The next morning, Leiko woke up without Zuko's arms around her. She just sat up and got out of bed. She headed back to her room and got dressed. It seemed like everything was very quiet, except for some banter she heard going on up on the deck. She took Tila and walked up there to see what the commotion was about. When she got there, the men were scrambling and chattering in a state of nervousness and paranoia.

"What's going on?" she asked. She looked around and saw that the ocean water seemed to be gliding by a lot faster than usual. "Why are we going so fast?"

"Admiral Zhao's army is catching up on us!" a soldier said in fear.

"Yeah, he has us outnumbered a hundred to one!" another one said.

"There are at least 200 men on his ship! We only have 50!" another one shouted. Leiko stood there for a moment and looked at all the nervous men who were scrambling around. She stood up on a crate and put her hands up.

"Everyone!" she called and all the men stopped and turned to look up at her. "I know there is need for alarm. But do not forget that we have a weapon all our own that can overcome any spear or arrow…we have bravery! We have courage! And we have a great general to lead us!"

"But they are gaining closer with every hour!" one man told her. Leiko pointed up to the helmsman and shouted,

"Helmsman, full speed to the nearest island!" then she turned back to the crew, "Let us prepare for battle! Let us fight, or die trying!" The ship cheered and raised their fists into the air. "If we stay true to our hearts and each other then we shall be victorious!"

The ship turned to the left and soon a pinch of land was in sight. Upon arrival, Leiko called to all the men to get their armor on. Once they did they all gathered on the deck. Leiko was in her warrior outfit with her black bandana around her neck. "We fight at dawn! Until then, we will practice! Every able man on this ship will learn how to fight properly and affectively with these!" she said as she stomped on the crate she was standing upon and the front lid fell off, revealing spears that were sharpened to cut a single hair. "We have less that 24 hours to train, I suggest everyone listens to the master, General Iroh!" Iroh walked out and sighed. Leiko jumped down and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Lead our men to victory, Uncle." She said, considering him a member of her family now. And he practically was. But Iroh just bowed his head.

"I cannot lead the men into battle." He said and then every gasped and began to chatter. Zuko demanded them to be quiet and walked over to Leiko and Iroh.

"But Uncle, we need an experienced general to beat Zhao!" Zuko said. "Without you, there is no hope!"

"I am too old Prince Zuko. My joints ach more and more everyday and I am not as quick as I used to be." And the men began to chatter more. "Listen to me," he lifted his arms up and gained their attention. "You need someone young, clever and fast to lead you…someone with experience and great knowledge. What you need is a warrior." And he turned to Leiko whose mouth was slightly open. "You need Leiko. She knows everything there is to know. She's brave and smart. She will lead us to victory." The men gathered around Leiko.

"But…but Iroh…" she tried to change his mind. "I'm only fifteen!"

"True, but you are the great Leiko Sikari; trained for years to lead an army of men. The men are yours to lead." And he bowed as a sign of relinquish.

"We need you Leiko." Zuko said after a moment. Leiko just nodded, accepting. The men cheered and lifted their spears into the air. Leiko just gave them a small smile. Zuko placed his arms around her and held her close. "You can do it. We're counting on you." And he gently kissed her forehead. The words were all too familiar. It seemed like just yesterday Leiko had been pleading those very same words to Zuko.

Later in the same hour, Leiko was standing in front of an armoire in her room. She had been staring at it for the past hour. Tila stayed perched on her shoulder. Leiko's lips were dry and sweat dripped down her temples. Did she really want to do this? This was what her father wanted her to be, and yet the crew wanted her to be this too. She wasn't used to fighting in an army; she was a warrior and fought alone. But the lives of the crew and her beloved Zuko depended on her.

Years of pain and suffering flashed through her, and she fought back tears. Did she have to become like the one she hated? But it was for a good cause. She reached out slowly and flung open the door of the armoire, revealing a mannequin with fire bending armor on it, but they were made for a general. She stared at it for the longest time as Tila waited quietly for her master's next move. With taking a deep breath, Leiko reached in and pulled out the armor. She began to strap it on slowly, piece by piece. Taking it in what she was doing. Her heart beat in her chest and against the shell that was now placed around her body.

One finished, she turned and looked in the mirror. She looked like a general…she looked like her father. But she knew that under the dressings lay a different person altogether. She was no coward and she was no monster. She was Leiko Sikari, the world's greatest warrior. Now she had to prove herself to be the world's greatest general. She reached over and took the metal helmet in her hands. She looked down at it and the armor around her wrists. She looked like a regular fire bender. Trying to tell herself that it wasn't what the eye saw, but what the heart learned, she lifted the helmet above her head and slipped it on. Then she looked in the mirror again and sighed. She heard Zuko enter the room and stand in the doorway. She could see him in the reflection of the mirror. "I don't want to be this." She told him solemnly.

"I know." Was all he said and he entered. He was in his armor as well. He placed a hand on her shoulder and in turn she put her hand over his. They both looked at themselves in the mirror. "I just wanted to let you know that no matter what happens out there…I'll always love you, Leiko." Leiko didn't smile but turned to him and hugged him. She couldn't feel his skin, just the bumping of the hard armor when they made contact. She didn't like it. "My uncle wanted me to give you this." He said and he held out a sword in a case. Leiko took it and tied it to her waist. "He fought with it in all his battles. He thought you might like it." Leiko finished tying it and gave him a small smile. "Come on, everyone is waiting." And they walked out to the deck.

On the deck, the men parted and watched as Leiko walked up to Iroh. Leiko bowed in front of him and Iroh placed the textile around her neck and made it so it went around her shoulder like a banner. It was a sign that she was a general. Leiko turned to the men and took out her sword and held it up into the air. The men cheered. "We fight at dawn!" she called out.

Dawn came all too soon for Leiko. She hardly slept any little bit, for she was far too nervous. But the men needed her. So she got up and readied everyone in ranks. They boarded their rhinos and were off. Zuko stayed close to Leiko to give her emotional support. Leiko was still shaky, and the reins trembled in her grasp. Can I do it? Can I lead these men to victory? Am I ready for this? Zuko reached out and touched her shoulder. "You can do it Leiko. I know you can. Everyone remembers their training." Leiko didn't smile but just nodded.

They reached a clearing and there on the other side of the enormous field stood another army! Leiko's breath went short and she struggled to catch it. This was it. She raised her hand into the air. "Everybody on my mark! Remember your training! Do as I say and nobody will lose their life! " she called out. The other general did the same. They were tragically outnumbered, but they couldn't flee now. "CHARGE!" she threw her hand down and everyone began to rush towards the others! The other general did the same and the two forced began to grow closer together! Leiko knew to take them head on! And then the forced collided!

A spear came right for her face, but she jumped off her rhino and into the air! Then she curled into a ball and began to spin in the air, and as she went back on the ground she continued, kicking up fire from her path! She jumped out of her fire ball and ran ahead, taking out her sword! She ran, slashing anybody who got in her way! She took down two to her left and three to her right. After that she stood up and looked around, waiting to see her men. "PLAN B!" she called out. Her men began to spin their spears around rapidly, taking down anyone who charged at them. She did the same as she ran forward, knocking out five more people. Then her spear was broken by an angry rhino with a soldier on it! She jumped up into the air and kicked the soldier in the face, knocking him off the beast and sending the animal into a fit of stomping…right atop its master. Leiko jumped on the rhino and grabbed the reins, she began to ram it into other rhinos, causing the men to fall of and be trampled! "FIRE!" she yelled, and the men who still had their spears lit the tips on fire. They began to swing them around, burning any enemy who came their way. She slid off the rhino and began combat one on one with another soldier. Leiko jumped onto his shoulders and broke his neck.

The battle raged on, and Leiko was growing weary from all the fighting. She wondered about Zuko and stopped to look for him. Was he okay? But then she turned as another fire bender went to burn her face! But he was taken out with a swift kick of flames by Prince Zuko himself. Leiko smiled, knowing he was okay and unharmed.

"We're evenly matched now!" he yelled over the roar to her. It was raining, making it hard to concentrate on a single target, yet Leiko's men were doing just fine.

"FIRE POWER!" She yelled out, and everyone began to fire bend. Zuko ran off and began to fight another soldier. Leiko ran into a mass of men and kick two in the face! One man grabbed her but she did a back flip and freed herself from his grip! She tripped him and punched him in the gut, making him hunch over, and then she drove her elbow into his spine, snapping it an instantly killing him. Another man went to grab her and she did a back flip, kicking him in the face with a flame coming from her foot and scalding his face. He fell to the ground and she stomped on him and went on to help more of her men. She took out her sword and began to slash people's throat from behind. Zuko ran over to her, but was snatched up by two firebenders. "Duck!" she told him, and he did. She ran forward and kicked out both feet, knocking both men in the face and sending them to the ground. She landed swiftly and went on.

It continued on to late in the night. Leiko and her men were exhausted. People dragged themselves to keep going. Leiko wanted nothing more than to rest. And she had had enough. But things changed drastically when she saw Zuko fall to the ground!

"ZUKO!" she yelled out to him! He didn't get up, but another firebender stood over him and went to do away with him! "NO!" she went to run over, but men grabbed her and she was pulled further away! "NO!" and then she was overcome by rage and furry!

As they began to drag her away, years of anguish flashed through her veins! Her blood curdled and her temperature flared! "MAT…SU…SE!" she yelled, and flames engulfed her entire body! The firebenders let go of her and watched in shock as the flames flew up into the air and took the shape of a dragon! She screamed at the top of her lungs as her crew ran for their lives!

"NO, LEIKO DON'T!" Zuko cried out as someone of his own crew grabbed his arm and tried to pull him to safety! But Leiko couldn't hear him! The flames surged out and swallowed up the land! The other soldiers screamed in pain as the fire gobbled them up and they turned to nothing but ashes there on the spot! The fire continued to spur from Leiko's body until her screaming stopped and everything around her was nothing more than cinders. All that was left was the armor. Leiko's skin cooled and she stood there and looked around. She had done it! She had done the Mat Su Se. And she had defeated the army.

Her men slowly came out from where they were sheltered and looked at her. "Leiko…" Zuko said. But when Leiko was about to speak, she found herself too weak. Instead of walking over to them, she fell to her knees again and then onto her side. "Leiko!" and he rushed over to her. He helped her up and held her in his arms. "Are you alright Leiko?" he asked. She just took in a deep raspy breath and smiled at him.

"Yes, I'm alright." She said.

"We are victorious!" one man shouted. "Three cheers for General Leiko Sikari!"

"Hip-hip hurray!" they cheered over and over again! Leiko stood to her feet and smiled at Zuko.

"You did the Mat Su Se." he said astounded. "How did you do it?"

"It just came to me."

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Zuko asked.

"No." she grinned.

"Well then let me show you." He said, and he kissed her passionately. She didn't resist and kissed him back. Once their lips parted, the men lifted her up into the air and continued to cheer her name! She laughed merrily, knowing she had done it. She was now an official general…General Leiko Sikari.