She saw Zuko standing in front of the cave, calling for her. She took a deep breath and walked up to him, trying to hide her emotions. He turned to her and asked her where she had been, she replied that she was looking for the Avatar and the cave let her out a ways away from where they were now standing. He walked up close to her and stopped when he was less than a foot away and looked shocked! "What? What is it?" she asked. He reached forward and plucked a hair from hers, and looked at it. It was white and thick. Uh oh, she thought.

"You saw the bison!" he said and then he grabbed her by the shoulders, "Where is he Aiori? Where's the Avatar?" he begged for an answer. She didn't answer right away.

"I didn't see him." She lied.

"This is a bison hair! There are no bison on this island! I know you saw him! Now tell me, where did you find him?" she bowed her head and looked away.

"I-I let him go." She confessed.

"What?" he asked softly.

"I found him, and two other people. But I did what I thought was right…I let him go." Zuko let go of her and backed up. She could tell his temper was boiling and grew scared. He had every right to be mad at her. But she had every right to do what she did.

"YOU DID WHAT?" he barked at her! She jumped from the sudden explosion and looked at him. "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?"

"I'm sorry Zuko." She said softly as tears brimmed her eyes.

"DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE SORRY YOU STUPID WRETCH! WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU? DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE DONE?" she bowed her head, knowing well what she did. But he reminded her anyway. "YOU JUST THREW AWAY MY KINGDOM FROM MY GRASP!" he calmed, "I should have known better than to give you chance after chance. I was wrong in thinking we weren't so different." He turned his back to her and she walked forward and touched his shoulder.

"Zuko…" she started.

"I AM LEAVING YOU HERE ON THIS ISLAND! YOU WILL BE STRANDED HERE UNTIL YOU ROT!"

"But Zuko!" she cried in horror!

"I would kill you if I didn't care about you so much." He said quietly, just loud enough for her to hear. Had he really just said that! Impossible!

"Zuko," she tried again, wanting to clarify what he said. He turned to her and screamed violently!

"GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! NOW!" and he struck her with the back of his hand, sending her to the ground! She looked up as tears tumbled down her face. He ignited his fists and she sprung up and ran away and into the brush!

Aiori continued to run away until she tripped over a branch and fell to the ground with a thud! She crawled up and hugged a nearby tree and cried. A strong thunder boomed through the air, alerting every living thing of the coming storm. The wind kicked up and blew around debris. She wanted more than anything to be in the shelter of the ship, but she would no longer have that option. She had lost her home, her family, and now even all safety. She had nothing.

Zuko was rounding up his men and boarding the ship. He watched as each man and his rhino walked onto the steel ramp. Zuko felt empty inside, but burning with anger on the outside. Some rain drops hit his face but he paid them no mind. Uncle Iroh walked up to him.

"Where is Aiori?" he asked his nephew.

"She's somewhere out there." He answered in a monotone.

"You left her!" Iroh asked in a yell.

"She betrayed me uncle. She saw the Avatar and let him go! She cost me everything!" Zuko explained.

"What do you expect from a girl who has lost everything? You took away all she had, and now you leave her in the forest to die!"

"She should have held true!"

"Prince Zuko, I cannot believe you threw such a precious thing away! And after all you had hoped for." Iroh spoke and Zuko suddenly went silent.

"What do you mean?"

"I have been watching the two of you…and you know well what I mean. A heart never notices the wrong of its ways until a beautiful maiden comes along. She changed you, for the better. You thought about her night and day, and now you've abandoned her." Zuko turned away, "You cannot hide nor deny your feelings Prince Zuko. No one has that ability. This girl came along and you felt something you never had before. Like you said, Aiori was the most beautiful girl you had ever seen in your entire life, and you could not think straight without her."

"I never said that." Zuko turned and corrected his uncle.

"You haven't said that yet." Iroh stated and watched as Zuko stood and thought.

Zuko grabbed the reins of one man's rhino and jumped on. "I'm going to find her." He told his uncle and he hurried off into the forest. Iroh smiled as he watched his nephew ride off despite the growing storm.

"What just happened?" asked the soldier.

"Young love." Iroh replied with a smile.