1. Opening shop

**A/N: This is my first ever fanfic…..I hope you all like and please review. I'm a writer/artist of my own original work for nearly 25 years….A lot of unpublished works but you can feel free to check out some of my artwork on my Facebook page (/goat14). I also have two urban books out (for mature audiences) if you are a fan of that genre. Please R&R If I owned Avatar, I would be dead from suicide because of the horrible movie, so ****NO**** I don't own this universe that I'm writing this story in.**

Ch. 1

The sun shines brightly over the small floral shop in Republic City's market district. Tara sweeps the floor of her grandmother's shop. She then takes a jade pitcher and lightly waters the fresh moon flowers that are adjacent to the sunlight. She brushes her auburn hair out of her face. Tara's brow is moist from cleaning up the shop, preparing it for the day. She takes off her apron and sits down, her cat purrs against her leg. A rare breed, sold to her mother by a man named Siam. The cat jumps into Tara's lap, tugging on Tara's braided ponytail.

"Oww, quit it Paws!" Tara yelps in laughter and pain. "I haven't forgotten your milk." She walks over to the oak pantry and gets the fresh milk delivered an hour earlier. Tara marvels at the beautiful glass the milk jug was made of. No doubt the sculptors are skilled sandbenders and firebenders from the factory west from the city. That was where most of the glass used for the buildings in the city was made from. "Good morning Katara, is your grandmother in?" A young man asked as he peeked his head inside the shop. Tara perked up when she saw him. He was seventeen with hair as dark as night, olive colored skin and jade eyes. His name is Yinchen. She always adored hearing him say her full name, Katara. It was more than a regular name. It was the name of a master waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe who was also the wife of the Avatar.

"No, she hasn't arrived yet. She's waiting on my mother to come back and they will both arrive together I suppose." Tara said. Yinchen smiles at her as he steps inside the shop. He has on a dark tan apron with a short sleeve green shirt and black pants, nearly two meters (6'5) tall clean shaven with an impeccable smile. He stares at Tara wearing a pattern robe of white lotus. "You looked great." Yinchen said nervously. "Thanks." Tara said, blushing a little. "So, did you want to leave a message for my grandmother?" she asked. "Oh! Right…Tell her that when she comes in that my father has selected some of the best cabbages for her and he has them at the shop. I'll bring them over in about an hour. Okay?" Yinchen nervously said.

Tara giggled because she always thought Yinchen was so handsome, yet he had this air of goofiness about him. She often wondered could it be because he found her attractive? With that thought, she giggled some more. "What's so funny?" Yinchen smirked. "I have something in my teeth?" He smacked his hand across his mouth after stating that. "No it's not that, it's…" "YINCHEN! Come help me with my new cabbages!" "Wow, that was my granddad. I forgot how fast he can still get around now. He had just left for Ba Sing Se a couple of days ago, and already back." "That's the wonders of technology." Tara said. "Well, talk to you-" the two both said, then laughed. "See you later?" Yinchen asked. "Yeah." Tara said. "I'll be here….."


	2. Midwife of Hope

Ch. 2

Tara watched Yinchen as he crossed the street towards his father's vegetable shop. He helped his grandfather, a well-known cabbage merchant, unload his fresh produce from the steam-powered carriage. Paws was chasing her tail outside the shop. As Tara watched, she thought back to when she was younger and the merchant would regale of his many tales near the end of the 100 year war of running into the young Avatar and his friends in and around towns and cities. Of course now he sees those times as "great chance encounters seeing the heroes of the world in action" as opposed to at that moment wanting to turn these destructive hooligans in to local authorities. It wasn't until he was approached with a hefty sum to tell of his encounters with the Avatar by esteemed playwright Pu-on Tim that he begin to appreciate those encounters.

Tara often disliked the thought of Yinchen's grandfather wanting to turn the Avatar and his friends in. She wondered how different her life would have been had it not been for the Avatar's efforts. His wife helped deliver her mother, Hope. Her mom would tell her that she had visions of becoming a great waterbender one day, just like Katara. Hope even travelled to the Southern Water Tribe when she was ten accompanied by her parents to visit Katara's childhood home. Thanks to the presence of waterbenders arriving to the Southern Water Tribe shortly after the death of Princess Yue of the Northern Water Tribe and reborn as the Moon Spirit, the Southern Water Tribe underwent a wondrous transformation and was expanded. The few Southern waterbenders that were alive and freed after the war taught the children their customs and styles, as well as learning the non-bending ways of combat thanks to the tribesman soldiers of then Chief Hakoda.

Hope did not meet Katara at that point, but did meet Chief Hakoda, along with his son the swordsman Sokka, who was visiting home via a new transportation system he helped design with Teo, son of one of the chief architects of Republic City. Hope tried to learn the art of waterbending, but to no avail, it was not in her. Saddened after a year with the tribe, she and her parents traveled back to Ba Sing Se, but not without meeting the woman who helped delivered her….

Tara stared out into the glare of the sunlight bouncing off the tall buildings stretching into the inner city as she recalled her mother's tale of seeing the great waterbender for the first time since Hope came into the world:

"_It was my last day. I had just about lost all hope, believe it or not. It's amazing thinking back on that day. It was a dream of mine to make such a difference and become something great. I wanted to be a waterbender so bad. My parents loved me with all their might. To sacrifice their time to take me to the Southern Water Tribe and let me train for a year? It was more than a child could hope for. I would pray to Yue to give me the ability to do these wondrous things. Water was life, almost more than any other element. It sustains us, cleans us, it was within us. _

"_The chief's son was also leaving the same day. I'll never forget the look in his eyes when he came to our house and told me "Trust me kid, you've already done more than could ever dream of. But if you don't believe me, then believe __**HER**__." I looked behind him and stepping into my room was Katara. Oh my goodness….I was awestruck. She was so beautiful. I was about ten at the time so she wasn't old like I am now…(my mother was like 30 telling me this story, I didn't think she was old) She took me by the hand and told me 'Hope….look into my eyes. Sokka told me about everything you've done in the past year. How you've tried mercilessly to learn waterbending. I want you to know that you have done more already in your life than move water. You helped bring hope back into the world. Without you, this world we live ln most likely would have never been. If you never bend water, know that you can bend spirits. You have been my constant inspiration everytime I think about the what ifs. You were the difference maker. Never forget that.' It was at that moment that I knew if I ever had a daughter I would name her Katara."_

Tara's gaze was rattled because a great rumble erupted outside the _Flowers of Hope _shop.

"**MY CABBAGES**!" the old merchant yelled. Tara ran over to the door and looked for Paws, who wondered outside while she was talking to Yinchen a few mintues ago. The steam-powered carriage was knocked over, a small stalagmite had risen from the ground under it. Tara looked in fright. The Stones were here….


End file.
