Author's Note: This is a retelling of the story of The Search from the graphic novels. I changed the story to fit the AU I have created in this larger story. I have simplified it in some ways, and tried to add extra poignancy and resonance. Some lines, images, and ideas come from the graphic novels that are the inspiration. It will be a two-parter.

This chapter is dedicated to my mom.

Aang, Katara, and Sokka crossed the ocean on Appa's back, flying from Republic City to Caldera to help Zuko celebrate his 19th birthday. Suki and Toph were unable to join them, busy with their work in the police force and metalbending academy, respectively. When the three teens arrived, the firebender and his girlfriend Mai greeted them. They had a lovely dinner together, along with little Roku, his mother Nozomi, and Zuko's assistant Joshu. After dinner, Zuko asked to speak privately with Aang. He took the Avatar into his sitting room and served tea.

"I need your help, Aang." Zuko began.

"Anything, Zuko!" The young Avatar imagined a brewing political crisis, spirit attacks, a famine or flood.

"I miss my mom." The Fire Lord confessed. "I feel like I need her more than ever. I want her help with baby Roku, and I want her to be there when Mai and I...make things official. And even more than me, Azula needs her. She still has delusions, and a lot of her visions involve our mother. I just have this idea that if our mom could talk to Azula and help her, maybe she could be herself again. I mean, hopefully a less violent version of her old self. But I have no clue how to find her. I've sent out investigators, and they've come up with nothing. I asked my father about her soon after my coronation, and he didn't tell me anything, but then you cautioned me not to speak to him, and I haven't since. I'd like to try to ask him again, but I didn't want to do that without talking to you about it first, since you were so adamant that I should stay away from him. Maybe you could come with me. Or we could bring Toph along to work as a lie detector next time she comes to the Fire Nation. What do you think?"

Aang could see how much this meant to his friend. "I'm glad you asked for my help, Zuko. But there's no need to go talk to your father. I already know everything he does. You see, when I took away his bending, I saw...everything about him, everything he's ever done or said or thought. So I know the answers to any questions you might want to ask him."

"You already know? Then you know where she is?" Zuko was astounded that the answer might have been in front of him all this time.

"No, I don't know. Neither does he. But maybe if I tell you the parts of the story you don't know, from your father's point of view, it might give you a new hint for the next step in your search."

"Yes! That's a great idea! Please tell me!"

"It's not a pretty story." Aang cautioned.

"Yes, I know. My father is a maniac. You don't have to go into too much detail in...certain parts of the story."

"All right. Then I guess I'll start from the beginning." Aang took a deep breath, and Zuko refreshed his tea. "Fire Lord Azulon decided he wanted his sons to marry women from Avatar Roku's family. He thought it would give more power to the firebenders of the royal line. But Roku's family had scattered and hidden, so that they weren't easy to find, and the ones he did find were boys, or girls too old or young for his sons. Then Azulon heard about a descendant of Roku's living in a village called Hia'a on a small tropical island in the southern part of the Fire Nation. He took Ozai there, and met Ursa and her family. It was presented to them as if there were no choice."

"What did my father think of having an arranged marriage?" Zuko wondered.

"He didn't much care," Aang answered, mystified at the reaction. "He was hoping the girl would be pretty, and he was pleased on that score. He figured he would just find other women to sleep with if he didn't like his wife. He didn't plan to consider himself bound."

"Typical." Zuko muttered.

"There was a bit of a scene as they left town with Ursa." The airbender continued the story. "A young man tried to stop them, and said he was in love with her. Ursa told him to go away, but she seemed upset about it. Ozai noted that she seemed to know her place already. At their wedding he told her that she would have no communication with her parents or the town where she came from. The point was mostly to cut her off from this young man, but he also liked the idea of isolating her, making her dependent on him, keeping her all to himself. He was very possessive and controlling. He got kind of obsessed with her for a while. He wanted to make her love him and to be everything to her, but the way he went about it was..."

"Monstrous?"

"Unfeeling. He thought she should just fall at her knees for him. He was confident in his looks and, um, abilities with women. From my perspective, I think the problem was that he thought that love was at best transactional. He figured, he gave Ursa jewels, rich clothes, a palace, a title, therefore she should love him. But he never tried being vulnerable with her."

"Of course not." Zuko scoffed. "That would show weakness."

Aang started.

"I say that because I know how he thinks, not because I think he's right." The Fire Lord clarified. "Maybe I did for a while, and it made me exquisitely unhappy. I learned better. Go on."

"Soon after their marriage, Ozai sent a Yuyan archer to assassinate Ursa's old boyfriend from Hira'a, but the man said he couldn't find him. He had all the servants in the palace reporting to him on your mother's movements and actions. All along, she wrote letters that a servant in Ozai's pay had convinced her would be delivered to her parents, and to her old boyfriend. They all just went to Ozai. When you were about eight, one of them made him really mad. She wrote to her past lover claiming that you were his son, not her husband's. Ozai didn't really believe it; the timeline didn't add up, and he thought his surveillance could not possibly have been so ineffective as to allow her time to sleep with another man. But he called her in and questioned her about it. She said that she had suspected for a while that her messages were not really reaching Hira'a, and the lie in this letter was her way to test it. Ozai was mad, and he knew the worst way to hurt his wife was through her children. So he said to her that since she obviously wished you were not his son, he would regard you as such. And that was when he started treating you...worse."

Zuko's lips narrowed grimly. He had always assumed his father's ill treatment of him was rooted in his own inadequacies. When he understood his father to be an abuser, and himself a child undeserving of such harsh discipline, he regained some of the dignity and self-respect his father had tried to take from him. With this understanding, and the revelations of Ozai's treatment of his concubines, Zuko had wondered if his mother had been another victim of the former Fire Lord's cruelty. But he hadn't imagined that the abuse had been triangulated in this way, that his father had used his pain as a weapon against his mother. The idea was sickening. "Then what happened?"

"I guess it was soon after that, that your cousin Lu Ten died, and Iroh gave up the siege at Ba Sing Se and disappeared. Ozai saw it as an opportunity for himself. If his brother had proven himself a failure and lost his heir, he should be disqualified from becoming Fire Lord. He made that argument to his father, but Azulon was enraged. He said that since Ozai was so callous about the loss his brother had suffered, and since he asking him to disinherit his firstborn, then Ozai should know the pain of losing his own firstborn." The logical leap there made Aang dizzy.

"He ordered my death."

"Yes. Ozai would have done it, but your mother stopped him. She mixed up an undetectable poison and gave it to your father to administer to his. Then your father sent her away, saying that a poisoner could not be trusted, that she would try to kill him next. She hated leaving you and Azula. She cried and begged her husband, but he had made up his mind, and he had all the power... So she left. And that was the last that your father saw of her."

As a child, Zuko had blamed himself for his mother's abandonment, assuming it was because she detested him just as his father seemed to. So he felt somewhat comforted to know that his mother had not left him by choice, that she had mourned and regretted their separation. But he wasn't distracted from his questions. "He didn't look for her?"

"No. He didn't want to see her again. He just...let her go. He was at least honorable enough not to try to have her killed."

"Wow, that's a low bar."

"I know. He always figured she had gone back to her hometown. That was the first place he would have looked for her, if he had wanted to try."

"So do you think that's where we should go? To Hira'a?"

"Your investigators never looked there?"

"No. They must have been pretty incompetent."

"Then, yes. When do you want to leave?" Aang asked.

Zuko was surprised. "I didn't know you'd just drop everything..."

"We're already here. I'm glad to help, and I'm sure Katara and Sokka wouldn't mind coming along. I wish I'd known that this was bothering you before you wasted so much time with these investigators."

"Do you think we could leave tomorrow? I know you weren't planning to be away from Republic City that long..." Zuko didn't want to have to wait until his friends' next visit, especially when he knew how busy they were. Besides, he liked the idea of going on this little journey with them.

"Well, we came here for your birthday, so if this is how you want to celebrate..." Aang began.

"I can't think of a better way," Zuko answered, remembering his mother, and the parties she had planned for him when he was a child, the decorations and games and sweet mochi. To have her with him again, on the anniversary of the day she'd given him life, would be the greatest gift.

"I'll go tell Katara and Sokka and we'll leave tomorrow."

Zuko went straight to his bedroom, where Mai was waiting for him. He excitedly told his girlfriend about the lead Aang had given him, and their planned trip.

"Is it ok if I don't go?" She asked uncomfortably. "That bison freaks me out. I don't think he likes me."

"Oh. Um, ok." Zuko remembered the story about the run-in Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee had had with Appa when he had been separated from Aang. Mai didn't much like flying in a balloon either. He never enjoyed being apart from her for long, but his other friends would be good company for this search.

"I'll have to make all the arrangements to postpone your birthday party until you get back, since you'll be gone on your actual birthday. And keep up with the daily correspondence. That might get complicated since we don't know how long you'll be gone..."

"I think we'll just pursue this lead until it dries up. I'll send word to keep you updated if it takes longer than a couple days." He promised.

"You're so excited. It's cute."

"I can't wait for her to see you again. She'll be so happy for us." He'd never spoken so assuredly about his anticipation of a future with his mother in it; he felt more hopeful about actually finding her than he ever had.

"You think so?"

"She'll see how happy we are."

"Since I won't see you on your birthday, I'll have to give you part of your present tonight." She stepped closer and put her hands on his hips.

"Oh? What's that?" He raised a flirtatious eyebrow at her.

She kissed him. "Come to bed and see."

Joshu, Zuko's assistant, proved his worth once again, by doing quick research on the friends' destination. "You're going to arrive just in time for a yearly festival!" He informed them at breakfast. "Hira'a traditionally celebrates the changing season with a festival of plays. Everyone always dresses up in costumes. If you just walk around in your regular clothes, you'll look out of place."

"That's perfect!" Zuko exclaimed. "I'm afraid my position will hinder the investigation, so I was wondering how I'd hide this." He pointed to his left eye.

"And this!" Aang pointed to his forehead.

They chose costumes from a closet Zuko's mother had once filled. Katara found a pointed hat with a veil and decided to be the Painted Lady again. Zuko pulled out a suit that inspired him: black on one side and white on the other, it was used to depict a mythical monster called Half-Face. There was also makeup that he could use to paint his left side bone-white, completing the look. Sokka still had his detective hat, which he felt was particularly appropriate for their mission, but he was glad to add to the ensemble with a tweed cloak he found among the gaudy dresses and jackets. A tight-fitting hood covered Aang's arrow perfectly; it was part of a costume depicting Dokeshi, an impish spirit from one of Gekisakuka's tragedies. He was able to improvise the rest of his ensemble from mismatched motley in the closet. They packed their costumes on Appa's saddle and said goodbye to Mai, Joshu, Nozomi, and little Roku.

Though they hardly ever embraced in public, Mai came forward and gave Zuko a long kiss before he climbed onto Appa's back. She pulled a rectangular package out of her sleeve. "Your birthday present." She told him. "Open it tomorrow."

"We also need aliases." Sokka advised, once they were in the air.

"I'll be Kuzon again!" Aang exclaimed.

"I'll be Sapphire." Katara's eyes twinkled at Aang.

"Lee." Zuko said simply.

"Wang Fire at your service." Sokka put in.

"Really?" Zuko asked.

"I'll have you know that name is still widely revered by the Fire Nation battalion in which I served with honor and distinction." Sokka crossed his arms and put his nose in the air.

"What?" The Fire Lord exclaimed.

"Don't ask," Katara rolled her eyes.

Zuko looked at Aang for help, but he just shook his head.

They continued flying south, making small talk about Republic City politics, until they were flying over the island of their destination. It was late when they landed, so they decided to camp outside the village.

In the morning Zuko's friends wished him a happy birthday, and Katara served breakfast. Since they were camping and eating outside, it reminded them of when they were on the run from the Fire Nation, in the days before Sozin's Comet. Reliving the camaraderie of that time without any of the danger and stress of war felt comfortable and nostalgic. They donned their costumes before heading into the village. Katara put on Zuko's makeup, painting white carefully over the red skin around his left eye, and then Aang did hers.

They left Appa at the campsite, and found a path into town. A few people in brightly colored costumes were also on their way to see the outdoor dramas.

Before the plays could start, they planned to visit Ursa's childhood home. Aang knew where it was from Ozai's memory.

When they knocked on the door, a girl of their own age answered. Zuko asked the question. "Hello, we're looking for a woman named Ursa. She lived here a long time ago."

"I've never met anyone with that name."

"If you don't mind my asking, how long has your family been here?" Zuko pushed. He didn't want to give up on this lead without finding out everything he could.

"About five years."

An older woman came forward, joining the girl at the door. "My mistress came recently, but I was here long before any of you were born. I remember this Ursa. She left to go be a princess in the capital."

Aang and Katara exchanged excited glances. They'd found a lead!

"Did she ever come back here? Maybe 7 or 8 years ago?" Zuko followed up eagerly.

"Yes, she did. She came here and I had to tell her that her parents were gone. Poor dear." The woman shook her head sadly. "I offered to let her stay in my cottage until she knew what she wanted to do, but she just thanked me and moved on. They say in town that she went to Forgetful Valley and was never seen again."

A chill passed over the group, and they glanced at each other.

"Can you tell us more about this Forgetful Valley?" Aang asked.

"It's a forest at the bottom of a canyon, just outside town. They say the heartbroken go there to forget their lives." The older woman explained.

"The rumor is that Princess Ursa went looking for her lost love in the forest and was never seen again." The girl went on.

"I thought you didn't know Ursa," Sokka asked the girl.

"I don't know her personally, but I've heard the story. It's so romantic." She sighed.

"Romantic or tragic?" The older woman asked sharply, reining in the girl's naïve reverie. "Forgetful Valley is a dark, dangerous place. No one who enters ever returns."

The teens inquired further about Forgetful Valley, but the old housekeeper only told what she knew when they made it clear that they were only interested in the matter as an example of local folklore. They heard how the forest was characterized by rocks and trees that appeared to have faces. The girl even volunteered the location of the valley, to the southwest of town, off of the trade road, to her older companion's chagrin.

After they thanked the two for their stories and information, the Fire Lord and his friends convened on the path to town.

"You want to go to Forgetful Valley, don't you?" Sokka predicted Zuko's intention.

"Yeah. I'll go alone if you all don't want to risk it." Despite the dire warning, he was determined to see if his mother was there. It felt like a long shot, but he had to at least try.

"That's dumb, Zuko. Of course we'll go along." Aang patted his friend's shoulder. "It sounds like a place with lots of dark spiritual energy. You're going to need the Avatar to keep those spirits at bay."

"The legend said the proper time to enter the forest was at night," Katara began.

"So that means we have a whole day to kill," Sokka grumbled.

"Luckily, there's a drama festival we can attend," Zuko pointed out brightly. It was his birthday, after all, so the others were happy to follow along; they knew how much he liked the theater.

The friends spent a happy afternoon watching outdoor plays, eating street food, and browsing shops. The local troupe enacted selections from the works of Gekisakuka, as well as classic operas and even some scenes from Higeki. The last show they watched was Love Amongst the Dragons, one that Zuko had mixed feelings about. He had seen so many terrible productions of the show on Ember Island that it had almost been ruined for him, but nevertheless he loved the story, and had fond memories of watching it and recreating it with his mother and sister. He had also recently reread it with Mai, who had taught him to see the over-the-top melodrama as funny, in a campy way. He was pleasantly surprised at the sophistication of this director's interpretation, which gave him new insight into the characters, especially the villain.

"What a great show!" He enthused, standing to applaud the cast as they bowed. "Best I've ever seen!"

"It warms my heart to hear that," came a deep voice behind Zuko.

The firebender turned around, and saw a tall man wearing the mask of the Blue Spirit. He jumped in surprise, and the man took off the mask, laughing.

"My name is Noren. I'm the director." He put forward his hand and Zuko shook it. "Let me tell you, a good review is worth a thousand coins. An appreciative audience makes all the work worthwhile."

"Noren, like the hero of the show?" Zuko asked. "Kind of ironic."

"My mother was a fan of Gekisakuka."

"Mine too," Zuko murmured.

"Hi, I'm Kuzon," Aang introduced himself, seeing Zuko drawn into conversation with the stranger. Sokka and Katara came forward as well, giving their assumed names. "We liked the show too! You did a great job!"

"Are you all from around here?" Noren asked.

"We're visiting from Republic City," Sokka answered. They hadn't decided on what to tell people about their origin, but this partial truth worked well enough. It explained why people who appeared to be from two or three different nations would travel together as friends: they were from a place where the races mixed freely.

"Our friend just loves the theater, so we had to come see Hira'a's festival," Aang patted Zuko's shoulder, playing along with the cover story.

"Yep. We're tourists." Zuko agreed, forcing a grin.

"Then you weren't going home yet? You don't have dinner plans?" The director questioned.

"I guess we were going to grab something from the food stalls," Sokka said uncertainly.

"You must come to our home," Noren invited them magnanimously. "My wife cooked enough for the whole cast, but they all just begged off, saying they're too exhausted. Isn't that right, honey?"

A plain-faced woman came forward. She had deep smile lines from her nose to mouth and a round, almost puggish nose. "Oh, honey, I'm not ready to host—the house is a mess—" she sputtered nervously.

"Nonsense. You just prepared that mochi yesterday. It would be a shame not to share it." The older man pushed. "I'm sure you'd regret it if we didn't invite these fine young people to have a nice home-cooked meal."

"Well, we can't turn down mochi. Not today of all days," Sokka elbowed the birthday boy.

"Come on, you can tell us more about what a fine production we put on." Noren pushed, his voice jolly. The teens had to agree.

They followed the couple and their young daughter to a modest home nearby. Katara took off her big hat, but the others kept their disguises on. They settled around the table, and Noriko served rice, vegetables, and spicy loco moco, a local dish. Zuko and his friends complimented the food and house, which was decorated with memorabilia from the many plays the couple had put on.

"What's your favorite play, Noriko?" Aang asked, hoping to keep the conversation going.

"Love Amongst the Dragons," she answered, a little too quickly.

"We played the leads years ago," Noren explained, touching his wife's shoulder. "But I thought you had a new favorite, honey." She looked down, and he had to tell the others himself. "We traveled to see The Banished Prince and the Last Airbender when the touring production came to a nearby island. She loved it so much, we went two more times before we had to come back home."

"That's our favorite too!" Aang enthused. "It has the best ending." He took his girlfriend's hand and smiled at her.

"What's your favorite part, Noriko?" Katara asked.

"Well, she spent most of it in tears," Noren teased. "Starting with the Agni Kai in the beginning."

"I liked when the prince told off his father," she found her voice. "And when he joined the Avatar."

"Hi, Zuko here," Sokka quoted, imitating the dopey smile and wave of the awkward firebender. "What's your favorite part, Lee?"

"Uh, when the prince's girlfriend saves him." Zuko answered quickly, glad half of his blush was covered with the white makeup. "And yours?"

"Basically everything that Water Tribe boy says. He's hilarious! What about you, Sapphire?"

"When the Avatar finally wakes up."

"We also went to Ember Island a couple of years ago to see The Boy In the Iceberg." Noren told them.

The teenagers recoiled visibly.

"Oh, no. We do not speak of that show." Sokka informed him solemnly.

"What show?" Katara played along.

"The show that does not exist." Aang reminded her.

"You know what the Dai Li say about it?" Sokka joked. "There is no play in Ba Sing Se."

"Do you need an invitation to Lake Laogai?" Aang quipped.

"As far as true theater fans are concerned, there is only one staged version of the Avatar's adventures, and that's The Banished Prince and the Last Airbender." Zuko explained his friends' antics to the older couple.

Noriko seemed to understand the joke. "Thank you for letting me know about the opinions of the esteemed critics from Republic City. I'll never mention that cursed show again." Her eyes danced with humor.

"What show? She's talking about a show?" Katara asked again.

"It might as well have been about blue aliens," Sokka muttered, shaking his head, unable to let go of his resentment toward the terrible production that had made him into an unfunny caricature.

"But your production of Love Amongst the Dragons was just as good as The Banished Prince! Maybe better!" Zuko enthused, changing the subject. "Most directors make the villain into a one-dimensional buffoon, but you really showed the twisted pain underneath his terrible choices."

"Not that it justifies anything he did." Aang cautioned.

"Especially tying up the heroine," Katara pointed out, narrowing her eyes at Zuko.

"Of course not," Zuko answered, reddening. "I'm just saying it's a more interesting story when he's...complex, and actually has reasons behind what he does."

"That was all Noriko," Noren explained, proudly giving credit where it was due. "We used her interpretation of the Dark Water Spirit. She's an expert dramaturge as well as actress."

"I have...an understanding of the dark side of human nature." Noriko said softly, focusing on her plate.

"The story of Noren and the Dragon Empress was a childhood favorite of mine," Zuko went on. The director had invited them over hoping to hear more praise for his production, after all, and the drama fan was all too happy to give credit where it was due. "Mistaken identity, adventure, and true love's reward. I saw it many times as a kid, and it inspired hours of pretend play for my sister and me. That's why seeing the story recreated with such complexity and maturity was such a treat. It brought back happy memories, and resolved my nostalgia in the most satisfying way. Like a dream come to life. I'll never forget it. Your troupe gave the whole audience a real gift, but me in particular."

"Nothing like a little sentimentality to make even the toughest guy tear up." Sokka elbowed Zuko. "I caught you wiping your eyes when the Dragon Empress revealed who she was." Zuko looked away, blushing.

"And words like that are worth more than a sold-out box office, I assure you." Noren's hand covered his heart. "We would feed a hundred tourists to hear such praise. Isn't that right, honey?" Noriko nodded, her face hidden from the young people. "Shall we bring out the dessert?" Noren suggested. His wife murmured in protest, but her husband waved it away. "We can't eat it all ourselves, honey! Last year it took us almost a week!"

"We always celebrate the Fire Lord's birthday." Noriko explained softly, setting the mochi on the table.

"That's right." Noren affirmed. "We're loyal subjects. Of this Fire Lord, anyway, not so much the others."

Zuko was so touched at the idea of his subjects preparing a special desert in his honor that he couldn't speak.

"Fire Lord Zuko brought peace," Aang agreed. "He's doing a good job turning the country around."

"He's been working really hard to fix the mess his forefathers created." Katara interjected.

"If it weren't for his determination to let go of the colonies peacefully, the Fire Nation would be fighting a new war, instead of trading profitably with an independent United Republic." Sokka put in, enjoying this chance to make his buddy squirm by praising him.

"He even put drama and the arts back into the national curriculum!" Noren added.

"To our beloved Fire Lord!" Sokka lifted his glass, eyes dancing in merriment at his friend's discomfort. The others followed suit. They drank, and the mochi was dished out and passed around.

The taste of the dessert brought Zuko back to afternoon tea in his mother's sitting room, reading legends of heroes with her arm around his shoulders.

"Do you like it, Lee?" Katara noticed her friend's abstracted expression and brought him back to earth.

His voice thick, he nodded. "It's the best I've had in years."

Kiyi, the couple's four-year-old daughter, pretended to feed a bite of the mochi to her doll. Watching her play was like a peek into the future for Zuko. Soon Roku would be that big. And someday, he and Mai would have children of their own, he hoped.

He pulled a figurine out of his pocket. "Can I have some too?" He spoke for the small figure of the Blue Spirit, addressing Kiyi and her doll. He had impulsively bought the toy that day for baby Roku, but it was not really meant for an infant.

"Is he a bad guy?" Kiyi asked warily.

"He might be good sometimes." Zuko answered, with a glance at Aang. "Maybe he rescues people."

"What matters is who he really is behind the mask," Aang remarked wisely, understanding the allusion.

Kiyi held a bit of the mochi up to the figurine's tiny mask.

"Oh, that's so good! Thank you!" Zuko made a silly voice, making the little girl giggle. He propped the figure up in a sitting position next to her doll.

"She is so cute!" Katara told Noriko. "Do you just love being a mother?" She asked impetuously, then blushed at how personal the question was.

"It was the greatest joy of my life," the woman replied thickly, focused on her daughter.

"Fatherhood is pretty great too." Noren broke in jovially. He elbowed Aang. "Think you'll have the honor someday?"

"I pray I'll be so lucky- Aang whispered, his eyes on Katara, whose blush was deepening.

"Best if you don't get that lucky for a few more years," Sokka cautioned sternly.

Zuko couldn't help chuckling at his friends. He looked out the window and saw how low the sun was. They still planned to enter Forgetful Valley at nightfall. "It's getting late. We should get going and leave you alone." He stood and bowed formally, and the others followed suit. "Thank you for a lovely meal. Your hospitality has been the highlight of our trip." He was surprised to find he meant it. Even if they didn't find his mother in the forest, he would always be glad he came to Hira'a to see Love Amongst the Dragons and meet this lovely couple.

"Don't forget your doll!" Noriko held the Blue Spirit figurine out to Zuko. He took it from her, then bent down and impulsively offered it to her daughter, who was hiding behind her mother's skirt.

"Please keep him, Kiyi. I bought it for my little brother, but he's too young for it, really. I think the Blue Spirit made friends with your doll tonight. They should stay together."

The little girl nodded shyly, and the teens walked off into the twilight.

As soon as they were out of sight of any houses, Aang whistled for Appa, and the sky bison came for them. They flew to the place the girl from Ursa's childhood house had told them about that morning. They recognized the eerie face-like shapes on the rocks and trees. Lit by flames from Aang and Zuko's palms, they ventured into the forest.

Author's Note: If you have any questions, please feel free to drop them in a review, PM, or Discord!

Next chapter: The emotional conclusion of The Search.