Leiko approached the ship, breathing deeply and looking at her feet. She looked a mess. There was blood spattered on her face, and blood stains all over her clothes. Her sword had blood dried on it and her hands were dyed red. The horrible color red, the color of the dishonorable deed of murder. The color of the fire nation, the place she dreaded. She walked up the ship's ramp and onto the deck. Zuko was pacing back and forth and Iroh was still holding Reina. She looked at them with tears in her eyes, and only Iroh looked up. "Leiko!" he exclaimed and ran over to her with the baby. "What happened? You're covered in…in…"

"Blood?" and she sighed, "I just slay five men in the woods less than an hour ago." And Iroh looked at her in shock. "The men ambushed me, men of Kilix's navy. They were the ones who killed Tila. I wanted vengeance…and I don't know what came over me." And she looked down at the blood on her hands as they trembled before her, adrenaline still coursing through her veins. "I'm become what I've feared all over again." And she clenched her fists, "An assassin."

"Leiko!" Zuko called out and marched up to her with an angered look on his face. "You stupid broad!" he yelled. Leiko and Iroh went into shock. What had he just said to her? This was the girl he loved and he was speaking to her like that?

"Zuko…" she was confused.

"Because of all of the commotion you stirred up, because of your stupid fighting, YOU SCARED OFF THE AVATAR!"

"What?" she was still confused and his harsh words burned her.

"The Avatar fled the island when he discovered there were firebenders on the island!"

"But…but it was all Kilix's fault! He sent his men to kill me!" Leiko pleaded, "He saw Kilix's men! They were everywhere looking for me! It's not my fault!"

"YOU were the one who scared him off Leiko!" Zuko yelled while pointing.

"No."

"It is all your fault!"

"No it's not!"

"You took away my chance to capture the Avatar! You took away my honor! If you weren't too busy fighting to avenge some stupid bird…!"

"She wasn't a stupid bird!"

"You're costing me my honor!" Zuko barked. Leiko was silent and held out her hands to him. Once again, she had made him mad. Their marriage was in the gutter, and they had been fighting more since they vowed. She wanted nothing more than his forgiving touch. The touch of the man she loved.

"Zuko…I…I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I-"

"You are a good for nothing, worthless, disgrace of a wife!"

"No!" and she rushed up to him and went to touch his face but he pushed her away and turned his face, "Zuko…"

"You cost me the Avatar!"

"Zuko, this is your wife you are talking to!" Iroh butt in.

"I know well who I am talking to!" Zuko roared back at his uncle.

"But we love each other." Leiko tried.

"How can I love the girl who is constantly ruining things for me?"

"CONSTANTLY? How am I constantly ruing things? Name one thing!"

"You brought that baby on the ship!"

"She needed a home!"

"She could find another home!"

"Have you no heart?" she begged. Zuko went quiet, "Our marriage is falling apart. You have turned back into the icy and cold, spoiled prince who everyone wants to see banished for life."

"And thanks to you I will be!" he turned and yelled at her.

"YOU WILL NEVER CATCH THE AVATAR!" she cried out to him! Zuko went into shock and looked at her with hurt in his eyes. Leiko tried to stand up strong and look him in the face, but she soon broke down into tears and ran off the ship! She fled as her heart broke into pieces.

Leiko ran into the nearby woods until she had no idea where she was. She felt like her life was falling apart. Aside from being the daughter of her enemy, her marriage was in the gutter and her best friend was dead. Could her life possibly get any worse? But little did she know that it could. Just as she went to turn around a tree, someone grabbed her from behind! She struggled to get free, and she kicked up her foot into the air and hit whoever it was square in the face! The person dropped her and she clasped her throat as she fell onto her knees, trying to breathe. She turned and saw a bunch of firebenders standing behind her with weapons aimed at her. "He's been following us the whole time!" Leiko spoke of Kilix.

"This is the end of the line, Leiko Sikari." A man said in firebending armor. Leiko didn't have her weapons on her, she would have to firebend. She took a fighting stance and readied for battle.

"You are all out of your minds if you think that you can take me down!" she mocked them. And she threw a huge fire ball at one of the men! He dodged it and tossed his spear at her, but she ducked down and it missed her!

"Surrender! You're outnumbered five to one." Another man said. Leiko smiled deviously.

"I've had worse." And she charged at them with fire coming from her fists! The men took their spears and began to swing and attempt to stab her! But she was too fast for them, and she dodged their weapons with flips and sending back strong blasts of fire. However she stopped when one man managed to dig his spear into her stomach! She stumbled back and fell against a tree. The men surrounded her and looked down at her. Leiko touched her gut and waited for the pain to come, but to her surprise it didn't. She sat there for a minute, wondering why the spear hadn't even broken her skin, but then she realized that she was wearing the under armor that Lieutenant Jee had given her. The shirt was made of steal scaled and could not be penetrated! The men gasped when they saw her living, and she just grinned up at them. "This will be too easy."

It only took Leiko four minutes to finish off all five of the men. They had been welled trained, but not well enough to face her. She was invincible, and she was proud of it. Leiko walked away from the five dead bodies and rinsed her hands in a nearby stream. The blood seemed to flow off of her hands and dance down the water's trail. She placed her lips to the water and took a sip of it after all the trails of blood were gone. She was incredibly sick of it! Sick of killing people just to live, and for a moment she wondered if she should have even tried to escape the fire nation. If she hadn't, she would have been living a completely different, but safe life. Zuko, Iroh and Reina wouldn't be in half of the danger they were. Then it struck her…if Kilix was on the island, than he knew Zuko was alive! Zuko was in trouble! Along with Iroh and little Reina! Leiko bounded to her feet and darted back to the ship!

Leiko spotted the ship in the distance, and she stopped and looked at it. It looked stable, and she didn't see anyone around it. Were they safe? Maybe Kilix thought Zuko was dead after all. She sighed of relief and walked slowly towards the ship. She would go on and apologize to her husband, Zuko. She loved him too much to stay mad at him. But before she could make it to the opening of the ship, something terrible happened…

With a loud, ear shattering sound the ship exploded into fiery bits! A huge cloud of fire pounced up into the sky and pieces of the ship went everywhere! The force of the explosion sent Leiko flying back and onto the ground! She landed with a thud on her back and covered her face as debris and flames fell from the sky! Then she stood up and looked at the disaster…and her heart stopped. "ZUKO!" She cried out as she reached to what was left of the ship! She went as fast as her feet could carry her up to the ship with a hand over her head to protect herself from falling debris. She gazed upon the mess…there was nothing left. She cried out again, pleading to the gods that she would get an answer! "ZUKO! IROH! REINA!" But there was nothing. She dropped to her knees and began to cry. "Why?" she asked herself.

Now she had lost everything she owned, and even more so her family. The only people she could call her family. She lost her uncle, her baby and her husband. Everything was gone. And for the rest of the night she sat in front of the flaming ship, crying and pleading that it was all just a nightmare. But it was no dream, it was all very real. Zuko was dead.