife and not a single string of hair is cut, you get to continue living lavishly without limits so long as you accept me for what I am. Two, we divorce but you stay and I only cut a few strands, nothing noticeable. You will live lavishly wherever you like and all I ask is that you provide me comfort when I require it. Three, I let you leave here and I make it so you'll hide yourself away in shame. What will it be, Katara?"

Katara looked up at him with a fierceness in her eyes, "I'm leaving here, Ozai. In whatever way I must, I will leave this place. I allow you no more dominion over me. We are through."

"Have it your way." Ozai smirks as he grabs the top lock of her hair and cuts it first.

Katara shuts her eyes as she feels him roughly removing the hair from her head. A few tears prickle her eyes but she is vigilant in her resolve. Her hair would grow back but Ozai would be gone from her life as he should be. He would have no more control over her life and she'd be free. Free for the first time since he captured her from her homelands.

When it was done, the blue eyed woman he had spent the last several year with opened her eyes and looked up at him with a genuine smile on her face. Tears were in her eye beds but she never looked happier. Ozai hated it. Shouldn't she be weeping over her lost hair?

"Thank you, Ozai. Thank you for finally setting me free!" Katara cried happily as she climbed to her feet.

Ozai snapped his fingers for the guards to escort her out as he didn't even want to look at her. She got under his skin just now. How dare she have a fucking smile on her face and thank him. He watched her grab her bag and head out, turning her back on him in joyous glee. She clearly had no regrets. She wanted this divorce more than anything. Even at the cost of the hair on her head and the last bit of dignity she had. Ozai didn't know why she was so unhappy. Why he just wasn't enough. Sure, he messed up a lot but she wasn't perfect either and he loved her even now. What was it she wanted from him?

Making it outside to see her brother and Suki at the gate, Katara rushed down to them. As the gates opened and closed on her for the last time, Katara took both of them in her arms and hugged them happily.

"Thank Tui and La, you both came!" Katara beamed.

Sokka was too busy looking at how her head had no hair on it except for the small patches while his wife looked completely worried for Katara in her celebratory state.

"Come, let's get the hell out of this place!" Katara laughed gleefully.

Suki and Sokka exchanged looks.

…

Arriving at the port of the South Pole, Katara was given a scarf and cloak to cover her head with. She accepted them as she really didn't want to give her grandmother a scare. There had been so much she had been through in recent years and her grandmother worried so much already at her old age. Katara didn't want to concern her even more. Plus, she saw what she looked like in the mirror and was not liking it.

Sokka walked in his sister's cabin to see her wrapping her head and folded his arms, "Can you please tell us what happened?"

"I will." Katara said as she tried to get the wrap stylishly on her head. "But not now. I don't want to ruin my high spirits."

As much as Sokka could understand that, he really didn't know what to do in this situation. His sister was acting like she was happier than he had ever seen her and she had this air of no care like a heavy weight was lifted off her shoulders. He didn't understand. Even the worst of marriage that ended in divorce still had a negative effect on a person but she just gave no care. Were things really that bad?

Suki came up beside her husband and rubbed his shoulder as she looked to her sister in law, telling her husband to come on. As the couple left the woman to get herself together for departure off the ship, Suki looked to her husband and told him not to pressure Katara. If she was happy, let her be, the reality would settle in later and probably leave her in a more seldom mood. Right now, Suki could tell Katara was just relieved and feeling a euphoric sense of freedom as she had finally escaped a toxic marriage. But her true feelings on the matter had not yet surfaced as what she was feeling at this moment was prioritized far more than the reality of her situation. Suki wanted her sister-in-law to be happy for as long as she could as she knew Katara deserved it.

Coming down the ramp, Sokka let his sister hold onto his arm as they spotted their grandmother in the crowd. They quickly made their way to her and Katara hugged the woman tight as she had missed her so much. She was so lucky to still have her grandmother after all these years.

"Katara, my sweet granddaughter, you're glowing. Tell me, you're not pregnant." The old woman wore a glum look on her face.

Giggling, Katara shook her head, "No, I'm just really happy is all and I honestly don't know why. I think I'm just glad to be back home for good."

"I like the sound of that." Kanna smiled at her granddaughter.

Going to their grandmother's house for the evening, Kanna let her granddaughter have the spare room upstairs and allowed her to rest while she cooked with Suki. Sokka went to get the children from the village school, leaving the women in the house to discuss somethings and hopefully get to the bottom of what was going on with Katara.

Chopping the vegetables as her granddaughter-in-law stirred the seasonings and sauce, "Either of you know what took place?"

Suki shook her head, "She doesn't want to talk about it."

"I'm sure but she needs to get it off her chest or it'll hurt so much worse when it finally falls on her." Kanna said. "It might have been a rocky marriage but I don't doubt Katara had feelings for the bastard."

Suki nodded to that.

As the women continued preparing for dinner, Katara came down the stairs and took in the smell of Water Tribe food. La, she missed it so much. She was so happy to be home in the arctic. No waking at dawn, no meetings, no getting weird looks from judgmental courtiers, no bullshit rules she had to follow, and most importantly, no Ozai ruining her day, her life. She shut her eyes and took in the feeling of being home and relished in it. This is all she wanted. A simple, normal life with no worries.

"Katara, dear, can we talk please?" Kanna asked as she poured her chopped vegetables into the pot Suki was still stirring.

Katara nodded and walked right over as her gram gram handed her a bucket of fish to skin. The waterbender took it to the table and began carving up the skin from it, listening to her gram gram ask her the question she just knew would be asked.

"How are you feeling?"

"Great." Katara answered, shooting her grandmother a smile.

Kanna tilted her head, "But how are you really feeling? Being away from your children six months out of the year and not having a husband."

"Well, I didn't get to spend much time with the kids while there anyway and I like being single again." Katara stated.

"Katara, truthfully, what is it you feel?"

"I feel fine." Katara assured her grandmother.

Suki looked over at Katara and sighed, "What happened? Can you tell us that?"

Katara nodded and continued carving the scales from the fish. She told them everything. About Ozai's never yielding infidelity, his disrespect, her stepping out of her marriage to find comfort, the misery she felt the entire time. It was hard. Hard being married to a man like that. She cared about him, hell, she fell for him if she was completely honest. Fell foolishly in love with him but love wasn't enough to keep a marriage happy and going. There was so much bitterness she felt for him on top of everything and it didn't get better, only worse. Katara told them the final straw was when he tricked her into thinking he was deathly ill in order to make things as they were after his assassionation attempt. She realized that he was as lost in how to fix things as she was and that their marriage was dead.

Pulling her scarf from her head to reveal to her grandmother her hair had been cut off from her scalp, Katara told them it was tradition for divorced women to have their hair cut by their husband's and the men decided how much.

"Ozai doesn't want me moving on so he made sure I was as hideous as possible." Katara told them as she swallowed hard. "He can remain as he is with the women he has but he wishes to condemn me to solitude. Cruel bastard, isn't he?"

Kanna tried to give Katara a hug but she refused it.

"I've always showed him kindness and mercy when our roles reverse, I just thought maybe he would show me the same in return but I always knew he wasn't capable." Katara sniffled a little as she looked away from her family.

Suki could feel the heaviness settling into her sister-in-law as reality was starting to kick in.

Katara pulled her scarf back over her head and wiped the tears threatening to fall, "I didn't want a divorce but I couldn't stay any longer. I would have killed myself."

Kanna and Suki were lost for words.

"I really did love him. I did but he kept throwing it back in my face. That asshole broke my heart and thought saying 'I love you' would make the pain go away. It just hurt more. How could someone that claims they love me hurt me like this." Katara's head hung as she stared somberly into her lap.

Kanna rubbed her granddaughter's back, "Katara, he clearly has problems. Something you know is true."

"Yeah, he probably just doesn't know how to properly show it but it's good you were able to get out of the situation." Suki placed her hand on Katara's shoulder and squeezed it. "We're here for you, Katara. He'll never bother you again."

…

Having gathered all her hair up from the ground, Ozai stored it away in a chest of things that belonged to her that he kept under the bed on his side. It wasn't like he wanted to have the divorce. He didn't think she'd still want to go through with it but now that she was gone, he couldn't bring himself to throw her things out or burn them. A part of him wanted to go to the South Pole and drag her ass back here. How dare she leave him. Didn't she know how lucky she was? A peasant with a child already suddenly married into royalty and fortune. It was something the poets and scholars would write about. Something only the fairy tales could make real. She had everything she could ever want. What was it that she wanted that he couldn't give her?

Ozai went into the bathroom and tried to see if perhaps his age was catching up to him but he thought he looked good for someone in their fifties. His hair hadn't even begun to gray and he managed to keep his crow's feet at a minimum from all the scowling he did. There weren't any serious deep wrinkles, hell, he looked thirty-five. So what was her problem? Ozai could see he was still youthful looking and handsome at that. So she had a wealthy and handsome husband, why wasn't that enough for her?

That ungrateful bitch! He should have known not to make her his wife. Everyone advised against it. Everyone. She'd have made a nice concubine. He'd have the freedom as a bachelor, no nagging wife, and she'd be in the harem in her spare time. Maybe that was what he should have done. She'd have no expectations of him if that were the case. She'd be his woman, the one he favored above all others but she'd know he was entitled to others. Damn it, Katara would have been a great concubine, that should have been the fate he chose for her. A peasant didn't know or understand the complexities of being the wife of the Fire Lord, he thought too highly of her. His mistakes.

"Your majesty," Rin entered the Fire Lord's bedroom and bowed.

Ozai exited the bathroom to greet Rin with a kiss on the lips.

Parting from him, "Are you well, your majesty?"

"As well as I can be. I'm just frustrated." Ozai stated as he went to sit on the foot of his bed.

Rin walked up to him and wedged herself between his legs as she caressed his face, "Would you like a drink?"

In the sitting room, lounging about as Rin served him several cups of sake and massaged his shoulders and back, Ozai felt a little more relaxed.

"Tell me, your majesty, why did you remove all of your former wife's hair? I saw her as she was leaving."

Ozai held the cup to his lips as he spoke, "I want no one to dare look upon her. To know when they see her that she is a ruined woman."

"I thought you loved her, your majesty, why do something so heinous?"

Throwing his cup across the room in anger, "Because she left! She made that choice! I gave her plenty of options because I loved her but she made the choice to leave! She left me! After all I've given her, none of it was enough, and she left! Not me, I wanted to fix things but she didn't want to accept me for who and what I am! I love her and all she ever felt for me was disgust and loathing! That hateful ungrateful bitch! I hope something dreadful befalls her! The gods know she deserves it!"

Rin rushed around the sofa to got on her knees pleadingly, "Your majesty, please, be careful what you ask of the gods, they will do it!"

Ozai growled, "I hope they do." He rested his cheek on his fist. "I want them to exact my revenge on her! Katara will pay for this!"

…

Time went by and Katara found a job in the healing huts as a healer. It took some begging and using her brother's chieftainship as a means to acquire the job but it was well worth it. Having been the wife of Ozai and now, ex-wife, made her look bad in the eyes of her people. Divorce wasn't an option amongst their people. It was partners for life, no matter what. Not even she was given the exception. However, some of the people did show pity towards her and tried not to give her a hard time about it, like her friends Kholji and Nyla. They had met Ozai up close and knew about certain details of their failed marriage.

While carrying a bass she had to fish out of the sea back home, Katara ran into Nyla and the woman came over to her, held out a basket of treats to her.

"I hear your children will be home tomorrow. Figured they'd enjoy the snack." Nyla smiled at Katara.

Smiling back, "Thank you, Nyla. I know they'll just love them. All of them have a sweet tooth."

Nyla walked beside Katara, carrying the basket, "So, how do you feel about seeing your ex when you pick up the kids from the dock?"

"My brother is getting them. I won't be seeing Ozai at all." Katara told her friend.

Nyla felt that was for the best. While her hair was now ear length, that bastard did cut her hair from her head to make her unattractive in the eyes of men. Not that it really was necessary. Most of the tribesmen steered clear of Katara anyway. They seemed to have a big problem with her past relationship and worried about getting involved with such a 'infamous' woman. It was sad but their reality. Katara didn't seem to care much. Nyla figured after a man like the Fire Lord came into your life, you wouldn't want to bother with another man, and rightfully so.

Reaching her grandmother's home, Katara and Nyla entered, greeting the woman as she was folding linen. Kanna looked every bit as excited to see her great grands as she was when she heard of their births. She missed them so much and couldn't wait to see how much they had grown. The women set their things on the dining room table.

"Katara, Sokka says the scouts have already begun to see the Fire Nation ships. They should be here by nightfall."

Nyla looked from Katara to Kanna, "That soon?"

Katara rolled her eyes as she hoped this wasn't Ozai's way of staying the night to bother her. She just wanted him to come and go. That was all. Drop the kids off and leave.

Nightfall came and Ozai was going over the rules with Kai, Soji, and Nanami. He let them know to stay close to their mother and to respect her as she was the one that birthed them. Kai sucked his teeth and folded his arms, looking away as his younger siblings all nodded their heads.

Ozai saw this and pulled the boy aside, "What is it?"

"I don't want to see her." Kai said. "She's a peasant and I don't want to live like that. Plus, she's the one that walked out on us. Just like my father."

Ozai placed his hand on the boy's head. "Very well. You can remain with me but your mother didn't leave you. She and I agreed to six months a year."

"We could have the whole year if she wasn't so stubborn! She chose this!" Kai said angrily.

Ozai sighed and looked at the boy, "Cut your mother some slack."

"You did and look how that turned out. Mother is not wise enough to know what's good for her, otherwise, she wouldn't have left." Kai stated.

While Ozai agreed with the boy, he didn't want his children hating their mother and told him to go to his cabin as he was taking his siblings to their mother. Kai nodded and left. Turning to the other two, the Fire Lord could see they were excited to see their mother and didn't feel the same as their older brother.

Sokka waited at the docks for the Fire Lord to exit his ship with the kids and when he finally did, he noticed one kids was missing. Approaching his former brother-in-law, Sokka looked from the kids back to the gold eyed bastard.

"Where is Kai?"

Ozai sighed, "He doesn't want to see his mother."

"Well, she wants to see him." Sokka folded his arms.

Ozai scoffed at the peasant's tone with him, "Kai is my son and he doesn't want to see his mother, I'm not forcing him."

Sokka sucked his teeth and looked to his niece and nephew that was present, patting both of their heads. "Come you two, your mom made dinner just for you."

"Not so fast," Ozai stopped them as they were getting ready to go. "Katara is supposed to get the kids from me, not you."

Sokka turned back around and eyed the man, "She doesn't want to see you."

Ozai scoffed, "That's hardly an excuse. Tell her to get down here and meet me."

Sokka balled his fist, "Don't you think you've done enough damage to my sister?"

"I've done nothing but treat that woman to everything she could have ever wanted and she left me. I'm the victim here." Ozai folded his arms.

Sokka knew for sure now that the Fire Lord had serious issues. The man thought how he treated his sister was right and that he was a victim. Tui and La, this man has problems.

…..

"Oh, hell no!" Katara shouted. "That asshole needs to give you the kids and leave! I'm not going to go see him!"

Sokka sighed, "Just do it for the kids. He really won't hand them over otherwise."

Suki couldn't believe how messed up the man was.

"Fine! I'll go get the kids but someone has to come with me." Katara sulked as she feared Ozai was going to snatch her and take her back to the Fire Nation.

Meeting Ozai at the docks, Katara walked with her grandmother and stopped halfway. Katara and Ozai made eye contact causing the waterbender to shiver in disgust at how his eyes lit up at the sight of her. Oh, she knew her ex-husband was crazy but he was out of his mind if he thought she was happy to see him.

Deciding to close the gap, Ozai had the children follow him and stopped just a foot in front of her. He couldn't help but grin a little at the sight of her. Six months left him a whole lot of time to think things over and honestly, he missed her terribly. He had Rin wear Katara's clothes and even dye her hair to a chestnut color to somewhat resemble Katara but there was no replicating perfection. Katara was Katara and he wanted her back.

"You look lovely." Ozai said.

Grimacing, "Whatever, Ozai. Just hand the kids over."

Ozai patted their backs and they ran to their mother. He stood back and watched her light up, kissing them both before looking at him with a grim expression.

"Where's Kai?"

"He doesn't want to see you, unfortunately." Ozai informed her.

Katara sighed and told the kids to follow their grandmother to the house. She approached Ozai and looked up at him, "Let me see him."

Ozai smirked, "Ah, you want me to do you a favor."

"I want to see my son. That's not a favor."

"But he insists that he doesn't want to see you." Ozai explained. "So if you want me to allow you to see him, it's a favor."

Katara narrowed her eyes, "What does it even matter?!"

"If I do you a favor, you need to do something in return for me." Ozai told her.

Katara turned her back to Ozai and walked in the direction of her hut. As much as she wanted to see her eldest son, she wasn't going to fuck Ozai to do that. He could go to hell.

Chasing after her, "Wait, Katara, I was just kidding!"

Stopping in her tracks, "Ozai, don't play with me. We are not friends, we are not spouses, we are nothing but co-parents and that is all. This wanting to see me shit can't continue, got it? Just drop the kids off and leave."

Ozai had to admit it stung hearing her tell him they were nothing. All these years and she was really going to treat him like nothing? He was hurt. Very hurt. It pissed him off. How could she stand there and look at him like he had no effect on her? He wore his hair down, casual clothes, and was even friendly. Why was she not wanting to entertain as much as a conversation with him? What did he have to do to get her look at him like she used to?

"Sorry, I just miss you is all."

Flattening her expression, "Take me to my son, Ozai."

…

A/N: