N/A:

Disclaimer:

First and foremost I do not own the rights to Avatar the Last Airbender. Nickelodeon, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko do. They came up with the cannon and the concept of the element bending so they deserve their credit. Also I give credit to Vathara and her story Embers. Her whole concept of what started the war, all of the conflicts between the nations and their cultures, how the spirits are/what they do/etc, the dragons that survive, and the different types of bending within their perspective elements. All of those belong to Vathara and she deserves recognition for her amazing work in Embers as it inspired me to create my own fanfic. So I thank Vathara and the creators of Avatar the Last Airbender for all of their work. Lastly, this entire disclaimer is for every single chapter of Fire Guardian. I say this now so I can save myself the time of putting it in every chapter.

Story:

This version of the cannon takes place a few years before the cannon and continues to happen during it but these characters don't interact with Gaang, for the most part, they have their own things to do and these characters have their own stories to tell. So for the majority of Fire Guardian I claim creative rights to this story. The beginning of this story is my own creation based off of the concepts in the disclaimer while also adding my own concepts and characters. And later on I will change part of the bases of the cannon itself like how Toph Bei Fong does not become Aang's teacher like in canon. Boomi will teach Aang earthbending first because Aang will try to find Toph but she has her own journey so they won't meet up till sometime later.

So I hope you enjoy my work.

Salty wind blowing up and over the ocean cliff. Clear blue sky and sparkling ocean splayed out before him. If he had the choice, Ikihi would love to just stay in this spot and stare out at the beautiful sight endlessly, but luck did not seem like it wanted to take his side. Or if you would call an angry mob of earth kingdom soldiers behind him, trapping him with nowhere to go but to jump off the cliff, lucky...well, it was lucky for them but not so much for Ikihi. Ikihi looked down the cliff that ended in foamy white water bashing against the cliff wall and then back at the angry soldiers inching closer, scared the boy would throw out a huge wave of fire and scorch them all. Hmm...which one would I fare better off against...heck I'll take my chances with the ocean instead of cranky earth kingdom soldiers. The only reason I've been safe so far because they have no earthbenders… N' down we go!

Ikihi turned back to the ocean and jumped. Arms flailing while buffeted by the wind with the ocean rushing up to greet him, Ikihi pierced into the water feet first. The current pulled him under and dragged him out into the ocean without a hint of letting up. Ah shit…

The currents pulled and kept Ikihi down to the point he lost his breath and drowned. Ikihi was dragged up with the water and out of the ocean unconscious. There was a man dressed in blue Southern Water Tribe clothing with blue and white beads decorating his long white braided hair and white beard. The waterbender waved his arms in time to bring the water with the unconscious boy onto the wooden boat and keep him from drowning. The elderly man moved his hand gently upwards while closing his fist as if he were grabbing a bunch of sand to let it fall, and as he did this, water rose up and out of the boy's mouth as he coughed and sputtered to life once again. The boy's consciousness surfaced to open his golden eyes—not a pale gold like other firebenders of the dragons, but a clear, blazing gold as if they were miniature suns all of their own. The boy looked at the water tribe man who had just laid him down as the wind caught the sails and they headed out towards the ocean, away from the yelling Earth Kingdom soldiers behind on the cliff. The boy gave a small smile, nodding his head. "Ikihi. Thank you…" And the boy blacked out once more.

The boy didn't look like he could be older than 9 years old but it was clear the boy, Ikihi as he called himself in that one moment of consciousness 5 days ago, didn't have a lick of training in how to fight. That aside, I'm worried there's something wrong with him. He didn't have many injuries other than bruises, cuts, and blisters you get from traveling...but in all of my years I have not seen someone look so deprived of sleep and even more deprived of food…

The water tribe man decided to make for land so he could hunt and cook some food because there wasn't any food on board so the boy could revive his strength. But what should I do with this boy? This boy seems to be of the Fire Nation, but I feel no maliciousness from him at all. When he was on the cliff he had no hint of a firebending stance at all...He just jumped and evaded the trouble… Kayuqtuq had been to many battle fields and had felled many firebenders in his time. Kayuqtuq hadn't always known war across the world. He was born around the time Fire Lord Sozin was. Born in the Southern Water Tribe but left at 20 years old to master waterbending and healing and to travel the world. Somewhere along the way Kayuqtuq got dragged into the war and started meeting unique people that he later found out they were of the Order of the White Lotus. Grand Lotus at 50 years of age, Kayuqtuq worked in the background, searching the world for any clues of where the Avatar might be.

On one such trip, Kayuqtuq came across a Western Water Tribe who hid themselves from everyone in the war in alcoves along the coast of the Western Ocean. These people were waterbenders but their style of bending was nothing like he, Kayuqtuq, had ever seen. They weren't weird like the Foggy Swamp waterbenders but neither were they as rigid as the Northern or Southern Water Tribes. These people were waterbenders with a different style all together, and when he saw them bend, although there were only about 3 benders among 50 people in the alcoves, he was too scared to learn what they called Storm Waterbending.

Over the years Kayuqtuq took to those people and started to call them his family since he had no other, and the hidden alcoves became his home as well. Now he was heading towards those alcoves with the unconscious boy on his boat. It seemed the boy had no family and had been on his own for some time. So Kayuqtuq decided, It doesn't matter if the boy was born of fire. He doesn't have any family and likely no home, not to mention he doesn't have any obvious training...If he was older I'd train him myself but he can't be older than 9...I'm not good with kids or trying to raise them. I'd have a better chance leaving him in the alcove for 3 years to be trained and then come back for him to see if he's capable of helping me… That is, if he will want to help me.

Ugh...The swaying finally stopped...I'm either dead and at the bottom of some ocean, in a spirit world or on land. A tingling feeling came to his hands and fingers and slowly spread through his body. Torturous to not be able to itch at the prickling all over. "Ugh...This is killing me…"

"What is? What's killing you?" a girl said worriedly as she quickly made her way out of the tent with a flapping sound.

Heavy footsteps and an old crackling voice calling out for water. The footsteps stopping by Ikihi, the people intently listening.

"The tingling...It's killing me and I can't scratch it…"

A sound of palm hitting face. And the elderly lady's cackling laugh in between. "Well, you heard the boy. Kunik, help the poor boy out and massage his limbs so he can move. Irniq, go to your mother and tell her the boy has woken up, and ask for a pair of clothes for him. Your size or maybe a bit smaller should be good. Atanarjuat, go get some food and water for this boy."

"Yes Aanaruaga," they all replied in unison as each went to do their task.

The girl the elder woman called Kunik started messaging Ikihi's hands and then up his arms, to his chest and stomach. Once he was able to sit up he rose and massaged the rest of the sourness out of his legs and stretch everything else out. The girl had jumped back startled at Ikihi's sudden movement. When the elderly woman looked up from the boy and Kunik she stared in amazement at the candles that were placed at the four corners of the boy's bedding due to Kayuqtuq's suggestion and the boy clearly having Fire Nation blood in him. The candles weren't supposed to be lit during the day when the sun was out. Kayuqtuq had said the sun should give him enough strength during the day but it may help to light candles for him at night when the sun's power was weak. Yet these candles are ablaze when none of us touched them. They were out like they should be, at first, but when the boy was able to move they suddenly lit and started dancing...

Atiqtalik had seen inside of the boy and, while healing him, saw his soul to be in the form of a grand sleeping dragon of which she dared not wake up in fear of what would happen. She had heard from Kayuqtuq that the boy before her had blazing golden eyes, like a firebender and yet different. Atiqtalik had seen firebenders before and there was even a friendly master firebender who lived up the mountain from their little hidden village. But the boy's eyes were not the usual pale gold that came from the dragons; rather, his eyes were like golden fire that would darken or lighten with the boy's emotions.

Kayuqtuq entered the tent to watch the boy move around, dress and eat. "How does he look to you Atiqtalik?"

"This boy is unique. I'll introduce him to Hamasaki Daichi and see what he makes of the boy. I thought you said the boy was not a firebender although likely of Fire Nation blood?"

"Judging by his stances and how he moves, I would say he has never learned firebending."

"Then how do you explain the candles?"

"What candl-" Kayuqtuq looked at the candles in the room that should have been out because the sun's strength in the middle of the day should have been enough to sustain the boy, but were somehow lit and flaring. Kayuqtuq moved closer to the lit candles to get a better look and you could see miniature dragons made of flames, one dragon per candle, twirling around and dancing through the air. To the eyes unfamiliar with spirits they would just see a very active flame which usually means there is a powerful firebender nearby. But...these flames… They show the very state of the boy. He resembles a dragon. And these flames are not blazing due to anger. The dragons in the flames are dancing as if they are happy. The boy is happy...but why?

Kayuqtuq looks over at the boy to see Ila, a girl about 18 years old squealing about how cute the boy was.

Ikihi looked about as happy as a baby in its mother's arms, the happiest days of a child's life. Kayuqtuq inched over back to where Atiqtalik sat cross-legged, watching the children.

"It seems that, although he may not know how to firebend...he still has a great effect on the fire around him…"

"Hamasaki Daichi always said if there was something more dangerous than a trained firebending soldier it's a young firebending child who knows nothing of the power he holds in his hands."

Now out of the tent, Ikihi wandered around above the alcove, although the people of the little village said not to stray too far away.

Washed, clothed and fed. It's been a long time since I've felt so good. I can't believe these people are so nice. I hope things can stay this way...but if anything somehow catches fire…I don't know why but something always catches fire around me. As soon as people see something catch fire they all look at me like I'm a monster. Some try to kill me, others just plain kick me out of their village. But why? What did I do to be treated that way? I know there is a war against other people who move fire but I'm not like them...I don't even know who they are! I am Ikihi! So why do they treat me the same? Aaaaaaargh!

Ikihi swings his arms out in frustration, feeling his anger build up, begging for a way out so he doesn't explode.

"AAAAH!" A scream suddenly came from a hidden person behind the trees that some how caught fire. A pale skinned girl with dark black hair and shocked pale golden eyes startled by the sudden fire.

Oh not again… They are all going to hate me. Better start running now.

AN:

Ikihi means Firebreath.

Kayuqtuq means Red Fox.

Atiqtalik means Polar Bear Mother, Aanaruaga means grandmother.

Ila means Companion.

Kunik means Kiss.

Irniq means Son.

Atanarjuat means The Fast Runner.

Hamasaki Daichi means Seashore-Cape Great(Hamasaki) Wisdom(Daichi).

**The names from Kayuqtuq to Atanarjuat are all Inuit names, Ikihi and Hamasaki Daichi are Japanese.