Hello everybody. This is it, the final chapter. It will end Ursa's/Joo Dee's journey and leaves some ideas how her life went on after this fateful night. It'll leave some loose strings, where a story or at least an epilogue could follow, but this will depend on my free time and feedback/interest this last chapter may create.

100NaturalBacon: Thank you so much for this constant feedback for this one. This story was much fun for me and your feedback was a big reason for it. I wanted to write something about Joo Dee, about a new take on Ursa's fate and I wanted to work with characters, which haven't been in the focus of the cartoon, so to sum it up, I wanted to write something, which is not often in the focus of stories I have found out there so far. To get feedback for this work was so wonderful and to notice how my ideas for this story have worked was such a great motivation for me. Thanks for all the kindness, your ideas, for the creative exchange and for this constant support. This really means a lot to me.

Thanks to everyone, who has read and followed this story here. It is wonderful to see, that a less common theme is also able to draw interrest. I wish all of you a lot of fun with this last chapter.

New Chances

"She's sleeping now."

It was way past midnight, when Song entered the kitchen with a face as pale as the moon outside. The events of the evening had kicked in completely, but Ursa's condition had added a shock and a desperation on the small shoulders of the girl, which were beyond any comparison. She found her mother Chan-woo and Jiruh sitting at the table. Ji-sun had placed a little pottered bottle with sake on the table and all of them had a little cup in front of them with some of the liquor inside. Tired and worried eyes met her, but Song stayed quite and took place on the table too and started to stare a hole in the plate. They gave her the moments she needed, before she could speak again, with an empty voice.

"She knows nothing. Absolutely nothing."

The silence which followed this little break was devastating.

"Ursa is gone again… but Joo Dee too. They are both gone."

A lonely tear rolled down her cheek. Due to Song's red eyes it was a miracle that she was even capable to cry this single one.

"She don't know who she is, who she was and how she ended up here. How is… How is this possible?"

Song lifted her head and scanned the sad faces at the table for answers. It was Jiruh, who finally dared to give some.

"The last words of the agent you have told me of. During my time in the Fire Nation Army we had informations, that the Dai Li is brainwashing people and there were rumors that they have insert some kind of an self-destruction order in their minds. I fear we have the prove for this now. I fear the agent has used a last command to erase the memories of Joo Dee and of Lady Ursa."

The shock in Song's face was complete. She shared helpless looks with the adults and her hands were trembling fists.

"But what can we do now? We must help her to get back her memory. It has worked once, it'll work again. Maybe when we ask for more help..."

"No."

Anger rushed over Song's face as Jiruh's soft voice interrupted her, but the bitter look on the man's face kept her quiet.

"No we can't search for help. Remind yourself who she is."

The man gave Ji-sun a pleading look and the woman helped him to get a sip from the sake, before he continued his explanation for Song.

"When we start searching for help, then we will cause attention. The Dai Li and the Earthkingdom want to see her dead, Fire Lord Ozai too sooner or later."

He noticed the growing confusion in Song's eyes at his last words, which elicited him a sad sigh.

"She knows too much about his dirty way on the throne, so he won't leave her alive and risk the truth to spread out. But right now she is even more valuable for him. Banished or not, the Dai Li has turned the Fire Lady into a Joo Dee and has now erased her memory. This is an ultimate insult. When Fire Lord Ozai can get a grip on her now, then he can use this act to justify any sort of terror and punishment for the whole Earthkingdom, before he get rid of her in the end."

Song started with open mouth at the old soldier. The pure terror in her eyes brought her mother on her feet. She walked over to Song and took her daughter in her arms to sooth her a little.

"But we have to help her."

It was an empty whisper from the girl, who got a firm grip at the sleeve of her mothers robe. Ji-sun kissed her daughter on her head.

"We will, Song. We already making a plan..."

Ursa woke up in a foreign bed and the fear and the panic came back to her. She had no clue where she was, who she was and this was so frightening. She started to tremble again, when she felt an arm wrapped around her. She turned her head to her right and found the girl, she had met last night at her side. Song was holding her in a soothing grip and the sight of this teenager beside her, trying to ease some of her fears even in her sleep brought tears to Ursa's eyes.

"My little girl refuses to give you up."

Ursa winced and turned to her left. She found the tired eyes of a woman about her own age, who was smiling exhausted but warm at her.

"Ji-sun, I'm Song's mother."

A sadness was in her greeting and Ursa understood, that she probably must have met this woman before, but her memory was simply gone. It was terrifying. The woman, who was sitting at a chair beside the bed, took one of Ursa's hands carefully.

"I fear you don't remember, but..."

Ji-sun was struggling with her emotions, but she forced herself to speak on.

"I want to thank you. Thank you for saving my daughter."

The woman moved her hands to Ursa's not bandaged wrists and squeezed it thankfully. Tears started to roll down Ji-sun's face and Ursa switched her look between the girl and her crying mother. Suddenly she gaped out loud and faced Song's mother with a questioning look.

"Has it to do… Is it the reason, why I cannot remember anything?"

Ji-sun managed an ashamed nod, which brought tears to Ursa's eyes. She looked at the sleeping girl at her side and finally dared to stroke the head of the sleeping girl carefully.

"Then I know, that I have lost it for something worthy."

Both woman cried a bit in silence, while they watched over Song's sleep. Finally Ursa dared to speak again, but her voice was only a broken whisper.

"What should I do? Who am I? Song told me my name would be Ursa, but… No, nothing. I know nothing about me."

She turned back at Ji-sun as she felt a supporting hand on her shoulder.

"We will help you to find your memory again. We have done it once, we'll do it again."

Ursa gave her a hopeful look.

"You know me, don't you?"

Ji-sun nodded at her, which brought determination to Ursa's eyes.

"Then tell me what you know. Who is Ursa and why am I here."

Ji-sun's face got worried.

"I think we should make little steps at this case, this might be a lot to proceed and…"

Ursa took one of Ji-sun's hands and ignored the pain as she squeezed the one of the woman.

"Nothing could be worse that this emptiness in my head. I must and I will handle everything. I need to know why this happened to me."

A smile came to J-sun's lips and she finally nodded at Ursa.

"Fine, but in that case I should prepare a lot of tea and some food. It might take the whole day to talk about what has happened and how we want to help you."

Ursa smiled back at the woman and was about to free herself carefully from Song's grip, when she got pushed back in the sheets by Ji-sun.

"Rest. Both of you have earned it well. I'll call you, when everything is ready."

Song's mother left the room and Ursa switched her focus back to the sleeping girl. She watched at the peaceful face and took carefully a strain of the dark hair out of the teenager's face. Something about this way of acting felt suddenly so familiar. It brought the tears back to Ursa's eyes. It gave her hope.

Five weeks later

Chan-woo got alarmed, as the three strangers entered the hospital. The uniforms and the stone gloves made it obvious, who has entered the areal. One of the men talked a while to the leader of the clinic, before they came over to him. Chan-woo took a last deep breath. He had hoped, that this day would have never come, but here they came. It was now or never.

"Chan-woo? I'm agent Ling Goy. Me and my fellow agents are searching for a stolen wagon from Ba Sing Se and we have tracked the route of it to this village here and the hospital. The leader of the clinic has told us, that you have been the one, who has found the wagon and a surviver."

Chan-woo bowed before the men. He did his best but his voice was trembling as he answered, but this fact didn't seem to surprise the agents.

"It is an honor to serve. Yes I have found a crushed wagon beside the rode a few miles away from this hospital. I found two corpse and one surviver, a woman unconscious and in really bad shape."

He lowered his voice and fear and disgust was in his eyes.

"The woman was caged away in this wagon. I suspected slave hunters, who had bad luck with a deal. These rotten scum isn't unusual around here lately."

The face of the agent stayed emotionless.

"What about the woman, you've mentioned."

Chan-woo's face darkened.

"I brought her to the hospital, but it was full, so I brought her to some friends of mine. Unfortunately she was too weak in the end. She died a few days later. We haven't even found out who she was."

A thick silence hung between Chan-woo and the agents, but finally agent Ling Goy nodded at the man.

"Thank you for cooperating. This won't be forgotten."

The agents turned around and were about to go, when Ling Goy suddenly stopped. Chan-woo suppressed the urge to take a little gasp.

"We heard rumors, that some newcomers are here in this town since a few weeks."

Chan-woo felt his heart skip a beat, but he did the best he could to keep up looking at the agent eyes.

"Yes sir. My sister-in-law has finally decided to move to my house, since my brother died some years ago at the siege of the Pohuai Stronghold."

He felt his heart racing, but he knew, that he had to move on now.

"Do you want to talk to her, she's also working here in the gardens of the hospital. Ji-ming!"

He turned back to the garden areal beside on of the buildings were several men and women were working. A dark haired woman straighten up at his call and turned to them. They couldn't make out her face from the distance, but Chan-woo was already busy to signal her to walk over, when he got stopped by the Ling Goy.

"Thank you, but no need for that. You've helped us a lot."

Chan-woo bowed before the agents and the men left the areal. He walked over to the woman he had called and took her in his arms as he had reached her. Ursa was trembling as heavy as he did.

"Jiruh's idea was right. But we need to be careful within the next weeks, still I think we have a chance, that we have shaken them off."

Ursa only tightened her grip around the man, while she whispered her answer in his chest.

"I hope so."

The agents left the hospital behind and waited at a point of the road until an armored wagon came by. A slit opened and the piercing eyes of Long Feng approached. The men got down on their knees for a moment, before Ling Goy got up again.

"What have you found out?"

Long Feng's voice didn't show any emotion. The agent cleaned his throat and started the report.

"We have found the wreck of the wagon. Due to the interrogations we have made, the two agents have disguised themselves, but have killed each other during a quarrel or something. They have transported a prisoner a woman, who has survived first, but died a few days later."

Ling Goy noticed an alarmed sparkle in Long Feng's eyes.

"Do you have checked this story twice."

Ling Goy nodded.

"Positive. We have checked the graves and have found our deserted comrades and also the grave of the woman. We have also talked with the man, who has found them and we couldn't find any hint, that anyone has a clue about our agents or a missing Joo Dee."

But his supervisor didn't seem to be satisfied.

"And about the newcomers?"

Ling Goy nodded.

"Jiruh, a deserted Fire Nation soldier. He has fought against his former Nation, until he ended up here in the hospital. He has lost his hands and has now found a new home here, because a family has offered him a place where he can stay. The other is a woman, Ji-ming. She's the sister-in-law of the man, who has found the wagon. Her husband died at the Pohuai Stronghold."

The silence in the wagon made the agent a little nervous.

"Due to our researches we have made for preparation, all this is plausible."

Another long break followed, but finally an answer came form out of this wagon.

"Good."

The slit was about to get closed, when Ling Goy dared a final question.

"May I ask why this certain Joo Dee was so important?"

Another break followed, but suddenly Long Feng was out of the wagon, taking the three agents out even before they got a chance to react. He looked down at the corpse of the men for a moment, before the coachman got down to place the bodies within the wagon.

"No, you may not."

Song waved her hand for a goodbye, before she entered her house. She took a last look at Chan-woo and Ursa, who continued their way down the road to Chan-woo's house. She was still worried, that the agents might come back to ask further questions, but due to the report of the meeting she was also hopeful, that they finally might have tricked them. She entered the kitchen ,where Jiruh and her mother were waiting for her with dinner. Her serious look made them both focus on Song.

"The Dai Li was at the hospital today and has asked questions."

She could see the color fading from her mothers face and the stone cold look of the old soldier.

"It seems that they have bought the story, also the one about the newcomers here."

She focused on Jiruh with a serious face.

"You was right, the offer to introduce them to Ursa was enough to satisfy them."

A little accusation was in her words, but Jiruh ignored it.

"I have made the experience, that most people see what they want to see. You wouldn't invite the hunter to show him the prey he searches for. Even when they would have seen her, she would have been hidden before their eyes. To act like you have nothing to hide was the best protection we could offer. Anything else might have only drawn more attention."

"And it was her choice too, to take this risk."

Ji-sun continued to set up the table, but her eyes were focused on Song. The girl snorted a bit but stayed quite.

"She needs time to remember, but maybe she'll never remember again. As Ji-ming she has now the time and the chance to find her memories again."

Song sighed heavy at the words of her mother and closed her eyes in defeat.

"I know. Still it is not fair."

Ji-sun finally circled the table and took her daughter in her arms.

"No it isn't."

She placed a kiss on Song's head.

"But it's a chance for her."

One and a half year later

Ozai looked up from the ground of his cell as the guards wheeled in his daughter in her chair and straitjacket. The malicious smile on her lips brought a smirk to his face and it got even wider as he noticed his son in the background. Azula waited until the staff had leave the room.

"Hello father. Sorry for skipping the bow, but dear Zuzu is the one, who dictates my robe now."

Ozai nodded at her.

"I see, like he dictates our new homes."

A snicker escaped Azula's lips.

"Yes, but this pathetic fool can't order everything it seems. He came to me yesterday, whining about your resistance to help him with mother. He begged me to help him to find out, where she could be."

Ozai's face showed disappointment.

"And now you're here."

Azula ignored the dipping loathing in Ozai's voice.

"Oh I could also be in the main hall of the Palace as a decoration to prove his victory. It would be a much stronger choice than his pathetic tries to reach me, but nevertheless the point is he decided to bring me here and I cannot change this fact. I have promised him nothing."

The smile came back to Ozai's lips. He had noticed a dangerous fire in Azula's eyes.

"So what do you have in mind."

Azula snorted a bit.

"Mother is dead I suppose or why else shouldn't she have ran back to her dear Zuzu as soon as his pathetic and whiny butt has made contact with the throne. But I do care how I can let him pay for ruin everything and I'm sure a wild goose chase would offers… options."

Her smile grew into a wicked one.

"And with a bit of luck I can spit at him and at mothers grave for everything they have done to me."

Ozai chuckled at Azula's quote. The wild and wicked fire in her eyes was like a warming rain, which washed away some old dirt. Here was a chance.

"Wrong Azula. With a bit of luck you may spit at both your brother and your mother."

Azula's eyes widened for a second and her smile faded into a face filled with lack of understanding. Ozai grinned sinister at his daughter.

"I had planned to punish Ursa with death for her crimes, but then an unexpected opportunity came up. Spies from the Earthkingdom got notice from Ursa's banishment and my further plans for her. I allowed these informations to be stolen and Long Feng snapped at the bait like a hungry tiger dillo."

He was only focused at his own hands now, which had formed fists.

"The last thing I heard of her was, that your Dai Li had captured her and brought her to Ba Sing Se."

"So you knew where she was all the time?"

Azula voice was slightly trembling, but Ozai was too focused on explaining his plan.

"Of cause I did. It was perfect. I heard rumors, that they kept her in imprisoned first, but then they did the best thing I could have dreamed of..."

"They made a Joo Dee out of her."

Ozai's head jolted up and he faced Azula with a suspicious look. Something in the eyes of his daughter had changed dramatically. There was sadness in them and… anger.

"Can't you see it Azula. This ultimate insult he has done. As soon as we would have conquered the city, we could have proven this insult. It would have justified to burn these kingdom down to ashes."

His voice got louder and more dangerous, but Azula ignored it, she kept staring at him with this strange look.

"Why haven't you given me this information. I was in Ba Sing Se. I could have bring you these proves."

Ozai started to get angry.

"But there was no need to do so. You have conquered the city, we thought we had slain the Avatar, I was about to rise as the Phoenix King. My new title alone was enough so I don't needed..."

He was cut off by Azula's cold and empty voice.

"You don't needed my help. You never have. You needed a puppet, noting more and I trusted you right to the end. I have even trusted you as they wheeled me in here."

Ozai inhaled sharp. He looked at her with a slight confusion. Tears started to come to her eyes.

"I don't know, who has told you such lies, Azula. You are my daughter."

Azula released a weak huff, combined with a sarcastic smile.

"You did, father. Zuko has finally found some of your old files and notes. I didn't believed him as he showed me the content, but you have proven him right. Everything about this plan, about your knowledge about our mother's fate was to be found in there. But I refused to believe it until you proved him right."

Ozai felt the color fading from his face as he watched his daughter leaning forward. Her tears were falling down freely.

"Do you know what else was to be read in these notes, father? The way how you have forced her to keep me on distance. How you have stolen mother from me!"

It was only a brief flicker of shock on Ozai's face, but this flicker was the last prove for Azula. This little moment as his facade came crumbling down. Azula jumped out of the chair, but the straitjacket and the bindings limited her movements. She crashed at the bars with an ear-splitting scream of hate on her lips. Pure rage was burning in her eyes, while her tears were still falling. The door flew open and Zuko was the first, who was inside the room to lift his sister up, who was cursing Ozai with murder in her eyes until Zuko managed to bring her head against his chest, where she started to sob and cry uncontrollably.

Ozai stared at the scenery for some moments. He noticed the deadly glance in Zuko's eyes, as the Fire Lord observed his father for a second, be fore he placed a soothing kiss on Azula's head. A malicious chuckle escaped Ozai, as Zuko lifted his sister up to carry her out of the room. Zuko tried to ignore it, but his father started to clap his hands.

"Respect, respect. A clever scheme to manipulate your sister. It seems that at least a little bit of my ruling style has rubbed off on you."

His voice started to ooze with loathing.

"But be careful with this little brat. You can give her everything, but it will never be enough for this ungrateful… monster."

Azula's weeping stopped instantly and she stared it pure shock and fear at her father, but Zuko's look hardened dramatically. His breath was hard and his golden eyes filled with a deadly cold.

"Azula doesn't need everything, father. She needs one thing, a family and this is a thing I can give her."

He gave his father a scornful look.

"And this is much more than you have ever given to her. To all of us."

He turned around and ignored the curses Ozai was spitting at them about their weak and pathetic behavior. As soon as they were outside of the cell he placed Azula on the chair and started to free her from the bindings and the straitjacket. His sister looked at him with a lack of understanding, still shaking badly. He smiled at her as he had finally untied the last binding.

"Father has tried to take all form us, but not this time."

He focused on her golden questioning orbs and he could see the pain and the doubts in them. He carefully brought his hand to Azula's cheek and wiped away some tears with his thumb. He could see the struggle in Azula, who seemed to be caught between acceptance and denial.

"I know what you think. This is only a new lie."

His smile got warmer.

"Maybe you're right, but at least it is my lie. And I will always chose to be your stupid, naive and pathetic weakling of brother, if that is the one, who is allowed to love you."

He saw the muscles of her neck jerking a bit, while she kept focused on his eyes. He could see the tears still filling her golden ones and suddenly, after moments, which seemed to be stretched to infinity, he felt her head resting in his hand. Her lips were quivering as she finally rested the full weight of her head in Zuko's palm.

"Zuzu..."

It was the signal for him to pull her into the deepest hug both have shared since ages. He felt her clawing at his robe, while he pressed her head against his cheek.

"Azula… I've missed you so much."

Both stayed in this hug for a long time, crying in relief and consuming the love and comfort each one was spending for the other. It was Azula in the end, who dared to end this hug, facing the teary eyes of her brother with her own red cried ones.

"To Ba Sing Se?"

Zuko smiled and pulled her back into his arms.

"Yes Azula, to Ba Sing Se."