Author's Note: Sorry about the long wait. My life has been hectic lately, but I managed to pull together something.

Kai crawled into bed, collapsing onto the mattress with a tired sigh. She had been training hard to keep herself busy, partially to avoid Zuko. The past few days, something had come over him. He had grown cold and uncaring, driven only by his thirst to capture the Avatar. There had been no sign of Aang in days and Zuko was taking his frustration out on the crew, using them as training dummies or working them harder than they deserved. He hadn't noticed her avoidance of him. She wondered if he even noticed her at all anymore.

The door to the room creaked open and she cracked opened one eye to see it was Zuko, much to her surprise. He had been staying up on decks during the nights, leaving her relieved to be able to continue to avoid him. She closed her eye quickly to hide that she was awake. She rolled onto her other side, trying to appear like it was just in sleep. The bed sagged as Zuko sat on the edge and the shuffle of clothes told her he was getting ready for bed. The mattress creaked slightly as he laid back and a sigh escaped him. She closed her eyes tighter as he moved closer and wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her neck.

"You're terrible at pretending to be a sleep," he said in a teasing tone. She sighed and opened her eyes, turning over to face him. He smiled at her but it slowly faded when she looked away, a frown on her lips. "What? I thought you'd be happy I came down tonight."

She pulled out of his reach, turning her back to him once again. "It's nothing. I am happy."

"Don't lie," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder and gently tugging her back toward him. "What's wrong?"

She sat up, looking down at him. "I just need some space."

"What are you talking about? We've barely said three words to each other in the past few days. Did something happen that I haven't heard about?"

She slid out of bed and walked over to the porthole, looking out at the dark water. "It's not something that happened really. It's just…things have changed since we left the palace."

She heard the bed shift as he moved and she turned around to face him, putting her hands up to keep him back as he approached her. He faltered mid-step and she saw the confusion cross his golden eyes. He moved closer again, until her hands were pressed against his bare chest, gazing down at her intensely. She dropped her hands, glancing away.

"You've been avoiding me," he said, the revelation dawning on him.

"That's not-"

"Don't lie to me. What changed? You've been at my side this whole time and suddenly you've been too busy doing something else," he questioned, reaching up to stroke her cheek. She cringed away and he dropped it, hurt taking over his expression. "What did I do?"

"You've changed," she admitted, looking up at him.

He frowned in confusion. "No I haven't. I'm the same Zuko I was two years ago."

"No you aren't. You've changed," she repeated.

"How?"

She pressed back against the wall at his demand, frowning. "Fine, if you really want to know! You're self-centered, you treat everyone like they're beneath you, you're consumed by this stupid goose chase, and you don't even care about me or your uncle!"

"What are you talking about? None of that is true. This whole mission is so we can all return home. And you know I care about both you and Uncle."

"Do you really, Zuko? Because the way you order him around like a soldier doesn't sound like something a loving nephew would do. And me? You yell at me more than you tell me you love me!"

"That…that's not true!" he said weakly, faltering slightly. "I told you the other day."

"After we made up from a fight," she said bitterly.

"You insulted my father!"

"You're father insulted you!"

A stunned silence fell between them, Zuko surprised by her words and she surprised she had actually said them. It grew uncomfortable and Kai swallowed hard before she tried to step around him.

"I'm sorry. That was out of line."

He reached out and took her arms, pressing her back into the wall to keep her from leaving. He released her and used his fingers to gently guide her chin up until she was looking at him, studying her for a moment before speaking. "I know that you have a hard time accepting it, but I dishonored my father and I deserve this banishment. I can fight my own battles, Kai," he told her gently. "I made you a promise that I would get us home and I'm not going back on my word."

"I know," she replied softly, casting her eyes down as he caressed her cheek with his thumb. She was still hesitant to be near him, although he seemed like he was out of the strange mood he had been in lately.

"Please look at me," he pleaded. "Why are you doing this?"

She returned her gaze to his to see that the hurt had returned to his expression. She let out a small sigh and closed her eyes, confusion clouding her thoughts. How could he look so vulnerable now when only days ago he had been so callous? It was like there were two sides to him, one she loved and one she resented. He dropped his hand from her cheek and the air grew colder around her as he moved away.

"Are you breaking up with me?" he asked with uncertainty.

She opened her eyes to see the hurt still on his face.

"No!" she said quickly. "No," she repeated, her voice softening.

He drew closer, the hurt mixing with confusion in his golden eyes.

"Then what? I don't understand what's going on!"

"I…I don't know. It's…hard for me to explain," she said hesitantly.

"Try. I'm trying to understand."

"I'm conflicted. I've done a lot of thinking the past few days and I don't know what to believe anymore," she explained.

"What do you mean?"

She held his gaze for a moment before glancing away. She didn't know how he would react to her thoughts. "I don't know if what we're doing is right. The Fire Nation has been at war for close to a hundred years and-"

"Don't finish that," he said harshly.

"But-"

"Don't!" he snarled, slamming his fist into the wall. She flinched and his eyes burned with rage. "Don't ever let me here you doubt my family or our nation again. You keep this to yourself. You will never speak of this again to anyone." He stormed out of the cabin, leaving her alone. Her breath came in broken gasps and she put a hand to her mouth to quiet her sobs as she slid to the floor, wrapping her arms around herself. Tears welled in her blue eyes and she buried her face in her knees. How had everything come to this? He said he would try to understand but he hadn't even let her finish. And his eyes. He had never looked at her like that. His strike on the wall could've been a slap in the face if she had pushed him further. What was happening to him? Why was she beginning to think she couldn't trust him anymore? Why was chasing the Avatar tearing them apart?

A/N: Sorry this one is so short, but I was trying to update while I could in case there's another long wait. I'll try to get another chapter up soon now that things have slowed down. R&R!