Hikari sat in front of the campfire they had made. Iroh had managed to get some bandages and salve to use on Zuko's wounds from the explosion.

     Everything felt like it was happening so fast. It was too fast for the brunette. She had been thinking about something important. From the things Iroh had told her, she looked like a girl of the Earth Kingdom. She had been wearing their colors too. With nothing else to deduct from, she was likely a native of the Earth Kingdom.

     Many of her memories were still gone. But what drove her on was the memory of her parents. She remembered exactly what they looked like, just not their names. If anyone could help her get her memory back, it would be them. The question was how to find them and where? Because it was such a ginormous plain to search, she decided it would be best to travel the road on her own.

     Now that the crew was gone, the ship was out of commission and Zuko was going into hiding, she thought maybe now would be the best time to part ways. Zhao had most likely thought that with the prince being dead, she would get out of the way of his plans. He would have been wrong, but with her leaving, it would be playing right into his hands.

     Hazel eyes stared into the fire. She wanted to do it, but she still was not sure. The tug of travel pulled at her gut, but her heart wanted to see her friend through this dilemma. If anything, the thought of seeing the admiral put a rock into her stomach. This decision was touch on her. It would be a great impact on her either way.

     Hikari ran a hand through her hair, "What am I going to do?"

     "Just play along and take uncle's lead," Zuko stated. "Don't let Zhao know anything about my survival. I won't get caught."

     "I... It's not that."

     Iroh seemed to understand, "You wish to leave us?"

     When the girl did not answer, the prince's anger seemed to burn, "Why?! Why do you want to leave?!"

     "I want to find who I am. I want to find my parents, rekindle my memories. All I have to go by is what Uncle Iroh said. I look like I'm from the Earth Kingdom and I was wearing their colors. Hopefully, that means I can find them there. June offered me assistance if I ever needed anything... This is my chance.

     "I get the feeling Zhao wanted your death to be a factor in sending me away. It would build on Uncle's story. If you really want to convince him, say I left out of heartbreak. I want to assist you, but I also want to find my home. I want to find my family. I'm strong enough to be on my own thanks to you. I think it's time I go."

     Tense silence covered the campsite. Anyone could have easily cut through it like a hot knife through butter. Only the oblivious would not notice it.

     In some senses, Hikari knew she was asking Zuko for permission to leave. He was her family and her best friend. She did not want to leave him with a frayed knot. This was just as important as helping him regain his title of Prince of the Fire Nation. That title would forever be with him, but he would have to chose whether he really did hold it or not.

     The old man spoke, "Why don't you stay until I can at least get you some money to travel with?"

     "It would be stupid to travel with no supplies," the other teen spoke.

     Hearing that, the girl grinned, "Of course."

     The night was restless for the two teens, both of them falling in and out of sleep. They both knew that this would be their last meeting for a long while. Whenever they would meet again would be up to fate. It was almost heartbreaking, not that either of them would admit it to themselves, or each other much less.

     The sun rose slowly over the horizon and the girl felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. This was an adventure that would give her a lead or maybe it would give her a dead end. She had hope that she could find someone to help her. She had great hope she could at least find something of her past.

     They got to the harbor and began searching through the docks to find a suit of armor to hide Zuko and someone who wouldn't mind sailing Hikari back towards June. The girl went up to different captains, offering her services in payment for a ride. If they could not offer that, she would thank them and go to the next person.

     By some miracle, an older couple just happened to be heading in that direction and were happy to accept a young person's help (even if she was dressed as part of the Fire Nation). She assisted them in getting things on board and under deck for storage. There was time before she left, so her friend and uncle stuck around to at least see her off. Of course, they went about finding the prince's disguise in the process.

     The couple allowed the girl to wait for her friends to return so she could tell them goodbye. She was nervous to leave the two people she trusted her life with. At the same time, the excitement of adventure drove her fears aside.

     When they came back, Iroh was grinning, "We managed to find something suitable for my nephew."

     "That's great news!" Hikari took her uncle's hands, "It's wonderful. I hope every bit of luck gets sent your way while we're apart. While you're claiming the Avatar, I'll be on my search."

     "Well now, we couldn't just leave you without a parting gift."

     "Uncle, it's fine."

     "No. It's a reminder, so that you never forget us."

     The old man pulled out a small necklace. More specifically a choker necklace. The main body of it was green leather. At the front was a little, greyish-green colored leaf pendent. If anything, soming had carved it. The leaf looked like it had been carved from rock, so possibly from earthbending.

     She felt tears come to her eyes, "Not that I could forget after all of our adventures... I definitely won't forget either of you so soon with this."

     The elder of the two stepped forward to help her put it on her. She moved her hair out of the way. His hands fumbled with the clasp.

     "These old hands aren't as steady as they used to be," Iroh sighed.

     Zuko stepped forward, "I'll do it."

     The jewelry was passed from uncle to nephew. His hands were steady. With ease, the choker was secure. Sadly enough, it was going to be that way with their parting.

     The brunette tackled the retired general into a tight hug, "I'll miss you so much. I really hope that everything goes well."

     He chuckled and squeezed her in return, "Just be wary on the open road, Niece. Stay safe. I wish you the best of luck."

     She pulled away, still holding his arms for a moment, "Always. I have you to thank for it."

     The two teens stared at each other quietly. It was time to finally say goodbye. This was going to be farewell. Neither of them wanted that.

     Hikari grinned, "Make sure you send me an invitation to visit you when you're crown prince again. Someone's gotta be there to annoy you."

     "Yeah." He smirked, "Don't die."

     "You wound me. Really, I'm hurt."

     Awkward silence settled over them and the girl felt the frown take over, "Well, I guess this is goodbye."

     She walked a few paces before a hand grabbed her wrist. She turned to see Zuko looking at her. He seemed almost surprised by his own actions.

     "H-hikari, I-" The prince was cut off by her embrace. He easily returned it with no hesitation, "Don't let anyone take advantage of you."

     "Please, I've learned a lot from you." She pulled away, grinning, "If anything is going to happen, it's going to be me getting lost. The last thing that would happen is getting hunted down by petty thieves."

     She finally boarded the little ship and assisted in casting off to the high seas. Iroh was waving. No mistake he was crying. What surprised her the most was that she saw the tiniest wave from her best friend. She waved back.

     Feeling the need she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "We'll meet again! I promise!"

     She waved to them for a few moments longer before she turned to go under deck. While she did not know it, she was taking her first steps towards a greater good.

     Back on the docks, Iroh was wiping tears away with his sleeve. Zuko stood beside him, watching the boat grow small and smaller. He would have to go into hiding and keep his identity under wraps. All the while, it would just be him and his Uncle.

     For the time being, he would keep her words to heart. They would meet again. He would find her once he was prince and he would do exactly what she had requested. He would send her an invitation...under the guise of Uncle Iroh's nagging. But still, he would make sure it happened.

     "I'll hold you to that, Hikari," the prince murmured.

     With one last look to the almost non-existent boat, he turned to walk away. His uncle took notice and began to follow quietly. Things would not be the same. The road was calling all of them to a destination. It would be a destination that held them to that promise.

     Clouded waters were bound to rise, leading to the mountains they would be forced to climb. Through it all, one promise would last.

Until they meet again.

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A/N: OKAY, WHO ENJOYED THAT BECAUSE THAT IS THE SHORTEST ENDING I HAVE EVER WRITEN, BUT IT IS MY FAVORITE SO FAR.

I don't know how much you guys enjoyed that, but this story has been such a fun roller coaster. I can't express how happy I am to finally publish my first finished piece. On top of that, there were be a sequel and then the third to make the trilogy!  

Book two is still in the works sadly, but just keep an eye out guys! I promise that I will start working on it again soon. I just want to thank you guys so much for reading and I hope to see you again in Book Two: Twisting Paths!

Tootles~

-Muse