Yes! Reviews! Fame! Glory! This chapter will be a back story about Iroh's and Ozai's 'loving' relationship. It also differs slightly from what I said it'd be last chapter. Also, this chapter has three flashbacks.

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to the people at Nick.

Last Time:

Ozai looked up at the black expanse of space. Was Aiko there? Hard to imagine so. The sky looked as empty as he felt. A sigh escaped his lips and a single, solitary tear trickled down his cheek. Or perhaps it was a snowflake, melting upon contact with his skin. Ozai didn't know. He was too numb to feel anything.

They're Coming: Chapter Three – Memories

It was late, dark, and cold. It was snowing outside, but no fires were lit. A grieving three-year old boy hid from the world, curled up under the blankets. There was no need to hide, a fearsome but also grieving Fire Lord stood guard by the boy's bed.

Ozai looked at his son, eyes full of pity. As much as he wanted to be with his child, he could not stand by him forever. The plans for capturing Ba Sing Se were nearly complete; the military would set out in a few weeks. What was to be done? Zuko was too young to begin training, and could not be left alone. There was no way of knowing when Ozai would see his son again, if he would even return to Lyoko alive.

Death is a really morbid though. Fifteen years ago, the ruthless Ozai of the present laughed. He laughed out of sheer happiness. Ozai left his son's room, returning to his own empty one. He had a dream. A dream that took him to a hazy summer day, complete with a sunset, fireflies, and refreshing dewdrops.

Laughter, giggles, teasing, mocking, and joking. A young man chased after a young lady, braving the dangers of a grassy hill, before catching up to the lady and pinning her under a tree. The two were exhausted, and sought solace in each others' arms. Enjoying eternity in a few hours. The sunset came and went, fireflies lit up the night before abandoning their work, shooting stars darted across the sky, and still the couple remained in their sanctuary.

Dawn arrived and the sun was present once more. The man was a carefree child, watching the clouds float by, basking in the warmth of the sun. The little girl plopped down next to him, joining him in the fascinating world of cloud-gazing.

"We'll be up there someday, and then we can spy on the world." She murmured, like it was truth behind all truths.

"In the clouds?"

"Yes. I know, it sounds silly, but I've got it all planned out. When you're Fire Lord of all the land, I'll marry you and give you as many heirs as you want." She teased.

"Deal. You live off me and I get thirty heirs in return." He teased back.

"Thirty? You greedy pig. Most men I know would be plenty satisfied with just twenty heirs."

"Yeah? Who? Name one man."

"Alright. Your brother Iroh. You know, maybe I should go and consort with him instead. He is Fire Lord."

"He's forty! That's twice your age!"

"Thirty-eight's not that old. A lot of women do it. If I marry your brother, it's like being a courtesan, but with perks." She smirked at him, enjoying his shocked expression as much as he enjoyed the sun's radiance.

"You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?"

"You couldn't."

"Oh, but I can."

"You shouldn't!"

"I'll get over it."

"No."

"No?"

"Just no!"

They laughed and giggled and romped and shrieked.

Ozai found himself no longer staring at Aiko as she was fifteen years ago, and saw the ceiling instead. He climbed out of bed and warily dressed in his usual attire. There was so much to do in so little time.

He walked to the double doors that led into the suite Aiko's parents occupied, with a sleeping and yawning Zuko in tow. He knocked loud enough so that they would awaken if asleep, and gave them a minute to make themselves presentable. The enormous set of doors opened to allow Ozai and Zuko entrance.

They were greeted by Aiko's mother, Lady Misaki. Her smile and tone were pleasant enough, but it still sounded strained nonetheless. "Welcome, please, have a seat." She gestured towards four chairs separated by a low table in the center of the room. Aiko's father, retired General Shinju, was pouring tea for them.

"To what do we owe this great honor My Lord?" Shinju asked.

"As I'm sure you're very well aware of, Aiko has recently passed away, leaving Zuko without a guardian. I will be leaving with General Iroh to take the Earth Kingdom Capital of Ba Sing Se. Will you be so kind as to be Prince Zuko's guardians in my absence?" It wasn't really a question.

Shinju and Misaki glanced at each other, before Shinju took a deep breath and answered Ozai. "We would be greatly honored, My Lord. However, we do not feel that we are capable of ensuring his safety." One generally does not answer a rhetorical question.

Said Fire Lord's eyebrow rose. "Is there a problem? Has anyone threatened your safety?" One also generally does not refuse the Fire Lord anything.

Misaki's eye twitched. Her voice getting more hysterical as she answered. "What my husband means is, we don't want him. No one wants to take care of him. Is there a problem? Oh, not really. Except for the fact that the spoiled ingrate you call a child caused my daughter's death!" Also, one simply does not yell at and insult the Fire Lord unless one has a death wish.

Ozai's fist went ablaze. "Sh-She doesn't mean that!" Shinju quickly apologized.

"Yes I do! Shinju, you know what happened; you know it's his fault she died! Don't you care?"

"Of course I care, but Zuko is just a child. He doesn't know any better!"

The doors burst open and Zuko, who had been sitting silently and sinking deeper into his chair as the conversation went on, ran out, tears streaming down his cheek. The three adults left in the room stared at the prince's retreating figure, before Ozai glared at Misaki.

"You will apologize to my son."

"No." Shinju stared at his wife. Why was she so upset?

"Think about it. Apologize and become a nun, or be tortured to death." Ozai's voice was barely above a whisper.

Misaki went white, but clenched her jaws. "I will never apologize to your disgrace of a son."

Ozai narrowed his eyes. "Fine. Guards! Take this woman to the holding cells; she is to be stripped of all titles, privileges, and duties. If Shinju wishes to be with his wife, relieve him of his duties as well."

The four armored guards stationed outside their suite immediately surrounded Misaki, bound her, and carried her in a rather undignified manner towards the dungeons as Ozai went to find Zuko. Ozai wondered why Misaki said those horrible things. Not only did she sign her own death contract, but she accused Zuko of doing the unthinkable. Right?

Zuko was under a tree atop a hill overlooking the palace. His mother had taken him there once, to get away from home. Zuko never wanted to go home again. His stomach protested. He hadn't eaten since he got up, and the day was far from over.

In the palace, Ozai abandoned his search. Zuko would come back when he felt better. And no one would dare kidnap the Fire Lord's son. Still, a voice in his head told him that Zuko was right under his nose. Ozai sat down for a late breakfast before heading off to discuss everything that could possibly go wrong when the Fire Nation captured Ba Sing Se.

Under the tree was a teary—eyed prince, regretting his past actions. His mother had brought him to a spot in the forest, and she was telling him a story about his father. And trying to make the boy understand the important man Ozai was.

"And thus the moral is that you must always obey your father without question Zuko." Aiko concluded.

"Why?" Zuko questioned.

"Because. We are waging war against the world, and we're winning. We're winning because our soldiers obey their leader without question." She replied.

"Oh. So if we stopped playing war I wouldn't have to listen?"

"No! You must always obey the Fire Lord! He's your father! How many other children do you know who talk back to their elders?" Misaki asked. Deep down, she feared that Zuko would die if he disrespected the Fire Lord in any way. The man her daughter had married was ruthless, but you can't refuse the Fire Lord your daughter's hand in marriage. And if Zuko died, then Aiko would have to give birth, yet again.

Zuko sneered at Misaki. "How many other children do I know at all? Besides, they all know what their father looks like."

Misaki looked at Shinju, her eyes pleading him to correct the young prince's rebellious thoughts. "Zuko…" he began.

"And you know what else? They would care if their fathers died, but really, I don't care if mine dies. It just means that I'll be king."

"Zuko! You must never say that again! He may be your father, but he's also the Fire Lord! He could have you killed!" Aiko hissed.

"Killed? You said you'd never let anyone hurt me!" Zuko was on the brink of a major breakthrough.

"I...Zuko! Stop twisting everything around!"

"You lied! You said you loved me!" Tears.

"I do!" she insisted.

"No you don't! All you care about is yourself! You don't care what happens to me, and you don't love me either! Real mothers love their children! I hate you!" More tears.

"I do love you Zuko. But your father is the Fire Lord. He has more power. One day, you'll be Fire Lord too; do you want your son to say that he hates you? Do you want your son to disobey and thus disrespect you?"

"When I'm Fire Lord, there won't be a war, I won't try to kill my son, and my wife will love her child!" Zuko yelled, and ran off. The last he heard from Aiko was a scream, and when he looked back, her head was bleeding.

"I'll love and respect my father forever. I'll obey his every command without question." Zuko ran back to the palace, in search of his father.

His father, who never found out the details of his wife's death. His father, who didn't want him either.

Days became weeks and the weeks became a month. During that time, Zuko grew to admire his father, Ozai killed Misaki, and Shinju became a monk. Finally, it was time for Ozai to go off to battle, to do his nation proud. The walls of Ba Sing Se would crumble, and when they do, the world would be his for the taking.

A new guardian for Zuko was found. Ozai's cousin, Lieutenant Zhao, offered to take care of Zuko. Or rather, offered to let his wife take care of Zuko. He had a daughter of his own, two years older than Zuko, who would begin military training a little while after the troops left for the Earth Kingdom. His wife would be lonely, or so he claimed.

Ozai wondered if it was some ploy to kill his heir. Zhao was next in line, if Zuko died. And if General Iroh still didn't want to rule. But there was no other choice. He could only hope that Zuko would be fine in the care of Zhao's wife. There were more pressing matters at hand.

As the most elite soldiers boarded, food and rhinos were being loaded onto the ships, Zuko ran up to his father. "Good luck!"

Ozai smiled. "I'll be home soon." He walked towards a huge, but rather defenseless ship. It wasn't exactly a great idea to have the Fire Lord on what was basically a luxury cargo ship. Said luxury cargo ship was named The Sumiren. It took roughly an entire month for the enormous ship to reach its destination. They were headed for the start of the Shaisan Bay, a few miles away from Ba Sing Se. By the time they reached the city, most of the Earth Kingdom army will have been destroyed. Twelve ships had already been sent out before The Sumiren even left Kyoko.

(Next three paragraphs full of my made-up plan on how the siege will be carried out. Feel free to skip)

The first four ships were the exact same size as The Sumiren, but able to defend itself without the aid of other warships. They were packed with new recruits led by experienced officials. Their goal was to capture and enslave as many people as possible, dress them in Fire Nation armor, and march them towards the capital. The Earth Kingdom soldiers stationed at Ba Sing Se would massacre their own people without even knowing. It would be impossible to tell under the masks. Any earthbenders found would be killed.

The next two ships had more experienced soldiers, but their objective was more or less the same. Difference was that they would secure the area of land bordering the Shaisan Bay and rivers that flowed into it, so the Sumiren wouldn't be attacked. And the lives of the natives there weren't nearly as important. By the time they conquered the area there, the Sumiren will have arrived, and the first four ships will have launched their attack. The other six ships carried average soldiers and benders. They would begin the actual battle.

The Sumiren contained the most advanced soldiers and elite benders. Their objective was to simply slaughter the Earth Kingdom army. The archers stationed by would be ready to shoot and kill the earthbenders. Once the soldiers from The Sumiren reached Ba Sing Se, the explosives would be planted around the walls' weak spots. The plan was brilliant. Foolproof. And by the time Ba Sing Se was taking, there would be but a few cities in the Earth Kingdom to conquer.

At long last, The Sumiren and the smaller battleships flanking it reached the Shaisan Bay. Horns sounded upon arrival, signaling to Fire Nation soldiers total victory, to Earth Kingdom soldiers imminent doom. The many battalions marched out, heads held high. In the center of the battalions were Ozai, Iroh, and other officials. In the back were rhinos carrying supplies and weapons.

As they made their way towards Ba Sing Se, they were joined by the soldiers who had arrived before them. They reported everything to be going according to plan. It took a week to march towards the capital, and Ozai never saw his brother happier. After all, this was what Iroh gave up being Fire Lord for.

Ozai and Aiko were looking at the clouds and Aiko was telling Ozai her plan for their future.

"Yes, so after we marry and I give you your heir, you'll go off to fight the Earth Kingdom, in some infallible plan of your brother's. And I'll wait for in Lyoko, taking care of your children, teaching them to worship you. But then, I'll receive word of your death."

"Wow, you just can't wait for me to die, can you?"

"Nope. You'll be killed in an epic battle that will decide the fate of the world, surrounded by all the Earth Kingdom has to offer. Then, then I'll die of a broken heart, leaving your children all alone in the world to fend for themselves."

"In the confines of the palace?"

"…Yes. You know what else? When you're up there in the clouds, I'll join you after I die. And just to let you know, I want the biggest and fluffiest cloud up there."

"And you call me a greedy pig. Of course, this is all under the condition that the Great Dragon of the West is no longer Fire Lord and I somehow miraculously am, correct?"

"Considering your second in line, such an event shouldn't be too miraculous."

They laughed because they were naïve and vain. The Great Dragon of the West? He was Fire Lord, and there wasn't any way Ozai would become Fire Lord unless Iroh was killed. How could they have known about the events that would occur?

When they got back to the palace, their presence was requested in the throne room. Exchanging slightly worried glances, they slowly entered the room, making sure to look all submissive and meek. And they were incredibly surprised to find Iroh being yelled at by Shiro. Shiro was the former Fire Lord, father of Iroh and Ozai.

"Why! Iroh, tell your brother and his wife what you intend to do." Shiro was extremely upset.

"Brother and brother's wife, I quit." Iroh stated simply.

"Quit?" Ozai asked.

"Yes. I quit being Fire Lord."

"Can…Can you do that?" Aiko asked. It was so…bizarre. Being Fire Lord was a good thing!

"Exactly! Not only can you not quit being Fire Lord, but we're winning this war. Wouldn't you like to be known as the Fire Lord during whose reign the war ended?"

"No. I would like to be known as the general who led the Fire Nation to victory. It just sounds so much better. Honestly father, I appreciate you putting me on the throne, but I feel that I would serve our nation better as general on the battlefront than a Fire Lord just sitting on a throne simply strategizing. Why can't you understand?"

"Because what you want is obscene! How will you possibly tell our nation that you 'want to quit'?" Shiro questioned, making quotation marks.

Iroh shrugged. "Just go make an announcement and say that I feel my place is on the battlefield I suppose. Besides, that way Ozai will be Fire Lord. He isn't really doing much now, but I'm positive he'd make an excellent leader."

Ozai inwardly winced. Of course, bring up the lack of contribution he was making, that's the way to show your brother you love him. "Thanks, really. But you could die out on the battlefield!"

Iroh smiled, a dark, creepy, chilling smile. "I know. And death is what makes war so thrilling. Killing people, the adrenaline rush in hand-to-hand combat, it's exhilarating! I don't want to rot away sitting on some chair as nothing more than a figurehead!" Iroh stormed out in a huff of anger and exasperation.

Shiro sighed and rubbed his temples. His eldest son wasn't the only one that was exasperated. "Alright, fine. Ozai, come tomorrow evening, you'll be crowned Fire Lord. Don't mess it up. You're only a last resort; your brother has no heirs. I'm sorry, it must be such a burden, but just grit your teeth and deal with it. I would have had you trained, but I never imagined your brother would refuse such an honor. You're dismissed."

They had laughed because they were naïve and vain. Aiko's plan was nothing but a silly dream, never meant to be taken seriously. Such naivety. It could never happen; the war and everything bad would never concern them because they were above it. Such vanity. How were they to know that Shiro would kill the three daughters Aiko gave birth to before Zuko, all to ensure there would be a man on the throne? Ozai didn't celebrate his new position; he only had his title because Iroh didn't want it. And that is the source of the bitter words the two siblings would exchange in the future.

The day before Ozai left, Zuko was brought to Lieutenant Zhao's home. Quaint, small, nothing like the palace. Zhao's wife was young, younger than Zuko's mother, but not nearly as beautiful. Her lips looked as though they were frozen in a pout, her eyes were dull, and her voice made Zuko's ears bleed. Their daughter, Kimiko, was on the other hand, quite beautiful. Beautiful but cruel.

The night after Ozai left, Zuko had a first-hand account of how cruel she was.

"So, how's it going? I heard you killed your mother, is that true?" Kimiko asked, so young and already so malicious.

"No! Who told you that?" Zuko was horrified. How did she know?

"Oh, it's just a rumor. But I think you did kill her." Zuko didn't answer.

"You did, didn't you?" She gasped in realization. Her face became paler than it already was, and her eyes widened considerably. She pointed a finger at Zuko and began backing out the door.

"You…you murderer! Why are you in my house? Are you going to murder my mother like you killed yours? Why did you kill her? It's because she didn't like you, isn't that it?"

Zuko's eyes flashed and he glared at her. The air around his hands was unnaturally warm. "Shut up."

"No! I will not be silenced! Mom! Run! Zuko is a murderer!" Kimiko ran out the room and down the stairs, towards the kitchen where her mother was making food.

Zuko followed her, thoroughly furious. "Take that back or I'll kill you!"

Kimiko peered out from behind her mother. "Just try! My mother loves me, she'll protect me!" A stream of fire was blasted at her.

Kimiko hid behind her mother once more, but the flames caught on to her mother's dress. Seeing her mother ablaze, Kimiko threw a bucket of water at her, putting out the fire. The two ladies glared at Zuko, who was currently fascinated by his hands. What just happened? He did that, that, that bending thing his mother told him about. Firebending. It was what seperated the Fire Nation from the rest of the cruel savage world. It was what made them better.

I'm so sorry the chapter is late. And I'm also incredibly sorry for how…horrible it turned out. I don't really know why this chapter was so difficult to write. I think I'm losing inspiration. –sigh- Need…new…Avatar…episodes… Again, I'm sorry this chapter sucks, and that it deviates so much from what I said it would be in the last chapter.

Kimiko is the evil girl, who I think is Zhao's daughter. About Zuko's little temper tantrum, I do believe that there's a reason for his unfaltering dedication to his father. Feel free to ask any questions.

Next Time:

Something's wrong…the invasion is not going as planned. It's been nearly two years; Ozai left the siege a year ago, and has just received word that it's over. But it's not over in a Fire Nation victory. Iroh is forced to retire and begins training Zuko. Did I mention that Jet will make an appearance?