Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. And the lyrics aren't mine either.

A/N: I came up with this plot a long time ago, but only just recently had enough on me to start writing it. And because of some parts, this will be deemed an AU. And also, take note that the chapters take place two years after the previous one, and do remember that they have the same age gap. Anyway, enjoy.

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Hush, little baby, don't say a word
Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird
If that mockingbird don't sing
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring…

The woman, dressed in the sky-colored clothing of the Water Tribe, hummed as she rocked the child in her arms. The babe, almost four years old, had the brown hair of her father and the crystal blue eyes of her mother, and both their skins. She yawned, her innocence reflected in every gesture, and caught a lock of the woman's hair in her chubby fingers, absently playing with it as she went forth into sleep.

The woman bowed her head to whisper in her ear, "Good night, my dearest Katara…"

Katara was already in the midst of a dream by then, and had barely heard her mother's words.

The little girl laughed gaily as she threw snowballs at the wonderful creatures in the land of her own imagination. If had been another little girl in another world, in another place, she would have chosen a bright green meadow full of flowers or rainbow-filled clouds as her destination, but not this one. This eternal winter was all she'd ever known, so it is here that she'll weave her ideas of paradise.

She bent down and gathered snow in her mitten-covered hands, packing the shredded ice as tightly as possible into a sphere, and chased after a penguin that mewed instead of squawking, and fur in the place of feathers. She hurled the snowball at it, but it scurried away quickly, and she went down in fits of giggles, rolling on the ground and caught up in her own joy.

Suddenly, she saw that no longer was she on the white blanketed place that was her home, but on something auburn and coarse, and when she tried to pack it into a ball it fell apart and left dirt on her mittens. At this, she began to cry, realize that not all things could be like snow, so simple, so delicate, so easily shaped into whatever she desired.

"Why're you crying?"

She looked up, and saw a boy maybe a tad older than her, wearing a red tunic and black pants, with dark hair and golden eyes. On any other occasion she would have stood up and wiped her tears away, but now she only pointed to the crumbling mass in her hands and said, "It's not snow."

The boy snorted in amusement, and a grin broke out on his face as he suppressed his chuckles. "Of course it's not snow! It's soil!" He rolled his eyes as if the knowledge made him much smarter than her. She pouted and got up, pushing him as hard as she could and though he was taller than she was, the surprise made him fall down with a bewildered expression.

"You're a big meanie! And I miss my snow! Where'd you put it?"

"Hey, why are you asking ME questions! You're the one who's in my ter-ri-tory." He spoke the word warily, as if unsure how to pronounce it. "See?" He pointed to the surroundings, where autumn trees were shedding leaves endlessly, with a pink and orange sky that seemed forever trapped in sunset.

"You must've wandered around a bit…" He explained, but she wasn't buying it, huffily putting her hands on her waist.

"I'm a big girl now, and I don't get lost! You MUST'VE taken my snow!"

"I didn't steal it, if that's what you're saying!" He answered indignantly as picked himself up and brushed his tunic off. "My Unca Iroh says that stealing isn't honor-a-ble, and firebenders should always be honor-a-ble."

She gasped in delight, forgetting the argument earlier. "You're a firebender? Really? I've never seen one before! Can you do tricks?"

He scoffed, crossing his arms. "I'm not a circus seal, you know. I'm gonna grow up big and strong like my father, so I can fight in the war and become a great soldier!"

"Why'd you wanna fight? My mama says that fighting isn't nice."

His eyes narrowed, but softened afterwards. "Your… mama?" He turned away.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She poked his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

She heard him sniffle. "Yeah, it's just… I don't have a mama. Not anymore."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" She deftly wrapped her arms around his middle, but he scowled.

"Eew! Stop hugging me! You're a girl and you're a'gonna give me cooties!"

She stepped back, somewhat hurt. He saw this, and added, "But you… seem like a pretty neat girl to me."

At that, she smiled and she grabbed his wrist. "Come on, you gotta help me find my snow! And after that, you can come and meet my mama!"

"Katara, wake up now, baby…" came the gentle coaxing of her mother. The daylight shone in between the cracks of the shelter, making her squint.

"Mama?" Said her tiny voice, and as her mother materialized, she was welcomed with an embrace.

"Good morning, Katara. Sokka's already up and awake, you should be too…"

"Mama! I'm gonna intwo… intodwuce…"

"Introduce?" Her mother supplied, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, that!" She piped, annoyed by her lisp. "I'm gonna entorduce you to my firebender friend!" She scanned the room for him. "He was so cool and… and… where'd he go? Did he leave?"

Her mother laughed. "You must have been dreaming, silly." She touched Katara's nose with her fingertip. "But I can tell he was nice too. Can you say hello to him for me next time you see him?"

"Okay." Katara seemed to be deep in thought. "A dream. Huh. He seemed so real to me…"

"Well, they do that a lot. Now, Gran-gran's out flavoring the fish for lunch later, if you want to watch, and your breakfast is outside. Come on." She extended a slender hand. Katara took it, but it seemed she was still stuck in the reverie where she'd met the firebender.

If that dog named Rover won't bark
Mama's gonna buy you a horse and cart
If that Horse and Cart fall down,
Then you'll be the sweetest little baby in town…

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A/N: The rest of this fic is already done, but I want to receive some feedback before I post the next chapter. Until then, please

REVIEW!

By the way, to anyone who's ever seen Rashaka's 'Guide Me Home,' you might come to realize some similarities with this fic, but I swear you all that I had this idea even before I read that. That's all.