I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender-just my OC (though never named in the story her name is Princess Yuna). Re-uploaded from my old account.
"Look Zu-Zu! Look at this!"
The little blonde girl waved her friend over, excited by her find. She was small for her age, five years old, but made up for it in other ways.
Her friend, a boy just a year older, boldly approached the bush where she was crouched next to her discovery. He got down on his knees next to her, and peered over her shoulder.
It was a tigerlily. A rare flower that looked like it was on fire-but always held onto the few precious drops of dew that had been on it since it had opened.
"Wow," he breathed. And they both stared in wonder at it. He watched as his friend traced one glowing petal with her pale fingertip. He reached toward it, and watched in horror as the drops of dew vanished at his touch. He withdrew his hand quickly.
"How did you do that?" she looked at him with her wide silver eyes. His own wide gold eyes met hers.
"I...I don't know," he admitted. He watched as she touched the center and gasped at what happened. "How did you do that?"
She looked up at him, panic in her eyes. He could see that she didn't know; and that she was scared.
"C'mon," he stood up before he pulled her up to her own feet. "Mom will know, she always knows stuff like that."
He pulled her along as he walked along the halls, looking into this room and that for his mother. Soon, he heard her voice floating from the courtyard.
"Is it really necessary?"
He froze as he heard his father's reply.
"The girl is no suitable playmate for my son, she is not Fire Nation. For your sake I will let the girl live, but I want her out of my nation."
Both children knew who he was talking about. She squeezed Zuko's hand to comfort him, and tell him that she was still there.
"Very well," they heard his mother say. "She'll be on her way home as soon as I can-"
"No," Zuko's father cut off her reply. "She leaves tonight."
Zuko let go of her hand and ran through the halls, back to the gardens. She raced after him, and found him kneeling in front of the now-silver tigerlily. She knelt beside him, and wiped his tears with her hand.
"Don't go," he said. "I love you."
Zuko had always loved the strange playmate his mother had found for him. He protected her, was amused by her, she was the sister he had always wanted.
"I'll always be here for you Zuko," she smiled at him, hiding her own tears. She wanted to be a big girl. "Because I love you."
She gave him a hug, and he hugged her tightly back.
"Well, well."
They looked up to see Azula, only four years old and already the terror of the castle, standing on the other side of the bush.
"I just heard," she smiled, showing where here two front teeth were missing. "It's so sad, Zu-Zu's gonna lose his-"
"Go away Azula," Zuko wasn't crying anymore. He wanted his sister to go away. "Leave us alone."
She looked down, and saw the silver flower.
"Whatever you say Zu-Zu," she mocked his friend when she said 'Zu-Zu'. But, she blasted the flower with the first fire-bending move she had only just days before learned, and the flower was gone.
"Azula!" Zuko jumped up and went for her.
She laughed at him. "I'm gonna be a great fire-bender, but your not. You can't fire-band at all!"
Zuko growled, and flung his hands at her. And both of them stopped short in surprise.
"I can...bend fire," he whispered, overjoyed with his new skill. He looked up to see that Azula was gone. Serves her right, he thought. Now she'll think twice about teasing us.
He looked down to see his friend bent over. He could hear her crying.
"Are you okay?" he got down beside her. "Azula is just a bully, but, did you see me fire-bend?"
She looked up at him, and he could see the tears flooding her silver eyes. He looked down; and saw what was wrong.
He had burned her. He had burned her.
"Oh no! I-" he didn't know what to do as she started crying harder. His eyes fell on the charred remains of the flower. He picked it, and saw two little golden seeds inside.
Flower clutched tight in his little fist, he hugged her. Mumbling apologies over and over.
"But look!" she looked.
"Seeds!" he said triumphantly. "We can grow two more just like it!"
He put one in her hand, and closed her fingers around it.
"It'll...grow...back?" she asked.
"Yep," he said proudly. "There'll be two now!"
She smiled through the tears. "I can't wait!"
"Zuko!"
He looked up to see his mother, rushing toward them. He saw Azula behind her, and knew what had happened.
"You can't burn people," she picked up the little girl, looking at him with the sadest eyes he had ever seen. "You just can't."
"But-" he didn't get to finish. His mother was walking away.
"We'll plant them together, okay?"
"Okay," he whispered as his friend disappeared around the corner.
He went back to his room, and put the seed in a safe place. Where Azula would never get it. And he waited for his friend to come back. So they could plant the seeds together.
He wanted to make it up to her. He had burned her, that was bad, and he wanted her to get better so he wouldn't feel so sick anymore.
He waited, and it got dark outside. Too tired to stay awake, he fell asleep, dreaming of planting the seeds and of his friend getting better and being not-burnt.
And when he awoke, he ran to her room. Completely forgetting the day before's events. Ready for a new adventure. But, her room was empty. He raced around the palace looking for her, but she was already gone. And when his mother told him, he didn't believe her. But, deep down, he knew his mom was telling the truth. She never lied to him.
In time, Zuko would forget her. But, the seed stayed where he had put it, all those years ago.