Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

A/N: Well, I just had this idea. I have no idea if it's been overused or not, since I haven't read any Avatar fanfiction besides The Concubine Princess by Turion (which you all should read, good stuff), but I'm gonna write it anyway! I love Zutara so very much, but it's even more fun if you pair Zuko up with an OC!!! hehe Zuko's so hott (without that stupid ponytail) that he can have any girl he wants! So why not give him one that doesn't exist in his world? It probably makes him feel super powerfawl. hehe men. Well, here it goes! Gonna try my best! Wish me luck, and please read and review!

Also, a little insight to this story. Natsuki's (the main character) Grandma is the old herb lady featured mainly in Book 1: Water, Chapter 13: The Blue Spirit. She tells Aang to feed Sokka and Katara frozen frogs (ick). Natsuki is my own made up character, as are her parents. And for future reference, as I am sure this will come up in later chapters (maybe even this one, I'm not quite sure), Admiral Zhao is still alive. Yes, I know, he died during the end of the last episode in Season 1, but let's just say he somehow held his breath underwater for an amazing amount of time, and managed to stay alive until Aang was released from the Avatar State. So he's still alive, kicking, and pissing everyone off. And Zuko is back in the Fire Nation. This is when Ozai welcomed him back, sort of. He has his (sexy) long hair, but usually wears it up in that (hideous) ponytail thing with that little fire crown thingy in there. The war is still going on, obviously haha. I have no idea what season this is happening in, I'm still on season 2 lol. Well, if you have any questions (or answers) go ahead and share! Maybe in a review...? hehe well Enjoy!

The Iris and The Lily

Chapter One

A Hint of Normality

"Natsuki!"

I jerked up in my bed, immediately awake and pushing the covers off of me. "What is it, Grandma?" I ran into the greenhouse, already sweating. I pushed open the door and found Grandma bending over next to a table. I couldn't see her face, but from her posture it seemed that she was in pain.

I gasped and ran over to her. "Grandma, are you okay?" I put my hand on her back and kneeled next to her, trying to get a glimpse of her face. "What's wrong? Tell me!"

Then she did the strangest thing. She laughed.

I furrowed my brow as she straighened up, her eyes closed as she wheezed through her teeth. "What are you getting so worked up about, Natsuki?" she asked, walking over to the table as I stood up, confused. She gave Miyuki a few pets on her head before continuing, giving me a smile. "I just wanted you to tend to the flowers."

I sighed, but smiled and nodded. "'Kay, I'll get right on that, Grandma," I answered, picking up a watering can and making my way over to the corner of the greenhouse.

It'd been like this for as long as I could remember. My parents had been part of the Earth Kingdom, but had relatives in the Air Nomads. I think my father was an earthbender, from what Grandma told me, but my mother was just a normal person. Apparently they'd met when my father saved my mother from a cavein. Funny thing was, she was there exploring with her fiance. Grandma said it was love at first sight. Mother's fiance didn't take it very well. He was from the Fire Nation, and was also a firebender at that. He was in the army, too, and had to go off to war soon.

My mother ended their engagement a few days before he left. Apparently he had a wild temper, and she wanted to break the news to him when he had no chance of blowing up. My mother and father were married a few weeks later, and ten months after that they had me. They named me Natsuki, meaning summer child, because it had been raining ever since spring began, and their crops were beginning to flood and die, but the day before they had me, all the rain stopped. They looked at me as if I were a blessing sent from the spirit of the Earth.

Grandma said my mother had a way with flowers. I remember, her name was Sen, meaning wood fairy. Grandma said that everything she touched seemed to burst with life, and she was happiest when she was barefoot in a field of wildflowers. When I was little, Grandma would tell me stories about my parents, how they were so happy together and in love. But my favorite was a story that she and I named The Iris and The Lily.

"What story are you gonna tell me tonight, Gramma?" I asked, sitting up in excitement.

Grandma laughed and gently pushed me down onto my back. "Calm down, child. You'll never go to sleep like this."

"I'm too excited to go to sleep!" I protested, but laid down all the same. "So what are you gonna tell meeeee?"

"Hm..." She thought for a moment, looking away with squinty eyes, making me giggle, then turned back, her face full of life. "How about The Iris and The Lily?"

I gasped in happiness. I was hoping she would tell me that one. "That's my favorite!"

She laughed more. "I know, sweetie, I know. Now, how does it start?"

"You and Mamma were in a field!" I helped, trying not to raise my voice too much. She didn't like that, but I was so excited!

"That's right. We were in the field down the rock path from here, in the woods. It was the beginning of summer, almost the time for your first birthday. She brought me down there trying to find inspiration for your gifts.

"We walked for a long time, your mother climbing trees and enjoying nature, and me laughing with her, happy to see her so radiant. Finally, we came across two flowers that seemed out of place among the smaller, yellow flowers. One was as white as snow, with pink on the inside of the petals, in the center. And the other..." She shuddered and tickled me, making me giggle and shudder, too. "Oh, the other was as black as night, with petals coming up from all sides, looking hideous next to the beautiful white flower.

" 'Oh, Mother! Look how beautiful they are!' your mother said, running to them immediately, so light on her feet that she didn't even crush any flowers on her way.

" 'Beautiful?' I asked. 'That white one, indeed, is beautiful, but what is that terrible dark thing next to it?'

" 'Mother, how can you say that?' she asked, as if I had offended the flower. 'Look at the contrast, the color!'

" 'The color is what I dislike, my child,' I explained, walking up to her. 'That is the color of death, of darkness. It darkens this field with its presence.'

"She laughed and stroked the flowers petals tenderly. 'I suppose,' she said. 'It looks that way from where you're standing, doesn't it? But, Mother, if you would look a little closer...'

"She pulled one of the petals forward and another back, exposing a dazzling yellow color on it, almost more brilliant than the white flower next to it. I was surprised to say the least, and she laughed at my expression. 'You see, Mother? Things aren't always what they seem to be.'

"I smiled as she stood. 'I suppose not,' I said, gazing at the flowers with her. We called the dark one an iris, for it was the color of your mother's eyes, and the white one a lily, after the friend she had back in the Earth Kingdom city of Ba Sing Se, whose hair was the same white as the flower.

"And the next day when we came back to fetch them for your birthday, there were irises and lilies everywhere! All over the field, always grouped in two like the first pair."

"Oh, Grandma!" I yawned, stretching my arms. "I wish I could see a lily and an iris."

"You will, dearie," she promised, pulling the blankets up to cover me. "But first, get some rest. You've got a big day tomorrow."

I smiled and nodded, easily drifting off to sleep.

What my Grandma always neglected to mention was that the field that she spoke of had been void of irises and lilies since my mother and father died. They were killed by Fire Nation soldiers on their way to Ba Sing Se, to sell their flowers and crops and remedies. I firmly believed that the one who had ordered the attack was none other than my mother's ex-fiance, but my Grandma always told me not to be so spiteful.

It had been my wish for a very long time to find him, and show him just what he had forced my parents to leave behind, but after fourteen long years of nothing, the thought had basically been squished and stuffed in a locked drawer.

"Natsuki?"

I blinked, my eyes wide as I was jerked from my thoughts. "Hm?" I turned my head to look at Grandma. "Yes? What is it?"

She was smiling, as if she were about to laugh and gestured to the plant in front of me. "You've been watering that flower for over five minutes."

I turned to look at the orchid and saw that she was right. There was nearly a pool of water at the base of the plant. I sighed and reached under the table to pick up a few dry towels. "Sorry, I guess I was distracted," I apologized, soaking up most of the water in one towel, then put it aside and picked up another. I began to dab at the remaining water, not wanting to overwater such a fragile plant.

Grandma laughed a little, then went back to her work. "Oh, darn it!" she suddenly exclaimed, sounding more exasperated than angry.

My eyebrows perked up and I was already moving toward her. "What is it?" I asked, eager to help. Ever since Grandma's age had started to really catch up to her, I was doing so much work it was enough to nearly break my back. But I was happy to do it. Anything to help the woman who raised me.

She sighed and gestured to her tools. "I've misplaced my trowel!" she explained. "I think I probably left it at the base of the mountain, when I was planting acorns."

I bit my lip. I'd have to go all the way down the mountain? I held back a sigh and forced an energetic smile. "Don't worry, I'll get it!" I said, turning to the door.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her expression becoming concerned. "It's a long way."

"I'll be fine!" I assured her. "I just woke up, Gran-Gran, I'm full of energy!" I sent her one last toothy smile before going through the door and shutting it behind me.

Once I was out of her sight, my smile dropped to the floor and I put a hand to my forehead, breathing out slowly. Full of energy? That was a laugh. I was still tired enough to sleep in the river!

Well, it would be a long walk to the base of the mountain. Better get started, I thought tiredly, already feeling the ache that would surely develop within a half hour.

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I fell to my knees on the hard ground, two men staring at me, eyebrows raised. I rolled on my back, splaying my arms out around me. I turned my head to look at the trowel in my hand and glared at it. "This is all your fault," I growled at it.

It just looked back at me with its muddy face, saying nothing.

I sighed and rolled my head back to look at the sky, then closed my eyes. My heart was pounding in my chest, aching for rest. I probably could've gone to sleep right there, but a voice interrupted me.

"Excuse me? Miss? Are you alright?"

I opened one eye to find one of them men leaning over me, a confused expression on his face. He blinked in surprise, noticing my eyes.

I narrowed my eyes and looked away, pushing myself up, much to my body's loathing. "I'm fine, thanks," I said, continuing on my way. "Sorry for bothering you."

"N-No problem," I heard him say, and quickened my pace. I didn't want to hear him talking to his friend about what he'd seen.

I stopped a little ways up ahead, sitting in the middle of the long upward slope of steps that led to the greenhouse. I held up the trowel and looked at myself, into my eyes.

Unlike the typical light dusty brown of those in the Earth Kingdom, my eyes were a flat, dull gray. Grandma told me that my eyes were special, but I knew the truth. I'd heard it plenty of times, when I'd walk in on the adults talking about "that strange girl with the healer".

I had the same eyes as the Avatar. Air Nomad eyes.

I blinked and looked away, standing up and shoving the trowel in the pocket of my trousers. The less people noticed me, the better.

I breathed in and out slowly, balling my hands into fists and putting the knuckles together in front of me, making my arms form a sort of box from my shoulds to my elbows. I took another breath, in my nose and out my mouth, then opened my eyes. I could see the air currents, the different winds, every direction it took. I stepped forward, and vaulted up the stairs, using the air to propel me forward. In less than five seconds, I was at the top of the stairs, catching my breath before I opened the door.

After all, I didn't want anyone to figure out that I was an airbender.

My hand was reaching for the knob when something to my side caught my eye. I turned, casually glancing over my shoulder at the strange sight.

Smoke was rising from somewhere to my left, down a ways, on the side of the mountain. I narrowed my eyes and focused. This smoke wasn't the thick coal black of a forest fire. This smoke was gray, thin, dispersing in a thin line at the top, not quite reaching the clouds.

I couldn't help but feed my suspicion. I walked around the side of the greenhouse, making sure to hide behind bushes so Grandma wouldn't see me through the glass, and grabbed my glider from behind a tree. I climbed the tree quickly and slammed the base of the glider into the thick branch, forcing the wings open. I'd covered the wings on the top with leaves, so I would resemble a large bird flying instead of a person. It would lessen the suspicion of others.

I grabbed on tightly and shoved off, creating a wind to carry me to the source of the smoke.

In no time I was looking down on the fire. It was a simple campfire, small, surrounded by tents. But the number of tents worried me. Not that many people lived up here, who could possibly need eight tents?

I made the wind slow down, letting myself fall for a little bit, but still staying high enough to be out of sight.

I gasped, blinking rapidly. On the sides of the tents were Fire Nations insignias. One man stepped outside, barked orders to another, then made the fire flare to ten times its size, burning any firewood in the pit to crisps. The fire went out promptly, leaving the camp in darkness.

I coughed as I got too close to the smoke and turned around, going back to the greenhouse. What were Fire Nation soldiers doing here of all places? Weren't they supposed to be laying seige to Ba Sing Se?

I hid my glider behind the tree again, and rushed to the door. I burst through, looking around wildly for my Grandma. "Grandma!" I called, going to the other room, where the herbs and remedies were kept and grown. "Grandma, where are you? I have to tell you something! The Fire Nation -"

When I entered the room, my breath caught in my throat.

There were at least five soldiers, two holding Grandma by her arms. The other three stood guard at the corners of the room. A man with dignifying-looking armor stood in front of Grandma, and turned around when he heard me. The soldiers assumed offensive stances, ready to shoot fire at me at any given moment.

The man smiled at me, his brows furrowed, making the gesture threatening. "Ah, it seems we have another guest," he said.

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A/N: Hope you like so far! Please review! Thanks for reading!