A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks a bunch for the reviews! . Alright, just before this chapter I want to just do a brief recap: Jasmine is no longer on Zuko's ship but will return in two to three weeks. Aang, Katara and Sokka are heading to the North pole where Leiya had stayed at the hospital, where Zhao was predicted to attack. So, enjoy .

Leiya was exhausted. Her core of light was fading, but she refused to stop. She concentrated hours of the day to healing, and even more time on finding the cure. It had been two days, and Zhao had not yet come to the hospital. In those two days Leiya had not eaten, and had not slept since her trip to her old home. She lived off her light energy. Her mother had warned her, that for some unknown reason, to never use too much bending strength. Leiya did not head her warning. She would find the cure.

Meanwhile, more and more people were catching sick, and the hospital was full of the sick.

Aurora stared out the window and saw the black metal ship land on the shores. Neko came up behind her "Get Leiya."

"No, I don't want to bother her. I can take care of this minor threat." With that, Aurora gathered her staff that could fight, and headed out to the shore.

Leiya woke up after nodding out for the umpteenth time. She sighed, and willed her exhausted body to rise. She walked over to her window that faced the shore. The sight of Aurora meeting Zhao met her eyes, and she grabbed her bag and sprinted towards the door.

Neko saw the flash of gold run past him. "Take care, Leiya, for I shall not be around when you return."

Leiya stopped in her tracks. "You must meet up with the Avatar again. You must know, Leiya that fire is much like lightning. You still have a home in that nation."

Leiya stood, her mouth agape. She had no idea about how this man knew her history,

"Go now. And do not be afraid of fire. It shall not burn you again." Neko said with a smile. "And do me a favor, tell Katara and Aang to keep practicing. They show much promise."

Leiya stood, puzzled, before making up her mind to run out to Aurora. Her mind was to fatigue to comprehend the wise man's words. She also understood his incurable disease. She had healed him before, and could not heal him again. He could feel the storm of his life fade. To everything its time. She was used to seeing death's calm arrival by now. She just gave Neko a smile and said. "Will do. Thank you, and goodbye!"

Leiya burst out the doors to hear the last of her friend's words. An earthbender had lifted the ground of the hospital and Leiya stood about ten feet above sea level.

"Alright, I warned you!" Aurora cried. Leiya looked on as Zhao threw her friend and allies easily to the ground. Something within Leiya broke. She no longer felt her light present, but something that felt smooth like water and hot like water.

"Admiral Zhao!" Leiya yelled down to the man heading toward the hospital.

"The Avatar is not here!"

"But he was. You are all under arrest for helping him."

"You can't prove anything!" Leiya's voice was full of anger.

"I don't need to prove anything." He said.

"Fine, than you'll have to get through me. I can not be responsible for what I do to you!"

Admiral Zhao laughed out loud. He then motioned for his soldiers to attack the lone girl. The fire flew towards her. She felt instinct take over. She only felt rage. All of a sudden a storm broke loose. She threw her own power at the flames. A strong blue flame came forth, and absorbed the oncoming fire. It then hit several soldiers, landing them by their ship.

"Admiral Zhao, you have acted wrongly. You are a true traitor to the Firenation! You shall pay for your treason! Perhaps you deserve a mark to show your true self!"

Leiya's eyes glowed gold, and blue fire formed a wall around the soldiers. Leiya reached out to the fire, and tried to pull it to a form, either a stream or ball. However, the blue fire's surface sizzled as sparks played over the flame. The fire and light seemed to have other ideas than its bender.

The fire pulled itself into an enormous winged dragon. Its eyes glowed an evil gold like Leiya's. The soldiers looked in horror at the dragon that reared for an attack. Leiya moved her arms to guide the dragon forward. She no longer thought about her actions. Primitive instinct had conquered her mind at that moment.

It was a feeling unlike any other. It was the trapped presence that had always loomed around her had been released. Relief swept over her, followed by a new wave of rage. Her temper was like lightning. One quick brilliant flash, and than it disappeared as quickly as it came.

The dragon was hit with a bolt of lightning from the approaching storm. Winds whipped at Leiya, making her look even more dangerous. The dragon held lightning between its monstrous, fiery wings. It inhaled and blew more blue fire at the attackers. It mixed lightning with the flame, turning it into a burst of golden light.

The soldiers ran, including Zhao, to the ship, and they hastily sailed away.

"YOU HAVE NO HONOR!" Leiya screeched. "And I WILL prove it to Lord Ozai!" Leiya yelled. Her voice was strange and unknown to her. It felt older, and it felt like someone else was speaking for her.

Leiya threw fire at the retreating ship, scorching the metal, and warping the mast with her blue fire.

Leiya was about to order the dragon to attack the ship and kill all on board, but the storm broke. Rain pummeled the girl, dragon and ship alike. The dragon evaporated as rain hit its fire body. Leiya on the other hand, steamed. Her hands were burned from her own fire.

Leiya was about to help her friend Aurora when a spirit flew through the clouds. Leiya was frightened, as she had never seen such a being. It looked like Roku's dragon, except it had a golden aura. Was it Xia? Perhaps it could sense her, feel her emotion build.

It flew towards Leiya, and she blacked out before the dragon reached her.

Leiya woke for a moment and thought that she was on the back of a dragon. She only saw ocean below her, and soon felt cool water rush over her hot skin. She, again, lost consciousness, and succumbed to her body's need for rest.

A soldier on board Zuko's ship was walking on deck when he saw a strange girl floating on the ocean. A bag was on her shoulder, and she looked unconscious. He was a good soul, and wasted no time on getting the girl on board.

Iroh was out walking and saw the nearly dead girl before him. 'Leiya? No, it couldn't be…' "Put her in Jasmine's room, and tend to her wounds. I'll be in shortly."

"Shouldn't we talk to Prince Zuko?" A soldier inquired.

"I'll take care of that." Iroh replied.

Zuko was in his room meditating. His candles grew and shrank rhythmically, but he was interrupted by a vision in his head. He saw Leiya, and her smiling gold eyes. In a split second her image disappeared 'What am I thinking…' He thought to himself. He heard a knock at the door, and knew that only Iron would interrupt his meditation.

"What is it Uncle?" Zuko asked, his voice calm.

"One of the Avatar's friends has been found out in the ocean."

"Excellent. She will lead the Avatar to us. Throw her in the prison hold."

"You see, it is not that simple Prince Zuko. She is in Jasmine's room. She is badly hurt"

"I'll be the judge of that."

Iroh shrugged. His nephew would not listen.

Iroh knew that if anyone could cool Zuko's fiery temper, it would be Leiya. Her temper was like lightning, and lightning could rival fire.

Zuko burst the door open. Leiya lay unconscious on the bed, her hands bound in bandages. Iroh smiled at his nephew's reaction to seeing Leiya. He looked surprised to see the girl who had so quickly invaded his dreams. She was whining quietly in her sleep from an unseen nightmare. In reality, Leiya wasn't dreaming, but her body was recovering.

It had been two days, leaving ten days until she met up with Aang. Leiya opened her sleepy eyes. She felt empty and cold. She hadn't been like this since she had been thirteen and left the Firenation. Her mind was foggy and she wouldn't be able to concentrate for a long while.

Leiya then thought to see where she was. Her last memory was herself diving into water with a dragon- Xia? Or perhaps that had been a dream? She saw red around her and a tapestry with a firebending sign on the metal side. She tore clumsily out of her bed and ran towards her door. She thought it would be locked, but she burst through it and her legs gave way.

She sat on the floor, almost in tears, frustrated at her lack of strength. She pulled herself up on the door and winced as her sore hands grasped at metal. Once she had regained balance she noticed a pain in her left ankle.

She sighed. Her strength and bandages had kept pain at bay. Now that most of her strength was gone, she simply had to bear the pain. Plus, her bandages had burned away in the heat of the inferno she had made.

She then saw a guard who had been passing by. He raised one eyebrow at the girl, and moved to keep her in her room. He reached gently for the girls arm, but she pulled away, eyes livid.

"Where am I?" 'Please, not Zhao's ship.' She thought. She knew the metal walls were that of a ship.

"You are on Prince Zuko's ship." The soldier said. The girl saw sincerity and sweet pity behind the man's eyes. Relief swept over the girl's pale face. "I'll go back to my room." She said quietly. Then she remembered her manners that had been driven into her nature.

"Thank you." She said with a smile.

"Uh…you're welcome?" The soldier said. He had not met a girl who could go from frightened to content so quickly. He went to tell Iroh and the Prince that their prisoner was awake and okay. He remembered how worried Zuko had looked. He would be relieved that the girl would be okay.

A/N: No real cliffhanger. Sorry that this chapter was long. Sometime I'll refine it and rewrite it. Eventually. Next time I'll update faster, school has ending projects and stuff. Oh, and Zuko and Leiya will have more interaction. I promised romance, but I just didn't want this chapter to be too long. There will be a little more next time (if my story goes according to my plan). Anyway, please review. .