Amnesia Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I don't own the show, Avatar: The Last Airbender. I also don't own the song, "Amnesia" by 5 Seconds of Summer (which was my inspiration for the story).
"So...where do we start?" Katara asked, looking at the sun rising from the horizon.
"I managed to get some information from my father. He says that she's somewhere in Ba Sing Se. That's why I was here in the first place," Zuko answered with a grimace at the thought of Ozai.
"That'll be difficult since this is such a huge city," Katara stated with a troubled sigh. "Well, at least it's been narrowed down to just one place."
"Yes, it's quite nice to know just where to look," Zuko replied with a bit more confidence.
"I think we should start with the highest tier, then go to the lowest district in order," Katara suggested.
"It'll take too long. Let's just skip to the lower districts. I don't think my mother would hide away where the nobles would be. It's too predictable," Zuko said, cleverly voicing his thoughts.
"Ok, so we'll check all of the lower districts?" Katara asked for clarification.
"Yes. Now let's go," Zuko commanded lightly.
Disguised in commoners' clothes, the two set off on the search. As they hit the first few districts, they held out a photo of Ursa labeled with her name. Everyone they asked nodded their heads no. Searching further into the districts, they found an old man with a cane.
"Excuse me, sir, have you seen this woman around here?" Zuko asked, holding Ursa's picture to the man.
"She's been allegedly living here for about eight years," Katara informatively added.
"Why are you trying to find her? Who are you two?" The man gasped, surprised.
"Please, relax. We aren't going to hurt you. I am Ursa's son, Zuko, and this is my friend, Katara. We're both looking for my mother. We need her," Zuko calmly stated.
The man stared at them in horror. Quickly hobbling away, the man breathed one more sentence. "Please, leave me alone! I do not know of this woman you speak of!"
As Zuko and Katara ran after him, he turned to a corner, ending up in an alley. "Please, don't hurt me!" The old man cried in fear.
"For the last time, we aren't going to hurt you!" Zuko exclaimed angrily. "We just want to find Ursa. Please," Zuko said gently, gripping the man's shoulders lightly.
"Fine. I'll take you to her house. Just follow me," the old man said with a defeated sigh.
"Thank you! If you don't mind me asking, what is your name? What is your relationship to Ursa?" Katara asked, walking alongside Zuko and the unnamed man.
"My name is Lao Sho. I've been living in Ba Sing Se for all of my life. One day, I saw Ursa scurrying the streets of the lower districts. Many people recognized her as the banished Fire Lord's wife. No one would take her in, but I did. I never cared about what people said about her. Neither did I care about the labels they placed upon her name. About three weeks after I took her in, I adopted her as my own daughter. We've both been successfully running a small bakery on the second lowest district," Lao Sho explained, as he bought extra flour from a merchant.
"How about the other locals? They were fine with her running a bakery? Were there not any people against her?" Zuko asked, skeptical.
"There were many people against her at first. The locals would crowd into a mob and tell her to leave. However, she did not. She always stayed. Eventually, people grew tired. No one ever cared about her living here anymore. Now, she has changed her name to María, so she can live a peaceful life," Lao Sho answered swiftly.
"Has she ever tried to reconnect with Zuko and Azula?" Katara asked, involving herself in the conversation.
"She never tried to reconnect with her children. She thought that if she were to contact her children, Ozai would hurt them. Ursa left in order to save Zuko and his sister," Lao Sho explained, as they entered the second lowest district.
"How could she think like that?! Leaving us with our father did not save us! I thought of her every day, wondering where she went. How could she just leave?" Zuko exclaimed in anger.
"I don't know, Zuko. Why don't you ask your mother yourself," Lao Sho simply said, pointing to a small house connected to a bakery. Looking out the window, a certain woman stood, eyes full of surprise.