Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender (Yay! I remembered the disclaimer this time! :D).

Okay so this piece is basically about Zuko's birth and the problems/thoughts surrounding it. It of course has some Zuko and Iroh fluff, but it also kind of explains the basis for their relationship as well as why Ozai and Zuko never had a decent relationship. This could stay a one-shot, but I really want to write more Iroh and Zuko stories, and depending on the feedback I get from this one, I may turn it into a series. It would just be a bunch of one-shots about Zuko and Iroh throughout their years together, but I really love writing these stories, so I think it'd be pretty good...maybe… :/

Oh, and the individual thoughts are in italics, just for the record.

ANYWAY…

Onto the story! Enjoy! :)

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Screams of agony pierced the morning air as the old general and his brother sat outside of the infirmary doors. The mood was tense and the air hung heavy with heat and humidity. Although the two brothers sat stoically next to each other, their thoughts were racing.

"Just a little longer now, it's already been several hours. It has to be getting close…" thought Iroh nervously.

Any moment now his first niece or nephew would arrive, and he was anxious to meet the newest member of the royal family. Although Iroh had a son of his own, a boy of 11, he was ecstatic when he learned that his younger brother and sister-in-law were expecting. For the past several years now, Lu Ten had been away at the prestigious Fire Nation Academy for boys, while Iroh had been away fighting in the war and gaining considerable notoriety as a skilled general. The two still saw each other and enjoyed spending time together, but as they grew older, their relationship began to change. Not in an abnormal way, but in the way that every father-son relationship changes as the child becomes less dependent on the parent. Now, after earning some time off due to the Fire Nation's growing success in the war, Iroh was looking forward to having a new baby around to help take care of and dote on.

Another shrill scream shattered the silence and brought Iroh back into reality. He felt his brother tense next to him as they both turned their heads towards the door. Just as suddenly as the noise occurred, it was quiet once again. Iroh turned to his brother, who was obviously trying to hide his concern.

"Relax, brother! I'm sure everything is fine. Ursa is a strong woman. She will be alright." Iroh said with a nervous grin on his face.

Ozai scoffed at these words of encouragement. He knew his brother meant well, but he needed no such sympathy. Comfort and compassion were for the weak at heart, not for the son of the fire lord. Well, not for his second son at least.

Iroh continued to grin slightly as he leaned back against the wall, still seated next to his younger sibling. He didn't need a confession from Ozai to understand the anxious, boiling feeling inside his brother's stomach. He had felt it once before, too. He remembered trying to maintain his composure during the birth of his first child, even when his wife's agonizing screams made it sound as though she were being tortured instead of becoming a mother.

The two men sat in silence for a while longer until Iroh spoke up once more.

"SO…." He started awkwardly. "I'm sure you're getting excited….what with the baby's arrival getting closer." Iroh said, hoping to get some sort of reaction out of his brother.

The silence continued a while longer.

"Yes, brother. I am happy to have made my contribution in continuing the royal blood line. I'm glad another heir will be soon be upon us." Ozai said placidly.

"Oh ho ho ho..." Iroh chuckled. "Fatherhood is so much more than heirs and titles and royalty. Just wait, you will see, my brother." Grinned Iroh as he patted Ozai on the shoulder.

Ozai had no response to this. Although he was pleased to have created his own heir, he couldn't help but feel resentful towards his brother. Iroh, being the elder of the two, would naturally inherit the throne, and, when the time came, his son would inherit it from him. Throughout the years, Ozai grew jealous of his brother over of this matter, and their relationship dwindled. Iroh had always tried his best to be a loving and supportive older brother, but as the years went on, Ozai slowly became consumed by the shame and anger within him. His ambition for power was suppressed by the status of his father and brother, and caused him to become a very cruel and hostile person. Although Iroh realized this, he still made a considerable effort to reach out to his younger brother. He felt guilty that Ozai was always living in his shadow, never to be recognized for his own talents.

Still deep in thought, the two men sat side by side, waiting for any news of Ursa or the baby. Many more moments passed until another scream and frantic murmurs were heard from the other room. Both Ozai and Iroh's eyes became transfixed on the door. They sat there, tensed and anxious, until an exhausted mid-wife emerged from the room.

"The baby has arrived. " She said plainly. "It's a boy."

The brothers tensed once more, realizing that despite the fact the baby had arrived, neither of them had heard the distinctive cries of a newborn.

The mid-wife sighed as she continued. "The mother is resting now, but the baby is not breathing. There were complications with his birth; the child was born a few weeks earlier than we expected and we are doing our best to revive him. He was lucky to even be born. You may come in now, if you wish."

Quickly, the two men stood up from their places and made their way into the dimly lit room. Upon entering, they could see a pale and tired woman lying on a bed stained with fluids. While her body was tired, her mind obviously was not. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she stared intently over at the nurses and mid-wives tending to her newborn child.

Ozai walked over to his wife, still maintaining his emotionless appearance.

"Zuko…" Ursa said weakly, her tear-coated eyes remaining fixed on their infant son across the room.

Ozai said nothing. He was growing angry and bitter at the fact that his first born child was so small and sick. How could this pathetic little boy ever grow up to be a successful soldier, or leader, or firebender, if he was weak?

"This must have been preventable." He thought to himself.

"Why wasn't she more cautious throughout the pregnancy? Does she not care about the future of our nation? Does she not care about MY future?" Ozai continued, becoming more furious by the moment.

Angrily, the Fire Prince turned his glare from Ursa to the mid-wives surrounding his son. They were frantically rubbing his tiny, lifeless chest, trying to elicit any sort of response out of the baby.

On the other size of Ozai was Iroh, who was visibly distraught at the horrific scene. The tiny infant was blue in color and still had not moved or taken a breath. A lump formed in Iroh's throat as he feared that the child had already left the world he was brought into only moments ago.

Suddenly, gurgled cries were heard from within the frenzy of nurses and mid-wives. The cries became clearer and louder, and soon filled the entire room.

Tears of joy replaced tears of sorrow as Ursa heard the cries of her newborn son, realizing he was alive. Iroh, who was now crying as well, grabbed his sister-in-law's hand upon hearing the wailing infant. Even Ozai couldn't help but feel slightly relieved knowing his son would live.

The mid-wives continued to bustle around the infant, quickly cleaning him up and swaddling him in a traditional red and gold blanket. The small bundle was handed to Ursa, who was still overjoyed and amazed that her baby was now alive.

"He's beautiful." She said quietly, in awe of her newborn son.

"Yes, he is." Iroh agreed, gazing down at the little boy. The infant's complexion had quickly changed from a sickening bluish-purple color to a healthy peachy-pink. He was very small, even for a newborn, yet had a full head of black hair, and a pair of glowing amber eyes that seemed to twinkle and dance like the tiny flame of a candle.

Ozai said nothing as he looked upon the child. He was relieved that his son had survived, but still could not overcome the fact that his first child, his son, had been born so small and sickly. He hated to admit it, but he felt ashamed and embarrassed of himself and this child he produced. He knew most fathers would be overjoyed at the sight of their newborn son, but Ozai felt nothing. He felt alienated from his baby, from his wife, from his brother. Panic ensued within him as he realized that the fragile state of this child could further jeopardize his already unlikely chance of gaining the throne, or even gaining a notable leadership position under his father. Fire Lord Azulon would not allow the parent of a weakling to have any part in the ruling of their prosperous homeland. If word got out about the Fire Prince's sickly child, the authority of the Fire Nation and its rulers would be compromised. The child's sickly state would reflect poorly on the Fire Lord and the Royal Family, who prided themselves in being powerful, omnipotent rulers. After all, the apple does not fall far from the tree.

Unable to deal with the weight of the situation any longer, Ozai claimed he had other duties to attend to, and excused himself from the room.

Shocked and surprised, Iroh and Ursa nodded in acknowledgement of the new father's remark. They watched as he quickly walked out the doors and down the corridor, until he finally disappeared into the distance. The two found his behavior disturbing, but did not let it dampen their spirits as they continued to watch the sleeping newborn.

Ursa sat for quite a while, holding her son and rocking him gently, but soon gave into inevitable fatigue. Reluctantly, she kissed baby Zuko's forehead and whispered "I love you" into his tiny ear before handing him off to his Uncle. The new mother closed her eyes and succumbed to a much needed slumber.

Now holding his infant nephew, Iroh took in the full reality of the situation. Gazing down at the baby, he still could not grasp the fact that less than an hour ago this child had been on the brink of death. A smile came over Iroh's features as he listened to the faint coos of his sleeping nephew and stroked his soft black hair, realizing this precious moment may not have been possible had something earlier happened differently. But even with the comfort that came in knowing this new child was alive, he still couldn't suppress the feeling of anxiety rising within him. As he recalled Ozai's unsettling behavior in the wake of Zuko's birth, Iroh began to fear that his brother would not be the loving and devoted father this child needed. He knew his brother was uncompassionate and unforgiving, but unloving? Towards his own son? The possibility seemed too awful to even consider, but Iroh did anyway.

"How could he so easily devalue his own child's life? His boy nearly died before he had a chance to live." Iroh angrily thought to himself. "Maybe fatherhood just simply does not come as naturally and instinctively to him as it did for me." he reasoned while gazing down at his nephew, who remained fast asleep in his arms. Iroh just could not fathom how any human being, let alone any father, could simply disregard their own child, their own flesh and blood.

"Well, whatever the issue, I'm sure Ozai will sort it out. He may not be kind and caring, but even the worst men love their children." Iroh continued, half-heartedly trying to convince himself that this was the case. Although it was a reasonable argument, he still could not dismiss his growing feelings of dread and concern. Iroh knew that his brother was no longer the man he used to be. The Ozai he once knew was dying by the hand of his own rage and hatred, and the old general feared that his sister-in-law and young nephew would suffer because of it.

Iroh let out a long sigh."No matter what happens, though, I will always be here. If my brother cannot fulfill his duties as a father, I will take it upon myself to look after this little one, alongside his mother." Iroh vowed silently.

Suddenly, a small whimper came from the baby boy held tightly in Iroh's arms. The baby continued to whimper and fuss until he started crying rather loudly, as though he were upset by his Uncle's troubling thoughts. Not wanting Ursa to awake up from her sleep, Iroh began slowly rocking baby Zuko back and forth. He softly hummed as he patted his nephew's tiny back in an attempt to quiet his cries.

"Hush now, my dear Zuko." Iroh cooed. "I know the road ahead of you may not always be easy, but you are a fighter. Never surrender your honor to those around you, for you have been born with the courage and perseverance so many people strive to attain in a lifetime. You have already fought for your life once, and I know you will continue to do so throughout your years on this earth." He whispered in his nephew's ear, holding him close to his chest. Iroh spoke again as he continued to sway back and forth.

"Do not fret, though, my beloved nephew. No matter how difficult things may become, you will never have to fight alone. You will never have to face the cruelties of this uncertain world by yourself." he said soothingly. "I will always be here to lend you a helping hand, an encouraging word, a warm embrace, or whatever is needed to mend your broken spirit."

Iroh continued to speak gentle words into Zuko's small ear, lulling the child back to sleep with the comforting sound of his voice. Eventually the infant was quiet once more, and slept contently over his Uncle's heart, his head supported by a gentle, loving hand. The old general smiled and closed his eyes, still rocking his nephew back and forth, unaware of anything else in the world except the tiny bundle contained within his arms.

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So…Whadja think?

Don't be afraid to let me know. :)

Like I said, depending on what people think, I may write more in the future. So far, though, I think it's been going relatively well!