It had taken a week after Ron and Mai's date before Azula could no longer hide the signs of her lack of rest. Some of their regular customers even gently suggested that she take a break. She couldn't care less, however, about the concerned looks her friends were sending her. Her focus was wholly on Harry in an attempt to locate him.

It was the nineteenth night of their residence in Ba Sing Se when Iroh finally put his foot down. And one would have been forgiven for mistaking him for an Earthbender for the force he used: "Tomorrow, you and I will go into the markets and relax, Princess Azula." he forcefully said. "Harry will not be served if you are unable to remain on your own feet or keep your eyes open."

The fact that she could not muster a rebuttal clued her in on what everyone else was seeing. And the fact that the shop was doing well enough to where they could leave it in the hands of the staff for a day meant that they could go shopping for themselves, something Azula hadn't done in… ever, actually. Sure, she always had new clothes or jewels, but that was something afforded to the Royal Family; she had never joined Ty Lee or Mai on shopping days.

So it was the next morning that she and Iroh wandered the market district, though her smile felt completely forced. Iroh was looking at a basket, Azula knew that they were going to go to one of the outlying hills in the lower ring later that day, but a glint in the sunlight caught her eye. As she moved to investigate, she discovered a golden locket with intricate carvings on its facing: some sort of winged creature, the likes of which she had never seen before. "Ah! The young lady has a discerning eye." the dusty old voice of the shopkeeper said on noticing her, "I made that some forty years ago, it and its pair have sat here ever since."

Azula picked it up to get a closer look, "It's beautiful." she murmured before looking at him, "Why has it sat here so long?"

The old man waved his hand dismissively, "Ah, most people don't want a locket or even a necklace. They much prefer rings or headdresses, and I have bills to pay and need food to eat."

Azula just stared at the locket, the quality was something she had not seen even in the Crown Jewels of the Fire Lord. "How much?" she asked.

The old man stopped what he was doing and walked over to her slowly. "For the one? A silver," he replied, thinking that this was just a girl wanting a shiny, though somewhat amused that she had chosen that.

Azula, on the other hand, fished in her money pouch before laying a pair of gold pieces on the table, "I'll take both. My boyfriend likes creatures so I imagine that he'll like this."

The old man was flabbergasted., "Truly a lucky boy, to be courting a generous soul such as yourself." he said before retreating to the back of the shop and retrieving the paired locket, "I cannot take the gold though. That would be robbery."

Azula's lips twitched, "I disagree, I would be robbing you if I did not compensate you justly for your craftsmanship." she replied before placing the coins in his hands. "If you're still here when my boyfriend and I wed, we'll be coming to you for our rings."

The old man was quite flustered, but Azula left before any more could be said. Putting one of the lockets on before pocketing the other, she rejoined Iroh as he was soothing a little boy. A gentle smile crossed her face. Today was the day, after all, that they lost Lu Ten, all those years ago. "He thought himself honoured to have you as a father," she quietly remarked to him when he joined her.

Iroh's lips twitched, the pain never went away, and on this day it was even more poignant, but hearing the small things helped ease his soul. "He also felt great regret in leaving you and your brother with my brother," he revealed. "He was always half tempted to spirit you both away, but duty always called."

Her eyes crinkled, it was one of her greatest regrets, not being close to her cousin, even if there was a quiet admiration on her part. They walked for a while before Iroh spoke again, "I have no doubt that we shall find your young man, my dear. Fate has a way with these things."

Now it was Azula's turn to have her lips twitch, "Sleep is… difficult." she confided, "I keep expecting to feel his presence, for him to tell me not to worry, where he is and such. To feel nothing…"

Iroh hummed, "You feel as though a part of you is missing." he stated, drawing a nod from Azula. "He really is a special one."

Azula shut her eyes for a moment, allowing herself a moment to just bask in her emotions surrounding Harry. The unconditional love, the joy, the pure happiness that stemmed from their bond. Now, it was just quiet, or if there was anything from it, it was a brief flash of pain before Harry, presumably, clamped down on it.

As they walked out the gates to the Outer Ring and began making their way to a small hill, Iroh continued his thoughts, "In our darkest moments, we discover our true selves." he mused, "I wandered the world for months, then wandered for a few more in the Spirit World. Many attribute that to my seeming shift in personality, but in truth, it was my true self finally unshackled and set free."

Azula frowned, "I would prefer to avoid such a trek." she half-joked.

Iroh laughed, "Oh, I'm sure you won't have to do such a thing, but I only say that because I went through it." he replied before facing her with a serious expression, "This is your darkest hour, my dear. Hold close to those of us who wish you the best. We can help, if you let us."

She hummed, she could only do so much, because if anyone knew the full story, she'd probably be locked up in an asylum and forced to wear a straightjacket. Perhaps some of his friends would better understand, but she doubted it.

When they sat beneath a tree, Azula lay against its trunk looking many times her age. "I… I just don't know how I would be able to go on if… if he…" she started, unable to fully articulate the full scope of the horror on her mind.

Iroh hummed, at first she thought he would tell her that she had to go on, or that there was a way. However, he just replied: "I understand."

Harry rubbed his wrists again. He still didn't understand why he was being released from his restraints or moved into a wide-open area with a bunch of green crystals. He would take the good fortune for the time though. He soon discovered the cause of his fortunes, however, as a door appeared in the walls of the cave and a lithe figure flew in. As he approached, the door closing long before he started moving, he recognised the figure, "Katara? What are you doing here? Where's Aang?" he asked, helping her stand.

Katara dusted herself off, "I was helping the Generals plan out our plans for an invasion when I ran into Zuko. When we had Long Feng imprisoned, it seems that Zuko managed to step into some role and he put me here with "someone his sister valued" until she and Aang showed up." she replied. "As far as I know, Aang's off mastering the Avatar State. I knew Azula was looking for you, I just didn't know you were here."

Harry shrugged, "Recent move." he replied, "I had thought that between the attempts to mindbend me, torture me, and turn me against the woman I love, all failing, they would have given up." he said before his brain caught up with what Katara had said, "Wait. How do you know that Azula's looking for me? Last I knew, you were inside Ba Sing Se and she was outside it."

Katara shrugged, "She snuck in under the guise of refugees to search for you." she said, "Toph and I ran into Ty Lee and Luna after we went to the spa one day while we were waiting to meet with the Earth King. They explained the whole situation and that Azula was in the city as well."

Harry blinked a few times. Katara was about to wave her hand in front of him to see if he was still with her when he spoke. It was a single word, but it carried the weight of a thousand stones.

"Fuck."