(A/N: Hi guys, so as you can see I've decided to revamp Green Eyes, and give it a new title. I had a new idea that would work for this fic, but because I hadn't updated it in a while, it seemed impossible to add it in. So, I decided to chop and change it a bit. I hope you still like it though, please enjoy and feel free to review!)
Rikka sat beneath the over-hanging tree, a blood orange cupped in her small, chubby hands. The six-year-old looked at it confused, they never had such strange fruit back in the Earth Kingdom. Turning the fruit back and forth, and tossing it from hand to hand, Rikka pulled a disgusted face, her nose scrunching up. It did not look very appetising in the slightest. A laugh came from behind a tree, it was small, and sounded almost involuntary. Rikka jumped, dropping the fruit from her hands.
"Who's there?" She called out, quickly standing and brushing down the new Fire Nation robes she had been given once she had arrived at the palace. The laughter stifled quickly, Rikka glanced around, the only sounds were the soft quacking of the turtle-ducks in the pond near-by. "I mean it," she breathed out in fear, "I will burn you if I have too!" The threat was clearly empty, but it was enough for someone to shuffle behind the tree, and then slowly step out. He was small, she noted, but taller than she was. His amber eyes sparkled with childhood bliss, and his lips were curved in a small, mischievous smile. He bent down, some of his hair falling from his neat top knot and falling into his pale face, she watched as he scooped up the blood orange from the grass, and brushed it against his red shirt before handing it back to her.
"You shouldn't waste these, you know, they are considered a delicacy." He explained, still holding the blood orange out to her. Rikka still looked at it in a funny way, cocking her head at it and crinkling her nose.
"It doesn't feel or look right, why would you eat it?" Rikka asked the boy, taking the blood orange from his hand, and once again turning it in her hands like some queer object. The boy looked at her confused.
"Well," the boy reasoned, "you look a little odd too," he gestured to Rikka's bright green eyes that she had inherited from her father, "but that doesn't mean people should treat you different." Rikka heard him, but her eyes were still heavily focused on the blood orange in her hand. She supposed he was right, but she didn't seem to back down from her first thought of the fruit. The boy, finally recognising her confused look, gave a sudden intake of realisation. "You've never had a blood orange before?" He asked, stepping a little closer to Rikka. Rikka shook her head, causing her dark hair, that was half up, and half down, to brush against her back.
"No, they don't sell them where I'm from," she whispered, a little shyly. The boy, however took no notice of her now quiet tone, and very carefully plucked the orange from her hand. Once again he was holding it, and once again, he gave her a knowing smile.
"That's okay, let me show you," he told her softly, now standing beside Rikka, the orange in his left hand, and his right thumb piercing into the skin. "First you peel it, see, just like this," he showed her, peeling the orange slowly so that Rikka could follow his movements. Once the orange skin was gone, the orange was now a dark red, almost like everything in the Fire Nation. The boy carefully separated a single section, and handed it to Rikka, "try a piece." He told her, Rikka nodded, and took the single red piece. The boy watched as Rikka placed the piece in her mouth, and her eyes widened at the sweet taste that exploded on the tip of her tongue. She looked at the boy in wonderment, as he laughed, and placed a slice in his mouth.
"That tastes amazing!" Rikka exclaimed, once she had finished her small piece, her eyes turning towards the basket that had sat beside her under the tree, she then turned to the boy and smiled brightly. "Would you like to share the rest of my lunch? A nice lady made me it, but I don't know what a lot of the food is..." Rikka admitted, wringing her hands together embarrassed, the boy glanced at the basket, then the blood orange in his hands.
"Do you have any more of these?" He asked, holding up the orange. Rikka nodded her head and he beamed at her. "Sure! But don't tell my sister." He warned as both children moved towards the basket, and sat down on the soft grass under the tree.
"You have a sister?" Rikka asked him as she pulled out a thick loaf of bread and halving it between them. The boy took the bread and nodded his head as he took a bite. "What's she like?" Rikka asked, nibbling on her own bread. The boy gulped and pulled a face.
"Azula? She's not really nice, she can be really mean but my father doesn't see it. Azula is a prodigy." He stated this as if it were matter-of-fact, and nobody could argue this fact. Rikka drew her brows together.
"A what?" She didn't know what the word meant, and clearly neither did the boy who simply shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know, but I think it has something to do with the fact she's a really, really good Firebender." At this statement, Rikka's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Your sister can Firebend? That's so cool!" Rikka easily celebrated this girl's praises, to her anybody who could Firebend was amazing in her eyes. The boy narrowed his eyes slightly.
"It's not really, I mean, a lot of people in the Fire Nation can firebend, it's not like it's something unheard of," he took another large bite of the bread. "Even I can firebend, although I'm not as good as Az-"
"You can firebend?!" Rikka interrupted, her face now alight with curiousity and whatever wisdom this boy held. Once again he shrugged, finishing the bread. "Can you show me?" Rikka questioned, the boy looked at her bewildered.
"I can't, I told you I'm not that good." The boy told her, Rikka puffed out her cheek a bit annoyed.
"That's sad," she pouted as she looked around the garden, "it would be fun to see another person bend fire," she admitted. The boy looked at her quizzically.
"Another?" He asked the question with a hint of interest, Rikka nodded her head vigorously, now her eyes alight with a secret. The bread was still in her hand, and her mouth was a bit full, but she was too excited and could barely contain her secret.
"You have to promise not to tell, but I'm a -"
"Zuko? Zuko, are you out here?" The voice was a man's voice and easily detectable to Rikka's ears. She instantly froze as the boy, she now guessed was called Zuko, shot to his feet. A large grin plastered on his face.
"Lu Ten!" He shouted with much joy, then he turned to Rikka and held out his hand. "Come on, you have to meet Lu Ten, he's the greatest cousin ever! But also, he's a soldier! You'll like him, he's so cool!" Rikka blinked, and then nodded. She took Zuko's hand, and allowed him to lead her along the garden and towards a walk way, half indoors and half out, large pillars keeping the roof up. A young man stood there, his eyes following the two children who ran towards him, Zuko keeping at a steady pace, while Rikka stumbled behind him.
"There he is, and - who is that?" The man seemed to be talking to himself as he asked the question, his eyes following the two children as they grew closer to him. Drawing to a halt, Zuko let go of Rikka's hand.
"Lu Ten, you're back! We missed you so much, and you've missed a lot! I've got to show you the new firebending forms I learned!" Zuko gushed, his face eager as he told him all his news. He had both his hands clenched into fists and held them close to his chest. The man smiled and patted Zuko's head affectionately.
"Well, that's all very interesting, and I hope to hear and see it all. But I'm more curious about your friend," he pointed to Rikka, "she's new, or at least, I think she is." The man – Lu Ten seemed confused.
"Oh," Zuko jumped as he noticed Rikka standing red cheeked beside him. "This is my friend," Zuko said, in way of introduction. Lu Ten chuckled.
"I gathered that, but what's her name?" Zuko looked startled and a little ashamed at this, then turned to Rikka with drawn brows.
"What is your name?" Zuko finally asked, at this Rikka giggled, and gave a small smile.
"Rikka, it's not very pretty." Rikka noted, and Zuko shrugged as Lu Ten simply looked her up and down, a look of realisation dawning on his face.
"So you're the Earth Kingdom girl with the Firebending talent. Your smaller than I thought." Lu Ten muttered as he looked Rikka up and down in curiosity.