"Zuko, tell me again. Why we are sailing aimlessly around the South Pole?"
Zuko took a moment to try and calm down before answering Ki-lee's question for the one hundredth time. The last thing he needed was to give her an excuse to pick a fight.
"As I told you before," he said through his teeth, "I know the Avatar is here. I can feel it."
Ki-lee had heard that answer the first ninety-nine times and accepted it, she couldn't swallow it anymore. She turned away from the bow to face one of her oldest friends.
Ki-lee wasn't the most intimidating of people in the world. Standing at only five foot three, Zuko was easily a head taller than she was. She never let that stop her from giving him a piece of her mind, and Zuko never expected anything less. He sighed and braced himself for the explosion.
"You know Zuko; I'm getting real tired of your bullshit okay? All this "I can feel it." crap, come on! Just admit it; you have no idea on where the fuck we are or where we are going!"
"I know damn well where we are Ki-lee! The Avatar is near! Why can't you ever trust me?"
Ki-lee looked down at her feet,
"Because, every day I see the reminder that I can't"
She turned her back on him, showing a partially exposed scar. Zuko knew the full extent of that scar and knew that it was his fault it was there, but his temper rose anyway. He gripped Ki-lee's shoulder and spun her around to face him again.
"How many times do I have to apologize, how many times will you bring it up before you will forgive me?"
His amber eyes searched her dark chocolate ones for a full minute before she answered.
"There will never be enough times Zuko."
She shook herself out of his grip and faced the water. Tears were threating to fall.
"Just go Zuko," she whispered, "Please, just go."
He stared at her back confused and angered by the sudden change in the mood on the boat. He turned and headed towards his cabin.