Zuko had been born during the Winter Solstice, a very bad omen for people of the Fire Nation. Such a birth date promised great suffering and misfortune, as well as an inability to bend.
For five three centuries, Zuko's family had bore firebenders, most of which were prodigies. Ozai was not one to break tradition, but his son's fate seemed inevitable. Therefore, his hatred toward Zuko had begun.
However, fate is never written in stone, and the prince did eventually develop the ability to bend.
He had been eight (a very late age to begin bending.), and arguing with his sister. In his annoyance and anger, his dormant firebending had come to life and lit Azula's hair on fire.
His sister was furious, his mother delighted, and his father a mix of both.
Ozai had rushed him to a trained immediately, scolding his son as he practiced. From then on, he was forced to train ever day, hour after hour. Training until he was skilled like his sister. Training until he was a prodigy. Training until he wasn't a pathetic disgrace to his family's name.
But no matter how much he trained or how hard he tried, he was never good enough for his father.
And he never would be.
His father wanted perfection and unattainable power. He wanted everything to fit his mold, to fulfill his wishes, to be what he wanted.
But Zuko was human. Too much like his mother. A soft, caring boy who wanted to help people, not hurt them. He wouldn't do everything he could to get what he wanted, wouldn't hurt people to attain what he wanted.
To Ozai, that was weak, and weakness was unacceptable.
Author's Notes: Not too esctatic over this one... I just thought it was kind of interesting. Meh.
So, tell me what you think.
Disclaimer: Believe me, if I owned Avatar, it would not be nearly as good as it is now.
