Prince Zuko. A boy who would stop at nothing to retrieve his honor.
Fire Lord Zuko. A man who would stop at nothing to save his family.
The difference was clearer than a glass of unpolluted water. His priorities had shifted over the years, and he mainly contributed that to you. His daughter had also lured into a domestic lifestyle. But it was then he realized that if he wanted a better world for his family, he was going to have to build it himself.
He didn't mean to forget about his family in the process; he did have them in mind while away. He just didn't think that would leave him wide open for a detrimental loss...
A loud screech billowed through the trees, snapping Zuko out of his thoughts. The voice registered as Izumi's, and the entire gang traveled faster over to the designated area. Zuko, however, thrusted himself forward with his flames, surpassing the entire group in terms of speed. He left them behind while he blindly headed deeper into the forest.
Did he consider who the kidnapper might be? Or why his daughter was really screaming? No, he didn't care. He was going to protect his daughter, no matter the cost.
With a loud yell, Zuko completely threw himself at the culprit. His fists, engulfed in flames, powered through the air currents to hit the culprit. Whoever it was had anticipated him but weren't able to completely dodge it due to his sheer impact of his attack. The dislocation of their shoulder was the price they paid as they fell to the floor.
When he landed on the ground, his wild golden optics landed on his victim. Their mask had slipped off, and upon noticing their face, his rage halted.
"Z-Zuko?" you weakly said from afar.
He whipped his head around and spotted you lying not too far from him. His daughter was hiding in a tree close to your beaten body. At least the both of you were still alive and well. Your injuries didn't appear to have any significance on your morale; in contrast, his daughter was shivering with worry.
"AZULA!" Zuko shouted, "What are you doing?!"
"Oh, Zuzu," she scoffed, though it was low since the pain of her shoulder inebriated her. "You finally came."
"Stay back, Zuko. I have her," you growled out. You tried to move from your spot, but instead, you winced in pain.
"Why did you attack them?!" Zuko yelled, ignoring your comment.
Azula held onto her shoulder as she stood up, her body wobbly from the impact. There was feign pout on her lips, no sign of remorse on her face. "I'm just trying to have some fun since you guys have clearly forgotten about me."
Zuko's eyes narrowed. "So you hurt your own family?"
"My family?" she scoffed as she raised her one good arm into the air. A small flame arose from her palm, and it began to grow rapidly until it became a massive blue fireball. Zuko just watched, standing protectively in front of you and Izumi.
"My family... MY FAMILY JUST FORGOT ABOUT ME!" she screeched as she hurled the fireball at you three.
Now, Zuko could clearly dissipate the fireball and save himself-- but within a short amount of time, he didn't know if he could save both you and Izumi.
As he prepared to try, the ground shook beneath him. Suddenly, it tore apart and a giant wall of earth surrounded the three of you, shielding you from the fireball. Once it withstood the attack, the plates of earth returned to their respected positions, and that was when you noticed that the reinforcements kicked in.
Suki was in the midst of hand-to-hand combat with Azula, clearly overpowering her due to Azula's dislocated shoulder. Sokka was administering orders while Katara rushed over to heal you. Toph was beside Zuko, smirking to herself-- probably proud that she just saved Zuko's ass and now he owed her BIG TIME.
Everyone had come together. It was all over. The battle was over-- Everyone was safe.
Silently, Zuko made his way over to you and collapsed to the floor. He rested his head in the crook of your neck as he embraced you, while Izumi rushed over to join in. The three of you hugged each other tightly, not minding the fact that you were on display to the rest of the gang.
Katara pulled away from you, halting the treatment of your injuries, and smiled softly... And though she would never say a word, she could hear small whimpers and choked sobs of relief from the reunited family.