Just to make this clear - This as an AU, considering what would've happened if when Aang told Zuko he would never join them, he ran back home. I honestly don't know exactly where I'm taking this but I guarantee you it should be good. This is a quick prologue... ish

Perhaps a long time ago the Fire Lord had not been disappointed in his son, perhaps in days long forgotten, he had cared and loved his boy and even played games with him. Zuko remembered only rare memories of those days and they were far and few between.

As he was dragged across the floor and thrown before the throne of the Fire Lord, his father, he knew that in some way this had been a bad idea, a terrible one, but where else was he to go? He had concluded he was going to end the war, betray his father, his sister, his homeland and everything he'd ever called home just to join the Avatar and his band of merry idiots… only to get denied. He could still remember the conviction, the certainty in the young boy's voice.

"You'll never join us." That had hurt. He had exposed his very heart, his core to them, hoping and begging to be redeemed, because that was what it would mean, he had done wrong but he was prepared to do good, to fix mistakes of the past, but they had pushed him away, had threatened to attack him, what was the point? They hated him.

With that in mind he had left them completely, let the try and teach the Avatar firebending without him there, without any teacher at all, the only other man who would teach the Avatar would be his own uncle and he had disappeared off the face of the Earth, perhaps they could ask Azula? That would be fun to watch. But he had come back home, the only other place he had to go, back to his father, his sister, Mai, home… he would beg for his father's forgiveness, beg to be excused for his actions, but the moment he had entered the throne room he had immediately regretted it all, there would be no compromise.

His father sat behind the writhing flames as Zuko was dumped upon the ground, chains rattling as his guards straightened. "Leave us," came his father's command and they left without hesitation, slamming the ancient doors behind them before father stood. "I did not expect you back so soon." Zuko looked to the ground in shame.

"I made a mistake."

"Yes," his father's voice echoed around him, "you made many." Zuko dared not look up into the blazing eyes of his own blood.

"I am sorry, father," silence, "I apologise for my actions." There was silence for some time and Zuko wondered if maybe his father had left the room before he heard footsteps and he had to supress a shiver as two shoes came into sight.

"Look at me, Prince Zuko," Zuko remained looking to the floor until a hand grabbed his chin and wrenched his head upwards, "LOOK AT ME!" The flames before the throne roared in unison with Ozai's anger as the two sets of golden orbs met the other. Father looked livid, his expression scrunched into an intense glare that had Zuko wishing he could just disappear on the spot but instead stared into his father's eyes. "A disgrace to the Fire Nation, you may be, but you are still my blood and as such, you will obey me." Zuko nodded once before Ozai released him but Zuko dared not look down again and stared up at his father. That one occasion on the day of the black sun had been luck alone for Zuko, his father would not make that mistake again.

"Father, I am so sorry-"

"Enough." Zuko ceased and his father grimaced, his red robes whipping about him in a wind that wasn't present. The very image that every Fire Lord could only dream of ever obtaining, even Azula had never held this aura, this strength, this level of danger. "I allowed you once to return into the fold, Prince Zuko." Zuko stared at his father who looked right back, daring him to speak. He did not. "And how did you repay me? You spat in my face. You told me you would no longer take my orders, that you were going to join the Avatar in order to defeat me. Those were not wise words." Zuko stayed perfectly still as his father advanced, standing right before him. "Those were not words of respect."

"Please," whispered Zuko, pathetically even to himself, "my head was not clear, my mind clouded, please, I am your son."

"A son who is a disgrace to the Fire Nation," Zuko stared wide eyed as his father spoke, his calm tone promising destruction, "I was merciful when last you returned here, I was under the impression you had slain the Avatar and proven yourself to me, I was greatly mistaken. I allowed you to return home only for you to betray me and accost me in my own private chambers only to prove yourself too much of a coward to defeat me yourself and you ran away, only to come crawling back like the disgraced dog you are." Zuko stared on as his father straightened himself, standing high above his son. "You are a disgrace to this family and the Fire Nation, Azula is everything you can never be, she is the perfect child, whilst you are nothing but a waste of breath… but we can change that." From the corner of his eye Zuko saw movement and he turned to see a man he had never seen before, old looking and in red fire nation robes but with silver hair upon his head. Alongside him stood a girl also in red, perhaps the same age as Zuko himself, her long brown hair running to her shoulders in a very untraditional style.

"What is this?" Zuko turned to his father only to see a small smile upon his face, ever so slight.

"I have tired of your weaknesses, Prince Zuko, tired of your constant tantrums and child-like behaviour, of your threats and acts of disrespect. But it is as I said, you will learn respect and suffering will be your teacher." The words rang in his head as he attempted to fire bend, keep whoever these two were away from him, but he couldn't as the man clasped his head in a surprisingly tight grip and held him whilst the girl summoned forth a long slither of water, a waterbender!

Zuko looked to his father who was retreating back behind the flames to the throne and Zuko shouted out for him, pleading one last time. His father only glanced round, that smile still upon his lips.

"One final thing," both of the other two ceased, "I was not lying about your mother. She was alive… until her untimely death two years ago." Zuko felt his heart stop as his father's eyes turned to the old man. "Do as you must." Suddenly there was pain on his head and a slash of water moving swiftly towards him and everything was blackness.