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The twelfth chapter in Around the World (Again). This chapter begins right where Part 1 left off. Enjoy!

Previously on Around the World (Again)....[]

Zuko escaped from Ba Sing Se after being held captive there by Long Feng and his followers. Zuko took a hot air balloon and tried to go the Northern Water Tribe, where the gang would most likely be, but his balloon got tampered with and it crash landed on an island that held the Fire Nation Mental Health Facility.

While his balloon was getting fixed, Zuko went to visit Azula. She said something that made Zuko remember his mother, Ursa.

After his balloon was repaired, Zuko went to the Fire Nation Prison near the Royal Palace to see Ozai. Zuko wanted to know where his mother was. Ozai gave him a riddle:

"In the Earth Kingdom she lies, not far from the water flies.

In a small town, near the mountain, brown.

Longing her son's arrival, she waits in survival."

Zuko went to his room in the Royal Palace and found out a place in the Earth Kingdom (the Pa Hing Village) that had a mountain near it called brown. If what Ozai said was true, then Zuko knows where his mother is.

Plot[]

Zuko searches the Pa Hing Village for his mother. But will he find her? Zuko also has to find a way back to the gang.

Zuko's Adventure Part 2[]

As darkness began to fall onto the Fire Nation, Zuko quickly read the little piece left of the description of the Pa Hing Village.

"The Pa Hing Village is known for having a rare creature near its river; water flies."

Zuko put the pieces of parchment down and walked to bed, thinking. He had to go to the Pa Hing Village to see if his mother is there.

He lay down in bed, but it took him a few moments until his eyes finally shut.


Zuko gasped as his eyelids flew back. The sun was shining through the window. He had a nightmare and it was about his mom. He found her, though in a very surprising place; his closet. However, she wasn't alive anymore. She was just a skeleton in the closet. A lifeless skeleton. Zuko shook his head so as to try to remove the dream from his mind. It worked very slightly. He tried his best to ignore the dream as he got ready for the day. He grabbed his map, put it in his pocket and, went to get breakfast. Soon he would be in the red hot air balloon, on his way to the Pa Hing Village, the place where his mother might be.

"Good morning, Fire Lord Zuko!" Zuko's cook said, cheerfully. "How was your night?"

"Pretty good," Zuko lied. He didn't want to worry his servants about anything. They were too happy.

Zuko ate his breakfast quietly, thinking about his mother.


After he finished eating, Zuko asked the cook for some extra food for his journey. The cook gave him a few meals and lots of snacks. Zuko then walked outside the palace to where his hot air balloon was. He put the food in the basket and then hopped in it. He started the engine and his balloon began to rise. He set his course for the Earth Kingdom. He was, hopefully, going to find his mother.


There it is, the Pa Hing Village!! I think she's- no, I know that she's here. I can feel it. Zuko thought as he saw a mountain near a village that was in the same spot as the Pa Hing Village on his map.

He lowered the hot air balloon to the entrance gate of the village and then jumped out of the basket onto the dirt of the ground. He saw a river nearby and several flies flying around the air. Water flies, Zuko thought. He left his food in the basket, hoping no one would steal it.

Zuko walked through the wooden entrance gate and onto the dirt path that led to the village's marketplace that was located in the center of the village. He was going to ask around the marketplace for a woman with the name of Ursa.

As he entered the marketplace, Zuko looked around for the person he thought would be the best to answer his question of where his mother was; the village elder.

He walked to the nearest shop, which sold fruits, and asked the man working there where the village elder was.

"Oh, she's over there," the man kindly said, pointing to a woman, who was standing on the other side of the marketplace in front of a house.

"Thanks," Zuko said to the man and then he walked to village elder.


"Um... hello? Zuko said when he reached the woman who had green robes and a hood over her face.

"Yes?" the woman said.

"Do you think you could help me?" said Zuko. He wanted to sound as polite as possible to the elder so he would have a better chance of her telling him since he was asking for helping in a nice way.

"Of course," the woman kindly said, smiling.

"I was wondering if maybe you saw a woman around the village by the name of Ursa."

The woman's eyes widening. "I believe I have seen her. May I ask why you're looking for her?"

"Yes, of course," said Zuko. "I'm her son, Zuko."

"Fire Lord Zuko?"

"Yeah. And I'm looking for her because she was banished several years ago. When I visited my father, Ozai, in jail, he hinted that she was here, in the Pa Hing Village."

"Really?"

"Yes, so where was the last place you saw her?" Zuko asked.

"Well, the last place I saw her in was here, in the marketplace," said the woman.

"When did that happen?"

"That doesn't really matter because I know where she is right now. She's in the marketplace."

Zuko turned around and moved his head side to side, looking for his mother.

After he saw no sign of her, he asked, "But, where exactly is she?" Zuko turned his head again, his eyes searching the marketplace. "I can't see her."

"You're talking to her."

Zuko turned his head and looked at the lady he was talking to. She had pulled down her hood that was covering her face. Zuko's amber eyes met with hers, who were also the color of amber. His eyes widened as he began to recognize the woman.

"M-mom?" Zuko said, his eyes beginning to water.

The woman nodded, smiled, and said, "Hello, Zuko."

Zuko threw his arms around his mother, tears flowing down both their faces.

"Mom! I'm so happy I found you," said Zuko.

"I thought I'd never see you again," Ursa said. "I'm glad that you came to me. I didn't recognize you with that scar on your face. What happened, Zuko?"

"Well, I-"

"Let's talk about this somewhere else. Come on, follow me into my home," said Ursa.

Zuko followed her into the house that was standing behind her.

As they walked through the house, Zuko said, "So, your the village elder? How? I want to know everything that happened to you after you were banished."

"Of course. Do you want some Jasmine tea? I love tea especially Jasmine," Ursa added when they reached the living room.

"Just like Uncle," Zuko laughed, happily. "Sure, I'd like some tea."

"Great!" Ursa walked to the kitchen and prepared some Jasmine Tea.

She later returned with two cups of tea. She gave one to Zuko and told him to sit down on the wooden chair that was placed in the living room. Ursa sat down on another wooden chair that was across the chair Zuko was sitting on. While Ursa took a sip of tea, Zuko's eyes wandered the small room.

Light entered the room from a window near Zuko's chair. The room had a small fireplace. A wooden door on Zuko's right led to the kitchen and a door on his left led to the outside of the house.

"So, Zuko. We have a lot of catching up to do," Ursa said. "I want to know about everything that happened to you and you want to know about everything that happened to me so where do we start?"

"You can tell me your story first," said Zuko.

Ursa nodded and said, "Well, it's kind of a long story, but let's start on the night that I got banished and Azulon died.

"Fire Lord Azulon commanded Ozai to kill you, Zuko, so he could feel the pain that your Uncle Iroh felt when his son died. And Ozai was going to do it without hesitation. I soon found out and I wanted to protect you, Zuko. I proposed a plan that would result in Ozai becoming Fire Lord and your life being spared.

"The plan involved killing Fire Lord Azulon. I knew the consequences of that action and I accepted them to save your life, Zuko. This was the only way to save you; I put a cup of poisoned water in Azulon's room. Azulon eventually drank it, but it took a while for it to actually sink in, so he died while he was sleeping. Ozai then banished me from the Fire Nation. He would become Fire Lord and you would be saved. I went to talk to you before leaving, remember?" Zuko nodded his head. "So, I left the Fire Nation and rode on a boat to the Earth Kingdom. I couldn't let people know that I was from the Fire Nation, so I posed as a person from the Earth Kingdom. My name was no longer Ursa, but Sanja. I came to the village of Pa Hing and found a job; selling fruits. When I first arrived, I had to live in a cave not far from here, but after a while, with the money I earned from my job, I was able to buy this house.

"Eventually, I got a good reputation here in the village. When the village elder before me died, the villagers formed a meeting about who would become the next village elder since the one before had not had any kids. The villagers suggested people to be chosen as the next elder. Some of them suggested me and I was honored that they had.

"In the end, it came down to a vote; Me vs a woman named Lai Hong. As you can tell, I won." Ursa smiled. "And, as a reward, I did not have to pay for this house anymore, so I quit my fruit selling job. I instead began to craft several items for the villagers. That became my job. I spent most of my money on making this house more conformable and buying food.

"And these years passed and well, here I am and here you are." She smiled again. Zuko sat there, trying to take it all in. Ursa seemed to understand for she did not say anything until later, when Zuko finally spoke.

"I'm glad that you're okay. I just can't believe that you went through all that just for me."

"I care about you, Zuko. You're my son. And, I always loved Azula. But, there was something wrong about her. She was too violent. Most likely because of Ozai. Speaking of which, what happened to Ozai and Azula? I only heard that the war ended and you got crowned Fire Lord."

"Well, Avatar Aang took Ozai's bending away."

"How did he do that?"

"I'm not sure, but he felt that it was better then killing him."

"A wise Avatar he is," said Ursa.

"Now, Ozai is in jail. He will be staying there for the rest of his life," Zuko said.

"I too feel that it was better taking his bending away than taking his life away. Now that Ozai is in jail, he can think about all the crimes he committed. And what about Azula?"

"Azula sort of went crazy," said Zuko.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when I went to fight her, she looked very....off."

"You fought her?"

"Yeah, but when Azula shot lighting at my friend, Katara, I stepped in to save her."

"You took the lightning for her?"

Zuko nodded. "Katara then chained Azula to something and that was where she broke. She was sent to a mental facility nearby the Fire Nation. I actually just recently visited her. There were several reasons why she went crazy; I left her and the Fire Nation to join the Avatar, her two best friends, Mai and Ty Lee, betrayed her to save me, and she said that you thought she was a monster."

Ursa stared at Zuko, shocked at what had become of her daughter.

Ursa didn't say anything for a while. Zuko broke the silence, "So, you want know what happened to me after you left?"

Ursa nodded. Zuko told her the story, about how his father gave him the scar on his face, about how he banished him from the Fire Nation to search the world for the Avatar. Ursa was even more shocked at this. She hugged Zuko when he told her of his banishment. Zuko continued his story. He told her about how he finally found the Avatar, about how Zhao almost killed him by blowing up his ship with him in it, about the Siege of the North. The story continued; When Zuko told Ursa about how he helped Azula kill Avatar Aang, Ursa's eyes widened. He told her all about his journey back to the Fire Nation, how he joined Team Avatar, how he taught Aang Firebending, and how he helped end the war. He told her about he and the gang traveling the world again and his encounter with Long Feng and his followers.

After Zuko finished his story, he and Ursa ate dinner. When they finished eating, sunset was almost upon them; it would happen in about an hour.

"So, where do we go from here? What do we do?" said Ursa.

"I can't take you with me to the North Pole. Because of Long Feng, you'll be in danger. I think it's best that you go back to the Fire Nation Palace while I go find Aang and his friends," said Zuko. "I hope you understand."

"Of course I do, Zuko," Ursa said, followed by another smile. "When do we leave? And how do we leave?"

"We have to leave tonight. I have to find the gang as soon as possible to stop Long Feng. We can leave on an air balloon. I only have one, but I'm sure there are more in the village."

"There are. Follow me, Zuko," said Ursa and she and Zuko left the house to the village.

They walked a few feet when Ursa stopped and looked at Zuko.

"But, what about the village, Zuko? I can't just abandon them. I'm the village elder."

"Why don't you give that title to Lai Hong, you know, the other person offered to be the village elder?"

"Hm... that's a really good idea, Zuko! Okay, you go buy the air balloon while I go talk to Lai Hong and get my things. The store is just over there." Ursa pointed to a large wooden shop.

"Okay. Meet me outside the village gates," said Zuko.

Ursa nodded and then walked away. Zuko walked to the wooden shop that Ursa pointed to. It was very similar to the ones in Ba Sing Se.

Zuko saw the store owner, walked up to him, and asked, "Can I get an air balloon?"

"Why, of course!" the man said. "What color?"

"Any is fine."

"I'll be right back. Wait, hang on." His eyes moved to Zuko's burnt eye. "You're Fire Lord Zuko, right?" Zuko nodded. "Well then, I have a feeling that you've already been told this, but since you helped end the war, your air balloon is free! Let me get it ready for you, Fire Lord!" The man walked to the back of the shop. Zuko stood there, waiting, a smile on his face.

These Earth Kingdom people are so kind. How come Long Feng isn't?

A few moments later, the store owner returned.

"It's ready! Follow me."

Zuko followed the owner to the air balloon. It was a red one.

"I thought that since you were Fire Nation, you would like red," said the owner.

"Thanks," said Zuko. He hopped into the air balloon basket, started the engine, and said goodbye to the shop owner, thanking him once again.

Zuko flew the air balloon to the gate at the village entrance, next to his other air balloon.. After, waiting there for a while, Ursa showed up. She had all her belongs with her.

"Are you ready to go?" Zuko asked her.

Ursa didn't say anything, a sad look was spread across her face.

"What's wrong, Mom?" Zuko asked. "Did Lai Hong say no?"

Ursa shook her head. She then spoke.

"Lai Hong gladly took the title of village elder and I'm happy for her, but," Ursa turned to look at the village. "It's just that.....I'm really going to miss this place. I've lived here for several years and to leave it all in just one day."

Zuko jumped out of the air balloon and went to hug Ursa.

"Look, Mom. I'm not forcing you to leave. If you want to stay, I completely understand," said Zuko.

Zuko waited for her to say something, but she didn't until, "Lets get on those air balloons!"

"What?" said Zuko, shocked, yet very happy. "You really want to leave? But this is your home."

"It was my home. I have a new one; my old home, the Fire Nation. I'll come back to visit this village soon."

Ursa gave Zuko a hug, said goodbye, and jumped on the air balloon. Zuko then told Ursa how to control the balloon.

As the balloons began to rise, Zuko told her, "Just head south until you reach the capital. I'll send a messenger bird when I reach the Northern Water Tribe to the Fire Nation, to let them know that you're my mom so they can take care of you and I'll see you soon, Mom! I promise that Team Avatar will stop Long Feng!"

"I know you guys will! Good luck, Zuko!" Ursa said, tears pouring from her eyes.

Zuko headed North while Ursa headed South. They were torn apart again. Though Zuko knew they would see each other very soon, he couldn't help but shed a tear.

As her balloon began to disappear in the sunset sky, Zuko quietly said to himself, "Goodbye....Mom."


Finally, Zuko could see the Northern Water Tribe. It felt weird seeing the tribe again. So much had changed since he last came here.

He landed the air balloon outside the palace and then ran inside it. While looking for the gang, Zuko ran into Chief Arnook.

He told him that he was a part of Team Avatar and that he got separated from them in Ba Sing Se. He asked Arnook where he was.

Arnook told him that they were at the Spirit Oasis.

Just as Zuko was about to take off for the oasis, Arnook said, "Don't Zuko. They'll be back at the palace in a few moments for a feast. You can meet them there." He smiled and told Zuko where to stay until they arrived. While he waited for the gang to arrive, he asked Arnook to send a message Zuko had just wrote to the Fire Nation Capital. Arnook did so.

Zuko then went to where Arnook told him to stay; a column in the room where the feast was to be held.

Later, he heard Arnook say, "Welcome Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki, and Mai! Yes, I learned your names. Please, sit down.

"Before we begin to eat, there's something I would like to show the gang. I know that they will be very pleased when they see it. Everyone, please welcome, Fire Lord Zuko!!"

Zuko walked out from behind the column, waved at everyone at the feast, found where the gang was seated, and sat down next to Mai. She hugged him and was almost about to cry.

"Let the feast begin!" Arnook said and everyone began to eat.

"You're alive! You're alive, Zuko!" Mai said.

"How did you escape Long Feng, Zuko?" Aang asked.

"Well, it's a very long story, but I'll tell you." Zuko said. "It all started in Ba Sing Se...."

And Zuko told them about his adventure. Zuko was happy to be back in Team Avatar, back with his friends. No, they weren't his friends at all. They were his family.

Trivia[]

  • Zuko's dream about Ursa's skeleton in the closet is a reference to one of LOK possible episode title, Skeleton in the Closet.

Author's Note:[]

Some of you may be wondering why it took the gang two days to get from Gaoling to the Northern Water Tribe when it only took Zuko less than a day. The answer is simple; the Pa Hing Village is on the Northern coast of the Earth Kingdom. Also, the gang stopped in a few small villages to rest and eat. I'm not to happy with the way Zuko and Ursa talked when they first reuinted in this chapter. I just don't think it's very touching, but I do, however, like the rest of the chapter, but I sort of like Zuko's Adventure Part 1 a little better. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

- Aang20791 Talk Fanon Aang DOBS Sprite 22:51, May 14, 2011 (UTC)

Dedication[]

This chapter is dedicated to Moon Beam formerly known as Toph Lover. A kind and friendly user, Moon Beam helps the wiki in so many ways and also has a great fanon, The First Anti-Bender. She makes several good edits and has many great ideas. She is nice to every user she meets. I hope that she stays on this wiki for a long time.

Please don't ask to be dedicated. And don't think that I'm singling out users when I dedicate them. You all are great and friendly users (as long as you're not trolls or rude). Don't worry, I have a great idea that will benefit everyone. You'll all see in the last chapter.

Thanks for being such a great user Moon Beam!!!

-Aang20791 Talk Fanon Aang DOBS Sprite 22:51, May 14, 2011 (UTC)

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