Sry everyone, but this one is really short. I am running out of ideas! And time to write as well. So this one is short but the next one will be very dramatic...I promise.

The rest of the day was very mellow, or at least until sunset when the ship shored on another island to stock up on supplies. Leiko was playing Pi Sho with Iroh when Zuko burst through the door and grabbed Leiko. "What is it, Zuko?" she asked alarmed. He pulled her out of the room and into his room! He slammed the door behind him and faced her, placing a hand over her mouth and telling her to be quiet with a finger over his lips. Then he lit a candle next to him. Leiko had no idea what was going on, but it must have been bad news.

"My men just spotted another assassin the market place." He informed her, "A man named Inaku Tran."

"What?"

"He's coming to the ship as we speak to find you. Don't worry, he won't get you. I promise. You stay here; I'll get rid of him." And he left and slammed his door.

"Zuko wait!" she called, but the door slammed, "He'll kill you." She finished to herself. She wasn't satisfied with the situation at all, and she wanted to march outside and teach this Inaku man a lesson. But she waited like he had said, knowing he only wanted to protect her. Chances were that after her father realized that she had killed Sang he would send a stronger assassin to do the job. Maybe Tran was so strong that she wouldn't be able to beat him. Then Zuko wouldn't be able to beat him for sure! She grew frustrated and opened the door and peaked out. There was nobody in the hallway, so she snuck out, grabbing a katana and went up to the deck. There was no way she was about to hide. She never had and never would, from anyone. Sure enough when she reached the deck, there was trouble.

"Tell me where she is!" A man dressed in red armor demanded. His face had a long gashing scar across it, diagonally. His hair was in a bun and his katana was drawn and set right in front of Zuko's face!

"No!" Prince Zuko growled back, "I won't let you hurt her! You can tell Zhao that if he wants Leiko he'll have to face me one on one first!"

"I will complete my mission and kill his daughter!"

"Than you are a fool!" and then the man lifted his katana into the air and went to his Zuko!

"NO!" Leiko ran out in front of Zuko and put up her sword, blocking Tran's strike and protecting Zuko!

"Leiko, get back inside!" Zuko demanded of her.

"You will not harm the prince!" Leiko snarled at Tran.

"I was told to kill him if he gets in my way!" Inaku Tran replied.

"Than be a man and go through me first!" Leiko stated and took a pose with her sword. "You wish to fight me?"

"Give me your all! Go ahead, I'll still beat you!" Leiko and Inaku began to circle each other. The crew on the ship backed up and made a large circle for Leiko and Inaku to fight.

They stared each other down and then Inaku made the first strike, but Leiko blocked it and spun around, blocking his other one! She jumped back and evaded another one. Inaku was fast, but not as fast as her with all that armor on. She lunged forward, barely missing his nose and then ducked as he swung back! She tumbled on the ground and spun, tripping him and then jumped back up with her sword. "Is that all you have?" Leiko asked. "This will be easy."

"I've barely begun!" and they began to fight again!

Deep down in Leiko's chest, fear coursed through her veins. She had no armor on and with one strike she could lose her life and her father and Inaku would win. But she couldn't let that happen. Inaku was not going to win if it took her arm away from her. She did a flip over him, missing the sword from her face but getting a gash through her clothing on her upper arm! The crew gasped when they say her grip her bleeding arm. Zuko went to run forward but Iroh stopped him, knowing that this was all Leiko's fight. They went on for almost an hour, keeping the crew on the edge of a breath, making them stare without blinking. For if they did they could miss the final blow. Inaku and Leiko seemed to be evenly matched, until Leiko spun around and ducked one his blows and jabbed him in the stomach! He gasped in pain and dropped his sword, letting it clatter on the floor. Leiko withdrew her sword from his gut and stood up straight, panting and still trying to catch her breath. Her hair was a mess with wisps hanging in front of her face. Inaku's face went pale as he gripped his wound that bled atrociously and fell forward onto the deck floor. Leiko touched his neck and then ripped off the metal tag around his neck and shoved it into her pocket. And at that moment the whole crew knew he was dead. Leiko had killed another man.

The doctor on the ship tended to Leiko's pained arm. It was gashed just below the surface, nothing too bad. He washed it and wrapped it up with a special serum on the wrapping that would prevent any scaring. Then he let her be in her room. For the rest of the night Leiko didn't show her face to the crew. She repented through the night. Zuko felt horrible about the whole situation. He had a dead man on his deck that the crew had to cremate and his best friend, whom had kissed him, was shattered into pieces again, just when everything was improving for her. He hated Zhao and all his ways for doing what he did. Putting Leiko to the test almost everyday, changing her into a killing machine…what had he done? He created a monster that Leiko had to work hard to hold back almost every single day she lived. He had to make Zhao pay, one way or another; he would pay as soon as he returned to the fire nation. Zuko would see to it that Zhao would never harm Leiko again.