The Village of Hira'a

105 AG- Three years after the Search for Ursa

As he walked up the small dirt path, hidden in a cloak and hood, Zuko felt only sadness. It had been here, three years ago, that he, his sister, and his friends had tracked down his mother, and had discovered that the seemingly plain Noriko, wife to a simple theatre manager, had been none other than his own mother. He remembered standing by that pond, the tension, wonder, and excitement palpable as the colossal, wooden figure of the Mother of Faces towered over the group, her three blank faces staring out into the distance.

He remembered the confusion, the fear, and the panic when he simultaneously realized who Noriko was and the fact that Azula had gone missing.

It had all gone downhill. He and Sokka had arrived, he had confessed his true identity, and his memory-wiped mother had had no recollection of who he was. Then came the blue fire, Azula's screaming insanity, her panicked eyes, and finally, as she paused over the precipice of Forgetful Valley, the single tear that trickled from her sad, desolate eyes as she looked back at Zuko.

"Same as always, Zuzu," she had said, terror, fear, and regret sinking into the once-terrifying Princesses' voice; "even when you're strong, you're weak."

He passed the small stage, wound his way through the small huts, shying away from the curious looks that the villagers gave the mysterious cloaked figure. On the stage, another play was in session, and the village had turned out, a large crowd gathering around. To the left of the stage, Ikem caught his eye and nodded silently, gesturing towards his house, gesturing young Kiyi towards Zuko. The young girl grinned brightly and waved enthusiastically, and Zuko flashed her a brief smile, continuing on.

Zuko took a wide detour around the village; he didn't want to be bothered today. He walked for a few more minutes, sweltering hot underneath the restrictive robe, and came to the house, knocking softly on the door.

"Come in," she said, and Zuko quietly opened and closed the door, lowering his hood.

Ursa smiled at him, wiping her hands quickly on a cloth and walking over to him, wrapping him in a warm hug.

"It's good to see you, Zuko."

"Thanks, Mom," he returned.

They broke apart, and Ursa held onto Zuko's shoulder, looking at his face in slight surprise.

"Look at you; so handsome. I can't even believe that you're twenty two now. It feels like yesterday that you were sitting in my lap by the turtle-duck pond."

Zuko smiled, sitting by the table, and was quickly joined by his mother, who set down a platter with some tea on it and relaxed, leaning against the wall in exhaustion.

"Long day?" he asked, sipping from his cup and savoring the familiar taste of plain, old, familiar green tea.

"Kiyi's birthday is coming up soon, so I'm just baking some treats for a small party. It's strange, though. Ever since I regained my face and memory—well, people recognize me. I'm not Noriko anymore; I'm the Fire Lady, the wife to Ozai. I'm glad I remember you, but… some of its hard to take in."

"My offer still stands, mom. You could live in the palace; back home."

"Thanks, Zuko, but the wounds are too deep for now. Even when I was visiting it with you a few years ago… the memories of how he was and what he did… it's too much. Plus, Ikem and Kiyi don't want to leave, I don't think, and I would be lying if I didn't say I liked it here better. This is where I was born."

Zuko nodded, putting his cup down, and he was silent for a while.

"What's on your mind, son?"

Zuko sighed.

"I've—I've been thinking about...Azula a lot."

Ursa nodded sadly, silencing herself. Zuko almost regretted bringing the topic up; the look of sadness, while familiar, was so intense, that Zuko thought she was about to cry.

"So have I," she said, hoarsely.

"I just wish that Dad didn't warp her so much. I mean, even though we hated each other, she was still my sister. I've even sent scouts into the forest, but I don't want to lose too many men."

"You think she's still out there?" Ursa asked.

"It's possible. But I don't know if she's as violent as she once was; I mean, she did give me the letter. Maybe she changed."

Ursa was silent for a time.

"My biggest regret is not spending as much time with her as I did with you. It's probably why she was having those hallucinations about me; it's my fault that I neglected her. If I had spent more time with her-"

"… It would have been me that turned out bad. There wasn't anything you could've done, Mom. Dad already had his claws in her. Don't blame yourself for how she turned out. Blame Dad; he's the one that brought out her inner madness."

There was a long silence after that, and neither spoke.

Zuko helped her clean some dishes and bake some food after that, and the two abandoned their earlier topics and just talked about things.

Zuko talked about him and Aang's efforts to create a fifth nation, and the difficulties that all the Nations were posing in subscribing to their theory. He talked about how Toph had started dating some engineer from the Earth Kingdom, and how she was going to become a detective in the Yu Dao Police Department. He mentioned Aang's efforts to renovate the Air Temples and formally begin the Air Acolytes, and how Sokka was helping his father design the new Southern Water Tribe alongside his sister, his grandfather, and many other waterbenders from the Northern Tribe. He talked about Suki's continued training of the Kyoshi Warriors, and he talked about Aang and Katara planning their wedding.

His mother politely listened, interposing questions here and there, and commenting on different things going on in his life. Then, when Zuko asked, she talked about what was going on in her life. She talked about Ikem's continued managing of the play, and she slyly inquired about the increased number of Ember Island playwrights visiting and consulting with Ikem (which Zuko had caused by casually mentioning that Ikem was the finest playwright he had ever met), and talked about the changes in Kiyi's school, many of which Zuko had been responsible for.

"So are you and Mai thinking about marriage?"

Zuko reddened, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment as his mother chuckled softly, drying her hands on a towel.

"Sorry for asking; forget I did."

"No—no, it's fine. I… uh, I'm going to propose to her in a few days."

His mother hugged him tightly, beaming with joy.

"I'm so happy to hear that! Congratulations, Zuko. You know, I really liked Mai the times I met her. Sure, she may be a bit… dark, but I really think you two are a great couple."

Zuko smiled sheepishly.

"Uhh… thanks?"

Ursa shook her head, smiling to herself. Then, remembering something, she turned back to Zuko.

"That reminds me—I have something to show you."

They left the town and walked into a nearby forest for half an hour, chatting quietly, until they came into a small clearing with a small pond. Inside the pond, floating happily amongst some weeds and various plants was a family of turtle ducks.

Zuko smiled, looking at his mother for confirmation.

She nodded, grinning, and together, they walked to the edge of the pond, sitting down by the edge, taking out a small bag of bread chunks, which they began feeding to the turtle-ducklings, who eagerly swam over to nibble at the chunks of bread. They sat like that for a long time, feeding the ducks, chucking bits of bread into the pond.

"I miss this," Zuko said, smiling at the group of ducklings swimming around aimlessly.

"I do, too," his mother said, leaning backwards.

"The Royal Gardens are beautiful this time of year."

"I know," she sighed. "It's the one part of the palace that I miss the most. It's the only place I don't have bad memories of."

Smiling, Zuko reached into the pond and tickled the underside of one duckling's beak, who quacked appreciatively then swam back towards its mother, who eyed Zuko warily.

"It didn't bite you," his mother pointed out, bemused.

"It's like you said all those years ago, mom," he said, smiling. "If you mess with a mother's babies, she's gonna bite you back."

She laughed, smiling with the memory. Then, her smile fades slightly, and she leaned back again, staring absently into the pond at the Turtle Duck mother.

"It seems like it was another life when I said that," she said quietly. Then, she looked at Zuko seriously.

"Is he still alive?"

Zuko's sighed grimly, sitting cross-legged.

"Yes. He's in the Capital Prison Tower, locked away forever. I'm told that he usually just sits there, staring at the floor, probably thinking about what he could have done to defeat the Avatar. I tried treating him with civility, but he always turned my offers away. I guess that much hasn't changed."

She nodded silently, wiping her tears away with a sleeve.

"It's more than he deserved."

Zuko was silent, and he glanced upward as the sky rumbled threateningly and a few drops of rain began to fall.

"Uncle taught me that if we can't treat our enemies with respect, we won't know the true meaning of humility."

They were both silent as the rain began to pour down in torrents. The soft hiss of rain evaporating against his hands mixed with the patter of rain and the soft quack of the Turtle Ducks. Then, at length, they got up and walked back to the house.

Zuko stayed on the porch; it was getting late, and he knew that he had to get going soon. He would be late for him and Mai's date otherwise, and he certainly didn't want to miss that.

"Do you have a ring?" his mother asked, when they returned home.

He showed her the dark, obsidian ring that he had ordered, and she had taken it gingerly, inspecting it closely. Then, smiling, she handed it back to him.

"It's beautiful, Zuko. I'm sure she'll love it."

Then, excusing herself, she disappeared briefly, returning with a flat, wooden box. She opened it, revealing a pristine, white kimono that was embroidered with beautiful, twisting flame designs. Zuko thought the kimono was beautiful.

"What is this?"

"It's the dress I wore when I got married. I don't know if Mai would want it, but I want you to have it. I know its story is sad, but it's a part of our family's history, Zuko."

Gratefully, Zuko took the box, tucking it underneath his arm. Then, he looked at his mother and the two embraced again, hugging each other tightly.

"I love you, Zuko. Always know that."

"I love you too, Mom. Just think about my offer, would you? I'm keeping a small garrison in the town for its protection, so inform the garrison leader if you change your mind, and I'll make all the arrangements. I'll see you around mom. Tell Ikem and Kiyi I'll be in touch soon with the wedding arrangements and stuff."

They broke apart, and Ursa smiled sadly at her son who smiled briefly, put his hood back on, and walked down the dirt path, the box in his arm. She stared at his receding form until he disappeared from view.

As lightning flashed in the distance, Ursa found herself thinking about her daughter. She knew that Zuko had said what he had to in order to calm her; she knew that it was truly her fault that her sweet, sweet daughter turned into what she was, and as the rain poured down, Ursa sat silently, letting the tears fall freely from her eyes as she sobbed to herself.

"I'm sorry, Azula."

How's that for a Mother's Day present?

In all seriousness, however, I've been wanting to do a post "Search" story ever since I read the comic. The comic was really, really good, but I wanted to see what Ursa's and Zuko's relationship was after she regained her memory. Hopefully, I accomplished that here. As usual, thanks for reading and take a second to write a quick review, as I always want to make my stories as good as they can be.

Also, I'm currently working on a story that centers around Iria and the Royal Family, so that's coming sometime in the future, so stay tuned.

Thanks to all you guys who have stuck with me through this series.

Sincerely,

-IGdude117